AN: Not gonna lie. I'm incredibly happy with this chapter. Not only am I on time, I also managed to get out an incredibly important chapter. So many things happen in this and I'm excited for the developments that will come to fruition soon-ish. Hope you enjoy.
Wally went to the Mountain on a quiet morning to clear out his room. He carried a stack of carton boxes through the empty hallways. The atmosphere was lonely and Wally almost wished that the Team was here. Almost. He wasn't eager to face them. Not after the disastrous last mission. And then there was also his anger at Artemis that had soon turned into awkward regret. Wally didn't want to deal with this on top of saying goodbye.
So, Wally had intentionally chosen a time where no one would be in the Mountain. There was no mission and no training. Conner and M'Gann had moved into a shared flat a few years ago. Wally had considered calling Nightwing to ask him for help, but he didn't want to burden him. Nightwing had enough on his plate.
Wally halted when he heard steps. Kaldur approached with a stack of carton-boxes in his arms. They were already filled with the Atlantean's things. Kaldur's face twisted in guilt.
"Moving out as well?", Wally asked.
Kaldur nodded: "My King is announcing his retirement today. The Team knows of my new duty so I didn't want to-"
Kaldur seemed at a loss for words.
"I get it. You didn't want to poke the open wound."
Kaldur nodded.
"You'll be a great Aquaman", Wally said.
"I have great shoes to fill", Kaldur said, "But I have a lot of people who believe in me which gives me confidence."
Wally smiled: "And I'm just going to college."
"Don't belittle your accomplishments", Kaldur said, "We are both embarking onto a new path."
Wally nodded. Kaldur was right. College felt right even if it would be hard for him. Wally needed to move forward in his life. They all needed to.
Wally said: "I'd give you a bro-hug but all those boxes…"
"Right."
There was awkward silence for a moment but then they both broke into laughter. It was such a weird situation. Seeing their team disintegrate. Things would never be the same which made Wally melancholic and excited at the same time.
"What so funny?", someone asked from behind them.
Wally jumped, almost dropping all those boxes. He turned around. Nightwing was watching them with a tilted head. He wore one of Wally's hoodies again. At this point, Nightwing wore Wally's clothes as often as he did his own.
"I didn't expect you to be here", Wally bit his lip in guilt.
"Batman have cameras of Mountain", Nightwing shrugged, "I was bored and see you here. Not much do when you can't leave house on own. Batman sick of me hanging around Batcave so allow me come here."
Wally could imagine it. Nightwing sitting night after night in the Batcave while the rest of the house slept. Looking for anything to distract himself with. It must be lonely.
"You could message me", Nightwing nodded at the boxes, "I can help."
"I thought about it, but I didn't want to burden you."
Nightwing tilted his head in the other direction. Definitely not happy about Wally's decision.
"I have surprise", Nightwing said.
Wally froze. What the hell had his menace of a boyfriend done now?
"Come on", Nightwing turned around and apparently spoke to someone else, "Not be coward."
Whoever it was, they must be hiding behind a corner. Wally couldn't see them.
"I'm not a coward", Artemis said from behind a corner, "I'm very content here."
"You brought Artemis?", Wally asked.
"Of course, you need make up and be friends again", Nightwing walked to the corner and pulled Artemis into their line of sight.
His boyfriend pushed Artemis directly in front of Wally. They avoided looking at each other.
"That was not my idea", Artemis said, "He blew up my phone."
Kaldur awkwardly looked between them: "I'll leave you to it. I'm not team leader anymore so it's not my duty to solve this."
"Very funny, Kal", Wally moped.
Nightwing clapped Kaldur's shoulder: "Good luck save world with League."
"Thanks. I hope we don't have to save the world too often."
Kaldur waved at them and left.
Nightwing ripped the boxes out of Wally's hands: "I clear room for you. You solve this before I come back. I don't want you be mad at each other. Enough people mad at each other right now."
Wally bit his lip in guilt. Nightwing must be talking about Bruce and Jason.
Nightwing left quickly. He directed a final menacing glare at them.
"Is he trying to frighten us into making up?", Wally shook his head.
