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.
If many of you are wondering about the timeline in this story and what month it is; don't worry I based The Harley and the Ivy around March first to April first.
Following that the current timeline puts it at August. This chapter follows July into August so don't worry.
Chapter 11
*A month has passed; the headlines flew through the city like birds flying south for the winter:
Bat-Shard disappears! Harley Quinn on rampage! Caped Crusader fails to apprehend! Crazed Clown Capitalises Crime! Batman Baffled, Harley Quinn Helps and Hinders.*
Batman was chasing Harley Quinn. Her maniacal laughter echoed through the streets of Gotham, then vanishing without a trace.
"Damn it! Where did she go? Harleen, I know I can get you back…I have to." Batman said to himself.
Below the rooftops was Impact AKA Bill from Bill's Armour and Tech, the suit he was wearing was basically his clothes but made from Meta-Human weave. He looked at Batman knowing he had lost another lead on finding Harleen he sighed and thought to himself:
'All of this happened in the space of a month: Harleen going crazy, Joker rumoured to be back in town, this new guy Red something… Crane invented that crazy pixie dust. But the real question is: Why make it anyway? Just for some years shaved off his sentence, just to be thrown right back in?'
Impact's thoughts turned back a month ago, he travelled to Arkham by Ferrari…not that it did him any good, he didn't have a licence, but in this city kids as young as twelve could drive a motorbike…they had plenty of experience riding them after they stole them. But since he didn't know how American cars worked he was accompanied by Dick, who drove.
Bill and Dick drove straight there obeying the traffic getting there, unfortunately they weren't getting there quick enough.
"So…no licence huh?" Dick asked turning his head then looking at the road.
"Huh…oh, yeah." Bill responded thinking about Harleen and the situation
"Arkham…" Dick started
"Huh?" Bill startled
"Why Arkham, of all the places?" Dick asked
"Bruce said that the Fake Crane left him in his house. Arkham is the only house Crane has since he's been incarcerated…plus…it's home to him because of all: the secret holes he's dug himself over time. It's familiar, it's safe and he knows all the places right under the guards noses." Bill answered while staring through the glass.
Dick didn't answer for a minute and then "How do you know about Crane's hidden passages?"
Bill looked at Dick then back at the window seeing the sign: Arkham Asylum 2 Miles North. "Because I was there…" he answered plainly
Arriving at Arkham's gates Bill and Dick got out, Dick couldn't believe it. He asked a thousand questions to Bill about why he was here in Arkham, but all he got was the silent treatment. Even with the situation going on, it's still rude not to answer a question when asked.
Inside the Asylum they were greeted by doctors and psychiatrists of varying degrees, they saw several inmates in straightjackets, on stretchers and even in muzzle masks to stop them from attacking other inmates. They went over to the receptionist; he had neatly trimmed back brown hair, darkened eyes from days of restless sleep behind squared glasses perched on a crooked nose and a bloodied white doctor's robe.
"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked politely
"Crane, Johnathan. Dent, Harvey." Bill answered sternly before Dick spoke
"Bill, we don't even know if he's still alive!" Dick whispered angrily
"Crane…Crane…ah here! He's in his cell; I'll collect him for you. You should know: he's had quite an ordeal in the last few hours. As for Dent I'll get him when you've finished with Crane." The receptionist smiled
"Not good enough! We need them both now!" Bill demanded
"Sir, I don't know who you are but there are…"
Bill didn't let him finish, he just gripped him by the scruff of his collar and saw his face "Sod the regulations! We've got someone who's dying because of what those two have made! So either you get them both now or I'll rip through the doors and throw them into the interrogation cells myself!"
Dick didn't know Bill all that well but he could see that time in Arkham had changed him. "Bill…" he whispered
"Security…please receive: Mr Johnathan Crane and Mr Harvey Dent from their respective cells." the receptionist was shaking with fear because of Bill. He was gently put down as Bill dusted him off.
"There see? Wasn't that bad was it?" Bill said smiling "Sorry about the grabbing…but with tension running high…you understand."
"Yes…erm…you need to sign in." the receptionist pushed a clipboard towards them. Dick signed first then Bill.
"We'll only be five minutes." Dick said looking at Bill with a glare.
"Seven. I think Harvey may be about two minds on the subject." Bill joked
As the two left the receptionist looked at the sign in sheet: Selina Kyle, Talia Winslow, Dick Grayson and Bill…just Bill. The receptionist looked at the database seeing Bill anywhere, he found it and he shuddered at the results.
