Chapter Two
Jacob Roswell held his hands securely together as his heart pounded rapidly behind his chest. It had been a long ordeal as he sat as the defendant and the D.A. Robert Sampson tried every way possible to present evidence that he was at fault for everything that Roswell was being tried for. Roswell knew that he wasn't going to win in a popularity contest with anyone as the majority of the spectators in the courtroom were definitely against him all the way. Earlier while walking his way to the courthouse he caught slice of every despicable glare from basically everyone. He was hated by many. He didn't know any of the people who were giving him those hateful stares, but he knew he had affected them one way or another. Of course, there was more to the account than that; this was in fact Gotham City.
Roswell looked at his lawyer, Arnold Freiberg, who was one of the top criminal lawyers in Gotham, and surely Roswell had faith in Freiberg. Freiberg gave him a soft look as assuring him not to fret; everything will come in their favor. Roswell gulped down spit in his throat as he caught the eye of the judge. Roswell knew that the judge didn't like him either, but no matter what the jury chose, he had to follow.
At the far end of the courtroom, by the door, stood Commissioner Gordon and Detective Renee Montoya. For over a year now, Gordon had been waiting for Roswell to be put to trial and finally jail for all of his misdemeanors, but Gordon wasn't too certain that the day would be today. He knew Gotham City too well, and people like Jacob Roswell wouldn't be put away just so easily.
The tension around the room grew even denser as everyone waited for the final decision. Everyone turned their utmost at the jury as one of them stood with the peace of paper in his hand. The audience all stared at the man's lips for the final answer, everyone's heart beating, but none as hard as or faster than Roswell's himself.
"Please, Lord," Renee muttered under her breath.
"We the jury find the defendant…"
The air cut thin and faint as the next words came out of the man's mouth, "…not guilty."
"Oh, my God," Roswell claimed with quiet glee as his head hit the palm of his hands in pure shock.
The audience all rose up in chaos as they roared their hate at the jury.
"What the fuck is wrong with you people?"
"Have you any idea what you've done?"
"You got to be kidding me," Renee said as the shouts blared all over the courtroom.
Gordon watched the people all yell in rage and resentment as Roswell smiled that grin that went as far near his ears as they can. Tears began to fall down his eyes as he hugged his lawyer.
Gordon couldn't stand to watch this anymore. He shook his head and told Renee, "Let's get out of here."
"Just moments ago, defendant Jacob Roswell, was found non-guilty. Here he walks down Gotham City Hall much to the crowds' dismay," reporter Summer Gleeson announced as the cameras showed their shot of Roswell walking down the steps of City Hall with cameras and microphones all roughing their way to his face for some kind of response to the decision while a hoard of livid mobs circled around in disapproval.
Up at the hills in Wayne Manor, industrialist and philanthropist Bruce Wayne watched on his TV as the news coverage continued. He was disappointed with the decision that was reached today although he wasn't too surprised at the decision. Gotham City was one of the major crimes rated states in America, and something like this was nearly normal, but it still drove a channel of fume down everyone's throat, in particular Bruce Wayne.
"Goodness heavens, Mr. Wayne, why not change to a station with more dignity and class?" Alfred, Bruce's butler, said as he carried a tray out of the living room.
Bruce kept his eyes on the screen as he sat back and watch everything take place.
Gordon sat in his car just a few yards from City Hall with Renee sitting next to him on the passenger seat. They both watched as Roswell, protected by guards, made his way down the steps with his lawyer by his side as photographers all took their shots and reporters yelled their questions at Roswell.
Renee couldn't believe what had just happened just a while ago. After all that evidence and facts that were clearly set on the table, the jury still managed to set a crime boss free. There was something certainly up and she wasn't the only person to sense that.
"You know how I feel right now, Detective Montoya?" Gordon spoke. "I feel completely sick to my stomach."
Renee turned her attentions to her boss as he squeezed the wheel in complete calm anger. She understood how he felt.
"Times like these make me wonder if it was a good idea to stop Two-Face last year," Gordon continued. "No pun intended, but it was as if the jury flipped a coin for that damned decision. They might as well place Harvey Dent as D.A. again."
