Harley had been groaning, tossing and turning in her bed when she heard an all too familiar voice. "Harley..." it cooed. She immediatley recognized it as her "Mistah J" got up, finding herself in a vast plain of pink mist. "P-Puddin?" she asked nervously. Harley looked around, sifting through the mist, unable to find the man who had embodied all of her obsession. "Harley, who are you kidding by still associating with these loons...You know that there's something missing in your life." A tear ran down Harley's eye, in spite of all that she and the Gotham City 21 had achieved, she still missed The Joker. In spite of all the compassion that Eddie had been giving her, it couldn't fill that one hole. An echoing, manic laughter filled the air. "Oh, but don't cry pumpkin pie. The schmuck that Rorschach took out was merely a clone, one of Scarecrow's ingenious creations. He's kept me alive as his prisoner, deemed me too chaotic to control. But you could free me Harley!"
Harley fell to her knees crying, "How! Tell me, how!" she screamed, her heart feeling like it was pounding out of her chest. "We will get to those details later, but first we must discuss the matter at hand. I understand that the team is holding a little election over the lives of Doomy, Octo and Baldie tonight. I need them alive if I am to escape. Do whatever you can to make sure the team spares them! I am counting on you Harley!"
Suddenly, Harley woke up in a cold sweat gasping, before letting out a shrilled scream. Eddie rushed into Harley's room turning on the lights. "Harley, Harley, it's okay!" he said softly, trying to comfort her. Eddie hugged Harley tightly, compassion in his eyes. "What happened?" Eddie asked sincerely. Harley looked up at Eddie, almost ashamed. In a way, she was beginning to become attached to Eddie. Maybe even loved him. It destroyed her to lie to him, but it was the only way. "I...I had a nightmare. It was about The Joker...I..."
Eddie grabbed Harley's face, looking into her eyes. "That monster is dead, Harley." Eddie insisted. "He can't hurt you anymore, you're free...You're free." Harley finally calmed down, wiping her tears. "Thanks Eddie...Wish everyone was as nice as you were." Eddie shrugged, lying on the bed. "Wasn't always that way," he explained. "I used to be a criminal like you. There was a misunderstanding with me and Peter, and I let my hate and anger get the best of me. But it was only after I let go of it that I was able to look myself in the mirror without shame. Not everything we've done is something to be proud of...But it's who we've become by the time we're six feet under that matters."
Harley was speechless, taken aback by Eddie's understanding and wise words. There was a silence between them for a good 7 seconds, broken when Harley grabbed Eddie by the back and kissed him passionately. The two laid back on the bed, embracing and kissing each other, tears streaming down their eyes. The Gotham City 21 alarm rang throughout the building, ending Eddie and Harley's brief moments of passion and love.
When all of the team members had assembled in the Hangar Bay, Captain America addressed the team. "Now that everyone is here, it is time to discuss the current matter at hand. Scarecrow is growing stronger by the minute, and every minute we're spending questioning loyalties is a minute wasted. That said, how do you suggest dealing with our...Visitors."
"Feed them to my babies..." Poison Ivy practically spat. "...When their finished, hang their skeletons from the goddamn lampposts, record the whole event and send it to Scarecrow. Fight fear with fear!" Ivy's hate fueled and angry response, was met with a small applause from several members, particularly Sinestro and Ghost Rider. "Isley's right!" insisted Sinestro. "Make The Regime suffer, make them regret everything they've ever done!"
After the applause had settled down, Daredevil stood up in protest. "If we torture these men to death, we're no better then The Regime. They came to us for help and protection, and it doesn't matter if they made a mistake. Their taking strides to amend for them. We're heroes, and we're supposed to help people, it's wrong to betray everything we stood for just because they have checkered pasts. If we were going to do that, many of the people in this room would have been thrown on the streets, doomed to suffer at Scarecrow's hands. I say we let them live...Give them chances to prove themselves."
"Hornhead's right!" Harley yelled up, her fists in the air. "Red, we were fightin for the wrong side before Spidey gave us protection. We gotta set an example that we've changed!" Ivy looked at Harley, frustrated with her support of the villainous triad. Harley gave Ivy an exaggerated puppy dog face, blinking her bright blue eyes. "Pleeeease, Red? For me?"
"All in favor of killing the triad, raise your hands..." Captain America shouted. Agent Venom, Abomination, Deadshot, Elektra, both Ghost Riders, Jason Todd, Moon Knight, Sinestro, Azrael and Raven raised their hands. Ivy sighed, her head in her hands, as she kept her hand down. Captain America surveyed the hand count, surprised by the amount of support for Lex, Dr Doom and Dr Octopus. "Very well...We will keep the three alive as temporary members.. Wonder Woman, tell Luthor, Doom and Octavius their fate, alert me when you are finished. We make the final push tonight..."
To be continued in Gotham City 21 Finale~Chapter #3 Siege Part 1
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