Chapter 22: Toxic
"How do you still not know what it is?" Gordon demanded. Andi stayed quiet, watching through the glass as doctors in biohazard suits scurried around two dozen members of the city council, barely visible under the array of medical equipment they were hooked up to. "You've been at this for two hours and you've got nothing?"
"That's not quite accurate. We do know, um, quite a few things." The doctor, an elderly man with wispy hair, seemed distinctly unimpressed with the Commissioner's sizzling temper as he glanced through the notes on his clipboard. "The symptoms aren't quite like anything we've ever observed before. Um, immediate, excruciating pain as soon as the poison floods the system, along with a high fever, and loss of coherency within one to three hours. This toxin has never been seen before so far as my colleagues and I can determine, so there's no way to tell exactly what it's going to do to the subjects, but it seems to be organic in source, and as far as we can determine hasn't attacked anything but the, um, peripheral nervous system." He flipped a page, voice so dull that even an attack on over twenty people somehow sounded boring. "Um, it may be worth noting that the level of poison seems to be increasing, although there is no way they can have received more in the past three hours given that—"
Gordon slapped the clipboard down and glared straight into the man's face. "Exactly how contagious is this?"
"Um…" the scientist tried to flip through a couple of notes on his clipboard, but when Gordon showed no sign of letting go, he pushed his glasses closer to his eyes and continued on his own. "We're not sure it is. These people were injected with the, um, substance, which makes my colleagues and I suspect it's a simple poison rather than a biological weapon. Those are normally meant to be extremely contagious, caught by breathing it in from someone else or something like that. We've also treated them with both antibiotics and what anti-viral treatments we have, with no response. This, again, increases the likelihood of it being purely a toxin. But, um, given the high profile of the subjects attacked, and the number of them, we contacted the CDC as per your request. They concur with our hypothesis."
"Then why are their toxin levels rising?" Andi asked. "And if you're so sure, why are all the men down there still wearing biohazard suits?"
He looked down his nose a bit at her, but Andi glared right back; after the death-eyes Bruce gave her on a nearly constant basis, this man's attempt to intimidate her seemed laughable. After a minute he sighed and shrugged. "There's also a slim chance that it is bacterial or viral; we don't think virus, and are treating them with antibiotics to, um, no real effect. But with the overuse of antibiotics, there are numerous bacteria developing which might, um, potentially…"
"Get to the point man!" Gordon snapped. The scientist blinked.
"Antibiotic resistance is becoming quite common. If a bacteria with just the right exotoxin became resistant and was able to reproduce quickly, it might be able to do this. But with a toxin like this, for it not to have been registered by the CDC it would have had to have been specifically researched and engineered, and with the resources needed for that, much less the training—"
"Is there anyone in Gotham who could have access to the materials needed for it?"
"They, um, mentioned that Hartford Labs had most of the necessary equipment, but the Joker blew up most of that so we didn't think—"
Gordon cut him off with a roar that made Andi jump. "YOU MEAN WE VERY POSSIBLY HAVE A FULL-BLOWN BIOLOGICAL ATTACK ON THIS CITY AND YOU BUREAUCRATS AND SCIENTISTS WERE SO BUSY PLAYING DOCTOR THAT YOU COULDN'T THINK TO CALL THE POLICE COMMISSIONER OR THE CDC UNTIL THREE HOURS AFTER YOU FOUND OUT ABOUT IT?"
