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.
Chapter 23
(Harleen's POV)
*During the same time as the Chess match and Waller stalking Bill*
"Nightbloom where is impact? Nightbloom; do you copy?" Shard whispered into her caller.
"What was that?" a goon asked
"Crap." Shard whispered "Nightbloom do you copy? Over!" Shard went over the caller
"Hey! It's Bat-Shard get her!" a goon said pointing at her, she smashed into the windows wielding her tonfa and overheard Ivy's voice through her caller "She means me! Nightbloom here, what's your message Shard?" Ivy groaned then answered Shard's message.
"God, we really know how to pick these sorts of times don't we? Didn't Bill talk to Two-Face a month or so ago? Cause he's got his coin back and on a rampage." Shard explained while sounds of fighting were around her.
"He did, he gave it back to him being a nice guy…I expected Dent would do this…never expected it took this long though." Dick explained over the caller
"Typical…I love that man but he's such a moron at times." Ivy explained
"Pardon my intrusion but where is Master Bill." Sonia interjected
"Isn't he there with you?!" Shard worriedly spoke while defending herself from a knife to her arms
"He said he had a score to settle." Sonia explained
"Oh crap! He's gone after Crane!" She exclaimed and pushing her way through the wave of goons to reach Batman
(Bruce's POV)
"It's over Dent. Give up or you're going to get hurt!" Batman shouted
Two-Face flipped his coin, caught it then fired at the caped crusader "Never! I'm not going back into Arkham! Besides there's someone who's after your pretty friend's head!"
"Who?" Batman said hiding behind a car
"Someone who puts a smile on everyone's face!" Two-Face shot several bullets in Batman's direction.
'Joker…' Batman thought then launched a batarang in Dent's direction. The batarang knocked Dent's gun from his hand, as he writhed in pain Batman leapt from the car and tackled him to the ground.
"Batman, look out!" Shard said throwing herself in front of an oncoming goon. She wrapped her tonfa around the goon's neck and kicked him in the gut winding him in the process.
"I've got Dent, you get the goons!" Batman ordered
"Got it!" Shard understood.
Batman flew up with Dent and threatened him by dangling him over the edge of a nearby building "Why is Joker targeting Bat-Shard?" he commanded
"You're going to do better than that, Batman…I won't break!" Dent said before getting a punch to his face
"Tell me!" Batman shouted
"*groan* He said…he said something about a missing someone to his plots…something about a harlequin…I don't know…he's crazy!" Two-Face explained
'How…how can he remember about Harley? I thought Bill managed to wipe the memories of all everyone on Harley's old life!' Batman thought then looked menacingly at Two-Face "Where is he?" he shouted
"I don't know…he's been missing ever since that run in with that Red Hood guy…but he's been sending messages…saying he's making a comeback!" Dent continued
"He won't be!" Batman said then knocking Two-Face out.
Down on the ground Bat-Shard was panting after taking on most of Two-Face's goons, he costume was tattered in places but still concealed her identity. "Well that was fun. What's next: taking on Killer Croc from eating the zoo?" Shard joked
Batman looked at her and managed to retain a sense of humour around her, but the thought of the Joker had come back… 'What do I tell her? The man that broke her is back on the streets again? What will she say?'
"Bats? Everything okay?" Shard asked
"Huh…yeah, fine…let's get back home." Batman explained
*Back at the house*
Bruce, Harley and the others were having a quiet time still waiting for Bill to come back…everyone was nervous especially Ivy.
"Where is he? He should've been back by now!" Ivy paced
"Miss Ivy, I assume he must've gone back to his store…out of routine perhaps." Sonia tried to reassure her.
"He checked yesterday…there's nothing there. Where is he?" Ivy worried again.
(Bill's POV)
Bill stayed in place on a tilted table, his costume still intact but his face was exposed. Pain filled his thoughts; excruciating pain, he opened his eyes to get some bearings but he was tired and weary.
