Fear is an infectious condition.
The Joker had plans for Scarecrow, but his sudden seizure of the museum has forced the Joker to act quickly. He sends Harley in to do her job, and recruit Scarecrow into the plan.
Meanwhile, Batman and the Batcave know about her communicator. It's still online, and she can hear every word they say over the system. Instead of be rid of it, however, Batman believes it can be an advantage.
Harley lounged on the couch as she closed her eyes. She could still hear the news reports in the other room but didn't care. Joker would call when he needed her. Her gun dug into her hip so she rolled her position a little and glanced at the door. There was shouting at one of the screens. Harley rolled her eyes.
"Harley!" Joker shouted abruptly from another room. Harley kicked her legs out and hopped to her feet.
Pulling the door open, "Yes Puddin?" she chirped.
"Get in here, Harley," he snapped, closing his eyes and composing himself. Joker pointed at the television screen. "Do you know what is happening!?"
"The Scarecrow is up to no good?" she asked, coming up to stand by him and resting her hand on his shoulder. His hand twitched as he tried to control his anger.
"Yes! He's out there calling attention to himself and I can't have that. Do you know why!?" Joker hissed, staring at the TV. Harley breathed in deeply through her nose.
"Why?"
To her surprise, Joker inhaled, controlled his rage, and then smiled. He rubbed his temples. "Because he's forcing my hand. By throwing himself out there he's taken charge. I don't like not being in charge, Harley," he hissed. "He's your next- our next recruit." Harley glanced at the television screens.
"This won't exactly be a private meeting," she told him.
"Be as discreet as possible. Take out the news vans, if you want. Just try not to be seen, but I won't hold it against you if you are." He put his hands on her shoulders and smiled reassuringly. "Batman will no doubt show up. See if you can't bring a bird home for dinner, eh?" He laughed wildly, grinning. Harley glanced away as the crease formed between her eyes. She turned back to face him with a smile.
"Whatever you say, Puddin," she assured him.
"Good. Make me proud, Harley Darling," he smiled, giving her a quick kiss before turning back to the television. Harley puckered her lips as she left the room. She pushed aside a goon that walked into her. Ignoring him, she continued over to the basement stairs. She scampered down the rickety wooden steps to the dim concrete basement. The strange tunnel that had made this mansion so convenient was too dark to see in. Harley grabbed a flashlight from the floor and shone it in.
It didn't take long to reach the sewers, but the scent reached her first. Harley pinched her nose and was breathing shallowly through her mouth as she shone her light through the sewer tunnel. A rat scampered around her ankles as her footsteps echoed through the tunnel.
Harley realized that this trip was going to be too good for thinking. Her eyes focused on the thin beam of light the flashlight made.
"But he trusted you. I know he's naive and quick to fall in love, but he was happy with you. And I had to spend last night listening to him, in his delirium after being stabbed, scream and cry for hours over you. You broke him, Harley." Harley tripped on a lip of overlapping concrete and stumbled for a few steps.
Damn it Dick, Harley thought to herself as she stormed angrily forward. Why couldn't you just hate me? She sighed in frustration, ignoring the stench. Harley knew she would drive herself crazy if she was left alone with her thoughts, so she pulled out the comm she always carried with her and hoped.
"...hacked the police frequency. They're keeping the media back at a safe distance," Damian's familiar voice was relaying. "They still aren't planning on moving in any time soon."
"Good. Red Robin, Batgirl, and I will split up to the separate entrances when we get there," Bruce updated him. Harley broke into a brisk run; she didn't want Batman getting there before her. "The two of you keep us updated on what the GCPD is planning."
"Of course," Dick muttered.
Harley flicked off the comm. There's nothing to hear for now, she explained her actions to herself. She slid to a stop at the base of a ladder. Quickly running through her trip in her mind, she confirmed she was at the right place and pulled herself hand over hand to the top. Putting her hands over her head, Harley popped the manhole cover out of place. She gulped in the fresh air as she pulled her body up out of the sewers.
Her breath caught when she saw the backs of the police officers. They were a good five hundred yards away to block off the alley to the back of the museum. Hopping up to her feet, Harley scurried over to the back door. It was still sealed and the alarm was armed.
"Shit," she muttered to herself, glancing back at the officers. Harley flicked the comm back on. Looks like I'm busting in.
"Bruce…" Damian said unsurely. He looked at Dick as he flicked the mic up away from his mouth and pointed at the screen, where another signal had come online. "It's back."
Dick looked at Damian and mouthed 'Quinn'.
Damian shrugged and pulled the mic back down in front of his lips. "Batman, I'm sending you the coordinates of another possible crime in progress on the computer. It's close by. Maybe you want to send Red Robin off of this mission to check this out, it may be something."
