**Chapter 102: Harley's Betrayal**
Meanwhile, back at Arkham, Slade and Harley were following the instructions given to them by Barbara to the tee.
With her digital overview of the place, it was easy for them to move without encountering any inmates or patients… ones that were alive at least.
"This place is a mess…" Slade muttered as they passed more and more bodies along their path. His tone didn't carry pity; instead, it was more like he was mocking the place as a whole.
At this time, Harley seemed a bit lost in the clouds, not saying as much as she did before. Earlier, they had encountered a numbered cell in the intensive care section, and although it was empty, Harley had paused to look at it for a bit, her expression looking complex.
Since then, she hadn't been her usual whimsical self, following Slade quietly and not commenting anymore.
Slade obviously noticed the change and could guess what brought it about, but he didn't comment. In truth, he didn't care whether she lived or died, so he gave her no hints regarding what Arias had instructed him.
Before long, the duo arrived at the target location as they heard Barbara's voice resonate within their earpieces.
"[Just up ahead, the back trace is definitely coming from the cell up ahead.]"
Slade listened and approached the cell cautiously; it had more bodies around it than any other that he had seen. What's more, all the bodies had clearly died from having their collars detonated.
He quietly peeped into the cell but found it was empty aside from some bodies decorating the cold floor. The first thought on seeing this was that the remote was likely on one of the victims on the floor, but Barbara's next sentence quickly ended that train of thought.
"[Wait, the signal is coming from beyond the cell. There's some sort of bunker behind. One sec, it's not hard to open…]"
Slade listened while Harley stood near the end of the cell with her hand against the wall. A moment later, the wall released a mechanical sound, causing her to retract her hand.
The wall soon split in the middle and began to open in opposite directions, revealing a hidden room behind.
The room was actually quite small but looked fairly cozy, having the various necessities one would need in such an emergency and then some.
Contrary to what Slade thought, only a single figure was present in the room. And upon seeing the door open, he panicked and leaped off the sofa he was seated on, pointing a strange remote device towards Slade.
"I have a visual, operator. We've found the package," said Slade in a nonchalant manner, his gaze focused on the man's hand.
Hearing Slade's words and seeing the lack of a collar, the man was quick to jump to his own conclusions. "Finally! A rescue team. You're just in time. I don't know how long I could have lasted before these animals found me!"
The man wore a smile, feeling he was saved. "I'm the warden, Quincy Sha-."
Pew~
Before the man could formally introduce himself, Slade put a bullet through his head with a silenced pistol before picking up the remote. In the next moment, he crouched down, tossed the remote toward Harley, and began searching the warden's pockets.
Harley caught the remote and looked at it with some complex thoughts, and a few seconds later, she turned and ran away.
"Hey!" Slade called out but didn't pursue.
After Harley's figure vanished, Slade just sighed and shook his head. "Spook 2 took the bait."
Hearing this, Barbara didn't know what to say, not knowing the message wasn't directed at her.
"[I see, you're free to act.]" At that moment, Arias's voice resounded on what Barbara thought was a secure communications channel.
But seeing Harley's dot moving further away from Slade on her monitor, she quickly put two and two together. "[She's going to free the Joker!]"
…
Harley Quinn moved fast and soon burst into the surveillance room, her eyes scanning the area until they landed on the Joker. He was sitting in front of a set of monitors, a twisted grin on his face as he watched the chaos unfolding on the screens.
Harley's hand tightened around the remote she was holding, the one that could detonate the collar around the Joker's neck. She had it within her power to end him, but she hesitated, her emotions warring within her.
The Joker turned his head and looked at her, his eyes bright with amusement. "Well, well, well," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Look who decided to come visit me."
Harley took a step forward, her eyes fixed on his. "You left me to die," she said, her voice quavering with emotion. "Do you even care about me?"
The Joker's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing. "Care about you?" he repeated. "Oh, Harley, you really don't understand, do you?"
Harley's grip on the remote tightened. "Understand what?" she demanded.
The Joker stood up, his eyes blazing with madness. "I don't regret what I did," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "I left you to die because I knew you could handle it. I knew you were strong enough to come back to me, and look at you now. You're stronger than ever."
Harley's eyes filled with tears. "I...I don't know if I can keep doing this," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The constant pain, the danger. I don't know if it's worth it."
The Joker walked towards her, his movements predatory. "Of course it's worth it," he said, his voice softening. "You're my Harley, my partner in crime. Without you, I'm nothing."
Harley looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "Do you mean that?" she asked.
The Joker's grin widened. "Of course I do," he said.
Harley's hand wavered, the remote slipping slightly in her grasp. She knew that she had a decision to make, and it was tearing her apart inside. She looked at the Joker, her eyes filled with sadness and anger.
"You left me to die," she said, her voice shaking with emotion. "You left me to die, and you expect me to just forget about it and move on?"
The Joker's grin faded, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "You know that's not how this works, Harley," he said, his voice low and menacing. "You know that this life comes with risks, with sacrifices. You knew what you were getting into when you joined me."
Harley's grip on the remote tightened, and she felt a surge of anger course through her veins. She knew that the Joker was right, that this was the life she had chosen. But the thought of him leaving her to die, of him not caring about her, was too much to bear.
She took a deep breath, her eyes fixed on the Joker's. "I can't do this anymore," she said, her voice low and quaky. "I can't keep living like this, always on the edge, always wondering if you're going to leave me to die again."
The Joker's expression hardened, his eyes blazing with fury. "You think you can just leave me, Harley?" he said, his voice rising. "You think you can just walk away from all of this?"
Harley raised the remote, her finger hovering over the button. "I can and I will," she said, her voice resolute. "I'm not going to live my life in constant fear and pain. I'm done."
The Joker lunged at her, his hands reaching for the remote. "No, you're not," he said, his voice filled with madness. "You're mine, Harley. You belong to me."
Harley pressed the button, and a loud explosion filled the room. The Joker's eyes widened in shock as he realized what had just happened. The collar around his neck had exploded, killing him instantly.
Harley looked at his lifeless body, tears streaming down her face. She knew that she had made the right decision, that she couldn't keep living like this. But the thought of losing the man she loved, the man who had become her everything, was almost too much to bear.
She fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. In that moment, she felt extremely lost.
It didn't take long for Slade to find her, but even he was surprised by the scene. Barbara was equally shocked as it displayed on her monitor that the Joker's collar had detonated.
…
Seeing this result, Arias reclined into his seat with a smile. It couldn't be said that Harley's choice right now was purely hers. Her character wasn't the type to be independent.
She couldn't survive without someone to lean on, someone to care for and provide her attention. Even if it came in the form of physical and emotional abuse.
With this in mind, Arias knew he couldn't replace the mark Joker left on her and the love she had for him… but he could break it.
The few times he shared the bed with her, he could tell it was a mechanism of clinging to someone. She wasn't the first person like this he had met, but she certainly was the most far gone.
During those nights she spent near him, Arias left subliminal messages inside her mind, causing her to doubt the Joker and see Arias along with the environment he presented her in a positive light, making her think that as long as the Joker lived, she would be abandoned again.
In the end, the choice still fell to her, and now that she had done it, her entire world came crashing down. She was truly broken.
But to Arias, he could now rebuild her and become the anchor she so desperately craves. Such a thought made him chuckle. However, Harley
was only a side task during this operation.
He still looked forward to what the main goal would bring.