Vote Harvey Dent

Gotham

- Mayor's Office -

7: 26 PM

Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock sit beside each other in the Mayor's office with the unscrupulous Mayor himself looking back at them as he holds a copy of the Gazette newspaper in his hands folded over. Mayor Aubrey Janes leans his head back as he looks at the two men "Batman? Does this costume freak think that he can just waltz into my city and patter around like he owns the damn place? Not in my city. Why haven't you caught him yet? He is the biggest known criminal in this city right now. Vigilantes...they act like they are exempted from the law...that they can just go around beating the hell out of criminals..." the mayor raises his rigid eyebrows "If someone with a badge did half the stuff that he does...he would be ripped of his badge and hauled through the streets as a disgrace..."

Jim sits with his arms folded and his chin up high as he makes eye contact with Aubrey "Considering that your idea of the biggest criminal in Gotham is the person stopping most of the crime that takes place...I would say that Gotham is in much better shape because of him. I do not like how rough that he can be...but he doesn't use lethal force like most of the cops in the GCPD would have to do when their lives are in danger. At least with Batman around, casualties for both criminals and officers have seen a heavy decline; he's getting results"

Harvey chimes in as he rolls back his shoulders "With all due respect, Mayor. I have to agree with my friend here. We are still recovering from the attack on the GCPD and all. Honestly, it's nice to know that I can go a couple of days a week without having a gun pointed my way. The GCPD, at the state that is in now, can't possibly even do work equal to Batman...we don't have the manpower or funding to get the equipment that we need"

Mayor James drops the Newspaper down on his desk "I didn't ask for your opinions. I said that I wanted that freak brought in. And the fact that I have to be the one to tell you to do so speaks volumes about you're so-called principles. You should have gone after the guy as soon as he stepped on the scene, but you sat with your thumbs up your asses while he went around the city and brutalizing countless people. When I asked you to stay Gordon, I did so in the hopes that you would do your job, but apparently, you can't. A couple of years back you would have despised this Batman and would have done anything to capture him" Aubrey leans forward "What happened to that man that you were? The man who would have gone after that masked lunatic without a second thought?"

"Gotham happened" the commissioner replies "I spent a long time in Gotham, and I haven't managed to change anything. I thought I could, but Gotham...it gets to you, changes you. Maybe Batman is bad for Gotham and will only make things worse, he might be our only hope to save the city...or maybe he'll make no difference to the city, but I've tried to do things my way and here we are back at square one. I wish things weren't this bad, that things weren't at the point where he is necessary to this city, I dreamed that fear would not be the way to stop criminals, but I tried to bring hope to Gotham...but it never lasts" Gordon unfolds his arms and places his palms together "I don't like that he's here, but I am thankful that he is"

Aubrey James takes a deep breath "Well I'm not. He is causing way too much trouble, much more than he's worth. He is drawing attention from some very scary places. If he keeps up the pressure on the criminals...they are going to go to an extreme length to get rid of him, and I don't want Gotham getting caught in the crosshairs"

"So that's what it's about. Your campaign downers don't like the idea of him causing them trouble. You're afraid that if you are to not do anything about Batman; they will lose faith in you and go to the next politician who will take their dirty money. The election is coming up soon and you know without them pulling the strings from behind the scenes...you will have no chance to win. Everyone in Gotham knows that you are corrupt, they will joy when you are thrown out of office when Dent takes your place" Jim holds his shoulders up high as his tone of voice was only slightly off from sounding like a threat.

"Jim's right. People know that you only got your butt behind the desk because you are easy to bend over it" Harvey comments towards the Mayor.

"Listen here you two. I'm asking for the GCPD to do their job, but the criminals will tear Gotham apart to kill Batman. They don't care who they will hurt, I am asking you to do this. Without Batman, Gotham will still sleep soundly, but if you let him keep running around causing all kinds of trouble...who knows what kind of chaos may follow"

"I'll think about it" Gotham replies "But tell your campaign downers such as Sophia Falcone that if they even think about coming out of the shadows to harm Gotham in any way...this time it's not just me that they will be dealing with. I'm sure Batman would be more than happy to take them all down...then we will be coming for you" the commissioner was quick to add. Mayor James was left speechless in response to the man's threat.

