The room was thick with the weight of confusion, and the air felt too heavy for Harley to breathe comfortably. He turned to look at his doppelgänger, who was still sitting there, looking utterly bewildered, like he had just been thrown into the middle of an acid trip without warning.
"So, uh," the other Harley began, his voice still hoarse from the tape, "what exactly is going on? Why am I tied up in my own room by a dude wearing red spandex and a mask?" He glanced at Deadpool, who was dramatically adjusting his katanas like a bad action movie star.
Deadpool puffed out his chest. "Well, I'm Deadpool, obviously. Merc with a Mouth, bringing chaos wherever I go. And this?" He gestured at Harley and his alternate version. "This is a classic case of multiversal nonsense. Get ready for some high-octane confusion, my friend. You might want to sit down."
The other Harley's eyes narrowed. "You seriously expect me to believe this?" He shifted uncomfortably, trying to adjust the tape around his hands. "You all look like comic book characters. I should probably just call the cops—"
"Oh, no, no," Deadpool interrupted, holding up a hand. "Please don't do that. The cops around here don't take kindly to guys who look like they just rolled off the pages of a graphic novel. Trust me, you don't want to know what happens next."
Doctor Strange sighed, cutting into the exchange with his typical gravitas. "Enough. We're wasting time. The longer we stay in this universe, the more we risk unraveling its stability."
Deadpool groaned. "Not the whole 'breaking the universe' speech again. You really need a new opening line, Doc. It's getting old."
"You don't understand," Strange said, his tone sharpening. "Every time someone from another reality interacts with a universe they don't belong to, the structure of that universe is weakened. We don't know how much time we have left before the fabric of this reality begins to tear."
Logan, who had been silent up until now, stepped forward and gave the alternate Harley a once-over. "So, let me get this straight. This universe has no superheroes? No mutants? No superpowered beings at all?" He sounded almost disappointed.
The other Harley shook his head. "Nope. Miami's as normal as it gets. If you're looking for Spider-Man or Thor, you're gonna be disappointed. It's just regular people here. I don't even like superheroes."
"Well, that explains a lot," Deadpool quipped, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "But you know, if you need someone to tie up in tape or wreck a villain's day for you, I'm your guy. Otherwise, yawn."
"Deadpool, shut up," Harley muttered, rubbing his temples. His doppelgänger was staring at him like he was some strange mirror reflection, unsure whether to laugh or scream.
He turned to his alternate self, trying to settle the situation. "Listen, this might be hard to understand, but we need your help. We're not just here to mess up your life—well, at least not intentionally. Something's gone wrong. This reality, or rather, your universe, is starting to fall apart. And I think it has something to do with us being here."
The other Harley squinted. "And you thought I could help? Look at me—I'm just a barista. I make coffee, I complain about the weather, and I try to make it through each day. I'm nobody important."
"You don't know that," Doctor Strange interjected softly. "Every universe is different, and every individual plays a role in the greater design of things—even if they don't realize it."
Deadpool rolled his eyes. "Boring! Let's just make a plan to fix this multiverse mess, huh?"
Strange nodded. "The timepad—the device we used to travel here—was damaged in the previous jump. We need to find a way to repair it. And the sooner we do that, the better. But that requires us to go to a specific location in this universe. A place I believe your version of Harley would know."
"Okay, I'm lost," Harley admitted. "What's so special about my version?"
"This version of you," Strange said, "might be just the one to help us stabilize the fabric of this universe."
"Great," Deadpool muttered, "so we need him to fix this mess. If he's anything like you, though, we're in deep trouble."
The alternate Harley looked like he might pass out from confusion. "You're telling me that you need me, some random guy in Miami, to save the multiverse from… whatever? This is insane."
"I know it sounds crazy," Harley said gently. "But I can't explain it all right now. All I know is that I don't belong here. Neither does Deadpool, or Logan, or Strange. We need to get back to where we came from, but the timepad's broken. That's why we need your help."
The alternate Harley opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, a loud crash came from downstairs. The door to the house slammed open with a violent bang, and heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway.
"Uh… that's not good," Logan muttered, instinctively reaching for his claws.
Strange's face tightened. "We don't have much time. Something is coming."
"Who is it?" Deadpool asked. "Is it a multiverse bouncer, or did we just stumble into a bad episode of Scooby-Doo?"
Harley turned to face the stairs. "We'll find out soon enough."
Another crash came from below, louder this time. Whatever was coming, it wasn't going to be a simple knock at the door. Something—or someone—was after them. And Harley had a sinking feeling it wasn't going to be a friendly encounter.