Edward awoke alone, in pain, and darkness.

As he returned to consciousness, he became aware that he was lying on his side, and that whatever he was in, it was moving. A car trunk, he realized. Edward cracked his eyes open, only to see nothing but darkness. Panic briefly overtook him. God, was he blind? He felt rough cloth over his eyes, where his glasses should be, and realized he was blindfolded. His hands were behind him, tightly bound. He began rubbing his wrists together. He tried rolling over, but there wasn't enough space in the cramped trunk. He kicked his feet out against the trunk, to no avail. Edward lay down, took a breath, and thought the situation through. Dent had sent his men to abduct him, but not to kill him. Not to kill him right away, at least. Did Oswald know? A pit settled in Edward's stomach. Was Oswald involved? Was this his way of getting him in line after their fight? Then Edward's blood ran cold. Penny. Ellen. If Oswald had betrayed him, had he told Dent about them? Were they, even now, being abducted too? Fear turned to rage in an instant. If Oswald, if Dent, if any of the Rogues had gotten within 500 feet of Penny and Ellen, not even Batman could save them from the Hell he'd rain down on them. Finally, the car came to a stop. Edward heard the car doors open, then footsteps approach the trunk. The lid opened, and even though Edward still couldn't see, he felt the late afternoon sun on his face.

"We're here, 'hero'," he heard one of the men say. "Time to meet your audience." Edward then felt himself getting dragged out of the trunk.

"I can walk on my own if you don't mind," he hissed as he was pulled to his feet. The only response he received was a slap on the back of his head.

"Shut up," one of the men said. Edward was then half escorted, half pulled along. He heard a door open in front of him and shut behind him. As he was dragged along, he became aware of a loud mass of voices, somewhere in front of him, and the sound of shoes on a marble floor. They weren't in a warehouse then. Where were they? The men dragging him came to an abrupt stop, keeping a tight hold on his arms. A loud, familiar voice called out and Edward realized exactly where he was.

"Bring out the defendant!"

So this wasn't a simple abduction. This was a trial. Harvey would be that dramatic. Edward was shoved forward by the man behind him and through another door. Almost immediately, he was assaulted by the sound of loud voices, hooting and jeering at him. "Traitor!" he heard someone shout at him. "Back-stabbing piece of shit!" Even if Edward hadn't been blindfolded, he wouldn't have dignified the rabble with a response.

Finally, he felt himself being shoved down into a chair, his hands hooked around the back. The blindfold was ripped off at last, and Edward squinted at the sudden, intense light. He opened his eyes, slowly, and took in his surroundings. He was, as he suspected, in a courtroom in the Solomon Wayne Courthouse. From what he could tell, he was in the witness well, and the gallery before him was packed with various members of Gotham's gangs, shouting and gesturing at him. At the prosecutor's bench sat Drury Walker and Garfield Lynns, in full costume. Directly in front of Edward, glaring down at him, were three other, familiar figures. Edward swallowed his fear and gave each of them a nod. "Harvey," he addressed the man in the middle, who glared at him in response. He looked to his left at a man in a hideous brown suit. "Temple." Finally, Edward's gaze went to the man on Harvey's right, a man with his long blond hair tied back. Edward narrowed his eyes. "Arthur. The plot thins." He smirked at the indignant face Arthur made before Harvey stepped forward, and Edward couldn't help but notice the gun he held in his hand.

"Nigma," Harvey growled leaning down to look Edward directly in the eyes. Edward tried not to wince at the scarred face or the acrid smell of old, burnt flesh that emanated from it. "You know why you're here?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "Big Bad Harv wants my autograph?" Harvey backhanded him hard with his left hand, sending Edward's head snapping back. A loud laugh came from the gallery, and Harvey turned to address them.

"Order in the Court!" he shouted, not as Big Bad Harv, but as Harvey Dent, district attorney. Edward ran his tongue over his split lip, tasting the blood in his mouth. Dent and Harv appeared to agree on whatever was going on. That was never a good sign. Once the noise had died down, Harvey used the barrel of his gun to force Edward's chin up. "Arrogant little smart ass," Harvey rasped. "You haven't changed a damn bit."

