The Universe's Mixer

The hardest part was leaving her, knowing what he was setting out to do. James had always felt he was dirtied by the hold HYDRA had on him. Sometimes, his hands still looked red. Sometimes, he still thought in Russian. Ariel, who was pure of heart and soul, deserved a far better man than he. She deserved someone like Steve. And James was too damned selfish to let go of her to let her find that better man. He was too afraid to tell her that he wasn't the good man she thought him to be. Yes, the hardest part tonight was leaving her on the couch, innocent eyes questioning but not pressing. Perhaps she saw the dark creature that lived under his skin, and knew better than to ask. Innocent... and wise.

The rest came back to him easily. He stalked the shadows around Arkham, finding the security, listening in darkness to the sounds that filtered up to him from his hidden position. Now and again, he slid into another pool of darkness.

Typically, he had a file of details to use. Nothing so easy this time. He would have to case the place himself. There was time... not a lot of time; the more he wasted, the higher the probability that Edward Nigma used that time to terrorize someone else.... or worse, try again for Ariel... but time enough for what he needed.

When the crickets stopped singing, when the night grew its darkest and stillest, when he felt the dawn just beyond the deepest part of the night, James finally returned to the apartment they shared.

It would be soon. Soon, Edward Nigma would be no more.

"You ain't the boss of me," Harley stated, narrowing her eyes at the tall, red-haired man. Her arms folded across her chest and she huffed, "You walk around here like you own me, Eddie, and you don't. You ain't got nothin' left besides me and this is how ya treat me?!" Harleen inquired in an amused gasp, her eyes widening. "You ain't nothin' without Jonathan. Nothin' without Effie. There was once a time when I knew ya ta stand for somethin', but that ain't now. When's tha last time ya made a riddle for tha bat? Hm? Left a bomb on tha Mayor's doorstep just waitin' for tha Bat ta figure out tha answer?"

Harleen laughed, hands sliding to her hips as she continued her rant.

"You used ta be so great...not as great as my Puddin', cause nobody is that great, but you was up there, yanno? Oneatha good ones...what happened to ya, Eddie? Ya got soft...I dunno what it is..." She sighed, rolling her eyes as she mulled it over.

Edward glared at her.

"Are you done you babbling idiot or do I have to shut you up myself?" Edward inquired harshly.

"Oh yeah. Big man. Wave ya guns at me. Like that scares me. Ya gotta do betta than that if ya wanna get ta me. Or did you forget who I'm with?" Harley inquired, a playful narrowing of her eyes followed her question.

Eddie laughed. "You mean the statue that you follow? The concrete image of a mastermind that has no power to do anything? Not even save you. He might pretend to love you, dear, but we all know he isn't capable of true love. That's why he tries so hard to kill you. Oh, you didn't know?"

Harley's bottom lip quivered but she wouldn't cry. Not here. "You take that back, ya monster! He does love me! Something happened ta him and I don't see you out there tryin' ta fix him." She sniffled and wiped at her streaming eyes with her fingers. "I hate you sometimes, Eddie. You ain't gotta be mean."

"Oh Harley....sweet, naive Harley," Eddie chuckled, "All we have now is each other so you had better start figuring out exactly where your allegiance lies. I would hate it if you ended up on the wrong side, though if by some miracle Jack did come back and asked about you, I would tell him you went quick and that all that was left of you was scattered ashes."

Harley frowned. "Monster."

And she left it at that.

The City didn't wait for the overnight job to rebuild Blackgate. No - an exception was required. Even as the behemoths battled by Blackgate, the City restored the prison. It was always good to give its citizens something fun, but it seemed that the excitement was not worth the cost anymore.

As the City mended Blackgate, it collected all the dinosaurs and set them in a well-maintained preserve within the City Zoo. Here, they could roam free, the City citizens could still see them, and everyone would be safe. Plus, the City wouldn't have to keep on rebuilding.

A few prisoners had escaped from Blackgate. They were two that it had selected from elsewhere and set them in Blackgate because it thought that's where they belonged. But if the two were interested in leaving, as they had so quickly done, then the City would let them.

It was good for its citizens to do what they liked to do.