"Batman? Are you alright?" Starfire asked.
Batman snapped out of his reverie. He turned to look at her. "I'm fine. We have to get going." He followed Catwoman down to her car and she climbed in. Removing a tracking device from his utility belt, he slapped it onto the back of the vehicle where she wouldn't see it.
"Come on guys, follow her. Make sure she doesn't try anything."
"What makes you think she will?" Cyborg asked.
"She's a sly one, Catwoman. It's something that's expected of her personality."
They drove down the street, past bustling crowds and stores. They watched as Catwoman wove her way through the city towards the Gotham Water Tunnel. She suddenly pulled to a stop in front of an abandoned building. They stopped and climbed out. Batman concealed his car behind trashcans and old tarps.
"Where is he?" Batman asked.
"I'll show you," Catwoman replied.
They slipped into the building as quietly as they could. Batman made Cyborg scan the area for booby traps and security systems. He didn't find any, and had to wonder why his friend had suddenly become so paranoid.
"Is there a particular reason you're doing all this?" he asked.
"Safety issues," the Batman replied curtly. "Two-Face isn't one to take lightly."
"I see. But why the extra precautions?"
"Too many encounters, too many mistakes. I'm not letting him get the best of me again."
"You care to explain further?" Cyborg asked.
"No." He turned to Beast Boy. "Can you track those tigers?"
"I think so, I got their scent and stuff back at the zoo. I'm sure I could find them. He morphed into a bloodhound and began sniffing around. He caught the scent and began running. The others followed quickly.
"Now we don't want to hurt those cats, alright?" Catwoman said.
"Yeah, and we don't want them to hurt us either," Cyborg added.
"Yeah, right," she agreed. "We wouldn't want that now would we?"
"You're a real broken record aren't you?" Raven sighed.
"If you're talking about my precious babies in there, yes I am."
"There not yours," Batgirl huffed. "They belong to the Gotham Zoo."
"They belong in the wild!" Catwoman protested.
"If that is true, then why did you steal them?" Starfire asked. Catwoman made no reply and continued running through the hall.
"Quick, up into the ventilatiavon shaft," she hoisted herself up into the dirty opening, "he can't see us from here."
"You're kidding right?" Beast Boy asked, changing back into human form.
"No, she isn't. Now do as she says. It's our best chance to find Two-Face without alerting him. You heard her, get in!" He hoisted himself up through the opening.
"Okay fine, but we're all going to need a laundry mat after this!" Beast Boy grumbled as he joined them.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
They crawled through the air ducts, trailing Catwoman as she led them through the building. "Are you sure you know where you're going?"
"Of course I do. I was curious, so I followed him."
"Curiosity killed the cat."
"But satisfaction brought her back. Now come on, we don't have much time."
They crawled further into the ducts. "Here we are," Catwoman said s she pointed to a figure through a small slit in a grate. "He's down there."
"Is there a way to get to him without being seen?" Batman asked.
"Come on, this way," Catwoman led them further until they came to another room. "Drop down. All of you, he won't be able to find us here."
They dropped into an empty room. Batman took in the view and looked at them. "Well, what step do we take first?"
"We could storm the room," Cyborg suggested.
"It could work, but I don't know if that would be the best thing."
"Come on; it's just one man," Beast Boy said.
"And two ferocious tigers," Raven countered.
"I haven't forgotten that." Batman said, "Be very careful. He's a good fighter." The others nodded.
"We will," Raven said.
"Last time I was here, I didn't see the tigers with him," Catwoman said.
"Let me use my optic cable," Batman muttered, using the cable to peek underneath the door, he looked into the room beyond. "Not this time. I see them, they're chained in the far corner of the room."
"So we just stay away from that side of the room," Starfired advised.
"And keep Two-Face from getting over there to use those tigers on us," Batman added.
"We don't want to go bustin' through the door like idiots," Cyborg observed. "Raven, can you take us in?"
"Good idea. Gives us the element of surprise," Batman winked.
"How do you know this is going to work?" Catwoman asked.
"We've done this before, trust me," Beast Boy said.
Raven engulfed the group in her soul self and teleported them into the room. Batman rushed forward, catching a surprised Two-Face off guard. He sent the criminal flying across the room. He hit the wall and scrambled to his feet.
