Unwanted Heroics - for Harley (from Nexus Crossings)

[termineur]

[From here]

The portal opens into what looks like a long-abandoned warehouse. There's an office on the second floor, with windows that would usually overlook the rest of the warehouse floor. Right now they're all covered with blinds. But there is the occasional shine of light thrown against them, so there's clearly something up there. Sylar walks up the creaky metal staircase and heads towards the door to the office. "Home sweet home, for the moment," he explains, with a gesture. "I know it's not much, but we've been on the move and trying to stay 'off the grid'."

The door itself opens a crack, then all the way, revealing a shorter man with dark hair and a handsome face. He frowns at Harley, concerned. "Sylar, what-"

"This is Harley," he says. "She's a friend. She's from that place I keep disappearing to."

The other man stares at the two of them- particularly Harley's glittery weapon- and then shakes his head. "We don't have time for this," he says, sounding frustrated. "I just got info from Ma. I have to go get Claire."

Sylar scrunches his nose in displeasure. "From Angela," he says flatly. "And you're going alone, Peter? No, don't think so. C'mon, Harley and I will back you up." He gestures towards Harley, as if trying to display a game show prize. Maybe Peter will listen and not just run off and do his own thing for once??

Comments

[sweetcandygirl]

"You got a great gift. Betcha it is all based in your noogin'..." She reached out and taps Esposito on his head. "I would hate to see it get affected by this Joker Toxin."

"It makes one go mad. Laughing mad." Harley leans in and grins with Cheshire Cat manner.

"So you would have to pretend really good. Cause I would hate to have to use this."

[termineur]

Esposito is not entirely cowed, regardless of his cowardly display. However, the fact that this poison is actually labelled as a toxin? Well, it's a word that sticks in his mind. He looks frustrated, but sighs and nods- and then falls back to the floor, letting his body go limp as he closes his eyes.

Sylar seems all right with this, but does make a flicking motion towards him, which results in telekinesis thumping Esposito's head harshly against the floor. "I'll head out while he's dazed. It's about time for the party, after all. Huh, fellas?" he says loudly to the guards down the hall.

Said guards have done their best to regroup. He runs at them, but then disappears into a doorway, bullets hitting the hatch-like door in his wake.

Most of the guards disappear after Sylar, but one very large man passes the door on his way to Harley. His eyes are sharp and determined as he glares at her. "On the ground, now!" he shouts, gesturing with his assault rifle. If this woman took out their Evo (and plenty of their men), he's going to take her seriously. "You are in violation of Accordance Nine-Fifteen B of the UN Evolved Humans Pact, and as such I am authorized to shoot you. And you won't come back like Miss Petrelli. So I suggest you comply."

[sweetcandygirl]

Harley watches with approval as Sylar thumped Esposito to a dazed state. It will help their situation. She watches him run at them, and disappear into a doorway.

Leaving her alone with a very determined guard.

"Oh oh!" Harley raises her hands, the stuffed toy still in her hand. She steps forward, and drops to her knees for a second.

"That sounds serious..." She snaps her fingers. And grins. "But just like my ex would like to say... you too serious... you should laugh more."

She pulls a pin on the stuffed toy and throws it at the man. A greenish-purple mist starts coming out of it as it lands at his feet. Harley is pretty sure that these guards have never had to deal with something like the neurological effects of the Joker Toxin. It will start with a giggle. Then he will start laughing and laughing. And he will find everything so funny... he will kill himself with a smile on his face.

[termineur]

Any plans that the short, fat, bald man on the floor might've had disappeared when he started hearing O'Dell start giggling. Esposito had been gathering his courage, figuring he could jump into someone's body once he wasn't the center of attention. He could fix the situation pretty quickly from there.

But one of the most hardened ex-military men on the ship was now laughing- not just laughing, he was howling like a maniac. Esposito watches as the guard seizes, falling to the ground not too far from where the fat man was playing dead. In horror, Esposito scrambles backwards a few feet on his hands and knees.

His watery, terrified eyes meet Harley's, and it's safe to say he's now taking her fully seriously. This is not the sort of shit he signed up for on this job. He drops back to the floor and pretends to be knocked out like his life depends on it.

There's a loud shriek down the hallway, a woman's voice yelling at the top of her lungs. "Leave him alone, you bastards! Just leave us alone!!" It's opposite the direction Sylar went, so it's probably not him.

[sweetcandygirl]

Harley only uses the Joker Toxin when absolutely necessary. And when her life is on the line, she considers it necessary. She gives a side-glance to how Esposito scrambled backwards, and drops back to the floor.

