The Harlequin and the Bat
This is the story sequel to: 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.
Warning: 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 7
(Bruce's POV)
With little under fifteen minutes remaining Bruce, Tim and Dick suited up and travelled to any and all known Joker locations.
"Robin, Nightwing: status report" Batman sounded over his Batwave radio, travelling to the Amusement Park.
"Nothing at the Refinery." Nightwing spoke to the device.
"Nothing at the warehouses." Robin sounded off.
"Damn it! I'm heading to the Amusement Park. It's the only place left." Batman responded
"Okay, meet you there." Robin understood using his ropes swinging to the Park.
"Ten-four" Nightwing sounded getting onto his motorbike.
'Hang on Barbara. We'll get you back.' Batman thought
(Harleen's POV)
*Twelve minutes remaining*
Harleen swung from the rooftops sprinting through to the Amusement Park, there she saw Joker's Goons and a massive amount of dynamite, as Joker's voice sounded around the derelict attractions.
"Ivy'? You went after Ivy?" Barbara's voice spoke that caught Bat-Shard's attention. Her heart sank
"She didn't tell me much, except telling me that she's found someone better than me. "Found someone better than Me?" I said to myself…so I ransacked her apartment and found this!" pulling out Harleen's 'I love Bat's' plush. Bat-Shard her secrets being exposed to Barbara: her beloved plush. "And this!" he pulled out a clown with a batman cape on it. Bat-Shard noticed the first Plush she made outside of Arkham just thrown to the ground. "And these!" Joker pulled out Harleen's diary pages which he read aloud.
'Oh God. Ivy, my stuff, my home…all of it gone; and now he's reading my innermost thoughts? There's no way I'll go back to him!' Bat-shard thought
Joker finished laughing like a madman while Barbara saw the pages flutter to the ground and then looked at him. "It's a knock out isn't it? My little Harley falling for the Bat then falling for your friend Wayne! Oh Harley may not have made jokes when we were fighting the Bat-brains but these are hilarious!" Bat-Shard looked at her former lover with a hated look then she overheard him say: "But when I get her back…the punchline is going to be…Killer!" after that Bat-Shard knew what was going to happen: he was going to kill her!
"That's what he wants: revenge! If he can't have me then no-one can…and Ivy…Ivy and Barbara got in the middle of it. I've got to save her!" Bat-Shard said with determination.
Joker emerged from the ride housing Barbara, she heard him say: "Keep her quiet if she gives you any problems. I've got a harlequin and a Bat to wait for." Dusting off his purple tuxedo then walking off.
'Okay two goons with AK-47's…should be easy enough…' Bat-Shard thought as she jumped from ride to ride, flying down on top of the goon on the right knocking him out with her tonfa. His head was smashed to the ground but not crushed, just knocked out.
"What the hell?" the second goon said aiming his weapon at the cloaked Bat-Shard preparing to fire.
Bat-Shard threw her first Shard-Star at the Goon's hand. She aimed perfectly; it wedged itself into his hand like a knife, the blood and pain shot out of his hand while Bat-Shard knocked his weapon out of his hands with her tonfa, then his senses out of his head. The two lay on the ground while Bat-Shard got the throwing star out of his bleeding hand.
"Wow, when Bill said these were dangerous, he wasn't joking!" Bat-Shard said cutting the ropes off Barbara.
"*gasp* Thanks. I should ask who you are, but I've got a pretty good idea…Harleen." Barbara smiled
'Well that's great. Five minutes after saving my first civilian and you guess who I am!' Harleen thought, but Bat-Shard said: "I don't know who you're talking about, let's get out of here!" the two travelled through the Amusement Park and met twelve of Joker's Goons all of whom were ordered to hold Barbara at the Park.
"Joker said to keep the hostage here! He didn't say anything about a red and black Bat freak! Let's get 'em!" the goon said wielding a pipe, while his friends had pipes, chains and guns.
"Got anything useful, new-girl?" Barbara said
"Yeah…this!" Bat-Shard used a large density smoke bomb covering her and Barbara, to make an escape.
"The hell? Where'd they go?" the goon's searched around while looking dumbfounded.
"Bad enough the hostage escaped, now we got this new Bat-Bitch running around!" the AK-47 wielding goon said before being flattened with her tonfa in offensive stance.
"There she is! Grab her!" the Chain goon said swinging his weapon
Bat-Shard armed herself with her tonfa and caught the chain in her right then breaking the goon's face with her left. His teeth and blood were spat out to the side as he fell to the ground. Bat-Shard spun her tonfa to defensive. The goons raced towards her all at once.
'Man, Joker never did get smart minions. Maybe that's the definition of a goon?' Bat-Shard joked in her thoughts.
Barbara saw Bat-Shard flip, kick and used her tonfa on the goons one by one and thought: 'My God, Harleen had this inside her all this time? She's been practicing.'
