If you want to read up to 20!! chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz
Enjoy!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[David Lance POV]
I sat beside Harley a few meters away from her to avoid any surprises as she slept, the morphine keeping her in a deep painless slumber after the surgery I had performed to set her bones back in place to facilitate their optimal healing.
Talking about healing, Harley's healing factor was doing wonders as the hours passed; as minor as this healing factor was, it was pushing her to recover beyond what it should be possible for a simple human.
Even then, I couldn't help but notice how pale she looked, how fragile, how small.
I knew for a fact she had taken worse beatings, some by the Joker himself, meaning she had to be strong to have survived what she had; I also knew that pity shouldn't be the first I felt when I laid my eyes on her, she was a dangerous criminal or was, it was a confusing situation.
All I knew is that at this moment, she looked so vulnerable, so normal, that it was shocking, unsettling even.
I yawned softly, my eyes fixed on the window as a patrol of Regime soldiers passed by, their lights shining in the glass of the window for a few moments before everything went black.
Taking a deep breath, I turned to Harley, my mind racing with questions that I needed answers to. Hopefully, she would offer some insight into this entire situation; the key word being, hopefully, I honestly didn't know if Harley would be able to answer most of my questions, or any for that matter.
I had no idea what to do, honestly.
I don't have the slightest clue of how to escape this situation, how to fix it all.
.....
I could survive, but for how long?
I could stall until the Regime is destroyed, but would that happen? After all, in the games, there were some endings where the Regime wins, and Superman enslaves everyone.
"What's the matter, toots?" Harley muttered groggily, breaking the silence in the room, "You looked like you needed a hug. Want one?"
I looked at her for a few moments before shaking my head. Once again, she surprises me, I didn't expect her to wake up so soon. It's been no less than ten hours since I put her to sleep, and here she was, ready to annoy me some more.
"Meanie," Harley said with a small chuckle as she winced in pain. "But seriously, if ya need someone to talk to, Dr. Harleen Quinzel is at your service."
I stared at her for a few moments before sighing softly, was I actually considering talking with her about my problems right now?
"Don't worry about me telling a thing, doctor-patient confidentiality and all that," Harley said with a wink as she tried to sit up before wincing in pain and lying back down.
I guess I might as well. It's not like I have anything better to do; also, I could be very vague about everything, and who knows, maybe, just maybe, she could offer some help. ~Sign language?~
Harley smiled at me. "I do know sign language. I might be crazy, but I'm a nice crazy person, so go ahead and talk."
I rolled my eyes at her. ~Why Batman sent you after me?~
Harley frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's not how a session works. But if you must know, he got your SOS call."
I see; it makes sense now.
By getting an SOS signal to a probably old and unused channel of communication, Batman and his trademark paranoia went into overdrive, which ended up with him sending Harley after me, resulting in our fight.
~I checked your body for trackers, and I found a few that I destroyed upon finding, two on your clothes, two on your body, and one on your hair. My question is the following, are there any other trackers you're hiding in your person on your belongings?~ I asked, my eyes narrowed at her.
Harley snorted. "If I knew, I would so totally tell ya, but honestly, I don't know. I've been with Bats for so long that I've lost count of how many trackers he's put on me. Here between us, I'm pretty sure that's Batsy's kink."
That's... not totally inaccurate.
I sighed, giving a look to the window before turning back to Harley. ~Will you continue to hunt me down after you recover?~
Harley shook her head with a beaming smile. "Nah, I was just doing this because we didn't know if ya were a bad-bad guy, but you saved me, so I owe you one. Then again, you were the one that put me on the operating table, so... hmmm. Nah, I won't hunt you."
~What do you know about the Regime?~ I asked her, curious to know if she had any insider information that could be useful.
"Only that Superdumb is Superstupid, and I wish with all my heart to every flying star that his Kryptonian balls get crushed by a Kryptonite maze!" Harley said with a roll of her eyes. "He's all high and mighty, sitting on his throne of lies, but as the days go by, he's making a lot of enemies; not just Batsy is fighting against him, others have joined to stop this nightmare, and who can blame them? I mean, people that don't take kindly to dictatorship."
I guess this confirms what I already knew, Harley doesn't like Superman, and honestly, seeing how the Superman of this world is, I can't blame her at all.
~Is that truly all you know?~ I asked her again.
"Honestly, there's not much to tell. Most of the so-called superheroes joined the Kryptonian roach of Superman, leaving Batsy with a very small group of allies to try and combat him," Harley said with a heavy sigh. "I joined Batsy somewhat recently, we might have our differences, but at least I know where I stand with him."
No useful information; she was either avoiding giving too much info, or she honestly knew nothing useful I could use.
