"What's going on? All these trucks won't start." Harley put her hands on her hips, looking at the trucks parked outside the Truck Union, noting that the familiar one wasn't among them. The other trucks needed keys and couldn't be started.
After saying that, she turned to Arkham Knight: "Are you sure the mission told you there was a truck? How was it described exactly?"
Arkham Knight frowned slightly and said, "I saw it during an investigation about the final boss. It seemed like something about 'Noah's Ark on a rainy night,' 'lightning before dawn.' I judged it was a truck because the clue icon was a truck."
Harley pondered. The description didn't really sound like Joker's truck. Uncle Jack's truck indeed had some special attributes, even able to freely traverse the Kingdom of Dreams, but Harley didn't think Brainiac could simulate the Kingdom of Dreams. Moreover, words like 'Noah's Ark' were a bit too outlandish; if Joker were to run Noah's Ark, it's better not to board.
"Are you saying we might have come all this way for nothing?" Polaris asked, "But if it's not at the Truck Union, where else could it be?"
"I heard Jason mention something," Harley said thoughtfully. "A long time ago, on a rainy night, Bruce drove a truck, taking them into the Falcone Manor in the North District."
"Why would he do that?" Arkham Knight asked.
"At first, it was just to save those kids," Harley sighed gently, "Later, maybe he was just too angry. The existence of mob order might have its reasons, but the rules are too brutal, especially to the children. It was a hopeless era, and Bruce hoped to change it, which inevitably led to the Godfather, so he went."
Everyone became somewhat silent. Arkham Knight was also Jason Todd, who climbed up from Gotham's bottom. Though his universe didn't form a so-called mob order, he could roughly imagine what kind of situation it was.
"He's very brave," Arkham Knight said, "What did the Godfather say?"
"The Godfather also praised Bruce in that way," Harley said, "But unfortunately, standing in Falcone Manor that night weren't the enemies Bruce wanted to defeat, but just the remnants of the old days who tried to save Gotham and failed."
"It reminds me of Erik," Polaris said, "Many mutants who grew up in human society often see his terrorist title in the news and always have prejudice against him. But when they grow up and stand at the door of the Mutant Brotherhood, they'll realize Magneto isn't their enemy. So many in this world try their best just to survive in this damned world."
Harley quickly shook off that somber atmosphere and said, "So, besides the Joker's truck, Gotham's famous truck might be that rainy night war truck that broke into the North District."
"But where would that truck be?" Arkham Knight asked, "Where did the truck go later in the real world?"
"I don't know," Harley said, "To me, the truck isn't the focus; Bruce probably won't care either. But, back then, our universe's Jason was there too, along with many members of the Children's Gang. This truck has special significance to them; they might know."
"Do you want to go offline and ask?" Polaris said, "You can go, I'll watch over you here, and you'll definitely be safe."
Harley nodded and then went offline. But she didn't go to ask Jason. Jason was recently crammed with his thesis, already busying himself to the heavens and the earth—she could hear it when she called him to ask about the Outer God situation. He was probably typing while replying in his spare time.
Harley went to find another person, Jason's good buddy Little Sly. After growing up, Little Sly became a social worker. Even when Brainiac came, he didn't get reassigned; he's still managing the daily supplies transfer station as a social worker in the East District.
"Miss Quizer." Little Sly, in work clothes, straightened up and pushed his glasses, saying.
"Don't be so formal," Harley said, "Though I didn't hang out with you guys, I have a good relationship with Jason."
"That's true," Little Sly replied, "He often talks about you with us."
"What does he say?" Harley raised an eyebrow.
"He says you have a great business mind," Little Sly seemed to rack his brains, "very smart, always able to easily see through others..."
Harley rolled her eyes slightly: "He definitely doesn't speak nicely. Anyway, let's leave that aside—I want to ask you about something..."
Harley briefly introduced the situation and then asked, "So, where did you guys take that truck?"
Little Sly was slightly stunned, muttering to himself: "He even told you about that; I thought it was our secret."
Harley slightly widened her eyes, "What's there to keep secret?"
"It's not exactly a secret," Little Sly lowered his eyelids, "it was a dark time for all of us. The Tail Gang led by Jason doing well was only relative to those other kids who starved or froze on the streets. In reality, we were all struggling, and it's not a fond memory."
"That rainy night was even more terrifying," Little Sly recalled, his voice slightly trembling, "the rain kept falling, the water kept rising. I can't remember if there was a storm surge, but I think there was. Maybe it was just that I was too short back then, and I always felt like I'd be submerged soon."