[Outside the Mayor's Office]

"You threatened him?! Jim, what the hell were you trying to do back there?" Harvey asks his partner in a distressed tone as they back walk outside in the streets of Gotham "Who knows what he will do with you now. You could end up dead tomorrow. He could send some kind of assassin your way. He could blow up your house!" he and Jim walk down the concrete steps.

"I am sick of him sat in that chair...Gotham needs someone in power that can't be bought. Someone who wants to get rid of the underworld of the city, there is only one man in the city who can win against Aubrey and lucky for us...that's the guy who is running"

"You honestly think that Dent can win? Hey, I know that he can do good, but he will have a big target on his back. You would have to be a madman to campaign against the Gotham mobs. I know I don't have the stones to do that, and knowing who is backing him...jeez...who knew that politics could be so exciting. I do hope that Dent is elected though...it will be nice to do our jobs without having a pair of eyes watching us" Harvey replies as he and the commissioner make their way towards his car.

Jim reaches for the handle to the door of the car and pulls it open "Let's just hope that nothing crazy happens in the meantime"

Arkham Asylum

The cell door opens to the open-room full of the inmates as a man walks in with his arms held behind his back. Wearing the mandatory black and white striped jumpsuit, the man walks across the room as a large smile forms on his face "Oh...I am going to miss this place...no where else is as whacky as here...I feel like that I will be leaving a part of myself here" Joker follows up with a light chuckle. Turning his head he sees Dr Quinzel follow in after him "Oh...you. You're early, Harley. You weren't supposed to show up for another five minutes"

"Uh...there's a bit of a problem" Harleen replies.

"Unless...that problem includes pointy ears and a cape, I don't want to hear it. No excuses" Joker begins to walk forward as he looks at his fellow inmates. Harleen follows behind with a clipboard that she holds to her chest. Joker closes his eyes and presses his hand to his nose "Okay...I'll bite. What is the problem? If you screwed this up...when I did all the planning and all the work. So help me woman" he clears his throat as he hears Harleen walking next to him.

"Sorry Mistah J, but what you are asking isn't easy. I can't do it as easily as you think - there are rules and regulations" Harleen explains causing Joker to slowly tilt his gaze to her.

"Harley, Harley, Harley, Harley...you are killing me here" Joker replies as he walks past a bald inmate who was sitting on the table next to him and who was covered in scars all around his body "Oh, afternoon Zsasz. Hope you slept well...Ohhh a new tally mark. Please tell me about that one sometime...I thought we were missing one of the guards" Joker pats the man on the shoulder. He looks back to Harleen "Anyway where was I? Oh...right. Harley...we have been over this...you need to do it. you do care about me, don't you?" Joker asks in a sad tone which tugged at the woman's heartstrings.

"Of course I do puddin'. But I can't-"

"Don't pull that crap with me, Harley. It's times like this when I miss Ecco" Joker looks at the back of his hands and his nails "I thought you said that everything is in place, right? So what the hell happened? You weren't lying to me, were you?" Joker grins as he leans closer towards Harleen "That...would be disappointing..."

"What I said was true...but it's not me who is messing up the plan. It's what comes after that scares me...I won't be able to come back from that"

"You should be even more for it then" Joker chuckles as his eyes look at the clock in the room "Oh...here it comes. 3...2...-" Joker laughs as he grabs Harleen and throws them both to the ground as an explosion destroys cell doors sets the room on fire "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" he loses himself in a fit of laughter as the guards were shot and killed by a group of masked men. The men storm into the room and grab as many inmates as they can. One makes their way towards Joker and sees Harley.

Pointing his gun at the blonde, the masked man was ready to fire until Joker stops him as wags his finger at him "She's with me. Until I get bored...then by all means..." Joker stands to his feet and drags the blonde up too as he takes her hand "You weren't supposed to be here yet...oh well...I'm more of a plan B sorta guy anyway, Plan A's just always seem to fail...so I should really just start going with plan B and just forget about Plan A all together...

Sirens Club

The reopened bar was packed with dozens of people, one of them was sat up at the counter as she chugs down another shot from a small vodka glass. Selina Kyle presses the glass down and looks and the bartender "Another" she orders. Cleaning his hands with a soft towel he gave her a worried look but still went to refill her glass. A redhead took a seat next to her, Barbara Kean gave Selina a concerned glance. Selina saw the woman and rolls her eyes "Let me guess...you are going to say that I had enough, right?"