The seriousness of the situation finally seemed to break the scientist from his academia-induced muddle. Or maybe he was finally scared stiff by Gordon's fearsome expression. He looked almost comical, the way his eyes widened and his voice pitch went up into a squeak. "Well, um, there haven't been other cases reported yet and—"
"Listen to me." Gordon's voice went deadly quiet. "You will quarantine any and every man, woman, and child they have been in contact with in the past thirteen hours. Then, you will call the mayor and have him implement every single biodefense system we have. Tell him that he will get the National Guard here within two hours to help or I will personally make sure that every one of his professional and personal scandals is leaked to the press, bureaucracy be damned. Get all health care professionals alerted and pull every scientific research center that is still halfway operational to work on identifying and curing this. And if you ever—"
Andi crept away towards the door and, once safely out of the room, dashed for the nearest bathroom and locked herself in the stall. She leaned back against the wall and slowly slid down until she was sitting on the cold tile, her legs folded beneath her, hands clutching her head even though her headache had mostly faded by now. She could count. Three hours. It had been three hours since the attacks had happened. Although it seemed like an eternity since Pam had pulled that gun on her, she knew it had only been about fourteen hours ago. She was no fool. A few hours to compose herself, to prepare, and then… these must be the council members who had voted to destroy that park. Pam had called hoping that Andi would join her, or improve the plan, or maybe even talk her out of it, and when she hadn't, her friend had gone out alone and…
What could she do? Tell Gordon? Pam was already a fugitive, she'd been off the grid for awhile now. He wouldn't be able to find her. And… Andi couldn't do it. Turning her friend in might be the right thing to do, and maybe Andi was giving in, but she couldn't. Not after losing Leena too. Gordon would find out soon enough anyways if Pam had been foolish enough to actually inject the people with the virus herself. Her appearance was distinctive, especially compared to all these old bumbling doctors.
Her fingers were trembling so hard that it was difficult to dial the familiar number on her cellphone, and when she finally did, Pam didn't answer. Andi could only hope she would listen to the message.
"Pam? It's me. Look, I promise I'm not trying to turn you in, but we need to talk. About what's happened and—listen, I have news on Leena. Please. Just—just call me. There are some really, really important things I need to tell you." Andi couldn't make herself hang up. "Can you please just—I know I haven't been honest, but I need you Pam. You're the only person I can still trust, and with what I've just heard I think I must be crazy saying it, but it's true. Pam if you're there please pick—"
"Andi?"
"Pam." Andi swallowed, tried to remember how to breathe. "I—I need to see you. I know you don't trust me and you think—"
"Abandoned apartment complex on the corner of Eighth and Pine View. Second floor, third room on the right." The line went dead.
Andi took a deep breath and pocketed the phone, trying to think. One step at a time. First, meet Pam. She'd need a car if she was going to do that. Gordon.
Her boss was now surrounded by a flurry of doctors, scientists, and police officers, sending them running with directions as fast as they came, alternately jabbering on his radio and cellphone. When Andi walked in, however, he caught her eye and broke off. "Stevens. Take over here."
He crossed over to her and pulled her to the side. "Taylor, I need you to go home. Tell Barbara what's happening and stay there, make sure she doesn't go out or expose either you or herself under any circumstances. Some of these cops are dirty and might sell you out to the Joker if he escapes."
"Sir—"
He shoved a set of keys into her hand. "It's a plain car, you shouldn't attract any attention. Hurry up."
Andi was on the verge of protesting again when another cop crossed over and tapped Gordon's shoulder. "Sir. We were interviewing a councilman's wife and two children when they began to show symptoms. It's spreading."
She caught a glimpse of panic on Gordon's already-worried face, and then it was gone as he turned around and plunged back into the fray. He gave her a last, searing glance, ordering her to go.
Andi didn't see that there was much of a choice. She went.
"Andi?" The door barely cracked open to reveal one of Pam's bright green eyes, a flash of her red hair.
"Pam. In the name of all that is holy, let me in."
Her eye disappeared from view and Andi heard the sound of a chain lock being pulled back. Andi quickly stepped inside.
Somehow Pam had managed to coax electricity from the abandoned building. The lights were dim, but they stayed on, illuminating her friend's dirt-smudged face and bedraggled clothes and hair. About the only thing in her wardrobe that still looked to be in mint condition was the pistol pushed through her belt. There was a small mini-fridge humming in one corner and an emergency news report was playing on a giant, ancient TV set behind them, the anchors telling about the attacks on the city council. Mercifully the words 'biological weapons' hadn't been mentioned yet from what Andi could see. Gotham might collapse with knowledge of that added terror; despite the city's resilience, there was only so much it could take. On the other hand, if they didn't know about it, many might not know they needed to go to the hospital. Some wouldn't anyways. Illegal immigrants afraid of deportation, elderly without anyone to take them, street kids with no one who cared…
"If you've come here to lecture me about it, you can save your breath and leave," Pam growled, her eyes following Andi's, "As far as I'm concerned, those bastards deserve worse. And I'm not planning to kill them either if that's what you're wondering."
