"Of course, I knew you'd come back, so I wanted to keep it safe for you. Everyone said you were dead, but I always believed you'd return."
Harley immediately expressed her loyalty.
"Is that so? Did you pray for me then?"
The Joker twirled the razor between his fingers, slowly waving it in front of Harley's face.
"Pray?"
"Yeah, did you stay awake all night for me? Light candles? Beg the big guy upstairs to send me back into your loving arms?"
"I... uh..."
Harley stumbled over her words, unable to answer.
Of course she had never done any of that.
At most, she had sighed a few times and thought that her Mr. J really had gone out in style.
"What was that? I can't hear you! Looks like you suddenly lost your voice. That's okay, sweetheart, I'll do the talking."
The Joker pressed the razor against Harley's lips and forced it into her mouth.
The sharp blade rested against her tongue, making her freeze in place.
"Was I gone too long? Did my little Wildcat get bored and start looking for new entertainment?"
The moment he finished speaking, he violently ripped the razor out of her mouth.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Harley cried out and collapsed to the ground, clutching her mouth in agony.
"Aah...!"
Pain shot through her jaw as blood dripped between her fingers.
The Joker rose to his feet and admired the blood staining the blade. A twisted grin spread across his face.
"Someone always pays the price."
Without sparing Harley another glance, he walked toward Amanda Waller and the others lying unconscious across the ice rink floor.
As he moved through the wreckage, he muttered to himself.
"Now then, where should I start?"
His eyes settled on Amanda.
"This one feels right."
The Joker grabbed Amanda by the hair and tilted her head upward.
"I doubt Ms. Waller is your best friend, Harley, but she'll do just fine."
He sighed dramatically.
"I heard you and Deadshot were getting along pretty well. I even learned a little circumcision trick online that I wanted to show him. Shame he's dead. Guess Ms. Waller will have to take his place."
The Joker chuckled darkly.
"Actually, maybe I should drag you to Floyd's grave afterward. Nothing says romance like performing surgery beside a dead man."
As he spoke, he raised the razor toward Amanda's throat.
"Let her go!"
Harley had somehow forced herself back onto her feet.
She aimed a pistol at the Joker with trembling hands.
Blood still streamed from the corners of her mouth, staining her pale skin red, but she kept the gun steady.
"Or I'll shoot!"
The Joker slowly turned toward her.
There was no fear in his eyes.
Only amusement.
"You and I both know you won't do that, sweetheart," he said softly. "I made you. No matter what happens, you can't kill me."
"Try me."
Harley narrowed her eyes.
The pain in her mouth felt unbearable, but she forced herself to stay conscious.
She hated Amanda Waller. Most days, she could barely tolerate her.
But she couldn't allow the Joker to kill her.
Waller had spared her life more than once during Suicide Squad operations. There had been several moments when Amanda could have detonated the bomb implanted in her head, but she never did.
More importantly, Amanda now worked directly under Adrian.
If the Joker murdered her while Harley stood by and watched, Adrian would hold her responsible.
And Harley knew exactly what kind of man Adrian was.
Ruthless.
Vindictive.
The kind of person who never forgot betrayal.
No matter how she looked at it, she could not let Amanda die here.
At least not while she was present.
The Joker studied her for a few seconds before laughing quietly.
"Well, now. Looks like I underestimated how important Ms. Waller is to you."
He lowered the razor and stood up.
"How about we make a deal instead? You do something for me, and I let your little friend live. Sounds fair, doesn't it?"
Harley hesitated briefly before nodding.
"Fine. What do you want?"
When Adrian arrived at the Gotham ice rink, the scene waiting for him was complete chaos.
Bodies were scattered across the ground.
Amanda and the others lay unconscious nearby.
His expression darkened immediately.
Using his x ray vision, Adrian first examined the dead man wearing the grotesque smile. After confirming the cause of death, he crouched beside Amanda and checked her condition along with the others.
None of them were dead.
After confirming that, Adrian stood up and contacted emergency services.