"Neither have you, I see," Edward hissed. "Still no sense of humor. Or manners."

Harvey brought his hand up and Edward winced. Before the blow could come, Temple raised his cane. "Enough. Let's get to the business at hand."

Harvey reluctantly lowered his hand. "Fine." He then turned back to the gallery and said in a booming voice. "Court is now in session in the matter of the People of Gotham City vs. Edward Nigma. The charge is treason." Harvey turned back to Edward, a dangerous glimmer in his one good eye. "How does the defendant plead?"

Edward answered with a glare of his own. "If you think for one second that I'm indulging this nonsense-" he was cut off by another backhand from Harvey.

"Next time you're getting pistol-whipped," Harvey warned. "Now, how do you plead?"

Edward forced himself to look at Harvey, and not at Arthur's smug face. "Not guilty," he hissed through the pain.

Harvey turned back to the gallery. "For the past two years, we've watched the defendant, Edward Nigma, turn on his fellow Rogues. Jervis Tetch, Victor Goodman, Bane. And now, we saw him, on camera, working with Batman. Now he's got half the city thinking he's some kind of hero." The crowd booed before being silenced by Harvey's raised hand. Harvey looked over his shoulder to glare at Edward. "We've known Edward Nigma for years. And we know he's never been out for anyone except himself. This is all part of some scheme. First, he picks us off one by one. Then, once Gotham lets its guard down, he takes out Batman and his cohorts. Then no one's left to stand in his way." Harvey jabbed his scarred finger towards Edward. "You couldn't get any respect as a Rogue, so you decided to fake a reformation and take us out as a private detective. Do you deny it!?"

Edward stared at Harvey for a long moment, unsure if this was happening or if this was part of some fever dream. Then he did the only thing he felt was appropriate for the situation. He laughed, long and hard. "Oh, I wish I was half as devious as you seem to think I am," he said finally. "This may come as a surprise to you, Harv, but I haven't spared the lot of you a single thought since I woke up from my coma." He directed his glare towards the rest of the assembled Rogues and hoodlums, thankful at least that he didn't recognize any of Oswald's men in the crowd. "Nothing that I've done in the past two years was about you! Any of you!"

"You expect us to believe that Ed?" Arthur scoffed. "What about what you did to Tetch? Or Goodman? Or Bane? You don't think you owe us an explanation at least?"

Edward took a deep breath through his nostrils. "I owe you," he growled out. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You least of all, Arthur."

Arthur opened his mouth, but then Temple cut him off. "In the interest of time," he said in that nasal voice of his. "Let's review each incident chronologically, starting with when Nigma was hired by Mayor Sharp last May."

"Right," Harvey seethed. "You worked for Sharp then. Are you working for him now? Was this crackdown on us your idea?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "If any of you could be bothered to pay attention to the news, you'd all know that Sharp hates my guts, and vice versa. I worked for him last year because he paid me to. That's all. I had no idea that he'd even become the Mayor, let alone what he'd do in office."

Temple rubbed his chin in thought. "That is true," he admitted. "That, however, does not explain why you all but unseated ex-Mayor Hill."

"Skipping ahead a bit, aren't we?" Edward taunted. "Besides, I thought you of all people would have appreciated Hill's downfall, Temple. Unless my memory fails me, as it frequently does."

"My personal feelings are irrelevant," Temple said between his teeth. "What is relevant is that you maintain that there is animosity between you and Mayor Sharp, yet you were instrumental in the removal of his political rival. I think that requires an explanation before we go any further."

Edward furrowed his brow, trying not to let on how much the gazes of his former colleagues were bothering him. He supposed from an outside point of view, his actions seemed odd. "I was investigating a missing person's case at the time," he explained. "During the course of the investigation, I uncovered evidence about Hill's misdeeds that I was compelled to hand over to GCPD. Hill's resignation wasn't my goal, but rather, an unintended consequence."

From the prosecutor's table, Walker scoffed. "So you 'accidentally' forced Hill to resign? Seriously?"

