7517/The Harley Hole

The Harley Hole
Date of Scene:	24 August 2021
Location:	The Harley Hole
Synopsis:	Harley is going to get info about Quellazaire no matter what! Babs turns it into Law and Order.
Cast of Characters:	Harley Quinn, Barbara Gordon

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Harley Quinn has posed:
It wasn't a secret to anyone in the know in Gotham that there was a feud going on between a certain crime boss and Harley Quinn. It had started with the demolition of some houses that were still under construction by her and Poison Ivy. Drunk? Or simply back to their evil ways? The Gotham Gazette seemed set on painting Harley as the villain, even if the news reports were *always* written up by the same reporter.

Truth was that there had been hits attempted on both Harley and Ivy. At a certain egg sandwich cafe where Harley was known to usually go for the BEST sandwiches in town (according to her), along with the attack on ArcTerra that had it closed for a couple of weeks. And now? Seems like Harley had had enough. Or maybe she was simply desperate. Requests had been sent out through less-than-reputable ways, asking for henches, for those that would want to join Harley Quinn in a crusade against the evil Quellazaire and take over her criminal empire! Was Harley back to being a criminal? Or what was going on here?

What's true is that the meeting place was tonight, by some old warehouse that Harley was calling 'The Harley Hole'. Lights were out inside and she was no where to be seen yet. What *could* be seen though was a throng of men that had gathered up, going inside the place. One asking. "Where are the lights?" then another, "The clown isn't here..."

But something definitely felt wrong. If one would look at these men it seems they are ready for violence. They are not here to be recruited. It seems more like they are on the hunt. For a clownette.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
    One of the core concepts behind the Birds of Prey was to have people you could lean on when you needed to. There was no need to go it alone, not when your gals are there by your side.

    Harley Quinn: 7 Unread Messages

    Oracle turns on the tracker because, let's face it, it seems doubtful Harley would have realised the Birds app was going to let her know that much about her. Something was off - Harley was a prospect, had supposedly turned over a new leaf. Even Wonder Woman had vouched for her.

    Babs hoped she had really turned over a new leaf. That was until she heard on the street through her contacts and on the web too that Harley was calling for recruits to fight a gang war with her.

    Hence the numerous unread messages from Oracle to Harley.

    Babs crouched on the roof top across the street, cape draped about her. A drone silently hovers in the air in the building having snuck in undetected. She's listening to the voices and watching the thermals. One thing for sure, it doesn't sound like the crowd is here to support Harley in her quest. More like try and rip her to pieces.

    "Oh Harley.. why do you never think anything through.." A gang war, the first sparks had been lit and now the tinder was in place to escalate in to a full on turf war. Surely Harley would revert back to her old ways in that kind of environment... and she was doing so well.

    Grappling gun is deployed, a line across to the building in question. She crosses above the street in silhouette and lands in a crouch. This is the kind of job she might normally send Steph, possibly even rope in Cass and Charlie... but this is Birds business and she's the Mama Bird. Harley is as much her mess to deal with as she is Batman's.

Harley Quinn has posed:
You see, Quellazaire had thought to pull one on Harley, by buying out the thugs that were keen to answer this 'call for arms', along with sending her own men to deal with Harley. Because Harley had provided such a nice little time and place on where she would be tonight. Really, all was coming together, and soon Quellazaire would avenge the slight both Harley and Ivy had done to her by defying her criminal empire. And such a rep boost it would be to take out such a notorious face!

Of course that Quellazaire should had considered that while Harley may be crazy (clinically proven!) she also isn't stupid.

As the thugs are making their way in, searching and seeking for somewhere to turn on the lights one shouts, "Found it!" a lever pulled up and lights slowly being turned on, revealing what's actually inside the warehouse. Old carroussels decayed in time, standing bars that tell of a circus, rusted now. It's clear this was used to store the old remnants of some circus or carnival.

The men are looking around, warily, the drone catching a good number of them there. But also ..., someone up by the wooden beams of the warehouse, out of sight, looking on at those on the ground. The clownette? Yes.