"Is it working?", Artemis asked.
"Potentially", Wally chewed on his lip, "I'm meeting a lot of people today for trying to avoid people", Wally said.
Artemis pulled on her sleeve: "I wouldn't have come but you know how he is."
Wally nodded in acknowledgement.
Artemis continued: "I regretted what I said the moment after I said it."
"Artemis, you don't need to-", all of this was awkward enough.
"No", she said, "I'm sorry. I screwed up. The Team needed to hear about you leaving, but they didn't need to learn it from me. It was your place to tell them. And then I dropped the ball even more by pushing Nightwing. He's just trying to keep it together and I shouldn't have put this pressure on him even if I didn't like his coping mechanism."
Wally listened to her with an open mouth. Impressed by Artemis' degree of emotional reflection and unsure of what to answer. This kind of emotional confrontation was exactly what Wally had tried to avoid.
Artemis sighed, running her hand through her hair: "This is stupid. I shouldn't have let him pull me here."
"No", Wally decided to face it head-on.
Otherwise, he would run off to college with this hanging between them. Artemis was Wally's best friend. They didn't need to be romantic to be in each other's lives and to have something meaningful. Wally would regret it if he evaded this and spent the next few months wondering if Artemis was still his friend.
"I get it", Wally finally said.
"You aren't angry anymore?"
"I was just frustrated", Wally said, "I guess I'm glad it's out now. And for all it's worth: You were right. Nightwing was dealing with this horribly and I was too much of a coward to breach it with him. So, you were kind of the push that we needed."
Wally seemed to have a habit of wanting to avoid conflict. He had tried it again today, but Nightwing hadn't let him. Today, Nightwing had pushed them.
Artemis shook her head: "Maybe my push was a bit too strong."
"Just a bit", Wally said, "I was pretty pissed and I don't want to be pissed at you, Arty."
"Friends again?"
"Friends", Wally said.
Artemis smiled. Wally felt something warm in his chest. The boxes felt lighter now same as the air around him. Wally could leave now with the reassurance that he was on good terms with all his old friends.
Artemis shook her head: "I can't believe his strategy paid off. We proved him right."
"Damn Bats."
"Let's see what he's doing", Wally said, "I have to make sure he doesn't steal all my clothes."
Artemis followed Wally to his room: "I think it's too late for that."
Wally opened the door. Nightwing was inside, the box half-packed. He hid something behind his back when Wally entered. There was a stack of sweaters on Wally's bed, conspicuously not in the box. All of them had colorful motives. Some from shows Wally hadn't watched in years.
"Is that your 'sweaters-I-will-steal-from-Wally-stack'?", Wally zipped towards the bed going through the clothes.
"No", Nightwing's voice sounded conspicuously innocent, "I just fold them for you."
"Then, you won't be sad if I put them all in the box?"
Nightwing smiled in a way that told Wally the sweaters wouldn't stay long in Wally's closet.
Wally would be annoyed if it wasn't so hot. Maybe he had a thing for criminal activity which was concerning because he was a superhero – had been a superhero. So, maybe it didn't matter anymore.
"You are such a ninja", Wally pecked Nightwing on the lips, using his superspeed to get whatever Nightwing was hiding behind his back.
Nightwing tried to grab it back. But Wally had already recognized it as a knife. One of those golden-handled ones that Nightwing had used as a Talon.
"You hid your Court-knives here?", Wally asked, exasperated.
"Batman not like them. Tell me get rid", Nightwing kept his voice controlled – not betraying anything.
Wally wondered how Nightwing felt. There was more to this.
"So, you hid them in my room?"
"They are good knives", Artemis sounded amused, "Perfectly balanced. Would be a shame to get rid of them."
"Artemis understand it", Nightwing grinned, "Batman and Wally not."
Wally just shook his head. That's what he got for dating multiple former villains.
"No wonder you were so insistent on helping me clear out my room. And here I thought you were doing it from the goodness of your heart."
"Batman always say the best actions have multiple objectives", Nightwing shrugged, "So, you and Artemis friends again?"
"We solved it", Wally said.
