A/N: I know, it's been a while but rest assured I will see this story through to the end. Life happens but alas I am back. Enjoy a triple chapter drop.

Chapter 8: Strategy

District Attorney's Office - 9:30 AM

Joseph stood at his desk, rummaging through several drawers. He looked underneath books, opened folders, but there was nothing. Standing back with his hands behind his head, he let out a frustrated sigh.

"Where is it…where is it…" he said to himself. Turning around, he faced the rest of his cluttered office.

"Mr. Dent, it's 9:30. You're late for your breakfast with Damian Wayne. Also, you have a visitor," the voice of Joseph's secretary, Roberta, came through the speaker of his phone. He glanced at the phone and sighed, rubbing the sides of his neck.

"I know, and tell whoever it is to schedule something for later. God, where is this stupid-"

Stopping to look at a book on his desk, Joseph picked it up and flipped through several pages. Eventually he came to a stop on a blank page, which had a coin embedded inside. Reaching into the page, he took the coin out and examined it. It was a double-headed coin, where one side was normal, and the other side was scarred. Joseph closed the coin into his fist and took a moment to breathe. After shoving the coin into his pocket, he adjusted the collar of his jacket and walked out of his office.

"Damian will have to forgive me, besides it's not like he's never been late for something important," Joseph said as he passed Roberta in a rush. Standing at Roberta's desk was Sabrina Kyle, who turned to watch Joseph with an interested gaze.

"I suppose this is a bad time, Joey…" she said in a smooth, sultry tone.

Joseph stopped, instantly recognizing the voice. He turned around to face Sabrina and stared at her with the wide eyes of someone who hadn't seen a friend in a long time. "Sabrina? Oh my God it's been-"

"Since college, yeah. Junior year," she responded with a soft smile. She wore a black leather jacket over her crop top, which she adjusted.

"The year you dropped out. I'm still salty about that, by the way. I thought you'd be my assistant D.A," he said.

Sabrina chuckled. "Or you as mine. I think everything worked out as it should've. I was nowhere near the legal savant that you were, and I just…fell out of love with it all."

"What are you up to now?" he asked.

Sabrina paused, gathering herself. She couldn't tell him the truth, so she'd stretch it a little bit. "I'm a waitress. Nothing glamorous, but it pays the bills."

"Really? What's the restaurant?"

"Why? You plan on swinging by and surprising me in front of everybody?" Sabrina asked with a sly smile.

Joseph chuckled at the notion. It hadn't crossed his mind, but it might be a prospect down the road. He looked past Sabrina, catching a stern glare from Roberta. Clearing his throat, Joseph looked down at his watch.

"Maybe one day I'll have to. Look, as I'm sure you overheard, I have a meeting. We should try to link up, do something together. Y'know, for old times sake," he responded.

Sabrina tilted her head to the side. "Are you asking me out, Mr. District Attorney?"

Joseph stalled. "Not…not particularly, no. But…I could ask you to accompany me to my campaign fundraiser tomorrow at 8. Damian's throwing it at his mansion." It was a bit of a long shot, he knew that. However if he was lucky, which he seemed to be on occasion, she'd say yes.

"Well if you are indeed asking, my answer is yes. I'd be a fool to refuse an invitation to an event like that," she responded.

The vindication Joseph felt was palpable. He let out a small chuckle and nodded, but tried not to appear too outwardly excited. "Great, I'll call you tomorrow."

"My number hasn't changed…do you still have it?" Sabrina asked, giving off a coy smirk and a teasing tone.

"I uh…have a lot of…people's numbers from c-college-" Joseph stumbled over his words a bit, but quickly cleared his throat and regained his composure while straightening out his tie. "I should go, I'm really late. Like I said, I'll call you."

Joseph backed away and turned around to rush towards the door, leaving Sabrina alone. Once Joseph was out of view, she looked back towards the door to his office with mischievous eyes.

"So the fundraiser's tomorrow night? Seems very short notice if you ask me. That's a lot to set up."

"And I have a lot of money." Damian picked up a cup of coffee and took a sip from it. He was seated at a table outside of Sundollar, the most well-known multinational coffeehouse chain in the world. Next to him was Bruce Podolsky, who took a bite out of a glazed donut.

"I'm not denying that, I'm just saying it's a quick move. I can respect it though. Strategically it might make sense to get your face associated with Dent's as soon as possible, and as your strategic consultant–"

"I know what you are, you don't have to keep reminding me," Damian interrupted. Out of the many people in the circle of billionaire Damian Wayne, Bruce Podolsky had to be the most annoying one. There were times where his advice was helpful, but the majority of the time Damian wondered why he kept him around.

Bruce finished off his donut and gave a small shrug. "What can I say? I take pride in my job." He grabbed a napkin to wipe his hand before checking his watch. "I know he's a busy man, especially with that bombshell he dropped on everybody, but where is he? He said 9:30, it's almost 10."

"I've been terribly late on plenty occasions, and I'm not even the D.A Or running for Mayor," Damian took another sip from his coffee. While he was slightly beginning to lose his patience, he understood that Joseph's life had taken a huge turn to being perhaps the most important man in the city.

Turning the street corner, Joseph rushed over to the two men and smoothed out his coat.

"I know, I know…I'm late. I'm sorry, I got held up back at my office," he said while taking a seat across from them.

"It's fine Joe, I get it. I just hope you don't plan on being late when you become mayor," Damian responded.

Joseph chuckled and shook his head bashfully. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Damian. Rose is gonna be one hell of an opponent. With what happened to her cousin, she's got sympathy on her side."