"You didn't have to go that far!" Dick explained using his arms to indicate the receptionist
"It's always protocol with these guys. Too crazy: lobotomies, too depressed: happy pills, too sane: lock up for five years." Bill said entering the interrogation room.
"You were here for…?" Dick asked before being cut off.
"*hush* here they come. Let me do the talking." Bill said, seeing Crane being put on the waiting chair and Dent being brought first. The receptionist was right, he had quite the ordeal.
Two-Face entered; his half acid green face was monstrous considering his normal face looked just like everyone else's, his hands were in cuffs and as he sat down his Harvey face smiled. "Hello Bill…good to see you."
"Good to see you too, Harvey. How's treatment?" Bill asked politely
"*Sigh* can't complain or we could…if we had our coin!" Harvey looked at the guards. He had it confiscated a few months back then it was sold in an auction.
"Tell me about Crane's formula. It involved your DNA…you know anything about it?" Bill asked
"Maybe we do…maybe we don't…what's it too you?" Dent spoke again referring to himself as 'we'.
"It involves the Bat and a customer of mine." Bill answered giving a half truth.
"Ah…yes…how is Batman? Alive…Dead? We couldn't care…or we could." Looking at the guards again; Bill produced a coin, the look on Harvey's two faces were shocked he wanted to believe that was his coin. One side beautiful undamaged silver with the head of Lady Liberty… "Is that our…?" Bill turned the coin to produce a damaged side: the head of Lady Liberty and the words: In God We Trust were scratched out. Bill nodded and placed the coin, Damaged side up, on the table with his fingers still on it.
"What did Crane want with your DNA?" Bill asked sternly, as he kept pressure on the coin as Harvey placed his hands over it to grab it.
"Leave it to chance…" Harvey explained looking at Bill's eyes. Bill relinquished the coin. Harvey smiled and tossed the coin into the air a few times to get the feel of it back again.
"Tell me Harvey…What did Crane want, with your DNA!" Bill asked again. Dick saw what he was doing: giving an incentive to the criminal so he could talk…Bruce did the same thing once before…
Harvey produced his coin Perfect side first, "Head's we tell you." he then flipped the coin to the damaged side "Tails we don't." Harvey flipped it. Each spin of the coin, every second lengthened dramatically. Harvey caught the coin and flipped it to the back of his other hand. He revealed the result…
Damaged side, he wouldn't tell them anything. "Fair cop, Harvey." Bill said offering his hand in gratitude. Harvey and Dick were taken back, Bill was offering his thanks to Dent. Harvey reciprocated. And by some form of remorse or sense of good that Harvey had lost or locked away he spoke.
"He said he wanted our DNA for a Fear Toxin…a new one for the governors. Some lady asked for it to help change inmates…like us. To be forever labelled as "Reformed" or "Criminal". That's all we know." Harvey looked down at his precious coin.
"Thank you Harvey…you're a good man." Bill said putting his hand on Harvey's shoulder.
"Time's up, next prisoner!" the guard said
Bill looked at the coin and then Harvey "Keep it, it's yours by right." As Harvey left he nodded thanking Bill.
"Damn…some woman? Which one?" Dick asked
"We're about to find out." Bill said as Crane entered
Crane sat down: his glasses were broken, his face was bruised, his left eye was swollen and his right arm was in a sling. Still he maintained a composure that many people couldn't pull off. "So, to whom do I owe this pleasure too?" he smiled revealing his left canine was missing.
"Ichabod, it's me…" Bill said looking grim, Crane realised who it was:
"Brom…oh it is good to see you again. You've been out for…what is it now a year?" Crane smiled
"Eighteen months…let's talk business." Bill said getting straight to the point
"Ah…ever the straight as an arrow…very well: What business?" Crane asked pushing his glasses up his nose.
Bill produced a vial from his pocket, one of the same ones that were used on Harleen. Crane saw what it was and produced an "Ah", he then examined it then placed it back down. "You were at the sight where Bat-Shard was…"
"You know about that?" Bill asked, Dick was sitting in the corner waiting for some indication of betrayal…either Crane or Bill, it didn't matter which at this point.
