Batman Beyond: Two-Face II
Chapter 19: The Dual Darkness
By ShadowHawk
Disclaimer: We don't own the characters used.
The city was always dark and dreary; the type of setting that would make Edger Allen Poe feel like he was in some sort of paradise. They say that cities such as Gotham that was always so gloomy and drab had the highest suicide rates. Looking forlornly out of the window of her apartment Melanie Walker could not help but comprehend how true those statistics were.
She was feeling depressed and lonely but overall she felt frustratingly helpless. All she wanted to do was to help her lover, Jeffery Dent alias Two-Face the 2nd, everything else was of no importance, and she had even gone as far as to enlist in the help of Batman. But there was one thing that prevented her from fulfilling her goal…she was too emotional about the situation.
Batman saw this, that was why he took over and demanded that she remain out of anything that dealt with Two-Face.
Sighing deeply into the emptiness of her apartment she did not think how she was behind in her rent for the month nor did she think about how in less than a half hour she was due for work. No all of that was irrelevant.
She laid her forehead against the cool glass of the window her naturally seductive eyes glazed down upon the streets below watching the many people briskly walking by beneath. Any of them could be him, moving right under her nose and she wouldn't be able to tell. He was somewhere out in the city, so close yet so far, not even fully her Jeffery anymore.
In a sluggish manner her eyes turned to a small photograph for herself sitting in the sweet Jeffery's lap feeding him a piece of his birthday cake. She felt the sting of fresh tears pricking the corners of her eyes. Her head swam with all of those precious memories of times when things weren't at all so complicated. All their major worries then seemed to only consist of where they would spend their two weeks holiday vacations.
Putting her hand into the front pocket of her jeans she fingered the ridges of the personal calling card given to her by that woman dressed in red and black, the other side's lover. She should have ripped the card into small bits of confetti; she should have never thought twice about the offer, she should have done a lot of things before now.
Batman said he wouldn't allow her to get involved with Two-Face but he didn't say anything about her getting involved with anything dealing with Jeffery Dent.
The weather seemed to be perpetually trapped in the state of moist fogginess that comes just before a downpour only it showed no signs towards raining anytime soon. Different varieties of popular music roaring from within the bypassing cars, people conversed happily on their cell phones as they walked briskly by people they would not dream of looking in the face, the noises combining to make the familiar voice of the city.
A white Rolls Royce pulled up to the gutter littered with filth and grime. From out of the front passenger's seat stepped a woman dressed in a long red coat trimmed with faux fur. She was new to those who frequented the small slums but such a sight was a welcome. With each step she took her legs slipped from beneath the coat to flash a holster baring a gun strapped to her left thigh.
Most likely one of the crime boss's women, the loiters assumed watching as she approach a large burly man with two red head twins clinging on his arms; perhaps a pimp pushing the twin fantasy act.
"Boomy, the boss is ready. Did ya really find Mad Stan's place?" She asked placing one hand to her hip.
The two girls giggled in a corrupted innocent fashion before disengaging their arms from Buttons McBoomBoom to rush quickly into the awaiting vehicle. The two remaining people paid no mind to their foolishness, "Do not worry Harl, I'm very thorough in my work. We'll have Mad Stan in two shakes."
Moving to the car the jester out of her costume laughed teasingly, "You've been 'round Deucie too long, Boomy." She vanished within the passenger door once more soon followed by the large man.
In the damp corner along the brick wall ridden with mold and grim the common derelicts gathered to congregate among their little family. But there was a new face among the usual drifters of that particular corner. His face was young, and well chiseled in an oval shape. But all that really could be seen of him was a strong chin littered with stubble and his cap pulled over his head so that the bill cast his face into the shadow. Raising his head he watched the car and the riders inquiring about a certain mad bomber vanish down the road.
Mad Stan, a large man with the build and frame of a squared quarter back walked about the dark warehouse littered with the materials to make a multitude of different and deadly explosive, at his heels trotted a small brown bug eyed Chihuahua yelping in a shrill little bark from time to time.
