PR Stunt #177

I pulled the trigger and watched as the Ace Of Winchesters' muzzle flashed, releasing a bullet that buried itself in the demon's head, causing him to fall to the ground.

I stepped forward and put my foot on the green demon's shoulder as I twirled the rifle, aiming it at his body. Pulling the finger lever, I cocked another bullet and fired, only to repeat the action until I emptied the chamber.

In other words, it was an execution. Plain and simple.

"That's that..." I muttered as I nodded in satisfaction, removing my foot from the green demon's body that was nothing more than a rapidly evaporating goop puddle by now.

I could have cut the fight short by using the Ace Of Winchesters earlier, but fighting a demon in public was good PR, and that's not the only reason for my actions.

I didn't know much about demons, and I had no clue if his transformation would protect him from the rifle's demon-slaying properties. Comic book logic always bites you in the ass when you least expect it, so I had to be careful.

If I made an enemy with an immortal demon, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night, knowing he was out there scheming against me. Thus I waited until his transformation was off before bringing out the big guns so as not to alarm him and cause him to flee early.

Was I being too paranoid? Maybe, but who cares? The point is, the demon is now gone for good, and I'll get another boost to my reputation, which is always welcome. A win-win situation, well, for me, it's a win, not so much for the demon, but you get the idea.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned around, smiling as I noticed Deborah approaching me as she cautiously eyed the evaporating pool of goop beneath me.

"That looks rather familiar..." Deborah said, frowning as she turned her gaze away from the green demon's remains and into me. I got the hint, so I quickly elaborated.

"A demon of sorts... it takes the form of its target's worst fear..." I replied, shrugging my shoulders, to which the police captain gave me a blank look that seemed mildly amused.

"For a guy fighting his worst fear... you didn't seem that fearful..." Deborah said, amusement leaking into her tone as she shook her head in apparent exasperation.

"Fearful? No. I was pissed," I replied with a chuckle. "I don't like people getting into my head, not to mention this ugly-ass demon," I added, shrugging my shoulders as I turned to the asylum's main building.

I activated my energy detector power and sighed at yet another demonic presence in the asylum, deep down underground, likely in a hidden room, basement, or something along those cliched lines.

"I'd widen the parameter if I were you. There might be another one of these guys inside..." I remarked as I pointed toward where the demon's remains were before they completely evaporated.

"Scarecrow is still inside too, and I don't need to tell you that guy doesn't half-ass shit," I concluded as I stretched my shoulders and flew toward the collapsed central tower.

"Got it," Deborah briefly replied without hesitation. She promptly began barking orders at her subordinates to get further away from the asylum, much to my satisfaction as I flew to my destination.

...

As she felt the barrel of the Joker's revolver press against the back of her head, Harley did not seem fearful. Instead, she smiled as she looked at the tied-up man sitting on a chair in front of her.

To her surprise, the man smiled back as the thick ropes binding him disappeared, causing her to blink slowly, surprised. And as she opened her eyes, Harley found herself in a completely different position.

She was staring at the man's back as he stood between her and the Joker, seemingly unfazed by the revolver the latter pressed against his forehead.

"It's you... you ruined my Harley. You ruined my tender little morselette..." The Joker said, staring straight into the man's eyes as he hatefully gritted his teeth and pulled the revolver's hammer.

"And now you're trying to ruin my city..." The Joker went on, his teeth, his tone growing more outraged with every word he spoke. "You make me so mad that it's not even FUNNY!" he concluded as he pulled the trigger, firing straight into the man's forehead.

Harley watched in horror as the man's head jerked back, and he stood motionless. She emitted a shrill scream as she sprinted past the man, lunging at the Joker with her knife and burying it deep in his neck.

"You no good clown...!" Harley said, ruthlessly kicking at the Joker's abdomen, even as he lay on the ground clutching the bloody gash on his neck and choking on his own blood, all the while laughing like a maniac.

"No man in a cheaper suit and a cheaper grin is gon' tell Harley what she can and can't be no more..." she went on, venting her anger as she continued to kick the Joker until he stopped moving, with an ever-deranged grin splitting his face.

Watching the Joker breathe his last, Harley deflated as she lost her momentum and her expression turned distressed as she turned to the man the Joker had shot, still rooted in place.

She reached for the man, her eyes growing teary, only to flinch back as he moved, touching his forehead with his right. Her shock became more pronounced as she watched the strange, vibrating bullet he'd removed from his forehead.

Harley opened her mouth, but no words came out as she could not express herself for the first time in a long time. She chose action instead, bounced at the man, and embraced him, sticking to his body like one particularly effection-hungry octopus.

The man had a blank expression that slowly turned to exasperation as he reached for her back, and she felt a warm sensation invading her body that seemed to cleanse it.

She coughed, briefly closing her eyes, and as she opened them, she found herself back in the Warden's office, embracing a clearly uncomfortable Grayson, gently trying to pry her off.

...

'Fucking comic book logic...' I mused, internally sighing as I finally managed to get Harley off me, turning to the strange, deformed, vibrating bullet in my hand.

Honestly, if I didn't get a durability upgrade, that thing might be lodged in my brain right now. I didn't know if it would have killed me, but it would have definitely knocked me out.

I wasn't being careless by letting Scarecrow shoot me as I'd already scanned his gun and noticed the peculiarities. I only allowed it to happen because I knew it wouldn't hurt me.

I've already been over this before, but comic book villains tended to have massive egos. They'd immediately start monologuing once they thought they'd won, revealing all their secrets.

I might be stating the obvious, but I wanted to play dead and let him spill the beans on whatever the fuck was going on here, which Harley ruined by stabbing a knife into his throat.

Still, I didn't feel like being my usual asshole self and calling her out on it as I knew she was under the influence of fear toxin, and she did it out of anger on my behalf.

'Huh... is that what J'onn meant by gradually feeling the difference...?' I mused, quickly shaking off the idea as there were more important tasks at hand that demanded my attention.

"Hello, Harley," I greeted as I put the bullet in my inventory and turned to the crazy blonde. "Still as bat-shit-crazy as ever, I see," I added, bitterly smiling as I looked at Scarecrow's dead body.

Harley followed my line of sight and turned to Scarecrow's bloody corpse, freezing as she came to a realization that caused her smile to disappear, replaced by a concerned expression I'd never seen on her before.

"Mistah Jay... he's still out there, isn't he...?" Harley said, regarding the body with a fearful expression as she stepped away, causing me to raise an eyebrow.

'Wait... did Harley just stab Scarecrow thinking he's the joker...?' I mused, barely holding back the shock I felt surfacing on my face as I watched her move back toward me.

I heard her scream some gibberish about a clown as she kicked The Scarecrow to death, but I would have never thought she'd dare speak back to the Joker, not to mention stabbing him.

"You really weren't lying when you said you were over the Joker, were you...?" I asked as I finally failed to hold back my surprise and gave Harley a puzzled look, which seemed to snap her out of her daze.

"It doesn't matter now, I suppose. We need to get out stories straight..." I added, cutting Harley off before she could reply. "We need to have a story ready for the police outside..." I went on as I turned to Scarecrow's body, sighing as I scratched my head.

...

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