((again, i own absolutely none of this c: ))
She saw his body dangling from the fire escape and she knew this was how it had to be.
Duela had not been with her father for very long. It'd been maybe five or six months, killing Gordon's son and hunting down the Batman. Their hunt was fruitless, until the night before.
Maybe God was smiling down at them, but she doubted it. They just happened to be in the warehouse, having kidnapped a member of the Falcone crime family. Duela's scars had finally begun to heal; she hated and loved the raised white lines across half of her face. They gave her an identity, and maybe something to aspire to. She wasn't insane…not yet.
All at once Batman crashed through the ceiling. It was like he went to school for this. Duela backed up a little into some crates, knowing that even if Batman had seen her, maybe he would assume she took this time to escape. After all, who would willingly hang around and help someone like Two Face? She peered from behind the crates as Batman beat who was now Harvey down, shoving him against the wall.
But as Batman stared at Harvey, Two Face took over again. And he laughed. "Kill me," he said simply, staring the Bat in his eyes. "Go ahead and kill me, if you can. Go ahead. I dare you," he said shakily and gruffly, but naturally, Batman refused.
"Why?" he said simply, holding him there while the mob guy crawled off.
"Why…all of this? Because it's fair. Rachel only got a fifty-fifty chance, Gordon's son only got a fifty-fifty chance…and now it's your turn. And since obviously the Batman doesn't have anyone to care for, it has to be you. It has to. It's fair," Two Face said shakily, and even continued to mumble to himself. The look on his face scared Duela, though she wasn't entirely unused to it. After all, she'd been with this man for nearly six months.
"Then flip," Batman breathed. He let Two Face go, knowing very well no matter the outcome, he was getting out of here alive and Two Face was going back to Arkham. But maybe, just maybe, if the outcome was in his favor…maybe Two Face would finally give it up.
Two Face stared up at Batman, reaching for his coin, but his evil eyes never left the Bat. He flipped with practiced ease; the ping of the coin rung in Duela's ears, and it almost called her out of hiding. She walked forward slowly, as quietly as she possibly could, and even went as far as to pull out her gun. She stood behind Batman, who was staring down at the coin in Two Face's hand.
He slapped the coin on his wrist. When he revealed it his knees buckled; it was heads. His heart raced with anger and he seemed to go to flip again, before Harvey took over his body. "You flipped!" he screamed, giving Duela a very quick opportunity to cock her gun. "You flipped, that's all there is, now let it go…please!"
But Two Face wasn't stupid. He knew that as long there was no vindication for Rachel, there was no Two Face. The two seemed to fight, Harvey's body squirming as his heart beat wildly. Duela took this opportunity. She put the gun up against Batman's neck, glaring. "You leave. You leave now. His business is done…let him go, now, let him crawl away and try to figure out his life," she whispered, pressing the barrel against what little skip was available.
Batman stood stiffened, not recognizing her voice. Who was she? His fists clenched as he looked down at Harvey Dent and Two Face battle of the body, and he gulped. This mysterious female was right, though…he knew Harvey enough to know that he would turn himself in. He didn't want to smear Harvey's name…he was right. He had to be right, he had to be right in all of the decisions he made, and this was the right decision. Right?
Fear gas clouded his judgment, though he didn't really know it. He nodded, sure this was the right decision. Batman left Duela to pick up this struggling man as best as she could and drive him back to the apartment. She led him up the stairs, just as roughly as he did about four months ago. She moved her cheek to feel the scars and remind herself why she was doing all of this. She put him in the apartment and then into his bed.
She stood over him with a warm washcloth. "You know," she mumbled, sitting at the foot of his bed. He looked dead on the outside, save for his eyes. His eyes were alive with conversation and thought, as Harvey's always were. "You know, Two Face doesn't always have to win. You can still…you can coexist peacefully." She watched him wince with anger. That was Two Face.
She got up as fast as she could, but it was too late. His hands wrapped around her neck, roughly. She gasped for air as his thumb pressed against her windpipe. It ended as quickly as it began, however. Harvey was back. Was he winning? Duela looked up at his eyes, coughing and gagging. His eyes were alive, but…deadening.