"If I wanted Hill gone, I would have done it years ago," Edward insisted. "And given what I-" Edward stopped himself. His investigation into Strange would be his trump card, only to be deployed if necessary. "Given what we've seen Sharp do," he corrected. "In hindsight, I shouldn't have gotten involved in that mess."

Temple raised an eyebrow, but Harvey shook his head. "Moving on," the former district attorney said. "What about what happened to Tetch? Was that an accident too?"

"You can't put that on me," Edward argued. "In the first place, that was-" he stopped himself again. The other Rogues were out for blood. Even on the off-chance it would save him, he couldn't, he wouldn't throw Selina under the bus. "That was his own damn fault. He'd kidnapped a girl and was forcing her to be his Alice. I gave him every chance to let her go and walk away, and he tried to drag me into his Wonderland too. Can you blame me for turning him back over to Arkham, or would you have preferred it if I'd killed the miserable little bastard?"

"You'd have done the world a favor if you had," Harvey admitted. "So for Tetch, you're claiming self-defense?"

"I am," Edward nodded. "Likewise in the case of Goodman. I didn't instigate that mess, I just reacted to it. Was I supposed to just sit back and let him humiliate me and try to kill me? Would any of you stand for that?"

There was a pause as the assembled Rogues looked at each other. While Harvey, Temple, and Arthur moved to confer with each other, Edward focused on the rope that bound his wrists. He flexed his wrists. It felt like a basic double knot. He could get out of it in ten minutes. He just needed a distraction. Edward stilled his movements when he saw Harvey and the others turn back towards him. "The Court accepts your claims of self-defense against Tetch and Goodman," he said. Any hope Edward may have had at getting out of this intact died as Harvey's good eye narrowed. "Tell us," he said. "How do you explain what happened with Bane?"

Edward opened his mouth, then he felt it go dry. How did he explain Bane without revealing Penny, or what she meant to him? He would die before he revealed her existence to them. The Rogues looked at him expectantly, Harvey wrathful, Temple thoughtful, and Arthur smug. "I..." Edward said. "Well..." Oswald's warning from July repeated in his mind and he swallowed. Perhaps he should have taken the man more seriously. Edward finally set his jaw and fixed the crowd with a defiant look. "That was a private matter," he declared. "It's no concern of yours."

The crowd in the gallery immediately began hollering. It took Temple three strikes of his cane against the floor for order to be restored. When all was silent, Harvey took a deep breath, the hand that wasn't holding his gun clenching into a fist. "'A private matter.' That's your explanation?"

"It's the only one you're getting, Harv," Edward shrugged. "I don't have to explain or justify any of my actions to you lot. You've all made it quite clear to me over the years that you don't see me as a friend. When I woke up from my coma, none of you could be bothered to lift a finger for me, but now that I've used my superior intellect to make a new life for myself, you think I'm the one who betrayed you?" Edward focused his attention on Harvey and smirked. "I washed my hands of your years ago. This little display is nothing but pathetic nonsense dreamed up by jealous has-beens."

Harvey's face turned a bright shade of red. "You smug son of a-"

"He's provoking you," Temple said, raising his cane in front of the man to block him from attacking Edward. "It's a ploy. He's trying to obfuscate the reason he went after Bane." Temple fixed Edward with a cold, robotic stare. "I don't recall any personal animosity between you and Bane like there was between you and Goodman, nor would he go out of his way to provoke you as Tetch did. Come to think of it, why was Bane in Gotham at all? I thought he was in federal custody."

"He came for that TITAN drug that he was hooked on," Harvey explained. "Some Arkham chickadee made it from his blood-" Harvey paused, and Edward's stomach dropped. "Wait. That doctor, Bane was here for her, too." He looked at Edward, realization written on his face. "You did it for a woman." Then he snarled. "You're not just screwing us over to get at Batman. You're doing it to impress some shrink from Arkham!"

Edward rolled his eyes and forced himself to remain calm. "Impressing a woman? Seriously, Harvey? When have I ever done anything to impress anyone?"

