Harley Quinn Romance 3

Chapter 18: Needing a Favor

The battle on the top floor was long over by the Batwoman arrived. The defeated were being restrained, and the injured were having their wounds bound. Batman was kneeling beside Ra's. Surprisingly, the former head of the League of Assassins was still alive, but his skin was pale and covered in sweat. Batwoman only caught the last few words that passed between the two men.

"Thank you for the offer, Detective," Ra's wheezed. "But, I don't want to be saved. I've done terrible things in my many years, some I even regret. I'm sure handing you the League won't be one of them. It may be the best thing I've done with my long life."

Ra's reached a trembling hand up, and before it could falter, Batman took hold of it in a firm grip.

"Put the League to good use," Ra's implored, fighting to get out each word. "Promise me; make my life and my death count for something, Detective."

"I promise," Batman answered.

Ra's smiled faintly. His eyes closed, and he breathed his last.

Batman moved Ra's arms to place both of the man's hands across Ra's chest.

"Rest in peace, my honored enemy," Batman whispered.

Looking over his shoulder, Batman noticed Batwoman and stood to face her.

"There were some serious vibrations we felt up here," Batman told her. "Perhaps explosive in origin."

"Talia fled into a chamber beneath the building where she had a lazarus pit," Batwoman explained. "I collapsed the only way in or out."

"What?" Batman demanded.

"She threatened to reveal your identity to every criminal in the world," Batwoman defended. "She has the pit and shelves of supplies to keep her alive for ages. She also has sharp nails, so she should be able to dig her way out in seventy or eighty years.  By that time, her information won't be worth anything."

"Imprisoning Talia won't stop her followers from doing the job themselves," Batman mused. "I'm going to need to call in a favor."

                                                                                                    ***

The press conference was a flurry of questions heaping on one another to the point where a single one couldn't be coherently identified. Bruce held up a hand for their attention so he might continue.

"As a soon to be father," Bruce went on, "I have other priorities than being at the office all day. I have no doubt my good friend, Lucius Fox, will do an excellent job running things in my absence."

Another explosion of shouted questions filled the air of the plaza in front of the Wayne Enterprises building, but one was yelled at a louder volume sufficient to be discerned from the rest. "Does this have anything to do with Conglomerated Industries taking several lucrative government contracts?"

"No," Bruce denied. "I can assure you, the only reason I'm leaving Wayne Enterprises is to be with my family. Thank you all for coming."

Questions surged from the crowd of reporters like a flock of startled pigeons, but Bruce ignored them, leaving the podium and striding down the stairs to his waiting limousine.

Harley pulled up to the curb on her red and black motorcycle. Taking off her helmet, she waved to Bruce, who smiled and turned in her direction.

A large van parked nearby opened the sliding panel on its side to let out two people dressed all in black with automatic weapons in their hands. The guns spewed bursts of fire and bullets. The closeness of their target prevented any chance of a miss.

Bruce kicked over backwards in a spray of red. The gunmen jumped back in the van, and the tires screamed as it pulled away. Harley dropped her helmet and sprinted toward where Bruce had fallen. Reporters were crowding around and snapping pictures, but she shoved them out of the way. One photographer refused to take a hint, so Harley punched him in the face to get him to move.

"Bruce!" Harley screamed when she saw him and the spreading pool of blood on the sidewalk under him. She tore open his shirt to find more than a dozen wounds, all of them bleeding profusely, and she didn't have enough hands to cover them all. "Somebody call for an ambulance!"