Batman Beyond: Two-Face II

Chapter 10: New Alliances

By ShadowHawk & Demoness Space Pirate

Disclaimer: We don't own the characters used

Smoke and flame poured from the halved face of Lady Gotham. "This was the scene late last night when the notorious Two-Face crashed a helicopter into the very face of Gotham's beloved statue. It is to say without a doubt that everyone is shocked at what has happened. Ernest Caldwell, a worker at Gotham's harbor, reports having seen Batman leaving the scene. In other news-" A hand reached up and turns off the TV, the screen went black revealing the reflection in the dark glass. Two-Face.

It was daytime at the Gemini club turned hideout, Two-Face clutched his fist slowly pacing the floors. "Batman, Batman, Batman! God, I want that man's blood on my hands."

Deidre sat to one side of Two-Face, her lips stained with ruby lipstick, her body dressed in a tight leather outfit, accessorized with a choker of spikes, razor blade earrings. She smirked while stroking a muzzled black Doberman. "Oh you are most obscene, my frightful grotesque." She purred to him.

Another set of arms entwines with Two-Face's. Delia, a submissive blonde dressed in Victoria's Secret's lacey best, nuzzled his good side while petting a snow white kitten. "Don't listen to her. You're every girl's dream." Delia cooed.

Deidre took a firm hold of Two-Face's arm giving him a small squeeze, "Waste Dorothy and Toto here, so you and me can get down to business."

Without warning Two-Face slapped the dark twin hard across the cheek. Deidre slowly turned to face him licking her red lips seductively. "Harder, baby. Hit me again."

Two-Face growled at the woman stating gruffly. "No."

"Sadist." She pursed her lips making her voice hotter. Two-Face turned to Delia caressing her face gently in contrast to his treatment of the dark twin.

Two-Face's hideaway was designed perfectly divided straight down the middle, dividing dark from light, heaven from hell, and pain from pleasure. Delia's half was all light and order the perfect paradise where one could easily tell it was meant to represent good. While the other, Deirdre's domain looked like an S&M club.

Two-Face continued to dwell on his chief concern. "Too many bats to fry to think about fun. I wanna take him apart limb by hyper-extended limb. Feel his bones crunch in my hands. Beat him until he's as black and blue as that ridiculous suit."

Without thinking, Two-Face stepped over to Delia-land. His demeanor instantly changed, presenting himself more reasoned and calm. "On the other hand, perhaps something slow, a delicious incursion of despair, a campaign to shatter his psyche and bring him crumbling to his knees."

He wandered back across to the darkness of Deirdre-land his face instantly molding to hostile and savage. "Hell! Why wait? Rupture his organs. Shatter his spine. Still have time for a late dinner." He laughed at the pleasant thought.

He paced back into Delia-land changing back to calm. "But simple murder? It's just too damn simple. Besides, it's been done. No, I need a plan."

He stepped back into the realm of Deirdre-land. "Yes. Something senseless, brutal, savage, and violent!" His voice rumbled deeply as images formed in his mind. He stepped back into Delia-land, stopping to add, "Yet witty."

The Dee-Dees each took hold of Two-Face's arms. "C'mon boss, lets go out and have some fun. You have all of Gotham talking about you now." Deirdre said.

Delia shout out her bottom lip in a sexy pout. "Yes boss, lets go and have some fun."

Two-Face looked from one twin back to the other. He threw his head back as he let out a hearty laugh. "Alright." He complied.

What Two-Face didn't know was that a certain someone had seen his latest work on the TV. How could it be helped with the television flooding with the news and pictures of the desecrated face of Gotham's own Lady Liberty.

Everyone was upset, the random chosen persons each stated their dislike for the Lady's marred face that now bore the symbol of Two-Face. That certain someone turned off the television feeling something had to be done about the two-sided man.

Meanwhile back at the club...

Two-Face and his men had returned from their celebration towing many of the newspapers crested with the Lady Gotham incident on the front page.

"Two-Face makes his mark!" The Dee-Dees each took turns reading the headlines.

"Double the terror, double the fun."

The headlines made Two-Face grin as they entered his dual sanctuary.

One of his many twin goons sniffed the air loudly. "Ey do anyone else smell food?" He asked.

Everyone rushed into the main room that everyone once used as the dance floor to find two long tables stretched out and covered with scarlet red table sheets on one and black satin on the other. They stared in awe as they noticed that both tables were piled high with gourmet foods they had only seen in cook books and on television.

"Who did this?" Two-Face demanded.

His question was soon answered as Harley Jest dressed in cooking apparel made her way out of the swinging kitchen doors with a large plate balanced in each hand and another atop of her head. At her heels trotted her pet hyena in hopes of catching any fallen foods.