Bat-Shard took down one goon by buckling his leg then going for the knock out; she was grabbed in a neck hold where a goon aimed his pipe at her stomach, Bat-Shard used her acrobatic skills to dodge the goon and get the other one winded, she flipped onto his back and forced him forward to the ground propelling herself for a stomach punch to the pipe goon. Bat-Shard flipped her way to the discarded AK-47 and kicked it away; a heavily armoured goon raged towards her roaring "Get over here you crazy Bat-Bitch!" Bat-Shard armed herself with her tonfa in defence and imagined the goon as her rotating training dummy. The goon threw his punch, but was blocked by her tonfa, Bat-Shard used her cape to strike at his eyes; his temporary blindness gave her an advantage. Bat-Shard flipped her tonfa to attack stance and she struck at: his arms, then his legs then his armour covered head knocking him out. While saying: "My. Name. Is. Not. Bat. Bitch!" when the last goon grabbed the AK-47 Bat-Shard shot her grapple gun grabbing the goon towards her then doing a backflip kick to his lower jaw, thus giving her and Barbara a clear path out of the Park.
"It's Bat-Shard!" she said menacingly to the last semi-conscious goon in a Batman-like stance.
"Okay…" the goon said then becoming unconscious
Barbara emerged from the hiding place and clapped in amazement "Amazing…"
Bat-Shard knew that Barbara had learned her secret but she didn't let that get in the way of getting her out of there. "Come on, you can thank me later." She panted pulling Barbara away.
"If you survive that long!" Joker said over the speaker phones "I've seen the way you fight little Bat…very alluring. I think I'll keep you, instead of that worthless wretch Harley!"
"Go to Hell, Joker! I'll never let you keep me!" Bat-Shard said knowing full well she was with him before.
"Ah…that's a shame…oh well, since the hour is up: I get my fun!" Joker cackled as it was cut off.
"Come on; let's get out of here before Joker has chance to catch us." Bat-Shard ordered
"Acknowledged; let's go!" Barbara said running towards the exit with Bat-Shard
As the two approached the exit it was sealed off by a multitude of Joker's goons and two heavily modified gates.
"Nowhere to run Bat-Bitch!" a Goon said
"It's Bat-Shard!" She said getting annoyed
(Bruce's POV)
*Minutes earlier*
Batman arrived at the other end of the Amusement Park; he travelled to the nearest location: the hall of mirrors. Going through the ever confusing maze to find Barbara Batman travelled to the next attraction then the next before arriving at the teacup ride.
"My God, that's enough dynamite to level this place to ruins" Batman observed the dynamite stockpile. "Hmm twelve of Joker's goons; knocked out…did Barbara do this?" Batman examined the rope and used his detective vision. "No…Barbara was tied up. Someone else freed her and beat these thugs up. But who?" as Batman pondered he heard a groan from one of the goons; he went over and questioned him. "Who did this?"
"*yelp* Don't hurt me." The goon quivered
"Tell me what I want to know and I won't. Who did this?" Batman demanded
"Bat-Shard…it was Bat-Shard!" the goon answered
"Who's Bat-Shard?" Batman asked
"You're new lackey! She's dressed like you, fights like you…hell she scares the crap out of me like you!" the goon said coming to
"Where did they go?" Batman demanded
"They went toward the exit…they won't get far." The goon said
"Why? Answer!" Batman commanded
"There's an ambush. Joker won't let the prisoner go; he said he was going to kill his harlequin and the prisoner when she got here."
'Harleen! Barbara! Kill?...Joker!' Batman grew in anger bearing fangs; this caused the goon to cower in fear. "Where's the exit?" Batman snarled
"The North Gate, five minutes, that way!" the goon pointed in the direction Batman should go.
"Good! Stay here!" Batman threw the prisoner into the teacup and used his Batcuffs to keep him in place.
Batman raced to the North Gate contacting Robin and Nightwing. "Nightwing, Robin; Joker is at the abandoned Amusement Park, Barbara is free from her bonds by someone called: Bat-Shard."
Nightwing answered first "Bat-Shard? Who came up with that? I mean Batman and Batgirl I can get…But Bat-Shard?"
Robin answered "Well what if it's symbolic? Besides, who came up with the name Nightwing? Is that supposed to be: an Owl, A Bat or something else?"
Dick answered annoyed "Shut up Robin! Anyway I'll be there in five minutes!"
Robin answered next "I'm there now! And I can see Bat-Shard and Barbara, they're surrounded!"
"Stay where you are, I'm right there!" Batman said hiding behind a construction pile and overheard the goons.
"Nowhere to go Bat-Bitch!" a Goon said
"It's Bat-Shard!" Bat-Shard said getting annoyed
'Her voice…it's familiar…' Batman thought arming himself with a batarang. "Robin, Smoke bomb." He said inside the radio
"Fire in the hole!" Robin whispered throwing a series of smoke bombs down there.
