บท 18: Harley's little rebellion
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[Safebase] [Uncharted Island] [A few minutes earlier]
Harley stood at the center of the safebase, her gaze sweeping across the room filled with anxious yet hopeful faces. They were young, no more than children, mutants rescued from Magneto's lab. Their eyes were wide, filled with fear, confusion, and—surprisingly—trust. Mystique stood silently at the back, her yellow eyes narrowing as she observed Harley in silence. Despite the tension in the room, Harley exuded a strange charisma, an unexpected air of leadership. She wasn't the Harley Quinn most people knew; this version had a cause, and it was personal.
"Alright, kiddos!" Harley called out, clapping her hands together and grinning. "Listen up! Now, I know you're all scared—who wouldn't be after all that crazy lab rat stuff Magneto pulled, huh? But guess what?" She leaned in, eyes gleaming with mischievous excitement. "You're free now. And it ain't just me that helped ya get here. You all fought back too! You got powers. You're special."
The kids shifted uneasily, glancing at each other. Some had visible mutations—scaly skin, extra limbs, glowing eyes—while others looked deceptively human. They'd all been used and tortured by Magneto's people, forced into horrible experiments. Harley, of all people, had been the one to pull them out, and now she was rallying them for something much bigger.
"Magneto's not gonna stop," Harley continued, her voice dropping slightly, getting more serious. "He wants to control ya, to make ya into weapons. But here's the thing—he ain't the only one playin' the game. There's a lotta folks out there who'll try to use you. I'm not gonna lie and say we're outta the woods, but you're with me now, and I don't let my family down."
She turned sharply, pointing at Mystique. "Even this blue lady here knows what I'm talkin' about." Mystique raised an eyebrow but remained silent, her expression unreadable.
Harley stepped closer to the kids, her voice softening but still filled with energy. "You've all been through hell, but now? Now, it's time to fight back, and not just for yourselves. We're gonna show Magneto and the rest of the world that they can't mess with us. You don't need to be afraid anymore. You've got power, and when we work together? Ain't nobody stoppin' us."
One of the kids, a boy with silver eyes, raised his hand hesitantly. "But... we're just kids. How can we fight someone like Magneto?"
Harley's grin widened. "That's the best part, kiddo! See, Magneto thinks he's got everything figured out. He's all high and mighty with his big plans and fancy speeches. But you? You're unpredictable. And me?" She gave a dramatic spin, ending in a pose with her mallet over her shoulder. "I specialize in unpredictable. Now who wants some ice cream?"
The kids cheered, their faces lighting up with excitement. They followed Harley outside, chattering excitedly amongst themselves. Mystique trailed after them, her expression thoughtful.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Mystique stepped closer to Harley and lowered her voice.
"That was an interesting speech," She commented. "Where'd you get the idea?"
Harley grinned. "I used to run a children's therapy program back in my days then shifted from there to criminals. And one thing led to another and I ended up running a gang of lunatics. So, I've learned how to motivate people."
"You mean like thugs and drug dealers type?" Mystique asked.
"Thugs, thieves, cutthroats, insane people with mental problems, then there was this giant metahuman that I got killed by mistake. So, yeah, you can say that," Harley said as she remembered those bad days when she used to be a naughty girl.
"Wow... That sounds a lot of work," Mystique said. "How did you do it?"
"I had my own brand of crazy, but I also knew what made them tick. When you understand what drives people, you can reach them in ways others can't," Harley said, her eyes glinting with pride. "But enough about me. Where did that ice cream guy go?" She looked around the empty stall. Then decided to break open the ice chest with a little flick of her finger. "Aha!" she cried triumphantly, holding up a box of frozen treats. The kids gathered around her, cheering.
Mystique watched in silence, her expression unreadable.
"Alrighty, kiddos, dig in!" Harley said, handing out the ice cream. She turned to Mystique, grinning. "Here ya go. Blueberry burst for a blue lady."
Mystique blinked, accepting the treat. "Um, thanks."