"Please, this is Arkham. Hero battles and their outcomes spread quicker than the gossip column in the Gazette. I also know who the Shard actually is! Customer of yours?" Crane explained
"That's irrelevant, Ichabod." Bill said without batting an eyelid
The nickname made Crane twinge a bit…or it could've been the stitches in his arm, no one could tell…but what one could tell: Johnathan Crane hated being called Ichabod. "Well…Brom, I think we're done here!" Crane said standing up.
"Wait! Tell me about this…please. Someone we both know needs the antidote. And we don't have time for our rivalry." Bill pleaded
"Very well…" Crane sat Back down "Amanda Waller…that's who came."
"Waller…as in 'Suicide Squad' Waller?" Dick asked Bill didn't know who she was, but she was famous in Arkham.
"The same." Crane answered
"Who is she? The name's familiar but…" Bill asked
"She's known as the Devil to some of the inmates, she makes deals with them: get time shaved off your sentence for an impossible mission. That's what the Suicide Squad is…" Crane answered "anyway…she asked me to help make a new strain of my fear toxin…powerful stuff: DNA from Harvey, my Fear Toxin, Joker's Venom…" Crane begun then was cut off by Bill.
"Joker's Venom? Why mix that crap in there? What are you a Fear Enthusiast or a drug lord?" Bill asked
"If you let me explain…Brom…the toxin's in my recipe and Joker's venom combined with Harvey's DNA, leave the person in a psychological disorder that when, after three days, the person comes out of it more evil or neutralised…depending on their dominant side." Crane explained
"Their dominant side?" Dick asked
"Yes…Harvey willingly went along with it. I had a coin in my pocket at the time…" Crane pushed his cracked glasses up his precise nose "Head's he'd agree to it, tails he didn't…I won."
"Obviously…" Bill said in a sarcastic tone.
"After the first few subjects almost half of them were rehabilitated. The other half went mad and was shipped off to the Squad." Crane looked at Bill then continued.
"What do you get out of it, a shorter sentence?" Bill asked
"No…with that imposter ruining my good name, it'll probably be added to my sentence. No…what I get is: more subjects." Crane smiled, it sickened Bill. "I know who Bat-Shard is. It's Ms Quinn isn't it?"
Bill and Dick were shocked, how did Crane know? It wasn't made public, she didn't remove her mask in public… "How?" Bill asked darkly
"Please…your special armour…a female Bat…her skills…it wasn't difficult to know who it was…besides it's not Ivy's style to hide her assets." Crane smiled indicating what he wanted from Ivy. "Besides Ms Quinn is the only one who wears that symbol. No-one else would see much in it, but people like us, ones who notice things, make the connections." Crane said making note of Harleen's iconic diamond motif.
"How long have you known?" Bill asked
"Since the Barbara Gordon incident." Crane said without hesitation "But…Ms Quinn is a friend of yours…and I know how strong you've gotten since…well you know…and I rather not go ten rounds with a man who can collapse my lungs with a single punch. I'll keep mum on this…Brom."
"Good…now where's the antidote?" Bill asked hoping for an answer
"Oh…I'm sorry to say that there isn't one." Crane said with a twinge of disappointment
Bill grabbed Crane by his scruff then slammed his face, side on, onto the table. "Why isn't there an antidote?" he yelled, Dick grabbed Bill's shoulder's trying to shake him off.
"Waller…ARGH…Waller told me not to make the antidote! She said if I did I'd be cut off from my research!" Crane confessed while Bill was pressing down on his head. Bill released him. "Still sore from our little meeting two years ago?" Crane said being pulled away from the table by a guard.
Bill breathed deeply with rage and stared at Crane "At least then you could walk straight, now you hobble!"
Dick and the guard got the two out of there before some real damage could be done. Bill grabbed the toxin from the table and left.
Crane called out: "I'm sorry; I really am…tell her that for me."
Bill thought on the spot and looked at Crane. He nodded.
Travelling back to the Batcave, Dick and Bill said nothing…that was worse than being in traffic. But in the Batcave things were getting worse.
(Bruce's POV)
'Hold on Harleen, please hold on' He thought he looked at Barbara 'How could she not tell me about Harleen…maybe they didn't want to tell me straight away…like I didn't want to tell Harleen straight away…God, not again…not another loved one.' He thought
The monitors for Harleen were beating normally but she wasn't in any condition to do anything.
Bruce looked at Ivy and asked her: "So you know my face…you know my name…you know where we live…do you want revenge Ivy?"
