PUPPETEER | ✓

CHAPTER 06

CHAPTER 06

Whilst Maggie looked like she was moping pitifully in the presence of the monolid woman, Harley displayed an animated grin and stuck out an arm. "Harley Quinn, nice ta meetcha!" she said. Katana merely peeped at the outstretched hand, and gave Harley a blank look. The blonde retracted her arm. "I love your perfume! What is that, the stench of death?" she grinned.

Maggie glanced back at the group, amusement filling her lazy eyes to the brim. Even if the squad was a ragtag group of criminals, they were frighteningly gleeful. Katana nodded at Flag and said,

"Should I kill them?" her fingers nimbly wrapped around the hilt of her blade and she was ready to withdraw it and slay them all, but Flag gestured for Katana to stop.

"Ain't that kind of mission, cowgirl. Sit down," he uttered, gesturing at the vacant seats. Katana reluctantly released her grasp from the hilt. Her charcoal eyes swept the inmates, awash with judgement. Her eyes arrived on the young telepath, and a hint of curiousity touched her pupils. However, she heeded Flag and settled down.

Harley turned to the younger girl next to her and smiled. "She seems nice," she grinned. Maggie acknowledged the blonde with a small incline of her head.

A while later, Harley withdrew a small mobile from her pockets, immediately lighting up when a short paragraph screened. Immaturity washed over Maggie and she peeked over. A stark-white face with sharp green hair popped up in a blue bubble, along with the message. Maggie widened as she scanned the face.

Maggie's eyes widened. The face bore a striking resemblance to.... Joker? The infamous king of Gotham? And then it clicked. Harleen Quinzel: the Joker's renowned companion and proclaimed queen of Gotham. Harley Quinn was her other self, the twisted version.

Ah.

Then Maggie skimmed over the message. A choppy sentence: "I'm coming to get you."

Harley blinked and smirked when she noticed the juvenile's wandering eyes. She lightly nudged Maggie and pressed her index finger against her lips, and emitting a long-drawn shush. She turned to Floyd - who was also peeping - and winked. Maggie sighed and looked away.

These people would be the ultimate death of her.

The ride was silent, other from Digger's occasional off-tune hums. Maggie was fumbling with her thumbs when suddenly Harley gasped whilst glancing out the window.

"Are you guys seein' the pretty lights?" she squealed, and Maggie grumbled incoherently under her breath. The group looked away and eventually Maggie decided to inspect what Harley was so pumped about: an array of smoke hung in the air, the lights of explosions shooting up impeccably. Maggie instantly looked away and shuddered. This was it. She was definitely going to die here.

"What happened?"

"Terror attack," Flag answered easily. "Dirty bombs. Bad guys."

Maggie detected the faulty lie instantly. Nobody would be so nonchalant delivering such news: everytime Maggie read the headlines on the number of casualties she caused, she would curl up in a dark alleyway and remain there, sorrow building up. It was a repeating and neverending cycle.

"Right," Floyd uttered in disbelief. "Yeah, you're a bad liar," Maggie looked up abruptly and glared at Flag. Her fierce glare was accompanied with fear and defiance, and supportive of Floyd. Flag was startled in his seat, when inside his head, rapidly echoed....

'Liar, liar, liar....' the voice whispered darkly, and Flag felt incredibly uneasy as suddenly, his memories shared with June were suddenly invoked. The soft melodies of June's voice, tinged with the neverending gloomy word: liar.

Flag glanced at Maggie, who was glaring at him. Her eyes held immense fear: this was compensation for bringing her to face her demise. Flag gritted his teeth.

"You stop that," he growled, and Maggie merely reclined against her seat. The whispers faded ever so slightly, and soon dissipated. Floyd glanced curiously at the juvenile, who obviously noticed but chose to feign an oblivious act. He cleared his throat and snapped Flag from his glare at Maggie.

"In case you didn't know, Flag.... I'm a hitman, not a fireman," he stated. "I don't save people."

Flag dismissively retorted, "anything for a dollar, right?"

"You know the dark places too," Floyd quipped. "Don't act like you don't."

Rick opened his mouth to reply, when suddenly a hush in an exaggerated volume sounded. The squad gradually turned their necks to see an irritated Maggie. Floyd looked away nearly immediately.

"Daddy, don't shoot."

"Don't fight him, daddy."

Too much. Maggie reminded him of his daughter, a tad bit more than he'd preferred. Flag rolled his eyes at Maggie, and said,

"Listen up, girlie. You might have caused riots and big kabooms, but you ain't got nothing on-"

Before Rick could finish his quip, the screw was startled when bullets suddenly rained down the vehicle. It quickly became unstable, and Maggie pressed herself against the copter chair. They swung around and hung about precariously. Maggie's oxygen swirled up and contained itself still, and didn't dare continue its activites as Maggie panted. She gasped, so this is where it ends. I'm dying before the mission even starts.

Wonderful.

☠☠☠

A/N: Don't kill me please. I'm just really trying to drag the chapters out so this book'll be longer.

BEAR WITH ME! THE COPTER'S CRASHING, ACTION WILL DEFINITELY BE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!

And again, I have delivered.

Thank you guys, for the overwhelming support! You guys are the best audience an author could ever have :).

See ya next time.