"Double your pleasure, double your fun. Ahh! Damn that Double mint gum song!" She grumbled sitting the plates down.

Harley sighed with content as she looked over the spread then acknowledged the group for the first time. "Well what are you waitin' for an engraved invite? Get your asses over here and eat what I've made for you."

Everyone looked at the food then the server with distrust evident in their eyes.

Harley laughed making the bells in the bi-colored hair jiggle. "I didn't poison it. And if I did I would do it in a much more unpredictable way."

They all agreed with a single nod that she had a point and rushed over to the tables beginning to dig in to the rich foods set before them.

Two-Face stepped over to the jester "So have you decided to accept my offer?" He asked amusement glowing in his unsightly face.

Harley smiled, "Nah, just a little gift. A pat on the back, so to say, for that job you just pulled. That's bound to go down in Gotham's history books. I mean, sure the Jokerz go up there all the time and make her up but nothing ever made it as big as this!"

Two-Face chuckled at the comment, "I see. But with your help we would be rid of that flying mouse."

"And who would be my playmate with the Bat gone? The police?" Harley asked with one hand on her shapely hip.

"Every Criminal in this city wants Batman Dead." Two-Face stated a death- like glare in his mismatched eyes.

Harley merely sighed taking off the dirty chief jacket revealing her normal garb of black and red. "Every criminal in this city wants to be the one who kills him. Me, on the other hand, I just wanna have fun."

"Fun?" He hitched a scarred brow. "But think of it, if you had joined me Batman would be no more."

Harley took a seat. "Too easy Deuce. Besides I rather like playing with the bat."

"I prefer to have him dead." Two-Face growled in his throat.

Harley shrugged. "You like your meat rare I like it well done. Anyhow whatever happened to that big take over the world plan of yours?" She asked.

Two-Face smiled waving his hand about the room indicating all of Gotham. "Lady Liberty is the mark of a new era."

Harley laughed, "An era of huge scars? C'mon there has to be more."

"Do you remember 1920's prohibition?" He asked looking down on the crime jester.

Harley nodded before taking a small moment to recall what she had learned.

"The roaring 20s all alcoholic beverages were being sold illegally in brown paper bags. It was all speakeasies and jazz! And the crime rate was through the roof."

"Yes, and a kingpin by the name of Al Capone ruled Chicago with absolute power. No one could touch him. No one could stop him. I intend to live up to that legend." He said his eyes gleaming with his dream.

"Live up to it for exceed it?" Harley asked sincerely.

Two-Face grinned making his face look all the more twisted. "Exceed his Legend"

Harley turned away from him. "Ha! Good luck with the B-man flyin' around."

Two-Face smirked at the retreating back of Harley. "I have my ways."

She stopped to look back. "Ways? What sorta ways?"

The smirk on Two-Face's mouth grew all the more darker. "If you joined me I would tell you."

She folded her arms over her chest. "If I joined ya what would stop your double twisted mind from killin' me once ya got tired of me?" She asked matter-of-factly.

"I'll let fate decide that." He said patting his pocket were his two-headed coin rested.

Harley shrugged taking a seat at the tables. "I don't rely much on fate. We make of it what we wish. So the question reminds what keeps you from killing me?"

"I don't have the answer to your question." Two-Face stated sitting down at the head of the long table.

"Oh well then I can't join." She said standing up and readying to leave.

Two-Face held out his hand. "Stop! If you don't betray me, that is, then I'd have no reason to."

Harley looked over her shoulder smiling sweetly at him. "Would I ever?"

"I can make Gotham your personal playground and I do mean personal. Think about it." Two-Face smiled evilly.

Harley scrunched up her face in thought. "Hmm, and what do you want in return to making what I already claim my playground even more personal?"

"A little song, a little dance, Batman's head on a lance." Two-Face said sitting back in his seat

"No dice big boy, he's one of my favorite toys I love to break." She said sitting down again.

"There's always the Justice League Unlimited." Two-Face stated.

Harley jumped on her toes. "Ooh new toys. Okay point taken. But as they say the pain up your ass you know is better than the pain you don't... or somethin' like that."

After some time the Dee-Dees and Harley began entertaining the men by dancing atop the partly empty tables. Two-Face watched as his minions cheered the women on. It would do them some good to have some reckless fun. He thought to himself as he turned heading into his room/lab.

He hunched over his desk sighing deeply at his work. "Leaving the party so soon?" He spun on his heels to face his intruder. There at the closed door stood Harley with her body lend against the door and her arms behind her back and a small black box at her feet.

"I didn't hear you come in." He commented.

She shrugged for the millionth time that evening. "I didn't want to be heard."

Two-Face looked at her for a fleeting moment with an impious glint in his mismatched eyes. There was something about the woman both sides of him liked. Seeing the interest in Two-Face's eyes Harley turned showing the low neckline of her homemade red and black top. She loved to play.