"How did you get in here?" he demanded.
"It doesn't matter, now hand over the tigers!"
"Sorry Bats, you'll have to make me!"
They tackled each other to the floor. Two-Face smashed his fist into Batman's face as he accepted the blow and stuck back. He felt the wind get knocked out of him as Two-Face kneed him in the gut and push him off with his feet. He flew across the room and slammed into a wall.
Beast Boy charged forward, changing into a snake and wrapped himself around the criminal's legs as he ran forward. He hit the ground uttering a loud oof as Beast Boy morphed into a bear, raised his giant paw and prepared to strike.
A Starbolt flew through the room and singed some of the white hair off Two-Face's head. He managed to roll over and scoot out of the way as Beast Boy's paw smashed into the floor.
Two-Face scrambled to his feet and grabbed his handgun. Not knowing whom to attack, he flipped his coin, making a quick decision, it landed scratched face up and he fired at Batman. He barely managed to dodge the bullet.
Raven rose into the air, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she summoned her powers and slammed Two-Face into a wall. He climbed to his feet and met Cyborg head on. If he were any other man, he would have thought twice about taking on a half-human-half-robot, but he was too blinded by fury to think twice.
He grabbed Cyborg and pushed him back with inhuman strength, even the Titan was surprised at this. He knew the man could fight, but this was unexpected. Two-Face suddenly executed a viscous punch and smashed his fist into Cyborg's face.
Cyborg staggered back and Raven hurled a chair at him. He avoided the chair and raised his gun and fired. Raven used her powers to protect herself with an energy shield. The bullet bounced off harmlessly and fell, clinking to the floor.
He fired again and she moved quickly to evade more gunfire. Robin and Batgirl leapt at Two-Face and began a ferocious attack, kicking and punching furiously. They moved with one intention: to take him down no matter what the cost.
Robin and Batgirl grabbed hands, she swung him around a full 360 degrees as he brought his foot into Two-Face's midsection. He gasped for breath and grasped Robin's foot and sent him spinning into a wall.
Catwoman flourished her whip and lashed out at Two-Face. Two-Face dodged the whip and fired his gun at Catwoman. She nimbly evaded fire and charged straight at him. She punched him and he blocked it, returning the blow in kind. He head butted her and she grabbed him by his shirt and threw him across the room. He slid to a halt and scrambled to his feet.
He tackled Catwoman to the floor and began striking her with reckless abandon. Starfire ran over and with superhuman strength managed to pull the raging man off her, which was quite a feat, even for Starfire.
Catwoman sprang to her feet and punched him as hard as she could. Two-Face winced but shook it off as he somehow managed to break Starfire's hold on him and shove her away. She stumbled backward and Raven moved to steady her friend.
Batman barreled into him. A quick elbow to the face and swift kick in the stomach sent Two-Face backward. He regained his footing, grabbing a maching gun, he fired into the air, shooting down some lose rubble. Before anyone could react, they were pinned beneath two tons of debris.
"Well, Batman. I have you and your little friends at my mercy. What do you think I should do with all of you? Don't really like the idea of letting you all go, but I can't let you just stay here either."
"Please, you can't do this Harvey. You're a good man; I know you're still in there. Fight him, fight Two-Face. He can't dominate your life forever."
"Oh, what do you know Batman? Just because I worked with you to help take down Rupert Thorne does that give you the right to tell me what to do? Oh no, you don't know the real me. You never did. I will decide your fate, and nothing you say could ever change my mind…"
"Harvey, please…" Batman whispered.
"Harvey's practically gone, Bats. You should have figured that out. Now there's only Two-Face, and now, to decide whether or not to shoot all of you."
"If the clean side faces up, will you let us go?" Batman asked.
"You have the word of Harvey Dent. If you win, I'll let you go," Two-Face fingered the silver dollar in his hand. He flipped it into the air.
Batman watched it spin as if it were in slow motion. The coin landed in Two-Face's hand. He frowned and looked at it. He turned to Batman. "Looks like you're in luck Bats, the coin was in your favor this time. I'm letting you and your little friends leave here alive. And I'm holding up my end of the bargain, those two cats can go with you."
