Chaos, thy name is Tara...

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

After making an excuse to ditch Garfield, Tara frinds herself prowling the Tower. It's not the one she remembers in the East River, that's for sure. For one, this has a more sophisticated lab. Looks like Victor the Tin Can has a hobby these days.

The good thing about being a goddess - things bend around you, curve left when they should go straight. A tweak here and a tweak there...

Creep-o Kory And'r stalker, demented clown, Bat-Brat's least favorite gardner, some stick-up-her-ass Bible thumper, and a couple people that she could care less about. This "Dark Angel" character sure had a beef with the Titans to call out an army like that.

Not like Terra ever minds. She's going to finish what she startred, and no one else is gonna screw this up for her.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harley_quinn_/]

Harley turned around. She'd been headed to the cargo bay with a suspicious Hugo in tow while trying to convince him that she wasn't going to kill everyone. Well, at least right now.

Unfortunately the only thing Bette had to vouch for her was breakfast foods. Harley crossed her eyes as if that would actually help her to see Bette. "Omelets? He's getting testy, we're going up against Dark Angel and Ivy and all you've got is omelets? Sheesh!"

Harley stopped as she walked into the lab. This wasn't where she was supposed to be. "Where the heck are we anyway?"

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"I know... I know I suck. Totally... I ..." Bette looks around as best she can manage. "You went left. Should have gone right. We've really, really, really got to get out of here. Now." She's still sure that Kory is going to show up and kick Harley's ass.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harley_quinn_/]

Harley looked around the room. It looked like a combination of a garage and a mad scientists lab. She noticed one of the other stand-ins in the room. "Uh-oh. Houston we have a problem."

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

Terra's reacquainting herself with this Tower. When she was kicking, they had their set-up on the East River. This one was pretty much the same layout, it looked like. Security systems were a bit more sophisticated, but four years of being outta the loop will leave you behind on things.

Hades. Deathstroke. Bah. Hades was getting his. As for Deathstroke....hmmm...
shallow grave or bottom of a quarry? She pulls up the general files. Looks like this Aurora broad had basic access only. Nothing damaging aside from a couple shifts on com detail...rats.

So, Slade's boys are both smoked, huh? So why didn't I see... Her lips curls up in a smile at the mention of a disk. Well now...brains on a disk. Would be a real shame for some iron filings or magnetite to get in that cabinet...

Aurora responds by digging out Tara's memory of death and throwing it at her, along with her own memory of bring trapped in a clandestine lab. Sociopaths like Tara are often unable to experience emotion like most, so the sensations Aurora is blowing her direction are unfamiliar and distracting.

Shit. Beast-girl was getting better at knowing where to hit.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harley_quinn_/]

Harley put on her most charming grin and widened her eyes. All the better to look innocent with, my dear.

"Hey! You're that chick Terra, right? What are ya doing? And what is this place anyway?"

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

Terra smiles. She knows the "sweet and innocent" look. It's one of her most relied-upon tools. Don't con the con artist.

"Nerve center of Titan Tower. Wanna have some fun trashing the place?"

[starfire-kory.livejournal.com]

"Luum!" Starfire flies in and gathers her son in her arms, blasting out the window in their quarters to make a fast exit.

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

What the --?

Vic checks the security system. Epicenter at...his lab?

Cyborg to Titans. What the hell's going on? I'm talkin' to you, Terra!

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

"Harley's springing that guy who's replaced Starfire's hubby!"

There's the sound of punches, the clatter of equipment, breaking glass.

"Oh, you will SO pay for that, clown."

Another round of shaking commences.

[gar-logan.livejournal.com]

Walking down the hall, he feels the small tremors coming from the lab, and sighs, calling down a hall.

"Vic, are you testing that..."

That's all he can get out before the floor gives out under him, losing balance, not regaining it before smacking his head against the wall with a solid impact and quite audible impact, wincing and holding himself from falling any further, palms against both the floor and his head, already dropped to one knee by the hit, groaning.

"...Whuhada hell...?!"

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

It's said by a good many bouncers that the worst fight one can break up is between two women who have lost their reason. This is a textbook example of why.

Harley's got Terra by the hair with one hand. Terra's sunk her teeth into Harley's wrist, enough to break the leather, and both of them are surrounded by a tornado of concrete chunks, metal objects, and stones.

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

Vic dives through the doorway, and lets loose a broad sonic blast. He really doesn't care about collateral damage at this point: the girls have done enough.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harley_quinn_/]

Harley rolls from the blast. She's got blood in her eyes from where a chunk of masonry hit her in the head and her back is bruised.

All through this she's been concentrating too much on fighting to listen to Bette. But there's still a chance. "Cyborg! Terra's been possessed or something! I was babysitting Lumm and saw her sneaking around and decided to follow her and found her trying to destroy the lab! Is the baby okay?"

Harley really does hope the kid's okay. He was awfully cute.

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

Funny. Terra said you were trying to help Starfire's stalker. How about you both KNOCK IT OFF and we'll get this straightened out like civilized people.

Kory? Cyborg. What's the status with you and Luum?

[gar-logan.livejournal.com]

Taking his hand from his aching skull, he fumbles with his com, and tries to make sense of the quake, contacting the others.

"Gar to...uh...someone. Did we just say hi to...mmpf...an asteroid or what?"

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

A little problem between Terra and Harley. In my lab. Can you find that guy who was bugging Kory, please?