Spotlights suddenly turn on, fixed on Harley up above, "Welcome, gentlemen!" a beat, "To the Harley Hole." a gleeful smile on her expression. She is dressed in a tight-fitting Harlequin vest that covers her from chest to toe, half red and another black. Perhaps to send these men a reminder of *who* she used to be. "I see some familiar faces among ya. Why, even a couple that weah on the strike on ArcTerra.." her arms open wide as she tiptoes across the beam, showing incredible balance, "... attackin' me, and my bestie Ivy. Attackin' me I can fohgive. Let bygones be bygones.." she twirls on the beam, "... but goin' foh my bestie?" her expression hardens and she reaches behind another upright beam, taking out her large mallet. "That's unfohgivable, so ...." her hands tighten around the handle. "Ya gonna tell me wheah Quellazaire is."

And she throws herself from the high beam.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
    Oracle's eyebrows raise behind the cowl she wears and her eyes widen as Harley puts on a show. Just like the old days when people would get a serious beat down by the clownette. There is a lot of them. Harley is really showing why she's still a prospect and not a core member of the Birds yet by following a vendette all alone - seeking out violence with a honey pot.

    "Quinn...," she says under her breath and moves quietly along the roof top to the ventillation duct and removes it. She'd best get in position because despite Harley trying to go it along, that's not how Oracle works.

    She lets her algorithm start to pick out the optimal path for least casualties. Some of these people are armed with guns - they get priority over the ones with clubs and crowbars. Babs can think of a dozen or so better ways to find out where Quellazaire is hiding than to invite people to a personal beat down. Not in her city.

    Out of the airduct and on top of an old bit of circus affair in the corner, draped in shadows. The darkness is her friend and out comes a bat-a-rang. With practiced accuracy she throws it at the light switch. It hits with its spike and a small charge burns the wires connection the circuit and the lights go back out. Show times' over.

Harley Quinn has posed:
Somewhere on Harley's mind there's that little prick of a doubt that says these might be too many to take on. But there's a reason she dressed in the old harlequin suit, it makes her feel invincible in a way. And it still strikes fear on some of Gotham's denizens. Specially old henches, and that is visible in the way that some hesitate in reaching for their guns even if eventually they *do* bolstered by numbers.

Harley lands on a slide, going down it and then jumping, all the way to a pair of standing bars, making all use of that gymnastics background as she flips forward and lands on the floor, her mallet sending a man flying with a scream...

It's right when the lights get turned off too, only some from the streets visible or from the broken windows which makes it a *lot* harder for those with guns to find a good shot. At least without the danger of hitting a friend. Up close and personal though? That's where the action starts to happen.

"Remembah, ya only need ta tell me wheah she is and ya can go!" another scream. Yes, she is harvesting thugs with her mallet. No killing blows though. She knows better now. And April has been working on making sure she doesn't kill!

One of the thugs near the airduct points. "Take her out! Quellazaire is paying a small fortune for her head!"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
    That escalated quickly - but then this is Harley Quinn, should she have expected anything less? Time to strike some serious fear in to this crowd. Her grappling gun shoots down to the man with the most serious gun, a small uzi, then up to the ceiling and he is yanked up and in to the air, then unceremoniously dropped back to the ground with a thud.

    Babs tosses out in to the air a half dozen bat-flash-bangs. The room, darkened with the lights out sudden flashes like a thunder storm and the looming vision of a bat with wings spread flies across the crowd and lands in to it. From that section of the room, people begin to drop. A gun goes off and the ceiling is hit. Another head drops as he is pulled down, a fist upper cuts another and they pop up in to the air just briefly in the dim light.

    "It's the bat!!," yells one of the henchmen and there is a press to get to the doors because for some of the old timers the amount they're being paid ain't worth the Clownette -and- the Bat.