"I do not understand, you are an evil man, yet you are letting us go and retuning the tigers? Why?"
"I'll explain later, Starfire. Don't ask now. We should leave before he changes his mind." Batman grabbed the two tigers and walked out the door. The others quickly followed him, particularly Catwoman, who had noticed the police had arrived in full force.
The police burst into the room. Captain Ellen Yin had her gun drawn and they surrounded Two-Face. "Two-Face, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. If you can't afford the right to an attorney, the court will appoint one for you." She placed the cuffs on his hands.
"I know my rights, Captain. I was a District Attorney once, remember?" Two-Face looked at her.
"I haven't forgotten the old days Harvey," she whispered. Batman stopped halfway out the door and turned to looked at Two-Face. The two former friends shared a sad, resigned look; as if they knew that fate would keep them apart. They would always be friends, in a paradoxical sense of the word, but it would never be the same. They would never work together, D.A. and cop. He wouldn't prosecute criminals and dish out justice, he was the one who would be prosecuted, tried and punished.
Ellen Yin felt especially sorry for his ex-wife, Gilda Dent, they had loved each other very much. She had divorced him when he became Two-Face out of fear of what her husband's darker side might do to her. "It's too bad," she whispered.
"I know, Ellen, but…do you think there's still hope…for me?" he asked in a hushed whisper. She stared at him, startled. This wasn't Big Bad Harv talking, this was Harvey Dent, hidden somewhere in that broken, shattered mental state of confusion was a vague fragment of his former self.
"I'm sure there is, Harv. It's never too late." She led him to the squad car.
The Titans stood outside the tunnel, pondering the events that had just occurred earlier. "Dude, why'd he do that?" Beast Boy asked.
"It can wait," Batman said. "Let's get back to the Batcave."
"But what about the tigers, Handsome, you can't take them home now can you?"
"And you can't take them home either, Selina. I'm returning them to the Gotham Zoo."
"Oh come on. I helped you get Two-Face. Throw a dog a bone!"
"Sorry, Catwoman. I made no promises."
"Aww!" she growled.
"I'm not going to lock you up in jail, yet. Stay straight and maybe next time I'll go easy on you."
"Oh fine, I have to go now anyway. Do reconsider, Handsome, I could give those cats a good home."
"It's too bad we won't be able to find out. These cats are going back where they belong." Catwoman ran to her car and drove off.
The Titans took them back to the zoo and locked them securely in their cages after Cyborg repaired the damage caused during the break in.
"Well, I guess we can go home now."
They arrived at the Batcave and parked their cars. They all climbed out and gathered around Dick Grayson as he removed the cowl from his face.
"Why did Two-Face let us live and return the tigers to us? I have heard of the horrible things he has done. What caused him to do this?" Kory asked, puzzled.
Dick looked at them, "It's a long story, but I'll begin from the beginning. Two Face was once a man called Harvey Dent. He was a Gotham District Attorney and he was a man who stood for truth and justice. But he suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder, that means he created an alternate personality that he used to commit crimes, and he would be able to disassociate himself from that persona."
"So you're saying he could create a whole new identity and not know about it?" Gar asked.
"No, he knows about it, the alternate persona of Two-Face is a defense mechanism. It's an alter ego created in order to deal with stress."
"So is he mentally ill?"
"Yes, he has a split personality, and Two-Face, or "Big Bad Harv," as he once called it, is his dominant side."
"So how did he get to have two faces?" Gar asked.
"Rupert Thorne is a well known mob boss here in Gotham," Dick began his story. "He hated Harvey Dent because the man worked tirelessly to bring him to justice. He discovered Harvey's psychological records and his split personality, "Big Bad Harv". Thorne threatened to blackmail him with it unless he left him alone."
"Well as you can tell, Harvey Dent wasn't really happy about that. They confronted each other in the Ace Chemical Plant. Thorne threatened to expose Harvey's secret and when that happened, his darker side, Big Bad Harv came to the fore and they started fighting. One thing led to another and the chemical plant exploded."
"Thorne escaped and Harvey was taken to the hospital. When he awoke, the doctor told him that he wouldn't want to look at his face and that he had scheduled him for plastic surgery. Harvey insisted he see what happened to his face and looked into a mirror. It was then, that he saw his other, darker self revealed. He was Two-Face, and because of his accident, his mind was broken, and he had no sense of right or wrong."