"The children were fleeing for their lives, cold and hungry, with some having fevers and others with infected wounds. Crammed in that enclosed and dark carriage, we didn't know where we were going, didn't know if there would be a tomorrow. If you went through such a thing, you'd likely develop claustrophobia too. We all tacitly avoided mentioning that time; it wasn't a glorious era, just a scar."
Harley couldn't help but remember how Jason talked to her about it. Back then, he was working as a librarian at Gotham University, and Harley went to borrow books. The storm came suddenly, trapping Harley in the library, and they talked about Gotham's rainy season.
For Harley, rain wasn't anything special. She was born into a wealthy family, and although her parents died early, she found her way through her precociousness in a world surrounded by wolves. When it rained outside, she would always be asleep indoors.
The last rain she remembered vividly was the day Gordon took her in. Her memory only retains the cold, being soaking wet all over, and nothing else.
But evidently, in Jason's life, rain played a significant role. Each stormy night of struggle didn't fade with growing up but kept brewing, emerging naturally with the melancholy that accompanied each storm surge.
Naturally, Harley would ask about the most memorable night. Harley Quinn always has this tendency; they are curious about such things, no matter who's sitting across from them, they would unhesitatingly ask.
Jason's response somewhat surprised Harley. The night Jason held the hood, that truck stopped at the crossroads of his fate. Turning left was another universe's Jason Todd, and turning right, it wasn't Batman, nor Bruce. Jason couldn't even say what it was, perhaps a seed or a clump of soil.
At that time, Harley jokingly said that perhaps being a Robin, fighting wits and courage with Super Villains, isn't much worse than dealing with sinister guests in the library now. Jason just smiled.
Sometimes it's like this with people, you never know how a moment's topic, brushed past like the wind, has left such deep marks in someone else's life. How long that wind blew, how long that rain fell, carving a rock into its current form. When you come to see them, they seem calm and composed, silent and resolute.
Harley pulled back her thoughts, not saying "just a casual mention" or "he might not care anymore." She said, "I always excel at empathizing with madmen, but he's lacking in judgment of himself. I'm sure his psychological shadow isn't big enough to drive him mad; perhaps he found the wrong person to confide in when he sought me out."
Little Sly shook his head and continued, "We left that truck in the sewer, after Jason dismantled it. It's below where the Tail Gang originally stationed. Shall I take you there?"
Harley nodded; she actually hadn't been there before, it should be quite different now.
Harley was right. Without even Brainiac, that place's slum area hadn't existed for long before new developments flattened it for tall new buildings. Only, most people only focused on the above-ground situation, while only the underground, in the sewers, still reverberated with echoes from that era.
The children from that time all excelled at darting through the sewers because no matter how damp and dark it was underground, it was safer than the war-torn surface. Sometimes when the Mob started fighting, they'd hide down below, and sometimes they'd use this route to transport some things. They built many temporary strongholds in the sewer to fend off deeper lurking darkness down there.
The Tail Gang also had such a stronghold, and it still hasn't been dismantled. Harley and Little Sly came underground and saw the makeshift tent at a bend in the sewer.
There were faint traces of life visible, like the firewood for making fire, a raincoat curled up into a ball, empty cans, and buckets for warming. Walking further inside from here, they reached a dead-end extended from the sewer's main path, seemingly a place not yet finished being built.
That truck was parked there intact. Harley circled the truck once; it couldn't compare with Jack's. It was at least two sizes smaller than Jack's heavy truck, and the model was much older, showing signs of assembly.
"If, like you said, you plan to use this truck for something in the game, it might not work so well," Little Sly said, "this truck is too old; it might have many problems while driving."
"Then you don't quite understand Brainiac; this guy definitely has a collecting obsession," Harley said, reaching out to touch the truck's side mirror, "he seems very interested in Gotham's history, collected many similar artifacts, and put them into the game to let us relive the old dreams with him."
"Beep beep," Brainiac said, "I have no old dreams; it's just you reminiscing the past."
"What kind of unrealistic fantasies do you have about Gotham's dark times?" Harley chuckled and asked.
"I admit, I'm very interested in what happened in your past," Brainiac didn't hide, "I believe it's a story full of miracles and thrilling adventures. I'm working hard to dig up clues to uncover the truth of the past."
"What truth is there?" Harley laughed, "opportunities always favor the prepared. If Gotham were still such a mess when you arrived, I guarantee we would drag you down, and we'd all drown together."