The Dark Knight

[Nikki]

[[OMG I know! I watched those Sunday, they're so funny I was laughing when you wrote that)

"No, no," I say again in a voice just above a whisper. "I think I have everything I need right here."
I place one hand under him, on his back, and the other on the outside of his shoulder. The cherries in my stomach slide an inch up the wrong way, and I swallow the bile back down. I'm going to have to get better at this bleeding thing.
He's not even paying attention to me. If Harvey Dent were a female, I would be jealous right about now. J's studying his face, trying to figure out his weaknesses, imagining terrible things happening to this man. While he isn't looking and before I lose my nerve, I take a deep breath and shove up and in hard with my right hand.

[boo radley]

(lol I know, right? I love the one where Maroni's like "you idiots!" hahaha terribly fun. I can't wait to see an uptight guy like that on screen. My family friend's brother is the equivalent of Maroni in Newcastle, England - he's like the godfather there or something. O.-)

--

OW!
I try and laugh instead of flip.
I remember of a therapy tactic where people laugh when they're angry. Not only does it add to Joker appeal, but it sends up adrenaline.

I get shoved three times. And twisted once. I bite my tongue and watch as Mike Engel, or whatever, shows a close up tape of the three guys tied to a tree. OW!
"It's done," I say. She confirms it by handing me a gigantic bag of ice. Ahhh, numbness.

Maybe now I can punch a wall and see direct force with my right hand, my dominant...machine.
All right, okay, good, great, whatever. Before I can test my "new shoulder" I hear the front door open.

"Looks like we've got company," I say, grinning.

Only, I don't want it all for myself. I look at Harley. If I want a partner, she needs to be as mad as I am. But it takes a little push. "You hate these guys," I say. I know she's still got a guilt conscience, I'm sure of it. I did, once upon a time... but it fell off of my path when I realized life isn't fair and anything you do to people, well, their result is their karma. So technically, you're doing good. You can't ever be wrong, can you?
I hand her an assault rifle that sat under the couch. There were plenty of those things under there. "Show me what you've got." I hope it isn't boring, a single bullet never is. Give it a few to the head... that might help.
If it's an ally we shoot, so help me. You can always scare people into service.

[Nikki]

The gun sits cold and harmful in my hands. I want to recoil from it, but I can't.
How far are you willing to go for this man, Harl?
It would take a complete lunatic to shoot men that I had no quarrel with. Even if he says I do. He's going about this the wrong way- dressing the clown up and throwing him out into the center ring without having first learned how to perform.
"I can't," I say quietly, and the rifle begins to tremble.

[boo radley]

I begin to try and shake myself in.
"You don't have to kill the guy," I say. "Just shoot, for crying out loud." I'm not sure, if, after this point I'm talking in my head or out loud, so I have no idea what Harley's hearing me think. For example, doesn't she get it? The fact that if you don't know someone.... well, there's no right or wrong, is there? You're technically filling in that person's karma. Whatever happens to them, they deserve. So it's all very fair, and it's all very good. You're helping, you're helping very much.
And what I can't stand is that I've chosen a girl who can't even... who can't try to fall through with my views. Well, sure, she says she agrees, she acts like she agrees. But she can't do. Fine. Fine. I'LL do the killing. But I want her to do something.
I close my mouth, so I don't accidentally mumble.


I grin.
I've got it.
I know what I'm gonna do.
And this way, neither of us will lose.

[Nikki]

"Oh, shit, you have an idea, don't you?" It's hard not to laugh at that, because his expression is so sexily mischievous that the rifle is now trembling for a different reason than fear. "Okay, okay. I can deal with wounding right now! Just not killing. You're going to need some of Crane's magic powder for that, Mister J."
It's true. He hasn't quite beaten me down to his level yet (or up to it, come to think). And for someone as strong-minded as me, even as susceptible as I am to to throwing myself in front of a bus for him, it's going to take a real doozy.

[boo radley]

I'm still grinning as I cock the rifle that's in her hands. "Let's see that lab coat of yours get dyed a nice red." I have to take a second to realize that I haven't told her the "plan" yet. No plans for me, but this one doesn't count, does it? "Even if it's just...injury."

[Nikki]

He sounds disappointed. Just injury.
But that's cool with me, for now. Every man who comes in here is a good for nothing, anyway. The kinds of people I've tried pointlessly over and over again to help.
So right now, the tables are turning just a little bit. I'm finding three good reasons to pull the trigger. One: They probably deserve it. Two: It's been a long night. I'm tired, I'm emotionally whacked, and it would be nice to take it out on these three fine gentlemen walking through the door. And three: He told me to do it.
Ain't Mistah J happy, ain't nobody happy.
Of course, when he's happiest is when people are killing each other off, so technically that little expression doesn't make any sense. But I digress.
"Hello, boys," I say prettily to the men in the expensive suits. "Who wants to play with Harley Quinn?"
I fire a warning shot into the foot of the guy standing in front.

[boo radley]

I start howling with laughter as I walk into the room behind Harley. “This here’s my lovely lady,” I say with a maniacal grin. The men look angered. The guy in the back, on the left, looks at the guy who’s foot’s been blown halfway off with a gun. “You suckers couldn’t get an inch of me!”
That did the trick. Just what I wanted. The thugs behind the guy Harley hurt come at me, and I pretend to fumble with my gun, and allow them to grab my arm and twist it.

But I wasn’t aiming for them to hit my right arm.

Screaming sometimes helps. This time, it didn’t. I screamed as they twisted the arm Harley just popped in. “WILL YOU FUCKING SHOOT THEM ALREADY?!” I howled at the top of my lungs.
Because this, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, was not “part of the plan.”

[Nikki]

They are hurting him.
My vision goes red at the sight of this, but I remain focused. After all, the rounds I'm about to fire aren't intended for my lurvely clown prince of crime.
At first I hadn't aimed to kill, but I watch both men fall to the floor with a look of sick satisfaction on my face.
"And doncha ever forget it," I announce proudly, standing over their bodies. One of them is twitching still, but that won't last long.

[boo radley]

I moan, my arm kills me. But at the same time I laugh. It's a painful, twisted laugh, and she can see it. Firstly because pain is what I deserve, and secondly because I succeeded and she killed. And she don't care any more.