Main Attraction | The Dark Knight Trilogy

TWENTY-FIVE - WHITE KNIGHT

Bruce sauntered over to the table, his smile broad and genuine as he approached Rachel and Harvey. "Rachel! Fancy that," he said, his tone suggesting a surprise that was clearly an act. After all, this meeting was carefully orchestrated to gauge Harvey's demeanor.

"Yes, Bruce," Rachel responded, her annoyance masked behind a polite smile. "Fancy—" Her words faltered as her gaze landed on me. "Maya?"

"Hey, Rachel," I replied, offering her a warm smile.

Harvey's eyes shifted to me, his curiosity piqued. "So you're Maya DeLuise," he said, then quickly corrected himself, "Oh, excuse me. Dr. DeLuise. Rachel's talked quite a lot about you."

"And you must be Harvey Dent," I said, extending my hand. "It's nice to meet you. And just Maya's fine."

Harvey shook my hand with a firm grip. "The pleasure is mine."

Rachel took the opportunity to introduce Bruce. "Bruce, this is Harvey Dent."

Harvey's eyes lit up as he took Bruce's hand. "The famous Bruce Wayne," he said, his tone friendly and appreciative. "Rachel's told me everything about you."

"I certainly hope not," Bruce replied with a smirk, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Bruce glanced around the restaurant, then back at the group. "So, let's put a couple tables together."

Harvey looked hesitant. "I'm not sure they'll let us..."

Bruce's smile widened. "Oh, they should. I own the place." He gestured to the maitre d', who quickly began rearranging tables to accommodate our group.

"Gotham's proud of an ordinary citizen standing up for what's right," Harvey chimed in, as we started dessert.

"Gotham needs people like you, elected officials, not a man who thinks he's above the law." I pointed out.

"Exactly, who appointed the Batman?" Bruce interjected with a mocking expression.

"We did. All of us who stood by and let scum take control of our city," Harvey responded, his voice barely containing his anger.

"But this is a democracy, Harvey." I intervened, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

"When their enemies were at the gate, the Romans would suspend democracy and appoint one man to protect the city. It wasn't considered an honor. It was considered a public service," Harvey said emphatically.

Rachel seemed to have had enough. She leaned over to Harvey, smiled sweetly, and said, "Harvey, the last man they appointed to protect the republic was named Caesar, and he never gave up his power."

"Okay, fine! You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain," Harvey replied tersely, only to continue more seriously, "Look, whoever the Batman is, he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life doing this. How could he? Batman's looking for someone to take up his mantle."

"Someone like you, Mr. Dent?" I inquired.

"Maybe. If I'm up to it," Harvey said, his modesty masking his belief in his capability to take up Batman's mantle and continue his work in the daylight.

At this point, Bruce intervened. "Well, I'm sold, Dent. I'm gonna throw you a fundraiser," he said patronizingly.

"That's nice of you, Bruce, but I'm not up for reelection for another three years," Harvey responded, clearly uninterested in Bruce's offer.

"No, you don't understand," Bruce replied. "One fundraiser with my pals, you'll never need another cent."