The Rose and Her Thorns
Ivy nearly growled, bristling with rage and frustration as she looked on Two-Face and his goons. The plants around her swirled violently, trying to bind the goons that held Harley at gunpoint. The poor blond was nearly hyperventilating, her eyes as wide as saucers as she looked down the barrels of the AK's. When she spoke, her voice only came out in a small, high-pitched squeak.
"Red? Do you think you could help here?"
Two-Face laughed cruelly, still sucking on his cigar with contempt. "I'm afraid that Ms. Ivy can't help you now Harley. I've been told that I'm not supposed to kill you yet, and I'm not allowed to kill Harley at all, but Joker said nothing about destroying Ivy and Riddles after he's done with them."
Steel snarled viciously at Ivy's feet, his amber eyes glowing brightly. Fang growled at him, putting the subordinate wolf back in his place. Snow stayed back slightly, but she circled around to the other side of the woman that had been her caretaker for the past three weeks. The white of her pelt contrasted greatly with the green of Ivy's skin, but the goons only noticed her fangs as the normally placid female started to growl, her hackles raising threateningly.
Fang, can we do anything?
The alpha pressed in closer to Ivy, standing protectively in front of her. I don't know Snow. They've got guns, and you know what Sunni always says about guns.
Steel snarled in his mind, his fur standing on edge from irritation. Screw the guns! We need to follow what Sunni said and help Ivy!
While this mental conversation was going on, Ivy was coming up with a plan. The plants around her stopped moving quite so violently, making it seem as if the woman had given up. Instead, the slithered silently across the floor, creeping forward so they could grab the goons with the element of surprise. The woman controling the flora around the room was now the one smirking, matching his smug smile almost perfectly.
"How do you plan to get us to come with you Harvey? In case you haven't noticed, you're in my element. You can't beat me when I'm on my home turf."
Edward snickered despite the gun barrel pointed at his temple. "She's got you there Harv."
Two-Face scowled ferociously, gesturing for the goon to hold Eddie tighter. The large man did just that, squeezing on the smaller Riddler's windpipe until his breath came in short gasps. He stopped with the commentary, face going red from lack of oxygen.
Flushing even darker with rage, Ivy made the vines wrap around the goon's arms and feet, yanking the man into the air. He squalled, dropping his gun and letting go of Edward. The Riddler fell to the ground, gulping air in desperately. The various plants stopped their silent creep, shooting out to restrain the other henchmen in the time it would have taken lightning. Two-Face watched the action with contempt but he didn't notice as the pack of wolves snuck closer to him.
Fang was the first to pounce, the scars on his muzzle looking like open white gashes as his muzzle opened wide. The canine's large ripping fangs dripped with saliva as he attacked the man before him. Two-Face caught the movement out of the corner of his left eye, whipping around and slamming the butt of his Tommy Gun into the wolf's temple. Fang yelped, slamming into the floor next to Edward and laying there silently.
The three villains that had come to know the wolves gasped with horror. Fang was out cold. Only the steady rise and fall of his midnight black chest clued Ivy and Harley into the fact that he was alive. Steel howled with frustration, the sound cold and chilling. Ferocious amber eyes locked onto Two-Face and the behemoth grey wolf shot forward on the attack, covering the short distance between himself and the mobster with ease.
Harley had rushed over to Fang and Eddie by now, cradeling his head in her lap with tears in her eyes. Steel had clamped his powerful jaws down onto Dent's thigh, tearing through his suit and into the muscle beneath. Two-Face cried out, unloading rounds from the semi-automatic in his hand into the vicious canine attached to him. Steel dropped like a stone, his jaws finally releasing Harvey Two-Face as he fell to the floor.
Flesh and bone was destroyed in the grey wolf's shoulder, crimson staining the green carpet beneath him. His bright eyes faded as blood loss took over and drained him of his strength. The last thing that was crossed to Snow in his mind before her best friend and packmate passed out was this.
Shit that hurt.
Snow howled, trying to rush forward to attack Dent, but she was stopped by a pair of slender green arms. Ivy buried her face into the snowy white pelt of her small canine friend. She whispered in Snow's ear, trying to calm the frantic scrambles and howls of the little girl.
Harley's small voice reached Two-Face's ears, trembling and thick with tears. "If we go with you, can you promise not to hurt us?"
The former district attorney and his psychotic counterpart pondered the question for a moment, unconciously pulling the scarred coin by which they lived out of the suit's right hand pocket. Flipping it with practiced ease, he stared at the shiny head that faced him. Damn.
"Alright. If you come quietly without a fight, I'll take ya to Joker without killing you."
Harley stared at the injured Fang in her lap for a moment before turning a pleading gaze towards Ivy. Her best friend considered the possibilities for a moment. They could either stand there and fight, possibly getting killed and leaving the kids open for capture and torture; or they could go quietly and almost certainly be killed and save the kids. Damn it, just when life was getting good.
She bowed her head, the plants around her responding to a silent command to release the struggling thugs. "We'll go."
Two-Face growled in approval for a moment...but then his cellphone, that had somehow been left untouched during his tussle with the wolf, started to ring. He lifted it from his pocket, flipping open the small cellular device and saying, "What the hell do you want Jack?"
Joker's Hideout
Joker held a cellphone in his hand, laughing psychotically into the microphone. "Why so angry Facey? You've got to learn how to laugh like me!"
"Shut up and tell me what you're calling for."
"When are you comin' back with Itchy and Harley?"
"We'll be back soon. I've also got Riddler here if you want to let Zsasz loose on him."