"With this new persona came a new characteristic: he is obsessed with duality. It's a gimmick, his clothing is made from two different fabrics and often his schemes involve the number two. Two traps, two items to steal, that sort of thing."
"I noticed he flipped that coin of his a lot. Does that have something to do with it?"
"Yes, he did, Gar. It's part of his gimick. That coin, well, it was rejected from the Gotham Mint because it was considered defective: It had two heads instead of head and tails like a normal silver dollar. Harvey Dent kept found it when Rupert Thorne dropped it during his escapte from the Ace Chemical Plant. I guess he heard the rumors about Thorne's "Lucky Silver Dollar". Made the claim that it was because of the lucky charm that he discovered Dent's split personality. Dent blaimed the coin for his condition and to reflect that he took a knife and mutiated one of the heads on one side of the coin. He carries it with him wherever he goes, and usses it to make his decisions."
Dick walked over to a table and sat down. Alfred walked into the room carrying some tea. The others gladly took the cups and drank as he continued his story. "Two-Face has no sense of right and wrong, he lets fate decide what he does to you. But, he only uses that single coin, and if he loses it, he has no way to make decisions, which is why it's extremely necessary to steal the Silver Dollar from him."
"But you didn't do that, and we still got out okay," Victor observed.
"We were lucky that time, thins might not go so well if we meet again," Dick took a drink of tea. "I'm just glad that we made it out alive." He finished his cup and placed it on the tray. Alfred came and carried it off. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to sleep now."
"But we just got back here You're hitting the sack now?" Gar asked, "you're the one who likes to stay up late!"
"Things are different now, we're not in Jump City," Dick said as he headed upstairs. "Good night, guys. See you tomorrow."He walked upstairs and into the living rooom of Wayne Manor. To his surprise, he saw Bruce sitting in his wheelchair.
Bruce looked up at him from behind a newspaper. "Hello Dick."
"I thought the doctors told you to rest."
"You know I'll never do that."
"I figured, you're stubborn that way. You won't listen to anybody."
"Ha. I see. Dick, I know—you're not ready to talk to me yet, but I do have a favor to ask of you."
"What would that be?" Dick asked warily.
"I'm asking you to go visit Harvey Dent in Arkham Asylum."
Dick's jaw dropped. "No—no, you can't be serious. You want me to go visit him? Have you lost your mind?" He stared at Bruce in disbelief as if he had asked him to walk on water. "Have you forgotten what he did—what he almost did to me? He about beat me to death, that's what he did!"
"I know, and I know you've always been afraid of him—"
"—That's and understatement. I'm traumatized by him."
"This is the way you overcome your fears. You can face him in a setting where you know he can't harm you."
"You're telling me," Dick smirked. "Arkham isn't the most secure facility in the world you know."
"Yes, I know, but I believe Harvey Dent is still in there somewhere, we just have to coax him out."
"We? There is no we, this is something that you want, not me."
"Don't you want to see Harvey Dent cured?" Bruce asked.
"I've always hoped that would happen, but without my help."
"Please, Dick, do this for me. I'm one of the few people who believe he can come back. He still acknowledges Bruce Wayne as a friend, he would be friendly to you and he knows I adopted you."
"Oh joy."
"Will you do this for me? I promise, it'll be worth it."
"I hope you're right. I'll go visit Two-Face tomorrow in the afternoon, and I'm going to need all the sleep I can get," Dick headed off to his room. Bruce watched him, and hoped he would be proven right.
Dick awoke the next day, rested and refreshed. He walked into the bathroom, took a quick shower and dried himself. He pulled out a suit from the closet and put it on. He when back into the bathroom and took some hair gel from the medacine cabinet. He slicked it trhrough his dark hair and combed it back neatly. He washed his hands and splashed some cold water on his face. It was going to be a long day.
Examining his appearance, he turned and headed out to the kitchen. The others were surprised to see him. Alfred looked up. "Good morning Master Dick, it's nice to see you up, without my help." The others laughed at this and he sat down. He ate some cereal and orange juice and then he prepared to leave.
