The Scars Left Behind
This is the Sequel to the Harlequin and the Bat and The Harley and The Ivy.
Important notes: I do not own Batman or any portion of the franchise. I give all credit to DC Comics and respective owners. Except the characters I wrote in my profile.
Warning: Semi-violent scenes to come. These stunts are done by highly trained professionals and should not be imitated by anyone. Except those proficient in martial arts training and weapons, even then it shouldn't be imitated.
Chapter 13
(Harley's POV)
Harley arrived at the Lover's Park Club, as she entered through its doors. Inside she saw the staff working around the tables and stools. She looked at the booths and spotted a single man with an untouched glass of whiskey in front of him. The man wore a black shirt that seemed to be too small for him, blue jeans that restricted his stride and a black jumper with a hood concealing his face. "There must be better ways to call me." Harley joked as she had tears in her eyes.
"Don't blame me, blame Bill." the stranger spoke with Bruce's voice
Harley went over and hugged her boyfriend tightly and sobbed lightly "I've missed you."
To which Bruce reciprocated "I've missed you too…even though it's been four days." With a smile he mentioned the little time they were separated.
"*sigh* Young love…and we're not even open yet." The bartender spoke to his co-worker with a kind remark and joke. The second worker smiled and nodded
"Room for one more?" a familiar voice called behind the two asking a question kindly.
Harley and Bruce saw the figure: Bill. Harley turned and using her hidden tonfa she smacked Bill in his helmet "You, idiot! You: backstabbing, no good idiot!" Harley raged into him but was held back by Bruce
Groaning back into a seat Bill spoke "Now I definitely deserve that."
"Harley calm down!" Bruce tried to calm his girlfriend
"No, I'll kill him! I'm gonna kill him!" Harley shouted as the bartenders left to give them some room.
"I'm inclined to agree with you. But I'm the guy that helped him out!" Bill explained as he was just kicked in the head by Harley's flying feet.
"Why are you here Bill? Why did you do all of this?" Bruce asked still holding Harley
Bill once again groaned putting himself on the seat "I'm here to help you get back at Thomas Elliot; and to take my punishment…although Harley's done a good job on her part." Bill explained holding his helmet covered head.
"Like you helped me by: crippling that guard?" Bruce groaned as Harley calmed down
"Sort of…when I was growing up I was taught: "an eye for an eye" I guess that stuck with me. Mate, we've got the evidence to exonerate you and get Elliot." Bill explained holding his head in his hands thinking of what's going to happen at the end of this.
"So what do we do?" Harley asked
(Jim's POV)
Dick, Sonia and Tim handed the evidence to Detective Gordon with Barbara and Bullock present. "Well this isenough to exonerate Mister Wayne. But there is the problem on his current location. And Mister Elliot has an alibi for the murders." Jim explained
"Well we don't know; he could be anywhere." Dick explained knowing where he was but didn't want to blow the lid on anything.
"I'm sure Mister Elliot has an alibi for everything, doesn't he?" Sonia asked with a cynical tone
"We can bring him in for questioning but he'd probably lawyer up if we tried anything." Bullock explained
"But we can bring him in." Barbara gave a little hope to which her father nodded
"Well that's something; why not now?" Dick asked
"He's throwing a: joining of Wayne Enterprises and Elliot Foundation gala, this evening. Every lawyer, investor and influential people will be in attendance." Sonia explained
As Sonia finished the phone rang for Detective Gordon "Yes? Miss Quinzel…yes…yes I will be there, Mister Elliot invited me and Detective Bullock. Yes of course; Miss Quinzel…I'm sorry for imprisoning Bruce…thank you Miss Quinzel." Gordon put the phone down.
"Well…what did she say?" Tim asked
"Well she said: get ready for the corporate takeover gala. There's going to be dinner and a show." Gordon explained cryptically
(Bill's POV)
*a few minutes into the party*
Bill and Bruce had everything set up in a secluded location that the Suicide Squad and Waller had no idea about, there was a large multi screened computer and camera fixed on Bill.
