Batman: Death and Destruction

CHAPTER 3: From 1939

"Poor kid." Said Peter Dent with a frown.  "Does it run in your family?" Peter said to his wife, Wanda.  "I don't think it's genetic, Peter."  The Dent family had been very depressed the last few days.  The passing of Peter's father and their son, Harvey, recently being diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, or also known as multi personality disorder.

Their dining room table was covered in Peter's father's belongings.  While Peter and Wanda had their silent moment, Peter stared at his father's coin.  "I have an idea." Peter said as he grabbed the coin off of the table.

"What are you going to do?" Wanda asked as she exited her thoughts.

"I'm just gonna tuck in Harvey for the night."  Peter replied.

Peter entered Harvey's bedroom.  Several posters put up on his wall were torn off.  His other self must have disliked them.  "Hey, Harvey.  How ya doing?"  Peter said as he listen closely to Harvey's voice.

"I'm doing good, dad."  Said Harvey in a slightly high pitched tone.  Peter knew that he was talking to good Harvey.  That means he's very open to ideas.

"Before you go to sleep, Harvey, I want to show you this."  Peter showed Harvey his father's coin.  "My father worked at the United States Mint; he manufactured coins for a living.  One day, the machine made an error.  It put Lady Liberty on both sides of a half dollar coin instead of putting an eagle on one of the sides.  My father kept it as a souvenir and gave it to me.  So, when your grandfather past away, I looked for this coin and kept it close to me.  Then I got an idea."

"What is it, dad?" Harvey asked.

"Son, every morning when you wake up, before you even get out of bed, I want you to flip this coin.  I carved into one of the sides."

"Why do you want me to flip it?"

"To pick who you want to be for the day.  When you flip the side without the scratch, you be good Harvey.  When you flip the side with the scratch, so be it for the day.  But promise me this, Harvey, whichever side faces up, promise me that you will act as that side.  You need to be fair, no matter what you're feeling, no matter who you want to act as, you need to be fair to the coin.  Do you promise?

"I promise, dad."

Peter kissed Harvey on his forehead and said, "Goodnight, Harvey.  And remember to flip that coin every morning."  He left the coin by Harvey's bed and shut the door.

Many years later...

 

Harvey woke up.  He didn't feel like having a good attitude today.  Going to countless interviews for an entire day made it difficult to contain bad Harvey.  He rolled over in his bed and faced his nightstand.  The misprinted coin that his father had given him was there.  Harvey picked it up and flipped it.  It landed on the good side up.  He can't remember the last time it landed on the scratched side.

Harvey really didn't want to go anywhere at all today, but being mayor of Gotham meant he had to put up with it.  Once he had accepted the result of the coin flip, his attitude completely changed.  Harvey seemed happy to do those interviews.  The first thing he had to do that day was be at the opening of the Ace Chemical factory.

As Harvey got ready to leave, he began to think more positively.  "It will be fine." He said.  "My best friend, Bruce Wayne, will be at the chemical factory."  Bruce helped pay for a lot of the factor. 

After Harvey finished putting on his suit, he took his father's coin, put it in his pocket, and then left his house.  He had apologized for keeping his driver waiting.  Harvey was starting to regret declining Bruce's offer to pick him up.  He was afraid that he would be bad Harvey on this busy day, and didn't want Bruce to see him that way.