Different day, different bar, but Jonah found himself in the same position. On the stool, tipping back a cold one and spilling half of it out of his mouth. He raised his wide, deformed eye up to see the racket a blurry, analog TV was making,
"Police found Councilman Harrelson's body ditched in an alley near Park Row with two bullets in his head. Early speculations point to the notorious Gotham criminal Two-Face. The Commisioner has detectives working..." the newswoman continued on, but Hex had lost interest.
"Councilmen turning up dead. This city is going to Hell I tell ya?" the old barkeep tried to start a conversation with the cowboy as he stared up at the same TV.
"I reckon." Hex was short in his reply, not even looking up at the man. Realizing there was no conversation to be had, the barkeep went back to wiping down the bar with his rag. Jonah peered under his hat at the aged man before tossing a coin on the bar and seeing himself to the door.
Outside of the bar, the bounty hunter's senses were assaulted by the colorful neon lights cutting through the dark night and the cold air mixing with the smells of the city's underbelly. Jonah Hex unhitched his brown stallion, the only horse on the street, from a parking meter. While he readjusted some of the leather straps on his saddle two men approached him from the rear. Jonah stopped his commotion, "You boys lost?" his gruff voice not friendly.
"You Jonah Hex?" the men asked from under black fedoras. Upon hearing his name, he lifted his head and turned around slowly to face the two men. As he did this, he brushed away a flap of his officer's jacket to reveal the revolver at his hip.
"And suppose I am?" his face curled up. The men didn't change their demeanor at Hex's show of disdain.
"Seeing as you're the only ugly SOB dressed like Roy Rogers riding a horse through town I'm guessing that's you." the other man started in,
"We've been sent on behalf of Carmine Falcone to talk to you." The grimace still stained Jonah's face. Before he spoke, Jonah spit some tobacco dip from his mouth. The brown junk splattered on the Italian leather of the mobster's shoe.
"What's the mob want with me?" he wiped the spit from his lip. The goon wiped the spit off his shoe with an angered look, then faked a smile as he stared at the cowboy's ugly mug again.
"The Don's heard about you. Says you have a skill of finding people what don't want to be found, of making people disappear. Says you always get your man."
"Yer Don's half right, but I ain't no hired hitman for the mob."
"But you are a bounty hunter. Ain't that the same type of gig." the mobster got a sinister grin.
"Right. That's means I'll bring them back ta face justice, dead or alive at the contractor's preference."
"That'll suit our purposes." the other mobster cut in, "Here's what we want to ask of ya. Boss wants you to bring in Two-Face." Jonah wore a smug look when he spoke next,
"What? He kills one politician and he's the mob's most wanted?"
"It goes back farther than that. That ugly bastard," the mobster made an obvious look at Hex's scars, "no offense. Anyways, he's been slowly trying to muscle in on our turfs, our rackets, and our businesses. The Falcones are growing tired of his constant meddling." Jonah Hex thought on the offer for a minute. Working for the mob wasn't an appealing idea, but any money was good, and bounty hunting was the gunslinger's specialty.
"How much fer his hide?" Hex felt he may regret this job, but he went against his gut feeling.
"Carmine Falcone is offering you $20,000. He doesn't care if Dent is dead or alive." After learning the price, Jonah climbed onto his horse and got situated in his saddle,
"Alright. I'll bring ya your man." the horse trotted away from the two goon and down into the neon lit streets of Gotham. Hoof beats clicked on the pavement as Jonah rode onward with his new bounty in mind. Cars would occasionally whistle by, the drivers shooting confused looks at the horse and rider. He reigned in his horse down a dark alley away from the glitzy lights. As the horse marched on, a figure silently dropped from the sky. As stealthy as it tried to be, Jonah still notice he was being watched. "I seem to be a popular man." Jonah grumbled to alert the person to his awareness. The man walked up to him, a black cape flowed behind him. Muscles bulged from a tight gray suit emblazoned with a black bat on a yellow background. When Batman started to speak his face was emotionless and his voice was flat,
"I know Carmine Falcone put a hit out for Two-Face. I also know you're one of the best in the field." Jonah remained silent, "If you've been approached by his family I warn you not to take the job. Two-Face must face the appropriate justice at the hands of the Gotham legal system." Jonah didn't flinch from the threat.
"What if I take the job? Ya going try and stop me with one of your kid toys?" Batman furrowed his brow at the jest.
"No. If you do insist on going after Two-Face I suggest you help me find him, not the mob." Jonah knew what Batman really meant,
"I don't enjoy supervision."
"You're a man out of his time, Hex. I'm offering to show you how we do things nowadays. I've got the Bat-Computer running algorithms now." Batman's dark voice was patronizing.
"You've got yer ways. I'll do it mine." Hex dismissed Batman's aloofness.
"If you by chance find Dent before me, bring him to GCPD." Batman ordered. Hex looked back at his horse with his head stooped in thought,
"How much mon..." he looked over towards Batman, only to see the caped crusader had vanished, "Hmph, city folk." he spat more juice on the ground and spurred his horse on.