One by one, she hurled the dolls at Batman. They tumbled across the floor with dull thuds, rolling in every direction.
Batman remained completely unaffected. He strode forward without hesitation and reached out toward Harley Quinn.
"Answer me now."
He bent slightly, bringing his masked face closer as he interrogated her.
"Ah."
Before he could finish, Harley's fist snapped upward and struck his mask squarely.
The impact caught him off guard. His head jerked back with a muffled grunt, and blood immediately began to flow from his nose.
"Get lost, Batman."
Harley's voice was casual as she pulled out a collapsible steel rod and rushed him without hesitation.
She had no superhuman abilities, but her confidence in combat was absolute.
That confidence lasted about half a minute.
Batman closed the distance and struck back without mercy. A clean punch sent her staggering, followed by an elbow that snapped her head sideways. Her right eye quickly swelled, turning red.
Before she could recover, Batman grabbed her and slammed her against the wall, one hand locking around her neck.
"Tell me. How did you escape Arkham? Where is the Joker? What are you planning?"
Harley's expression shifted instantly into exaggerated innocence.
"I really don't know. You hit me so hard. I think I need a hospital. Can you take me?"
Her eyes flickered, still smiling faintly.
"Talking dolls are on sale tomorrow, and I just want one. I don't know anything about explosives."
Batman said nothing. He clearly did not believe a word.
Before he could press further, sirens echoed outside the toy store.
He paused.
Realizing he had no more time, Batman released her and prepared to hand her over.
"Time to say goodbye again, Batman."
Harley tilted her head. "Next time we meet, I hope we reach at least one sixth understanding. No, maybe one fifth. Yes, one sixth mutual understanding, so you don't break my face and I don't ruin your nose again."
Batman ignored her completely.
He fired his grappling line and vanished through the shattered ceiling.
"Don't move."
Police stormed in moments later.
Harley raised her hands immediately, obedient as ever.
From a distant rooftop, Batman watched silently as she was taken away. He activated a small device from his belt and accessed a tracker signal.
He had planted it during their fight without her noticing.
But as he followed the signal, his expression tightened.
The device showed Harley had already left the police vehicle just two blocks away.
Something was wrong.
---
Metropolis.
Eric sat in the farmhouse living room with Rachel beside him, both watching television.
The phone rang suddenly.
He picked it up.
It was Martha.
After a brief conversation, Eric ended the call and set the phone down.
"Brother?"
Rachel had already moved in front of him, looking up curiously.
"Is it Mom?"
"Yes," Eric replied. "She'll be back soon. It's about the senator position. The state government wants her to consider taking Dad's place, so she needs to meet them."
"A senator?"
Rachel blinked. "So Mom is going into politics?"
Eric gently pinched her nose. "You really pay attention to everything, don't you?"
"I saw it on TV," she said quickly. "My memory is really good. Zatanna said my vocabulary is already above middle school level, so learning spells will be easier for me."
She smiled proudly, clearly waiting for praise.
"You're definitely smart in your own way," Eric said, patting her head.
Rachel immediately brightened.
They returned to the sofa.
The television suddenly switched to breaking news.
Wayne Bank in Metropolis had been robbed.
Eric's eyes narrowed slightly.
That place looked familiar.
He remembered Clark's incident with the red kryptonite ring and the chaos that followed. The bank had been caught in the middle of it.
Bad luck seemed to follow it.
But the news quickly escalated.
The robbers were not only holding hostages, they were demanding something far more specific.
They wanted Superman and Homelander to appear.
Eric's expression changed.
At the same moment, his phone rang again.
After a short exchange, he learned the truth.
The attackers were linked to the Suicide Squad.
They were using the hostage situation to force him and Clark into the open.
Eric frowned.
He immediately called Bart.
"Take Jenna and the Wonder Twins to the scene. Observe only. If Clark runs into trouble, assist him."
There was a pause on the other end.
Then Bart agreed and ended the call.
Eric leaned back slightly, thinking.
Then he stopped.
His expression darkened as a memory surfaced.
A vision from Ms. Nancy. Deaths. Bart. The Wonder Twins. Lana.
A cold unease settled in his chest.
"Wait."
Bart had already been about to leave.
"What is it, Eric?"
"Change of plan. All of you stay home. No one moves. I'll handle this myself."
There was a brief silence.
"Understood," Bart said finally.
The call ended.
Rachel stepped closer immediately.
"You're leaving?"
"I'll be back soon," Eric said.
"I want to go with you," she said quickly.
"No," he replied firmly but gently. "Mom will be home soon. If she sees no one here, she'll worry. Stay here."
Rachel hesitated, then nodded.
But her expression stayed uneasy.
Something felt wrong, though she could not explain it.
---
Metropolis City Center Bank.
Black Spider stood near the entrance, holding his weapon low as police sirens surrounded the building.
"This is a terrible idea," he muttered. "Tell me again why we're doing a bank robbery for publicity?"
Killer Frost stood calmly beside him. "Because it works. And none of you had a better plan."
Deadshot glanced at her briefly, then toward Harley Quinn, who was happily counting stacks of cash inside the lobby.
"I remember you were arrested for robbing banks," Deadshot said flatly. "So this is personal."
Killer Frost did not deny it. "Maybe I enjoy watching institutions like this suffer. And Amanda Waller approved it. So technically, it's not even a crime right now."
Deadshot said nothing.
After a moment, he asked, "Where is Boomerang Captain?"
Black Spider replied, "City Center Hospital. He said he was going to investigate Superman and Homelander sightings there."
Deadshot frowned slightly.
"He went alone?"
"I don't think he planned to just investigate," Black Spider said quietly.
---
Metropolis City Center Hospital.
Lana walked through the corridor carrying a bouquet of flowers, heading toward Jonathan's room.
Martha had left briefly, so Lana offered to stay and help.
She moved through the hallway, then slowed.
A man stood near an office door.
Hat pulled low. Backpack slightly bulging.
Something about him felt off.
Boomerang Captain glanced at her once, then looked away.
He entered the office.
Without hesitation, he pulled out his weapon.
The blade flashed.
A security guard fell instantly.
The room froze.
Doctors and staff stared in shock as blood spread across the floor.
Boomerang Captain raised a hand calmly.
"Relax. I'm not here for a massacre."
He dropped his backpack and revealed a compact device.
"I just need your help. I need surgery. Something inside me needs to come out."
===
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