Nightwing smiled. No wonder. The smug bastard had solved multiple objectives by coming here today: Getting Wally and Artemis to make up, getting his old knives and stealing multiple of Wally's sweaters probably. Wally shouldn't kid himself though: It was cute, and Wally loved his sneaky ninja for it.
"Let's clear this out", Artemis looked around.
She looked more eager to snoop than actually help Wally. Or maybe she was also fulfilling multiple objectives.
Wally could do all of this with superspeed, but he found it relaxing to do this in normal speed with his favorite people. They spent more time joking around than making progress. Kaldur had probably done this in less than half an hour.
They chatted about everything and nothing during their work.
At some point, Nightwing asked: "Who lead team now?"
"M'Gann should step up as Kaldur's co-leader", Wally said.
"And who M'Gann-partner?", Nightwing asked.
He sounded anxious. Wally remembered that Nightwing needed to be monitored by the team leader or co-leader during missions. He needed to know who would be responsible for him now. Artemis was conspicuously silent. She and Connor were the only candidates left.
Of the two, Wally pegged Artemis as the more likely candidate. She had more experience than Connor. Being a villain might mean working for the other side, but it was still experience to be gained.
"I'm not leading", Artemis said.
Wally frowned: "You are the most experienced member of the team now."
Wally mentally left Nightwing out of the equation. Nightwing's experience was hard to quantify. Wally wouldn't even know where to start. It didn't matter because Nightwing wasn't even a full team member now.
"You be good leader", Nightwing climbed on the desk to take off Wally's poster.
He tried to take the pins of the wall. One of his nails dug under the pin as if he tried to pull it out with his claws. Nightwing tensed when the pin didn't budge under the lack of leverage.
Wally didn't comment on the slip-up. Nightwing was still missing his claws. Wally wondered if his boyfriend would ever get used to being without them. Probably not. Maybe Wally should try to convince Batman to let Nightwing have clawed gloves. But the Dark Knight seemed stubbornly insistent on Nightwing's lack of claws.
"I'm not in the right mindset to lead the Team", Artemis' tone was enough to end the conversation right there.
They didn't dare breach it again. Wally frowned. Artemis was still being weird. She had been ever since that leak. Questioning her place on the team and the League. Wally still didn't know how to solve it and it didn't seem to be his issue anymore now that he was leaving the team.
They continued working in silence. The easy atmosphere had dissipated.
Someone knocked against Wally's door. Wally turned around to see Batman in his doorway. It was surreal. The Mountain was surprisingly busy today.
"Nightwing, we need to leave. Killer Croc and Harley Quinn are rampaging downtown."
Nightwing frowned, still standing on the table: "Waylon and Harley?"
Batman seemed out-of-place in his spot and eager to leave. Wally had learned to read the Dark Knight better after everything they had gone through together last year.
Batman grunted in acknowledgment: "I don't have more intel. I would have called you, but you need my permission to zeta. We're going."
Batman left the doorway. Nightwing hopped off the table. On his way out, he pressed a quick kiss to Wally's lips.
"You visit me?", Nightwing asked, "I would love visit you in F- Fawcett but-"
The 'I can't' left unsaid. Nightwing wouldn't be able to visit Wally on his own. He would need the supervision of the Leaguer or of their new team leaders and having your boyfriend's dad constantly looking over your shoulder would make everything awkward.
Nightwing looked sad like this. Lonely and trapped. Wally wondered if Batman knew how Nightwing felt under all these restrictions. He probably did but Wally assumed that the Dark Knight didn't know how to make Nightwing feel better. That may be why he allowed Nightwing to go to the Mountain at every opportunity to see his friends. Wally understood Bats well enough now to spot when he was in over his head. It was disconcerting.
"Of course", Wally said, "I'm coming to Gotham. Batman doesn't have cameras in the garden, right?"
"I know some blind spots", Nightwing looked relieved.
"Nightwing", Batman's gruff voice said from the hallway.
Nightwing hurried out of the room without another word. Wally looked after him frowning.
