Author's Note: So there are some added bits in here that I'm not sure what you'll think, but a part of my changes includes adding, speeding up, or modifying some of the relationships between the characters. I'm sorry if the way I break the scenes up into chapters bothers anyone but I want to add a lot of detail in and to do that I need to be able to write them as separate chapters. As always thank you all, and please let me know what you think.
Also I wrote Katanas lines in English simply because I didn't want to butcher the Japanese language by attempting to write it myself, if someone knows the correct Japanese translations then let me know and I'll swap them.
Chapter Thirty Two.
Harley looked up at the two large military helicopters before her, thoughts of how much fun it would be to take one for a joyride with Joker popped into her head; maybe she would be able to take it when Joker arrived. Harley snapped out of her dazed thoughts as the rest of the group of criminals stopped at the side of the concrete strip leading to the helicopters. Harley took in the city skyline in the distance, the setting sun outlining it in a halo of light. Harley loved the bright lights.
Killer Croc' growled slightly at the sight of the helicopters, tugging his hood lower down across his face. "Scared of the birdy" Harley questioned lightly, twirling her gum around her finger. "Tryin' to analyse me again?" Killer Croc' snapped back. Harley laughed, causing Flag to snap his gaze back at the group suspiciously as he talked to the pilot. Captain Boomerang raised an eyebrow, smirking lightly "You two know each other?" He asked suggestively. Harley grinned wrapping her arms around Killer Croc's arm "We're old pals!" She announced, unfazed as Killer Croc' shook her off.
"She was my shrink" He rumbled. Deadshot snorted quietly as Captain Boomerang laughed openly "Hey, I got you released didn't I?" Harley argued, her memories with Joker before she became who she truly was meant to be stuck in her head much more brightly than the rest. "You broke me out to get your boyfriend" He responded, stepping back slightly, his voice came out in growls, showing how unused to speaking he was.
Harley rolled her eyes and waved a hand dismissively "Stop splitting hairs K.C" She said. The conversation was interrupted by Flag waving over the soldiers behind the criminal group. The soldiers directed the group forward, surrounding them slightly. The group was herded into the closest helicopter where they were seated on a long bench seat, lined up in what made Harley think of a modern chain gang. Harley whistled as she took her seat in between Deadshot and Diablo.
Captain Boomerang, who was seated in between Diablo and Killer Croc', cracked open another beer that he had pulled from one of his many coat pockets. He took a long sip as some of the group of soldiers, who Harley assumed were Alpha team, loaded into the Helicopter. "Any word when she'll be here?" Flag questioned the last soldier to step into the helicopter, "None sir, we have a couple minutes before she's late" The man replied. Harley dismissed the conversation and turned her attention back to the beer, it had been a long time since she had drank something other than water. "Got any more beer, Boomerang?" Harley called to Captain Boomerang.
Captain Boomerang grinned slightly "One more, you can have it if you shotgun it" He challenged, clearly thinking Harley would decline "And call me Digger" He added, his thick accent pulled at his words strangely. "You're on" Harley laughed, smile wide as she held out a hand. Digger threw a beer to Harley, which she caught smoothly. Harley reached into her left boot, pulling a shining knife from it which caused all the soldiers on board to tense. "Oh lighten up" Harley complained, ignoring the glare from Flag. The rest of the Suicide Squad, as Harley had come to call them in her mind, watched on as Harley raised the knife over the end of the can.
"On three" Digger called "One, two…" He drawled slightly, Harley grinned and pierced the end of the can with her knife, putting her mouth to the hole she created quickly before cracking the can tab open at the top. Harley drained the can at lightning speed, even though she despised the taste of beer it was great to be drinking something more than stale water. "Wooo!" Digger let out as Harley finished the beer before throwing it out of the open back of the jet.
Harley laughed freely as Deadshot raised his hand for a small fistbump, and the rest of the those in the helicopter tried their best to ignore the criminals. Well if they were going to try send them to their deaths then the least they could do was let Harley finish her beer, a voice in Harley's mind chided. Flag looked particularly agitated, glancing at a bulky watch on his wrist. She didn't have one like that in her collection, Harley thought. Just as Flag looked ready to get up and call for the helicopter to leave without whoever they seemed to be waiting for, a figure appeared at the open back of the helicopter. The sun blinded the person from Harleys view for a moment, as she squinted to see who it was.
Once the person stepped up the ramp into the helicopter, Harley was able to make out who it was. A thin, seemingly Japanese woman with bluntly cut, short, black hair. The woman had a white mask covering the top half of her face. She was wearing an intricate black jacket with red and gold detailing that Harley wanted immediately. A beautiful sword in a sheath hung from her hip.