(Dick's POV)
Nightwing raced down to the Amusement park at full speed thinking 'Hold on Barbara…we're coming!'
Nightwing approached the gates and was blocked off. "Damn it!" Nightwing spouted. He overheard one of the goons:
"Nowhere to go Bat-Bitch!"
"It's Bat-Shard!" a female voice that wasn't Barbara shouted in annoyance.
(Harleen's POV)
A series of smoke bombs had filled the air and Bat-Shard and Barbara were safe for the moment.
"Batman!" Barbara whispered
Bat-Shard remained on her guard with her tonfa in offence ready for anything. Through the smoke Batman and Robin flew towards them with Nightwing following behind them. The thugs were being knocked out one by one; a couple did manage to get to Bat-Shard and Barbara as the smoke cleared, but Bat-Shard defended Barbara from them and kept her resolve. As the smoke cleared Bat-Shard felt the prescence of another person behind them, in her heightened state she swept her figure around and used her tonfa in a sweeping manoeuvre at the person. Unbeknownst to her it was:
"Batman?!" Bat-Shard gasped.
Batman had blocked her attack successfully and saw the potential within this woman.
"So...You're Bat-Shard?" Nightwing said slipping his nightsticks into their holsters.
Bat-Shard nodded "Sorry…I thought…"
"Don't apologise. You've done a good job. Where's Joker?" Batman asked
"I don't know. Somewhere he has access to the speaker system?" Bat-Shard said in all honesty, Harleen never went to the main controls office; that was Joker's place of work. She always did the "get the goons in place" work.
"The Main Controls office! That's most likely where he went." Barbara said rubbing her shoulders.
"You okay, Miss Gordon?" Nightwing asked; he knew it was Barbara but he had to play ignorant in front of Bat-Shard.
"I'm fine…she saved me." Barbara said acknowledging Bat-Shard
"We'll go after Joker. You get her out of here." Batman instructed Bat-Shard, Nightwing and Robin.
"Yes sir." Bat-Shard said trying to be professional but still annoyed she couldn't get Joker after all he's done to her and Barbara.
"Ring-Ring! You know what's better than killing off the Commissioner's Daughter and a Bat?" Joker's voice called out then a gun shot fired; no-one saw where it came from except that it was Barbara who got hit. "It's killing the Commissioner's Daughter and the entire, wretched Bat-Family!"
"Barbara!" Nightwing shouted catching her as she fell.
Robin went to apply pressure to the wound as Barbara was losing consciousness. Batman and Bat-Shard turned and saw the Joker there, brandishing his long barrelled pistol. "Ha-ha! Now there's something you and the boy wonder have in common: you die losing people you care for!" Joker laughed maniacally.
"You Monster!" Batman screamed using his grapple gun to propel him faster to his hated arch-enemy. It worked and he rocketed into Joker's face, punching it in the process, each punch Joker just laughed as he and Batman fought.
Bat-Shard tried to think and saw the timer on the dynamite: "Grab Batman! We've got to get out of here!"
"What? Joker shot Barbara! He needs to…!" Nightwing roared
"It won't matter if we're dead! Look!" Bat-Shard pointed to the bombs. One minute remaining!
"Nightwing, we've got her. Go grab Batman!" Robin said holding her wounds, Nightwing raced off to grab Batman.
(Harleen's POV)
"Har-harl…I'm…I'm…" Barbara tried to speak.
"Gon't talk, we're getting out of here!" Bat-Shard said straining to pick her up in bridal fashion
"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" Barbara said going to sleep
'What did she mean by "I'm sorry? *groan* I can't think of that now.' "We need to leave!" Bat-Shard said racing to the exit.
"Hey, wrong time and place but…I saw your moves…you're good!" Robin said with a smile on his face.
Bat-Shard smiled ran with the unconscious Barbara in her arms, racing to the exit. "Thanks…"
Three…
Two…
One…
*BOOM*
(Bruce's POV)
As Batman and Joker fought the clock was counting down, each punch Batman threw was filled with anger at the Joker who tried to stab him with his knife and shoot him with his pistol.
"Failed again, Dork Knight! First: your precious Robin, now a little sparrow? Either you're getting sloppy or you actually wanted her dead!" Joker laughed as he was bleeding from the mouth.
Batman was ready to punch Joker to death, but was stopped by a voice.
"Batman!" Nightwing called out "Batman, we need to leave, Joker's rigged this place to blow!"
"Oops! Guess I forgot to mention that! What's it gonna be Bats: Die here with me, or run with your precious sidekick?" Joker laughed with a bloody cough.
Batman had chosen but by then…
Three…
Two…
One…
*BOOM*
To be continued
I hope you've enjoyed reading this chapter as I have writing it.
Please leave reviews for these stories they really help.
The next chapter coming up soon.
Thank you