He took out his trademark coin, trying to decide rather to put a hold to his plan or continue it.

Harley cocked a brow. "What's that for?" She asked with childish curiosity.

He flipped it into the air catching it in his hand good side, 'put a hold on his plan'

She walks closer to see the coin. "What did you flip for?"

"I had a plan but right now it's on hold, why do you ask?"

"I can't be curious? I can't know what certain things are like?"

"Really?" Two-Face asked her looking at her with a pleased smirk on his disfigured face.

Harley took a slow look around the half bedroom half laboratory. "Nice room."

She commented picking up a small bottle filled with warm blue liquid. "Aw a chemistry kit how cute. Oh I brought a gift for you." She motioned towards the box near the door.

Two-Face carefully picked up the gift cautious of any dangerous contents. He pulled away the lid and looked onto the neatly folded trench coat, one half looked like any normal black trench coat while the other half was a rich black and gold leopard prints with a furry collar.

"A new coat for you. I had it special made too. Bullet proof, fire proof, you know stuff like that."

"Oh, how... nice of you." Two-Face comments taking a good look at his new coat.

Harley chuckled taking a small taste of the liquid from the bottle. "You're welcome." She closed her eyes a moment as she began to feel different. "I can be much more nicer you know." She practically purred.

Two-Face cocked at brow at the bi-colored jester. "How so?" He queried.

She walked towards him pressing her body against his. "I'll play with you for once."

Her actions surprised him to the point he dropped his new coat. "In what way?"

Harley's black lips curled into a smile just before she kissed him on the lips.

"In anyway. As you know me and Red are kinda split ourselves and I need someone to have some fun with." She winked. With little effort she sits him on the edge of his bed and straddles his waist. "Ya know I've always wondered about you."

"Have you? Why, is it because of my Dual nature or is it something else?" He questioned.

She kisses his neck. "I don't know, it's maybe this or it's maybe that."

Harley leaned against bed laying him on his back. "Let's see what kind of a playmate you'll make for me."

Two-Face merely chuckled in his throat at her statement as he reached out turning off the lights.

Later...

"Are you satisfied now?" Two-Face asked wrapping his arm around the jester.

Harley sighed laying her head down on his chest. "Very."

He smiled kissing her on the lips.

Harley looked down on him with wonder in her eyes. "So does this mean I have to give up the bat as my plaything now?" She asked in an innocent voice.

Two-Face rubbed her bare back, "The Bat is not a worthy enemy." He reassured her.

"No, I just like the sound his bones make when I crack them." She lays her head on his chest.

"Oh like I said I would like his head on a lance." He told her again.

Harley scoffed. "Well I hate to get too much blood on my clothes. But I'll give you this much, the bat is easy to fool, he's hot-headed sometimes, pluck the right nerve and you can trap him easily. But until then what are we going to do?"

Two-Face laughed deeply making it echo in his chest and into her ears. "In the mood for a wedding?"

Inside the large room of a church, people were gathered around talking non- stop about how exciting it was that Alice Elliot, the bride and Keith Richards the groom were finally going to be united in matrimony.

Among the scattered groups were Bruce, Terry, and Max, along with Melanie whose restaurant was catering the blessed event. They all stood about looking at some of the paintings decorating the creme colored walls.

"Wow, these art reproductions Mr. Richards have are really something, Mr. Wayne." Terry said in utter astonishment.

"Those aren't reproductions, Terry -- Keith Richards is considered one of the world's leading private collectors of fine art." Bruce told him in a tone that stated somewhat that he should have known already.

"Yeah, he has some finer pieces than the ones he's displaying today."

Melanie stated absentmindedly soothing over the dress she had changed into once her work was over. Three pairs of eyes looked onto her with question. She merely gave a small shrug explaining.

"My dad was going to rob him of a painting but never got around to it."

"Oh. Well surely Richards has his collection insured." Max stated not able to reveal the fact she did her know background check on both the bride and groom. They had ties to many of the richer people of Gotham, including that of her friend's boss.

As the Ceremony begins...

Everyone sat somewhat together in the semi-comfortable pews as the organ poured with great music. "No sign of Two-Face, Bruce." Terry whispered to his employer still wondering why the two-sided man would hit the wedding.

"The ceremony's starting Terry." Bruce said to Terry in a type of firm voice a parent would use on an impatient child.

The ceremony went on beautifully and flawlessly with the cute little flower girls, the over adorable munchkin ring-bearer, along with the march of the bridesmaids and groomsmen being lead by the wonderfully dressed maid of honor and the handsome best man. People cried when the bride and groom said their personal vows. Alice the bride wore a very traditional strapless dress with rhinestones and silver beading across the bodice. She also wore a platinum bow that picks up the silver beading.