One hour later, Adrian arrived at Belle Reve Hospital.
Amanda had already regained consciousness.
Despite everything that had happened, she was back to work, standing in the hallway while briefing Adrian on the investigation.
"The substance recovered from the scene appears to be a modified version of Joker toxin," Amanda reported while scrolling through information on her tablet. "It shares several similarities with the laughing gas used during the Gotham ice rink attack years ago, but this strain is weaker. The original toxin severely damaged the nervous system, caused cardiac arrest, and triggered intense hallucinations."
"I see."
Adrian fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
"But he didn't kill you."
Amanda lowered the tablet slightly.
"I don't know why. The Joker has had no contact with Harley Quinn for more than two years. His sudden reappearance can't be random. I believe he's planning something larger."
She paused briefly.
"And I suspect the explosion at Gotham City Hall was connected to him as well."
"How did he breach security?" Adrian asked coldly. "Taking down your entire team without triggering any alarms shouldn't have been possible."
Amanda stiffened.
"We're still investigating. He may have learned our deployment schedule beforehand. Either we have an internal leak or someone outside provided assistance."
"Find out which."
Adrian's gaze sharpened.
"I'm assigning Mera and Caitlin Snow to assist your operation. I don't want to see another failure like this."
Amanda's expression tightened.
"Understood. It won't happen again."
Even she knew this incident reflected badly on her leadership.
"Also," Adrian continued, "Gotham is already unstable enough. Enhanced soldiers have begun entering the city and clearing hostile elements district by district. Until that process is complete, I don't want rumors spreading that could interfere with the operation."
Amanda nodded immediately.
"I understand."
Meanwhile, deep inside Gotham, the abandoned ACE Chemicals plant remained eerily silent.
Harley Quinn stood alone beside the massive chemical vat.
She had been waiting for hours.
The Joker had ordered her to stay there, so she obeyed.
Looking down into the bubbling chemicals beneath her feet, Harley felt a familiar chill crawl up her spine.
This place had changed her life forever.
The same chemicals had created the Joker too.
Why bring her back here?
Was this some kind of celebration?
"My sweetheart!"
The Joker's voice echoed through the factory.
Harley turned and saw him walking through the entrance while dragging a body bag over his shoulder.
"Sorry for the wait," he said cheerfully. "Getting this corpse here was a real workout."
"A corpse?"
Harley stared at him in confusion.
"Yes, technically a corpse," the Joker replied. "But not just any corpse. This one used to be the King of Gotham."
He tossed the body onto the ground.
"Although Gotham's become painfully dull lately. Cheap crime, boring freaks, no style. Makes me wonder if the king can ever reclaim his throne."
Harley frowned.
"The King of Gotham? Who are you talking about?"
"Patience, sweetheart."
The Joker walked over and yanked the black covering away.
Harley's eyes widened instantly.
"No way...!"
Lying inside the bag was Batman.
Even unconscious, the suit and cowl were unmistakable.
Harley stumbled backward in shock.
"How the hell did you find him?"
To this moment, Batman had practically vanished from Gotham.
Most people believed he was either dead or permanently gone.
The Joker crouched beside Batman and gently patted his mask.
"Little tricks here and there," he said casually. "Honestly, he's disappointing now. Batman used to carry himself with so much arrogance."
The Joker sighed theatrically.
"I miss the old days. The chases. The screaming. The tension. I almost wish he'd wake up and kiss my hand."
"He's alive?"
"Barely."
The Joker looked down at Batman with excitement flickering in his eyes.
"I should thank Barbara Gordon and dear old Commissioner Gordon. Those two finally decided to be useful and helped me steal Batsy right out of Wayne Tower."
He spread his arms dramatically.
"You know me, sweetheart. I'm not patient enough to sneak around some giant fortress by myself. Luckily, Gotham's favorite family finally gave me a helping hand."
A grin slowly stretched across his scarred face.
"I really should send them a thank you card."
===
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