"Arrest?"
Harley Quinn covered her mouth, blinking in exaggerated disbelief as she looked at Amanda Waller.
"We're even now. After Task Force X disbanded, I became a free woman. If you want me on your team, force won't work. But if you're hiring, maybe we can talk business."
She tilted her head slightly, clearly unconcerned.
"That's not your decision to make."
Amanda had already finished examining the bodies scattered across the ice rink. Her subordinates' reports were compiled in her hand, and her expression had grown even darker.
She stood upright and faced Harley.
"If I were you, I'd stay hidden in some dark corner. You're still a criminal."
"I thought about that," Harley replied with a sigh, hands behind her back. "But then aliens invaded, and then Gotham City Hall got blown apart during some weird superpowered fight. Honestly, the world's gotten way too exciting to just sit quietly."
She suddenly leaned forward, switching to a pleading tone.
"Come on, Ms. Amanda, let's talk business. You wouldn't believe it, I even attended Deadshot's funeral last week."
Several Task Force X agents immediately stiffened, watching her closely.
Amanda's gaze turned colder.
"Military funeral."
Harley paused, then nodded.
"Right, military funeral. Even though half the old Task Force X said he was a jerk, I didn't expect that kind of send off."
Amanda's jaw tightened slightly.
"That was his death in service. He was a soldier. It was appropriate."
Harley raised her hands slightly.
"Okay, okay, fair. Still, I didn't expect him to get honored like that."
Amanda's tone sharpened.
"Don't confuse bravery with stupidity."
Harley shrugged.
"So he was still a brave idiot then."
Amanda exhaled sharply.
"Is this why you're here? To talk about a dead man's funeral?"
She gestured toward the scene.
"Everyone in this ice rink is dead, and in a very abnormal way."
Amanda pointed toward one of the corpses lying face down. The man's mouth was stretched into a frozen, grotesque smile, as if his final emotion had been forced onto his face.
Harley's expression shifted slightly when she saw it.
"I've seen this before," Amanda continued. "The Joker Gang exists in Gotham. Followers of a madman who calls himself Joker. They specialize in chaos, panic, and indiscriminate slaughter."
Her voice became more clinical.
"They use chemical agents. Joker toxin, Joker gas, substances that alter the brain and behavior. Victims become distorted versions of him."
Amanda stepped closer to Harley.
"And you, Harley Quinn, were once his most loyal follower."
Harley raised her hands immediately.
"Hey, hey, I haven't done anything in months. I miss Mr. J sometimes, sure, but I'm not behind this."
Amanda's expression did not change.
"Convenient story."
She turned slightly toward her agents.
"If Joker is involved, I have authority to detain anyone connected to him."
Then she looked back at Harley.
"So I'll ask you directly. Where is Joker?"
Harley let out an exaggerated sigh, placing a hand over her chest.
"I don't know. And honestly, I don't even know what's going on in this world anymore."
Her voice rose with frustration.
"Some guy destroys Gotham City Hall, causes mass destruction, and nobody can touch him. But I get questioned just because of my past? That's your justice system?"
She scoffed.
"Maybe you should be arresting Homelander instead. I'm sure he'd love a chat with your Task Force."
Amanda frowned, about to respond, when a sharp voice came from outside the rink.
"Officer Waller!"
One of her agents rushed toward the entrance.
Amanda immediately moved past Harley and headed outside.
The moment she pushed open the doors, cold air and rain hit her face.
But something was wrong.
The rain was green.
Emerald colored droplets poured from the sky, staining the ground as they landed and dissolved into bubbling residue. A strong chemical stench filled the air.
Amanda stepped back quickly.
"What is this?"
"I don't know," one of her agents replied. "It started a few minutes ago. Light at first, then it intensified rapidly."
Amanda narrowed her eyes.
"This is not normal weather."
She instinctively reached for her handgun.
But suddenly, her vision blurred.
A wave of dizziness hit her hard.
Her knees weakened.
She stumbled forward and collapsed.
Around her, the Task Force X agents began falling one after another, dropping like puppets with cut strings.
Within seconds, the entire unit lay unconscious.
Only Harley Quinn remained standing.
She blinked slowly, looking around in confusion.
"Okay… green rain, everyone's down except me…"
Before she could finish, a familiar voice echoed from behind her.
"Deeearrr…"
Harley froze.
Her eyes widened instantly.
She turned around sharply.
"Mr. J?"
And there he was.
Joker.
Standing in a faded gas station attendant uniform, his posture loose and unnatural, his face stretched into something disturbingly unfamiliar. His mouth widened far beyond what should have been possible, forming an unsettling grin as he walked toward her.
Harley's expression shifted instantly into excitement.
"You're back!"
She rushed toward him without hesitation.
But Joker suddenly raised a hand.
"Wait, sweetheart. Something's on your face."
Harley stopped mid step.
"On my face?"
She touched her cheek repeatedly, confused.
"I don't feel anything."
Joker tilted his head slightly.
"No, no. Right here."
He pointed near his own face as he stepped closer.
"Let me get it for you."
Before Harley could react, Joker's movement snapped.
His fist shot forward with brutal speed.
Bang.
The punch connected cleanly with her face.
Harley staggered backward, blood spilling from her nose as she crashed against the ground.
"Cough…"
She struggled to breathe, trying to push herself up, but her head was spinning.
Joker calmly walked over and crouched beside her.
"There we go," he said softly. "That little arrogance is gone now."
He grabbed her face without hesitation, pulling her closer.
"Oh Harley… you really have changed."
Harley coughed weakly, blood staining her lips.
"I was about to say the same thing about you… I missed you, Mr. J."
Joker's grin widened further.
"I missed you too, sweetheart. Especially after I tore my own face off."
Harley's eyes flicked to his distorted features.
"You're… still handsome in your own way."
Joker gave a low, amused sound.
"Flattery can wait."
From behind his back, a razor blade appeared in his hand.
Harley's expression stiffened slightly.
Joker leaned closer.
"When I wore my face, I smelled cotton candy and expensive perfume. Before I left Gotham to begin something new, I had the Dollmaker remove it."
He tilted his head.
"I kept it safe. You know that, don't you?"
His grin stretched further.
"I left it inside Arkham Asylum… on the wall."
Harley's breathing slowed as she stared at him, caught between fear, nostalgia, and disbelief.