"A funny thing about making bombs;" A voice startled him from his walk to his computer. He turned to see what appeared to be any normal looking man admiring his half finished work with some C4 laying on another work table. "They are just as easy to make as it is to make a model volcano."
"Who are you?" He asked grabbing a grenade from off his belt. "Another government lap dog come to stop me?"
"Actually we are merely concerned civilians." He stated dropping a component of what appeared to be a disassembled rocket launcher.
"We?" Stan questioned looking about the dark and what he thought was empty place to see three women standing a few feet behind silently cooing over his dog and a large burly man stood near not too far away from the first.
"Yes 'we'," The first man said turning forwards so that the misshapen left half of his face was fully visible.
"Y-you're Two-Face!"
"The second." Two-Face corrected with a grin.
"What do you want with me, man?" Stan questioned ready to reach for some sort of explosive but a warning cock of a gun left him totally defenseless.
"What I want Stanley? Well you dead of course, you see we're trying to created a perfect society and you are thorn in our plans. You have made yourself quiet the menace to our city. Now we can't have you destroying everything each time the slightest thing upsets you. So you've left us no choice but to eliminate the threat you pose."
"A perfect society? Ha! You're no better than them! You gonna kill off people like me who oppose you? Well get this, you may kill me but there will be more like me."
"A society free of crime."
"And what you've been doing isn't a crime?"
"I'm doing this for the citizens."
Before Stan had the chance to react he received a nasty right hook graced with brass knuckles into his belly. Delia giggled seconds before her twin baring the same weapon, only in the color of silver swung with a mighty back hand. Staggering with the dizzying blows he felt his legs knocked from beneath him as his chair was forced into the back of his knees forcing him to seat.
Harl grinned as she took a seat in his lap securing his hands together with what appeared to be linked friendship bracelets. "Ya know what, Stan?" She cooed running the barrel of her gun along the length of his face. "The whole 1970's thing is way past dead, we could give you an up to date make over before we kill you."
"Keep your filthy hands off me, you government slut!" His words were rewarded with the gun's handle smashing into his cheek. Just as he turned to insult the woman further for her actions his mouth was filled with the wide barrel of her gun.
"Call me a slut all ya want but the next time ya say that I do anythin' for the government I'll cut your gonads off. Got it?" She asked with an insane gleam in her eyes.
"Harl, if you don't mind we would like to get this over with." Two-Face snapped.
Sighing deeply the jester slid from out of his lap, "Well can I at least grab some supplies? I need to make more jack and the box bombs." She whined dropping her bottom lip in a pout for added effect.
"Whatever." He grumbled.
"You're nothing more than a freak monster sent to bring me down by the man!"
"No one is ever born a monstrosity, we are made like guns. One man is born a hero, his brother a coward. Babies starve, politicians grow fat. Holy men are martyred, and junkies grow legion. Why? Why, why, why, why, why? Luck! Blind, stupid, simple, doo-dah, clueless luck!" He laughed as his face twisted upwards in a sinister smile, "Nice huh? It's something my old man came up with. Girls," With a snap of his fingers his demeanor changed drastically from chummy to a deathly sort of serious. "We don't expect for you to leave the job half finished. Get to work."
"Do you want anything in particular?" Deride questioned tightening her grip on her knuckles as she and her twin bounced round on their toes like boxers prepared for a match.
"Break both his legs then blow the place up. The police won't think twice about it." He stated with an off handed wave.
The members of the Two Timin' Gang present began to do as the red and black garbed modern styled jester and began taking various weapons and explosives they found desirable with careless greed, leaving the twins to commence with their gruesome work.
"Hey Deucie look! A grenade launcher!" Harl cried with glee running from the back room with the somewhat old fashioned weapon hoisted upon her right shoulder.
Just as she opened her mouth to display her utter excitement two blurs flew by her face as Deedee were tossed across the room.
