FicWad

"What the hell!" the Soldier then exclaimed as he watched Batman fall to the ground, while the disfigured Man stood over them both.

"Would I be correct in saying that I just saved you from Batman?" he asked, earning a nod back from the masked Man in return.

"Yeah, I guess so..." the Soldier started to reply, before tilting his head ever so slightly.

"...you're Harvey Dent! I thought you were dead?"

"Only half, so that means you owe me, right?" the former DA then asked, quickly changing the subject as the Soldier took off his helmet and revealed himself to be a Caucasian Man with blue-eyes and black hair.

"Of course, what do you want?" he said back, noticing that the escaped Inmate was tightening his grip on the Pistol in his hand.

"I want your help to get off this damn Island." Dent replied, making the other guy smile back as he held out his hand.

"I can do that."

The former White-Knight then grabbed his hand and helped the Soldier to his feet, with the latter picking up his weapon in the process before aiming his gun down at the unconscious Vigilante.

"Though we should really take care of him before we go." he added, making Harvey shake his head in return.

"No, I have plans for this…Rodent."

"But this is the Batman! Do you know how many times this freak has got in the way of others in this City?" the Soldier asked back with a disbelieving tone, earning an angry stare back from Dent.

"I know better than most, since 'he' and Commissioner Gordon ruined my life…" he snapped, the Soldier's eyes widening as he backed away slightly.

"…so don't you dare tell me what I do or do not know!"

"Okay, the Bat lives for now. We better get out of here and catch up to the rest of my team, since they will be getting ready to leave by now." the younger Man replied, gaining a nod from Dent who then glanced back down at Batman.

"What's your name?" he then asked, with the Soldier glancing over his shoulder at him.

"Sloane, Paul Sloane. Now let's get moving." he said back, making the former DA nod as the two then headed for the exit.

Meanwhile, Lt. Foley drove his car over the bridge that connected Arkham to the rest of the City, making his way toward the Asylum.

'Why the hell did Gordon leave the Party like that?' he thought with a confused look on his face, never taking his eyes off the road as the Cats-eyes repeatedly passed under his vehicle.

'He really isn't acting like the Man I met a year ago after transferring To Gotham from Star City, and it is about time I knew why.' he added before he took the final bend, which then revealed the entirety of the Asylum to him.

'God, how I hate this place. But we need it for all the Crazies that keep appearing and terrorizing Gothamites. And I will not rest until the Batman joins them, even if Gordon continues refusing to help.' he thought with a determined expression, which suddenly changed to one of confusion as he noticed a heavily-armed group exiting the Main Building.

'What the hell is...?' he started to ask, only to be cut off as one of masked-Men spotted him and turned his weapon on him.

"We've got company!" he shouted before opening fire on the approaching car, making the Cop hit the breaks hard as the gunfire hit his wind-shield.

"God damn it!" he exclaimed while staying low as the bullets shattered the glass and flew over his head, doing the same to the aft-wind as well.

"This is Lt. Foley. Officer in trouble, need assistance at Arkham Asylum, as Heavily Armed Men are breaking someone out. I repeat..." he continued to say while the soldiers maintained their fire on his vehicle, leaving no part of it without bullet holes and impact marks.

"I want no more witnesses!" the Leader commanded as he grabbed the Bird by the arm and escorted him towards their SWAT-Van, while the rest focused on the new arrival.

"Understood Lieutenant, Units have been rerouted to your location." Foley then managed to hear from the radio between the sounds of bullets either shooting past him or impacting the Vehicle's shell around him.

'Screw this...!' he then thought as he un-holstered his weapon and quickly exited the Car, using the open passenger door as cover.

'...I've got enough bullets to share with you as well.' he added before peeking out with his gun and firing back, hitting one of the Soldiers in the arm, making him stumble backwards a step.

"Garhh, damn!" he grimaced and fell on his backside, as the rest of the group scattered and took cover behind the nearby parked cars.

"We've got a problem here!" the masked-Man nearest to the Leader shouted, gaining the other's attention as he secured the Bird in the SWAT Van.

"I can see that, just keep him busy for a moment."

BATMAN: THE SCARRED AND THE DAMNED

'Bruce woke up to the sound of a training moving at a quickening speed, feeling the ground under him shake slightly from side to side.

'Where am...?' he started to ask, before opening his eyes to find that he was lying in the middle of a Mono-Rail carriage.

