New face, old face, Two-Face

Slowly descending from the skyline of the Second Chances charity in the middle of the night, Batman made a quick flick of his wrist of the hand holding the grappler cable to unhook it from the skylight and drop silently into his hand to bundle around his arm and clip back to his utility belt. He had done research on the victims after his visit to the morgue. Leading him to this one location. He had waited patiently for the after hours, to make sure most staff and patrons were nowhere to be seen or heard, making sure the only ones left were the night crew… And their boss. Detaining the guards were easy. Rent-a-cops, not worth his aggression, they were taken out gently, knocked out and drugged to be unconscious and out of the way.

Looking around the building, there were rows of desks with dozens of computers turned off for the night. Narrowing his eyes, Damien went to one of the consoles and furled his cape over the screen to hide its light as he turned on the screen and computer to check its files. There was hardly any security logging in, the screen quickly showing the desktop of the employee’s workspace and files accessible with a mouse click. For a few minutes, the Batman went over one file after the other, only finding information on people the charity had been helping for the better part of 5 years the business had been propped up.

‘Second Chances’ was a social worker program propped up after the reconstruction of the city. After the entirety of Gotham had been turned into a walled-up sanctuary for the lycanthrope tribes and to guard the world tree. It was a paradise in comparison to what it was before. But since then, it was obvious a lot of people got displaced once the dust cleared and the trees grew out of the streets. What used to be apartment buildings and housing projects had collapsed into groves and forests, and there was no way of cutting them down to rebuild. Every effort left the trees growing back almost instantly and whatever lumber obtained magically crumbling to mulch and sawdust, essentially making the wood unusable.

Already five minutes into his investigation and all Damien could find were personal files and records of each person the charity were helping. There were no logs secret or otherwise of any of the contraband being brought in, or any communications between parties outside what the charity were involved in. He for a moment thought he hit a dead end when the lights quickly turned on, illuminating the office space, followed by the click of a revolver being cocked back.

“If you’re trying to steal Harriette’s coffee cake recipe, she keeps all that in a notebook.”

Snapping to attention with a batarang between his fingers ready to fly, Batman narrowed his eyes at Harvey Dent standing half obscured from the door frame with said pistol in his hand.

“So… What brings the NEW Dark Knight to my place of business?”

“You’ve done a very good job of keeping your tracks hidden Dent. I’ve been keeping my eye on deliveries of silver being shipped into New Gotham illegally. Intergang has been moulding silver into household items like nuts, bolts and washers and sending them here so they can be stockpiled… Or melted down.”

“That so? What makes you think I’m the one doing it?”

Taking a step back to find a better vantage but not wanting to have the man feel the needed to pull the trigger, Damien continued. “I almost didn’t suspect you. I investigated the other remaining super criminal element in the city.”

“A short list I assume…”

“Very. They had no idea who was bringing in the silver, only that whatever was being planned, they were told they would get their slice of the pie when it was served. But I hit a lead when I checked who and where the victims were murdered. Dr. Gavin Saul died in a back alley behind a pharmacy he worked at called Moores Pharma, but 5 years ago it was called the Gemini health clinic before it was sold off. And wouldn’t you know it? He worked for you during that time, because it was a shell property of yours.”

Lowering his pistol, Harvey didn’t move. “Really? That’s interesting.”

“Then there were your two ‘former’ enforcers; Brian Rufus and Antonio Montino. They were both found dead behind a speak easy, the Sour Note. But three and a half years ago it went by another name. The Double Deuce. Rebranded after the property exchanged hands.” Lowering his own arm and pocketing his batarang when Harvey holstered his firearm, Damien continued. “I take it they got anxious about what was being planned and they both lost the coin toss?”

Seeing Dent frown at that, Damien continued.

“And then there was the latest, Herschel Welsh, a metal crafter whose legs washed up in the harbour. Based on the decomposition of the legs and location based on the flow of the tide coming from the bay, it stood to reason he started his little leg float a mile up Gotham Bay where the Black Thumb auto repair shop is located, but almost four years ago it was called the Two of Diamonds car repair. A new face on old properties, anyone with a short memory would never suspect anything. By the way, I checked your old auto repair shop… A lot of grit and sand on the floor for a place that changes transmissions.”

“So… What? You’re implying I’ve been smuggling in silver? To make what exactly?”

“Not to make fine cutlery for the dinner table, I’m sure.” Damien snorted. “It’s been five years since this city got a make-over, but in those five years I see the costumed nutbars haven’t changed one bit, and neither have you. You had a chip on your shoulder about Dracula and the werewolves since the criminal underworld got dragged into their little territory spat and got eaten alive... Literally!”

“Don’t change huh?”

Stepping out of the door frame to be seen fully, Damien was surprised. The seared scars on the left side of Harvey Dent’s face and head were completely gone, his suit, uniform without the bi-lateral colour coding he was known for. The man appeared completely whole and smiled back at the young Dark Knight who kept his guard up.

“After the rebuilding, I took a hard look at myself. And I didn’t like what I saw. It took a while… But I got help, took some therapy, and got some surgery to repair all… This.” Harvey gestured to his restored face with a gloved hand. “I’m not the man I used to be, since the city was trying to pick up the pieces to become something new, I did the same. Therefore, I made second chances, sold off my old properties and fronts to fund the help needed for those who fell through the cracks to regain their lives.”