Andi stared at her. "What are you planning?"
Pam sighed. "You're being self-righteous about this aren't you?" She smiled just a little, which did nothing to lift the grim aura she seemed to have acquired. "I've got a treatment for the poison. I'll let these council members stew for a little bit longer, let everyone realize that what anti-toxins and pain medications they have aren't working, then contact the police and let them know I'll give them the antidote in return for them leaving the park alone. They'll arrest me and everything, probably drag my name through the muck and keep me in jail for the rest of my life if they don't execute me, but I don't care. The park will be safe. And I'll tell them about my research, so the anti-toxin will still be used. Nobody should be hurt in the long run over this but me, and I've made my peace with that."
She doesn't know, Andi realized. She just thought she was getting the city council. She never realized—"It's spreading Pam."
"What do you mean? What's spreading?"
"The bacteria. Pam, you didn't just give them a toxin, you gave them the bacteria that makes it, and it's infecting others. It's not on the news yet, but I was at the hospital observing what's been happening. People are catching it besides those you poisoned, and unless Gordon gets very lucky, the whole city's going to be dealing with an epidemic in a matter of hours. Cases were already starting to come in when I was leaving, and several of them were children. Pam, you have to believe me. This thing is catching, and unless you can give us the cure, people are going to die. And not just those on the council."
"No." Horror slowly dawned in Pam's eyes but she still shook her head, "No, that's impossible. I mean… yes, I created it from a bacterial exotoxin I engineered, but then I killed everything living in those injections! I didn't have all the equipment I'd normally use, but I specifically insured that all the bacteria were—"
"You missed one. And this one's resistant to antibiotics. Natural selection breeds bacteria to be as hardy as possible, it would take a lot of work to create a strain that completely lost that ability. And, brilliant as you are, biological weapons aren't your specialty, cures and anti-toxins are. You've been working with them for what? Two weeks? Three? Even if you knew the process from your work, there were a lot of things you could have messed up on." Andi paused and Pam stared straight ahead, unresponsive. Nothing to do but keep going. "Please. Believe me. I know you were only trying to fix things Pam, but we need that cure. If you get it to me, I'll make sure you're not blamed. We'll forget this ever happened, and I think I can even make sure that that park gets protected." Bruce would help her with that. He owed her after all, and he had enough money to buy the park himself if he had to. "But I need you to trust me, Pam."
Pam locked eyes with her for several seconds, and then covered her mouth, her hands shaking. "Children?" Slowly she stood and crossed the room to a small mini-fridge, pulled out a clear vial of liquid. There were sudden tears in her brilliant green eyes.
"I—I never meant for that to happen Andi. I swear, I just wanted to help. And you probably think I was an idiot, but I did make a safety plan for something like this; there's an anti-toxin, and with it the bacteria becomes harmless long enough for the body to recover and—"
The door crashed open and Andi and Pam spun towards it, Pam pulling the gun from her belt. Both of them stared at the intruder for a split second and then Pam let out a shriek and dropped her pistol.
"Leena!"
She leapt at their friend and enveloped her in a bear hug. Leena tolerated it for about two seconds then pulled away.
"Sheesh Red, I love you too but c'mon. I'm here on business."
Pam jerked back as if slapped and Leena turned to Andi with a mocking smile. "What? You aren't happy to see me?"
Andi stared at her friend. Pam's eyes, normally so observant and sharp, seemed to be missing what Andi was seeing. Hair pulled up in two fluffy pigtails, a jester's motley of bruises all across her face, and a vapid, childlike expression in her eyes that Andi had never seen before. There was nothing there of kindness or gentle nature any more. It was as if Leena had disappeared and some stranger now wore her friend's skin.
"I saw the warehouse," she whispered. "You—what—did you…"
"Yep. I killed 'em," Leena said proudly, like a kid telling her mom she'd gotten an A+ on a test. "All of 'em. Mr. J told me that it was one hundred percent perfect. He thinks I'm a natural."