"No, we can't," Harvey gasped, and he sat down on the bed again. "We can't coexist peacefully. Not anymore. Now it's either all him, or all me…" he mumbled, ignoring the terrified look in her eye.
"That can't be true, though…"
"Go to bed, Duela," Harvey cooed. He got up and kissed her forehead as if he didn't just almost kill her. "Go to bed…we'll both feel better in the morning. I promise," he mumbled, and he ushered her to bed, much to the disgust of Two Face.
----
Duela lit a cigarette as she looked down at the bloated face of Harvey Dent. It definitely had to happen. Two Face was an immovable object and Harvey was an unstoppable force. They really couldn't coexist. She blew smoke out of her plump lips, missing how good nicotine made her. She glanced down, seeing only his puffy purple cheeks and what was left of his golden hair. She ruffled it slightly and quickly finished the cigarette.
Still, Duela didn't want people to think it was Two Face and Harvey Dent that killed Two Face and Harvey Dent. That was too weak, even for her. So she went inside and painted his face. She made his face white, blackened his eyes. She reached into her makeup bag to pull out some lipstick, which she unceremoniously put on his lips, and beyond that. After all, not even Two Face could be expected to take on the Joker and live.
Duela soon packed her things in a backpack, and headed out the door. Before she left, though, she turned around and dug quickly through his clothes and things, finally finding the coin. On one side was nothing but a face, and on the other, of course burns. Just like him. She grinned wildly and pocketed the coin…she would do him proud. Maybe Two Face didn't like her hanging around, but they both at least agreed on the fact that she would do well to carry on his name.
Still, working alone right now would be a horrible idea. Duela knew she wasn't good enough, not yet. So that night, after finding one of her father's old billboards on top of the Second National Bank of Gotham, she went to work. She wanted to send a message to the Joker. She shook up black spray paint and blackened half of Harvey Dent's face, the correct half, of course. She grinned up at her handiwork before continuing.
She climbed up and using red spray paint, wrote a simple message:
"Call Me".
Duela smirked, knowing he would find it, and know what it meant. She spread the word around the underground where she was staying…it was a stupid idea, maybe, but it would hopefully work. A few nights later she found herself with a familiar face. Talia al Ghul and her became fast friends, even if she was older than Duela. They had one very special thing in common, something that you didn't just find anywhere else. They walked through the park having come back from dinner.
"So, he just…killed Two Face?" Talia asked, not buying it one bit.
"I suppose, I dunno, he just…" Duela stopped when her phone rang. Talia answered it and quickly hung up, looking down at Duela. "It's him, isn't it?"
"I have to go do something. Someone."
"I dunno when you're going to stand up to him, but…you can't let him tell you what to do all the time. I stood up to Two Face, and sometimes it hurt, but…it was usually worth it." She paused as Talia rolled her eyes. "I mean, why do you take this bullshit?"
"Why did you? And why are you looking for more?" Talia asked, and she left, in a huff.
Duela sighed, hating that she had just asked a very good question. Her eyes looked up, scanning the trees for any familiar vines. Apparently Ivy wasn't around…so what was she supposed to do, now? She looked down and started forward, no longer strolling. She happened to know what went bump in the night, and she didn't feel like getting involved. Not tonight.
"Ring, ring," said a soft voice.
Duela looked up and saw the Joker standing in front of her. She immediately saw his eyes looking over her face, and she frowned, hating that he was admiring what he'd done. Harvey used to do the same. "Leave a message," she mumbled, stuffing her hands in her pockets and trying to move on.
The Joker stood in her way, being annoying for now. "But you were so eager to get a hold of me. I don't just bend over backwards for anyone's requests…so what is it, Dead Face Mini?"
"I just—"
"Ooh! And by the way, blaming me for Harvey Dent's inevitable plunge into hell…that just wasn't very polite. See, I like my crimes to mean something. Anything." He eyed her, walking closer. "But that didn't mean anything. Though I have to admit, it did throw the police off of my trail…"
"That was kinda my goal," Duela mumbled, awkwardly.
