"You Can't Help Her."

Superman had never been very fond of Gotham. He didn't fear the place, nor would his hesitation ever stop him in guarding the innocents that lived within the city, but the entire city was just so... sad. There were so many people here facing their darkest hour day by day. There was so much horror in the average child's gaze, so many hearts beating in dread, and minds wondering if they'd live to see tomorrow.

Each time he came to Gotham City, his respect for Bruce grew more and more. Not just respect for the Caped Crusader, but all of the honest men and women that lived in Gotham. The cops and good samaritans that all struggled to make this city a little brighter ans safer than it was yesterday... Gotham City was a terrifying place, and in its' darkest moments, it made the young Kryptonian worry for humanity's future; but there was light. There was love in the snow-covered city, even as the cold, uncaring wind tried to blow it all away, there was good out there.

"Superman." The young man turned his head to look at his friend and partner, the infamous Batman. "Focus. I didn't ask you here for sight seeing."

"Just admiring the city," he replied.

"Is that supposed to be sarcasm?" Superman just smiled at his friend as the Dark Knight Detective scanned the area with his binoculars. "There." He didn't say anything else, only pointing to a car below them. In the same amount of time, Superman saw the car and scanned it with his X-ray vision.

"That's Bruno's car, alright. So Joker really is working with Intergang." The distinct sound of Batman's grapple gun told him that this conversation was going to be on the move. He flew after his friend, doing his best to remain out of sight as Batman swung and leaped from rooftop to rooftop.

"The local gangs have been getting higher-grade tech. Intergang must be the source."

"The crooks here must really want to kill you..." Superman could hear the slight stumble his friend experienced when he hit the hard surface of another rooftop. He could hear the strain in his bones and muscles as he struggled to stay ahead of the brightly-colored hero. "You know, if you ever need help-"

"I can handle it. Some punk with a laser pistol goes down as easily as a punk with a 9mm."

"I know, and I know you can handle it, I only meant that crooks from Metropolis don't need to be in Gotham for you to ask me for help. I-"

"I know. Keep up." Superman fought back a sigh as Batman began to run faster, pushing himself further ahead to outpace his alien counterpart. The Man of Steel just kept a measured distance between the two, letting the topic drop for now. When the armor-clad knight finally stopped, Superman landed beside him, the two standing over the edge of a building, overlooking another complex below them. "Bruno's car is parked out there."

"Building's lined with lead. I can't see through it, but I'm hearing over two dozen heartbeats. A lot of guys in-" Superman hesitated as his nose picked up a familiar aroma. It smelled like strawberries, mixed with watermelon and the slight musk of sweat. It was certainly clouded in the fog of smells that polluted the small building, but once he caught a whiff of it he combed through the area with his senses to find the source.

The hot, burning odor of freshly fired guns, the heavy, overpriced stench of Bruno's cologne, the fowl, the almost burning reek of recently spilled blood, even the sterile, almost acidic smell of chemicals reeking from the building couldn't hide the smell. There was a miasma of scents around the abandoned building They say smell was the sense most closely tied to memory. It felt true for Clark at that moment as he caught her aroma.

"This will be the first time seeing her since the interview, won't it?" The gravelly, low voice of his best friend broke Superman from his thoughts. He glanced towards the detective, a gleam of surprise in his eyes. "I know what you're thinking, but she's too far gone. Better people than either of us have tried and failed to help her."

"That doesn't mean we should give up..."

"She helped gun down her own co-workers the night Joker escaped Arkham. Good people. Innocent people. Since then, she's been trying to impress him by leaving body after body. She nearly killed the Commissioner barely a week ago. I'm sorry, but she is gone." His voice was firm, unyielding, with only the smallest hint of sympathy.

Superman didn't reply. He just closed his eyes for a moment as he allowed his senses to scan the area again. "I hear two heartbeats. Not human. They smell like blood... Gnawing on bones."

"Joker's hyenas."

"I hear their weapons charging. They're expecting us."

"Then let's not keep them waiting. I'll go high, you go low," commanded the Dark Knight. Superman just nodded his head as Batman shot his grapple hook onto the roof of a nearby building and swung himself forward.