"Well, it seems our guest is awake…" a voice called out from behind Bill
"I…I know that voice…" Bill spoke trying to breathe
"Oh…so you do remember me. I'm touched." A figure come into Bill's hazed vision…it seemed like a purple blur.
"I know…I know your voice…Joker!" Bill gained consciousness
"Oh…and I so wanted to play twenty questions with you…oh well, we can still play…only you'll be the answering mine as well!" Joker grinned pulling an electric switch. The electricity filled the room and zapped Bill he roared in pain, the millions of lightning bolts filled his veins and then suddenly they stopped. "Now then tell me…where's Harley?"
Bill looked up at him thinking vile thoughts and one in particular 'How does he remember Harley?!'
(Harleen's POV)
"Bruce…you haven't said anything since the fight with Two-Face…what's wrong? And don't lie to me…I learned from the best." She indicated Bruce standing firm.
"*sigh* Dent told me…that Joker has returned." Bruce said turning to his girlfriend
"Well…we'll be ready for him Bruce, I know it." Harley hugged Bruce.
Just then Dick came in, panicked in breath. He hated to intrude but this was urgent.
"Dick…what's wrong?" Bruce asked
"It…it's…Bill! He's not responding…to his communicator…" Dick explained
"But he always has it on…unless something damaged it…Joker…!" Harley came to the realisation
"Joker…He's back?!" Dick asked
"Where did Bill's communicator lose signal?" Bruce asked
"Down in the abandoned warehouses. It lost signal he went down there." Dick explained
"Then that's where we'll go." Harley said
"I'm going too. Bill's my boyfriend, he's also my responsibility." Ivy entered
"You make him sound like he's one of your plants Ivy." Dick joked
"Don't try it, Bird-boy! Or I'll kiss you!" Ivy threatened
"I'm sure he'll enjoy it…he's always had a thing for red-heads. Isn't that right Dick?"
Dick indicated Bruce to stop with the talking as Harley jokingly said "Oh-ho…you prefer red-heads…now that is something." She smiled
"For later…we have to find Bill" Ivy spoke
(Bill's POV)
Bill remained on the table, his body was smoking and his breath was heavy Joker and his men looked at the bag-pack inside.
"What's this here?" Joker asked with a malicious grin
"Me…medicine…it's medicine…" Bill wheezed
"Ooh…what sort of medicine?" Joker asked
"It's…it's a new…new medicine…supposed to…be a new Venom…" Bill lied hoping for them to take it.
"Oh. Is. It? Well then…" Joker smiled then injecting the Fear Toxin into one of his goons…the toxin took full effect and it drove the goon mad with fear. "Ha-ha-ha! Looks like this stuff backs a wallop! But it's not Venom…and I'm so…disappointed…oh well." Joker said flipping the switch again.
Bill screamed again, the electricity surged through him, he fell limp…if it wasn't for his enhanced durability and stamina he would've died sooner. He coughed in pain; he could feel the pain ease as he attempted to see Joker's face.
"It looks like you're tougher than most normal folk…" he said holding Bill's face making a puckered fish "Do you know how I was made for this world?" Joker asked Bill expecting answer…knowing full well that Bill was still recovering from the electricity. "Don't know? Well it was one bad day…and that changed everything! One bad day…that and a man in a flying rodent costume and a vat full of chemicals never hurt anyone! Ha-ha-ha!" he said releasing Bill from his grip
"You're insane…Joker…I've had my bad day…" Bill coughed
"Oh really…what have you had that made you?" Joker said waving a gun to Bill's head
"Do you really want to know?" Bill asked…Joker smiled…Bill began to smile.
(Bruce's POV)
"Oracle, we're outside of last location…there's nothing here…" Batman said getting out of the Batmobile
"That's the last location Bill was there." Oracle answered
"But there's no-on here." Bat-Shard said
"No…there is someone…he's inside." Batman pointed inside the warehouse.