"What's happening?" he asked out loud while noting that he was wearing the Bat-suit, before a very familiar voice spoke up from behind him.

"You are about to witness my greatest triumph, Bruce..."

This made the Vigilante quickly jump to his feet and spin around to find none other than Ra's Al-Ghul standing there.

"Ra's? But you're dead." he replied in his normal voice which was tinged with confusion, while the Master of the League of Shadows merely sighed in return.

"I think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself, Bruce..." he began to reply while raising his fists and readying himself for a fight, something that Batman mirrored as they stared at each other.

"...since your City is about to tear itself apart through fear." he added before throwing a punch at the Dark Knight, who blocked it and followed through with an elbow to face, knocking Ra's into the Microwave Emitter, which continued to hum louder and louder as it's blue light spun around the cylinder that run through it's body.

"I will not let that happen, Ra's. I will stop you!" Batman roared as he performed a jump-kick at the Master-Assassin's chest, only for the latter to catch him in mid-air and throw him back down to the ground.

"I would believe you, Bruce. If you were truly willing to do whatever was necessary to combat injustice. But you lack the " he said back with a disbelieving tone before throwing his fist down at the Vigilante's face, but Batman blocked it and replied with a kick to his enemy's face, which sent him onto his back.

"I will not take a life, there is always another way." the younger Man replied before throwing a Batarang into the controls of their vehicle, making sparks fly out and sizzle as Ra's quickly recovered like his rival.

"You are just like your Father. You lack the conviction to do what is needed and..." he started to say before blocking an attack from Batman with his right arm, while grabbing loose hand bar from the nearest passenger seat.

"...you never did learn to mind you're surroundings." he continued while snapping the bar free and smacking Batman in the head, all in one single movement. This once again sent the Dark Knight to the ground, before Ra's then bent down and put both hands around his throat.

"Don't be afraid, Bruce." he added while beginning to strangle Batman, making the Vigilante gasp for air as he struggled against his former-Mentor's vice-like grip.

"I'm….not." he replied between gasps before throwing a punch at Ra's, who easily deflected it while keeping his hold on his former-Protégé.

"You're just an ordinary man in a cape, that is why you cannot fight injustice and that is why you cannot stop this train." Ra's said back, before a knowing look appeared on the Dark Knight's face.

"Who said anything about stopping it."

This made the Assassin turn his attention to the Vehicle's controls and saw the Batarang sticking out of it, gaining a confused expression from him. But this gave Batman the chance he needed as he then slashed at Ra's chest with the blades of his gauntlet, gaining a grimace from the Terrorist Leader as the former then grabbed his throat and pulled him down to the floor.

"You never learned to mind your surroundings." the Vigilante replied as he was now on top and held his enemy down with one hand while holding another Batarang with the other, ready to strike.

"Have you finally learned to do what is necessary?" Ra's then asked with a tinge of hope in his voice as he looked up at the Bat, while blood seeped out from the wound on his chest.But Batman stared back with an ambivalent look as a million thoughts raced through his mind, before he then tightened his grip around his weapon.

"I guess I have." he then replied before swiping the Batarang across the Al-Ghul's neck, slicing it open as blood poured out like a waterfall and the defeated Master-Assassin gasped and clung to life, though it was quickly fading away. And then everything appeared to slow down around Batman as he found himself looking down at the now dead Leader of the League of Shadows, before he heard his name being called out in the distance, getting louder each time.

"Batman...Batman...BATMAN!"

The Dark Knight opened his eyes groggily to see Penelope Young looking down at him, a worried expression clearly seen on her face.

"Batman, are you alright?" she asked in a similar tone, which fully snapped the costumed-Man out of his daze as he quickly sat back up, though the side of his head still smarted.

"...I...am fine..." he began to reply, before his expression became serious once more.

"...but I thought I told you to hide?"

"I certainly wasn't going to stay and keep the inmates company, so I left the East-Wing to find a better hiding place, only to come across you lying unconscious here. What happened?" she said back, making Batman stay into the distance as his memory brought back the biggest surprise of his life, well recent life anyway.

"...Harvey…I saw Harvey Dent. But that is impossible." he answered with a slither of disbelief to his voice, one that was picked up by the Intern in return.

"Yeah, I wish I could say that is true…" she started to reply, earning a confused look from the Vigilante as she continued.