Harley chuckled. "Don't mention it." She pulled out a cherry-flavored one for herself and sat down on the curb. "Now kiddos, after you finish eating and take your nappy nap, then we will continue creating our diabolical plan to overthrow Magneto and end this war. WHO IS WITH ME?"
The kids cheered wildly.
"IT'S TIME FOR A REBELLION!" Harley made a fist in the air.
"Rebellion!" The kids also followed along yelling that.
Mystique bit her lip, struggling to suppress a smile.
Nightcrawler teleported beside Mystique and flashed a white-toothed smile at Harley. "She would make a great X-Men. Kids love her. But why do they run away from me? I didn't do anything to them. I guess, it's because of my face. Sigh! Anyway, you don't think she was serious when she said she would take those kids for a rebellion against Magneto. Are you, Mystique?"
"Do you see the look in her eyes?" Mystique gestured to Harley playing with the kids, "She won't do anything to hurt them. It's her way of communicating with them. Let her be. So, you found anything about this Batman and Catwoman she was talking about?" She asked looking at Nightcrawler.
"Nothing so far. I tried to look around at night, but sorry... Other than a rumor about a meteor crash, nothing," Nightcrawler said looking down.
"You checked out that place?" Mystique asked.
"Yes, but there was nothing out of the ordinary in that area. I wanted to stay there a bit more, but some drones appeared in the area, so, I had to run away," He answered.
Mystique sighed. "Don't beat yourself. It's alright." She turned her gaze towards the children playing with Harley. "Looks like, Magneto might finally have his match. After seeing her fight and rip out those sentinels like paper, I think this time, we'll win."
"Too many good people died. I hope this is the final war," Nightcrawler added before he teleported away.
..
[Present time]
Harley was lounging on a beat-up old couch, feet kicked up, a popsicle hanging from her mouth. The kids were napping in the adjacent room, completely knocked out from the excitement of the day. Mystique sat nearby, quietly sharpening a knife. Every so often, her yellow eyes darted toward Harley, as if still trying to figure her out.
Suddenly, Mystique's communicator crackled to life. She tapped it once and brought it to her ear.
"Mystique," Cable's voice came through, rough but steady.
"Go ahead," Mystique replied, standing up. Harley's eyes flicked toward her, instantly curious.
"We've got a situation," Cable said. "Can you put on Harley and use the video call mode?"
Mystique glanced at Harley, nodded, and tapped a couple more buttons on her communicator before handing it over to Harley. Harley took it, popping the rest of her popsicle in her mouth. Cable turned the focus on Bruce.
"Is that a strawberry ice cream?" Bruce asked with a relieved smile as he saw Harley doing alright.
"..." Harley wanted to jump up in excitement. She found Bruce after all. But the kids were sleeping, so she ran out of the room then... "Brucey! Hey! Ya alright? Is Selina with you?" She asked out loud.
"Nope. No sign of her," Bruce said sadly. "But I'm glad to see you doing good. I was worried about you..."
Harley blushed. "Um... Yeah."
Bruce stood up, clearing his throat. "So, I heard someone blew up an island. Was that your work?" He asked, his tone shifting into that of a curious inquisitor.
"They were hurtin' little children and... I... I couldn't save some. That kid died before I could help him. It's... I don't know what this feeling is, but back then I was too angry and blew it up... We're good now, though. The bad guys are all gone. You ain't gonna scold me again, are you?" She made a mock sad-puppy face.
"I see. You went through a lot, I see. And I am not mad... Far from it. I'm glad you did that. So, tell me, you wanna fight Magneto?" Bruce asked, walking closer to a wall where the video-holo conference was showing him from the neck up.
"Fuck yeah! I do!" Harley jumped up with fire in her eyes, almost dropping the communicator. "I'm gonna burn a hole through his head with my heat vision."
"Alright. I'm coming to meet you. We'll discuss more there."
"Alrighty! Bats and Harl are on a mission to save the world. It's gonna be awesome!"
Bruce smiled and ended the call.
"C'mon. I'll take you to the base," Cable said as he suited up in a nano suit that somewhat resembled that of a sentinel. He flew away as Bruce also suited up and followed him behind.
...
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