Harvey sat in his cell, staring at the heavy metal door that separated him from the rest of the world. It was such an insignificant thing, that door, but at the same time, it was such a formidable foe. It only opened on Tuesdays when the guards came to get him for his sessions with Dr. Wayland. How he hated her. The first session was not the first time he had ever met Dr. Patricia Wayland. Being known for her work with high profile cases, and grief in particular, she had been called into court a few times to testify. He had liked her well enough back then. Now, she grated on his few nerves. She not only did not show him the proper respect he deserved, felt they were friends and what not, but she felt she could get him to open up with her naive, 'I'm sorry about what happened, but revenge is not the answer,' methods. How could she not see that revenge was the answer? He had listened as the woman he loved was murdered, and no one tried to help her! There was no forgiving that.
The door opened today and two guards entered with a pair of handcuffs and ankle shackles. They were very gentle and relatively polite to him, which was most unusual in here. That was the perk of being the former D.A. He had fought for them at one point and they were wont to see him as another criminal. It was funny, because he could see them as the enemy. They lead him down the hall and everything was as it always was. Life at Arkham was a cycle that ran flawlessly, and made things so easy for the clever criminal mind. Come three o'clock, he would break that cycle, instigate a bit of chaos worthy of the Joker, and escape this hell-hole to seek revenge upon the world! They approached Dr. Wayland's office and the door swung open to reveal a seated older woman with severe features, but with shining eyes and a pleasant smile. Now he had to make a choice of which greeting to use.
He was feeling more in a Harvey mood, than a Two-Face mood, perhaps a good thing considering his plans, so he graced her with a sad smile. Unfortunatley for her, only half his face could perform such a delicate act so one side (two guesses which one) grimaced sinisterly. Dr. Wayland was obviously perturbed by this, as always, but returned his smile with a crisp hello. He allowed her a curt nod and allowed the guards to hand cuff him to the modified leather couch. The guards left and she flipped open her notebook and clicked her pen.
"How are you today Mr. Dent?" she asked as she did every session. Two-Face roared inside him at the use of Harvey's last name, but he replied with a civil response.
"Miserable, and you?" It was said with such a normal tone that one would think he had merely commented on the weather.
"Well after what you went through, it is understandable that your grieving process will be long. Tell me, what does the pain feel like today?" This was another regular question and she got different answers depending on his mood.
"Like a smoldering fire that is slowly suffocating my lungs and eating at my flesh. Like thousands of razor blades tearing at my organs as I'm shot repeatedly." A truly unpleasant answer, but it was honest, and if there was one thing Harvey Dent was, it was honest. Despite the morbidity of his response, she was again relieved and eased in her chair. Last time it had been something about a burning white-hot fire shooting from every pour, ready to make the world pain for stealing her from him. It had not been a great session for the seasoned psychiatrist. "You're going to make me talk about her aren't you?" he asked with despair laced in every syllable.
"Not if you don't want to," Dr. Wayland promised sincerely. It was a rule of the trade, if a patient is not ready to open up, do not force it. Harvey sighed and inspected the ceiling.
"I think I want to... but only the pleasant things," he decided. In all honesty, he would have rather avoided the topic, but he needed her to warm up to him before he could make his request of her. "Like her laugh. Did you ever hear Rachel laugh? It was the most musical thing in the entire world. Her face lit up, her nose crinkled, and the entire world seemed to glow with her joy. It made my soul soar. Or this nervous habit she had. When ever she was feeling awkward, she would start humming. All through our first date, she kept breaking out into Bad Medicine. Not exactly an encouraging sign," he laughed lightly but in such away that Dr. Wayland's heart went out to him. She had seen him with Rachel, and he had been so alive then. Now, he was broken and hollow.
"Do you want to tell me about that... about your first date?" she pressed when he went silent. He sighed and clicked his tongue a few times before turning to look at her more directly.
"It was nothing spectacular, just drinks after work. I had kind of had an eye on her for a few weeks before I finally asked her out. It was actually hilarious how I did it too. I just walked right in, sat on the edge of her desk, and asked her to get a drink with me that night. She was... reluctant at first, but I managed to persuade her in the end. So that night we went down to O'Reilly's and ended up talking 'til 1 in the morning. Well, I did more talking than her with her little humming sessions, but it was fun," he reminisced. They continued down this line of questioning for another fifteen minutes. Dr. Wayland was surprised by how open he was with her. Perhaps she had never seen the real Harvey before. He was such a nice guy. Kind of like a son she had never had. If she could keep him trusting her, then maybe this split personality of his could be overridden and he could return to a normal life.
"Oh, Doctor, I was wondering if I could ask something of you," he commented shyly. She indicated for him to continue, but reminded him that she could make no promises. "Don't worry, it's nothing big. Uhm, when I was admitted, there should have been a two-headed coin on me with one side burned. I was wondering if I could get it back. It's very special to me... one of the last things I have of my father, and it is deeply connected to dear Rachel. Do you think you could do that?" he asked pitifully. She wanted to say yes right away, but she paused to think. It was a coin, it could do no harm. The door did not lock from the inside and the cracks would not allow anything that thick to pass through them, so it was really safe. Besides, it could be useful to his mental health if he had this comfort item.
"I believe that can be arranged. Dr. Arkham trusts my judgement, so I will just speak to him later. Let's see if we cannot send an officer to fetch it," she assured him. She stepped outside and muttered a few things that Harvey could not hear. Both sides of him grinned evilly, knowing he could leave in peace now. She returned to her chair and made light conversation until the officer returned with the coin in a labelled plastic bag. He handed it the doctor, gave Harvey an uneasy look, and left. Dr. Wayland turned the coin over a few times as she approached him, and noted the irony in the destruction of the metal. It was placed in his cuffed hand and he flipped it a few times with a satisfied sigh.
"Thank you Doctor," he told her as the guards re-entered to take him back to his cell. "Your kindness will be noted." The door closed and Two-Face took over. They did not return the way they entered. It was considered back luck as prisoners got to see a section of the asylum too well. Thankfully for him, his cell was in a highly monitored corridor so the way back was through a less guarded area. At one point, due to his past he knew where, there was a blank spot on the cameras. He pretended to trip and waited for them to help him up. Little did they know, fate was not on their side, so as they reached down, he spun and grabbed the revolver of the nearest cop and fired it twice at them. His shot had been off, so they were simply injured. Perhaps luck did have them in her good favors. He took the keys from the incapasitated officer and undid his cuffs.
Three was not a highly busy time at Arkham. He only encountered a few people which he dealt with accordingly. He practically just walked right out. No wonder the city was following to bits! The jails, prisons, and asylums couldn't hold their captives. Had they been guarded better, maybe Rachel would have been alive. People would pay for their carelessness. However, he needed a better disguise first. Arkham scrubs were a tad noticable.
A/N: YAY another update! About time no? So, I've been busy and school starts Monday and I only get busier. Thankfully for you though, I've reached an exciting point so there is motivation to write. Also, next few chapters will be odd. They will be holding two different story lines that will converge though at chapter... next! Okay, not that confusing then. Yeah, forget everything I just said. It's late, deal with it!! Okay, well I will try and update sooner!