All eyes turned back towards Mad Stan who stood ready and braced for action before the very chair he was seconds before tied down.
Two-Face took in the sight of his twin girls groaning as they helped one another up from the floor, nonchalantly his eyes turned towards the man who had pitched them. It annoyed him that someone so meager would be causing so much trouble already. The job was meant to be quick and simple and already they were running into problems. Looking to the person closest to the mad bomber he commanded the attack, "Harl, deal with him."
Ever ready for a fight Harl tossed her newest 'toy' to the nearest Two Timer and stood before Stan. "Let's see if your head comes off." Within the blink of an eye she spun in a high roundhouse kick her black boot aimed for the man's head.
Everyone was prepared to see the foot connect and knock the man onto the ground, but what had came about instead left everyone standing in their place with their jaws slightly dropped. Stan's hand had flown up in fluid motion to catch her leg at the ankle mere inches from his face.
"There's only one guy I know who can do that wit'out breakin' his arm." She smirked wickedly. "Hi ya, Batsy!" Harl grinned from her position with one foot on land and the other trapped in his hand.
"Harl." The voice that came from the man was low and stoic very much like the well known Dark Knight. Just as quickly as she had struck did his grip on her ankle tighten, falling down into a kneel he twisted around pulling the jester's leg over his shoulder flipping her over face first into the floor.
"So," Two-Face sneered as Harl sat on her knees whimpering and wiping the blood from her nose. "You actually figured out what we were up to before hand this time, even took the extra precaution to take the place of our victim. Such improvements should be rewarded. Boys blast 'im!"
At his command each twin drew two guns from their holster and instantly had their aims locked on Batman dressed as Stan.
Acting on instincts Batman turned on his toes dashing away from the guns mere seconds before the first was fired. "Huh-yikes!" Harl cried as she was pulled off the floor and tossed carelessly behind the workstation with him.
The gunfire ricocheted off the metal work surface leaving the two adversaries to duck down farther in fear.
"Do they have any idea how much explosives is in this place?" Batman questioned turning off the holographic projection of Stan to once again stand the personification of a dark mystery.
"Ah! Boomy when I get outta here I'm gonna rip out your liva! What are ya bozos tryin' to do, kill me?!" Harl screamed out from behind the table.
"Cease fire!" Buttons McBoomBoom cried holding up his massive hand. "Boss, what do you want us to do?"
Rolling his eyes in blatant annoyance that his plans had been once again foiled by the meddling of Batman Two-Face grabbed a small device from off the near table. "I will not settle for a draw, Batman!" All eyes turned towards him in concern, his face had turned red on his unscarred half while the grotesque side seemed an unnatural shade of purple. "Boys, girls, and I use those terms lightly." Two-Face called holding up a small remote control detonator, "I think it would be best that we leave now, before the fireworks start."
All eyes focused on the thumb hovering above the button went wide as he pressed down starting the counter's countdown. Suddenly everything seemed insignificant as they all scrambled onto their feet to make a mad dash for the nearest possible exist, be it the front or back door or the various small windows, their main concern was merely escaping.
The continuous beeps of the detonator grew shorter telling those who were still within the dangerous walls that their time was near, until it drew out into one long line of pulsating beeps. Without another warning the explosives within the storehouse detonated bursting each window and door open with large rolling orange flames.
The power from the huge explosion knocked everyone present off of the feet, if not pitched them some distances through the air. For down the street several car alarms were blaring, breaking the silence of the night from the aftershock of the explosives. "Whoa, Stanley was really packing." One of the twins stated as he gathered himself up from the street. "Is everyone alright?"
"Once I find my stomach. Do you think the bat made it out?"
"He was probably the first one out."
Listening to the chatter of his men Two-Face stood as well, dusting the dirt and grime from his suit as the fire behind him consumed the simple building. "We're done here." He shouted irritated at the indirect mention of his failure once again brought about by Batman. "Everyone get back to the hideout!"