    Babs sees a man lifting up a gun pointed at Harley and a bat-a-rang flies out and the gun is knocked from his hand. A bat comes down towards her and she lifts up her armored arm to catch it, then returns the favour with a kick to the sternum.

Harley Quinn has posed:
With most of the lights being out there's a lot of wild swinging. There's a lot of screaming. And of cackling. Definitely cackling. Harley jumps over a pair of men that were trying to take a hold of her, the elusive clownette delivering a back kick to one when she lands, along with sending another flying with the mallet. Thank you Poison Ivy for that enhanced strength!

As the Bat finally announces itself with the flash bangs and scare tactics 101 that they are so known for there's a big wide grin from the clownette. "Yea, that's right! Bats is MY buddy now!" she announces proudly. Because he is! He had even visited her in her new apartment in Brooklyn. She was still upset for not having taken pics. Shame! (Yes, she thinks it's Batman).

It's when Harley spots the knock-out-of-hand gun and sends a thumbs up to the bat figure that she notices that .... "BATGIRL!" a kick in the nuts delivered to the man that had the gun previously.

"Don't let them all run off. I gotta have a woahd with 'em.." because yes, quite a few are already running off into the night even as a few still remain.

Eventually Harley finds herself near Babs, almost back to back. "How ya been? Do anything fun lately?" casual talk. Because casual talk is the best thing to do when beset by thugs from all sides.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
    Her cape is thrust in to one man's face even as there's a crunch from his knee where she kicks him, dropping him down and then giving him a knee to the face. A duck underneath another punch and she returns it with a punch to the kidneys.

    A steel baseball bat swings at her and she catches it with her armoured hand. A pull and then a push and she smashes the butt in to the man's face. It is mostly the younger guys who think it's a good idea to take on Oracle. The older ones can tell the difference between blonde haired Batgirl and red-haired Batgirl and just how much of an ass kicking they're about to receive.

    A guy tries to pick up the machine gun and she throws a bat-a-rang at it, pinning it in to the floor boards. "Oh you know, stopping Arkham from exploding and a mass break out of super villains, tracking down the infamous Harley Quinn when she doesn't respond to any messages Oracle leaves her. Jumping in to a band of goons she's lured to her to find information she could have gotten from Oracle."

    The mysterious Oracle. Babs keeps the truth of OG Batgirl == Oracle from all but her inner most circle. Right now, she is Batgirl and Batgirl is _trying_ _really_ _hard_ to trust Harley. Considering this is a person who once dangled her over a barrel filled with acid.. it's still hard to forgive and forget.

    An uppercut to a young guy who for a moment thought he was winning a martial arts fight with Batgirl but instead she was busy telling Harley off for inviting violence. It's then that Batgirl makes it clear she is trying to de-escalate things when her grapple gun shoots out and wraps around Harley's big hammer and then shoots up in to the air to drag it up. Harley is darned strong though, may be she'll just hold on to it and dangle for a bit. Call it.. time out.

    One of the older thugs who came along has been standing calmly to the side. No weapon, no fighting, just watching. He has the scars to show he's been around the block more than a few times with different villains as bosses. He's got the scars from fighting the Bats and their Sidekicks too.

    "I don't want no trouble Batgirl," he says and holds up his hands. "But if it's Quellazaire Miss Quinn wants, there's a building in Old Gotham, sunk part way in the earth quakes, half flooded. Disgusting place. Go through there, other side, brand new building back entrance - that's the only way in. Quellazaire stores her stuff there... she ain't paying me enough for proper loyalty, not like back in the old days."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Hilarious, amirite?" Harley replies with that gleeful smile over her shoulder. As if this had been her plan all along! Maybe it was! The clownette winks over her shoulder at the redhead just before dodging a swing from a crowbar, a sweep of her leg to get the man off-balance and then her mallet hitting the man on the chest. That's gotta hurt! It certainly knocks the wind out of that guy's sails!

