Before a Coin Flip

Chapter 10: Taking The Wheel

Darkness. All that Harvey experienced for a while was pain and darkness. Shutting his eyes as tightly as he could because of the pain and what was causing it, as the trial he went to earlier that day had went badly wrong. "Bruce Wayne? What are you doing here?" Gordon asked as he saw the billionaire arrive outside Harvey's hospital room. "I came as quickly as I heard the news...is it true?" Bruce asked. Gordon leaving the hospital room to talk to Bruce in the hallway. Telling him that at the trial it seemed someone had snuck acid into the courthouse and given it to Maroni. Telling him as well that the acid took a tole on half of his body, the billionaire looking worried for his best friend where as Batman he saw the whole thing. Maroni throwing the acid at Harvey's face before saying that the acid was strong enough to eat through concrete, also declaring Harvey as the holiday killer. Batman's research into Maroni's claims about Harvey so far only revealing that Harvey had a bad childhood since his dad was abusive and his mum regularly drank before leaving them both. The district attorney's past showing that he was able to make himself a good life, even trying to find love a few times before he met Teo by chance. Yet the media were already latching onto what Maroni had said and were spreading it around as fact. The city Harvey had put so much effort to protecting now appearing to gladly want nothing but the worst for him. Bruce asked if they were able to get to Teo, wondering if she knew what had happened yet since she wasn't at the trial. Yet Gordon said that they thought she was out somewhere or asleep and hadn't gotten to her yet. Both men glancing at the news reports on the TV the room had seeing Harvey's face on it. Gordon quietly telling him they weren't going to throw him in jail if the evidence was shown that Harvey was truly innocent. 

Harvey opened his eyes and glanced around the room. Only seeing a nurse and two cops, yet there was no sign of Teo anywhere in the room. His eyes then turned to the TV in the room with the news headlines calling him the holiday killer. Part of him wishing that he did stay a little longer with Teo, maybe even stay at her apartment and give her as much love as he wanted to having someone else have the prosecution instead. Yet he guessed that Maroni would have still used the acid on him because of how closely the district attorney had been working with the dark knight and not just some random amateur lawyer from a smaller law firm in Gotham. He wanted to feel his girlfriend in his arms, he wanted to kiss her and tell her everything would be okay, even her saying it back to reassure himself since earlier he was in tremendous pain. He glanced at the news report again. 'idiots. they think you did all this' a voice said from somewhere inside his head. "who...are you?...I need to get...Teo" Harvey asked, his voice feeling sour and damaged from the acid. 'you know who I am' the voice replied. Making him feel like he needed help from someone, a nurse, Bruce, Teo. Anybody. Harvey then asking the voice what was going on and that something was very wrong with him. 'I'm sorry no one told ya Harv...' it then said. "Told me what?" the back and fourth went yet he was slowly feeling himself losing control. "...your dead" the words leaving his own lips making his eyes get filled with horror before he felt himself slip away. Bruce started to ask about things like skin grafts and plastic surgery to help his friend only for a nurse to check on him and gasp in shock saying that Harvey was gone. His hospital bed being empty. Teo meanwhile was completely oblivious to the events of the trial, trying to take her mind off things by doing things like choirs around the apartment, listening to things like ASMR and guided meditations on YouTube and even going out to a nightclub in Gotham. The brunette wanting to trust the authorities in Gotham, yet apart from Gordon, Batman and her boyfriend himself. She didn't really trust the police since Falcone tried to blow them up.