"Everything in place…accessed the surveillance systems and the main screen. Perfect we're ready." Bill spoke to Bruce in the background
"I thought Harley said: you weren't passionate and sucked about this sort of thing." Bruce asked
"I'm not and I do; but I took a crash course…okay we're uploaded…oh and Bruce…I apologise for the theatrics about to come." Bill apologised beforehand
"As long as it brings Thomas to justice." Bruce spoke like Batman, the ties that made them friends were now severed.
"Show time." Bill spoke
(Thomas Elliot's POV)
*During the party*
Thomas Elliot was dressed to the nines in his formal black tuxedo and white shirt; everyone congratulated his merging with Wayne Enterprises. His grin was as wide as a Cheshire cat's his victory over Bruce Wayne was assured. "Thank you, thank you very much…" he spoke brazenly.
Dick, Harley, Tim and Barbara were together around their table knowing his dark secret. "Miss Harley, I presume?" Thomas politely asked
Harley not wanting to act suspicious put on her fake smile and spoke kindly "And what if I am, Sir?"
"I know this is a horrible time: you being engaged to a murderer, but know that I will always have a shoulder to cry on if you should need it." Thomas made a formal proposal which got the attention of the table and the rich and famous of Gotham.
"Well thank you, but it's too soon to tell." Harley spoke, but she thought: 'Is he seriously trying to muscle in on my life?!'
"Until later then." Thomas bowed and left for the television screen feeling proud of what he's doing: taking everything that once belonged to Bruce.
(Harley's POV)
While whispering Harley wanted to scream her head off "Is he serious? First he frames Bruce, now: this? He's as psychotic as Joker!" Harley wanted to scream.
"This has to end now! What the hell is Bill playing at, where's this plan he's supposed to have?" Dick stressed out.
But as soon as Thomas started talking everyone turned silent and examined the merging process but there was a problem with the screen, the picture was becoming pixilated and distressed, the photos were freezing and breaking until a voice was coming through the speakers in a sing song type way:
Hush little baby, don't say a word…
"What is this? What's going on?" Thomas demanded to know as the song carried on
You're gonna lose your whole damn world
And when your whole world is dead
Tommy's gonna put this on his head.
(Thomas Elliot's POV)
Bill's face became clear and he held up the Bruce Wayne flesh mask in his hand which revolted everyone at the gala, but was more distressing for Thomas because he was thinking 'How the hell did he get the graft?!' the song carried on:
And if that mask should fall off
Bill dropped the flesh mask to the floor and started putting the footage of Karlson being tortured and surgically killed by Thomas. The video presented a time stamp putting Thomas at the crime. He couldn't say anything but just back off the stage but was stopped by Bullock. "Going somewhere rich boy?"
Tommy's gonna rip some more faces off
And when Tommy plays his role
He's gonna fool you all
Each of the people looked at disgust at Mister Elliot and he tried to deny all of it "It's all lies! All of it!" Thomas struggled in Bullock's grip.
And if you think I'm Bruce Wayne
Truth be told, you're wrong again.
(Harley's POV)
Bill turned the camera to Bruce who appeared to be tied up and sitting on a chair this made Harley gasp 'What the hell did Bill do? If he's hurt Bruce…' Harley thought as they turned to venom.
(Jim's POV)
"It's over Mister Elliot. You're under arrest!" Gordon commanded holding his handcuffs to incarcerate Thomas Elliot.
"No!" Thomas knocked back Bullock and grabbed commissioner Gordon by the neck with the commissioner's gun to his head "No one, move! No one else has to die…just arrest Wayne and all this can be over!"
"Dad!" Barbara called out but was shot at by Elliot
"I said don't move!" Elliot shouted "you know it didn't have to come to this…it would've been better for everyone."
"You mean better for you?" Jim struggled to speak as his vocal chords and wind pipe were being pressured on.
"Better for me is better for everyone!" Thomas yelled but didn't notice the shadowed figure emerge from the background. "ARGH!" Elliot screamed as a needle was plunged into his clavicle area "Who…who did…no…no…no! Get way!" Thomas wanted to know who stabbed him but then felt an overwhelming sense of fear take over him and drove him to madness.