"Don't you give me that bullshit, Ed!" Harvey bellowed, pushing past Temple and banging his fist on the wooden panel in front of the witness well. "All your miserable life, you've been trying to puff yourself up, make yourself out to be something greater than what you really are: a selfish, self-absorbed egomaniac who threw tantrums every time Batman outsmarted him!" Harvey jabbed his finger in Edward's face, almost touching the tip of his nose. "We've always seen right through you, little boy. You've never given a shit about anything, or anyone other than yourself and your fucking ego!"

Edward stared forward, defiantly meeting Harvey's gaze. "I don't care about anything or anyone other than myself and my non-existent ego. Everything I've done in the past two years was to undermine you or impress some woman. Is that what you believe, Harvey?"

"It's what we know," the man said gruffly. "You're a schemer. You're a manipulator. Everyone in this courtroom knows how you operate."

"Do you?" Edward questioned. He looked over Harvey's shoulder to see Temple staring at his pocket watch with an irritated look on his face. Did the man have somewhere he needed to be? He then looked back at Harvey. "You know how the Riddler operated, Harv. You have no idea who I am anymore. That's why you brought me here instead of just killing me in my office. I'm not the man I was four years ago, and that scares you." Harvey's eye narrowed, and Edward knew he had hit a nerve. He chuckled. "No, it doesn't scare you. Seeing me bring down other Rogues, saving people, and being lauded as a hero, enrages you, doesn't it? In two years, I've made more of a positive impact than Gotham's White Knight ever did. And if someone as selfish and egotistical as you say I am can be better, than what does that say about you-" A sharp blow to the side of Edward's head cut him off mid-sentence, snapping his head to the side. Loud laughter came from the gallery as his face stun. He felt blood dribble down his chin and winced before he heard the distinctive clicking sound of a gun. He looked in front of him and froze, seeing the barrel of Harvey's gun just an inch away from him.

"We warned you the next time you got smart with us, you'd get pistol-whipped," Harvey, or rather, Big Bad Harv said. "We've heard enough. We're ready to pass judgment-"

"Wait," Temple interrupted. "There's something he's not telling us."

"What does it matter?" Edward heard Arthur ask. "He doesn't have any explanation for Bane, and he clearly doesn't repent. If he has any good reason why we shouldn't kill him, why wouldn't he say so?"

"Exactly," Temple said. "Why wouldn't he say so?" Temple stepped forward, his beady brown eyes staring intently at Edward. "All of these incidents with Rogues, the partnership with Mayor Sharp and the subsequent estrangement, what happened at City Hall...they're connected." Temple pushed Harvey aside and pointed the tip of his cane towards Edward. He was getting rather sick of things being pointed at him. "If you have anything to tell us, I would do so now. Time is running out."

Edward sighed. Temple was smarter than he gave the man credit for. Time to play his trump card. "Fine. You're right. There is something bigger going on. The person responsible for my encounters with Tetch and Bane, Sharp's crackdown, and the attack at City Hall is Hugo Strange. He's your true enemy, not me."

Harvey raised his eyebrow, Temple rubbed his chin, and Arthur just looked confused. "Hugo Strange? Who's that?"

"He's the Warden at Arkham Asylum," Harvey said. "We remember him from when Jeremiah was still in charge. He was a real son of a bitch. What does he have to do with any of this?"

Edward ran his tongue across his cut bottom lip. "It's a long story-"

"We have all the time in the world," Temple said impatiently. "Start talking."

Edward took a breath and looked up towards the balcony, hoping against hope that Selina would be there, or even Batman himself. He almost wished that there was a tracker somewhere on him. "Fine," he said curtly. He took a moment to collect himself, preparing the same version of events he'd told Gordon, minus any mentions of Ellen and Penny. "It all started last May..."

Bruce had recognized the old campaign office on sight. As he, Selina, and Cassandra entered the building, his mind flashed back to what the decrepit brick office space had been ten years earlier. The faded posters and decaying inner walls faded away, and for a moment, Bruce could see the room as it had been the night Harvey had won the Gotham DA's race, brightly lit and full of people. He could see Harvey as he had been, his handsome, unscarred face jubilant, one arm wrapped around an equally thrilled Gilda, before Maroni, before the acid, before Big Bad Harv...before. The moment was gone as quick as it had come, and memory receded into reality. There was a long, rectangular table set up in the middle of the room, with ten chairs around it. The smell of cigarette smoke hung in the air. Bruce narrowed his eyes. There had been a meeting here. He heard footsteps beside him and saw Selina and Cassandra.

