The Death knell

Albert looked at Ivy. She seemed equally stunned by his male identity, lost in her thoughts. Without giving her time to react, he walked past Poison Ivy, headed straight for the worn-out sofa, and sat down.

The sofa was grimy, stained with dark red blotches and dark patches left behind by dried wine. Under the kaleidoscopic lights, the place resembled a dingy nightclub. The black and yellow of Albert's armor clashed sharply with the filthy surroundings.

"Let's exchange information. What did the Fool tell you about finding the bat? I'll share my side too."

He focused on Harley, hoping to draw out something useful.

Harley observed him curiously. Few men ever dared to sit this close to her. His boldness intrigued her, but as soon as he posed the question, her expression shifted. Her lips quivered, as if on the verge of tears.

"Well, it's a long story..."

She agreed to share but didn't wait for Albert's approval before diving into a rant. In a mix of grievance and nostalgia, she recounted her tumultuous relationship with the Fool and their first encounter years ago—events that Batwoman couldn't erase from memory.

According to Harley, she was once a pure and kind-hearted girl who only wanted to have fun, but the bad bats constantly bullied her. Her supposed best friend, Ms. J, didn't care at all and even wanted to play with the bats alone, leaving Harley confused and aggrieved.

Yet Harley was strong. She bit down on her frustrations and persevered, never backing down.

As Albert listened, he realized Harley had her own agenda. If he hadn't read so many DC comics and watched countless movies, he might have believed her sob story. But he knew better. Harley Quinn wasn't just a notorious lunatic—she was a master of torture and psychology.

Her tale painted her and Rigoletto as paragons of virtue: pure, beautiful, strong, optimistic, and smart. Meanwhile, Batwoman was nothing but a "stalking perverted woman hanging upside down from the eaves," insidious and untrustworthy, always scheming around the Fool with shifty eyes.

Despite her long-winded narrative, Harley provided almost no valuable information. Besides how she met Rigoletto in the Minus 11 universe, her stories were just biased memories and twisted opinions.

Not only did she ramble, but she also subtly tested him—searching for shared experiences or beliefs, trying to piece together his psychological profile.

Beneath Harley's mad exterior lay a sharp mind. Her dual roles as psychiatrist and mental patient made her dangerous, and twice as cunning.

"Okay, let me stop you there. You don't need to try analyzing me. I'm the Death Knell from a parallel universe. My mind works much faster than normal. You can drop the psychology tricks."

Albert cut her off just as she was about to recount another bizarre adventure involving the Fool and the Penguin. Too much time had passed, and her stories seemed endless.

He stretched his stiff neck, glanced behind him, and noticed Cindy and Ivy lounging on another sofa. They were sipping wine and listening intently, completely absorbed in Harley's gossip.

Even in a feminist world, it seemed that women still loved a good story.

"Oh, so you're from a parallel world." Harley switched gears seamlessly, abandoning her earlier psychological tactics. "That's kind of boring... I thought you and she were wearing matching outfits because you were, you know, together."

She made a suggestive gesture with her pinky finger, her expression both mischievous and crude.

"You don't seem surprised about parallel universes. Was the last Syndicate invasion that big of a deal?"

Albert dodged her insinuation. Whether he confirmed or denied her implication, she'd twist his words. Letting a madwoman control the conversation was a surefire way to lose.

"Yes, you put on quite a show for us, hee hee." Harley twirled lightly, her movements graceful as a ballerina. She struck a curtain-call pose, her delight almost childlike. "Though the main battlefield was in Metropolis, the explosions and flames were visible all the way from Gotham. So beautiful. I could almost hear the desperate screams of the residents."

Cindy shrugged, her expression saying, "See? She's nuts."

Albert stayed calm and asked, "So, if the world is going to be destroyed, you'd actually be happy, right?"

"Yeah, of course." Harley nodded eagerly, like a student praised by her teacher. "Why do you think we're celebrating?"

Albert's suspicions were confirmed. Harley knew the world was about to end.

"Wait, is that why you invited me?" Ivy suddenly stood up, her face filled with betrayal. "You said no one was home and asked me to come over for fun. But the world's ending? The earth's gone—how will my plants survive?"

Harley looked genuinely confused. "Huh? Didn't I mention it? Little Pudding told me the world was about to be destroyed, and we're all going to die."

"You just said there was no one home and invited me over. Now you say the world's ending? If the earth is gone, my plants are doomed!"

Ivy was furious. She didn't care much about her own life, but her plants had to live. Harley approached her with a soothing smile, stroking her back like calming a cat.

"Oh, we're all going to die anyway. After you die, you won't see the plants die. So, no need to be sad, right?"

Her twisted logic offered no comfort. Ivy continued to glare, unamused.

"Don't you have a spaceship or something? Surviving in space isn't a bad idea."

Albert's question was met with three blank stares.

"What's a spaceship?" they asked in unison.

Albert forced a smile. "It's a ship that can break through the atmosphere and let us live off the earth."

Cindy and Ivy looked puzzled, but Harley's eyes lit up, brimming with excitement.

"I knew ships could fly! See? I'm not crazy!"

The reality of this world hit Albert hard. The Amazons ruled here, leaning on divine power over science. Flying machines? Who needed them when magic carpets existed?

It was no surprise that Earth Minus 11 had succumbed to a tsunami. Barbatos must have ensured this world remained scientifically stagnant, paving the way for LaBliss to drag it into darkness.

Albert and his allies were desperately trying to cut the fuse before the bomb exploded, but Bliss, the key to it all, had vanished.

"I can't just sit here waiting to die. If the earth is destroyed, the plants won't survive. I have to do something."

Ivy wasn't swayed by Harley's sweet words. She intended to fight back.

"Can you take me and my plants to your parallel world?"

"Good idea, but I can't even return myself."

Ivy's hope faded. She sank back into thought while Harley played with her hair, as if the world's end was a trivial matter.

"Did the Fool tell you how the destruction would happen?"

"Not really. She just seemed serious about it, so I believed her."

"Maybe it's the war?" Ivy speculated. "Those underwater terrorists have been fighting the Amazon Council for ages. If they use mass destruction weapons, it could end the world. The Rigoletto might have seen this coming."

Albert stood up. "You keep celebrating. We're leaving. By the way, it's a flood that will destroy the world."

As they left, Harley and Ivy's chatter faded behind them.

"The flood? Like the Apocalypse?" Ivy asked.

"Uh-huh, the one where Noah rafted," Harley mumbled.

"It's the Ark, little fool," Ivy corrected.

Albert pulled Cindy through the rainy streets, the cold biting through his armor.

"What's the plan now? We have no clues," Cindy said.

"We find him. Then, we make big news. Force the bat to come out to save him."

Cindy smirked. "I like this plan. Lead the way."