"…but I am afraid that you did see the former District Attorney."

"But…how…?" the Dark Knight began to ask, only to be cut off by the sound of gunfire from outside the building.

"You better go, or else 'the Bird'..." Penelope started to add before looking down at ground for a second, only to look back up to see that he had disappeared without a trace.

"...will escape." she finished as a smile crept onto her face.

'So that's what they mean.' the young Woman thought before the voice of James Gordon snapped her out of it, making her stand up as the Commissioner ran to her side.

"Are you alright, Doctor?" he asked, gaining a nod from her as she looked back at him.

"Yes, I am fine, thank you. But the Bird and his men went that way..." she started to say as the sounds of gunfire continued to rattle outside, only to earn a surprised look from the older-Man.

"What! What are you talking about? I am after Harvey Dent?" he replied with a blunt and disbelieving tone.

"But we can't let 'the Bird' escape..." she tried to say back, only for the Police Chief to cut her off.

"I don't think so, since the Bird is small-fry compared to Dent. He cannot be allowed to leave this island." he said back, which only made the Intern look back with a curious expression.

'Why is he so focused on Dent...oh!' she thought as a look of realization appeared on her face, while Gordon turned his attention to his radio, which started to broadcast.

"Police reinforcements inbound to Arkham Asylum on order of Lieutenant Foley."

"What?" the Commissioner then exclaimed with a surprised tone, before looking back at the Intern.

"Just stay here, everything is going to be alright." he said with a ambivalent tone, only to turn around and leave the young Woman standing there in the corridor as he made his way towards the gunfire, with a knowing expression on her face.

'I bet he knows more about Dent...much more.'

Meanwhile, Foley remained in cover behind the open passenger-door of his Car as he and the Soldiers continued to fire on each other.

'Damn it, I hope the back-up gets here soon. I almost out of bullets.' he thought while loading the last clip into his gun, before returning fire at the enemies.

'And where is Gordon? He is supposed to be here!'

But before he could think any more on the subject, the Lieutenant's eyes widened as he noticed one of the soldiers pull a rocket-launcher out the back of the SWAT-van and aim at his position.

'You've got to be...' he began to think, before his survival instincts kicked in and ran from the vehicle.

"Die you stinking Cop!" the Lead-Soldier shouted as he fired the weapon, launching a rocket straight at Foley's Car and destroying it in one large explosion. The force of the blast sent the Law-Man flying to the side of the road, landing in the grass as smoke and fire billowed from the wreck that used to be his vehicle.

"Okay, the Cop's down. Now let's get out of here before the rest show up…" the Soldier then said to the rest, earning nods from them all in return.

"Get on boa…".

But before anyone could move, a very small Grey-Orb dropped into the center of them all and exploded, enveloping the group in a cloud of smoke.

"What…the…hell!" one of them exclaimed in between his coughs as he stumbled through the smoke, as did the others.

"…Just…get…into…the Van…NOW!" the Leader coughed as he held the back doors open, with each and every one of them moving closer through the smoke towards him and the Bird, who sat and watched with a fearful expression.

"Hurry up, I know what's coming!" he cried out frantically as he stared at the Leader starting to pull the closest Soldier aboard, but his eyes suddenly widened as a dark and frighteningly fast figure grabbed the guy and pulled him back into the smoke.

"NO!" the Leader shouted as he looked out into the cloud while hearing the sounds of his men fighting something in the swirls of smoke, before then slamming the doors shut and heading to the drivers seat, much to the surprise of the Bird.

"What about the others?" he asked, while the Lead-Soldier started the engine and worked the gears.

"If they can get away, then they can meet back up with us. But the most important thing is to get you out of here." he answered before putting his foot down on the Accelerator, making the Van speed off towards the exit. The force of the Vehicle moving away made the smoke start to clear and reveal the Batman, who twisted an enemy's arm and forced him to bend down, before then hitting him in the fact with an uppercut. Making the masked-man fall flat on his back as he joined his other unconscious comrades around the Dark Knight.

'Damn it...!' he began to think, only to stop as another car suddenly sped around the corner and followed the Van. The Vigilante found himself staring in disbelief once more as he watched Harvey Dent drive the vehicle away.

As this was happening, Foley had got onto his hands and knees as he recovered and saw the SWAT Van speeding down the road toward him.