He knew that Batman was a hero and was only trying to protect Nightwing. The President had decided these measures after all, and they had agreed so that Nightwing could stay on the Team. Still, the amount of control Batman had over Nightwing's life felt unsettling.
Nightwing couldn't make a step anymore without Batman knowing. Not with all the cameras Batman had installed in the Manor and even in the garden. He couldn't visit Wally, Jason or the team anymore without Batman's permission and even his presence in many instances. It felt like helicopter-parenting on steroids.
"You think they'll lift these measures soon?", Wally asked after he was sure Nightwing was gone.
"You want my honest opinion?", Artemis asked.
"You could go out with him as co-team leader. Give him some freedom back", Wally said.
"M'Gann and Conner can do that as well."
"You know it's not the same. M'Gann and Conner are great friends but you two have something special."
Most of the times, Wally himself didn't even understand the bond that Nightwing and Artemis shared. These two were enigmas on their best days.
"I know", Artemis sighed, "But I can't do this. It wouldn't be right for the team."
She didn't elaborate. They finished clearing out Wally's room. Each of them took two boxes. Wally didn't know where all of this stuff came from. It was fitting though. More than seven years on the Team contained in four boxes.
"That's it, Mr. West", Artemis smiled, "Welcome to boring civilian life."
"That's it", Wally shook his head in amazement.
It was happening. Wally was leaving the cape and tights behind.
"You'll protect him where I can't anymore?", Wally asked.
"I promise", Artemis said, "You don't even need to ask."
Wally smiled. They waited in front of the zeta tube.
"You want help setting up your room in Fawcett?", Artemis asked.
"Thank God", Wally said, "I'm not sure what I'm doing most of the time these days. Turns out you have to do far too much administrative crap to start college and I'm only starting in a few weeks."
Artemis hummed in sympathy.
Wally allowed Artemis to zeta first. She went to Central to help carry the boxes to Wally's house. Wally stood in the Mountain a few more moments. Soaking in the atmosphere he had taken for granted the last seven years one last time. Then, he left – zetaing to Central after Artemis with his boxes.
Waylon didn't leave his sewers after the meeting in the Iceberg Lounge. He spent his days underground, re-arranging the furniture and decor he had found on a landfill. Waylon had even found himself a second chair to accommodate Zombie. Something he had never done before. One chair had always been enough for a single crocodile-man.
There was a pinch of guilt in Waylon's stomach when he re-arranged said chair to be closer to the table. Waylon knew that Joker was planning to attack Hood. Still, he wasn't doing anything – only waiting for things to calm down upstairs. But what could Zombie expect from him? Waylon had already been on a killing-hiatus for a while. Wasn't that enough? The damn hero was twisting Waylon's mind.
He had never set out to stop killing. It just hadn't happened for a while. Every time Waylon had encountered someone in his sewers, he didn't chew them up like he used to. Instead, he just let them on their merry way after he imagined how disappointed Zombie would be if he learned that Waylon had killed again. And it had just gone on like this for months.
Was Killer Croc losing his edge? Probably. Did he mind? Waylon wasn't sure.
Croc heard a scuffle. Steps. Too loud to be Zombie's. Croc usually never heard him until Zombie made a small noise to catch Croc's attention. Who was so stupid to venture into Killer Croc's territory? Waylon hadn't spared so many people that his mercy had gotten to the public, right?
"Croc-y", a sugary voice sing-songed.
And Waylon knew that voice. He sighed.
"What do you want, Quinn?", Waylon turned around to see the woman in her usual unpractical outfit.
She smiled her crazy smile.
"Did ya miss me, Crockie?"
"I didn't."
They had only seen each other a few days ago. Far too recently if you asked Waylon. The time was short enough for the handprint around Harley's arm to still be there. It had mostly faded now though.
Quinn was as deranged as ever. Still running with the Joker even though the whole Squad had tried to tell her that the maniac treated her like shit. Even Cheshire who usually didn't care about anything.
Harley pouted: "You are hurting my feelings, Crockie."
"Well, fuck your feelings", Waylon grunted.
He wasn't in a mood for conversation. Zombie hadn't come around for a long time. Not since that leak. It irked Waylon.
