Mrs. Luthor

24

     Smoke flooded from buildings. Metropolis seemed almost vacant. There was no sign of the Superhero flying in the skies. An ambulance sped by Lex and I. My eyes followed it, the lights flashing, and spinning, made me nauseous. I felt my face scrunch.

"Are you alright?" Lex asked gently.
"I'm fine."

     We continued walking. I smelled fire. I saw groups of tall, gray, muscle massed figures going in and out of buildings. They threw anything in their way with ease. Growls echoed through the windows of emptied buildings as they were displeased with their findings. Or lack there of, was more like it. Lex and I crouched through alley ways, hid in dumpsters and ran past many wounded individuals taking their last breaths on the chilled, gravel, streets. There was a thin layer, a very thin layer, of snow spread over the cement.

"Where would Harley be?" Lex asked.
"How would I know? I'm not even sure which buildings are still stable!"
"She didn't tell you?"
"We were supposed to meet her in Gotham days ago Lex!"

     We continued navigating the streets. They were so familiar, but so foreign at the same time. All around me was familiarity, all around me was introductory. Others we passed in hiding had no expressions painted across their face. They stood there. Explosions set off in the distance. With hearing it a tear spilled from their eyes, but their expression remained. I took the lead nervously. Lex became look out from behind as we, slowly but surely, made our way towards the only place I thought to go.
     As we approached my old apartment complex, I jiggled the doorknob. It was not only open, but the door itself almost fell off of its hinges. We ran up the stairs. Blood splattered the walls, hand prints covered the doors. I reached the room I once called home. Cautiously, I opened the door. There was silence. Peaking my head the living room was empty. We scurried in, shutting the door behind us. Creaking filled the space. Lex looked around anxiously. I began striding towards my old bedroom. Familiar laughter bounced off of the walls. With a sigh of relief I opened my bedroom door. Mr. J and Harley sat on what used to be my bed. There were still candy wrappers tainting the floor and bourbon stains on the carpet. The bottle of Kentucky Mash I had drowned in some time ago, however, was shattered to pieces across the floor.

"Watch your step." Harley smiled. She jumped up, embracing me in a hug. "Good ta see ya Meers!"
"I was starting to think you bailed on us." Joker stated grudgingly. He puffed on a piper that was in his hand.
"Nah! I tolds ya they wouldn't!" Harley assured him.
"Have you taken a tour of the city yet, Creatrix?" He hadn't called me that since we'd met.
"I suppose." I shrugged lightly. Lex walked in. 
"Why here?" Lex asked them.
Joker laughed menacingly. He walked towards him. "Why not numbnuts?" Lex began to back away, head cocked to the side, but Joker grabbed his shirt, pulling him close. "I needed your girlfriend to be able to find us. I need her help. I need her to...well, create something."

     His face was close to Lex's. I watched, feeling internally defensive. "Harley dear, give me that." His free hand pointed to a shard on the floor. Without thinking, Harley skipped over to retrieve a piece of a broken glass bottle. Instinctively, I stepped towards him to grab it from him, but Harley placed a hand on my chest, standing between us. She shook her head innocently.  I watched as Joker held the glass to Lex's face. Lex wiggled slightly, but deemed it unnecessary. He didn't have the advantage here. "I need your lovely genius of a lover to do something I know she won't want to. But she would, wouldn't she, if she agreed your well-being was on the line."
     I stared at the shard in his hand as it gracefully grazed Lex's cheek. His blood dripped marginally. Joker had a plan, it seemed, and he wanted us all on board as his minions.  Though, if I wasn't mistaken, Joker never seemed so fond of Lex to begin with.

"What am I making?" I asked. Joker shoved Lex to the side with a grin. 
"She speaks! Unless you want to be part of Darksteid's reins I say you find a sustainable way to make that stronger than it already is. I want it to be transported without anyone knowing what it is." He pointed to a cylinder container.  "We're all friends here. I promised Harley nothing would ever happen to you. So, here I am, making sure you're safe. As long as you sit here and figure this out for me." He motioned towards the equipment on my 'used-to-be' work desk.
"What is it?" I walked towards the container.
"What is it? Oh, silly woman. Why, it's gas."
"Laughing gas?" Lex chimed in.
"Shut up!" Joker growled, throwing the shard at him. "No!" He took a deep breath to stabilize himself. A slow smile formed. He tried to appear calmer than he was. "Mira, it's a  Fear Toxin."
"What am I supposed to do with that?"
"Figure it out. I need it transportable. Rather, Dr. Crane needs it transportable. We're tired of sticking uncooperative people with needles. As fun as it is to watch them squirm, I can't say it's time efficient. Neither is putting them in chambers."
"I--"
"Thank you. Dr. Crane wants it solid. Not a gas, or liquid, we have that already. Ah, we knew we could count on you." I looked over towards Harley who, to my surprised, was looking at me almost sympathetically. "Look at it this way. This time, you'll be stuck in here with Lex. I'm sure he might be able to help. But as for you Lex, I need a favor."
"Hm?"
"The schematics for Doomsday--"
"What's he got you doing his dirty work for him?" Lex spat, cutting him off mid sentence.
"Tsk Tsk Tsk, did no one teach you manners?" Joker forced Lex's knees to buckle, catching him by the chest with his hands. "Winded are you?" He pulled a small gun from his back pocket. "Don't play with me Alex." He shook him, the metal resting on his forehead. "I'll blow your brains all over the sheets. She'll have the honor of watching. You get it?"

     Joker let out an erratic laugh as he nodded to Harley. He walked out the door, amused with what had happened, and paused in the hallway. I could still feel his presence. Harley walked over to us, clipping little gadgets on to our ankles. I was on house arrest...again.

"Sorry" she whispered to me almost inaudibly. Spinning on her heels she skipped out of the room with a smile. The door slammed behind her. Lex was coughing as he sat on the floor, his back to the wall. I sat in front of him to inspect his cut. It was still bleeding. I stood to retrieve a pillow, and ripped it open just enough to take some stuffing out. I dabbed the wound as if I had gauze. He watched me wearily with his lip twitching. His hands were firmly grasping my knee.

"That presumptuous clown! I'd like to see his blood froth while his body is nothing more than engulfed in Darksteid's combustion of pandemonium!"