'You are not getting away!' he thought before picking up his gun and unloading it at the vehicle, which simply ignored the barrage of bullets and continued passed.

"Damn it...!" the Lieutenant shouted out loud while throwing his now empty gun to the ground, only to then have his attention caught by the Car that was following behind it.

'What the hell?' he found himself thinking as he saw it's driver, recognizing him immediately as he drove pass without even a glance.

"Harvey Dent?" Foley said in a confused tone as he watched the vehicle turn a corner up ahead and disappear from view, his mind racing as numerous questions started to flood it.

'But he is dead...!' he began to think while turning away, only to stop as he saw the Batman standing in the middle of the group of unconscious soldiers, his mind becoming focused again as he picked up his gun and started running towards the Vigilante.

"Police! Freeze!" he exclaimed, gaining the Dark Knight's attention as he quickly threw a Batarang at the Police Officer and knocked the weapon out of his hand. But that didn't even phase Foley as he just kept running at his target, so Batman simply dropped another smoke pellet and let himself be enveloped in the harmless Grey-gas as it began to surround him.

'Oh no you don't!' the Lieutenant thought as he charged into the smoke, but then he quickly realized that he was alone as it quickly faded away around him.

"DAMN IT!" he spat in frustration, just as Commissioner Gordon exited the building with the Lieutenant turning to look at him.

'Damn it, he knows.' the Police Chief then thought to himself as he looked at his Subordinate, who stared back with a knowing and angry expression.

BATMAN: THE SCARRED AND THE DAMNED

Less than ten minutes later and the Arkham grounds were under complete lock-down as the GCPD swarmed the area, while being held back at the City's side of the lone bridge connecting the Island to the mainland, the Media could only watch with fascination at what had transpired there.

"Excuse me..." a smartly dressed Red-haired Woman exclaimed as she attempted to gain the attention of one of the Cops standing over the barricade that cornered off the bridge to the Asylum, gaining nothing more than a glance as he stood with his colleagues.

"...Vicki Vale, Gotham News. What has happened over at Arkham, the people of Gotham deserve to know the truth!" she added, but to no avail as they continued to ignore her and the rest of the Reporters.

Meanwhile at the main Building's entrance, Harvey Bullock was been wheeled into an Ambulance as Gordon watched with a solemn expression, not even noticing Foley approaching him from behind.

"I hope you have a good explanation, Sir..." he started to say, barely hiding the discontent in his voice as his Superior turned and faced him.

"...about how Harvey Dent isn't dead? I mean you did say in your report that he was dead and

that the Batman had killed him, so what happened?" he continued with a self-righteous tone, but the Police Chief just remained quiet as he noticed the body-bags being carried out of the Asylum, making him sigh in return. Foley then looked in the direction that his Superior was staring in and saw the same thing.

"You do realize that this is on you, don't you?"

Gordon's eyes widened as those words hit him hard, regaining his attention as he looked back at the Lieutenant.

"What?"

"With all that the Bird has done in the last year and the strength of the Men and the quipment in their possession, why didn't you think of putting more Officers into guarding him?" the younger Man replied, his eyes refocusing on the bodies as they were loaded up onto the Vans.

"He was only going to be in there over overnight, just one night." the Commissioner said back, which just made Foley's eyes narrow even more.

"That just isn't good enough Commissioner, not anymore. I mean in the past year, I have seen you make some very questionable decisions like not chasing down the Batman..." he started to say, only for the older Man to cut him off.

"Well the Batman didn't kill Harvey Dent, so there's no need to keep up with that pretense any longer of having to hunt him."

"I knew it, I knew you didn't want to hunt down that Vigilante. And you're wrong. Because even if he didn't kill Harvey Dent, doesn't mean he hasn't killed before and that he is acting outside of the law, which is something 'I' will not tolerate in this City..." he replied with a hint of venom to his voice, while unbeknownst to them, Penelope Young watched them from the back of an Ambulance.

"...the Mayor will be wanting to see you tomorrow, I guarantee it." the Lieutenant then finished before walking away from Gordon, who then pulled out his mobile-phone and dialed a number.

"Barbara, did the patrol I assigned to you arrive at the house?...okay, that's good...no, I will tell you when I get home...no, everything will..."

The Commissioner then simply looked down at his phone with a disappointed look as the hung-up sound could be heard, only for it to then stop as he deactivated the device and put it back in his coat pocket, before then walking away back to his car.