On the opposite side of the burning building Batman moaned as he shook the cobwebs from his head. He knew before hand that Two-Face had survived and that what had transpired between the two of them with the addition of his minions could have gone much better. Batman gave no real protest to the simple fact that things did not go the way he had planned, though the main objective of keeping Mad Stan safe from Two-Face's harm.
At the hide out those of the Two Timers who had not been present at the home of Mad Stan listen intensely as their comrades told them of the events that went down. While they spoke in excitement retelling how the storehouse blew up the situation was quite different in the split styled office.
"This is the last time I will tolerate that pointy nocturnal freak sticking his pointy ears in our business!" Two-Face ranted as he paced back and forth in his office, the flames of anger burning in his mismatch eyes. His right hand man and left hand woman stood stead fast before him waiting for his unpredictable temper to settle.
"From now on every last effort that this half-witted gang has will go into the task of severing his head from his body."
Buttons McBoomBoom and Harley Jest glanced at one another before looking back at their employer. "We'll tell the fellas to stop messin' 'round." Harl stated adjusting the small Chihuahua in her arms who just so happened to be growling at the two-sided man.
"Harley, what are you doing with that little rat?"
The jester flinched slightly; he never called anyone by their full name unless he was furious with them. Not many of the gang had been on the receiving end of Two-Face's fury, and those who did find themselves in that position were either shot or used as his practice dummy for experiments and his martial arts exercise.
Dancing on her toes Harl bounced the small dog in his arms as if it were a child. "I couldn't leave 'im behind Deucie. I was gonna feed him to the kiddies but they're full so later tonight I wanna take him to my mom. Can I Deucie, please?"
"Whatever, just get that mutt out of my sight!" He said with a wave of his hand.
Grinning with glee Harl held the dog up to her eye level. "I'm gonna take ya to my mother. And she's gonna love ya, and pet ya, and bathe ya, and fix ya." She cooed leaving the office.
"Now I need a trap, and the right sort of cheese to attract a certain flying rodent. But what will assure me that he will come for this bait. But my quandary is what exact bait will insure me that the bat will follow? A burning building?" He questioned stepping across the borders of dark and light in his office. "No, that would cause too much chaos and draw too much attention. Perhaps a hostage or two." He stepped across to the dark half once more in his pacing. "Yes a hostage! But not just any hostage. No, someone that will have the Batman chasing after me in two flicks." He stepped over again his demeanor changing to suit the light style of the office. "But should I do it?" Within moments his hand had flew into his jacket removing his coin. With a quick flip and a catch he had his answer. "Yes, I shall do it! I'll take a hostage."
"But who?" Buttons dared to ask.
"Someone notably important to the Bat, a second you might say. Buttons, have someone call our dear Mayor Allans, I think a small press conference is in order."
Shivering beneath his long jacket Mayor Lucas Allans moved up the narrow flight of stairs before City Hall to the small platform and microphones. Pushing his sand colored hair back he wondered why he had gone through with Two-Face's plans other than the fact he had blackmail against him. How is it that out of all of the crooked politicians throughout the city of Gotham, Two-Face would pick him? And by accepting the too good to be true offer of taking the place of the mayor he knew was about to be eliminated he had no other choice but to pull whatever favor asked of him.
Standing at the podium at the top of the stairs he flashed an award winning grin to the many cameras and people wondering subconsciously if any of them were aware of the line of cars some distance away from the small line of police cars.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen of Gotham." He said listening as his voice echoed from the speakers. "As you all my know the late Jordan Hill, my predecessor, made one decision final before his untimely passing. He wanted to reassure the people of this city that they had no reason to doubt the capabilities of their own police force. Hill was known best for the wise decisions he had made on the behalf of our home, and I have no doubt in my mind that his recall of the National Guard is among them. They say it is always darkest just before the dawn, we have reached our darkest hour all we can do now is reach for the light!"
His words were met with a triad of applauses and cheers from the present public and the flashes of the reporter's cameras.
