Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Kidnapping
Barbara Gordon, a character Jekyll had heard of before, whether from comics in his previous life or from the news in this world, had been mentioned in both.
In essence, three years ago, Barbara had been involved in the war between Batman and the Joker and was left disabled—relying on a wheelchair for mobility. In the original comics, Barbara, who had fought alongside Batman as Batgirl, was forced to retire to the sidelines after being injured and took on the mantle of Oracle to support Batman.
However, from Harley and Gordon's conversation, it seemed that Barbara Gordon in this world had some unique aspects. For example, her friendship with Harley Quinn, and it seemed that she had almost fully recovered from her injuries in this world.
"Please understand my feelings as a father, Harley. Last time, when I knew Barbara put on the masked uniform to become a vigilante, I chose to stay silent and let her go—I regretted it deeply when you brought her back on the brink of death. You have no idea how much I regretted it. I kept thinking, if I had stopped her earlier, maybe none of this would have happened."
Gordon's voice sounded so weary that even through the bug, Jekyll could feel his helplessness.
"Fortunately, you saved Barbara in time, giving her a chance to recover. And Batman provided the most advanced medical technology, which reignited my hope."
"I started to feel like I've used up all my luck to get to this ending. My only hope for Barbara is for her to recover soon and live happily with her loved ones. To achieve this goal, I swear to eradicate all the criminal forces in Gotham."
At this point, Gordon's voice paused for a moment before becoming more serious and solemn.
"But this kind of luck won't happen again. Barbara hasn't been in combat for too long now. If she returns to the front line now, it's even more dangerous than three years ago. So please, Harley, help me!"
Gordon's words stopped, and after a moment, Harley's gentle voice rang out.
"You shouldn't be saying these things to me, Commissioner Gordon. You should talk to Batman or directly to Barbara about your thoughts. I'm just a convicted criminal; how could I—"
"It's useless for us to talk. I believe Batman has already tried to persuade her like this. But you're different, Harley. You're her savior and her best friend now. If it's you—"
"I understand. I'll try to persuade Barbara. Barbara is also one of my best friends, and if possible, I don't want her to get hurt again. But you have to remember, Commissioner Gordon, Barbara is a very determined girl. Whether Batgirl reappears depends entirely on her—more accurately, on Gotham's needs."
Gordon was silent for a while, then he said resignedly.
"I understand. I won't give her a chance to be needed. Anyway, thank you, Harley—whether it's for what happened three years ago or now."
Upon hearing this, Jekyll and Dinah both looked up, and they exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's thoughts.
"It seems like Gordon just came to see Harley for this matter, I indeed overthought it."
"Of course, that's what I thought from the beginning. It's all your fault that I ended up being an eavesdropper too."
"Anyway, let's turn off the bug for now, and I'll figure out how to retrieve it later."
Dinah nodded, and just as she was about to operate her phone, Gordon's voice suddenly echoed again.
"Oh, right, there's one more thing I almost forgot—Harley, did that little canary come to you again?"
Hiss—
Jekyll sucked in a breath of cold air, not because of what Gordon said, but because Dinah suddenly grabbed his forearm forcefully, while he felt something soft pressing tightly against the upper part of his arm on the same side.
Feeling like he was between heaven and hell, Jekyll turned his face to Dinah, only to see her face turn pale. It seemed her action toward Jekyll was completely unconscious, as she was fully focused on listening to the phone.
"Why suddenly ask about this, Commissioner Gordon?"
"It's nothing, just a message from Batman for you—her parents know she secretly came to Gotham, but they can't break away right now. So, let her stay here for a while longer. Batman wants you to take care of her and make sure she doesn't cause trouble, at least nothing major."
"You parents are all so arbitrary, never considering your child's thoughts. Honestly, I don't think the environment around me is suitable for a child's healthy growth."
Finally, Jekyll felt his arm being released, suspecting it was bruised. Dinah seemed to realize her action just now, so to cover the embarrassment, she cleared her throat and whispered.
"It seems this is really the end for now, we can turn it off—"
"Oh, right, there's one more thing I almost forgot."
Jekyll and Dinah both had a dark expression. Commissioner Gordon, what's wrong with you? Can't you just say everything at once?
Not just the eavesdroppers, it seemed Harley also felt the same way, speaking with a somewhat unpleasant tone:
"Commissioner Gordon, as a former psychiatrist, I feel it's necessary to remind you that memory loss is a precursor to dementia in the elderly. I suggest early detection and treatment."
"Sorry, I was completely focused on Barbara's situation just now—I meant to say, over at the botanical garden, there have been nearby sanitation workers mysteriously poisoned and unconscious. I'm wondering if it's related to your friend inside."
Harley suddenly fell silent, then seemed to hear hurried footsteps.
"Sorry, Commissioner Gordon, I seem to have an urgent matter—"
"Hey, Harley, wait, don't run away and don't avoid eye contact. This can't really be related to you, can it?"
"Tsk, stop pulling this trick, it's not good if someone else finds out, right? Gordon, look behind—"
"Don't use these childish tricks on me, tell me about the botanical garden."
"No! I'm serious, is that your guy coming out of the van behind?"
"What are you saying, I came alone, who are you guys, what do you want—ah!!!!"
Crackling.
"A stun gun? Who are you people, ah—"
Hearing the mysterious electric current sound, and the successive screams from Gordon and Harley, Jekyll and Dinah almost simultaneously stood up, briefly exchanged glances, then immediately rushed to the door in unison.
"Hey, you two customers, you haven't paid your bill yet—"
As the two rushed out of the restaurant, the voice from the phone continued to be heard.
"We've secured the target Harley Quinn—what about the old man next to her?"
"Bring him along too, don't forget, the boss said if Harley Quinn has a man next to her, grab him too."
In just a few seconds, Dinah and Jekyll had already dashed out of the fast-food restaurant, and tens of meters away from the restaurant, a van had just closed its door and sped away at lightning speed.
"Stop! Let Harley go—"
Dinah shouted, wanting to chase after the van, but was immediately grabbed by Jekyll's arm.
"Calm down, Dinah! Even if it were you, or even the real Black Canary who can fly, you wouldn't catch up to them—they should be fine for now, otherwise the other side wouldn't have just used a stun gun."
Jekyll frowned, all the information he had just heard quickly piecing together in his mind—for the sole purpose of rescuing the abducted Harley Quinn.
"Let's go back to the base first, Dinah—does your bug have a signal tracking function?"
°°°
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