Controlling the Demons

I

It wasn't the first time he'd noticed her in his club. She'd stop in here and there throughout the week, just having a couple drinks before checking her watch and rushing away to some professional life. Probably in the business district of upper Gotham judging by her suits that were tailored perfectly to her curves. The club was always pretty empty during her daytime drink breaks while he relaxed above the dance floor in his private lounge. He always wondered why she ventured so far away from the safety of north Gotham for a couple of White Russians, but perhaps she enjoyed the ambiguity of it.

"Boss, we've got confirmation that Harley received the cell phone."

"Good." His latest headache to deal with. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered. It was only a matter of time before she made another mess for him to clean up after.

"Uhm," Jonny cleared his throat, "there's something else..."

He was lost in his mind and getting tired of the intrusion.

"What," He snapped.

"The Arkham guard. He said she got pulled to some black listed government program. It doesn't exist so he didn't know a lot of details, but he said she's gotten...close, to another inmate. Deadshot. They're inseparable whenever possible."

He took a deep breath and ran his hand over his slicked back, neon green hair, before turning to face the man.

"Find out how close. Perhaps it's time to retire this one to the toy box."

"Yes, Sir" Jonny left without another word.

They never lasted, his toys. Harley had such promise. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey for the bar, and went over to his leather couch. Just as milky white as his skin, and curved in a U-shape to accommodate his numerous business discussions held here, it held the most comfort money could buy. If he paid for such things that is.

He got lost in his thoughts, eyes never leaving his mysterious regular.

"As you can see, we are well on our way to harnessing the most energy possible from the device, while maintaining an acceptable dose level according to the current Nuclear Regulatory Commission guidelines."

She was a master at presenting. One could almost be fooled into thinking it came naturally. She never fidgeted with her suit jacket, or wrung her hands nervously, only occasionally did she have to push her black wayfarer eyeglasses back up to the bridge of her nose. Her cherry black hair was pulled back into a tight ballerina bun, with side swept bangs shading the right side of her face.

It was her public persona, fueled by a raging fire of well-hidden bad habits. She always thought she'd have a bad ass job managing a nuclear powered military vessel, but it became clear soon after graduation that she was more suited for a less stressful position. Perhaps it was the bad habits that limited her reach. Either way, this was just acting. Five days a week, putting on a mask. Doing exactly as expected by society.

This was the culmination of a yearlong project. She wasn't sure why Bruce Wayne had tasked her with such a project, or why it was even something that concerned the play boy. However, today it was over with and she'd be starting her two-week vacation. Two weeks of being handed over to the freedom of her demons, and the inner peace that most people would never understand.

High school had been rough, but college was even worse. That's where most of her demons found her. It'd barely been two years since graduation but her demons had grown much faster. However, being such a control freak had its perks. No one knew what she did off the clock, and they didn't need to.

Her fingers twitched nervously as she watched the clock tick on towards 5 o'clock. She wouldn't even need to go home; she'd packed last night. All of things were already waiting in a pay-by-the-week rental in downtown, across from her favorite bar. She had enough cash to cover the first few days of her binge, and a meeting at the Smile & Grin with a dealer she'd met in college.

The Smile & Grin was her escape. In downtown Gotham, it stood out from the deserted warehouses surrounding it. Of course, that part of town was notoriously known as the Joker's playground, but it never seemed much different crime wise in the light of day from anywhere else in Gotham. But then again, she wasn't prepared to stay on the better side of the law anyways. She was ready to let go, relinquish control to the demons that haunted her nightmares.

As soon as the meeting was released, she said her goodbyes and caught a cab to the apartment to change and head across the street to the bar, strip club combo.