"What the hell is happening?!" Superman could hear Bruno's angry ranting through the walls of the warehouse as he pushed through the armored soldiers, knocking them aside with relative ease. "Those new suits are supposed to make you idiots equal to that freak! Kick his ass already!"

Superman fought back the small urge to smile as he pushed through the swarm of exosuitted gangsters and thugs. The metal suits made them stronger and faster, and they were armed with some powerful artillery, there was no doubt there. They would have slaughtered the good men and women of the Gotham Police Department. Thankfully Intergang would never get a chance to use any of these weapons against them.

"Surrender, gentlemen, and I promise this will be over quickly and painlessly," warned the Man of the Steel as the last of the gangsters in this room glared at him.

"Go to hell, Boy Scout!" one declared, lifting his arm. Superman could hear the distinct hum as it charged up, the scarlet glow it gave as the barrel of the gun on his arm turned hot with energy. It was going to fire in the next few nanoseconds, but he moved faster than it. His hand fell upon the barrel of the gun, and he examined the design of the weapon. This was the first time he got a close up examination of the weapon and he planned on using his time wisely.

The previous wielders of the suits were simply knocked out, their suits dented and broken. This time Superman examined the suit with curious eyes. He was no Dark Knight Detective, but he could still recognize the technology. Apokolips weaponry, advanced, even godlike if one didn't understand it, but it was still technology. He followed the lines and cables that connected the arm to the small battery pack on his back. The battery seemed to be powering the entire suit, and his X-ray vision showed no auxiliary power source.

Figures Darkseid would give Intergang the less advanced tech. Without another word, Superman ripped the battery from the man's back, using his heat vision to quickly sever all the cables and wires that connected it to the suit. He relaxed his reflexes to a more human level as the thug fell to the ground, the armor now weighing him down as all of its' systems shut down.

"W-what the hell happened?!"

"I doubt you'll be able to get out of the suits by yourselves. You'll just have to wait here while Batman and I finish with your boss. Don't worry, I'll help you get out and hand you over to Gotham PD myself," chuckled Superman. The hero flew off, out the open doorway and through room after room, scanning the floor for anymore of Intergang or Joker's crews. He pressed a finger to his ear, activating his communicator."Batman, how are things on your end?"

"I'm after Joker and Mannheim. They're trying to escape out of the second story."

"Do you need help?"

"No, I-"

"What the hell are you doin' you freakin' psycho?!" Superman could hear the angry, guttural roar of Bruno 'Ugly' Mannheim on the second story. He was about to burst through the ceiling to reach him, only for a sound that caused even the Man of Steel to shiver echoed through his ears.

Laughter. A wild, almost hyena-like cackle that echoed throughout the warehouse.

"You backstabbing, pale-faced motherf-" He could hear the high-pitched hiss of a machine charging up.

"Puddin'?" His eyes widened at the sound of her voice. She sounded so scared. Terrified. Betrayed...

Her voice was drowned out by the hiss of the machine until he could barely hear her racing heartbeat. The sound was only getting louder as the very earth began to quake, and a portion of the ceiling fell from above. Superman dodged the fallen debris with ease, but he could feel the entire building shaking from the growing sound. He ground his teeth, suppressing the painful ringing in his ears as he tried to speak.

"Batman! I'm coming up! What's going on!?" Superman could barely hear the sound of the stone shattering against his body. The scream of the machine seemed to pollute the entire area, leaving him unable to hear anything beyond the faint heartbeats of his friend and their enemies.

"Joker activated a bomb. A sonic one I'm guessing considering your screaming. It's causing an earthquake. Can you take care of it while I pursue Bruno and Joker?"

"I can! Go! Just be careful!"

"Noted."

Okay, first thing's first, I have to take care of that bomb, he growled. The sound was deafening at this point as Joker, Bruno, and Batman's heartbeats faded away. He could only hear the faint heartbeats of the abandoned henchmen and minions the two crime lords' left behind, including hers. Focus, Clark. He shot off like a blue bullet through the wall, heading towards the source of the agonizing sound.