"Off to another meeting, huh?" Gar asked.
"Yeah, Wayne Industries/Enterprises keeps me busy," Dick siad, grabbing a coat. "I'll see you guys later." He headed out the door and down to the Rolls. He drove down to Wayne Tower and headed inside. Taking the elevator, he headed to the board room for a very long, tedious meeting.
Two-and-a-half hours later he emerged from the room exhausted. He felt drained, and he swore as long as he lived, he would never go to another board meeting again. Sighing, he headed down to the lower levels of Wayne Tower to the Applied Sciences Division.
"Hello Lucius," Dick greeted the elderly CEO of Wayne Industries/Enterprises. The man turned his attention to him.
"Good morning Mr. Grayson," Lucius greeted. "How'd the meeting go? Sorry I wasn't there today, I've been quite busy."
"So I see, what's that you've got there?" Dick asked.
"A new prototype for the Thermal Blaster," Lucius explained. He held up the prototype weapon. "Improved schematics and internal mechanisms have increased the power of the heat ray."
"How much more power?"
"This thing could fry your head off," Lucius told him.
"It's that powerful?" Dick asked. He wondered who had enlisted Wayne Industries/Enterprises for that kind of work. "May I ask who commissioned this project?"
"LexCorp, in Metropolis."
"LexCorp," Dick spat the name out with venom. "Lex Luthor's company."
"Well he is the President of the United States, Dick."
"I know, I know. I wasn't old enough to vote back then, even if I was, I wouldn't have voted for him."
"I didn't either, selfish, stuck up bureaucrat, but he won. Superman's archenemies is letting this country rot while he schemes to get rid of him."
"You know about that, Lucius?"
"Dick, everyone knows about Lex Luthor's obsession with killing Superman."
"I see. And you said yes to his commission to manufacture these Thermal Blasters?"
"What choice did I have, Dick? I protested but the other board members overruled me. They said it was a great business opportunity. Business opportunity, my shoes; just gonna cause more problems I suppose."
"Why didn't they tell me about this?"
"This decision was made before you arrived, right after Bruce was attacked by Bane. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
"That's alright. It's too late to stop the big machine now." Dick turned toward the elevator. "If there's anything I can help you with, let me know."
"I will."
Suddenly, the Batwave activated and he pulled it from his back pocket. "Hmm...Problem at the bank." His Communicator activated and he answered it.
"Dick, this is Captain Yin. The Penguin and the Kabuki Twins are holding up the Gotham First Federal Bank. We've closed off the building but he's threatening to kill if we don't let him leave."
"We're on our way," Dick answered. He shut off the Communicator. "Well I guess I have some business to take care of. I'll leave you to your work, Lucius."
"Knock 'em dead, Dick," Lucius laughed. Dick stared at him and chuckled quietly at the joke. He headed over to a bookshelf and pushed a button hidden behind one of the books. A concealed door swung itself around and he found his Kevlar suit in a closet. He quickly put it on, strapping his utility belt around his waist and making sure his grapple gun was nearby.
He pulled out a remote control and pushed the button. He walked quickly passed Lucius and took the elevator down to the garage floor. He watched as the Batmobile came screaming towards him. He pulled the car to a terrific stop and opened the cockpit. He jumped into the car and headed for the Gotham First Federal Bank.
He sprang out, quickly sprinting over to his friends. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Penguin's inside, holding everyone hostage," Captain Ellen Yin explained. "We've tried to reason with him but it's no use. Perhaps you could pursuade him to come out."
"The only form of pursuasion he'll see is that of my fist hitting his face. Talk is useless when it comes to criminals who are like him."
"The Penguin and his Twins of Kabuki are inside the bank?" Starfire asked.
"Yes," Batman replied.
"They are not going to get away, I have some, as people on Earth say, "scores to settle," with those twins of Kabuki."
"So how are we going to get in?" Beast Boy asked.
"We could try from the roof," Cyborg suggested.
"No way, after my experience with the vents last night, not gonna happen," Beast Boy protested.
"Raven could teleport us in." Batman said.
"We've been doing that a lot lately."
"Best eliment of surprise so far," Cyborg said.
"Raven, take us in!" he ordered.