"Good boy. Stay." She grins at him.

Harley reaches for her mallet again, steps pass the laughing guard, and sprints down the hallway towards where she hears the woman screaming.

Sounds like trouble. And hopefully she can solve the issue.

[termineur]

The noise is down a couple corridors and must be against the side of the boat- there's actually the occasional porthole to show the waters outside. There's the sound of bullets pinging against the walls and of meaty 'thwacks' as Harley approaches.

The blonde woman almost knocks directly into Harley as she runs around a corner. She looks pretty much exactly like Sylar had, except she's wearing a full pajama set- or it used to be full long-sleeved pajamas. Now they were tattered and bloody, although the woman didn't seem any worse for wear. Regardless, this is clearly Claire Petrelli. She has a determined snarl on her face as she assesses the situation.

Claire takes one look at Harley and decides not to waste this chance. Steading herself by holding onto Harley's shoulder, she says, "You came here with Peter, right? He needs our help. We've got to go back."

[sweetcandygirl]

"Back through the stupid goons firing at you? Okay?" Harley grins. She gently places Claire up against the wall, where she can take a moment to heal. If anyone knows the pain of being shot, and then healing, and then being shot again, it is Harley Quinn.

"Take a breather, Claire. I gotcha."

"Oh!" Harley glances back for a second, "Harley Quinn, by the way."

And she heads down the hall where she fully expects more guards with guns. She is going to head right towards them, ignoring any shots that hit her, and start aiming her mallet at the heads of guards. She has done this plenty of times before, tapped into the adrenaline of the fight, and letting herself get shot at. Her enhanced healing is pretty good. And if Claire can get this far.... Harley can help clear the way.

"Hey! Stupid heads. You all are charged with breaking the Stupidity Law 567.890. And for that... Mr Mallet would like a word with you..." She screams, as she charges towards her first target.

[termineur]

Claire is clearly ready to argue, used to being told she's stupid for wanting to jump into (or back into) danger. But Harley tells her to take a breather, and that gets through her beginning of an argument. She steps lightly on the leg that's currently less shot and leans against the wall.

She doesn't really understand until Harley heads down the hall to deal with the problem, and then she lets out a disbelieving laugh and says, "Well, okay. Thanks, Harley." Of course, Harley is busy quoting Stupidity Laws at the soldiers right now, but that's more than okay.

Harley will find she's being shot at, which is probably not the most surprising thing ever. The soldiers, meanwhile, are really not expecting someone other than Claire. The first couple soldiers get thoroughly bludgeoned with Mr. Mallet. Peter is not too hard to find. He's behind a couple of others, crumpled on the floor and clearly unconscious. They've left him on the floor while they focus on Harley.

[sweetcandygirl]

The guards might not expect that ... much like Claire herself... Harley has enhanced abilities. So when she is shot -- she just ignores the pain for the moment. She channels the pain into adrenaline and uses it as rage to attack the guards who are trying to hurt her. She is a woman unchained right now. Fury herself, as bullets do draw blood, but do not seem to stall or deter Harley from her goal.

She won't rest until she can free Peter from the guards surrounding him.

And for that ... the guards might be out of their element right now.

This is madness at its purest.

[termineur]

The guards definitely don't expect Harley to be shrugging off bullet wounds. This team doesn't immediately let up. They've gotten reports of 'an army or something' of Evos blowing through the carrier, so they're ready for a fight. They just figured it was going to be more than this one woman.

Joke's on them, though- they can't handle this at all. And the remaining guards start to panic as she knocks her way through them. Someone's bones crack as he's thrown against the wall, another crumples into his own little pile on the floor, not all that far from Peter.

It might be a little surprising to Harley, but Claire is right behind her by the time she makes it to Peter. She'd spent the whole fight cursing that her regen was taking as long as it was to expel all those bullets. As soon as her legs would both support her, Claire run after Harley. "Is he-? Peter!" She falls to her knees in front of him, and he still isn't moving. Face down on the floor, a small pool of blood leaks out from his torso- it seems that he managed to get shot, as well. Claire is frantic, grabbing and squeezing his hand. "Peter, goddamn it. Take my power, take it. I'm not- I can't leave without you, you asshole. I won't."

After a long delay, he finally coughs out a breath. Claire squeezes her eyes shut, forcing herself not to cry in relief. She'd thought she'd gotten him killed.