The man himself, half covered in bandages in a suit half damaged by acid walked the empty streets of Gotham. The man once known as Harvey Dent yet now had someone else in control. He hid in an alleyway making himself covered by shadows and only letting the moon partially give him away. All while a police car drove past that he thought was probably looking for him. Not having any intentions of spending time in jail for crimes that neither he or Harvey had committed. The police car left the street and Harvey waited two minutes before getting more into the light. Sighing to himself as he saw this as being a long night before his phone rang and a car soon pulled up to a stop in front of him. "get in the car" the voice on the other end of the phone instructed. "...fine. I have some time" Two Face replied. Part of him wanting to be somewhere else doing something more enjoyable, yet he decided to get business done first before having any pleasure. The car drove him over to what looked like a treatment plant for either Gotham's water or sewage and all three men got out. Harvey looking around and smelling the disgusting stink of Gotham's polluted air invade his nose, yet there was no one else in sight. His phone quickly rang again and he guessed who it was. Harvey quickly finding out that Carmine was nowhere. "I'm not surprised your doing this. I know that your a thief, a liar, a murderer..." Two Face said, before he discovered that the two men had been tasked to kill him, the men pointing their guns at him. "...a coward" Two Face scowled, coldly half glairing at the men before Carmine hung up. Two Face then quickly killing both men before he disappeared into the darkness of Gotham's sewers.

About half an hour later Gordon was helping transport Maroni to prison, even if they couldn't get him for being the holiday killer. They could without doubt get him for what he did to Harvey, knowing how much Harvey had done for the city and didn't want to turn his back on him as easily as others in the city. Even though some cops were starting to think that maybe Harvey was guilty all along. Reports came in that a clothing store had been broken into but Gordon just sadly sighed thinking with Harvey's life in ruins, the worst of Gotham could do as they please thinking the city's best lawyer wouldn't be trying to get them in jail. He wondered where Teo was in all this madness until a dumpster was hurled into the air like a child's toy and crashed into the police car he was in. The police van with Maroni crashed as well and the crime family goon tried to make his escape, not knowing if someone helped him escape but heard an unsettling groan like growl coming from somewhere in the smoke. Suddenly Sal heard a coin being tossed and looked to see a half recognisable figure in the shadows. Recognising it as the district attorney's. "Dent? your still alive?" Sal asked looking shocked, wondering how the acid didn't kill him or if Dent was just a ghost trying to make sure he didn't get away. "He's no longer running this operation. But I'm not going to kill you Maroni, I'm just here to thank you. For giving me a new...outlook" Two Face said revealing himself and his face half scared. No longer wearing wearing any bandages and a new suit that was half black and half grey. He still had some things of Harvey's yet he still wanted other things done before he'd consider giving control back to the district attorney.

Gordon caught up to Maroni with a shotgun before gasping in shock at Harvey's new appearance. "Harvey we can get you back to the hospital and try to get you fixed up...we're still trying to find Teo and we'll still give you a fair trial..." Gordon said, trying to defuse the situation as Two Face took out a gun. Telling the district attorney that they found several guns hidden under the bed at the guest bedroom of their old apartment. "you found the guns in my guest bedroom...of course" Two Face said, scowling at Maroni while Gordon said that they knew everything. "I know a way to settle things here...heads you die" Two Face said. Taking out the coin he used to play heads of tails with his girlfriend. One side damaged from the acid Sal threw. "you can still do the right thing Harvey. If your using my coin then we both know it's just heads" Batman said. Appearing from out of the darkness and stopping his accomplish Solomon Grundy from attacking him for a while. Two Face appeared to look in thought but Harvey was trying to take back control of his body. Getting back slight control as he lowered his gun and put his hands in the air accepting surrender. Harvey thinking he would only look more guilty if he tried to run from the police. Suddenly a shot rang out and Maroni collapsed to the ground dead after being fatally shot. The three men looking up to see what they guessed might be the holiday killed. Yet Harvey paused seeing the killer had a gun that was different to what he usually used for his killings. The killer also appearing to have his right shoulder flinch before throwing the gun away. Gordon opened fire but missed and the killer started to get away. Batman then trying to get after him, yet Two Face took control again. "No!" Two Face shouted and shoved the dark knight into a wall. Grundy recovering from Batman's moves before the two ran away. 

"If Harvey isn't Holiday then who is? is he going after Teo?" Gordon asked as he looked at Batman. The dark knight just replying that he didn't know while Two Face wondered about the brunette for a few seconds. Having glanced at Harvey's photo of her in his wallet when he was getting into his new suit, still remembering when he first kissed her that night in his office. Seeing the appeal in the woman Harvey Dent had fallen for the more he thought about Teo, yet he still wanted to get his own business done first. Wanting to get revenge on those who tried to frame him and hurt the woman he liked.