Raven surrounded them with her powers and with a loud woosh, they vanished into the building. Inside, the Penguin was emptying numerous quantities of cash into a large sack. His Kabuki Twins were guarding the bystanders, ready to rip them to shreds if they tried to escape. The Titans appeared and immediately charged into the Twins before they knew what hit them.
Starfire knocked one of them across the room, her righteous fury coursing through her veins. She had not forgotten the wounds and the suffering she had endured at the hands of these two criminals. She had been in the Thomas Wayne Memorial Clinic for a few days because of them, and she wasn't going to let that happen to anyone else.
Starfire smashed her fist inot her opponent's midsection, the force knocked the wind out of her. The Twin gasped as she parried with a viscous strike, but Starfire was ready for that she threw herself back away from the sharp blades as the other ran to assist her partner. Together, the Kabuki Twins grabbed her by her arms and held her back as the others descended on the Penguin.
"I am sorry to disappoint you, but I am stronger than I look!" Starfire said coldly as she used her alien strength to send her enemies flying across the room. They smashed into a wall and rubble fell on them as Starfire flew over and revved up her Starbolts. She hurled them at the Kabuki Twins as they nimbly dodged out of the way, avoiding them.
As one twin slashed at her she grabbed her by the wrist and twisted it back as hard as she could, she heard a bone snap as she watched the criminal scream in pain. She forced her opponent's hand behind her back and delivered a hard kick to the small of her spine. The twin fell forward and hit the ground unconscous. Cyborg ran over to assist her, firing his Sonic Cannon. The laser fire startled the second twin and she flew back from impact. He brought his fist into her face and she slashed at his titanium body. The blades did superficial damage and did very little in acutal psyical harm. He punched and kicked furiously, leaping high into the air, he brought himself smashing down on top of her and slammed her into the floor. He aimed his weapon at her, and knowing she was trapped, didn't move a muscle.
Batman fought Penguin furiously. "I see your little girlfriend is better now. Wonder how she recoverd so fast?"
Raven used her powers to throw a chair at him, he leapt high over it and kicked Batman. He somersaulted backward and avoided it. He blocked Penguin's blows and tried to gian the advantage. Beast Boy charged into him as a rhino and knocked him off his feet. Raven evaded a punch and smashed her elbow into the back of his head. Penguin felt lightheaded but somehow managed to return blow for blow Raven's attacks.
Suddenly, Azrael dropped through the ceiling and landed in front of him, sword drawn. Penguin grabbed his umbrella and fired a series of bullets at the armored vigilante. He skillfully avoided them and kicked Penguin viscously in the gut. He staggered back as Batman executed a quick spin kick that struck him in the face. Raven used her powers to pick him up and threw him straight into Beast Boy in Gorilla form who grabbed him and slammed him into the ground, sending his umbrella flying.
Batman kicked the umbrella away as Penguin desperately reached for it. Azrael pointed his flaming sword at his throat and he immediately froze. "Sorry Penguin, you're heading back to the Gotham Penitentiary where you belong."
The Penguin glared at him but said no words as the police rushed in and handcuffed him.
"What are you doing here, Azreal?" Batman asked.
"I came to help, it looked like you needed it."
"I see. I must be going."
"Going? Going where?"
"I have an appointment to keep. Azrael, could you take my place on patrol, I have some business to take care of."
"I take it you're not still mad?" the armored vigilante asked.
"I may not be angry, but that doesn't mean that I trust you," Batman said, walking away."
"At least your disposition's better than last time."
"Inded, now if you'll excuse me," Batman said, firing his grapple gun into the hole in the ceiling, "I have to get going." Azrael and the Titans watched him leave wondering what in the world he had to go do now.
Dick Grayson shifted uneasily as he walked into Arkham Asylum. He frankly, had no idea why he was there. No person in their right mind willingly stepped into the halls of Gotham's notorious Hell house for the insane. Only the corrupt or the crazed resided there, mainly its occupants shared equal doses of both traits.
Dick Grayson; dressed in a three-piece suit and tie felt nervous as he walked with the guard down the long, vacant hallway. He was going to visit Harvey Dent; why he was doing this, he had no idea. It was bad enough that he was afraid of the man, that fear he had always pushed down into the darkest places of his soul.