"Mr. J?" Pam looked as if she'd been hit in the head with a very heavy object. "You killed who? Leena what—what happened?"
Leena gave Andi an incredulous look. "You mean you didn't tell her? You've been up here for ages, I watched you go in. Didn't you miss me?"
Before either of them could answer, she twirled inside, light as a dancer. She kicked the TV's plug from its socket, then perched lightly on the old machine, legs crossed primly. Andi saw several lurid bruises traveling up her calves and arms, matching the map the bruises and cuts had carved onto her face. She took a deep breath. "J taught me to be like him!"
'I've been assigned to the Joker!' It was the exact same excited tone of that innocent young woman she had been a few weeks ago. Andi wanted to be sick.
"What do you mean? How?" Pam demanded, obviously trying to pull herself together. "Leena, what did he do to you?"
"Nah-ah. I'm not Leena anymore. I'm Harley-Quinn. And he showed me the way the world works. That's the joke, ya see? You, Pamela Isley, think that it's good, and you set up your whole pathetic crusade to take care of it. You think it's worth saving—"
"No…" Pam whispered.
"—When it's just… well… it's not. You see—"
"WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU?"
Leena let out a malicious shriek of laughter. "Hit a nerve didn't I? You just can't stand it, can you? All your life you tried to make the world better and where'd it get you? Nobody listens to you, and all the big guys in charge only make it worse. They laugh at you."
"No. Just—Just shut up, Leena. You don't know what you're talking about, you were the one who taught me—"
Leena grinned and leaned in. "What if I showed you how to laugh at them instead?"
"That's not the point." Even Andi couldn't deny the pleading in Pam's voice, the fact that she was obviously trying to convince herself of what she was saying. "Please… just tell me. What happened Leena? What—"
"If you insist." Leena's mouth twisted. "You're such a killjoy! Ah well. I killed a kid. And an old guy. And a retarded idiot, but I liked that part. Bailey too. You shoulda seen the look on his face. But I made him, um, smile eventually."
"You… liked… it?"
"Yep. They didn't though." Leena stuck out her tongue and puckered her lips, lolled her face grotesquely to mimic the same terrified expression Andi had seen on Saint's face a few hours ago. That was enough. Andi couldn't keep silent.
"Leena. Come on. Let us help you. Whatever happened—"
She rode right over her, ignoring Andi in favor of Pam's transfixed, broken expression. "Whaddaya think Pam? You looked up to me, didn't ya? After poor little Ivy died, it was me you decided to trust. Thought that if I was so wonderful there'd have to be something good in the world, even if you didn't see it."
"Stop it."
"—That's the joke though my dear Dr. Isley. There's—nothing—worth—saving. You're—"
"Stop it."
"—just a pathetic little do-gooding eco-freak who's failing even when she tries to take things into her own—"
"STOP IT!"
Both Andi and Leena stared as Pam sank to the ground, shaking uncontrollably. Hoarse, ragged sobs ripped through her, her red hair cascaded around her face, curtaining it from view. Leena giggled slightly after a minute and started to tap her foot against the TV, creating a strange counterpoint music to the beat of Pam's shuddering breaths.
"Pam?" Andi gently placed her hand on the redhead's shoulder, "Come on Pam. Get up."
No movement. Andi tried again. "Hey, it's ok. Come on. Let's take Leena into an asylum. Then we'll get that cure to a hospital and—"
Pam looked up, her wet eyes skittering desperately between Leena and Andi and back to Leena. Slowly she stood up, and her broken expression changed. Andi couldn't say whether something in her snapped apart or came together, but the desperate, lost look in her eyes disappeared, morphed into absolute fury in the blink of an eye. She yanked her arm from Andi's and turned to face her, bristling like a feral cat. "An asylum?" she hissed, "Why? I think Harley's right."
Leena let out a squeal of delight and hopped down, hugging Pam around the waist. "I knew you'd see it my way Pam! We'll have so much fun together. After we free Mr. J—"
"Free him?"