"Selina. When a chose to reopen this club...I didn't do so because I wanted heart-broken women to drink their problems away. If you have a problem...no amount of drinking is going to solve it. You need to talk to your friends, talk to me about it" Barbara tries to comfort the other woman. Selina looks as the bartender returns with glass now refilled and slides it over to her. She catches it and looks to the red-head "Was it, Bruce? Do you want me to go and kick his ass?" she smiles.

"No, it wasn't Bruce. It was my fault for being so stupid" she takes a swig of the glass "He doesn't love me, he hasn't for a long time. He has his eyes set on another woman - one that is a way worse person than I am. I think she has killed a whole bunch of people too..." Selina places the glass down "I just wish that the Bruce that I knew would just return. That I will just wake up and find out that this has all been just a bad dream, but it never happens - I always wake up back in this world"

"Selina..." Barbara slides her hand over the black-haired woman's own "You are a beautiful, smart and amazing girl. I've seen the way that Bruce looks at you, he still has that same look from all those years ago. Whatever is going on with Bruce. He's not doing this because he doesn't love you. That look that he has for you...I have never been that lucky for a person that I love to give me such a look. It's like he wants to be with you, more than anything, but there is something stopping him from doing so. Like he's sacred"

"What good does that do me? I hurt him, Barbara. I went against him out of spite for him...all because I saw that he likes another girl. And I nearly screwed really bad...people could have died because of me" Selina lowers her voice to keep her confession just between her and Barbara "I acted out of anger like I was still a child. Since Bruce got back we have hardly spoken to each other, have barely seen each other, it's like he's only acknowledging me out of pity"

"Or maybe he's acting out of shame. Maybe he feels guilty for leaving you and he may think that he can't face you after that. You just need to ask yourself if you really know the true Bruce Wayne. People change, Selina and ten years away will make that even clearer. Believe it or not, but I see a lot of similarities between him and Jim" Barbara taps the woman's hand with her own.

"Oh...you have no idea" Selina comments as she takes another sip from the glass, "You told me about the darkness inside Jim, remember? Well, Bruce makes him look like the sun. He thinks that he has to take the blame for everything that goes wrong in this city. Every murder, every mugging and every other sick thing that goes on in this city. Bruce is a good man, and I love him for that, but he takes it way too far sometimes. He punishes himself for something that he had nothing to do with, it's hard to think that he has finally grown up to be this...this...?"

"This much like Jim? Bruce idealized him as a kid and still does now, it's not hard to believe that Bruce took after him in some aspects. Jim...that lovable man...I sure as hell wanted to kill him a few times in the past and I still do now, but I would be lying if I didn't want things between us to be different. I still love him, a lot. I'm guessing that you are the same with Bruce, right?" Barbara sees Selina turn her head her way.

"To a tee. How can I love someone so much that is also so outright infuriating to me?" Selina remarks.

"Easy. That is true love. Another thing Bruce has in common with Jim, he won't make a move. You have to make the move first. Just try talking to him, if he is willing to talk to you, then that means that he still cares for you a whole lot. Maybe try asking him out on a date or something like that. Unlike Jim, Bruce doesn't have to worry about budgetary concerns about dating" the redhead smiles as she sees Selina cheer up.

"What if he doesn't say yes?" Selina asks.

"It's a victory if he says anything, but no. Anything else and he is still thinking about it. I bet right now he is sitting by himself, alone in his massive mansion as he is haunted by the thoughts of losing you for good. Just go and see him, don't expect him to come to you. That Bruce is gone, that is for sure "

Wayne Manner

Heavy applause took over the mansion as hundreds of people cheered for a man standing on top of the stairs. A man with black hair, wearing a grey suit and that was holding a silver coin in his hand and a wine glass in the other "Thank you, all of you. It brings hope to me to see so many faces here. People that are willing to stand up against the corruption that Mayor James allows to bleed through Gotham, the streets and even the grounds on which our children play on. I vow that if I am elected by the fine people of Gotham; I will stand up against the corruption against those who wish to cause harm to the hard-working people of the city, the honest people who just want their city to be safe" Harvey Dent addresses the large crowd as he fiddles around with the coin in hand.

"With my carer as District Attorney, it pained me to see the most notorious criminals in Gotham walk free, get away with their crimes all because of a broken system that not so shocking our loving Mayor is in support for. The first thing I'll do is make it so that everyone is treated equally in the eyes of the law, your money, your profession, nor your alliances should never change the outcome of justice. I will make Gotham a nightmare for those who wish to exploit the system, who think that they have the power to tip the scales of justice in their favour. I am sick and tired of powerful and morally corrupt individuals using their connections to get off for their crimes..." Harvey adds.