Bruce placed one arm over his chair in a confident, lackadaisical manner. "My thoughts exactly. Which is why I would like to suggest you make a bold claim, a bold promise. With Damian here bringing the money and resources, there's something you can offer that Rose simply can't."

Joseph raised an eyebrow and leaned his head forward in expectation. "And that is?"

Bruce and Damian shared looks. After clearing his throat, Damian folded his hands together on the table. "Hope, Joe. You can offer hope. If there's one thing prevalent in Gotham, it's crime. People can't walk the streets freely without the fear of a mentally unstable criminal attacking them. That's been the case for far longer than either of us have been alive, and I say it's time that changes."

"I admire the spirit Damian, but isn't that what Batman and his group of costumed friends are for?" Joseph asked.

The mention of Batman briefly caused Damian to pause and readjust. The urge to correct Joseph's description of the other vigilantes as his friends was strong, but he repressed it.

"Their methods are…inefficient. Not nearly as efficient as you were as D.A. You made a–excuse the pun, dent in crime. As mayor you can do much more for this city than locking up criminals. At the end of the day you can lock them all up, but what we need is a true method of rehabilitation for the criminally insane. Arkham isn't that," Damian explained.

"So what exactly are you proposing, Damian?" Joseph asked.

Damian shared a glance with Bruce.

"A new state-of-the-art mental hospital that doesn't act as a prison. Arkham can remain for the most extreme cases, but this hospital needs to be a true opportunity for change," he said. "I propose, in the name of my step-mother, the Diana Wayne Memorial Hospital."

Bruce leaned forward excitedly. "The name was my idea. It should resonate with the public considering Wonder Woman's reputation as a beacon of light."

"We propose that the hospital be built on the outskirts of the city, away from the hustle and bustle. It'll have the latest in psychiatric technology, and will be staffed by the best doctors and nurses in the field," Damian added.

Dent leaned forward in his chair, his eyes glinting with excitement. "I think this is a brilliant idea. Not only will it provide much-needed care for those in need, the kind of care that Arkham never could, but it'll also show the people of Gotham that I'm committed to making a positive change in our city."

Damian and Bruce exchanged satisfied glances.

"I'm glad to hear that you're on board," Damian said. "We'll begin the planning process right away. Hopefully we can reveal it to the public as soon as possible once everything's pulled together."

Sitting at a table behind Damian and Bruce was Sabrina, with her back to them and a hood covering her head.

Moments later, Sabrina retreated to a nearby alley, clutching her phone tightly in her hand. The weight of her decision bore heavily upon her as she contemplated her next move. Taking a deep breath, she dialed Falcone's number, her heart pounding with trepidation. The call connected, and the gravelly voice of Falcone answered, "Sabrina, what have you discovered?"

"Trigger, I... I have news," Sabrina stammered, her voice laced with uncertainty. "Dent invited me to Damian Wayne's fundraiser tomorrow at Wayne Manor. I followed him to this meeting he had with Wayne. He's planning to unveil a new mental hospital project, and Dent is using it as a cornerstone for his mayoral campaign."

A pause followed on the other end of the line, the weight of Falcone's silence palpable. Sabrina could almost sense the gears turning in his mind as he absorbed the information. Finally, Falcone spoke, his voice dripping with calculated venom. "So, Dent aims to present himself as Gotham's savior, using this hospital to rally support. Interesting." There was a hint of amusement in Falcone's tone, as if he relished the challenge presented by Dent's tactics. "Sabrina, attend the fundraiser. Mingle, observe, and find out everything you can about this mental hospital project. We need leverage against Dent. Dig deep, my dear. Uncover any secrets that may undermine his campaign."

"I understand," she responded, her voice tinged with a mixture of resignation and determination. "I'll do what needs to be done."

As the call ended, Sabrina took a deep breath, her mind racing with thoughts of the events that were about to unfold.

Back in Falcone's penthouse, the mobster stared down at his phone as he wrestled with his own thoughts. Maroni looked up at him with an amused expression.

"Seems like Dent is playing a dangerous game," he stated his voice laced with equal parts caution and ambition. "He's gonna save Gotham from itself, huh? Well how about we make it tough on him."

Falcone raised an eyebrow. "What are you on about?"

Maroni leaned forward, his voice filled with conviction. "Our mutual Red Hood problem. Look at Dent's history as D.A. He's worked with all of those freaks to put people away. I know for a fact they were some of our people too more times than not. If we go to war with Red Hood, it's gonna become messy, because that's what he is. We make sure Red Hood becomes a liability to Dent, and he's gonna have to take a hard stand one way or another."

"For vigilantes…or against them," Falcone said to himself, the gears in his mind already turning.

"And…if he were to want the senseless violence to stop, at least on our end…all he would have to do is cut a deal."

Falcone let out a slight chuckle and pointed at Maroni, an impressed look written on his face. "You're real good, you know that? You're a son of a bitch, but you're real good."

Maroni rose from his seat, his face etched with determination as he offered his hand to Falcone. "We're gonna make that freak pay for messing with us, for taking out the Crime Doc."

Falcone extended his hand, but paused halfway as he registered the latter half of Maroni's statement. "What'd the doctor have to do with me?"

A look of realization flashed across Maroni's face for the briefest moment. He let one of his cards against Falcone slip, but evidently it wasn't big enough for Falcone to fully realize. Ultimately, Maroni shook his head and waved it off.

"Guess I was using the uh...what do they call it? The royal we?"

Falcone narrowed his eyes for a moment, but shook Maroni's hand regardless, sealing their agreement. As they parted ways, each headed back to their respective territories, their thoughts consumed by the impending storm.