Harvey stood at the window overlooking Gotham and watched the flashing lights and heard the sirens as they headed to where a series of explosions had gone off just moments before. From what he'd heard, the Joker had caused quite a mess, something involving semis and a police transfer, however Gordon had called him and said they now had the madman in custody and that he could come down tomorrow to begin working on a case. He found it rather silly to waste money on a trial. Everyone knew he was guilty; the only thing that matter was whether or not the insanity plea would be accepted. Again, everyone knew he was insane, no normal human could do these things, but he had a feeling people would find a way to prove sanity and have him fried. While he was not a violent man, and the death penalty was not his favorite thing, he would sleep better at night knowing that the Joker was gone for good.
He sighed and grabbed his jacket and briefcase to head downstairs. His car had been damaged last night and he did not think it was safe to walk home so he had called a taxi. Rachel had protested his decision to use public transportation, claimed it was dangerous, but he figured that if someone did try and hijack the cab he could take care of himself. After all, he had taken self defense classes as a kid and he was pretty good. Turns out being a wimp had its advantages. He was not totally helpless despite what she thought.
"Evenin' Mr. Dent," the driver greeted him through the window.
"And to you," he responded as he hopped in the back seat. "Listen, get me home in under twenty minutes and you'll get the tip of your life." He was tired and just wanted to go to bed. He'd slept terribly the last few nights.
"Sorry Sir, but I got my orders already." Of course, take the longest, most traffic-laden route for the most money. Oh well, as long as he got home in one piece. "You ain't gonna make it home." Harvey looked up in confusion but never got a chance to do anything else as a tranquilizer dart pierced his neck. His body fell limp and his vision darkened.
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The hairs on the back of Rachel's neck were tingling like crazy. With the chaos downtown, it would be easy for the Joker to capture her. The news said that he had been arrested, but she still worried. The phone rang a few times and then Harvey's voice mail answered. This was the fifth time she had tried to call him. She hung up and dialed Gordon's number.
"Lt. Gordon speaking," the officer answered. His voice was heavy and worn. No doubt this had been a stressful night for him.
"Gordon, it's Rachel. Have you talked to Harvey recently?" she asked nervously. Her pinkie nail would probably never be the same again and her floor was going to have travel damage by the time this was done, but she did not care.
"About half an hour ago to fill him in on the situation. Why?"
"He's not answering the phone. I called five times, and nothing. I think-" She trailed off as the sound of a gun being cocked came from behind her.
"Hang up the phone," a gruff voice commanded. She turned slowly to look down the barrel of a gun.
"Rachel, you still there?" Gordon called frantically.
"I have to go," she told him eerily calm. She had been expecting this to happen for a month so it was no surprise. Gordon's protests sounded from the receiver, but she cut them off as she snapped the phone shut. "It's time then." The clown did not answer, but grabbed her roughly and forced a cloth over her mouth. The smell of chloroform filled her senses and she felt herself drift into unconsciousness.
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Batman landed on the station roof with a nearly silent thud. Lt. Gordon stood near the bat signal, his back to him and arms folded across his chest. He approached the officer silently as he normally did.
"What is it Lt.?" Lt. Gordon turned, his face grim, and the shadows that crossed it made him seem even older.
"Actually, it's Commissioner as of five minutes ago," he corrected him. "Commissioner Loeb was killed in the crossfire."
"Sorry to hear that, but you'll do well. So what is it, Commissioner?" he asked again. Gordon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Harvey's missing, and considering how Rachel hung up on me, she is too. I'd bet anything the Joker's behind this. I've tried talking to him, but he won't say anything. After what you told me, he probably will only speak to you," he told him. Batman did not say anything else, but stalked past him to the interrogation room.
The room was small and tiled in white tile. A single light-bulb provided the lighting, but it was either too dim or too bright, he was not sure, but it irritated the eyes. In the center sat the Joker. His back was to him and he was whistling to himself. He slammed the door shut, his fury taking control of him. He crossed the space in two steps and was right behind him.
"Hello Batsy." His voice triggered the last of his control. He grabbed the clown by the hair and smashed his head into the table. Instead of yelling, the Joker just laughed. Batman walked around so that he now faced him. Some of the paint on his forehead had rubbed off and revealed his red skin.
"Where are they?" he growled.
