The next chapter of The Tapes.

Batman and Nightwing are still in shock by Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy's sudden presence. Harley hops out of her pod and sees the grounded Kane, a wicked smile on her face.

"Well, B-man, it seems you and Bird Brat did me a huge favor." Harley giggles, "And here I thought you hated me."

"What are you doing here, Quinn?" Nightwing demands to know.

"I'm selling girl scout cookies, what do ya think I'm doin' here?" Harley replies, arching an eyebrow, "I'm takin' back what rightful belongs to Mistah J!"

"Ahem!" Poison Ivy grunts, getting Harley's attention.

"...WE'RE takin' it back." Harley states, "Ya see, I took your advice, Bats. Hey, there's a first for everything! Anyway, I went lookin' for a place to hide, while you went chasin' after Kiddy Killa Kane. And when you got a problem, where's the first place you look to? Your blood. Your family. Your best friend in the whole wide world! You look to Red!" Ivy smiles, as she steps out of her pod and makes her way over to Harley.

"When my poor little harlequin came to me with her little problem and those puppy dog eyes, how could I refuse?" Ivy replies in a cutesy voice directed at Harley. Just then, Kane slowly sits up, grunting in pain.

"..Somehow... I'm not surprised." Kane informs, "And that's not... because I'm possibly suffering from... a concussion, and am... incapable of feeling almost anything. But because... you have never been the brightest crayon in the... crayon box, Quinn." Harley scowls at Kane, as she pulls out a revolver and shoots Kane in the knee. "AAAAHHH!" Kane screams in agony, as he clutches his wounded knee," Okay... concussion or not, that!s painful!"

"How's that for bright, Puttyface?" Harley mocks, sticking her tongue out at Kane. Batman reaches into utility belt for a Batarang, only for Harley to notice and point the revolver at Batman. She then pulls out a second revolver and points it at Nightwing. "Don't even think about tryin' anything funny!" she warns, "The only one around here that was allowed to be funny was Mistah J! ...Which reminds me..." Harley turns her glare towards Batman, as she cocks the revolver pointed at him. "We have unfinished business." she states, coldness in her voice.

"Don't do anything you're going to regret, Quinn." Batman says.

"Trust me, B-man, I ain't gonna regret this." Harley replies, an evil smile spreading across her face. She slowly goes to pull the trigger, only for the doors to the Loading Bay to be kicked open and a group of armed Kane thugs to storm in. They take aim at Harley and Ivy, only to be awestruck by the towering monstrous plant behind them.

"Holy crap, what the hell is that thing?" one thug questions, terrified. Harley's face lights up with anger and frustration.

"DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT!" Harley screams, stamping her feet in a terrible tantrum, "Can't you bumbling knit-wits do anything right! You were supposed to storm in after I killed the Bat!" The group of thugs stare at Harley, seeming confused.

"What's she talking about?" one thug questions, the other thugs shrugging in response.

"I had everything planned out perfectly!" Harley whines, as she paces back in forth in frustration, "Me and Ivy bust in, I kill Bat Brain, the goons show up, I do the big reveal, then kill Kane! But everything's ruined now because you idiots have no sense of timing!"

"What's going on, Quinn?" Batman demands to know.

"Yes, Harls, is there something you've neglected to tell me?" Ivy adds, glaring at Harley in suspicion. Harley giggles nervously a bit at the threatening glare from Ivy.

"I can explain!" Harley informs, then reach back and pulls out a cellphone, "Or better yet... Mistah J can!" She presses a button on the phone.

"Hellooooo!" Joker's voice says through the speaker of the phone. Everyone in the room freezes in complete shock. "Surprised? I bet you are! HA, HA, HA, HAAAAA! I bet all of you are pissing your pants right now, saying "He's done it again! That crazy son of a bitch just won't bite the dust!" Well, sorry to get your hopes up, boys, but if you're hearing this, then it's true. The Clown Prince has had his last laugh. My past sins have finally caught up to me. A victim of my own punchline. I moved on up to the Upper Room, flipped the Big Guy the bird, and swan dove right down to the Lake of Fire! Ding dong, the Joker's dead! Which ol' Joker? The dumb ol' Joker! Ding dong, the dumb ol' Joker's dead! HAAA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HAAAAAA, HA, HA, HAAAAA! Yes, all that's left behind of me is this prerecorded message and the lasting impressions I've left on all of you! And how could anyone forget? I've made this city into a scrapbook of my life! Grandchildren are going to be telling their grandchildren about me! I may be dead, but my legacy will last forever! Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if I've inspired a whole new breed of criminals! No one will ever live up to my name. ...But that won't stop them from trying. Ha, ha! But that's enough about me. ...Oh, what am I saying? It's never enough about me! But I'm getting off topic."

"Is this going anywhere?" Kane questions, a bit annoyed.

"Shut it, Bozo!" Harley orders, pointing a revolver back at Kane, "Or I'll put a bullet in the other knee!"

"Kane... dear, sweet, naive Kane." Joker chuckles, "This whole thing must be so confusing for you. It usually is the stupid ones that never get the joke. And you fell for it, hook, line and sinker!" Kane seems a bit shocked by this, as he continues to listen. "I mean, did you really buy into the whole "we're the same" routine?" Joker questions, laughing, "That should have been the biggest giveaway! HA, HA, HA! The Joker's one of a kind! There are no similarities! How could I ever compare myself to a two-bit hack like yourself? So, why would I give up my entire chuck of Arkham City to some low level putts that isn't even worthy of hocking a big fat one at? Because I knew we'd end up here, at this very moment! Don't you get it? You're just another one of my gags! An experiment! A Summer project I've been working on all winter! HAAAA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HAAAAAA!" The sound of Joker breaking out into a coughing fit could be heard.

"I was right." Batman says to himself, narrowing his eyes as Nightwing looks at him in confusion.

"Ahem... sorry about that." Joker continues, "As I was saying, you're nothing more than a lab rat. You see, what I told you before about me contemplating my own demise and fearing the worse was true! I knew that this would be my end, sadly. But my concerns weren't of my property or who would govern my men! To be quite honest, they can all rot for all I care. No, no... what I was really concerned about... was that the joke would be over. Then, it would get stall! The laughter would die, and so would the comic telling the joke! Sure, the Joker being the victim of his own joke is pretty funny! But it's not that gut buster that'll never get old! The real gut buster is when ol' Batsy finally snaps... along with my neck! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! So, that left me with a bit of a dilemma. I had to figure out just how to keep the joke going. I spent day and night brainstorming new ideas, and finally formulated the perfect one! But I needed someone. A victim. Harvey and Oswald know better than to ever trust me. I can't possibly imagine why. No, I needed someone gullible, someone inexperienced, someone... like you, Kane."

"You sick son of a bitch!" Kane growls, anger boiling up inside of him.

"You were the first of many to test out my new line of gut busters!" Joker states, with a giggle.

"Many?" Nightwing says, shocked.

"And let me be the first to say, that it was a complete success!" Joker laughs, "Oh... to see the look on Batsy's face when he realizes that even from the dead... ol' Joker still gets the last laugh! HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HAAAAAA, HA, HA, HAAAAA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HAAAAA!" The recording then ends, and Harley tosses the phone back behind her, grinning.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. What will happen next? Please Review. Thanks.