43: A bad joke.
"- by that, I mean that I believe he's a demigod!"
Harleen blinked, stopped staring at the plate of food she had been merely picking at, and instead raised her head to look at a dark-skinned woman with brown hair, wearing an all-white uniform—a nurse's uniform.
Isabella beside her also glanced at the third member of their group with a raised eyebrow.
"A demigod? I don't know, Grace. I thought the widely accepted theory was that Defiant was a secret government experiment." At that, the nurse named Grace rolled her eyes.
"That's nonsense, and you know it. Defiant is clearly something more than human, he's supernatural. Just think about it—from the beginnings of human history, in the oldest tales, there have always been stories of divine beings capable of equally divine feats. It was thought that they were myths and legends, but with his arrival, I believe more firmly than ever that it's all real!" She proclaimed it as if she had discovered a huge secret.
"He seems pretty human to me, you know?" Harleen couldn't help but speak, catching the attention of both women.
"Seriously? Have you seen those muscles? I'm telling you, girl, I've been going to the gym since I was fifteen, and I've never seen such a sculpted body on any other man. It almost makes you want to—"
Harleen coughed, interrupting her friend.
"Demigod or not, I don't think he'd like you talking about him that way."
"Oh, come on. If he didn't want to show off, he'd wear a less tight suit. In my opinion, it's clear he wants to flaunt what he's got, and I don't think I'm the only one who appreciates the free show." When Grace finished saying that, she nudged Isabella, and to Harleen's utter disbelief, the older woman blushed slightly.
"You two..." Harleen wanted to bury her face in her plate. Seeing the slight indignation in her expression, the nurse mocked her.
"Don't look at us like that. Don't think I haven't noticed how you look at his pictures in the newspaper," she said while pointing to the carefully folded newspaper Harleen had set aside after only reading the first few pages.
"W-what? I don't—!" Harleen immediately tried to defend herself, but Isabella placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.
"You don't have to be embarrassed about that with us. We're among friends, after all." The little laugh at the end of those words only made Harleen even more embarrassed.
She finally huffed, staring at her cup of coffee, wishing the conversation would quickly change topics.
'Oh?' She blinked as she noticed how the dark liquid in the cup began to ripple suddenly.
And it seemed that wasn't the only thing—suddenly, the table began to vibrate. No, not just the table; the floor beneath her feet started to shake as well.
"An earthquake?" Isabella asked, puzzled. One had to know that earthquakes were quite rare in the area where they were.
Suddenly, an alarm blared loudly, prompting all three of them to stand up.
"That's an evacuation alert! We need to head to—" The words were cut off by a loud crash, followed by strong winds. Harleen held on as best as she could, pressing against a wall, and cautiously made her way toward a nearby window to try and see what was happening outside.
And when she did, her expression couldn't help but turn into one of shock.
"Oh, shit." There, in the direction of New York, she could see an enormous cyclone, far beyond the city, approaching at an unnaturally fast pace.
"Come on, we have to hurry," she felt Isabella grab her by the shoulder, and Harleen nodded, ready to follow. But before she turned around, she noticed something that made her eyes widen.
"Watch out!" In one swift and agile movement, her body twisted as she threw herself over her two coworkers, causing all three of them to fall to the floor abruptly. Then, the wall exploded, and everything went dark for a moment.
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"Har-!"
"Harle-!"
"Harleen!" With the sound of a voice almost shouting in her ears, Harleen came to, only to feel a sharp pain strike the side of her head.
"Ahg!"
"Easy, can you hear me?" Isabella's voice reached her ears, and clumsily, she nodded while trying to sit up.
Shaking her head, she cleared her vision, finding the worried faces of her friends—friends who seemed more disheveled than she remembered.
"W-what happened?" she asked, noticing the debris scattered on the floor along with drops of red liquid.
"We need to get to the infirmary!" Harleen barely registered Grace's words. She looked back, only to see where there used to be a wall, now there was a massive hole, and within it, half of what seemed to be a truck, torn to pieces.
Wow, were cars raining down now?
"Let's go!" Isabella supported her, helping her to her feet, but in the next instant, they almost fell as a more intense tremor than the previous one shook the place.
The alarms blared even louder, causing Harleen to grimace at the shrill sound, why did the noise bother her so much?
With no time to think too much about it, Harleen focused on running alongside Isabella and Grace, trying to find a safer place—something difficult when debris seemed to be raining down everywhere for some reason.
It didn't help that the strong winds suddenly started ripping things from their places. As they passed one of the windows in the hallway, Harleen noticed how one of the guards outside the building was suddenly swept up into the sky, leaving behind only a quickly fading, muffled scream.