There was a pause as Bruce deliberated the information that they had sent him. Whether they acted on it or not was his decision.
"That's something all right."
"Do we send someone to check it out, or would you like us to shut it down?" Dick asked.
"No, stay in the Batcave. I don't want you in the field. I'll send Red Robin to check it out. In the meantime, Batgirl and I have Scarecrow to be dealing with." Batman muted his comm and when Batgirl did the same, he looked at her. "Quinn still has the communicator that we gave her. We don't want her to know that we're onto her. Let's use this to our advantage, shall we?"
Batgirl nodded and they unmuted their comms.
"Okay, Batman. What now?" Damian asked.
"Red Hood has vanished on us again. Batgirl and I are going to hang back and keep an eye on Crane. Tell me the instant that Red Robin has neutralized the threat, and we'll wait for him to join us before heading in to take Scarecrow down." Batman responded. Dick nodded and looked at Damian.
Tell me the moment when that comm goes back offline.
"Yes Sir," they both answered.
"Red Robin. Sending you the coordinates now," Batman said. "Break off, look into this lead, and then come back to rendezvous at the museum with us. Do not engage once here. No one take any action until we can form a plan, do you understand?" he commanded.
Red Robin raced across the rooftop toward the back of the museum. He knew that Bruce and Barbara hated to work in the day, but he'd never really minded it; he actually kind of enjoyed being able to see clearly where he was going. He skidded to a halt at the edge of the rooftop as the museum's alarms exploded to life. Glancing down, Red Robin saw Harley Quinn disappear through the museum's back door. He quickly dove down to the door and pulled out his minicomputer, flying easily through the Museum's security and disabling the alarms.
"I've found the other crime in progress." He pressed his comm. "It's a block down from the museum, a few thugs. Neutralize it?" he added, to throw off any suspicion that Harley Quinn may have as she listened to their conversation.
"No," Batman responded. "Observe and report. If things get ugly, then engage, but just get close and listen. Find out what they're up to."
He slipped silently through the door, tailing Harley Quinn. He kept a deadly silent pace a ways back from her. As she wound her way through brightly lit exhibits toward the main atrium where Scarecrow was holding his hostages, Red Robin knew that he'd be spotted if she turned, but Harley Quinn seemed in a hurry to get to her destination. She suddenly stopped before the doors to step out onto the balcony, and Red Robin slipped behind a display case. She pressed her ear gently.
"She's offline!" Damian cried into the comms, and Harley Quinn stepped out onto the balcony.
"She's probably coming after the Scarecrow the same way she did Man-Bat last night." Batman said.
"The police aren't advancing. And they most likely won't, not while Crane still has hostages." Damian chimed in.
"Red Robin. Batgirl and I are going to stay back, while you tail Quinn. Let her believe she's alone, got it? Do not engage. Let's try to find out what she's up to." Batman said hurriedly. "Dick, switch us all to a secure channel, but leave this one live. We don't want her knowing that we are aware of her. Everyone confirm the new channel, and then return to this one when Batcave tells us that she's back online."
Red Robin confirmed, slipping through the doors and crouching behind the stone railing of the balcony lining the outer wall of the museum. From the balcony branched off doors leading to different exhibits. Red Robin pulled out a recording device and pressed it onto the stone railing. He flicked it on and it blinked red a few times before going dark again.
"His recording device is online and ready," Damian said.
"Patching it through to comms on a secure channel now," Dick added. "We can now hear everything that the Red Robin hears."
"It's a good thing my friend was able to turn off the alarms that you so kindly triggered," Scarecrow was saying to Harley Quinn.
"It wouldn't have happened if you had someone there to meet me," Harley shrugged, indifferent.
"Perhaps next time you will let me know you're coming, Dr. Quinzel." Scarecrow stood back on his heels and examined her smugly, one hand on his hip. From the other hand dangled an old-fashioned garden pesticide sprayer.
"Well, Dr. Crane, I couldn't have known you would decided to have such," Harley glanced around at the hostages scattered around the room staring at her and Scarecrow with eyes wide and pupils dilated, "such fun." There was a faint scent of his infamous vapors, but she wasn't worried.
Red Robin slipped a breathing mask over his mouth and nose and stood a bit, slipping silently behind the cover of the railing along the balcony. He stopped and knelt just above Harley Quinn and Scarecrow.
"I wasn't aware that I had to have a doctor's note in order to play, coach." He quipped, sweeping his straw hat off of his head and bowing deeply to her. He straightened and ran a finger along her jaw. Harley didn't move, and she could tell that Crane was smiling behind his ominously torn and stitched burlap mask. "Unlike the rest of the psychopaths in this town, the Joker doesn't scare me. He's just that- a clown. I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid of dying." He hissed, walking past her. "Now to what do I owe the pleasure, Jester? I'm a little offended that the Joker didn't come here himself." Scarecrow casually sprayed a man in the face with his fear toxin.