"You're late" Flag said to the woman. "I was busy" The woman said simply. Flag turned to the group of criminals "This is Katana" He said, gesturing to her with a thumb. "She's got my back. She can cut all of you in half with one sword stroke, just like mowing the lawn. I would advise not getting killed by her, her sword traps the souls of its victims" He stated,
Harley grinned at the woman, extending a hand out to her "Harley Quinn, nice to meet 'cha. I love your perfume, what is that, the stench of death?" Harley questioned still beaming as she dropped her hand and pulled her bat towards her. As Harley laughed, Katana pulled her sword part way from its sheath. "Should I kill them?" She asked Flag seriously. "Whoa easy there cowgirl, it ain't that kind of a mission" Flag said, laughing slightly as he waved a hand in what seemed to be an attempt at a calming motion.
"Have a seat" He added. Katana slid her sword back into its sheath and walked past the group to take a seat near the front end of the helicopter. Harley turned between Diablo and Deadshot on either side of her, smiling widely "She seems nice" She said, nodding with her words. Katana would have been much more fun if she was on Harleys side, Harley thought. Flag spoke quickly into a headset he, and the rest of the soldiers, had put on when they had got on board.
Harley kicked her feet back and forth as the helicopter prepared to fly, she needed a moment of distraction so she could check her phone, she was desperate to speak to Joker. Harley 'Wooed' loudly as the helicopter took off, blatantly ignoring the looks she received as she had fun. Killer Croc' looked uneasy, well as uneasy as a crocodile-man could look, Harley thought. "You okay there K.C?" Harley called over the noise of the helicopter "You look a little green" Harley teased, laughing as Killer Croc' glared at her slightly. Digger and Deadshot seemed more amused however as they flew in silence for a few minutes.
As the soldiers turned and began to talk tactics and plans, Harley felt her hidden phone vibrate. Faking a stretch, Harley pulled her phone smoothly from her bra. Harley clenched her hand around her phone and dropped her arms, her heart speeding up as she quickly glanced at the soldiers, ensuring they were all occupied she turned the screen on. Quickly entering her pin, Harley opened the messages spying one from Joker. 'I'm coming for you' Harley read the text mentally, delight running through her. She had been right, Joker knew she wasn't at Belle Reve and was taking advantage of the opportunity.
Harley smiled at her phone, looking up Harley noticed Deadshot was reading the message too. "Shhh" Harley hushed quietly, almost silently, before smiling at him. She was pleased when Deadshot smiled back, a look that told her he wasn't about to 'see the light' and jump on Flags good boy bandwagon. Harley wondered if he would have an opportunity to be free, he seemed like a man that Joker would like; well at the very least he would be less likely to destroy him in any case.
Killer Croc' leaned back slightly, his eyes closed as he groaned, causing slightly apprehensive eyes to glance at him, aside from Harley who was lost in her thoughts. "Oi! Is he supposed to be green like that?" Digger asked, leaning away from Killer Croc'. Suddenly Killer Croc' lurched forward, clutching at his stomach as he vomited noisily onto the floor. "Oh! Party foul! Not cool" Harley groaned, plugging her nose at the smell of bile and raw meat that quickly seeped into the air.
Harley pulled her feet back as Flag groaned slightly, the disgusted looks universal on the helicopter as Killer Croc' leaned back, looking much more content than he had before. A soldier opposite Killer Croc' sighed loudly at the flecks of vomit that covered his shining black boots, standing up he reached up to the rack above him and pulled down a towel. The soldier chucked the towel over the large pool of vomit and sat back, his face tense.
Harley wrinkled her nose at the smell, though it was quickly dissipated into the darkening night. Although the frat boy-esque vomiting had given Harley the distraction needed to send a quick reply of 'I miss you! Talk soon' to Joker before she slipped the phone back into her bra. Thoughts of her disgust at the vomit left quickly as she once again became giddy at the idea of seeing Joker again soon, she knew Joker well enough to assume that he knew about the explosive in her neck, but she needed to mention it to be sure that he had a plan.
As the helicopter drew closer to the city, Harley turned to the small window next to her to see what they were flying into. The streets were mostly empty, thick plumes of black smoke dotted the city, twisting up to the grey clouds. While the buildings were mostly still standing, tell tale damage of broken glass and dented metal showed that they were not untouched.
The closer to the city center they flew the worse the damage became, a bridge was demolished, still smoking and flaming. The streets were cracked and desolate, the few remaining civilians racing at the outskirts of the city, desperate to escape. An unnatural glowing blue-white beam of light shot up in the distance, the mesmerising light surrounded by swirling dark clouds and something else that Harley could not identify from the distance.
The shining light was fascinating, Harley's eyes were glued to it; she loved things that shone and sparkled. "Oooh! Look at the pretty lights" Harley exclaimed, sitting back from the window to glance around at those around her. "Are you guys seeing this?" Harley asked, as it occurred to her that she had been known to let her wild imagination take hold before. Before she could get an answer, Harley turned back to the window, beaming smile in place.