"Enough about me. As your appointed Dr, I insist we talk about you and your problems," Harley said, her eyes staring into mine.
Well, here goes nothing.
~I'm just a man, trying to get home,~ I replied with a heavy sigh.
"And where's home?" Harley asked me curiously.
Isn't that the billion-dollar question? Where's home?
~I don't know,~ I replied with a wink. ~If I ever figure it out, you'll be the first one to know. How does that sound?~
Harley smiled, a sad smile filled with empathy. "That sounds like the kind of answer someone gives when they know they're never going home."
Her words struck me like a ton of bricks because she had voiced the thoughts I was pretending to ignore, the voice that kept whispering to my ear that I would never find a way home, that this hell was now my home.
~Well, that's enough for one session. You need to go back to sleep, you're still quite injured,~ I replied, pulling a few medicines from my backpack that were sure to knock her out for another ten hours at the very least.
"It's not... healthy to avoid your demons, believe me, I would know...I'm… an… expert… in the… subject." Harley's eyes started to droop as the medicine took effect, and just as fast as she had woken up, she slumped against the pillows, fast asleep.
I stared at her for a few minutes before turning away, my heart heavy with sadness.
Would I actually find a way out of this hell?
And what would happen if I didn't?
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts of the overtiredness that was making my train of thought one less than optimistic. How long it had been since I had last slept? twelve days? At this point, I was running on coffee and adrenaline.
I really needed to sleep, to clear my head. But before that, I would tie Harley up so that she can't move even if she wakes up before me.
Then I would rest.
Maybe rest would clear my head, my thoughts, and hopefully a bit of my pessimism.
-----------------------------------------------------------
[Rachel Roth / Raven - Earth 16 / POV ]
It had been two days since David had disappeared, two days of no sleep. Two days of continuous research of every magical book I could get my hands on alongside Mr. Kent. According to him, we were making some progress, but it was still not enough.
It would never be enough until we brought David back home.
I had failed him, I had promised him I would protect him, that I would be at his side if Klarion ever came for him, and when push came to shove, I hadn't been there to save him, to help him, to fight by his side.
The team still didn't know about his disappearance. Only Mr. Kent, Batman, and I knew. At least to my knowledge, I had no idea if Batman had told anyone after I had informed him about the situation, and to be entirely honest, I didn't care.
My only concern was finding a way to bring David back.
"Young lady, you should rest. Your friend would wholly disapprove of this self-destructive behavior," Mr. Kent said to me as he walked into the room, a stack of books in his arms.
I glared at him. "He isn't here to disapprove of my behavior, isn't he?"
Mr. Kent sighed and placed the books down on the desk he was sitting at. "I understand your determination, your need to save him, believe I do, but if you don't take care of yourself, you won't be any good to anyone, let alone David."
I wanted to argue with him, but I knew he was right. I was running on empty, both physically and magically, and if I didn't rest soon, I would literally collapse from exhaustion.
"Fine," I said as I stood up from my chair and stretched my stiff muscles. "I'll go take a nap. I will be back in an hour."
Mr. Kent sighed. "Rest well. I will continue the research in the meantime."
I nodded before making my way to the room Kent had set up for me, my body feeling heavier with every step I took. Once inside the room, I closed the door behind me before I collapsed onto my bed. One hour. And I would return to the books. One hour. That's all I needed.
If you want to read up to 20!! chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz
Enjoy!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[David Lance POV]
I woke up to the sun shining through the window. Stretching, I turned to look at Harley Quinn, who was still sleeping just where I had left her last night. It seemed the medicines I had given her were still in effect as she was sound asleep.
Taking a deep breath, I walked to her and leaned over to check her temperature, and much to my relief, she was within the normal range.
Taking my phone out, I connected to the Regime's servers in order to see if the curfew they had set was still in effect, and sadly, it still was, meaning the streets were still probably full of armed soldiers.
Soldiers looking for Harley and me.
I sighed.
I honestly had no idea what to do now.
"Morning toots."
I turned around to see Harley awake and smiling at me. It was good to see her looking better after the beating she had taken, even if the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
~How do you feel?~ I asked, leaning against a wall.
"I feel like taking over the world!" Harley said, sitting up. "But Superduperdumb already did that, so, meh."
That's good.
~Can you move freely? Or would the wounds slow you down?~ I asked, giving Harley a look.
"Bah, don't worry about little ol' me; I'll be fine," Harley said with a giggle as she got out of my sleeping bag. "Just need to find a mallet or a bat, and I'll be a-okay."
That's a very optimistic outlook, especially considering the streets are full of soldiers, all of which have access to 5-U-93-R. I am confident in my skills, but even then, even if the soldiers don't know how to fight at all, thousands of super-powered beings were more than enough to overwhelm anyone.