"Don't you know you never go straight for the head, because then they don't feel your next blow," he giggled, avoiding the question. Batman snarled and pounded the Joker's hand into the table. "See, I didn't feel that!" he laughed.
"Where are they?" he repeated louder. The Joker flexed his hand to ensure that everything was working properly.
"I know not who you refer to. Remember, I've been locked up here!" he sassed. That's it. Time to revert to the hard stuff. He hauled the Joker out of his chair and threw him into the wall, which he bounced off of only to connect with his fist. He did not laugh this time, but fell onto the floor. His forehead and lip were bleeding, giving him an even more deranged look. He licked his lips and sighed as if he were bored.
"What time is it?" he asked. Batman growled in frustration.
"What does it matter?" he yelled.
"Well, they could be in one place... one place for each person that is, don't want to make it too easy, or they could be in multiple places. So I recommend you tell me what time it is," the Joker instructed. He sighed. They couldn't have been in here for more than five minutes.
"About eight."
"Then you still have time. Mr. Dent's at 1220 Roosevelt Ave. and Miss Dawes is at 502 Ludwig Blvd. If you make it, you can save one of them. But don't think you can save both Batboy. Oh, and if you don't make it there in the next, oh ten minutes, you lose both of them" he warned. "You see, you must choose. Save one, and the other dies. There's no way around it. So, who's it gonna be?" Bruce froze and stared at the clown. He wasn't lying. That's one of the things you could count on the Joker not to do. He had to make that choice. He knew he had promised Rachel to save Harvey, but... but what if he could save them both. If he could send Gordon after Harvey, then he could get them both out. It was worth a shot. Rachel would forgive him if not. He turned and burst through the door.
"Who are you going to save?" Gordon called after him, reading his mind.
"Rachel," he called back. He heard Gordon radio all cars to meet at Roosevelt, but he did not care. He had to get to Rachel soon.
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"Or was it the other way around?" Joker asked himself mischievously earning a disapproving look from the officer that now stood watch at the door. "Oh well, it won't really matter." A giggle bubbled up out of his throat and the officer shivered impulsively. He licked his lips again. So far everything had gone to plan. He now had to act fast, this would be the most risky part, or everything would fall apart.
"I don't suppose I could get my phone call now, could I?" he asked. The police officer looked down at him and sneered. It was not an unexpected reaction; he wasn't on the best terms with the police, but it did go against policy and he did not like that. His lips stretched into a conspiratorial grin and he tilted his head back. "So, how many of your friends have I killed now?" It was a risky move to provoke him, being armed and all, but it was necessary.
The guard clearly knew he shouldn't respond, but the question was so simple and he knew he would ask again until he got an answer. He sighed and turned his head away. "Six." He tapped his foot in an irritated manner. Someone was having an internal battle.
"You know, when you go to kill someone, you learn who the brave are, and who the cowards are." He paused and wet his lips and let the smile get bigger. The guard looked back at him from the corner of his eye. "Do you want to know how many of your friends were cowards?" The battle was lost and the guard charged forward. Clearly he had not expected him to be in such good shape after Batman's beating, so when he sprung up, the guard did not know how to react. He smashed his head against the wall just hard enough to render him unconscious. He liked this guy; he was corruptible. He leaned down and searched the guy's pockets to find a cell phone. Thankfully, this guy was up with the times and he did not disappoint. The Joker walked out of the tiny room and made his way to the exit as he dialed the number. Good thing one of his recruits had been crazy already; he wasn't going to live much longer with a bomb in his stomach.
The phone rang four times and a great explosion wracked the building. He fell into a wall from the explosion, but was otherwise unaffected. People ran past him, hardly noticing that their top criminal was just walking out of the building. Outside his get away car was waiting. This hadn't been to bad after all.
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Her senses were groggy and her head hurt, but at least she was awake. Rachel's eyes fluttered open but her vision was blurry. She blinked a few times and allowed the room to come into focus. She was tied to a chair and what she could see, wires led from it the oil (or gas) canister behind her. The entire room was filled with this giant canisters and there was an odd devise on the ropes that connected her to her chair. In front of her, there was a walkie-talkie with the button taped down so she could talk through it.