And honestly, at least she was only dangler above a barrel, she wasn't thrown into one like Harls! See? She cares. "I noticed all the vibration goin' on with the comm buuuuut, I was already committed! Besides, heah ya awhe! I knew ya cared!" and then she is BETRAYED by having her hammer be pulled up. A bit of a scandalized, betrayed face as she gets disarmed.

"Or maybe I talk to soon! When did she get ta ya? WHEN?! I thought you guys weah incorruptible and--" Yes, she was starting to go on a tirade about Batgirl perhaps being corrupt when that older thug speaks up and shares where Quellazaire is. So she stops, hands on her hips. "Well, that was easier." she purses her lips together, looking around.

"NOW ALL OF YA GET THE HECK OUT OF THE HARLEY HOLE BEFOOUH I ACTUALLY GET NASTY!" she thunders out. Great lungs too. Thank Ivy for that as well.

The thugs noticed that there isn't much they will get out of this. And with even the more experienced ones backing out and actually relenting it means most starting wandering off, some dragging off unconscious thugs. Others left to the cops. But eventually they are left alone.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
    Hands go to hips, flaring her cape out as the hench wannabes flee when the chance is given. She's staring at Harley for a moment longer and says, "There are easier ways to get this information that don't involve hurting so many people." There are patches of blood on the ground, but at least the henchmen had a buddy system and helped those unconscious and hurt limp away.

    "You'd know that if you ever checked your comms. How do you expect Oracle to trust you if you don't trust Oracle?" Still, the thin line of her lips softens a touch. Harley wasn't exactly trying to start a war - but it was likely to start one regardless.

    "I can't believe you called this place the Harley Hole..." She hooks her toes underneath a spiked bat and with a kick she catches it in the air, then tosses it over to the wall and out of the way. "You need to be better than this Harley. You're a prospect for the Birds of Prey."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"That bitch needs to be taken out!" Harley justifies, opening her arms to the sides, lower lip turning up in a sort of stubborn little streak going. "She dared comin' foh my people. And no one does that and laughs about the issue!" except for Harley. "Isn't this what you do? Go out theah and beat info outta people too?" well, she might be sorta simplifying it! Or maybe she's just been hanging with Red Hood too much...

But eventually she droops her shoulders a touch, exhaling quietly. "You might be right. I shoulda had asked." a pause before she admits. "Ain't really used to the whole buddy system yet and woiking with others.." even if it saves lives!

Yet the talk about the name she got for the place? That makes Harley beam proudly. "It's fantastic, ain't it?" she nods to herself as if to confirm it indeed is, pearly white teeth showing in that wide smile of hers. "I should renew this, make it a cool place maybe.." gears already turning in her head until that last part comes.

"But how can I be bettah?" Is HQ actually asking for help?

Barbara Gordon has posed:
    "The answer is never more violence. We meet force with force only when necessary." At least, that's the way she learnt to do it from Batman and Robin back in the caped crusader days. "Fear is a far better motivator than violence. It's true, plenty of people fear violence. But you don't need to cram them in to a dilapidated warehouse meat grinder to get what you want."

    "As for Quellazaire.. the same applies. The only way to properly demotivate a villain is for society to press the thumb to them. To do that we have to obtain evidence of her illegal activities, in the act, so that she and her entire crew can be prosecuted by the law." Oh yeah, that's right, the Bats are goodie goodie two shoes when it comes down to it.

    What's not said is what's between the lines. Obtaining that evidence sometimes requires breaking a few bones because hardened criminals don't bend when the wind changes. "Work with the birds on this Harley. Show us you're a team player, you're one of us. This is your chance to prove to Oracle you are who she thinks you are." The implied unsaid words there.. not who Batgirl thinks you are.

    A touch of a button on her belt and the zip line holding the hammer up in the air unravels and the hammer drops back down for Harley. "And check your phone, may be next time Oracle doesn't send me..." Because she's not sure even the mighty Harley Quinn could have taken this many thugs on at once. As it is, Babs soaked up a number of hits that are going to smart and bruise once she takes off the armour back in the clocktower.