He shattered through solid stone as he saw the device, a black orb with glowing, crimson symbols decorating its' metal shell. It was floating in the air, slowly spinning. At this range, it was enough to cause the Man of Steel blistering pain. He felt the screech tear at his ear drums, drowning his mind in a metallic, distorted scream. He could even feel the sonic waves slamming against his skin, bathing his body in the noise.

It was almost enough to make him hesitate.

He flew towards the orb and placed his hands on it to crush it, only to recoil at the searing metal. It was burning hot, and only growing hotter, no doubt a defense mechanism built by the twisted minds of Apokolips. He shot back and frowned at the alien science at work. It was growing hotter, like it was charging up for something. The sonic blast causes an earthquake, then the bomb builds up and explodes, wiping out the area... He shook off his disgust and flew forward again, grabbing onto the device.

The orb seared even his supposedly-invulnerable flesh, but he was not deterred. He dug his fingers into the metal shell and pulled, tearing it open. Within he found wires and circuits, like any bomb found on Earth. He wasn't an expert on the matter, but his vision examined the innards of the device and his heat vision cut the wires that seemed to be charging it. The bomb's screech vanished and it slowly began to lose all the built up energy it contained. Still, he encased it in ice just to be safe.

"Phew," he sighed, wiping a layer sweat from his brow. His ears were still ringing as he took a moment to relax.

"-stupid, ugly, butt-licking, sole-kissing, animal-hating punce!"

'Huh?"

Superman turned his head and he couldn't hide the surprise that shined through his eyes. He had been so distracted by that sonic device, he hadn't even realized how close her heartbeat had been. She laid on the ground, glaring at him with such rage and fury that he almost couldn't see the doctor he had come to respect in the woman. The clothes only made it more impossible to see her.

Harleen Quinzel, from when Clark Kent had met her, wore a practical, modest outfit that would have befit any doctor. The woman in front of him was more akin to a woman at a rock and roll concert, or as part of some kind of motorcycle gang. She wore leathers pants that clung to the shapely length of her legs, divided into two different colors, black and red, that were on opposite sides on each leg. The leather bustier that clung to her skin was of similar color, being painted crimson with three black diamonds over her left breast. She wore little else beside her leather shoes, and he quickly caught his eyes to keep himself from staring at her exposed cleavage.

Her platinum blonde hair was unruly, barely managed into two pigtails. The tips of her hair were dyed to match her clothing, one side black, the other a scarlet red. Mascara seemed to outline her eyes, making the azure gems pop. Finally a layer of white paint seemed haphazardly layered onto her face, with blush added to give her an almost porcelain doll appearance.

"H-Harley?"

"-braindead, slug-stepping, poop-eating, hairy, ugly, dorky, dressed-like-a-homo-"

He tuned her out, focusing more on what she was holding onto. Her body was laid out on the ground, arms wrapped around two furry animals. A pair of hyenas, the ones Batman must have mentioned, but neither looked like ferocious animals. Instead, both appeared sickly and hurt. They let out whimpering, sickly laughs that seemed more like cries for help than anything else.

"-moronic, fat, baby-kicking-"

"What happened to them?" His voice silenced her seemingly unending torrent of insults. His X-ray vision picked apart the two animals' bodies and he detected severe bleeding from their ears.

"That bomb Bat-dork turned on! It nearly killed my babies! What kinda animal-hating sicko could hurt my widdle babies?!" she screamed, glaring at him, before embracing both of the animals. "Shh... It's okay, mama's here!" The two creature barely seemed to register her, letting out tiny whimpering wails as they trembled.

Superman was about to speak, only to turn his head downward. While he was able to stop the bomb from discharging, it seemed that damaged had already been done to the foundation of the warehouse. It was about to come down on their heads; his supersenses already showing him the cracking stone and bending steel. "We need to go."

"Don't touch me! It's your fault my babies are suffering!" she hissed, trying to smack his hand away from her. He moved his hand out of the way, knowing she'd probably break her fingers if she tried hitting him. "You wanna help me? Save my babies first!"