"H-hello?" she uttered weakly. She cleared her raw throat (chloroform was a nasty thing) and tried again. Nothing happened. "Can anyone hear me?" She called louder. "If anyone is there, please answer me!" she pleaded, her voice cracking. She moaned and looked up at the ceiling in desperation. She needed to know what was happening. "Hello?" she yelled. A small noise came from the walkie-talkie and it filled her with hope. "Hello, is someone there?" she called optimistically.
"Rachel?" Harvey's voice distantly answered. She felt her heart sink. They did have Harvey, and now she would die. She felt tears sting her eyes, but reminded herself that it was for the best of the city. She could at least die knowing that Harvey was safe and her last act granted the people a safer life. "Rachel, is that you?" he asked.
"Yeah, it's me Harvey. Are you alright?" she called back.
"Physically, but they have me tied up to some barrel things, oil or gas canisters, I'm not sure, and they're like a detonator looking thing on my chest, a bomb behind me. What about you?" So he was in the same situation.
"Same here, but don't worry Harvey, help is on the way. You'll be fine," she assured him, and it was not a lie either.
"I don't think so Rach. They'll come for you. He loves you, and I'm just the competition," he argued weakly. She could tell him, but he would not understand and she did not want their last minutes together to be filled with conflict.
"And I think you're wrong. You're most valuable to the city," she countered. There was silence. What did one say in such a situation? Good-byes might be a good thing. Who knew how long they had. "I love you, Harvey," she told him, tears beginning to spill over.
"I love you too, but don't start talking like that. Maybe we can find a way to get out. It looks like there's a rough pipe near by. Maybe I can cut the rope. Then they'll have to save you!" he reasoned. The noises of wood scraping on concrete filled the radio, followed by a crash. "Harvey? Harvey what happened?" she called frantically.
"Rachel, it's fine. I just... no! No!" his pitiful cries called to her.
"Harvey!" she cried back as an explosion caused the line to go dead. Bruce had gone back on his word. He had chosen her! She kicked and screamed in frustration. This wasn't suppose to happen.
"Shut up!" the Joker yelled harshly as he stalked into the room. He quickly cut away her ropes and threw her, still screaming, over his shoulder.
"Harvey, no," she whimpered even as he tossed her into the back of a police car. That should have been her.
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Gasoline ran down the right side of his face and filled his mouth. He couldn't get up, he couldn't get out. He knew it would be Rachel they saved, it had to be. Still, if only he could have gotten out, then maybe they both would have lived. It was useless dwelling on it. He was done for, but he would gladly forfeit his life for hers.
"Harvey? Harvey, what happened?" Rachel asked.
"Rachel, it's fine," he assured her. No matter how one looked at it, it was true what he said. His situation was okay, not great, not bad, just okay, and his imminent death was fine, not great, but not dreaded either. "I just-" the sound of a door flying open cut him off. She had been right. They had chosen him over her. Now she would die because of him.
"No," he protested, trying to get his rescuer to go away. A strong set of hands pulled his ropes and the detonator began to slip. "No!" he screamed louder. Why didn't they stop?
"Har-"Rachel cried back, but her voice fell silent as an explosion cut her off. She was gone, and it was his fault. He looked up to see Batman trying to pick him up. But he had loved her? Why? His mind shut down. His body moved on its own and helped Batman get him to his feet and his legs moved quickly as they ran out of the warehouse. He didn't feel anything; he didn't see, not until the explosion came. As they cleared the building, it exploded into a blaze of flame and the extreme heat sparked the gasoline on his face. His flesh sizzled away, blinding and paralyzing him. He fell to the ground and tried to make his hands fly up to his face, but the pain was too much. He barely felt himself being pulled to safety, but did register as water poured over him, which hurt possibly more than the fire. It was super heated and continued to burn where it ran. The pain spiked higher and higher, and finally he could not take it. He let the pain claim him and fell unconscious.
A/N: Wow, 2,802 words. That's the longest yet! Nearly half on a normal chapter anyways. Yay! So, the moment we have been building up to. As you have noticed, it is quite similar to the movie, I even stole (possibly badly) some of the dialogue, but I wanted to keep it as close to cannon as possible. Naturally, I couldn't replicate it exactly and with the change in cannon, it was not possible. Hopefully you guys don't hate it. By the way, if you want to know how the Joker got arrested, just watch the movie, and instead of Harvey being in the police van, it's other random inmates and Joker just felt the need to create a diversion and wanted a good reason to be arrested. As I said, I don't do action scenes. PLEASE REVIEW!