From the crowd stood both Alfred and Bruce. Alfred leans closer "It is good to finally see Bruce Wayne stepping out of the shadows. I must say, Master Bruce. You picked a good time to do so. Mr Dent may be the best hope for Gotham when it comes to politics and power play"

Bruce stands with his arms folded as he gives Alfred a small smile "When Harvey first came to me about funding his campaign I was unsure, but after looking into it. Gordon trusts him so that's more than enough for me, he has helped put away some of the worst scum of Gotham without raising a fist. Harvey is what Gotham is in desperate need for...a white knight. One that stands in the light and isn't afraid to show his face..that's more than I could ever hope to be. I can't risk that kind of attention - people could find who I am"

"Still though...all this? That trip to Metropolis really did change you, didn't it? Remind me to thank that...uh new friend of yours" Alfred smiles back.

Harvey looks down to Bruce as he smiles "Ladies and gentlemen, please give a round of applause for the man who is making this happen, without him...all this? It would just a forgotten dream. Everyone give Bruce some love" the black-haired man tips his glass along with the rest of the room who applauds Bruce who brings his hands up and gives a nervous smile "Thank you, Bruce. You and I are going to make a difference to this city...the good people of Gotham can finally take it back fair and square which is more than can be said for my opposition. Mayor James is sure to pull out every dirty trick in the book to stop me, but I won't stoop to that level. we will win this campaign race the right way to show the underworld of Gotham that we are done playing by their rules, we will do things the fairway, the way that will show them that Gotham is moving back into its golden age and that their time is over"

Bruce keeps his smile as he realizes that has never smiled so much in one day since he was a kid. That's how he knew that Harvey was the one meant to save Gotham. His eyes steadily look around the room and the hundreds of people there. It felt so weird for the manner to be so full of people, he remembers that it hasn't been like that since his parents were still alive. The smile slowly fades as his eyes land on someone who threw him off guard with their presence.

Talia resides among the crowd with a wine glass in her hand. Her hair was tied into a ponytail that rested against her upper back, dressed in a black dress. Her green eyes meet Bruce's as a smile forms on her lips. She tips her wine glass to him. Bruce also took note that she seemed to be wearing make-up which was very unlike her "Talia?" Bruce thinks to himself "What is she doing here?" he asks. Talia turns her back to him as she walks off and leaves the scene.

"Earth to Bruce? Hello? Anyone home?" Harvey calls out from the stairs. Bruce was brought out of his deep thought "Oh so you are home. You had us worried for a moment. I thought that you would like to say a few words too. After all, the son of Gotham needs to talk to the people sometimes" Harvey smiles.

Bruce nods as he makes his way up the stairs and stands next to Harvey. He turns his body and looks at the crowd. Bruce clears his throat "This may be my home and my very expensive wine, but this is all about Harvey. He has shown me that he is a true hero that has no problem standing in the light and fearlessly facing off against the most dangerous people in Gotham. I am funding his campaign, not just because of me or him, or even you lovely people in the crowd, but its also to bring about a new age of a people who are willing to take a stand against Gotham's underworld and the corruption that it brings with it. I hope that Mr Dent will be a shining example for the city. An example to the children of Gotham that shows them they can go and take a stand and one day also make a difference in this city. This is the future of Gotham that we all believe in"

"That means a lot. I mean it. I couldn't have asked for a better person to back me" Harvey smiles as he and Bruce shake hands "It won't be easy, but together I know that you and I will keep Gotham safe for a long time. This is just the beginning my friend, the hard work hasn't even started yet"

"I better give my accountant a call in that case" Bruce jokes as Harvey and everyone in the room laughs.

"Bruce...I got a feeling that from now on Gotham has nothing to worry about. A Vote for Harvey Dent is a vote towards a brighter Gotham!" Harvey holds up his wineglass as the crowd applauds both him and Bruce.

Later...

A large wooden table resides in the middle of a large open room. At the table sat ten individuals as they all look at each other, though there were only ten of them sat around the table, there were two spare seats left on the ends of the table. Firefly, Zsasz, Riddler, Penguin, Scarecrow, Mad Hatter, Mr Freeze, Bane, Poison Ivy and a frail-looking, nervous grey-haired man who had a dummy placed on the table next to him. The dummy: Scarface's eyes flicker around as he looks at everyone else at the table. Multiple armed guards were stood around them with their guns trained on them.

Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin and Edward Nygma aka The Riddler were sat next to each other at the start of the table. Scarecrow was sat on the other side of Riddler, and Mad Hatter sat by his side. On the other side of the table sat Firefly and Mr Freeze beside each other opposite Penguin and Riddler. The old man and Scarface sat next to Mr Freeze with Bane and Poison Ivy take their seats next to the ventriloquist and the dummy.

Firefly and Mr Freeze couldn't even look at each while Riddler and Penguin couldn't be any more grateful to be in each other's company. Scarecrow remained silent and barely moved while Mad Hatter was shaking as his taps on the table "Oh dear a party I see. Oh no, where might Alice be? If she comes here I must brew some tea, Alice? Where is Alice?" Mad Hatter nervously speaks "Oh no she's not showing up is she? Oh...how disappointing this party will be..."

"Okay...what the hell is wrong with him?" Penguin asks.

Riddler looks to him "He was considered too dangerous to be left in any cell so they locked him solitary confinement for the last ten years. The isolation seems to have done him no favours" he explains as he rests his arms on the table.

"What? They can't do that! That's...awful and seems quite illegal" Penguin comments.

"Think that's bad? You should try the meatloaf...now that is criminal" Riddler replies.

"Enough of this! Why are we here! I and shorty over there were in Blackgate when an explosion went off and by the time I woke up...I was here" Bane growls as he slams his fist against the table; cracking the wood where his fist had landed "I am not one to be played with. The person behind this will suffer!"

"Oh...I am going to have a great time making them scream. Though getting out of Arkham sure does put me in a good mood. I may end their lives a little quicker than I originally planned" Ivy replies as a smile creeps on her lips "Then I am going settle the score with a pair of thorns in my sides"

"Revenge? Such a foolish mindset to uptake. With your abilities you could accomplish so much...yet you are so quick to go straight back to the thing that got you locked up in the first place" Mr Freeze observes "I want to leave this city...I have no business here or revenge that I want to act upon. I am a man of science...thus that is where I must focus myself" the sub-zero mask adds.

"Oh shut it! Bad enough that we are in the same room, but that we are forced to sit together? I would happily burn myself alive if I could" Firefly growls at the man sat next to her and looks to the older man that had the dummy now in his lap "So...what's your story?"

The old man lowers head in shame "I'm...Arnold Wesker...I, uh...I'm not good...with...talking to others, please forgive me..." Arnold trips over his worlds like it was his first time walking. Scarface turns his head to Firefly as he raises his eyebrows "Aye, get lost. Can't you see he doesn't want to talk to you bug" Scarface grins. Arnold covered his mouth in shock "Mr Scarface...please don't be so rude...I'm trying to make some new friends" Arnold reminds the dummy who rolls his eyes "Keep dreamin' pal. You only need me"

Penguin looks to Riddler "Are you kidding me? Again with the dummy? Oh Ed, please shoot this one in the head too"

"Noted" Riddler replies.

"Oh, where are we? Oh, where are we? We are all at the table yet no host to greet us? Oh, this is not good, not good at all. Why aren't they here to meet us? Mad Hatter asks as he fiddles with his fingers. His long hair covers most of his face in thick strands and he wears a black suit along with a tall hat "Oh...my poor Alice she will be not pleased with the manners of our host...oh...where is Alice?" Mad Hatter cries as he lowers his head.

"And I thought that I was a dummy. Wow man...you got issues" Scarface laughs.

Scarecrow lifts his hand but remains silent.

Victor Zsasz chewed on a piece of gum as he looks around the room "This reminds of the time a couple of years back, I think around 4 - maybe 5...no...six. Six years ago. I met this beautiful young lady, she was quite the looker yet she was so miserable with her life" Zsasz points to his arm and to a scar "See this little beauty? This is her. She had all the money she could ever want, a family that loved her, yet when I looked into her eyes as I stabbed her... I saw that a great weight had been lifted from her...that or she was passing out from the blood loss, I'm not an expert"

"Alright! That's it! WHO THE HELL IS BEHIND THIS!" Penguin screams at the top of his lungs as he slams his hands on the table "I demand to know who the bloody hell is behind this! When I find out who did this...I will tear your throat out!"