"Is someone in a bad mood?", Harley grinned, "You want to talk about it? I'm a qualified psychiatrist, you know."
"I'd rather slit my wrists", Croc said.
Harley's face turned serious: "Suicidal tendencies are no joke, Crockie."
"What do you want, Quinn? And you better answer before my patience runs out."
"Mr. J is deep in the planning stage and I'm bored."
Croc grunted. So, the Clown was still eager on killing Hood. Croc hadn't expected anything else. The Clown was surprisingly goal-oriented for someone claiming to be a force of chaos.
"Then, bother someone else", Waylon said, "Crawl to Ivy or whoever. Anyone but me."
Harley moped: "I know you are only being rude as a defense mechanism, so I won't take it personally. I'm here for a good cause actually."
Croc scoffed.
"It's about Zombie", Harley pulled out that second chair and plopped down.
Croc had to admit that he was intrigued now. He didn't know what Zombie's and Harley's relationship was after their time on the squad. But these two had bonded somehow. Maybe Harley cared more about Zombie than was apparent at first.
"Those heroes aren't treating our Zombie right", Harley leaned forward, putting her chin onto the table looking up at Croc, "So, I decided to take on a project of my own and make Zombie's life better."
Croc narrowed his eyes at Harley taking over his space.
"You should make your own life better, Quinn."
Harley ignored Waylon's advice: "Operation Zombie, are you in?"
"He's happy with the heroes. I don't get it but you don't need to save him from anything."
"They put him into a collar", Harley blurted out.
And Waylon halted for a moment. His vision turned green for a moment. Harley smiled triumphantly knowing that she had hit a sore spot.
Waylon tried to blend out all these times he had been put into a collar after his transformation. Poked, prodded and even electrocuted if his tormentors felt particularly nasty. Amanda Waller hadn't been the first one to put him into an electroshock collar. The moment Waylon's health condition had made him unrecognizable as a human, people had started treating him like an animal. It had hurt once but Waylon had soon learned that if people insisted on treating Waylon like an animal, he would bite them like one.
The idea that Zombie could be treated this way stung though. Zombie was the best of their pathetic Squad. He had proven it when he had been ready to give his life for Boomerang of all people. The most useless person in the world and Nightwing had given up everything to save him.
"We're getting him out", Waylon said.
"Yay! Let's save Zombie", Harley jumped up – eager as always.
Quinn and Waylon rampaged through Gotham. He had missed destroying stuff. Quinn smashed everything to pieces with her mallet while Waylon tore bite-sized chunks into everything he came across.
People ran away screaming. Waylon soaked in their fear. It was the closest to respect he would ever get. Some were stupid enough to take out their cell phones. Livestreaming about the freaks destroying their city. Waylon didn't feel bad when he threw a brick at a guy. Hitting his stupid cellphones and making it break on the pavement.
Harley raised her mallet and smashed in the head of the guy. She giggled while she repeatedly hit the body on the floor. His skull ended up as a bloody mess. Croc didn't kill anyone in the crowd no matter how stupid, but he didn't even attempt to stop Harley. Instead, he laughed at the scene. His growly laugh echoed across the street. Served that idiot well for having no self-preservation.
A projectile was launched at Harley. Waylon would always recognize a Batarang. It hit the handle of Harley's mallet, breaking it with a crack. The wannabe-streamers used the opportunity to run away.
Harley groaned: "Breaking a girl's weapon is not nice, Bats."
Batman came out of nowhere, landing in front of Harley. He sent a fist towards Harley's face but she cartwheeled to the side.
Harley giggled: "Too slow, Batsy."
Batman grunted in annoyance and tried to hit her again. But Waylon knew that Harley was slippery.
"What you do?", Nightwing stood behind Waylon.
As usual, Waylon hadn't noticed him approaching. Nightwing's gaze was glued to the dead man on the pavement. The lenses of his mask widened in shock.
"Harley did it", Croc shrugged.
He wouldn't pretend to be remorseful about that idiot's death.
Nightwing's face fell: "I thought you change."
"I'm a freak, Zombie. A villain", Croc said.