[sweetcandygirl]

Harley is still riding that adrenaline high for a moment, and just stands there, ready for any other guards who might come their way -- leaving that moment for Claire and Peter. It will take her a moment to collect her mind -- and tap into her doctor skills to help with the injured Peter.

She leans down, blows a strand of hair out of her face, as she checks over Peter for any other injuries she can help with.

He might be a bigger man himself. But Harley has enhanced strength -- and it might seem out of place for a small framed woman like herself to just kneel down, and pick him up in her arms. But she does it.

"Okay Claire. Keep focused here. We ain't out of trouble yet."

"We have to get out of here."

[termineur]

Claire continues to hold onto Peter's hand for a few seconds as Harley checks him over. There's nothing else obviously wrong with him- in fact, a bullet slides out of the hole in his chest and clinks on the floor as Harley goes to pick him up.

Claire nods at Harley's declaration, refocusing. There's something in her that's trying to be serious, as they need to be, but a smile keeps peeking through. This is the most hope she's had in a long time.

"Right. Right, so- did you both come here in a boat or something? Or do we need to steal our escape plan? I'm pretty sure they've got lifeboats in the back, and sometimes there's helicopters..." She wishes she could give Harley more information, but the guard that chatted with her was always too careful to mention arrivals and departures.

[sweetcandygirl]

"We actually came through a inter-dimensional portal." Harley grins. She carefully nods to her back pocket, where a large glittery phone-shaped object rests.

"We can activate a portal to get back to Peter's base."

Harley knows that Sylar is still somewhere out on the ship. And knows that from what they discussed, he really didn't want Claire to know he was here.

"If you can manage to get Peter through, I can open it for you. Brucie... my hyena... will keep you company. I just have one loose end to tie."

[termineur]

There is so much about all that which Claire doesn't understand. She gets the feeling she can't hope to understand. Portals? Hyena? And what loose ends? But when it comes down to it, Claire is absolutely desperate to get off this ship. And equally as desperate to get Peter off the ship. So after a little bit of gaping and staring, she vehemently nods.

"Yeah- yeah, I can totally do that. Go ahead and...portal, or whatever. And thank you," she adds, because she doesn't want to leave Harley without at least getting that across.

Claire reaches out to grab Peter from Harley, and has to balance him over her shoulder carefully. But she manages without too much trouble. She has (unfortunately) had a lot of experience escaping things with other people, who may or may not be injured. She's used to making things work.

She also doesn't waste time when Harley does open the portal. She's through it like a shot, betraying her enthusiasm to get out of there.

Shortly after Claire and Peter are safely away, there's a thunderous boom coming from behind and above Harley. The aircraft carrier shakes and- is it tilting a bit?

[sweetcandygirl]

Claire and Peter will be welcomed by Bruce, who has been guarding the hangout diligently.

Harley looks up to the boom and steadies herself by placing a hand against the wall. "Well well well... what did Sylar get himself into?"

"No fair destroying the place without me!" She calls out, and runs down the hallway, trying to find her ally.

[termineur]

Sylar is where he'd mentioned he'd be- that is to say, he's all the way on the other side of the small-town-sized craft, way in the back. His second attempt to get as far away from Claire as possible appears to have been successful.

Maybe Harley will appreciate the fact that the hallways are far more clear than they had been before. She'll come across the odd person every once in awhile, but it's mostly techies running from place to place. These people are not interested in taking on Harley. She can take them on unawares or leave them to whatever they're attempting to do.

As Harley approaches the back of the aircraft carrier, she'll hear an alarm that blares at even intervals, getting louder as she approaches. After turning one corner, she'll find Sylar, now back in his own body. He's staring at a door as he eats from a chocolate pudding cup. The door has a few signs, including "RESTRICTED", "CAUTION: RADIATION AREA," "DLR and SRD (ED) Required for Entry," and "No eating, drinking, or chewing." A few bodies litter the area- it's unclear whether they're dead or unconscious.

He sees Harley as he finishes his pudding cup and tosses it on the ground (away from her, at least?). "Oh, hey," he says with a small smile, speaking in between the blaring alarm. "I might've overdone the distraction. How're we doing?"

[sweetcandygirl]

"No pudding cup for me?" Harley kneels down beside him.

"Claire and Peter are safe. I used my PINpoint to put them back in Peter's safehouse."

Harley places a piece of bubblegum in her mouth. "So we can leave anytime?"

[termineur]

Sylar considers, then crooks a finger down the hallway. A pudding cup floats through a door and over to him, and then a spoon follows it. They stop in front of Harley before he thinks anything else about it. "Oh, you might not want to, though- this stuff's probably radioactive by now." Tasty, though.