Clearly, that was a strong sign that they shouldn't go outside at all.
As if things couldn't get any worse, a different alarm from the others started blaring, causing the three of them to stop in the middle of their escape, their faces starting to pale.
"T-that's...!"
"Oh no..."
Harleen felt her heart skip a beat. Taking a deep breath, she processed the sound reaching her ears, with fear beginning to creep in. That alarm only meant one thing.
"Breach, there's a breach!" The voice that shouted it wasn't hers; instead, it was a distant scream that reached where they were. Not long after, joining the chaos, the sound of gunfire began to echo.
"What do we do?!" Grace seemed on the verge of panicking, and Harleen, now a bit less disoriented than before, placed a hand on her shoulder to try to calm her down.
"Don't panic. The facility we're in and the area where the prisoners are kept are pretty far apart. I-if there's been a breach, we just need to stay away from the chaos until the guards get things under control."
Of course, things might not be resolved as quickly as one would hope, given whatever was happening outside.
"What about the other prisoners? The ones in the special waiting rooms for treatment?" Isabella suddenly asked, making both Harleen and Grace look at her.
"They… they shouldn't be able to get out, right?" Grace asked, now more scared than before.
After all, the prisoners in the special waiting rooms were those about to receive their daily sessions, whether from the facility's psychologists or psychiatrists.
Which was, of course, concerning, but...
"They're special cells. It should be much harder for them to break out, and even if they do, we can't stay here. We need to keep running," Harleen finally said, to which Isabella nodded.
"Harleen's right. I think our best option is to head to the infirmary, treat your wound, and lock ourselves in there until things calm down or we can evacuate." They didn't really have a better plan of action. The infirmary was a secure place and far enough from the paths fleeing prisoners would likely take.
'Wound?' Harleen blinked, then patted the side of her head where she had previously felt pain, causing a grimace to form on her face. When she brought the palm with which she had touched her newly discovered wound in front of her face, it was only to see it completely covered in red.
That was a lot of blood.
"Y-you're right. Let's go, I know the quickest way there." Grace began guiding them, something that normally would have been easy and quick, but in these circumstances, it became complicated as the unknown disaster continued to rock the facility.
The constant earthquakes only grew worse, as did the winds, making it much harder to walk than it should have been. Still, they didn't stop, as the sound of gunfire became increasingly louder, accompanied by more and more screams.
Soon, their destination was in sight.
"Come on! There should be more people here by now!" Grace seemed more hopeful upon seeing the entrance to the infirmary and, without hesitation, rushed toward it, unlocking the door with her access key as quickly as she could, a relieved smile on her face.
Bang!
Harleen blinked in confusion as she felt a drop of crimson liquid splash against her face. Numbly, she watched as Grace's body fell to the floor with a dull thud. There, in her head, a hole had forcibly opened, spilling pieces of its insides, spreading like a red mist in her direction.
"Oh God, N-"
Bang!
There was a second thunderous sound that made her ears ring.
Harleen almost stumbled when the body that had been supporting her all this time went limp, slipping and falling beside her like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Wow, I didn't expect us to meet again so soon!"
The voice, tinged with amusement, made Harleen, who had been staring at Isabella's lifeless body, lift her head. Her gaze focused on the door of the infirmary, where a figure made her way in, a weapon in hand and a wide smile on her face.
A smile that became even more inhumanly large when their eyes met directly.
"This must be fate, don't you think?" Harleen didn't respond, she couldn't—her body seemed like a statue, unable to move due to the deep terror that was starting to fill her, rooting her in place.
"Oh, come on, don't make that face, you'll ruin your beautiful expression. How about you give me a smile instead?" the green-haired woman said, placing her hands on the corners of her mouth.
"I-I…" Harleen felt her body start to tremble as countless questions began rushing through her mind. How was she here? Why was she here?
"You know, I had planned to meet you later, but having you here makes it even better! Come, I want to show you something you'll love." The woman easily closed the distance between them, stepping over Grace's body without a second glance. When she reached Harleen's side, she put her arm around her shoulders and began dragging her into the infirmary.
With her mind still blank, Harleen didn't even try to resist, letting herself be awkwardly led.
As they passed through the door, Harleen absentmindedly noticed more than a dozen bodies scattered all around the place. Some she recognized, others she didn't, a chill running down her spine as she saw the still vivid expressions of horror on their lifeless faces.