Ivy looked at Bruce with tears; she left that life behind her she only cared about Harleen and her friendship. She shook her head and looked back at Harleen "I want, Harley back. So no Bruce, I don't care about revenge anymore. I want my friend…I want your girlfriend to be back…alive." she said holding Harleen's hand rubbing it gently.
Bruce placed his good hand on Ivy's shoulders "So do I…" with sadness in his voice.
"Damn it! It's a mix of DNA, Joker Venom and Fear toxin! There's nothing I can do to isolate the base, it's impossible to pin down!" Barbara hit the dashboard of the Bat-computer.
"Look, we'll find it. We've got the poison; Ivy gave Harleen toxin and poison immunity right. So she's got a fighting chance!" Tim tried to put a good spin on things.
"Yes that maybe true…but this is Crane's Toxin; he updates the formula all the time. Who knows if this is a poison or a toxin anymore!" Barbara said
"Well you've got to try! This is Harley we're talking about here!" Ivy called out
(Harleen's POV)
Harleen stayed captive by the ribbons, she tried to struggle out but the grip was so strong it felt like Joker and Batman at her wrists and legs using their full strength to hold her in place. The ground was becoming more unstable, far off into the distance the world was crumbling piece by piece. Her psyche counter parts turned to look at each other then back at her.
"Why do you struggle Harley? Don't you want to be here?" the Harley Quinn Doll smiled exposing her hollow smile that was being held in place by bloodied thread.
Harleen quivered in place and shouted "No! I don't want to be here! It's horrible!"
Harley Quinn talked with her stitched mouth "That's too bad. You're stuck here! This place is your mind! We're you!"
"No it can't be! It's Scarecrow's fear toxin doing this!" Harleen cried
"It's not just Scarecrow Harleen. She speaks the truth." Bat-Shard spoke with her faceless mouth. "We've always been here. The Good and The Bad. This is a test."
"What kind of test?" Harleen asked
"A test to see which one of us stays with ya! Ha-ha! Boring, drab Batsy over there; or lovely fun me!" The Harley Quinn laughed and giggled just like Harleen did in a previous life.
"But I don't want to be stuck with her! I want to be Bat-Shard" Harleen indicated Quinn "I want Bruce! I love him; I want to share his life!" she began to cry
"Meer words, Harleen. It's not a question of physical strength…it's a question of Will and Love. Will Bruce love you when he sees you change into Harley Quinn? Will he risk everything for a girl who cannot be saved?" Bat-Shard asked
"Of…of course he would! He loves me, he'll save me." Harleen said with hesitation
"You know as well as I do he would only throw you back into Arkham! He'll forget about you and move onto a woman who isn't broken! Maybe Vicki Vale or Selina Kyle!" Harley Quinn taunted causing Harleen to doubt herself.
"Now we fight…" Bat-Shard said arming herself with her broken tonfa.
"Come and get some…Bat-Bitch!" Harley Quinn said readying her mallet; grinning a bloodied smile
They both ran towards each other and Bat-Shard struck first.
(Bruce's POV)
"Her vitals are reacting! She's waking up!" Bruce said followed by Ivy.
Harleen's eyes flickered open as she struggled to get up.
"Easy…easy Harleen." Bruce smiled "Oh your safe…thank god!"
Harleen didn't say anything but then she hit Bruce straight in his bad arm with her legs. He yelled in pain.
"Harley what are you doing?" Ivy asked scared for her friend she didn't know what the hell was going on.
Harleen turned and grinned just like she did when living with the Joker and laughing maniacally; she threw a Star-Shard into the computer breaking the screen.
"Harleen, stop!" Bruce called out but it fell on deaf ears. She jumped on his back and stole a duplicate costume he had in the Batcave and hightailed it out of there in the Bat-Boat
The others tried to stop her but what could a plant girl with no plants in sight, a one armed Batman, a crippled Batgirl, an elderly butler and a twelve year old to do?
Harleen's laugh echoed through the Bat-Cave as she left one of Joker's old pumpkin bombs behind and set it off. The explosion caused the giant penny to fall and wreck the computer.
Bruce struggled to get out from under the rubble, Bill and Dick arrived seconds later.
"What the hell?" Dick said running to his friends
Bruce reached out to the waterway exit then was rendered unconscious 'Harleen…'
To be continued
I hope you've enjoyed reading this chapter as I have writing it.
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The next chapter coming up soon.
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