Renee turned back at the window, back at the scene that was going on. She felt a bit removed from what Gordon had just noted.
"I'm sorry, Renee… came out of nowhere."
Renee sighed and shook her head. "No. It's fine, commissioner."
Renee had some history with Two-Face. She knew that although he was a lunatic and mass murderer, Two-Face had a kinder and gentler side that seemed to very much love her. She didn't know what exactly to make of it, but he always found a way to scare her. It wasn't the left side of his face that lay dismantled and distorted, but his mood swings and tempers allied with this multiple disorder that added terror to her heart of him. Two-Face had found numerous times to attempt to woo Renee, yet after all her quiet rejections and distances from him, he never found a residence in his heart to harm her.
"Can we go now, commissioner?" Renee asked Gordon.
Gordon turned the ignition on, and then pressed the gas as they left the scene behind.
Established in 1921, Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane was Gotham's rehabilitation house for the many rogues that terrorized the city of Gotham. Among the members were the terrorizing Scarecrow, psychopath Mr. Zsasz, fanatical Riddler, and the homicidal Joker among many. Alas, it always seemed as if the doctors of Arkham Asylum were unable to exorcise the demons that formed or haunted the criminals locked up.
Deep inside the rehabilitation house chuckled the Joker from his twisted joke that only he seemed to understand.
"Shut the hell up!" Mr. Zsasz shouted at the Clown of Darkness.
"Really now, Mr. Zsaszy. Why can't you ever spare yourself a sense of humor?" the Joker gleefully said to him behind his cell.
Victor Zsasz was known as the most shameless of sociopaths. He was highly intelligent and cunning and killed all his victims with a carving knife. He would then leave them in "life-like" positions and then use that same knife to gash tally-marks on his body as count of all his prey. More than a hundred tally-marks covered his body and every time he found ways of escaping Arkham Asylum, the tally-marks would ultimately rise. Although Mr. Zsasz pleasurably enjoyed all the deaths he produced, he always felt that one day being the one to kill Batman would give him a deep sensual pleasure, and if that ever happened, he'd carve into his skin a deeper cut that he's ever added into his body, a slice that was possible able to touch his bone.
Next to Mr. Zsasz's cubicle was Two-Face's. For about a year now, Two-Face had always occupied himself with Joker's continuous demented laugh and Mr. Zsasz's threats of one day cutting open Joker's throat if he couldn't find a time to ever shut up. Since the beginning, Two-Face was annoyed greatly of the two continually bickering to each other, yet both always found Two-Face to probably be their only friend in the asylum.
Two-Face blocked their bickering as he continued his therapy session with his psychiatrist.
"What exactly am I missing here, Harvey?" asked Dr. Kelly Woo. Since Two-Face's last capture about a year ago, Dr. Woo was a highly acclaimed psychiatrist with her resume of many successful treatments of all her patients.
For the past year, Dr. Woo believed that she was successful in being someone to finally penetrate into Harvey "Two-Face" Dent's head and find out who he really was. At first she was simply horrified of Two-Face in the beginning as he would go through mood swings and attempt to attack her every time she dwelled into his mind to understand him better. Dr. Woo worried for her life, but she was being paid by philanthropist Bruce Wayne to help "cure" Two-Face, and she felt she had too much pride to fall frightened of a criminal such as Two-Face. So far, after a many attempts, she was able to have Two-Face reveal his psyche being first fractured by his abusive father during childhood and the death of his brother whom Harvey left to die inside a locked room that burned aflame.
As the year continued, Two-Face was getting more and more comfortable around Dr. Woo and eventually awaited her arrival whenever she was appointed to come by. His wild tempers also lowered down as he found ways to separate himself from some of his inmates and followed all orders given from the guards and doctors in Arkham. Word was quickly spreading of Dr. Woo's treatment affecting Two-Face and seemingly transforming him back into Harvey Dent.
"What do you mean?" Two-Face asked her, his arms tied up in a straight-jacket.
"Do you think you're ready?" she then asked him.
Two-Face, on his back, stared up at the ceiling. He didn't know what to say in respond. He did feel like a rather changed man compared to a year ago. He turned his head, revealing his dissolved left side to Dr. Woo then asked her, "Do you think I'm ready?"