Bullock subdued Elliot and Jim read him his rights "Thomas Elliot, I'm placing you under arrest on thirteen counts of murder, the framing of Bruce Wayne and wrongful industrial takeover. You have the right to remain silent…" Jim continued and then finished
"Hey hang on…thanks shadow boy…you saved the commissioner's life." Bullock thanked the Rogue who acknowledged him with a nod of his head, then promptly disappeared without a trace. "That guy's just as annoying as Batman…ninjas all of them, I'm tellin' ya." Bullock groaned
(Harley's POV)
Harley couldn't keep her eyes off the screen trying to see if Bruce was okay and she was reassured, Bruce was alright and Bill let him go. Bill kept the camera running moving it to the door location and the two left the room both alive. "He's safe…he's safe." Harley sighed happily
"He's still a dead man though." Dick said bluntly talking about Bill
"I know." Harley agreed.
(Bruce's POV)
"Finally: Justice…thanks Bill." Bruce felt relieved and they saw Thomas being put into a police car. The location that Bill and Bruce were in was a television studio that was used for rent.
"Hey…what are acquaintances for?" Bill reciprocated the handshake
"Acquaintances; don't you mean friends?" Bruce asked releasing Bill's hand
"After what happened in Arkham I doubt I'll be called "friend" by anyone at this point, for a while at least." Bill explained
Bullock took Thomas away to the station to await trial and Gordon walked over. "Looks like I'll be getting my life back." Bruce sighed
"Yeah…Till we meet again Mister Wayne." Bill said running down the alley
(No-one's POV)
*two days later*
The headlines went crazy: Bruce Wayne exonerated, Thomas Elliot incarcerated and loses license, Wayne Enterprise survives hostile takeover.
Bruce wanted to get out of the public eye for a while he and Harley stayed home for the next two days and they didn't waste a single minute being close…well except when one needed to go to the bathroom, let's face it that would've been creepy.
(Harley's POV)
"Harley, are you okay?" Bruce asked her in a warm embrace on the settee.
"Yeah…I'm just mad." Harley answered
"Bill?" Bruce asked knowing the answer right away.
"Bill." Harley answered again. Then there was a knock at the door "Who's that? Are we expecting guests?"
As the group saw who Alfred let in they were stunned "Well…I expected worse…all things considered." It was Bill again, still dressed in his helmet and armour attire.
Venus walked up first, she looked at him for a few seconds and then hugged him; she was just happy seeing her father again "Did I do good?" she asked with tears forming
"Yes, Venus…very good." Bill answered stroking his daughter's hair. "But that can't be said the same about me."
"An attack on Arkham; all for us?" Dick asked with his arms crossed and a look of disappointment on his face. But then it turned into a sly grin "You mad bastard!" he laughed grabbing Bill's hand with a strong grip
"Swear!" Venus laughed with tears still hugging her dad
"Sorry…" Dick apologized
"Venus…baby…I need to talk to the others about something important okay?" Bill asked his daughter
"Is it that you're going to get your head kicked in?" Venus asked Bill was a bit taken back but nodded "I thought so; Aunt Harley kept going on about it." she smiled
Bill looked at Harley and spoke "Yeah…she deserves that much."
(Thomas's POV)
Arkham Asylum. Deep in the darkness, Thomas Elliot resides in his own secluded cell; inside he is on his fifth round of one hundred push-ups, his mind turning to killing Bruce, not as Thomas Elliot but as Hush. 'Soon Bruce, soon I'll kill you and take what's yours. You'll lose everything you ever loved!'
The door unlocked and as he finished his last rep, he saw two women: both dressed in black, both beautiful. "Time to get up Tommy, we've got a job for you." the one on the left said
"Why should I take this job? Who are you?" Thomas asked getting up
"It comes with getting back at Bruce Wayne…" the one on the right hand said. "And who we are, is not important, just this: we want Bruce Wayne: Alive. That Quinzel woman he's with…well you can use your imagination with her."
Thomas smiled darkly "I'll do it…"
To be continued
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