He took a deep breath, and inhaled his fear, releasing it as he exhaled. He felt a little better as he followed his escort to Harvey Dent's cell. He walked into the room and noticed Harvey Dent sitting calmly behind a table wearing a prison uniform and a pair of handcuffs. Dick calmed his nerves and sat down across from the deranged criminal mastermind.
"Hello Mr. Dent," he greeted him formally, not knowing where to begin.
"Now Grayson, you're not my lawyer, call me Two-Face," Two-Face snapped. He could tell this was Big Bad Harv in control. Maybe if he gained his trust, perhaps he could coax Harvey Dent out from inside of Two-Face.
"How do they treat you here, Two-Face?" Dick asked.
"Not that good Grayson, it's torture here. If you thought we were insane when we came in here…well we're a lot worse when we come out."
"Worse, what do you mean by worse?"
"You don't know what they do to us."
"What exactly do they do to you here?" he asked.
"Experimental drugs, psychological 'therapy', anything close to physical torture. The guards beat us if we act up, unless we riot, then they run. Verbal abuse galore, you know the drill."
"Why didn't you tell someone in authority? Why keep silent?"
"Who's gonna believe me, Grayson? I'm one of the bad guys, with my reputation why should anyone listen to me?"
"But can't there be a way to stop this?"
"No, if the guards don't near kill ya, the inmates will. Victor Zsasz slit some crazed wife killer's throat with a hommade shank becauase he butted in the food line."
"No one said anything?"
"What do you expect kid, we're the bad people here."
"But that could have been you instead of him."
"Yeah, well I'm not that stupid, at least I know when to stay out of people's way."
"I see. Is there anything I can do for you Two-Face?"
"Why should you care, boy. What would I possibly want from you?" Two-Face rested his face in his hands. "No, no, you wouldn't want to help me find…Nah, just a stupid thought, that's all."
"What? What is it, Two-Face?"
"Call me Harvey, please," Harvey interupted.
"Harvey, what were you going to say?" Dick asked.
"I was wondering…if you helped me, would that mean I could get my wife back?"
"I don't follow you Harvey."
"You know how badly they treat us here, but if I really try to get help, do you think it'll work?"
"There's always hope, Harvey, Bruce hasn't given up on you."
"What about you, you talk about Bruce is not giving up on me, have you?"
"I really don't know, Harvey, I'm not sure what to think. I believe that…there is still hope for you, as much as the outward circumstances say otherwise." Something inside Dick told him that Harvey Dent was truly sincere. He really did want to get out, and stay out of Arkham Asylum. He wanted a happy, normal life again. Harvey was trying to fight his dominant personality of Two-Face after all. Dick had believed, as many did, that Two-Face had complete control over the dormant personality of Harvey Dent.
"I knew you were like Bruce Wayne. If I make an honest attempt at getting cure will you help me?"
"I'll do what I can." He stared at his watch. Visiting hours were almost over.
"I guess it's time for you go go, Dick."
"Good-bye Harvey, I'll come back when I can," Dick Grayson said as the guard entered.
"I just want to know one thing, Dick," Harvey Dent stared at him, his disfigured right eye lulled over to one side. "Why come visit me? I'm not exactly respectable anymore."
"Everyone deserves a second chance Mr. Dent, even you. I can pull some strings. I know a very skilled plastic surgeon who could fix your face," inwardly, Dick was thinking, why am I saying all this?
"I don't know kid, what's it gonna do? Two-Face can't just go away if his face is fixed," Harvey sighed.
"I know. That's why I'm going to find you the best therapists to help you sort through all this, and help you gain back what you lost."
"Grayson, why are you doing this for me? Is there some favor you want from me? Nobody ever does things for me without a catch. What is it that you want?"
"I'm doing something that Bruce wanted…and something that I want. We could have been friends, if things had been different. I didn't know you that well, but Bruce did and said you two were very close."
"That's true, kid. He hasn't given up on me. Even after all these years…"
"I'd better let you go, Mr. Dent. I have some business to attend to," Dick got up from his seat. He turned to leave. The thought hit him for a moment, that Harvey had called him Dick and not Grayson. There might be hope for Harvey Dent after all.