Brink of Madness

Let's Put a Smile on That Face

Andrew woke to find himself tied to a chair. This isn't Penguin's best work. The ropes are a bit loose, he thought to himself. He could feel dried blood on his head.

"Boss, he's awake!" Buck yelled into Penguin's office.

"Ah, look at you," Penguin sneered as he approached Andrew.

"Hello Penguin," Andrew smiled.

"Why are you smiling? You look pathetic!" Penguin yelled and slapped Andrew's face. "You are pathetic! Did you think you could go around disobeying my orders and get away with it? I provided you with a good job, good pay, and I was always good to you. This is how you repay me?" Penguin shouted in his face.

"Ya know Penguin, you really need to learn how to relax and have fun," Andrew laughed.

"Oh, I see. This is all a joke to you. Well if my whole operation is so funny to you, let's give you a permanent smile," Penguin hissed and drew a knife out of his pocket. Andrew's face finally dropped its smile.

"Oh no, don't stop smiling now. You'll be doing it for the rest of your life Jack!" Penguin laughed and sliced into Andrew's face. He screamed in agony. Marcus and the rest of the gang watched in slight disgust as a permanent smile was being carved into Andrew's face. When Penguin was finished, Andrew was left dripping in his own blood.

"You look like a real jokester now," Marcus said trying to make fun of him.

"Yeah I do. I'm a real life Joker," he said and painfully smiled at him. It was haunting. His smile practically drained the color out of Marcus' face. Penguin, done with all of the bull shit, punched the Joker in the eye.

"That's gonna leave a mark," the Joker laughed. The new shape of his mouth made his laugh sound shriller than it had before.

"Shut up!" Penguin screamed. "You know Jack, we still have to pay back Ruses for taking his most prized possession, his wife. Marcus came up with the perfect idea. He told me that you had a girlie. A beautiful one, he said. Just like an eye for an eye, how about a woman for a woman?" Penguin smiled. 

The Joker's dark eyes turned into those of a killer as he glared at Penguin. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said.

"Oh I'm not going to do it. Marcus is. He knows where she lives," Penguin laughed, "Who's the Jokester now?"

The Joker's eyes followed Marcus as he made his way out the door to kill Harleen.