NOVEL WEB Ch: 8 [A freakin’ demon!]
Harley went to the group waiting for her outside the gate. She ran to Mystique, who was now in a human form. "I saw you transform earlier, Blue. Can you transform into anyone? Even me?"
Mystique nodded weakly. "Yes, but it takes a lot of effort... and I'm still weak."
"Hehe! Neat!" Harley replied with a grin. 'Should I use her to prank Bruce? Nah. Later...'
The kids gathered around Harley, looking up at her with admiration and awe. One of the older boys stepped forward, "Super Harley, thank you for saving us!"
"Aww, you're welcome, kiddo. You should all head home now. Your parents must be worried sick," Harley said warmly, patting the boy's head.
"They are all orphans," Mystique informed Harley.
"Huh? Wait, what?!" Harley blurted out in surprise. "But... Then where do they live?"
"They used to live at the academy, but now it's gone. They have nowhere to go," Mystique explained.
Harley scratched her head, "Well, shit... That ain't right. Okay, you kids listen up!" She spoke loudly, addressing the children, "I'm gonna take you to a place called Wayne Tower. I'm pretty sure, Alfred or Foxy will take care of you there." She then looked at Mystique, "So, how far are we from Gotham?" She asked.
"Gotham?" Mystique asked back, surprised at the sudden question. There was no Gotham in this reality since this is an entirely different multiverse.
Harley nodded. "Yeah, ya know, Gotham City. Big ol' city with Batman, Catwoman, Poison Ivy... Ya know?"
Mystique shook her head, "I've never heard of Gotham City or Batman, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy..."
Harley's eyes widened, "What?! No way! Not even Wonder Woman? Or me, Harley Quinn? What about Commissioner Gordon? Alice? Joker? Lex Luthor?" She asked, scratching her head in confusion.
"I... I don't know," Mystique replied, her expression growing more concerned. "Who are you talking about?"
Harley sighed, 'Well, shit... I gotta find the others. Maybe Bruucy knows somethin'.' After a lot of thinking, nothing came to her mind. So, she decided to ask Mystique, "Uumm... So, you have a place or something where these kids can stay? Like a shelter or something like that?" She asked.
"Yes. But we need to get out of this place, fast," Mystique said in her weak voice. "We'll need a big boat to get to the land. Magneto must have noticed what happened here. So, we need to get out of here before he arrives." She stood up with a groan, but her knees buckled underneath her, and she nearly fell. Harley caught her just in time.
"Don't push yourself, Blue. You're too weak. Let me handle this," Harley reassured Mystique as she helped her sit on the ground.
"There should be a dock on the north of the island," Mystique informed Harley, pointing in the direction. "There must be boats there."
"Stay here. I'll take care of everything. Kiddos, look after her. I'll be back in a jiffy!" Harley said before flying away.
Mystique watched as Harley disappeared into the distance. "Be careful..." She muttered, feeling a sense of unease.
------
Harley arrived at the dock.
She landed softly on the wooden dock, the boards creaking under her boots. The boats ranged from small speedboats to larger fishing vessels, but one in particular caught her eye. It was a large yacht, big enough to carry everyone to safety.
"Alright, that'll do," Harley muttered to herself, hopping aboard. She inspected the controls and found the yacht surprisingly easy to operate. After a few minutes of fiddling with the controls, she had it running. "Well, seems to be working." She flew down and lifted the yacht off the water, carrying it over her head. She flew back to Mystique and the children, lowering it as gently as possible.
"Time to go!" she shouted as she landed beside them. She scooped Mystique into her arms and motioned for the kids to follow her.
"Come on, Blue. We're gettin' outta here."
Mystique groaned softly, her body still weak from the experiments. "Thank you... For everything," She whispered.
Harley grinned, "No sweat, Blue. Now, let's get ya all to safety."
The kids followed, some limping, others barely managing to walk. So, Harley helped them up after placing Mystique on the deck.
Once everyone was safely on board, Harley steered away from the island. The sound of waves crashing against the hull was the only noise as they left the island behind. Harley watched it fade into the distance. She turned to Mystique, who was leaning against the railing, watching the horizon with tired eyes. "You kids'll be safe now, but we can't let this island stay. It's too dangerous. You said Magneto's gonna come back, right?"