There was some rep he still had to preserve. He couldn't go all soft just because a hero looked at him with warm eyes. That wasn't Killer Croc's style.
Nightwing snarled and lunged at Waylon. He was still quick, but Waylon noticed that Zombie was slower now. Before, his attacks had been quick like that of a tiger. Now, he was like a human. A highly-trained one, but still a human.
It must have something to do with the collar around his throat. Harley had been right. The League had trapped Nightwing – intentionally weakened him. Why? Control? Were they like Waller? Damn hypocrites all of them. They must have used Zombie's guilt complex to prey on him. Make him do their bidding.
Waylon lunged out with his tail and Zombie flipped over it. Just as slippery as Harley.
"You are getting this all wrong, Zombie."
"You go here with Harley for kill people. You dangerous", Zombie kicked Croc's leg.
It was harsh enough to make Waylon soak in a breath. But it wasn't strong enough to make him lose his balance. Zombie was not only slower but weaker as well. And he had lost those nasty claws.
So, Waylon launched forward teeth out, preparing himself for a disgusting taste. Zombie was about to slip away again but Waylon caged him in with a strike of his tail that was as quick as a whip. He sank his teeth into Zombie's shoulder, biting down. The blackish blood tasted poisonous, rotten. A reminder that Zombie was a dead man walking.
Zombie snarled again trying to claw at Waylon with his clawless hands. But Waylon pushed him against a wall. The force actually seemed to daze Zombie. Waylon kept pushing, Zombie glaring up at him.
"You got me all wrong, Nightwing", Waylon said, "I'm not here to kill people."
"Then why go here and kill people?", Zombie's gaze burned into him.
"I didn't come here to kill people. I came here for you."
Nightwing froze, his forehead creasing. He seemed confused.
"You kill people for me?"
Waylon sighed in annoyance. Damn heroes. Why did Nightwing have to get hung-up on that damn body? That guy was dead. Collateral damage. He didn't matter.
"I'm here to talk to you."
"About what?"
"About what the League is doing to you."
"I not understand."
Their fight had ceased at this point. Harley and Batman still went on. A vicious dance going on behind them. Harley's shrill taunts pierced Waylon's sensitive ears, so he did his best to ignore them.
"They have you collared like an animal", Waylon couldn't keep the anger out of his voice.
Zombie deflated at Croc's words: "They keep the world safe from me, Waylon. Until I ready learn how be a hero."
Waylon growled in anger. There was too much rage building up inside him. So, he punched the wall next to Zombie's head, cracking the brick. Parts of the pulverized brick dropped down onto them when Waylon pulled out his hand. Zombie was too defeated to flinch.
"You listen to me", Waylon growled, "Whatever they are telling you is bullshit. Cheshire was right when she said that you have a guilt complex the size of a skyscraper."
"You not understand-"
"No. You don't understand. No one needs to teach you how to be a hero because you already are one."
"I not-"
"I don't know how often I need to tell you but you are a hero. I knew the moment you saved Boomerang's useless ass", Waylon lowered his voice so only Nightwing would hear this next part, "You know what, Zombie? I haven't killed anyone in six months because I kept imagining how disappointed you would be with me."
"Waylon", Nightwing's face whipped up in amazement.
"Isn't this what heroes are supposed to do? Inspire people?"
"Yes", Nightwing muttered.
He looked at Batman who was still fighting Harley. Nightwing bit his lips, his fingers digging into his palms. His chewing grew more obsessive by the second.
"Well, you are my inspiration – as sappy as it sounds. And don't force me to repeat it so that no one hears. I have a rep to maintain."
Nightwing smiled. He made a zipping notion as if he was closing his mouth. Waylon let up, allowing Zombie more space.
"You remind me of what a friend say", Nightwing muttered, "She angry at League, too."
"Well, she is right", Waylon grunted.
They were silent for a while. The sounds of Batman's and Harley's fight still behind them. Harley's movements had even more flourish than usual. Waylon suspected that she was screwing with Batman. Waylon didn't know the reason. Maybe just for fun. It was weird that she hadn't shown any interest in psychoanalyzing Nightwing at all despite insisting on Operation Zombie.