Superman let out a sigh, before glancing downward again. The ground was breaking. This warehouse was crumbling. He had to make his move and he did so, grabbing the two hyenas and plucking them from Harley's embrace. He was gone in a blur, flying out of the warehouse and dropping the two beasts onto the sidewalk outside. Then he returned to the inside of the complex and picked up the various henchmen and goons he and Batman dealt with.

The roof was caving in. Better hurry.

Once all the thugs were accounted for, he flew in to save Harley who was just starting to realize what was happening around her. Her body was almost statue-like as she lifted her head up to gape at the falling rooftop. He flew to her side, being careful not to create a sonic boom on accident. While his body was moving fast, his senses and mind moved faster, examining the inside of the warehouse with near-perfect precision as he shot out of the entrance like a blue blur. He had to move a slight detour, but he was able to escape before the warehouse was nothing more than a pile of rubble.

"-and I- Huh...?" Harley blinked as she suddenly found herself some place new. Her head suddenly felt dizzy as she groaned, nearly falling as her legs seemed to lose their strength.

"Easy. Just a bit of whiplash. It happens," Superman explained. He used one arm to catch, letting her grip onto it like a railing.

"Ugh... I think I'm gonna hurl," she groaned. She covered her mouth with both of her gloved hands, before glaring at the Man of Steel. "You!" She glared at him like she was born to hate him, but he couldn't even come close to matching the intensity of her glare. "Just you wait, Mistah J is gonna get you and Bat-dork for ruining date night!"

"Date night?" Even her voice was different. The doctor's voice held a subtle, if distinct Brooklyn accent, but Harley's voice was high-pitched, almost like a parody of some old sitcom with a heavy exaggeration of the accent. "You were almost killed by the bomb he set off!"

"He only set it off 'cuza your heterosexual life-pal! Besides, my puddin' knows me. He knows I'd be okay!"

"And what about your pets?" He motioned to the two hyenas, both still whimpering and quivering as if they were expecting another agonizing screech to shoot through them. "They could have suffered permanent damage to their ears from the sonic blast alone, not to mention what the actual explosion could have done! Joker was going to let you die, Harley!"

"E-explosion?" He could see her eyes widen, her throat tighten, he could even hear her heart race just a little faster. "That thing was gonna explode?"

"And it would have taken out the entire warehouse, with you and your pets in it," he explained. She pulled away from his arm and walked on shaky legs to the two hyenas. "Mistah J wouldn't've... He wouldn't've tried to hurt me... I-I'm his gal."

"Harley... Think rationally," he followed behind her, reaching his hand out to her shoulder. He gently felt the soft, smooth skin as he spoke again, "Joker doesn't love you..."

"But... but if he doesn't love me, then... Then I got no one." She sounded like she had lost everything from his words. She cradled herself in her arms as she fought back a sob, her eyes welling with tears as her head fell.

"Harley... You're not alone. Please, let me help you." He moved closer to her side, his hand reaching to her cheek to gently pull her towards him. "Harley, I-"

He was so focused on her, he didn't even think to look at her, to really look at her. Maybe he would have seen it coming. Maybe he could have avoided it all together. A simple glance with his x-ray vision would have revealed the knife. A simple attempt to hear beyond what he saw could have picked up the scratch it made coming out of the sheath...

But he was so focused on her...

She pulled out the knife from where she had been hiding it and lunged at him. He could feel the steel being thrust against his eyeball, the brief shadow it cast over his vision, he felt the way the steel bent and cracked against his eye, even feel how her hand stung from coming to a sudden, unexpected stop...

"Ah! Damn it!" she hissed, nursing her wrist before pulling back her leg. She swung it at him, towards the weak spot of most men, but he sidestepped her.

"You don't want to do that," he warned.

"What? Ya got balls of steel down there, tough guy?" she hissed. She threw a punch at the Man of Steel, which fell into his hand like rock on a pillow.

"I can make it so you won't hurt yourself when you try and hit me, but if you keep it up I'll stop," he warned.

"Well, ain't you a gentlemen!"