"We checked the other rooms," Selina said. "No one's here. What now?"

"Someone was here recently," Bruce said. He stepped towards the table. "Harvey and the other Rogues must have met here last night about Edward."

"But they didn't bring him here," Selina sighed. Bruce looked over his shoulder and saw her wiping a hand over her face. "If they took him alive, where would they have taken him?"

"They did take him alive, Selina," Bruce reassured her. He walked back towards her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I have Oracle and Red Robin monitoring communications. There's been no mention of him at any of the usual Rogue dumping grounds. He's still alive, Selina."

Selina nodded, though she didn't look convinced. Despite his reassurance, Bruce himself knew that even if Edward was taken alive, the other Rogues wouldn't keep him alive for much longer.

"Batman!"

Bruce and Selina sharply turned their heads and saw Cassandra standing by a chair, a scrap of crumpled paper in her hands. "What is it?" Bruce asked as he approached her.

Cassandra squinted at the paper. "I found it on this chair. It has your name on it."

His name? Bruce took the paper from Cassandra's outstretched hand and looked it over. The words S Wayne were written on the paper in clean, precise penmanship. "'S Wayne'?" he heard Selina ask. "Wait, Solomon Wayne? The Court House?"

"It has to be," Bruce said, crumpling the paper in his hand. "The other Rogues are putting Edward on trial." And he knew from experience that there was only one verdict they would come to. He pressed a finger to his in cowl communicator. "Oracle. The other Rogues took Edward to the Solomon Wayne Courthouse. Selina, Cassandra, and I are on our way now."

"Got it. I'll send a message to my Dad and have him close off the streets around the courthouse."

"Good. I'll let you know when we arrive at the courthouse. Batman out." Bruce cut off the communication and turned to the two women standing beside him. "Let's go."

Razor spat out his tobacco onto the sidewalk, then took a look at his watch. It was 4:45. He and Barb Wire, his 'comrade in arms', should have met the other gang members at the courthouse half an hour ago. Barb Wire wanted drinks though. And then, of course, nature called. Razor rolled his eyes. "Jesus Christ!" He shouted into the Park Row alleyway he parked the car next to. "How long does it take to take a piss!?" There was no response. Razor scowled. If he missed the boss plugging Riddler's smug ass, he'd be pissed. "Fuck this," he muttered. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stomped into the alley. The alleyway was dark, only barely lit by the setting sun. As he walked into the alley, Razor realized that he couldn't see or hear Barb Wire. "Dude, where are you?" No sooner did he ask did he see a mass lying halfway down the alley. Razor leaned down, then jumped when he recognized Barb Wire. "Jesus!" he cried. The back of the man's head had been blown off. Razor pulled out his handgun, then looked wildly around the alley. Who had done it? He hadn't even heard a gunshot, who the fuck had-

"Look up."

Razor looked up and dropped his handgun to the pavement. Standing on a fire escape, his sniper rifle aimed directly at him was the Red Hood. Razor felt his legs begin to shake. What the Fuck was he even doing in this part of town? He never left the Narrows!

"I've only got one question for you," Red Hood asked. "Where's Edward Nigma?"

Razor gulped. "The courthouse! The boss took him to the old courthouse! He and the other Rogues are going to put him on trial for all the crap he's pulled!"

"You don't say," Red Hood drawled, never lowering his gun. "Who are the other Rogues?"

"Cluemaster, Killer Moth, Firefly, and Clock King!"

"Anyone else involved? Cobblepot?"

"Black Mask sent a guy to sit in!" Razor shouted his hands up in the air. "It's the truth! I swear!"

"I believe you," Red Hood said. He nodded towards the alleyway entrance. "Tell everyone else in your sewing club that from now on, Ed Nigma's off-limits. You got it?" Razor nodded. "Good boy. Ten-second headstart." Razor turned on his heel and ran.

