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"Oh, sure, that glowing green rock." Harley whistled, her eyes wandering through the ruins. "If you find it, can you find a burger too? Or a rat? I'm starving to death."
"Shh."
Bruce suddenly raised his fist, signaling her to stop.
It was too quiet.
"Ambush."
Batman's instincts had been honed on the edge of life and death countless times. He spun around suddenly, grabbing Harley by the collar and diving to the side.
Boom—!
A high-explosive shell pierced the wall they had just been leaning against, the concrete shattering under the high-energy Impact.
"Enemy attack!! Position at twelve o'clock!"
Bruce rolled on the ground, dropped to one knee, and raised his rifle, pulling the trigger toward the shadows.
Bang, bang, bang!
Specially made explosive bullets burst in the darkness, illuminating the silhouettes of the ambushers.
It was a squad of Supermans Shock Troops, clad in black armor with red "S" armbands. They held energy rifles modified with alien technology and advanced in formation.
Above them, dozens of winged Parademons let out piercing shrieks as they dove down.
"Ha! That's more like it! Now this is what a party should look like!"
Instead of being afraid, Harley let out a sharp, wild laugh. She leaped up from the ground, shouldered that massive grenade launcher, and fired a shot at the charging soldiers.
"Eat my Quinn Special! You bastards!"
The grenade exploded among the soldiers, but these men, brainwashed by the Anti-Life Equation, showed no fear. They continued their advance despite the flames.
"Shit! These guys are more fanatical than EM fans!" Harley cursed, tossed aside the empty launcher, and pulled out the baseball bat from her back.
"We need to retreat! Harley! Run toward the subway station!" Bruce threw a smoke grenade, trying to block the Parademons' vision.
"Retreat? The word 'retreat' isn't in my dictionary! Only fighting and crazier fighting!"
"Ahahaha! Come on! You flying cockroaches!!"
Harley let out a manic laugh, swinging her baseball bat in a wide arc. With a whistling sound, it slammed hard into a Parademon's head.
Thwack!
The Parademon's helmet and head caved in together, spraying deep purple blood.
"Ha! Home run!!" Harley landed, rolling to dissipate the Impact, and smoothly pulled out a large-caliber revolver from her back, firing a shot behind her without even looking.
Bang!
A Parademon trying to sneak up on her had its head blown apart. She then frantically pulled the trigger at the charging Parademons.
That thought had been circling in her mind for months.
The scene on the helicopter haunted her like a nightmare.
Gotham was burning, Joker was sitting in the helicopter, and she had reached out, thinking her "Puddin'" whom she had loved all her life would pull her up.
But that man only looked at her coldly, then kicked her in the face.
In that moment, the Harley Quinn who loved the Joker died. The one living now was merely a ghost of vengeance.
"Die! Die! All of you die!"
Harley tossed the empty gun, pulled out a grenade, stuffed it into a Parademon's mouth, and kicked it into the enemy crowd.
Boom—!
The explosion flipped four or five Parademons.
"Harley! Don't get bogged down! We need to break out!"
Bruce snapped a Parademon's neck and threw three Batarangs with his backhand, precisely slicing through the barrels of three shock troop soldiers' guns in the distance.
"Break out? To where?!"
Harley shouted. Her denim jacket was already torn by claws, and a deep, bone-deep wound had appeared on her arm, but she seemed unable to feel the pain.
"These flies are everywhere!!"
Indeed.
The encirclement was shrinking.
The Superman shock troops on the ground set up heavy energy cannons.
Hum—
A thick beam of energy blasted the ruins beneath their feet.
Their footing collapsed, and the two fell clumsily to the ground.
Before they could steady themselves, dozens more Parademons pounced.
"We're going to die here, Batsy."
Harley stood back-to-back with Bruce, her baseball bat already bent and deformed.
"Listen." Bruce pulled out his last smoke grenade and a high-explosive plastic charge from his belt.
"I'll detonate this place in a moment. When the smoke rises, jump down and run east along the sewers. There's a backup exit there."
"And what about you?"
"I'll hold them off," Bruce's voice left no room for doubt.
"Tch! Chauvinist."
Harley curled her lip.
She glanced around. A massive Parademons Leader was holding a spear, quietly circling to Bruce's flank, preparing to launch a fatal strike.
Bruce was busy setting the bomb and had no time to worry about his back.
In that instant, Harley made a choice.
She didn't want to owe anyone anything, especially not a man.
And... if she died here, maybe she could escape that nightmare.
"My turn to be the hero this time."
Harley suddenly shoved Bruce aside.
"Harley?!" Bruce cried out.
Harley charged toward the Parademons Leader. She didn't dodge the thrusting spear; instead, she opened her arms as if embracing death.
Puchi!
The spear pierced her abdomen.
"Got you, ugly."
Blood welled from Harley's mouth, yet she wore a ferocious smile.
She pulled the pin on a grenade and shoved it into the Parademons Leader's mouth.
"Surprise!!!"
Boom!!!!
Flames soared into the sky.
The massive Impact sent the surrounding Parademons flying, and the leader was blown to pieces.
Harley's petite body was like a battered leaf, tossed into the air by the blast wave before falling helplessly.
Her consciousness began to blur.
Is this death?
It doesn't... seem that cold.
It's even a bit warm.
"Hmm?"
Harley struggled to open her eyes, which were gummed shut with blood. Through her blurred vision, she saw a face.
Golden hair, a perfect jawline, and those deep blue eyes.
And she was being held gently in a pair of strong arms.
"Wow..."
The man spoke; it was a well-trained, magnetic voice full of charm.
"Look what I found."
"An injured little wildcat?"
Homelander looked down at the woman in his arms.
This was Harley Quinn? That crazy little Joker girl?
She looked quite pathetic now. Her face was covered in blood and dust, and her clothes were so tattered they revealed large patches of snowy-white, scar-ridden skin.
"Who... who are you?"
Harley coughed up some blood and asked weakly.
"Who I am isn't important, sweetheart."
Homelander extended his thumb and gently wiped the blood from the corner of Harley's mouth.
"What's important is..."
"The way you look right now, you really seem to need a hug."