evolution-500 - thank you!
Pamela's heart was in her throat as she burst into Harley's apartment complex. Almost all of Harley's friends were there, circled around a table and looking down on an all too familiar note.
"You all got one too?" She demanded without any greeting.
Mason spoke up. "Ivy, thank goodness you're here! We don't know where to start!"
It had been two days since she had last seen Harley, having left her to go to her weekend conservation convention. She had gotten back to her hotel room from her last speech and found her own letter waiting for her on the bed. And after almost breaking her bank on a surprise three-hour flight, Pamela had arrived in Gotham just thirty minutes ago.
She snatched up the letter on the table to see if it was the same.
And sure enough, it was.
To the friends of Harley Quinn,
Let's play a little game, shall we? I've got your pig-tailed boss with me here, and I'm already getting tired of her company. I'm thinking I should just end her story right here and now, rid the world of a nuisance like her, but I'd be inclined to spare her miserable life in exchange for a fun time.
Think of it like a scavenger hunt! It will be so much fun.
First thing's first. Our chosen player will need a partner. Let's see if she gets the hint.
Pamela gritted her teeth. There was no hint on either letter.
"It's the same one I got." She looked about the room. "Did any of you get a different letter in any way?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"What should we do?" Mason asked, worry evident in his voice.
Pamela pulled out her own letter and compared it side by side to the Harley Gang's one. There was nothing different about them. She scowled as she came to a frustrating conclusion. "None of us are the chosen player. Whoever grabbed her is probably just warning us to stay out of whatever Harley got herself into. Who was the last person to see Harley?"
Some of Harley's roller derby friends raised their hands. Summer spoke up. "We was getting dinner together after practice. She went home on her own and before we knew it Mason was calling us up about the note."
"Was this sent to all of Harley's friends?" Tony asked her.
Pamela was about to respond that she didn't know but her phone suddenly rang. She looked at the ID and her heart lifted when she saw it was Selina.
"What the hell, Ivy?! Did you get a note too?" The woman sounded more pissed off than worried, but she knew that was just Selina being Selina.
"Yes, and so did her crew in Coney Island. Where are you right now?"
"Gotham, where else? Are any of you the 'chosen player'?"
And with that, her heart sank again. "No, none of us are. I was hoping it was you."
"Should I go to you-know-who with this?"
Pamela thought for a moment. They had no idea who could have taken Harley or what they were capable. Hell, they could be under this person's very nose and they had no idea.
"This 'chosen player' is supposed to have a partner, and I'm pretty sure these letters are just warnings to not interfere with the game because someone else is already on the case. Let's give it another few hours for whoever the player and partner are to get their shit together and call around. Then, we'll start to worry."
Selina let out a sigh. "Look, I'm kinda in the middle of some stuff right now. Keep me posted, okay?"
"Of course, I'll talk to you soon." Pamela ended the call and looked back to the eyes that had locked on her. Almost all of Harley's friends were still in town from Harley's birthday and they were all so worried.
And they were looking to Pamela for support or answers.
She swallowed down her own fears and put on a brave face. "You heard me. We're going to have to play the waiting game for now, but that doesn't mean we can't scout around for some intel.
"Summer, take the rest of your team and retrace Harley's steps from tonight. Tony, you know Harley's usual haunts. Take the Harley Gang with you. Everyone else, check wherever you can think of, ask anyone that might know Harley, and be careful. We don't need whoever took her to feel pressured."
Everyone scrambled out of the doors while Pamela stayed put, leaning on the table and examining the letters. Before she knew it, Madame Macabre and Mason were the only people left in the room. The older woman placed a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll find her, dear. Don't you worry about a thing." Macabre gave her a reassuring smile, and Pamela nodded.
She looked to Mason, who seemed uncomfortable. "I- I'm sorry I didn't look out for her. I should have…"
"Don't." Pamela stopped him before he could continue. "I love that girl to death, but this mess is probably all Harley's fault. She can get into an astounding amount of trouble when left to her own devices. We'll figure this out. Hopefully whoever this 'chosen player' is gets in touch with the rest of us before they start playing this game."
Mason crossed his arms and sighed. "I've been realizing that recently about her."
Macabre mentioned something about making tea and disappeared into Harley's kitchen. Pamela knew she was just giving them some space to talk.
"Will that be a deal breaker?" She narrowed her eyes at him.
"N-No, not at all. I'm no stranger to trouble. I just… worry." He let out an even bigger sigh. "I'm not too good at this open relationship thing. I really do care for her."
"Are you jealous then?" Pamela challenged, standing tall and stepping towards him.
"No! I completely understand what she has with you is different than with me. And when she's with you I'm not angry or upset or anything."
She relaxed immediately. "Then you're doing fine with this relationship. So long as Harley's happiness is the priority here, and you do nothing to upset her, everything will be fine between the three of us."
Mason thought about that for a moment, but just as he was about to respond, there was a knock at the door.
Pamela and Mason exchanged a wary glance. All of Harley's friends knew about her open door policy. Feeling a little blind without her usual security system of plants and vines, Pamela approached the door and looked through the peep hole just as Madame Macabre returned with a pot of tea and a stack of three cups.
"Who's at the door?" She asked.
Pamela blinked at the person standing in the hall. "Wonder Woman."
"What?"
Stepping back, Pamela pulled open the door and the Amazon warrior was standing right there in the threshold, holding a familiar looking letter.
"I'm guessing you also received a letter?" The tall woman asked, holding her own letter up.