Then Harvey reached into his pants pocket, making the Batman act cautiously until he could see Dent pull out a silver dollar, showing it off to the young man before flicking it towards the Batman, who caught it with his free hand. Looking at it more closely, it was the trick silver dollar he used all those years; the one with two faces. One polished and clean, the other scarred and burned, like he was.

“Keep it. I don’t need it anymore… Plus it makes me look bad still having silver in this town.”

Narrowing his eyes and putting the coin away in his utility belt, Damien made his way out to the skylight and aimed the grappling launcher up to make his leave. Before he did, Batman looked over his shoulder to the smug looking former attorney who waited for him to leave and spoke up.

“Before I go, there’s something else you should know. Everyone I mentioned? They didn’t die because they were shot or stabbed, they got mauled by something. Something BIG! Big enough to tear a man limb from limb, big enough to bite a person clean in half. Big enough to take on a pair of lycanthropes with ease.”

Putting his gloved hands in his pockets, the man maintained his straight face. “Sounds like a nasty customer, hope he’s not one of my clients…”

“Me too. Because anything that vicious isn’t a team player, he or she is likely a rogue, and not playing by the established rules. Animals like those don’t last long in nature, in the end they attack any enemy in sight, whether real or imaginary, including YOU in the end. There’s no room for them in the pecking order.” Firing the grappler and hearing it make purchase on the roof, he tugged on the cable to make sure it was secure.

“My investigation is still ongoing, but mark my words, I’ll be keeping my eye on you Mr. Dent. Someone is amassing enough silver to either buy half the city or kill half of its inhabitants that have a tail and howl at the moon, and there’s an animal out there killing anyone associated with you.”

“I’ll try to keep the look out for you. Best of luck.”

*

Stepping out onto the roof of the twenty-story building, the Batman considered his current findings. He had hoped the computers at Dent’s charity work would show some insight or evidence in what had been going on. Sadly, either his employees had no idea what was going on, or they too covered their tracks just as well. Either way, there was no evidence of the silver’s whereabouts, whatever was being made at the auto-shop was already done and the place was cleaned out save for the smelting sand they used to make molds to pour the liquid hot silver into.

and whoever this monster was, it was careful enough to not leave footprints and stayed out of sight at night. Most new lycanthropes are mindless when they first turn, at least that’s what he gathered from notes and reports from the police. It took an incredible sense of sheer willpower to retain your identity when changed, otherwise you’d become a mindless berserker.

Looking out onto the view of the city with the world tree obscuring the stars overhead, Damien could still see the light of the moon, its beams of light cutting through the canopy. It was looking up that had him catch the sight of the bat signal shining in those branches that diverted his gaze over to the police station across the city. Running to get a start, Damien jumped off the roof and opened his cloak to glide from one roof top to the next.

Answering the call.

*

Returning to his office and closing the door behind him, Harvey sat at his chair and looked over the logistics of his charity. While going over emails and messages, he leaned back and sighed as his face contorted, muscles twitching as it seemed his demeanor changed. Opening her eyes, the man scowled as he pulled open a drawer at his desk and pulled out a pair of shot glasses and a bottle of bourbon. His voice was a gruff and flemmy rasp.

“Did you REALLY have to give him our coin?” Quickly his expression softened, eyes looking worried as his voice smoothed over again. “I-It drew him off us, didn’t it? And b-besides, WE don… Don’t need it anymore.”

“It was SENTIMENTAL you idiot!” Growled Harvey, pouring himself the two drinks and setting the bottle to the side. “The coin was just as much a part of us as we were it.”

His face softening again, looking nervous and palpable with sweat, Harvey looked out the blind covered window to his office to the rest of New Gotham. “Maybe, but this is good, we don’t need it. This is a good thing. it’s going to be good for all of us when we’re done here.”

Smirking, Harvey pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one, keeping it to the left side of his mouth as he inhaled and drew a plume of smoke. “This plan’s been months in the making. Ever since that fanged freak and those mutts moved in, this city’s gone to the dogs.”

“Which is why we’re doing this; we’re going to set things right!”

“Damn straight we are. You and I have been living in this town long enough that it may look pretty on the outside, but inside its nastier than anyone can imagine. HELL, we don’t live in a city, we live in a nature preserve for freaks.”

“We’re going to help the people of this city, clear out all the monsters, criminals and scum haunting the streets.” His face twisting into a cruel smile Harvey continued with a harsher voice. “And what better way to put down these animals than with a REAL monster.”

Nodding frantically, Harvey looked almost relieved. “Y-yeah. After all… If you kill all the wolves in the forest…”

“You save all the SHEEP…”

Turning back to his desk, the man took each shot still sitting at his desk, exhaling the burning taste in his throat, and going back to his messages. Smiling as his subordinates had very carefully informed him that the bullet molds had been destroyed and tossed into the bay so they couldn’t me found or identified. The ammunition distributed to the remainder of his gang and told to lay low for when they would finally get rid of the lycanthropes in the city once and for all.

Looking out the window to the night’s sky, Harvey found it was likely another night before it was a full moon. Something he found fitting on the night of Halloween.