Waving his hand in a call for silence he took a deep breath, it was now or never. "Before we proceed with the questioning I wish to bring our own Commissioner Barbara Gordon before you so that she too can give hope onto you all that we have no need of anything else save our own police forces!"
About two blocks away from the simple gathering of people a pair of ghostly pale twins stood beside a red and black power motorcycle and it's driver. At the sound of the mighty applause the pair cast their eyes down upon their identical watches, the white dreads of their hair falling over their shoulders.
"We would like to be on time, Miss Jest." Simon said watching as Harl shoved her trick flag gun into the neck of her boot.
"We most definitely would." Added Sigmund.
"Just be ready, two tones." Harl sneered with a roll of her eyes before pulling the visor of her helmet down.
The motorcycle beneath her roared to life as the back wheel squealed seconds before she lurched forwards at full speed. Waving in and out of the incoming traffic the jester grinned maliciously at the repeated sounds of tires screeching and metal crashing in upon metal, another quick dodge sent a SUV into the path of a small sports car which in turn rear-ended the car in front of it.
The sound of her destructive havoc soon gathered the attention of those present at the small conference turning all heads to the racing bike.
The distance between the bike and the people were closing in by the second, it did not matter what the present police were saying nor did it matter when they drew their guns on her, they could not stop the work of Two-Face. When she was merely a few feet away from the base of the stairs Harl quickly removed her gun from her boot and fired up at the people gathered about the podium staring at her in completely staggered and too shocked to react.
That is until the gun's projectile descended upon them exploding into a large cloud of smoke.
"Cover your mouth! It's poison!" Someone cried driving down onto the pavement.
While nearly everyone present ducked away from the smoky miasma Barbara Gordon could not help but think that if someone wanted to poison her they would have done so long beforehand and not in such a suicidal manner. As these thoughts transpired across her mind the sudden drowsy feeling taking over her senses gave answer to her suspicious. "Knockout gas."
As the world about her went dark Barbara Gordon did not notice when the police officers about her stopped firing or when the motorcyclist rode up the hazardous stairs, she didn't notice a thing even as she was swept off her feet and flung unceremoniously onto the bike before the driver.
"He's got the commissioner!" One of the officers cried out as Harl turned about and drove back down the way which she had came.
Sitting at the wheel of his car Two-Face stared down at the time of his watch. By now his minions had set about carrying out his orders. He had heard the multitude of car wrecks earlier on and knew that they had begun, but now was the beginning of the more critical half of his plan: capture and escape.
"Two-Face." A voice called from the communicator.
"Talk."
"She has her and is about to make the pass. All four police cars are following, and we see no signs of Batman. Guess it's too early in the day for him or we killed him in that last explosion."
A pleased grin lifted the corners of his face making him appear much like the monster the people clamed him to be. "Good, lead them my way."
Making her way around the maze of crashed cars she had created Harl held tightly onto the back of Barbara's brown coat keeping her stable as she zigzagged from the street onto the sidewalk and back again kicking the angered pedestrians aside. "Get outta my way!" She shouted upon seeing the Doppelganger Brothers standing ever impatiently at their silver car along with a few of the Two Timers waiting behind them in their own cars.
Bringing the bike to a screeching halt Harl paused before the ghostly pair. They did not say much to her, only stood giving her a look with their twin right brows raised, "C'mon I don't have time for this!" Harl growled practically pitching the unconscious woman onto them.
"Two-Face says to lead the cops to him." Sigmund stated quickly sliding into the car at the same time as his brother.
"How do you guys do that?" She questioned, her only answer was the sound of the engine and the car driving quickly away.
All the other began to follow when one twin leaned out of the window with his gun ready for action to shout, "Here they come boys!"
As the police cars cleared the wreckage the men open fire on the quick approaching police. "Hit 'em hard!" The sound of the gunshots echoed through the air as the Two-Timers along with Buttons McBoomBoom shot at the four oncoming cars.
