Obsessed with Harley

Chapter 05: Leading the Charge

Scott left the meeting in bewilderment. Although he had the idea for how to pull off the raid, he didn't have a clue as to where and how to appropriate the needed vehicles in the time allotted. The attack on Penguin would be in a matter of hours, and Scott didn't know how he was going to make it happen.

"Great idea you had in there," Harley praised after she came skipping down the hall to join him.

"As a guard, I know about holes in security and police response times giving criminals advantages," Scott explained. "But as for how to actually pull off the heist, I don't have any experience."

"I do," Harley said, smiling sweetly at him. "You need trucks, so how about a truck rental yard? Sneak your guys in, drive right out and to your destination. It won't matter if the owner calls the cops as you'll be dragging the whole force in when you start shooting around the government building."

"That might work," Scott said. He stopped walking, pausing in the hallway to face Harley. "What about the drivers and gunmen? How do they get away, or do we care?"

"Joker's warehouse," Harley replied, handing Scott a slip of paper with an address written on it. "It's loaded with fireworks. Put some in each truck and set them off when your guys are ready to leave. No cop will want to walk through a shower of fireworks, so the goons will get away clean. By that time, report of the attack on Penguin will have reached them, and the cops will give up the chase to come deal with us."

"Incredible," Scott marveled. "Are you the reason Joker succeeds in his jobs?"

Harley's smile faltered. Without another word, she turned and briskly departed down the corridor. Scott stared after her, wondering what he's said wrong.

***

Scott crouched with his team of gunmen and drivers outside the truck rental yard where the vehicles were kept. Only a chain link fence separated him from his goal. Having loaded up with fireworks before arriving here, the team was ready for their mission.

While waiting for the patrolling security guard to complete his rounds and return to the small shack near the front gate, Scott's thoughts returned to Harley and the abrupt end of their previous conversation. Harley had been happy and smiling until Scott mentioned Joker succeeding because of her plans.

Scott mentally kicked himself for being so stupid and not seeing it before. If Harley was behind the Joker's successes instead of the Joker himself, the clown's ego might not have been able to handle it, taking out his frustrations on Harley for his own shortcomings. Harley's plans made Joker successful but also frustrated and enraged. Scott could clearly see why she didn't want to talk about it as it might make things worse if Joker overheard them.  Making a mental note, Scott decided he'd apologize to Harley when he got back, assuming he survived tonight's endeavors.

The guard, not seeing the people crouched in the nighttime darkness beyond the fence, departed from the main area of the truck yard. Scott clipped the chain link fence, rolling back the metal partition to open the way inside. The thugs temporarily under his command split up in teams of two, each heading toward and appropriating their own truck. Scott hopped on the running board of one of the vehicles as the driver finished hot-wiring it and revved the engine.

The guard came running to investigate the noise, but Scott fired a few shots in the man's direction. Although nowhere close to hitting, the gunfire encouraged the guard to get back inside the security booth and stay there. Scott wanted the guard out of the way, but having formerly been a guard himself, Scott had no intention of killing the man simply for trying to do his job.