"No, it wasn't, because…you two were very proud people. Or should I say, you three were very proud people. You didn't want people to know Harvey offed himself," the Joker said, eyeing her. He liked to watch people as he messed with them…like a sick science experiment.
"It wasn't Harvey. It really can't have been. It had to have been Two Face," Duela mumbled, taking her hands from her pockets.
"Semantics…" Joker mumbled, and didn't give Duela any time to retaliate. "So, what is it? I mean, you destroyed public property to contact me." He waited, now, with all the patience in the world.
She frowned. "I'm…" she began, and then she looked him straight in the eye. "Honestly? I wanna work with you. I'm not done learning yet, and…I like the way you work. I would have liked it a lot more if you didn't work against me and Two Face a lot, but…I wanna learn," Duela said.
The Joker's smile disappeared as much as it could as he inspected her. And then he laughed, filling the otherwise quiet park with the sound of his cackles. "You think…you can…" he said, gasping for breath from laughing so hard. Duela watched with a frown on her face, looking rather offended by all of this laughter. "You think, you can work with me, okay…" he said, finally calming down. "You're insane."
"I thought that's what you liked--!"
"Not in the good way, Duela dear. You're insane, and that's it. You would have to be to want to be like one of us. You're…reckless. And I don't have time for recklessness." He flicked her nose pointedly. "Okay? Alright. I'll see you on the playing field." He turned around to leave.
"And what about chaos?" she asked, and he stopped but didn't turn around. "You're an agent of chaos, we all know that, but…what happens when you're gone? Unable to fulfill your duties as an agent of chaos? What then?" she asked, and she walked closer. "You're going to need someone to fall back on. Someone to carry on your name, your legacy…and I think I'm perfect."
The Joker turned around, eyeing her for what felt like days. He took her in, everything about her. Finally he looked at her eyes. "And why do you think you should be the one to follow in my footsteps?"
Duela took out the coin. "Because what is chaos, if not…" she flipped the coin and caught it, slapping it on her wrist. "…fair?" she smirked over to him, her own eyes going wide with excitement. "Heads, you take me in. Tails, you leave now and I move on," she mumbled, looking up from her covered hand to look at him.
The wheels were turning. He knew he didn't work on rules, but like she said, chaos was a bit like a flip of a coin. He nodded, and she pulled her hand off of her palm. A shiny, clean head shone up at them, and they both smiled at one another. "Heads," they both said at the same time.
The Joker wormed an arm around her, making her just a bit nervous. "Let me show you to my office…" he mumbled, and while Duela was more than excited, she knew the night air only got that much colder.
----
The Joker didn't intend to keep her on for long. He sat in a chair, watching her sleep on the couch. He himself never did sleep, and when he did, it certainly wasn't with someone else in his home. His home…they'd come in, purging the house of any unwanted guests, and stacked them neatly in the basement. It was a perk that Duela didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that they were grotesquely murdered, but after a half a year of looking at Two Face, not much could really bother anyone.
And then his mind wandered to their first lesson. What could he teach her about delivering chaos? Two Face was awful at what he did, so he would definitely need to fine-tune her a bit. He watched her turn onto her other side and mumble something to herself, temporarily breaking his focus. He could use some money…and if she got caught at the bank, then perhaps he would be rid of her and he could find someone more worthy. Though to be honestly, she was the most worthy candidate he'd seen to date. He eyed her curiously, his legs crossed.
"Duela," he cooed, waking her up and she winced looking up. She half-expected to see Two Face, but instead, she was greeted with the smile of the Joker. "Wake up, my dear. We have things to do, people to kill…"
"It's three in the morning," she said, sleepily turning over to look up at him. His eyes were wide, dangerous and waiting. Duela didn't see anything like what she saw in Harvey Dent or Two Face, none of that. She saw something much, much worse. "There will still be people awake in a few hours, and ready to be killed…"
"Yes, but I'd like to make a withdrawal as soon as I possibly can," he said, and he rose, pulling the sheets from her and revealing a huddled Duela in shorts and a t-shirt. She groaned and got out of bed. "And we need to prep you, make sure you're ready, so you don't…disappoint." He tugged her out of bed, and led her to the kitchen where he poured her some coffee and gave her…well, some directions.