"Y-yes." Pamela moved out of Wonder Woman's way and gestured for her to enter.
The Amazon headed straight for the table, picking up Pamela and the Crew's letters and comparing it to her own. After reading over all three, she let out a long sigh.
"This confirms it." Wonder Woman offered her letter to Pamela. "Supergirl and Creeper received letters as well. Mine was the only one like this, so we assumed I was the 'chosen player'."
Pamela warily took the letter and read it over. The first part was word for word the same as the others, but then there were two extra notes at the end.
One hint is all you shall receive, and if you don't find your partner, the game will never begin.
Leaves of three, let it be.
"Supergirl told me it was a children's rhyme." Wonder Woman explained. "It makes sense."
She knew this rhyme well. Riddler had taunted her about it in Arkham since it was warning against the plant poison ivy. Pamela wasn't sure if she should feel relieved or worried that she would be the partner to the player in this game. On one hand, she'd be playing an active part in saving Harley, but on the other…
She was about to basically be Wonder Woman's side kick for an indefinite amount of time. How humiliating.
She continued reading to the last note.
Now, your partner is the only person that will be able to find the clues. Treat her well, else you won't be given much help!
When you find her, tell her this: A secret we both keep, kept hidden under the sheet.
"I… figured it was something personal after I realized it was referencing you." The Amazon said carefully. "Do you know what this alludes to?"
Pamela knew exactly what it was talking about, she just didn't know how this stranger knew their secret. She put a hand on her forehead and breathed hard out of her nose.
"Yes, I do…" Steeling herself, she shook her head and turned to Mason and Madame Macabre. "Tell the other's the game's begun. This is a scavenger hunt, so we'll be going all around town. Don't wait up for us."
She hurried out of the apartment without another word. Wonder Woman followed and closed the door behind them.
"Ivy, wait. If we're going to play this game, we've got to work together."
"I'm well aware of that," Pamela couldn't stop from scowling.
"Then where are we going? I can fly us there faster than either of us can walk."
Pamela finally paused. "I-uhh got drunk with Harley once, and we went to a tattoo parlor to get… matching piercings."
The Amazon thought for a moment, making a bit of a confused face but quickly shaking it off. "You think the next hint will be where you got the piercing?"
"I do."
"Alright," Wonder Woman swooped down suddenly and took Pamela up in her arms, surprising the redhead. "Point the way."
Pamela bit back a sharp reply about personal boundaries, but knew the woman was right. She directed the Amazon as best she could from the air, trying to ignore how high up they were and the awful, sulfur like smell coming off the heroine.
They made it to the parlor in record time for Coney Island at eleven p.m. during summer break, Pamela was pleased to see the shop still had its lights on. They entered and found the owner working on a full back piece on a very muscular man.
"Sorry, ladies, closed for the night." The blonde called out, barely acknowledging them. But then she did a double take and gasped. "Wonder Woman?"
"Hello, I'm afraid we need your help." Wonder Woman greeted as Pamela tried to hide her face behind the tall Amazon. "A friend of mine is being held hostage and we believe a hint to saving her might be hidden in your parlor."
The woman jumped out of her seat. "Of course! Look around all you want! Wow, can- can I have your autograph when you're done? Maybe a picture?"
"It would be a pleasure," Wonder Woman smiled and turned to Pamela. "Where exactly did you get the piercings?"
The artist approached them giddily, giving Pamela a good look finally. "Wait, I remember you! Princess Diana, right?"
Pamela was glad she no longer could blush, but she was surprised when Wonder Woman flinched. "Yes…"
"You know, I had a customer bow out of a PD today. Specifically requested the room I did you and your girlfriend in."
"Thank you. Continue your business. We'll just be a moment."
Pamela pushed past the two women and the gob smacked man and into the back room that she vividly remembered. She entered the dark room and searched it top to bottom. She found the note taped under the table that she and Harley had gotten their piercings on.
She retreated quickly and found Wonder Woman posing for a picture with the artist. Pamela flashed the letter to the Amazon and the woman's eyes lit up.
"Thank you for your assistance." Wonder Woman smiled and after signing the man's shoulder with a sharpie the two stepped outside and into a nearby alley to read the letter.
Back to the past, where we once had a blast. Wish I coulda stayed, but things back then were rarely okay.
"Where could this be?" Wonder Woman mused.
Pamela thought for a moment. "The last note was personal to Harley and me, so it has to be somewhere in Gotham. Maybe one of our old hideouts? But it isn't specific enough for me to guess a precise location."
"I have a feeling this is going to be a long hunt if they're sending us outside of Coney Island." Wonder Woman sighed.
"Then let's get going." Pamela shoved the letter in her pocket and the Amazon picked her up again.
The woman took off and Pamela held on tightly. They were in the sky for all of two minutes when Wonder Woman spoke up again. "That lady called you 'Princess Diana'. Why?"
Pamela never thought she could feel so humiliated. "It- it's the name of the piercing Harley and I got. I guess it was memorable. Probably since we got them together."
"Oh," The dark-haired woman said simply. Feeling she was in the clear, Pamela allowed herself to relax for a moment. But of course, that had to come crashing down. "Where is the piercing? My name is Diana, and I am a princess given that my mother is the Queen of Themyscira. It is humorous to share a name with a bodily modification."
"No where you need to know about, Princess." Pamela snapped quickly, making Wonder Woman flinch a little. The rest of the flight was spent in a tense silence.