The closest car lurched to the side as a well aimed gun shot pierced through the hood flying into the engine sending nearly the entire front into flames. But the driver was not about to be disposed of so easily. Pushing the flaming car to the max while it was still able the car collided into the rear of one of the Two-Timer's sending the hit car spinning out of control nearly taking out another and crushing the sole biker in the process.
"One down and three to go!" Harl shouted out to her comrades moving her bike away from the other car to avoid another close call.
The police cars from behind the fleeing Two Timin' gang began to return fire upon them. A shot from the police car pierced through the tire of the front Two Timer car causing the car to cut sharply in a ninety degree turn. The surrounding gang cars swerved around to avoid collision but sadly nothing could be done for the biker who was too close stop or evade.
"Holy shitakes!" She cried seconds before the frame of the bike crashed head first at full speed into the side of the car sending the jester flying into the air.
"Damn! They have Miss Jest!" Romulus alerted Buttons as he continued to drive.
"What? Turn around."
"Sir?"
"I said turn around!" At his command the man quickly turned in a full one-eighty leaving doughnuts behind on the asphalt.
Arriving back at the crash they found two of the cars slowing down to a stop. Buttons frowned, like the twins he and the jester was a pair that if separated his job was useless, a sort of balance, he is the guard for the right side of Two-Face while she acted for the left. It also helped that out of the few people of the gang he found her likable.
"Take this you bastards." Buttons grumbled aiming what appeared to be a rocket launcher at the cars. Pulling the trigger the long projectile whistled through the air as it shot towards its target. The officers within the cars gasped in total shock when the rocket flew to them, suddenly catching the people who had kidnapped their beloved commissioner didn't seem all that important, they scrambled madly out of their seats while struggling with their safety belts trying to get out of danger as soon as possible.
When the rocket hit the first car flipped off the ground and into the air traveling a short distances to land tires down atop the second car's windshield trapping the other officers with in.
"We still have one more!" Romulus stated coming to a stop near to where the jester sat pulling off her helmet.
"The boss can take care of it." Buttons remarked off handedly.
"Killin' two birds with one stone, Boomy?" Harl groaned trying her best not to look at her badly bleeding knees.
"Are you okay?" Buttons questioned cradling the injured woman in his arms.
Wincing Harl held her right arm still, "They broke my favorite toy." She whined pouting her lip slightly.
A dry chuckle ripped from his throat as he carried her back to his car, "The boss will get you another one. We'll have to have him take a look at your arm too."
Back with the racing cars exchanging gunfire to and fro the public quickly moved out of the path thanks to the loud and annoying wail of the siren and the ever flashing lights. They would catch them soon enough, even better that backup would be there to assist all that was needed was that they keep visual of the silver car speeding away with Commissioner Gordan.
A careless calculation on the behalf of a Two Timer sent another car crashing into the back end of a pedestrian vehicle rendering it useless in the chase.
There were only two Two Timer cars left between the cops and the Doppelganger Brothers, and the distance between them was closing fast. Surely their plan of kidnapping would fail.
Suddenly the two cars veered off to the sides leaving the driver and passenger confused…that is until they saw a very familiar stolen car driving straight towards them.
The action was too quick; surely no one would have noticed it. All those who stood as witness could only stand and stare in amazement as something shot from the stolen car's headlights and struck the police car sending it up in smoke as the metal frame was blown from the wheels, engulfing the car in a huge fire.
Two-Face sneered at the sight as he settled back into the seat of his car somewhat upset that they offered him no form of challenge or entertainment. "I guess I will have to wait." He growled to himself, his hand tightening its grip on the steering wheel.
"Boss," A dark haired twin Two-Face did not recall the name of quickly approached the parked car.
"What is it?" He snapped.
"We have sightings of Batman."
As the smile slowly made its way across his face all those present knew, never before had news of the winged rat's approach sound so pleasing to the Duke of Duality's ears.
To be continued...