"Yeah, Andi's friend the Bat captured him. That's what I came for." Her face drew back into a pout, bottom lip sticking out. "Can you help me break him loose? You were always the smart one, Red, and I just can't figure any way to get him free."
Andi's throat was stuck together with shock and horror. This madman had kidnapped Leena, put her through who knew what sort of hell, and all she wanted was to set him free again? Was there even anything left of her friend's mind?
Their eyes locked and Andi realized. No. No, Leena no longer existed. All there was was Harley, a woman as insane as the Joker himself.
"I'll do it." Pam looked almost startled as she said the words, but her back became straighter, her voice stronger as she continued. She looked almost like the old Pam again, but tougher now, and utterly ruthless. This new woman was no longer inhibited by silly little questions about right and wrong. "I've already got a plan I think. Or an idea, at least. If that's what you want Harley."
"YES!" Harley jumped up, punched the air with one fist. "This'll be fun! C'mon!" She started to drag Pam towards the door but Andi desperately caught Pam by the sleeve. She had to stop them, or delay them or something.
"Pam. Please, at least give me the antidote. Innocent people are going to die without this Pam."
Pam snorted and gave her a pitying look. "You still don't get it do you? Andi… there are no more innocent people in Gotham. If there ever were."
Despite her words, she pulled out the medicine and looked at it speculatively, then grabbed a hypodermic needle from her pocket and deftly filled it with half of the bottle's contents. She turned back to Andi and cocked her head. "Except you I suppose. I guess that means you, at least, deserve this."
Andi tried to jerk away, but Pam had always been the most athletic of the three. She seized Andi's wrist and stuck the needle into her skin before Andi could push her away, and sudden fire burned in her veins.
Thoughts of resistance fled as Andi clutched her hand. It was like the gasoline in her cuts all over again, a thousand times worse, spreading up her arm, across her body, lacing through her blood vessels, heart, lungs, organs within seconds. She twitched involuntarily, thrashed, fell to her knees and then onto her side, whimpering, barely keeping the sound from stretching into screams.
Someone knelt next to her. Red hair. "Pam…" she moaned, "Poison me… Why?"
"Sorry, Andi, I know it hurts. It's not going to kill you though. I injected you with an enzyme designed to break down the toxin, like I said. The thing is… I also put a bit of the poison in the injection so it's as painful as the cure, at least until the enzyme is activated by your body heat and starts to go to work. I wanted the bastards on the city council to get a last little kick before they got better, make them afraid it wasn't working at first. It'll wear off in an hour, I promise."
Andi felt a small hand smooth her hair back. Harley. "Geez, Andi, you're a mess. Maybe when you feel better you can come with us?"
"Maybe," Pam sighed. "She's always been stubborn though, Harl. We should go before she pulls herself together and tries to stop us. If you ever do want to join us, Andi, we'll be waiting. I mean that."
"No…" Andi wasn't sure if she was speaking the word to them or to herself, or even if she spoke at all. She thought she heard a door slam, but her eyes were burning with tears and chemicals and she couldn't see. "NO! Come back, come back please. Pam… Leena…"
There was nothing. Andi had known there wouldn't be. She rolled over and felt the agony overcome her.
Author's Note: Hey y'all. So I know that I said this post might be early, but I sort of lied (does a day before usual count?). Spring Break wasn't quite as productive as I'd planned, but the main thing was that I realized halfway through writing this chapter that I knew absolutely nothing about biological warfare. Despite research that's probably landed me on several government watchlists, I'm still the farthest thing from an expert, so if any of you are... well, I'm not going to lie, I'd find that very scary, but I'd also listen to what you tell me before reporting you to the FBI so you'd have a little bit of time to run if you feel like sharing. The flip side of that goes too; if you found the explanations and scientific jargon too confusing, tell me so I can clarify!
A couple of you mentioned that you found it surprising how easy the Joker was captured last chapter, so if any of you people in lurkerdom are wondering the same thing, first of all come out of the shadows and say so, and second of all let me reassure you that there is a reason for why he made it so easy that'll be discussed in the near future.
As always, reviewers are my heroes!