There's something in his face that relaxes when Harley tells him that Claire and Peter are back in the safehouse. He tries to keep it to that, but he can't help the grateful smile that then spreads across his face. "Okay, so we should probably get out, then. Let's head back to the Nexus? I can pay you and then you can go get Bruce. I guarantee you that Claire will be pampering him until you're reunited."

Of course, Claire shouldn't see Sylar, but he's also not sure if Peter's going to be mad at him for the accidental meltdown. He doesn't even want to sneak back over there until things have died down a little. So he pulls out his PINpoint, already planning on heading Nexus-bound. He opens up the portal and gestures with a bow towards it. Ladies first, apparently.

[sweetcandygirl]

"Radioactive pudding. Neat-o!" Harley does not seem to be concerned to the threat. And digs into the pudding cup as she stays by Sylar.

"As long as you say so, I trust Bruce to be in good hands. Maybe she will put bows in his fur... he likes that."

"I didn't let on that you were part of the rescue team. So unless Peter says anything..." Harley shrugs. That is out of her hands.

She offers her arm to him, so they can go through the portal together.

[termineur]

Sylar laughs happily as Harley digs into the pudding cup. Okay, then. Guess he's not the only one that doesn't have to worry about radiation.

He snorts when hearing about Peter maybe saying something, because...yeah, Peter's like that sometimes. But they all did their best in keeping Claire from having to be extra traumatized. It feels satisfying in a way that Sylar can't really describe.

He takes her arm and heads through the portal. Once they're out of the imminently melting ship and back to the slightly safer chaos of the Nexus, Sylar tugs her into a bit of a twirl. He's feeling both pleased and dramatic right now. "Okay, that? Was perfect," he says, his smile not looking like it'll leave anytime soon. "And you were amazing, Harley. So if you ever need any help, call me up. Anytime. Now-"

He holds up a finger, then picks a small daisy growing out the ground. As he holds it, the stem is covered with a golden sheen, one that climbs up and covers every petal. After only a few seconds, he's now holding a solid gold daisy, which he holds out to Harley. "The only thing left is payment. What would you like made out of solid gold? Any special requests?"

It is cheating, a bit, paying with something that he can make effectively an infinite amount of. But she'll still be able to use it, and it's fun, isn't it?

[sweetcandygirl]

"Tsk tsk tsk... I have a friend who would be very sad to see you turning flowers into pure gold. She likes to think they are perfect the way they are..." Harley grins at Sylar. She is sure he would love to meet Pamela some day. Most men do.

She does take the golden daisy, and tucks it into one of her braids.

"Sy... Sy... Sweet Sy... if I wanted gold, I would just go steal it."

"I am just glad that we are friends now."

[termineur]

Sylar gives Harley a shrug (combined with his most innocent-looking face) when she takes him to task for the gold flower. Or apparently, one of her friends would take him to task for it. He'll have to remember that.

But hey, at least Harley doesn't seem to mind! He's glad she does take it, at least. And...friends? He seems as excited as an awkward teenager to hear that, standing just a little bit taller.

"Me, too," he replies, grinning ear-to-ear. "And- seriously. You ever feel a whim for a gold plunger or something, just let me know." He winks. "Okay, I"ll let you get back to your Very Important Hyena, then. Tell him he's adorable for me?"

[sweetcandygirl]

"Maybe I will get you to immortalize my mallet, when I am ready to stop wielding it." Harley promises. She leans in, on tip-toes, to press a chaste kiss to his forehead. (More to see if she can make him blush like an awkward teenager at the same time).

"He knows he is adorable. That is why I hang out with him."

"It is one of the top qualifiers for friends." She winks.

[termineur]

Sylar can be ridiculously comfortable in the most inappropriate situations, but when it comes to something sweet and (dare we even say, considering these two?) innocent like this? He has no idea how to handle it. He manages to not blush, at least, even if just barely.

However, he is smiling a small, private, proud smile. It's the same smile that he used to get when he was finishing a particularly tough timepiece, and it doesn't exactly come out a lot anymore. Combined with the way his shoulders hunch a little, he seems almost like a different person for a moment.

He clears his throat before chuckling. "Is it, now? Well. Guess I'll make sure to hang onto this face for awhile, then."

[sweetcandygirl]

[Good place to end]

[termineur]

[ Yep! Thanks so much for the scene. I had so much fun with it! ]