A New Generation (Complete)

Chapter Thirteen

"Where are we going?" Penny asks as Joker speeds down the streets of Gotham.

Harley turns around in her seat. "Well, where do you want to go?"

Home. She just wanted to go home and tell her parents she still loved them. "I don't know."

Joker laughed. The car skids to a stop. "Surprise!"

Penny looks out the window and sees that they're at her school. "Why are we here? It's just a school. They have nothing to give."

"Exactly. That just makes it all the more fun." Joker jumps out of the car.

Harley follows suit.

Penny sighs and gets out too. She adjusts her mask and looks down at Harley Quinn's old outfit. It was a bit snug and she didn't like how it felt on her body.

The school alarm sounds and Penny looks at her birth parents, who aren't even breaking into the school. They're just breaking windows. How are these two the king and queen of crime?

Penny walks over. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to get some attention, obviously." Harley giggles.

Penny frowns and almost ask who they're trying to get attention from, but then she hears it. Police sirens. She turns towards the road and sees dozens of cars pull up.

The police chief, along with all the other officers, step out of their vehicles and point their guns at the trio.

Penny instantly raises her hands above her head.

A large black car, similar to the Batmobile, pulls up. Robin and Batgirl step out. They approach the criminals, but don't get too close.

Penny glances back at Joker and Harley, who're no longer wrecking things.

"Finally," Joker laughs. "Took you all long enough to get here."

"What are you doing, Joker?" Robin asks in a firm tone.

Penny looks at Robin and finds that he's looking back at her. His dark eyes are soft and familiar. Not just because she'd met him at the dance, they seemed more familiar than that.

Joker steps forward and places his hands on Penny's shoulders. He shakes her around as he talks. "Thought it would be a great opportunity to usher our newest team member into the equation with a bang."

Robin frowns and his gaze shifts to Joker. "You're going to blow up the high school? What will that accomplish?"

"Nothing! But it'll be fun."

Harley laughs in the background.

Joker takes a plastic flower out from his jacket. He holds it up to show everyone. "See the red button in the center? I press that, and the building goes boom."

Penny shifts uneasily. This guy really was crazy.

"What do you want, Joker?" Batgirl asks, her eyes focused on shifting between him and Harley.

"Your identities, of course." Joker looks at Penny from the corner of his eye. "Heroes who hide behind a mask are cowards."

Penny's heart sinks. How could he have heard her say that? Why did she say that?

"Never," Robin says firmly. One of his eyes twitches.

Penny watches the twitch and things back to Nathan. His eye did the same thing when they were talking at the ball about heroes wearing masks. Her eyes widened, was Nathan Robin?