Joker cackled, looking over at the scrawney man fumbling with a blade in the corner. His tally mark scars were sharply defined in the low light, giving one the idea that he had simply been born with the marks. "Perfect! Poor Slicey's been itching ta get a hold of someone with that knife of his."
"Great. We'll be over in about fifteen minutes."
"See ya soon Facey!"
Joker hung up the phone, leaping lightly off the large chair he had been hanging upside down in. His scarlet grin was spread wide across his stark white face, distorting his features grotesquely. Attention focused solely on the murderer in front of him, Joker skipped forward happily, fingering a popgun that he had been carrying in the pocket of his purple jacket.
"Guess what Zsaszy? Old Two-Face is going to bring you someone to play with!"
Victor's head jerked up, bald skin taught across the cap of his skull. Dark, sunken, and insane eyes bored into the crazed ones of the Joker. There was only one difference; Joker's eyes gleamed with a mad intelligence that was tampered with cold laughter. Zsasz's however where blood-thirsty and crazed, like a wild animal's
"Really?"
The hoarse whisper nearly sent gooseflesh up Joker's spine. But he kept his composure and his grin, returning the question with a yes. Zsasz started fiddling with his blade again, etched and slightly rusted silver flashing in the low sterile light of the abandoned factory.
"Good. His blood will stain my blade along with all the other's."
Ivy's Greenhouse with the Kids; Twenty minutes previous.
Sunni sat nervously behind Mel, using her connection with the pack to observe the conflict in the living room. The teen twitched and fidgeted, constantly shifting Howard as he sat in her lap. The others watched her with a cautious air, noting the bright amber flash that would present itself every now and again. Eli clutched onto Hayden tightly, eyes squeezed shut in silent prayer.
"Please let them be okay. Don't let them get hurt or die."
The normally cool punk of the family was terrified and literally buzzing with anxiety. He bounced himself and Hayden back and forth at supersonic speeds. The movement was so fast that it was barely perceptible, but when Gabe placed his hand on his brother's shoulder, he could feel the vibrations from the high-speed motion.
"Calm down, Eli. The others are scared too. Why don't you do something productive, like keeping them calm?"
Nodding quietly, Eli sat down on the soft earth beneath him, opening his arms so that Jasper and Camden could snuggle in close to him. Jaylon held onto Gabe, who was balancing Miles on his hip. They were all scared senseless that they might be alone again. It was bad enough that they had been alone when Dad was still alive, but the utter solitude of not having anyone to call family other than each other was painful in the extreme.
Sunni still concentrated on the fight. Fang had decided to attack. He was charging. A howl of utter rage nearly escaped Sunni's throat when Two-Face struck Fang. The alpha dog, the dog that was always so strong and practical, was now unconcious on the floor. Now came Steel.
The wolf that had taught her how to fight, taught her how to be fearsome and strong in everything she did, latched onto Two-Face. The satisfaction of the strike was short lived, turning quickly back into terror. He shot Steel. Steel was hurt and there was no way she could help. A single thought floated into Sunni's brain, pain floating in the deep molasses of Steel's voice.
Shit that hurt.
Tears sprang into Sunni's eyes and she clung to Howard, hoping that her baby brother could help disapate the pain she was feeling in her heart. It wasn't long before the door slammed, the assailant and his thugs going back to their car with Ivy, Harley, and Eddie in tow.
Camden started freaking out, sobbing frantically as Eli held him back. "No Mommy! Don't leave us! I don't wanna be alone again!"
The SUV's pulled out of the drive, a path of destruction in their wake. Sunni immediately leapt up, rushing into the living room to find Steel lying in a pool of blood on the floor. Hot salty tears flowed down her face as Sunni knelt beside his body, Snow snuggling up next to her. Shallow and hot breaths brushed against her hand as the girl ran her hand over his muzzle.
Snow spoke, scared that she might lose her best friend. Sunni, can you help him?
I don't know Snowy. I don't think I can.
Howard extended a pudgy hand towards Steel, the glow around it imperceptible to Sunni's clouded vision. When he touched the deep, blood-matted pelt, an incredible thing happened. Muscle and bone started to heal, re-aligning to their original places. The tissue started to heal, sealing up seamlessly as a layer of fresh skin covered it. Dark grey hair began to regrow, stopping as soon as it was the same length and thickness as the rest of his pelt. Amber eyes finally opened, scanning the worried and stunned faces of the others above him.
What the hell just happened?
The others came bursting in, gasping at the amount of blood on the floor and the destruction around them. Bullet holes littered the walls and tore into the fabric of the couch, showing just how many times the goons had shot.
Jaylon flew up next to Fang, who was just starting to rouse from his stupor. "What'r we gonna do Sunni? I want Mommy."
Biting her lip, Sunni rested her head atop Howard's, closing her eyes and taking in his milky scent. He had just given Steel a second chance without even knowing it, just like they had given the others a second chance. Resolve of iron formed in Sunni's eyes as she stood, hair darkening with her powers.
"We're gonna get 'em back Jay. Don't worry."
Eli looked confused, although, the look was hard to pull of for the child who's hair was spiked with black and dark purple. "How're we going to do that?"
"We're nine mutant children with superpowers Eli. We might not be perfect like Mary Sue's, but we can accomplish anything once we set our minds to it. Althoug, we are going to need some help."
Gabe shrugged. "We don't have any other choice; Sunni, we've gotta go get the Bat."
The oldest girl groaned and made a face. God-damnit, why did the world have to hate her?