His eyes fell upon their hands. She felt so small in his grasp; his fingers wrapped around her wrist so easily. He could feel her heartbeat through her veins, not just hear, he felt the soft, rhythmic beat reverberate through his fingertips. While Harley's face, voice, and clothes were different, he could still feel her heart beat the same it did when he first met her.

It was one of the many blessings his life gave him. Everyone's heart beat a little differently, in ways that most machines couldn't even pick up on. It just... felt different from person to person, but Harley Quinn's heart ticked and beat just like Harleen's did.

He watched her pull away from him as soon as he released her. She marched back to her pets and embraced them as police sirens rang through his ears.

Superman stood atop the building, watching the officers push Harley into the police van as they separated her from her pets. She kicked and struggled every step of the way as she desperately called out to her pets, who whimpered and fought with the men who had them muzzled and dragged into another van.

"I see you took care of things here with minimal property damage."

He couldn't bring himself to smile at the snide remark, only turning his head to look at the Caped Crusader. "Joker and Mannheim?"

"I was able to catch Mannheim, but Joker escaped."

"Hm." There was a twitch to Superman's fingers as he turned back away. The slight flinch wasn't missed by Batman, who approached him closer from behind.

"You seem distracted."

"It's nothing."

"You always were a terrible liar."

"That's not exactly fair," he chuckled. "You are supposed to be the detective, after all." He couldn't meet his friend's eyes as the two heroes stood side by side. Batman followed Superman's blue eyes to the sight below them, staring at the animal control van that held the two hyenas.

"Clark, don't." It was a hushed whisper, barely anything more than a faint breath, but both knew Superman could hear it clearly. "You can't help her."

"Doesn't mean I shouldn't try. Maybe she can be helped."

"People have tried to help her. She nearly killed them for trying."

"She was helped by the people of Arkham Asylum. No offense, but has that placed ever helped anyone? Didn't you help arrest one of their doctors recently? The Strange fellow?" Superman turned his head to look at Batman, his voice clear and his resolve ironclad. "Maybe she needs a bit of Metropolis' hospitality. Help me talk to the Commissioner and whoever else we need to. We can get Harley separated from Joker and this city, and I can help her."

Batman didn't let the slight slip go. His eyes narrowed into a glare as he whispered, "She wanted to help Joker. She was driven to save him, and you can't save people from their own choices, Clark."

Superman couldn't deny the truth to that statement, nor could he deny his best friend's fair argument, and yet... Hope was his family's sigil, and he couldn't just give up without trying. "Maybe you're right, but I can show her that this life isn't the only choice she has." Without another word, Superman flew down from the rooftop. He could feel Batman's glare on his cape as he landed beside the animal control van and gently tapped on the window. "Excuse me, sir?"

"H-holy shit! Superman?!" one man stuttered.

"Huh? What?" The man's partner turned his head to find the famous hero standing outside their car.

"I wanted to ask what you were planning to do with Harley Quinn's hyenas?"

"H-holy shit... S-Superman's talking to us, Mike! S-say something, stupid!"

"Uh... T-they're pretty deaf now, S-Superman, sir. We were gonna take them back to the center to be put down. They're too dangerous to be taken to any zoo, and now that they're almost completely deaf..."

Superman's lips curled into a wryly smile as he scratched the back of his raven-colored hair. "I don't suppose there's a chance I can adopt them, is there? I have a lot of pets back home, and two more wouldn't hurt. Besides, they're no danger to me."

"Y-you want to adopt these things?"

"I would very much like to, yes."

END

Superman has a whole zoo of alien lifeforms and monsters. What are two hyenas to that?

I really wanted to try and portray Superman and the others well, with Superman having a love for Gotham's people, but knowing how dark and twisted the city itself was. He respects Batman and the police officers and the innocents, but he knows that Arkham Asylum isn't exactly a monument to humanity's kindness... I also really enjoyed writing how his powers felt, with all the ways his senses picked up on things. Super fun.

And what's this Harley Quinn being sent off to Metropolis? Will it be enough to help her? Distance from Joker and Gotham might help, but she'll need a little more...

I'm super proud of all the reviews, and very thankful to the kindness of the readers. You guys rock! Thank you so much!