Oswald chokes on his own words as he hears the doors to the room open "That's the spirit! That is what I like to hear!" a voice calls to him. Oswald and the others turn their heads as they see a strange looking man, dressed in a purple suit accompanied with a purple trench coat with yellow gloves. The man was ghoulish in nature like he came right out of a nightmare. His red stained-lips that were in a haunting smile and his face that was painted white. His few yet hard to miss strands of green hair increased the unnerving appearance of his.

Arkham Asylum

Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock walk through the now broken and burnt hallways of the asylum with a countless number of body bags "Oh this bad. This is bad. Every psycho in Arkham is now back on the streets" Harvey tells his partner who keeps on the path towards the cells "Jim...you don't think this is what Mayor James warned us about? That his downers would go to no lengths to take out Batman. This is mental even for those crime bosses"

"If Aubrey knew about this and didn't tell us. I will drag his ass right out of that office and into a cell with my own hands. Do you have a roundup of all the escapees?" the commissioner asks.

"Where do I begin? It just wasn't here, Blackgate was also attacked. Let's see. Ivy Pepper, Victor Zsasz, Victor Fries, Brigit Pike, some guy named Arnold Wesker, Johnathan Crane, Edward Nygma, Oswald Cobblepot, oh no...Eduardo Dorrance, and...oh sweet Jesus no..." Harvey looks Jim in the eye "He's free...Jeremiah Valeska..."

"You are telling me that someone broke into Arkham and broke out the most dangerous criminals in the city and managed to hit Blackgate at the same time? I can't imagine that even the people pulling the strings of crime in this city would be stupid enough to do this, especially with Jeremiah. This whole thing seems way too crazy to be the plan of one of the bosses. Black Mask is a businessman and wouldn't let the inmates tear up the streets...it would be bad for business and Sophia Falcone isn't that stupid either...this is the work of someone knew...someone..."

Jim and Harvey both walk into the open-area that usually homed the inmates, looking at the wall in the back their eyes set upon a joker playing card was stapled to one of the guards' head that was nailed to the wall through his wrists and fingernails. His shirt was torn open with the word "Ha" cut into his stomach more times than they could count. Jim fold his arms as he turns his head to Harvey "Poor son of a bitch" Harvey takes his hat off and holds it close to his chest "We have to stop whoever is behind this. Between the gang of looneys on the loose and our Mayor being a jackass, who the hell are we supposed to deal with this problem? A load of people are going to die..."

"We'll find a way. We always do, plus we have a backup. Whoever is behind this must be sacred that Batman is onto them. This whole thing stinks of desperation and irrational thinking. Whatever Batman is doing...he must be doing it in the right place..." Gordon replies.

Both men look at each other as they see Alvarez head their way "We got a survivor. One of the psychologists. She's out there getting medical treatment. She could answer some of our questions" the man tells Harvey and Jim who nod as they follow after him until they are meted with the sight of a blonde woman who was being seen to by a paramedic "Excuse me, ma'am. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions about what happened?" Harvey inquires in a soft-spoken voice "What's your name?"

"Harleen, Harleen Quinzel" the blonde tells the men as the paramedic wraps a bandage around her hand "And sure...go ahead"

"Can you tell us what happened here?" Jim kneels down to make eye contact with the woman "Any information that you can give up will be a great help towards us arresting whoever is behind this" he adds as he sees Harleen give a slight nod towards him.

"I didn't see much of anything. All I know is that a bunch of armed men barged into place and shot it to hell, I think I even heard an explosion or something like that" Harleen explains the best that she could which she knew wasn't too helpful towards the men "That's all I saw. Sorry that I couldn't be a better help. Those bastards killed all my colleagues...poor souls, they never stood a chance"

Alvarez looks down to Harleen "It is to my understanding that one of the inmates that you worked with was Jeremiah Valeska, correct? Can you recall if he made any hints towards what happened today? It could be a real help if he mentioned anything about it?"

"I wish I could tell you what you want, but patient-doctor confidentiality is still active. Being a psychologist is the only thing that I am good at, and I am not going to give that up" Harleen responds as looks to Alvarez with her blue eyes.

"Jeremiah Valeska is a very sick man. You do not know the hell that he can unleash if he is allowed to stay on the streets. If he told you anything about what was going down today...please you need to tell us. You could save a tone of lives " Harvey interrupts

"Or what? Are you going to arrest me? I already told you that I legally cannot tell you. It's against the rules...and I respect them. But I can say that just between us. He didn't do this, there is no way that he could have from in here" Harleen explains.