Mystique nodded slowly, her voice weak. "He'll know something happened soon. He has ways of tracking us."
Harley clenched her fists, her eyes narrowing as she looked back at the island. "Then I'm gonna give him a nice gift."
Without waiting for a response, Harley rocketed into the sky, the force of her takeoff shaking the yacht. She hovered high above the island, her eyes glowing with red energy. The entire island sprawled out beneath her, a dark reminder of the horrors the children had endured.
"Let's see how you like this, Magneto," she muttered to herself.
With a deep breath, she unleashed her heat vision, twin beams of red-hot energy slicing through the atmosphere. The beams hit the island with devastating force, cutting through rock and metal like butter. She swept her gaze across the entire landmass, ensuring nothing was left untouched. The buildings crumbled, the trees ignited, and the ground itself split apart under the intensity of the attack.
Once a fortress of terror, the island was reduced to rubble and flames.
Harley hovered for a moment longer, watching as the smoke rose into the sky. She felt a strange satisfaction in the destruction, knowing that no one else would suffer there. With a final burst of energy, she focused her heat vision on the island, causing an explosion that sent a shockwave across the ocean. The island sank into the ocean.
"That oughta do it," she said with a smirk before flying back to the yacht.
Mystique was still leaning against the railing, though she looked better than before. Her strength seemed to be returning.
Harley landed next to her, grinning widely. "Ya feelin' better, Blue? It's done," she said, crossing her arms. "No more island. No more labs."
Mystique sighed with relief. "Thank you, Harley. But we're far from safe. Magneto will come after us... and the rest of the world isn't much better."
Harley raised an eyebrow, leaning against the railing. "What do you mean? Who's this Magneto guy anyway, and why's he got his sights set on kids?"
Mystique was surprised to hear someone asking who is Magneto. But still decided to tell her. She spoke as her gaze fell to the floor. "Magneto... He's a mutant, like me. He believes that mutants are superior to humans. He declared war on humanity just after the war with Thanos. After Tony's death, everything fell apart. He was the only one keeping Magneto at bay... Most of the heroes who used to protect the world—people like the Avengers, Shield, Fantastic Four, and X-Men—they're either dead or missing. The world's in chaos. Thor, Dr. Strange, and Wanda went missing soon after... It's just... hopeless," She explained.
Harley listened intently. Even though she had no idea what Mystique was talking about, she understood the gist of it. Mutants are similar to Metahumans and they are at war with humans and heroes she never heard of. That was bad enough. But the fact that the world was in chaos without heroes to protect it was even worse.
'Maybe this is my chance to shine. Super Harley, kicking Magneto's butt and saving the world from chaos!' Harley thought with excitement. She then turned to Mystique, 'But what if things go wrong like last time? What if Magneto has something like that weird vortex that sucked her and the others?' She quickly shook off that idea. 'No! Gotta find Bruce and Selina first! Then we'll kick Magneto's butt together!' Harley smiled brightly, "Don't worry, Blue! We just need to find Batman and Magneto is as good as dead."
"If you don't mind me asking, you aren't from here, are you? You don't know Magneto or the war between mutants and humans, do you?" Mystique asked Harley. "And you are super strong. You destroyed those sentinels and those mutant guards. So..."
Harley scratched her head awkwardly, "I have no idea. I mean, I guess, I'm not from here? I mean, I'm from Gotham... Arggg! We need to find Batman fast!" Harley sighed in frustration. "Hey, Blue, you said Magneto is gonna come after you, right? So, where are we going?"
"Sigh!" Mystique sighed. She knew about the multiverse and after seeing Harley's power and her lack of knowledge about this world, Mystique concluded that Harley was from another reality or timeline. But it was a blessing. With Harley's help, maybe things will change. And if this Batman person is as strong as her, then maybe, just maybe, they can turn the tide of war. "Don't worry. Someone will pick us up soon."
Soon, a man appeared with a wisp of black smoke. Blue skin and hair, bright yellow eyes, and a tail. Harley jumped up in surprise, "Holy shit! A freakin' demon! He even got a tail!"
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