"What happened?" Deadshot called to Flag, who removed his headset to hear the man better. "Terror attack. Dirty bombs. Bad guys shooting up the place with AK's. You know, usual shit" Flag answered, his voice steady with his weak lie. Harley giggled slightly at the lie as she pulled back from the window to sit back in her seat, for a man who lived in a world of secrecy he sure was bad at lying. "Right. Yeah, you're a bad liar" Deadshot responded, slight sarcasm in his tone. "I don't know if they told you, but I'm a hitman, not a fireman. I don't save people" He added, leaning back in his seat.
"Anything for a dollar right?" Flag said, the disdain back in his face. "You know the dark places too, don't act like you don't" Deadshot shot back, laughter in his words. "I'm a soldier" Flag emphasised, "And you're a serial killer who takes credit cards. When the shooting starts, and it will, you'll cut and run" Flag said bitterly, pointing an accusing finger.
Harley smiled and twirled her hair as she payed close attention to Flag talking, he sure was defensive about being a 'good guy' she considered, he has a secret another part of her mind responded. Harley decided not to bring it up yet, she was good at getting into people's heads, she would find out his little indiscretion that made him so defensive soon enough.
As the helicopter began to lower, flying over a black river, the unmistakable sounds of gunfire filled the air. Sparks flew as the metal of the helicopter was impacted, everyone on board crouched down, weapons in hand as they tried to dodge the gunfire. The pilot grunted and fell forward, sudden darkness taking over as the helicopter let out a shrill warning alarm before dipping forward and beginning to plummet.
Startled screams left most of the passengers on board, Harley, while thankful for the belt keeping her in place against the wall, let out a scream of excitement, bat in hand. This was more thrilling than anything she had done in a long time. Harley could hear the co-pilot speaking through his headset faintly over the screams and whipping blades "6-1 is going down. 6-1 is going down hard" He said, his voice oddly calm.
An enormous metallic bang shook through Harleys bones as the street rushed up to meet the helicopter. The helicopter shook and jolted, metal flying from the carnage as it rolled over and over. Harley was having a fun time, it was like an amusement ride, made all the more fun with danger and terror; she could do without the flailing limbs hitting her ribs and legs however.
The sounds of a helicopter landing nearby could be heard once the wreckage had come to a stop, shouting of soldiers filled the air. Harley breathed heavily for a moment, happy that they had crashed onto the street rather than the river, she did not want to go back into the water after what had happened last time. "Lower the ramp, lower the ramp! Let's go!" A gruff voice commanded, as Harley released herself from her seat, rolling to the ground she bounced up.
The rest of the passengers were also picking themselves up quickly, rushing to get out of the helicopter. Everyone seemed to be okay, save for the pilots. Harley jumped down from the now sideways, smoking wreck "Woo! What a ride" She said, as her feet hit the concrete. "We're okay, assets are undamaged" Harley heard Flag say into his headset as the soldiers and criminals spilled out onto the streets, keeping a distance from the crashed helicopter as flames had appeared from it. Harley hoped it would explode, she loved explosions.
Harley tugged at her pigtails, ensuring they were still securely in place, she then patted her shirt down, brushing her hand up to ensure that the phone was still in place. As Flag walked over to the other group of soldiers, Harley stepped closer to the other group of criminals, who seemed to gravitate towards each other. "How much do you get paid to-" Harley questioned Deadshot, finishing the sentence by imitating shooting a large gun.
Deadshot smirked slightly "Enough. You can call me Floyd" He said. Harley figured he was probably being nice to her as he had seen that Joker was coming for her soon, but allies were useful in this situation. Harley was cut off from replying by Flags commanding voice yelling "All right! We're moving out!". The soldiers half raised their guns, moving in practiced unison as they followed orders. Harley huffed as she turned and skipped ahead slightly, swinging her bat by her side.
The group was lead into the streets, soldiers ahead and behind the criminals as they scouted the area. Half destroyed roadblocks littered the road, crumbling concrete from both the buildings and the street surrounded the area. The air was thick with smoke and dust, the bright lights of signs and advertisements pierced the darkness. Harley whistled as they walked past the ruins of a crashed airplane.
Harley grew irritated as she desperately wanted to contact Joker, she did not have a chance of pulling her phone out and using it unnoticed, the soldiers were currently hypervigilant. Harley walked calmly beside Floyd, she had some level of trust for him right now, as he had not immediately tried to tell anyone about her hidden phone or blackmail her for it. Although there was no honour among thieves, he was looking like the most useful person right now; it was nice to talk to someone she didn't immediately want to kill, she hadn't had that in quite some time.