The priest began to speak the final lines, "And if any man can show just cause why this man and this woman should not be wed, let him speak no or forever hold his peace. Well, my children? No objectives? Well I hereby--"

Just as the priest was about to finish the long anticipated words the double doors were kicked open.

Everyone within the room almost broke their necks snapping their heads in the direction of the one whom dared interrupt the event. There before the doors stood a bizarre looking man.

"I object!" Two-Face shouted. He stood dressed in his infamous split suit of chaotic and colorful animal prints versus the calm dark of a normal business suit.

Behind him stood his band of twin terrors. Hooked on his arm was the newest addition to his gang, Harley Jest clad for once in a formal red and black dress, divided in the fashion of her regular outfits, which fell to her ankles with splits rising almost to her waist. She twirled her popgun on one finger while chewing a piece of gum.

"How rude of you to go through all of this trouble of planning this gala and not even invite us." Harley stuck out her bottom lip in small pout, which quickly curled into an evil smirk. "And everyone knows we make parties such a big bang." She fired her gun towards the altar sending everyone in a frenzy to get away and into the reception hall.

Taking advantage of the confusing both Terry and Melanie went their separate ways to change into their costumes.

Moments later they came out to face Two-Face and Harley.

"Whew, It's a relief to be out of that dress" Ten said to Batman once she made it to his side.

Batman nodded in agreement. " Let's put Two-Face into a different kind of suit, prison grays." He said to Ten before he charged towards the criminal duo.

But as the Neo-Dynamic Duo charged forward Two-Face grabbed Keith Richards and from the behind and used him as a human shield. "Stand back, Miss Elliot-" He pointed the gun towards the man's head. "Or I'll blow him into two pieces!"

The bride cried as she held out her hands hopelessly towards her endangered husband. "Please let him go, take whatever you want from us, but please don't hurt Keith! I love him too much to lose him now." She wailed upset that not only was her big day ruined but her husband to be was about to have his head blown off. "I knew we should have had the wedding in Hawaii."

Meanwhile...

While Two-Face's gang were aiming their guns at the guest Harley told the scared people "Don't nobody move and I promise not to knock you unconscious or break any of your bones." She stated tapping her fingers over her bag of deadly toys. "Now we'll take the weddin' gifts and your cash."

The people quickly began emptying their pockets and tossing their money and the wedding gifts into the open bags in the thugs' hands.

And elsewhere...

"Help It's Two-Face!" Someone shouted from within the church.

"The Commissioner was right. Let's nab 'em!" Said one of the two cops who were standing outside the doors. As they were about to head toward the doors, they were caught by surprise by the Dee-Dee twins.

"Look out! They've got -uhhhh..." The cop couldn't finish due to the tranquilizer dart that was shot into his chest. The Dee-Dee twins grinned darkly at the last one standing then fired their dart guns at him.

"The dope in these darts is doubled strength." Deirdre said watching as the cop dropped to the ground.

Delia chuckled reloading her gun. "Just the way the boss likes it."

Back in the church...

Batman punched Two-Face's wrist knocking his gun away from him. "This isn't a double-ring ceremony, Two-Face!" Batman said to the Dual mastermind criminal.

"Batman! I knew our paths would cross!" Two-Face said in great anger.

Ten was having loads of fun, battling the twin thugs but her main concern was Jeffery, her lover. She took hold of a rug and gave it a strong yank.

"That girl!" Shouted one of Thugs as they few off their feet to the ground.

"I prefer a sitting ovation." She said.

Then out of nowhere her sight was blinded as Harley pulled a tablecloth over her head. "Hey!" Ten said as she struggle to get free from the cloth that cover her.

"Ya only got two eyes, bitch -- and they're both out!" Harley said with a smirk on her face before giving her a hard bump with her hip knocking Ten forwards.

Batman noticed that Two-Face was going for his fallen gun. "Drop the gun, Two-Face!" He shouted as he charged at Two-Face.

Two-Face only smirked, "I'd rather use it... To drop YOU-Unnng!!" Two-Face fired his gun but only to have the gunfire deflected by Batman and hit the chandelier on top of them. The thousand dollar crystal chandelier came crashing down on Batman knocking him out while Two-Face quickly slipped away to safety. "Any old port in the storm. The coin will decide what happens now."

And after a flip of the twin visage silver coin the face came up...the unscarred good Side.

"Two-Face! You can't just let 'em off because of that coin." Harley said practically jumping with excitement.

Two-Face smirked at the annoyance on her face. "I always do what the coin says, Harl. Let's go before the police come."

As Two-Face left with his gang in tow he turned to face the cowering wedding attendees picking out the aged face of Bruce Wayne. "Farewell Godfather. Perhaps I'll see you again soon." He said with a laugh.

To be continued.