"You trust me be hero?", Nightwing asked.
Waylon was about to crack a joke but he decided to simply nod. This was significant.
"I think I trust myself be hero, too", Nightwing frowned, his voice quiet as if he was sharing a secret with Waylon, "I not deserve this collar. It pointless punishment. Cruel. I not need it for keep me from be evil."
Nightwing cupped the collar with his hand. He seemed to be contemplating something.
Waylon nodded in agreement.
"Black Canary tell me once that I punish myself too much. I think I understand now."
"I don't think I've ever agreed with Black Canary on anything but I can get behind that", Waylon said.
Nightwing smiled: "Me, too. Thank you. You know you save me two times now. That very heroic."
"Don't overdo it, Zombie. I still watched a clown-lady bash someone's head in and felt nothing but amusement."
Zombie was about to reply when a gigantic explosion rocked the city. Waylon could feel the pavement shake under his feet and the wall he had smashed his hand in, crumbled further under the burden. Car sirens blared off and people screamed.
Waylon's head swung around, searching for the source of the explosion. He spotted black smoke rising in the far distance. In the Narrows.
"Jason", Nightwing muttered, frozen in shock.
Even Batman and Harley had stopped their fight. Croc could see Batman thinking behind that cowl.
"Mr. J started the plan", Harley rubbed her hands in delight, "I have to go."
"Harley, what do you mean-?", Batman asked.
"Sorry, Bats", Harley giggled, "You aren't invited. Mr. J told me specifically to keep you away."
"What the fuck, Quinn?", Croc was about to curse her out and demand answers.
But Quinn pulled something out of her costume and threw it at the pavement. Canisters of Joker-Venom. The canisters were blown open and green smoke spread. Waylon felt the smoke burn in his nostrils and push its way down his throat. Then, laughter filled his lungs. It grew and grew until it threatened to burst his lungs unless he let it out. Waylon vaguely noted Batman laughing as well.
"Sorry, Crockie", Harley sounded sad, "Mr. J told me to make a distraction to keep Batman and Nightwing away."
Operation Zombie had been nothing but a ruse. Waylon had been an idiot to trust the Clown.
"Harley", Nightwing tried to talk sense into her.
He was still standing. The Venom didn't work on his body as he didn't need to breathe. Waylon knew that any attempts to talk sense into Harley would fail. The woman was wrapped around the Joker's crazy finger. Zombie's idealistic ass still tried.
"Don't come any closer or I drop more", Harley was holding more canisters in Nightwing's direction, "You don't want the whole district jokerized, do you?"
"You not need do his bidding. He manipulate you. He abuse you. I know what you go through. You not need do this. You can get out with help. I get out, too. We can-"
"I want to do his bidding. I love him. We're not the same, Zombie", Harley pulled out a gun and pointed at Zombie.
She shot two times, hitting him in the chest. Zombie dropped down. He collapsed next to Waylon, blackish blood spreading over the pavement.
Harley's steps retreated. She was off to help her boyfriend murder a whole bunch of people – one of them Nightwing's brother.
"Jason", Nightwing rasped out.
He pushed his fingernails into the pavement trying to pull himself after Harley. He didn't get far without those claws.
Waylon suddenly felt very guilty about not warning Nightwing about the Joker's plans. His attempts to stay out of the Joker-issues had backfired. Now, he was writhing on the floor, a growly laugh being forced out of his body.
He should have been smarter. What had he expected? That Harley felt kinship for Nightwing because they had both been under someone's abusive thumb? Or that she even felt any appreciation for Waylon after their time together as government cannon fodder? There was no loyalty in the Suicide Squad after all. Not even a hero could change that.
AN: Did I just leave you on a cliffhanger? Yes, I did. But at least we got some Artemis & Wally-friendship this time, cute Nightwing/Wally-moments and Croc being a surprisingly good friend for a crocodile-man who eats people but not anymore – well at least for the past few months! I'm proud of you, Waylon. Harley, you are hurting my soul though.
And Nightwing just admitted that he doesn't need the collar...