Prologue

Wanye Enterprises

"Surely you can't be serious Mr. Wayne!" Jacob West said in an astonished tone. He had known Bruce for years now, known him to be vain, short tempered, egotistical, short sighted, and close minded. But he also knew Bruce to be extremely generous as well. But this…went a little too far for Bruce even.

"I'm serious Jacob, completely serious. I don't care how much it costs, but I want to purchase Arkham Asylum. We had 12 break outs from there in the past 6 months, and the patients that do leave legally wind back there next business year at the latest. The people of Arkham deserve better, as do the patients in Arkham , West. The Arkham family's mismanagement of the place is far from something that should be handled privately, people's health and safely are at stake here." Wayne said in his usual charming style.

Even now, West couldn't help but nod to what Wayne was saying, despite the fact buying not only triple Wayne Enterprises annual budget on charitable organizations, but there was the high risk of public black lash later down the line. People in Gotham, where just crazier than the average folk, and no matter what Wayne did there was going to be a large amount of failure, even if it was because of Arkham's mismanagement. It would take time to correct their actions, and mobs wheren't known for their patience.

But West, as he readjusted his glasses, couldn't help but see things from Bruce's point of view as well, despite his keen business mind and normal emotional detachment. Everyone remembered what was on the News yesterday. Harvey Dent, the former district attorney, who was admitted to Arkham after have been being tortured by Roman Sionis' goons along with his daughter after sending the Black Mask himself into jail, left Arkham a changed man. Not only was half his face smashed and cut to ribbons and his daughter dead, but the whole ordeal drove him to a nervous breakdown. When he finally left Arkham under the guise of being cured, he snuck a gun into city hall and turned the place into a shooting gallery after the Black Mask had his case successfully repealed, and was released back into the general pouplation. It was only thanks to Batman that no one was hurt. Still it was a national tragedy, and was credited for causing the Republicans losing their Senate seats in Gotham's home state. To be affiliated with Dent was political suicide now. More of a reason a person like Wayne should be doing low key, noncontroversial things. He and Dent where practically joined at the hip before this.

"Sir, I know Dent was a friend…" West began when Wayne suddenly faced him. Wayne was a tall man and bulky man to say the least. If it weren't for his late father putting his foot down on it, Wayne would be playing professional Football now as a Linebacker. West had seen him in Columbia, and knew Wayne was good. Damn good. Maybe it was his stature, maybe it was the fact he was the CEO if Wayne enterprises the biggest conglomerate in America, or maybe it was just the look in his green eyes. They looked like the eyes of some beast a child imagined on the face of the Boogieman that they thought slept underneath their bed, and waited for nightfall to strike.

"Then you know why I have to do this. Just make sure it gets done." Wayne said in his normal soft friendly tone. But even West sensed a sharpness underneath Wayne's excessively cheery voice, and knew matter what he said, whatever argument he made that he knew he wouldn't win. He didn't even want to try and fight Wayne on this one.

West sighed wistfully, wishing more and more he hadn't left Lexcorp. Jacob looked to his left outside the window as he lifted the telephone to his right. The people in accounting where going to have a fit to say the least.

…..

Arkham Asylum

From his office on the highest floor of Arkham, Dr. Henry Arkham could see all of Gotham City. The silver sky scrapers seemed to piece even the heavens from his window, and made Henry feel a little more comfortable about being here. There was so little comfort in his life lately. His father, the late John Arkham Jr., died three years ago leaving the hospital in his care. Since then Henry struggled to clean up the facility, trying to separate the fakers, Mob members looking for lighter sentences, and actual psychologically ill people, and treat them.

He had been able only to do the first thing on his list. He had prioritized that, and now he had the Dent incident to deal with, the cheery on top of his long list of failures. Most the escapes happened once Henry refused to play ball with the Mob. He had the feeling the two where related, after all most of the time the reason they escaped was because of contraband material and the like, but he couldn't prove it.

"Dr. Arkham, it's time for your session with Dent. " The blonde curvy nurse said from a corner, peeking out Arkham. He was forced to sigh in self disgust. Even Tina was avoiding him after this debacle. It didn't matter though.

" Yes, I know." Arkham muttered while staring at a reflection of himself at the side of the window. It caused him to frown even harder then usual. He remembered that 5 years ago, he was jokingly called Dr. McDreamy for his long blond untamed hair, square chin, and overall a steady frame and bashing complexion and good looks. Now he was 50 pounds overweight, pale as a plaster wall, and balding. Stress was a bitch to say the least.

Walking down the corridors of his own hospital he couldn't help but hang his head down in shame. Tried as he might, he failed Dent. He decided to cut corners to clean up his family name, so of course this happened.

As he approached the small and bare cell of Dent, Arkham gulped and opened the door. He had never gotten used to seeing Dent face. No one did. Plastic surgery had made it look like someone had put a discarded rubble in a flesh toned garbage bag one size to small. Even now as he entered, he wanted to hurl as he looked into Harvey's pale blue eye and grey eye on his damaged side.

"How are we feeling today Harvey? Feel better now that we fixed medication?" Arkham asked in a surprisingly upbeat tone.

"I might be high as kite Arkham, but I'm not stupid! STOP TREATING ME LIKE AN IDOIT!!!" Dent yelled, trying to throw himself at Henry with all his might. With the straight jacket strapped all over him, he just fell off his bed, landing face first on the floor.

"Okay…. Then let me ask you this, why did you go to City Hall, and fire at people at random?" Henry trying to keep panic and anger out of his voice.

"I flipped a coin. Heads I kill everyone I see, and tails I leave everyone alone. I couldn't decide between the two even now I can't…" Dent said with a smile.

"You mean this coin Harvey?" Arkham asked, pulling Harvey's coin out of his Lab Coat.

"Yes!" Dent cried out in ecstasy, writhing on the floor.

" Do you know that it has heads on both sides?" Arkham asked quietly.