Inside the warehouse was Victor Fries; his face was bruised, his body struggling to get up and see his wife in cryo-stasis, the glass still unbroken except with a large red smile smudging her facial area. "N-Nora…Nora you're safe…you're safe…" Fries pulled himself up upon his work table.
"Freeze, where is he?" Batman demanded
"Batman…he…he was taken." Freeze said slowly composing himself
"Taken, where…?" Batman said getting closer to the ice-blooded man
"I don't know…he left with a grin…saying how things would be better…away from Waller…and then Joker…he came and attacked, he took Bill's bag…I don't know where he's gone." Fries struggled to speak he looked over to Nora, placing his hand over the glass.
"What was Bill carrying in the bag?" Bat-Shard asked
"I don't know…but whatever it was Waller wanted it. And now Joker has it." Fries answered
"What does Waller want with Bill?" Batman asked
"He had a serum…the one used on a clown girl who went on a rampage…he wanted to reverse engineer it to make an antidote." Fries answered
'Crane's fear toxin…did he just say "clown girl" that means it worked…' Bat-Shard thought.
"Where's Waller?" Batman interjected. Fries pointed to the corner room, the only place with warmth, where Waller and her goons were warming up. The two went over and stared at them.
"B-B-Batman…W-w-what are you d-d-doing here?" Waller asked shivering
"Where's Bill?" Batman asked
"Why should you care…he has my property…I intended to get it back…" Waller replied
"The serum…why?" Batman asked
"My squad…needs members…it seems people aren't happy to lose their lives for shorter sentences…so I had Crane weed out the weak from the strong…like that clown girl…she would've made an excellent volunteer." Waller explained
Bat-Shard went up to the shivering woman and punched her in her face "You…bitch!" she yelled out before being held back by Batman
"Enough Shard! Waller, where's Bill?" Batman demanded
"I don't know…even if I did…after what that little bitch just did…you won't get any word from me." Waller said almost triumphantly, Shard grew dark in her eyes and they pierced through Waller.
"Give me five minutes…" Shard asked Batman
"Three. No more." Batman answered
"Wait…what…you can't let her…Batman…you can't just…!" Waller was left alone with Shard as Batman made a crime scene with his detective vision.
'Be alive Bill…I hope you're using your time correctly.' Batman thought as he scanned the scene.
(Bill's POV)
Laughter reverberates through the lair of The Joker; Bill and the crazed clown were laughing like the hyenas besides them with the goons.
"So…so the monkey says to the priest…*laugh* "No padre, that's the first time I've seen a turnip lampshade!" *laugh*" Joker finished a ridiculous and not very funny joke. Bill was gasping for air; Joker was slapping his knee "This kid has an excellent sense of humour…even with my Joker Toxin."
Bill was gasping for air…even though he took Ivy's immunity toxin he had to fake his laughter so Joker couldn't catch on; he was running out of breath 'Bats get here…his jokes are terrible!'
"Now then…since we're such good friends how about you tell me a little bit about Batman?" Joker wiped a tear away from his cheek and looked darkly at Bill.
'Get stuffed clown…' Bill thought as he continued to fake laugh.
"Oh drop the act. I can only guess that somehow you're immune to my Joker Toxin…somehow or someone must've given you the antidote. So let me ask again: Who is Batman?" Joker saw through Bill's mask then went over to the switch.
"How…how did you know…I was faking?" Bill asked
"Oh please…I knocked the writer and read the script!" Joker spoke revealing a large amount of paper in his hands.
"You…what? The psychiatrists are right…you are mental." Bill didn't believe him for one second.
"Too be honest Joker did knock me out and steal the script about kidnapping Bill but he didn't steal any important files" the narrator said while holding his head with a bag of ice on his bruised temples "Freaking clown…" he said softly.
"So anyway, I see that I now use…oh…Crane's Fear Toxin…this should be a good laugh!" Joker said getting the vial in its injector. "Now stay still…this'll only hurt a lot! Ha-ha!"
Bill grew in fear…
To be continued
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