"...And that brings us to now when you so graciously had your men kidnap me from my office and bring me to a mock trial," Edward finished his tale. While he had recounted the story, the court had remained quiet. Edward paused to gauge the reactions of the men who were before him. He couldn't see Walker and Lynns' reactions through their mask, but they were leaned forward in their chairs. Arthur, much to Edward's satisfaction, had paled and was now looking at his hands. Temple's face was drawn, his eyes beady and dark. Harvey stood still, the two halves of his face alternating between skepticism at the beginning, surprise, and finally, anger. "Any other questions?" Edward asked.

Harvey sucked in a deep breath. "So you mean to tell us that everything that's happened in the past two years was a pissing match between you and Hugo Strange, and the rest of us have just been caught in the middle of it?"

"Well, that's a crude way of putting it," Edward scolded. "But essentially, yes." There was another pause as the Rogues began to speak to each other. The men in the gallery began to murmur behind them, and Edward looked back up to the balconies. Still no sign of a cat, or any bats. Hopefully, their absence was because they were looking after Penny and Ellen. His heart clenched as he thought of his lover and his daughter. He was so close to having everything he had ever wanted, and now here he was, hoping that his former colleagues would decide that Strange was a bigger threat than he was. He wet his lip, though it stung. Finally, he saw Harvey turn back to face him.

"If what you're telling us is true," he growled. "Then everything Strange has had Sharp do is on you."

Edward's jaw dropped. "Are you serious, Harvey!?" he yelled. "Whatever Strange's end goal is, he's been working at it for years! The only reason that he hasn't gone any further is because of me! You should be grateful! I'm the only thing standing between you and Strange!"

"And what about after Strange?" Harvey asked. "If you take him down, do you expect us to believe that you'll stop this hero shit? You said yourself, you're not the person you were four years ago." Harvey raised his gun and Edward's heart began to race. "That's too much of a risk for us."

"Harvey," Temple said. "Think about the bigger picture."

"Temple's right," Arthur interjected. "If Ed's right, then Strange is going to come after all of us. Maybe we should just let it go, try to work out a deal with Ed-"

"District Attorney Dent makes no deals," Harvey said, his eyes never leaving Edward's. "We find the defendant, Edward Nigma, guilty as charged." A loud cheer went up from the gallery and Edward's stomach dropped. He should have known that Harvey was too irrational to reason with. A grin came over the former district attorney's face. "We sentence you to death." Lynns began to cackle at the prosecutor's table. "Garfield will torch your office when we're done. As for Strange, maybe delivering him your body will get him to back off."

"There's no negotiation with Hugo Strange," Edward warned. "It won't matter if you serve me up to him on a silver platter. He'll just wait until your back is turned and plunge the knife in."

"Just like you," Harvey said. He stepped forward, and Temple of all people looked almost panicked. Harvey stopped at the front of the witness well and put his gun dead center against Edward's forehead. "Any last words? Would you like to call your Arkham chickadee to say goodbye?"

Even an indirect mention of Penny made Edward's blood boil. He spat in Harvey's face. Harvey howled in rage and slugged Edward in the face. Edward almost fell backward from the force of the punch. It felt like his nose was broken. Edward sat dazed, his head leaned back looking up towards the balcony...where he caught a movement. Was he seeing things? A figure stepped forward from the shadows. A female figure, in a sleek catsuit. Beside her, Edward caught sight of a large shadow, with a familiar cowl. Edward smiled and shook his head. About damn time. He began to laugh.

"What the fuck is so funny!?" Harvey demanded.

Edward looked back at Harvey's enraged face and grinned, though it hurt to do so. "Riddle me this," he said. "Why is this man smiling?" He nodded to the figures on the balcony. As one, the Rogues turned.

"Oh shit!" Arthur shouted. "It's the Bat!"

Almost on cue, Batman threw small pellets from his belt towards the courtroom below. Edward threw himself hard to the right, sending him and the chair to the floor. Pandemonium ensued.