"... So ya see Bats, Red doesn't just want to kill you. She wants to bury this whole stinkin' city, and ya you know, I don't blame her. What good's Gotham ever done anyone, huh? I used to be a well-respected psychiatrist before I came here, and now look at me. I'm a freaking' mess without Mistah J, and it's all your fault! But once she's done with Kitty-cat, you'll get yours, alright. And believe me, when she busts into this joint, every stinkin' copper here is gonna choke on more than just a jelly doughnut. You're all gonna pay for letting Joker down, you hear me B Man? Huh? Are ya listening to-?"
"I heard you the first time, Quinn," Batman finally grated at her.
"Good." Sitting up in her chair in a somewhat dignified pose, Harley Quinn took a long, calming breath before telling him, "Then, I've got nothing else to say, so go screw yourself!"
"You've opened your mouth and not said anything meaningful for the past fifteen minutes, as per usual. So unless you want me to keep standing here for fifteen more minutes, I suggest you start telling me Ivy's plan," he stated.
She shrugged. "What's there to say? I already told ya she's gonna-"
"You've told me nothing," Batman growled at her, seriously resisting the urge to pound the interrogation table. "I know what she wants to accomplish, but I don't know how she intends to do it. So for once in your life, be useful and say something that'll help me save this city."
"Oh, am I getting under your skin Bats? Huh, is poor, stupid little Harley Quinn getting the big bad Bat all hot and bothered?" she mocked him.
Gritting his teeth, Batman's already elevated emotions threatened to get the better of him, but at the very last split-second he pulled himself back from that edge.
At least, for now.
Speaking in his more typical stoic tone, he finally admitted to her, "Ivy has Robin."
Her smug grin grew to a Cheshire size as she nearly doubled over in her seat laughing.
Rocking back and forth in her chair, she finally calmed down only to remark, "Pam sure wasn't messing around this time. I mean, even I didn't think of doing that."
Looking up at his seething expression, Quinn cocked a sly grin as she taunted him, "Jeez, you sure make a habit of losing those bird boys, huh B Man?"
Though her taunting words certainly cut more than a little skin deep, Batman still continued to implore, "You know her better than anyone, Harley. You know exactly what she's planning-"
"Ehhhhh!" Mimicking a harsh buzzer sound, Quinn continued to sneer at him, "Oh, what happened to the tough guy act now, Batman? Not so high and mighty when someone you love is taken away from ya, huh?"
He only narrowed his eyes irritably, but Quinn smelled blood and didn't relent.
"I hope that your little bird boy suffers. I hope that Red makes it real nice and slow. Just like how me and Mistah J did to the last Robin," she taunted him even more, only further twisting the verbal knife in.
Relishing his slight grimace, Harley was about to say something else when another thought crossed her mind.
"Ya know, I just knew she had something big planned. See, back when I still had J's crew, I went underground to this creepy ol' rinky-dink city. I had figured it woulda led to the sewers so we coulda bust out of there, but instead I found Red's plants everywhere. So naturally, I had to improvise with those robots that were just left all over the place. It took some time, but eventually some of the boys got those old pieces of tin crap up and running again. Fat load of good that did me in the end, but hey, a girl's gotta try, right?"
Not one second after Quinn finished uttering her last word, it suddenly became clear, crystal clear to the Dark Knight.
The obvious answer to all his questions…..
"... was sitting underneath me this whole time," he finished in his head, quickly realizing that he had given Ivy too much credit.
He had spent too much time thinking outside the box, that it finally took Harley Quinn to point out what should have been blatantly obvious.
Lifting up his head, Batman dropped his charade and nodded to the preening blonde, "You've told me all I needed to know. Thank you, Harley."
"Yeah, you bet I di-wait what?" Harley sputtered out, her smug diatribe faltering as Batman started to turn towards the door.
"You'll be taken care of here for the time being," he assured her.
Where there was once arrogance in her blue eyes, was now filled with anger as Harley soon realized what had just happened.
"Wait a second, you can't play me Bats. I'm the one with the psychology degree here!" she yelled after him.
Ignoring her, Batman began dialing some commands into his left gauntlet as she continued to fume like a boiling inferno.
"I'm gonna get out of this, Batman. You just wait. And when I do, I'm gonna make your life miserable. I'm gonna finish what the Joker started. Ya hear me, B Man? YOU HEAR ME? YOU'll SEE!"
The door softly slammed shut as the detective left the room.
Once again met with silence, the former psychiatrist spoke this time in a much more subdued, dejected whisper, "You'll see."
Exiting the interrogation room, Batman brushed past some conversing GCPD officers and activated his comlink.
"Oracle. Harley told me everything I needed to know."
"Why am I not surprised?" came her usual reply.
"I know exactly where Ivy is in Arkham City now. And no doubt Robin is by her side at this point," he told her, already punching in commands for the Batwing to pick him up on the roof of the precinct.
"So, if you're thinking what I'm thinking, is Plan B also a go?" Oracle asked him.
"Have the final adjustments been made?"
"It's ready, but are you sure you don't want Dick to tag along and-?"
"No," he told her adamantly. "I'm going to end Pamela's scheme once and for all. There are too many variables involved in this as is. For now, deploy Plan B at the location I'm sending you right now."
"Copy that, Bruce. Be safe," she cautioned him, before signing off.
Stalking up to a nearby senior officer, Batman waited until the man turned around to acknowledge his presence. "Oh hey Batman, did you get anything out of-?
"Tell Gordon I know Ivy's present location," he interrupted him impatiently, "Have his men set up perimeters around both the Bowery subway and the rabbit hole in the Industrial District. I'll go in and bring her out in handcuffs."
"And where exactly are you going?" the GCPD officer wanted to know.
He narrowed his eyes into weary yet determined slits. "Wonder City."
Author's Note: Well, I know this sounds like a broken record, but this certainly took longer than anticipated.
Nonetheless, the groundwork has FINALLY been laid down. The next chapter will be the culmination of everything leading up to this point, entitled simply, "The Sins of the Father." Again, thank you so much for continuing to follow and support this story. Feedback is always appreciated! :)