"He's much too busy to play around with the likes of you," Harley said in a bored tone, tugging at her glove. "I mean we both know there is no good way today ends for you." She beamed at him with bared teeth. "So I'm here with a new option."
"Maybe I don't want it to end well," he muttered. "What's your proposition, Quinzel?"
"It involves all of us not going back to Arkham," Harley said as she paced around him, stepping over a man's leg, "or since that is probably still out of commission, jail." She paused by his right shoulder. "What do you say?"
Scarecrow cocked his head a bit to look at her without turning. "I say I don't trust the Joker. I'll need details."
"Fine, but..." Harley trialed of with a hiss. She realized it was too quiet. Something, anything, should have happened by now. Her hand twitched with the urge turn her comm on, but she decided against it. Something felt wrong. "Should we go somewhere more private to chat?" she asked, glancing around.
"An empty museum full of vegetables and dead relics isn't private enough for you?" He gestured around at the drooling and trembling hostages. Red Robin narrowed his eyes on the balcony. Harley continued to look around but didn't turn to spot him.
"Who did you say turned off the alarm again?" she asked slowly.
"I was being sarcastic. I thought you did," he confessed. "What are you so afraid of, Dr.? Bat got your tongue?" Scarecrow grinned. Harley processed this new information.
"No, I just hope you are more welcoming because I have a feeling we're about to have more guests," she spun around saying this, and she finally caught sight of Red Robin. "And look. They've already started to arrive."
Red Robin stood, glaring down at her. He didn't speak.
"Red Robin's been spotted," Dick informed the rest of them over the comms.
"Sorry to bust up the reunion," Red Robin smiled. "You can continue it in Arkham when we get there."
"Weren't you listening to what I just told the good doctor?" Harley teased. "We aren't going back to Arkham."
"Not if I have anything to say about it. Now, Lee, the way I see it, we can do this one of two ways. One, you come with me. I'm the nice Robin, the one who won't kick your teeth out. Or two… Batgirl still has a bone to pick with you." He smiled. She ignored his direct taunt and kept smiling as she tried to work out an escape. They needed to get going before Batman arrived.
"Oh really? Does she want to lose again?"
"I guarantee she'll get here before Batman, and I won't interfere like he did. I may even help her," Red Robin called from the balcony. Come on, Bruce… he thought nervously.
"Who say's I'm sticking around that long?" She grabbed the collar of a limp man, hauling his shoulders up. Hooking her thumb through one of his belt loops, she tossed him out a window. He rolled toward the police barricade, limbs splayed.
"What the hell!?" Batgirl cried into the comm. Red Robin blinked in surprise and moved to jump over the balcony.
"Hold your ground!" Batman commanded. He halted as the policemen outside the museum shouted amongst themselves.
"-move in, move in!"
"Shucks. Looks like I drew attention to myself." Harley shrugged, a smile playing at her lips. Red Robin stared at her incredulously.
"Batman-" he stuttered.
"We're almost there! Do not engage!"
"She'll escape!" Red Robin cried, launching over the balcony. He landed on the marble floor, his cape fluttering down around his feet as he brandished his bo staff.
"Yes I will." She turned to Scarecrow and grabbed the sprayer. She set it so a constant mist was spraying as she grabbed Scarecrow by the elbow and pulled him after her. The police rushed in through the broken window, straining to see through their masks and the gas. Red Robin launched after her, catching Scarecrow by the collar and yanking him back. Harley let Scarecrow go so that Red Robin was forced to brace himself from falling, leaving him exposed to attack. Harley used his vulnerability to punch him twice in the stomach in quick succession, knocking the wind out of him.
She stepped back. "I don't want to hurt you, but I'm taking him with me," she warned Red Robin.
"You didn't have any qualms about hurting Nightwing," Red Robin objected, throwing Scarecrow behind him and spinning his staff. He swept Harley's legs out from under her, and then cried out as Scarecrow tackled him from behind, slamming his face into the floor. They skidded a few feet and hit a marble column. Scarecrow tore Red Robin's gas mask off and sprayed him in the face. Harley jumped to her feet as Red Robin screamed. Harley stared down at him as Scarecrow ran toward her. She turned to follow him out.
"No!" Batman bellowed angrily as he rounded the corner into the hall. He met Harley's eyes, and then they sprinted down the hall. The last thing Harley heard was Tim's screams as he saw Batman rush towards him, the fear toxins clouding his vision.