"Sorry about the mess, there were a few nuisances I had to take care of so I could work in peace," the woman said as she led her deeper into the room, specifically to where all the medications and various chemicals were stored for the different treatments that some of the inmates required during their stay in the prison.
"It was a little hard working on this, you know? I was missing a few ingredients, but I managed with what I found. It's not as good as what I used to use in my better years in Gotham, but it'll get the job done," the woman pointed to a somewhat deep metal container where a greenish liquid bubbled, as if boiling, despite there being no flame or stove to provide heat.
"Do you remember what we talked about before, my dear Quinn? I've always believed it's my duty to make the world laugh with me. This is just one of the many ways I'll achieve that. I call it my Joker Venom. Soon, I'll spread it in gas form through all the ventilation ducts of Rikers. With all the commotion and screaming out there, I thought this would be a great gift for everyone to stop fighting and have fun together! Hahaha!"
Harleen swallowed upon hearing the name despite having a dry mouth. She had read the files, she knew that in the past, Martha had used a chemical weapon to kill and terrorize countless people in Gotham, a substance that had no cure and with the slightest contact could be fatal.
A substance she was now staring at, mere steps away from being able to touch it…
And Martha planned to spread it through Rikers' ventilation system? That would kill everyone on the island! Harleen bit her lip at the thought.
She needed to stop this, but… how could she when she couldn't even move from fear?
"Daniel…" she couldn't help but whisper, her eyes beginning to well up.
The laughter that had been filling the room stopped. A cold, pale hand grabbed her face, forcing her to turn her head to face the green-haired woman who was holding her hostage.
"Hey, don't get distracted, we're having a moment. Thinking about someone else right now is rude," she said in a tone resembling that of a mother scolding her child for doing something wrong.
Then she forcibly turned Harleen's face once again toward the container with the green liquid.
"I know you're an idealist, that you believe the world can be better, but you're wrong. The world is never going to improve, but as the naïve person you also are, I know you won't be able to see it unless someone else does something to show you. Lucky for you, dear, as the good Samaritan I am, I'm willing to be that person you've needed so much, to be that little push that will open your eyes and show you the true face of this world. Hahahahaha! Come on, let's see how a real smile looks, decorating your beautiful face!"
The uncontrolled laughter stopped when Martha's tone turned sinister at the end of her words. Harleen knew something bad was about to happen as a sense of imminent danger began to assault all her senses, like alarm bells ringing loudly inside her head, trying to warn her, telling her she needed to run, to do something!
But she couldn't. Faster than her body could start to move, a hand grabbed the back of her head and forcefully shoved her face-first into the bubbling green liquid.
Splash!!!
It was like bathing in acid.
"AAAARGH!" Her agonizing scream filled the room as she writhed on the floor, feeling the liquid burning her skin, penetrating even through her clothes.
"Come on, it'll pass soon, don't resist too much! You'll see the fun is about to begin! Hahaha!" Harleen barely managed to open her eye to see her former patient holding another metal container above her head, before dumping its contents onto her once again.
"AAHHRG-AAaaHa-HaHaHa!" She couldn't stop. She wanted to stop laughing and just scream. She wanted to express the pain that was coursing through her entire body, but instead, only more and more uncontrollable laughter poured from her mouth.
"Do you see it now? Isn't it fun?! Can you feel it?! That feeling, that endless fun! How about we let everyone else have some fun too?"
As Harleen laughed uncontrollably, writhing on the floor, Martha began preparing a new mixture to create more of her Joker Venom. The whole place trembled now and then from the unnatural disaster that was drawing closer and closer to the Atlantic Ocean.
'I can't stop!' Harleen felt tears streaming from her eyes, which also burned. Her hands reached up to her neck, her long nails scratching at her throat until they reached her face, where her facial muscles had completely lost all control.
Control, control, she needed to get control!
Her eyes shot open, and her hand hurriedly searched inside her coat. Her mind had been spinning since everything began, and the abrupt and sudden deaths of her friends had only worsened it, causing her to momentarily forget that she still had something she could use—something that could save her.
Grabbing the small vial with the purple liquid inside, she didn't hesitate and smashed it against the floor with all the strength she could muster. The glass exploded in her hand, causing several shards to embed themselves, while the liquid soaked into her palm, seeping through her pores and the freshly opened wounds.
"Hahaha-haha st-stop-jajajaja-s-stop-jjeehehaha."
"Oh? Do you want to tell me something, dear?" Martha stopped working on her new mixture and turned to see Harleen, who seemed to be trying to stand up clumsily, her body twitching from the uncontrollable laughter.