---
Duela waited outside the bank in the van with the Joker and two other goons of less importance. She sat there, mumbling the plan to herself obsessively from underneath her clown mask. She was to walk in, and head on down with one of the goons to the safe in the back. This was certainly not a mob bank, of course, so this would be easier than before. The Joker had warned her, however, that there were two security guards beyond the main lobby of the bank who would no doubt be at the ready.
What he failed to mention was the third who kept guard of that particular safe. The third guard would be more ready than the first or second, and he was banking on her strolling in like the child she was. He watched as she rehearsed to herself, annoying the other two goons in there. He knew she would be reckless, because Two Face was reckless, and the apple never rotted too far from the tree.
Finally, it was time to go. She watched the Joker and the other goon race off to distract most everyone, while she and the other one ducked under the line of fire to go to the back. Just as he had predicted, the first two security guards waited, glaring at the two of them. Their guns were drawn but Duela was quicker, and she shot the first one easily, watching him fall. The other guy took care of the second security guard, and they walked off.
Duela moved forward, her gun down. The third security guard was in fact more ready, however. He shot the goon next to her and did the same to Duela. She jumped back but lost her gun, and it slid to out of her reach. She stood there, and as he fumbled for a pair of handcuffs, she reached under her shirt and took out a second gun, shooting him without thinking. Duela stood there stunned as she watched him gasp for breath past all of the blood that was no doubt filling his lungs.
She gulped, stumbling back a little at his gags and yells and she went to the safe. Duela remembered what she had learned from Harvey, and began to try and open the safe. She moved quickly with her shaking hands, shoving the money into the duffle bags she had with her and she looked up. Just as the Joker had said, there was a small window up a little ladder, which she would throw the money into and climb in herself.
Her eyes narrowed but she did so, piling them onto the roof and looking around. There was the third goon, waiting by the fire escape to toss the duffle bags into a second van. As Duela heard sirens she took her second gun and killed him, trying to ignore the sound of his body falling onto the roof. She helped the Joker load them into the back of the second van.
Duela's heart raced as finally they drove off. She took off the mask and sat angrily in the seat next to him, glaring. "I'm not a moron, you didn't tell me about the third guard! If you wanted me dead, you should at least kill me yourself! Give me some credit!" she yelled, throwing the mask to the other side of the van. "So stop stringing me along…if you want me, fine, but if not…" She winced as she felt the little plastic Hawaiian dashboard girl hit her forehead.
"You passed," he said with a small frown, as if telling her to shut up. "You always carry two guns?"
"It's something Two Face taught me," Duela mumbled, sticking the plastic girl on the dashboard again. "He said it was safer, and you were always guaranteed to come out on top with two."
"I want you to start carrying one. Because see…he took the safe road, and that is so utterly boring," he grumbled, and turned on the air conditioner, which barely blew into his face. "You'll be carrying one from now on. So choose your favorite."
Duela nodded, looking down to her lap as she considered that. She hated when the Joker said things like that about her father and Two Face…like he was a weaker criminal, just because he failed, just because he killed himself. She shifted a little uncomfortably, looking back up to him. She also found she expected some kind of kindness from him, because she had done well. Duela looked at him, smiling a little, her scars stretching as she did.
He frowned. "You'll be getting your next assignment tomorrow. Count the money…" he saw her face. "Please?"
She frowned, and nodded, going to the back to begrudgingly begin counting the money. Up front the Joker watched her, gauging what kind of person she was from the way she moved, breathed, saw…everything. He smirked to himself. "And this one will be fun. You know Bruce Wayne?" he cooed.
Duela looked up, nodding quickly. "Of course. He's in all the tabloids. He's…very attractive."
"Mmm, well apart from being a heartthrob, he also happens to be the biggest weapons manufacturer in this part of the country," he mumbled, and he smirked into the rear view mirror. And in spite of the danger this mission would no doubt hold, Duela smirked back, almost knowingly.