[gar-logan.livejournal.com]

Confused, he sits for a moment.

"Between whonow...?!"

Why the hell would Terra be fighting with Harley? They usually get on so well...

Holding his head, he replies.

"I can try, but I got all wanged up by the wall when that 'quake happened."

Slowly getting upright, he walks step by step, using the wall for support, if only slightly.

"I doubt I can do much more than walk, let alone run, dogpile or divetackle Vic, not without K.O-ing myself anyway."

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

Just find him and keep an eye on him, then.

Goddammit!

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

There's a pause that feels too long, especially with tin-can's shiny boomstick pointed her direction.




Terra clutches her aching temples. "Say something or get outta my skull!" she shrieks.

OK, so she's amping it up a bit, but you use what tools you have.

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

The sonic blaster is on narrow-beam, non-lethal when it hits Terra with a full-force blast in the chest.

[alt-minds2.livejournal.com]

They're out.

[gar-logan.livejournal.com]

Arriving at the door to Cyborg's lab, he peeks in slowly.

Smashed objects scattered everywhere, new hole in the wall, female body lying on the floor...

He does a double take at the blonde haired figure.

"TARA...?!"

In seconds flat, he quickly dives down, checking for a pulse or any other injuries she might have sustained.

Feeling a pulse, he remembers to breathe again.
Looking over, he sees Cyborg, and he can feel both his fear for Terra's life and anger at her swift takedown seep through into his voice.

"Jesus, what in the hell happened here Vic...?! World War Goddamn Three...?!"

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

Pretty close. Harley was trying to deal with the stalker, and Terra started attacking her. Screaming kinda crazy things by the report of it. When I asked her about it, she started screaming at voices in her head, to get out.

Take her to the cells, Gar. Make her comfortable, but lock her in until Tempest gets here and gives her a clean bill of health. We don't need a repeat of what happened to Wally with the JLA.

[gar-logan.livejournal.com]

Gar's suprise doesn't lessen much, especially with Cyborg's "shopping list" of Tara's offences and problems.

Trying to get a grip, he doesn't protest, knowing arguing will get him nowhere. Especially with Vic.

"Agreed. But...the cells?"

Sighing at the choice of secure room, but complying anyway, he carefully scoops Tara up in his arms, lightly kissing her forehead, whispering to her as he carries her off.

"I don't know what you did exactly, or what's wrong exactly, but we'll get through this...together."

[http://users.livejournal.com/_harley_quinn_/]

Not long after everyone left Harley snuck back into Cyborg's lab. She'd gone to her quarters--Bette's--whoever's, and cleaned up from her fight with Terra. Ribs were wrapped, cuts had iodine and Harley had soaked her wrist in alcohol.

One thing she had learned tonight, using the truth in her lies had paid off. Plus it was a lot easier to keep track of. Her life was starting to look like a bad episode of Star Trek or Buffy, and she was loosing track of who was who. Time to get out of Dodge.

She moved quickly, looking through Cyborg's lab for anything useful. Some things she put back on shelves or on tables and others went into her purse. Puddin' had always made fun of her carrying such a suitcase but more than once it had saved her life and she was glad of it. Besides, a utility belt like Batsy's would make her hips look huge.

She couldn't find anything. Wasn't every tech geek supposed to have a jet pack hidden somewhere? Harley moved to one of the big cabinets, picking the lock as quickly as possible.

Harley looked inside and grinned. "Jackpot." She had found Cyborg's closet to hide his Christmas presents. She carefully took them out one by one, envying the cool looking game controller and the high powered sun lamp.

There, at the bottom, was the fanciest pogo stick Harley had ever seen. There were no tags on each of the gifts yet, but she had a feeling this was meant to be hers. Or Bette's. Maybe Cyborg had been making something for Bette and it got changed into a pogo stick when Harley took over her life.

Harley groaned. "You know what? I'm just gonna damn well take it. Sorry Bette, it's been nice knowing you but I want this spell to end soon. I'm starting to have an identity crisis and I don't think I can handled a dissociative disorder on top of being psychotic. Who the hell's bright idea was this anyway? Oh, right, Elvira's and Ivy talked me into it. I have got to find Mister J, he might be crazy but he's not confusing at least. Well, most of the time."

Harley continued to grumble under her breath as she checked out the stick's controls. Oil slick. Jet engines. High bounce. It was made for her, which oddly enough made her feel guilty for taking it.

She gritted her teeth and trying to think of the her first act of violece that she would commit as soon as she got out of this mess. A can of spray paint was on one of the tables. She picked it up and shook it up before writing a message on the wall.

There's more than one wolf in sheep's clothing, but this wolf is going home. Thanks for everything. Harley Quinn.

Beside the note she drew a little picture of Kilroy, only she gave it a little Joker's cap.

"Right. Time to blow this pop stand!" She hit the high bounce button and the pogo stick immediately started to go, nearly causing her to hit her head on what was left of the roof. She adjusted her controls and hit the jets, aiming for the hole in the wall Terra had blasted. In next to no time she was outside and flying over the Bay. She could get used to this!

"WHEEE! Boingy! Boingy! BOINGY!" Some of her good cheer was coming back now that she didn't have to worry about angry aliens or getting blasted. Some good food, some violence, and a bath tub full of Calgon and she'd be okay. And she got to pull the rug out from under Ivy. "Not a team player my red and black butt!"

Maybe next time Ivy wouldn't get in between Harley and her Puddin'!