"I-I hahahaha I-" A hiccup broke her voice, her laughter starting to stutter, making Martha raise an eyebrow in surprise at the evident superhuman effort Harleen was putting in.
The amount of Joker Venom she had poured on her shouldn't have allowed her to utter a single word. So… how was she interrupting the laughter? With her curiosity piqued, Martha focused entirely on Harleen, who had already managed to get up from the floor, though still unsteady, the green liquid dripping off her body.
"I-I-haha-I don't- want t-to laugh anymore."
"Eh?" Suddenly, the laughter and the spasms stopped. Frowning, Martha took a step forward, only to halt when Harleen straightened up abruptly.
"Y-you know, I don't- I don't say it h-ha- often, but I won several awards as a gymnast when I was younger… I-I hope I haven't lost my touch."
Before Martha could fully comprehend what Harleen meant, she moved. The blonde leaped swiftly, agilely, and gracefully, launching herself into the air and somersaulting, closing the distance between them with ease.
Her feet landed on Martha's shoulders, sending the woman crashing onto the still-incomplete chemical mixture she had been working on. The liquid rained down on both of them, but neither cared, as they immediately began grappling with each other.
"Why, why aren't you laughing?!" Despite being caught off guard, Martha quickly began to regain the upper hand in their struggle, her gaze filled with clear anger as she demanded an answer.
Harleen gritted her teeth, feeling Martha's strength. How the hell did a woman who had spent so many years locked up have such power?!
Still, she never planned to win this through a fight.
Her hand stretched out, thrusting forward and slamming directly into Martha's face, the remnants of the purple liquid still clinging to her fingers making contact.
"Stop fighting!" she shouted, and suddenly the struggle ceased. Martha's pupils shrank as she felt her strength abandon her. Before she could express her surprise, a fist smashed into her face.
And then another, and another. Harleen kept hitting with all the anger, fear, and pain she had been feeling, and when she saw that it wasn't enough, she started clawing at her with her long nails, even as they began to break. In her mind, her only desire was to erase that stupid, disgusting smile from the face of the woman who had killed her friends.
Martha couldn't do anything to stop the blows. The smile on her face began to vanish as it became disfigured.
"You fucking bitch!! Tell me, do you think this is funny?! That it's all a joke?! Come on, keep laughing!!" Harleen felt her tears falling as she kept hitting, uncaring that her hands were now completely stained with blood.
Then, with one final punch, Harleen stopped, staring at the bloody mess that had once been Martha Wayne's face.
"Why did you kill them?" This last question was a whisper, not really seeking an answer.
Breathing heavily, she looked at her hands, still dripping with blood. Then she looked at the motionless body beneath her. Had she killed her? That thought reverberated in her mind as if it were unreal until the full weight of the situation hit her. She knew this was real, that this was what she had done.
And before she could stop it, the spasms returned.
"Ha-haha-hahahahaha!" Harleen brought her hands to her face, and with horror, her eyes widened as she felt the corners of her lips starting to lift once again, to smile once again.
This should be impossible!
"Ha-haha sto—haha-h-stop!" Her laughter cut off abruptly, but this time Harleen didn't feel the relief she had when she first forced herself to stop laughing.
No, this time, there was only deep, desperate fear, crashing violently against the fragile sense of safety that the obedience serum had given her, shattering it in an instant as if it had never existed at all.
Harleen hugged herself and cried. For the first time in her life, she felt completely alone, vulnerable, and broken. She needed help. She needed someone to save her. She wanted someone to save her.
Someone who could pull the overwhelming fear out of her soul.
And then, without her being able to stop it, a scream for help tore from her nearly shredded throat, bursting out at full volume.
"Please, someone, help me!... Save me!"
And as if God had answered her prayers, a blur shot through the ceiling, and a familiar figure was at her side in an instant.
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Note:
A bit of a dark chapter, huh?
I must admit that writing it was complicated in many ways. I knew what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it, but having an idea and carrying it out are two totally different things.
For Harleen, I always had the idea that, one way or another, something of Harley Quinn would be born in her. I didn't know exactly how to do it at first, but gradually the pieces came together, creating a scenario I could take advantage of to execute some of my ideas.
I can say that I had a certain degree of success, although that didn't make me feel good. Mistreating characters I like isn't exactly my thing, but it has to be done for the plot to advance.
That said, I would love to hear what you think. Please comment and leave your opinions and critiques; you know I read all the comments you leave.
Finally remember that You can already find the next chapter (and several more chapters) of this story on Patreon ( patreon.com/EmmaCruzader ) All the support received is appreciated ;D