Wayne Manner

Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent sit in the dim-lit living room with the fireplace lit and burning brightly "Bruce. I can never thank you enough for this. I know that you are taking a big gamble on me and I promise you that I will not let you down. Thanks to your funding and backing my campaign. Gotham will have brighter days ahead of it. Even though the election isn't until a few months, we are already leading with the votes. Gotham is finally taking a stand against the corruption and I am honoured to be the man who will guide Gotham into a brighter future with you by my side"

Bruce leans forward and smiles "Please. You are doing all the work...I just open my chequebook and call it a day. All this? That's all you. People believe in you Harvey. The people of Gotham want a new face, someone who can make a stand and not give in to the money of people who want to abuse the system. Harvey, I wanted to thank you for coming to me about this. It mean the world to me that you trust my family as much as you do...I am here for you"

"And I want to warn you, Bruce. Mayor James knows that you won't give up on me. He and his campaign downers will do anything they can to take you out of the picture. They will be looking into you, they will try and find anything that they can exploit for you. So Bruce, watch your back. They will be gunning for you just as hard as they will be coming for me...let's just hope that you have nothing to hide from the world" Harvey comments.

"I assure you that I have no deep dark secrets"

"I know, Bruce. But that won't stop Mayor James from trying to get at you. Politics...is the most violent sport out there, people will always want blood. Just watch your back, I don't want you getting hurt because of me. You already have been through enough already. We need to stick together, in the coming weeks we both know that we are going to both have targets on our backs, but I know that if we make it through this and if I am elected...Aubrey James and his friends will never get the chance to threaten or intimidate anyone ever again" Harvey plays with the coin in his hand.

"Sounds like a plan" Bruce smiles.

Alfred walks into the room, holding a metal tray with cups of tear that he places down on the table between the two men "Your tea, Master Bruce and Mr Dent. I hope that all is going well" Alfred folds his arms behind his back "It so nice to finally have a guest in the manner. The exploits of a billionaire can only hold so much amusement"

"Thanks, Alfred" Bruce smiles at the man as he picks up the cup and sips from it "You should take a load off too, Alfred. It's been a busy day. You should head for bed. Harvey and I still need to go over a few things before we can call it a night"

Alfred shakes his head "I'm ready to head up for the night, Master Bruce. But I thought that I should tell you that board of Wayne Enterprise has called an emergency meeting and have requested your prescience for tomorrow"

"That's strange. I thought Wayne Enterprise has been at the highest point in its history. What could there be an emergency about?" Harvey questions as he sips from his cup of tea "Maybe they picked up your ever so gracious donations to my campaign"

"Doubt it. I paid for that with my own money" Bruce explains.

"You did that? Did you pay for me with your own account? Geez...thanks...that means the world to me" Harvey Dent's voice was full of warmness.

"I said that I believed in you. Of course, I would do that. I like to put my money where my mouth is" Bruce smiles "Did they say what it was about, Alfred?"

"Indeed sir. It seems Mr Dolton has sold his shares in the company to someone outside the Wayne Board" Alfred explains.

"Sold his shares? He has the fourth highest shares of the company. It was worth billions, why would he sell it?" Bruce asks the older man who only shrugs his shoulders "That is not like Mr Dolton. He loves the company. I can't see him willingly sell his shares..."

"That does sound very suspicious" Dent comments.

"He had an 11% hold in the company. Who could have the money to buy that besides the people that already have shares in the company. Even then you are talking about over ten billion dollars. I need to look into this when I can..." Bruce tells Alfred.

All those that sit around the dinner table were left in shock at the man with Riddler who nervously tugs at his own collar. Joker looks the gang of criminals around the table as he stands next to the end of the table "Nice to know that none of you caused any trouble...yet again. I wouldn't have minded seeing some of your brains being emptied all over the walls, but the night is still young...very young indeed. You may be wondering just why, oh why are you here?"

"Okay! Who the hell is that supposed to be?" Penguin points at the ghoulish man. Riddler leans closer to Penguin and whispers in his ear. Knowing what he was told, Penguin's eyes widen as he quickly drops his arm back onto the table "Sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt" he gulps as sweat drips down his brow.

"Good, next time you do that...I'll cut you" Joker chuckles "Friends...you are probably wondering why you are sat around a dining table with several guns pointed at your heads? See...we are here for a purpose" Joker slides in the chair at the end of the table and rests his elbows on the surface of it "We are going to bring Gotham to its knees..."

