In the Batcave, one of Bruce Wayne's many secret lairs scattered across Gotham, Batman stood in full gear. Alfred Pennyworth, his ever-loyal butler, was close by, observing with his usual calm demeanor. Nearby, a woman with two ponytails was nonchalantly warming her hands. It was Harley Quinn—or so it seemed.
Suddenly, a shock wormhole opened, and Su Sheng emerged with Barbara Gordon by his side, fully healed and standing on her own.
Batman narrowed his eyes at the sight. Did he really manage to cure Barbara Gordon? All the effort to push Harley Quinn out of Arkham hadn't been in vain, after all.
"Baby, it's so good to see you again! I've missed you so much!" Su Sheng exclaimed playfully, locking eyes with "Harley Quinn."
Su Sheng's enthusiasm caused Batman to walk over and unlock the supposed Harley Quinn from her restraints. As she was freed, Harley beamed and dashed toward Su Sheng, arms outstretched, seemingly eager for a hug.
But as she approached, something changed.
Su Sheng, who had been smiling, abruptly grabbed her by the neck. Harley's eyes widened in shock.
"Baby, what are you doing?" she gasped, her voice laced with confusion.
The others, including Batman and Barbara, were taken aback. No one had expected this sudden shift in Su Sheng's demeanor.
"What's going on?" Batman asked, trying to remain calm despite the surprise.
Su Sheng glanced at him with a smirk. "Why don't you guess?"
With a snap of his fingers, the woman's neck went limp, and Su Sheng tossed her lifeless body to the ground.
A stunned silence followed.
"Did you... did you just kill Harley Quinn?" Barbara stammered, her voice trembling in disbelief.
Su Sheng shrugged, unconcerned. "One, she's not dead. Two, that's not Harley Quinn."
"What?" Barbara exclaimed, eyes wide. "But she—"
Before Barbara could finish, the body on the ground began to melt, the once solid figure turning into a formless, muddy puddle.
"Mudface!" Batman growled, realizing the deception.
Mudface, or Clayface, was one of Batman's more notorious enemies. Transformed by Indian Hill's experiments, his body had become a malleable substance, allowing him to shapeshift and even turn his limbs into deadly weapons. Whether soft and permeable or hardened like rock, Clayface was a formidable foe who had slipped through Batman's grasp on more than one occasion.
It dawned on Batman then—Amanda Waller had tricked them. She hadn't let Harley Quinn go at all; instead, she had used Clayface as a decoy. It was a clever ploy: if Su Sheng didn't discover the ruse, Clayface could infiltrate his ranks, gathering information. But if Su Sheng did uncover the truth, his first suspicion would naturally fall on Batman, who had been the one to bring "Harley" to him.
"Damn it!" Batman cursed under his breath, realizing the full extent of Waller's manipulation.
Meanwhile, Clayface, now exposed, quickly reformed into a humanoid shape, his body covered in thick mud as he lunged at Su Sheng. A towering mud wall of aggression, he charged forward, intent on overpowering his captor.
But Su Sheng was unbothered.
Without hesitation, Su Sheng reached out again, gripping Clayface's neck. The shapeshifter tried to envelop Su Sheng's arm, believing it would be futile to resist.
"Fool," Su Sheng murmured, his voice low and dangerous.
With a sneer, Su Sheng activated the parasitic demon's power. Instantly, Clayface's form froze, his mud-like consistency beginning to dry and solidify. The life force that kept his malleable body active was being drained away.
"No! Let me go! What are you doing to me?" Clayface's panicked voice echoed as his once-fluid body hardened, becoming stiff and brittle.
Within moments, Clayface had turned to solid earth, his body a rigid statue in Su Sheng's grasp. With a flick of his wrist, Su Sheng shattered him, sending pieces of hardened mud flying across the Batcave.
"You… you killed him?" Barbara asked in shock, still trying to process what had just happened.
Su Sheng raised an eyebrow. "What, should I have kept him around for decoration?"
Batman stepped forward, still processing the events that had unfolded. "How did you know he wasn't Harley Quinn?"
It was a question Batman needed answered. He hadn't suspected anything himself, and Clayface's disguise had been near-perfect. Yet Su Sheng had seen through it almost immediately.
Su Sheng merely smiled, leaving the answer unsaid. In reality, his psychic abilities had tipped him off. When he had tried to probe "Harley" to learn how Batman had convinced her to leave Arkham, he had sensed something was wrong. That's when he realized this wasn't Harley Quinn at all, but rather an imposter. The realization had repulsed him, pushing him to act quickly.
Batman narrowed his eyes, still trying to understand Su Sheng's methods, but there was no time to dwell on it. Amanda Waller's deception had been revealed, and it was clear she wouldn't stop here.
Author's Note: Mudface is a familiar foe in the Batman universe. The portrayal of Clayface here draws inspiration from the American TV series "Gotham," where his powers and abilities were similarly showcased.