A New Generation (Complete)

Chapter Twelve

Penny walks up to Poison Ivy's door. She looks over her shoulder at Opal, who was still standing at the sidewalk gawking at the building. Penny smiles. "You coming?"

Opal flinches and looks at Penny. "Of course!" She rushes over.

Penny opens the door and walks in.

Poison Ivy storm over. "What are you doing here? It isn't safe."

"I can handle myself against a coupld dogs."

Ivy looks at Opal. "Who's this?"

"I'm Opal. I'm your biggest fan!" She bounces.

Poison Ivy looks her over and offers a smile. "I apretiat the fan girling, but this is serious." Ivy looks back at Penny. "Joker broke Harley out during the dog fiasco at City Hall. Harley will be looking for you."

Penny frowns. "What's wrong with me meeting my parents?"

"Trust me, you don't want to-"

The glass ceiling shatters. A helicopter hovers overhead.

Opal screams and hugs Penny.

Joker and Harley zip line down through the hole in the ceiling. "Hey Ivy!" Harley shrieks joyfully.

Ivy shifts on her feet. "Hi Harley. Glad you could drop by."

Joker lands first. He looks Penny and Opal over. He focuses on Penny. "I remember you. You're the warden's daughter."

"My baby!" Harley rushes over and squeezes Penny in a hug. "This is her, mister J. It's our little girl."

Joker tilts his head left and right. "You sure? She doesn't look like us."

"Oh hush now. Yes she does." Harley swats at him. She turns back to Penny and plays with a few blond strands of hair. "Needs a dash of colour. We can handle that."

"If this your costume?" Joker gestures to Penny's pyjamas. "It's so lazy."

"We haven't covered costume yet," Ivy speaks up.

Joker turns to her and laughs. "What a good babysitter our were, flower. But you are no longer needed." He take a bomb out of his pocket and tosses it towards the forest of plants. "Tootles." He grabs Harley and Penny, then tugs on the rope. The three of them are lifted out of the building.

Penny looks down in horror as the building bellow explodes. Pieces of building and plant spread out across the ground in slow motion. Opal and Ivy were nowhere in sight.

Joker's laugh rings out in the darkness.

***

At some point along the way, Joker had blindfolded Penny.

When they landed, Penny was carried out of the helicopter and into a building. It was loud.

She was carried a far distance and through a couple thick metal doors that slammed shut behind them.

Penny was finally sat down. She removed her blindfold and was surprised to find herself in a living room. Was she in an apartment?

Joker walked over with the outfit he had her steal from Poison Ivy. He rested it on the couch next to her. "It's perfect. We will resurface as the king and queen of trouble," Joker stated.

"With our princess as a new feature," Harley added.

Joker grinned. "Yes!" He looked Penny over. "You'll be, the Little Joke."

Penny frowned. The Little Joke? What kind of name was that? It sounded almost rude.

Harley laughed and bounced, "It's perfect!"

"But, I don't want to be called-"

"Shut it!" Joker snapped. "That's your new name, Joke. Live with is or die." He left the apartment.

Harley sat next to Penny and toyed with her hair. "It's okay, you'll get use to him. Now, let's do something with your hair. One tone is so ugly."

Penny bit her tongue and nodded. She hoped it wouldn't be anything to drastic.

Harley jumped up and grabbed Penny's arm. She dragged her to the washroom and opened a cupboard filled with hair dies.

Penny pressed her lips together. Why did she have so many colours if she only used two?

"Pick a colour, any colour." Harley laughed at herself.

Penny sighed and glanced at the colours before picking out purple. "Only the tips." She said firmly. The look on Harley's face made Penny add a gentle "Please."

Harley grinned again and nodded. "It's a start." She made Penny sit on the toilet and applied the dye to the tips of her shoulder length blond hair.

After an hour, Harley bent Penny over the edge of the tub and rinsed the dye out.

Penny dried her hair and looked at her reflection. She didn't feel like herself. Who was this rebel with purple hair? It wasn't her. Or was it? Was the penny she knew a dream? Was this her true self? Was that why the voice wasn't talking to her anymore? Because now she was who she was meant to be?

Joker barged into the washroom. "Time to play a game."