"Really? You broke us all out because you thought that we were willing to work with you...crazy bastard?" Bane scoffs.

Firefly taps her nails against the table "Listen, clown, I am really thankful for getting broken out of Arkham by you, but I have plans like getting payback an old friend...I'll burn her alive"

Joker kicks his feet up on the table and leans back "Oh no, I didn't break you out. Sure I planed it, but I didn't actually get us out. Someone else did that. The point is that we are all free, and we are going to try and take Gotham for ourselves...but there is one person standing in our way..."

"Gordon? Please, he is nothing" Ivy comments with a smirk.

"Gordon? Get out of here! Hello, Princess. Where have you been all this time? Living under a rock" Joker grins.

"So he is real, isn't he?" Bane asks "The Batman. The name alone speaks to me as a great and worthy opponent"

"Oh, he's real alright. He and Catwoman seem to have a thing going on between them. I bumped into Batman in Metropolis, that son of a bitch ruined the best gig that I ever had" Firefly growls.

"Sounds like a lot of hogwash to me darling" Scarface's eyes turn to Firefly while Arnold looks away nervously "Mr Scarface, we shouldn't mess with Batman" Arnold's teeth chatter. Scarface's eyes roll "Shut it, dummy. I will make short work of him" Scarface replies.

"Yeah...I would love to face Batman again, but my sides are still hurting from last time" Penguin nervously protests.

"I'll do it. I will take him on and intellectually surpasses the dark knight as I, the Riddler show the world that no one is more intelligent than I am" Riddler smirks "I will devise the most devious, the most mind-numbing conundrum that even Batman can't solve!"

Scarecrow lowers his head "Fear. He rules by it, he relies on the cowardice of the criminals, I respect him for that. However, fear...is my domain and mine in enact. I do not scare, unlike others, I know fear for strength rather than a foolish weakness..." he presses his claws against the table "I will take accomplishment in taking out this Batman"

Mr Freeze's eyes narrow "I will not bend to your whims. I have had a long to time think over the years. I am a man of science, I will not partake in this witch hunt of yours"

Ivy nods "Speaking as someone who has been on the receiving end on more than her fair share of witch hunts...I got to agree with the popsicle. I would rather just kill Bruce Wayne and that bitch: Selina Kyle. I have been dreaming of making their dead, rotting corpses fertilizer for my little darlings"

"That's good as well" Joker laughs as he turns his head to Mad Hatter "What about you? Are you game?"

" Callooh Callay, guess without Alice there is only Batman to play, very well I shall join you in your little game, just to see if Batman is truly insane" The Mad Hatter smirks.

"I'll take that as a yes" Joker stands to his feet and grins "It is settled. You will take Gotham one by one to take the Bat. A little game of ours shall be quite fun. From this point, you will have seven days to come up with a plan to take down the bat. There will be no teaming up, nor sharing information with each other. If you break these rules...you will be killed, got it? In a week's time. We will come out of the woodworks and act on our plans. The first one to kill Batman wins"

"What do we get if we win?" Firefly asks.

"The respect of Gotham's underworld. The one who kills Batman will be held as a king...or queen to them. Also, I think the guy said something about fifty million dollars, but respect is worth so much more than any amount of money" Joker laughs.

"fifty million...dollars..." Penguin's mouth was watering "I'm it!"

"Me too" Ivy smirks.

"Eh, I will kill anyone for the right price" Zsasz comments.

"Good. Now, what about you..." Joker asks as he looks to Mr Freeze.

"No. No amount of money will change my mind" Mr Freeze tells Joker.

Joker smiles "See. You are a man of principle. I respect that. A criminal with honour...now that is something beautiful, but also damn right annoying. But don't worry, I thought that you pulled this kinda crap, so I came prepared...you will have a reason to kill Batman...my friends made sure of it" Joker chuckles "Hugo Strange is doing something that will make it that you will not be able to say no"

A/N:

So another chapter and another story to come along with it. I will say from the start that this story is going to be a lot more Bruce Wayne focused rather than his adventures as Batman. Though their worlds are going collide soon enough which I am excited to do. Second of all, this will be the longest story so far and is going to go on much longer than the previous two arcs. Third: Since we dealing with Joker here, the violence is going to be ramped up to show just what a monstrous force that he is.