"So, how fucked are we?" Harley asked, reading my expression.
~There's a curfew in place, thanks to our battle,~ I replied as I stared out of the window. ~And the Regime has put a bounty on our heads.~
Harley whistled. "Well, that's no fun."
Understatement of the century.
"So, what do you suggest we do now?" Harley asked, crossing her arms.
~Honestly, no idea,~ I replied.
Harley Quinn tutted. "That's not very helpful, y'know."
I shrugged in response. What else was I supposed to say? That we were screwed? That the Regime would eventually catch us and kill us?
------------------------
[Flashback - Training with Master Kirigi]
I turned to look at Master Kirigi as he entered the training room, making no sound as usual. ~Good morning, Master Kirigi.~ I bowed, showing respect to my teacher, or sensei, as he would often remind me to address him.
"Good morning, gakusei," Master Kirigi replied as he walked to the center of the room. "Have you completed your warmups for today?"
I nodded. ~Yes, Sensei.~
"Very well," Kirigi said as he turned to face me. "What is doubt to you?"
I paused, thinking about the question. Master Kirigi often asked me questions that made me think, and this was no different. ~Doubt is nothing but the lack of confidence, Sensei.~
Kirigi nodded, his expression unreadable. "Correct. And what is confidence?"
~Confidence is belief in oneself,~ I replied.
"And why is doubt dangerous?" Kirigi asked.
I thought about it for a moment. ~Doubt is dangerous because it can lead to indecision, and indecision can lead to death.~
"Excellent," Kirigi said with a nod. "You have learned well, gakusei. At least the theory of things that is."
I frowned.
"You are one of the most talented, if not the most talented student I have ever had under my teaching," Kirigi said, his voice cutting through the air like a knife. "However, out of all my students, your doubt is the biggest one I have ever seen."
I looked down.
"You allow your fears to control you, you learn, but you fear using knowledge, you train, but you fear failing, you advance, but you fear what you left behind," Kirigi said, his voice softening slightly. "I suppose it's only natural. This is, after all, human nature. You are not the only one with these fears, gakusei. But you must learn to overcome them."
I nodded.
"I understand overcoming one's fears is not an easy task. Unfortunately, we all must face our demons sooner or later, no matter who we are. You can't silence them for long," Kirigi said, taking a seat on the floor with his legs crossed. "You won't do this now or tomorrow. We face our burdens in our own time, so when that time comes, do not yield."
I nodded once again.
"Remember, wisdom comes from experience, and experience comes from making mistakes," Kirigi said. "So, do not be afraid to make mistakes, gakusei. It is the only way you will learn and grow."
~What if those mistakes could bring irreparable damage?~ I asked, looking at him.
"You can't live your life shackled to what-ifs," Kirigi replied with a serious expression. "Don't think of losing before the battle even begins. Consider only victory. Make defeat an impossibility in your mind."
~I understand, Sensei,~ I nodded.
----------------------------------------------------
[David Lance POV]
I had forgotten about that.
I was allowing my fears to make my defeat an unavoidable outcome.
I was letting the situation around me cloud my thoughts by welcoming despair into my heart. But, as Sensei once said, adversity is an opportunity for change, and change I must, if I want to prevail to overcome this and any challenge ahead of me.
I must consider only victory. Making defeat an impossibility in my mind.
~Harley, do you know how to reach Batman?~ I turned to Harley.
"Oh, sure thing, puddin'!" Harley said with a flirtatious wink. "But what's in it for me?"
I took a deep breath. ~Your life? I mean, if we stay here is only a matter of time before the Regime finds us.~
"You need to work on your sweet talk," Harley said with a deadpan before her eyes started to sparkle in pure mischievous wonder. "I will help you find the Bat, only if you go on a date with me. Take it or leave it, handsome."
This was going to be harder than I thought.
~Why?~ I asked, turning to look at her once again. I understood why the other Harley liked me; I had beaten her half to death, but why did this... ohhh, I get it now.
Well, fuck me.
"Oh, you know," Harley said, shrugging nonchalantly. "I kinda like you."
~And what if I don't want to go on a date with you?~ I asked.
Harley's face turned into a pout as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Then I guess we better start digging our graves."
I sighed. This demented girl was going to be the death of me.
~Fine,~ I relented. ~One date.~
Harley's face brightened up immediately as she clapped her hands in glee. "Yay!"
I feel I made a terrible mistake already.
Você também pode gostar
Comentário de parágrafo
O comentário de parágrafo agora está disponível na Web! Passe o mouse sobre qualquer parágrafo e clique no ícone para adicionar seu comentário.
Além disso, você sempre pode desativá-lo/ativá-lo em Configurações.
Entendi