Penelope simply watched the older-Man, a knowing expression on her face as a Paramedic finished checking her.

"You're going to be fine." he said, gaining the Intern's attention as she nodded back.

"Thank you." she replied as he then picked up his bag and left to help someone else, while Dr. Cassidy walked up to the Ambulance.

"Thank god, you're okay." she said with a relieved tone, making the younger Woman look back to her, noticing that her boss had a bruised face and her left arm in a sling.

"Yeah, I wish I could say the same for everyone else." she replied with a sad tone, earning a mirrored expression from the lead-Doctor.

"Warden Sharp is a tremendous loss for the Asylum, since it was because of him that we managed to turn this place around after the debacle with Crane. Plus only a few of the staff came out with light to moderate injuries while the rest were killed..." she started to say, earning a solemn-nod from the Intern as she continued.

"...all of this was just to get 'the Bird' out? I can't believe it." her Superior replied, gaining a nod in return.

"It's true, plus Harvey Dent has escaped as well."

"Yeah, it was him that gave me these." Cassidy replied while gesturing to her injuries, before a serious expression appeared on her face.

"We should have kept him in his Cell, if only the other Inmates were not made excitable when finding out about his presence."

"I am sorry." Dr. Young answered with a guilty tone to her voice, making the older Woman look back at her with a knowing expression.

"It wasn't your fault, which I believe was something Quincy Sharp had probably told you as well, before his passing."

"Yeah, he did." the younger Woman replied, earning a pat on the shoulder by her Superior.

"Please don't beat yourself up over this, Quincy would not want that. Plus I am going to need your help getting this place up and running again."

"So does that mean you are succeeding him as Warden?"

"Yes, eventually. But until that happens we are going to be working closely with the GCPD as they help us contain the other inmates. So go home and take a couple of days for yourself and I will see you again next week." Cassidy replied before leaving the intern's side, leaving her alone sitting at the back of the open Ambulance.

"Dr. Young, are you alright?" a familiar disguised voice asked from the shadowed area at the side of the Ambulance, making the young-Woman's eyes widen a little as she looked at her surroundings.

"Yes, thank you..." she began to say, only to get cut off by the Vigilante as he stood behind the open door in it's shadow.

"Keep looking ahead, don't acknowledge me."

"Okay. I'd say that your taking a big risk talking to me while surrounded by Cops, but I guess that isn't the case when you consider how you have constantly evaded them this past year." the Intern replied while turning her attention to the people working in front of her.

"They won't find me?" Batman replied confidently, gaining a nod back from Penelope.

"Naturally, so...how can I help you?" she asked in a matter-of-fact tone, before three Cops walked passed.

"What can you tell me about Harvey Dent?" the Dark Knight than asked, making the young-Woman shake her head slightly.

"Not much I am afraid. I found him in the East-Wing, in a cell between both Jonathan Crane and the Joker. It seems that the entire Arkham Staff knew about this, but I think you should ask Commissioner Gordon, since I think this started with him." she replied, earning a look of surprise from the Vigilante in return.

"Thank you, Doctor Young." Batman then replied, which made the Intern get up and look behind the door, only to find that no one was there.

"How does he do that?" she asked herself, before then leaving the safety of the Ambulance and walking towards her Car, which was mercifully undamaged.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Gotham. Harvey Dent brought his and Sloane's car to a stop, earning a confused look from the unmasked-Soldier.

"So where we? I mean first you pull away from the Van, the van that carries my leader and the reason my team and I broke into the Asylum, just to drive us to this burnt down wreck." he said with a frustrated tone, while looking out at an extremely damaged derelict-building through the vehicle's windscreen. But the former DA simply remained quiet and stared out at the sight in front of them, which made his passenger even more frustrated.

"Come on, let's stop wasting time and regroup with the rest of the Men." he added, making Dent look over at him with a dagger-like stare that brought a worried expression to the Soldier's face.

"We are here, because there is something here I need." he replied with a cryptic tone, before getting out of the car and leaving him there.

"Where are you going now?" he spat, but Harvey just ignored him and walked towards the derelict, his mine flooding with painful memories as he reached where the front door used to stand.

'250-52nd Street. It still looks the same, even after a year.'

There was nothing but silence as Harvey walked throughout it's hollow and lifeless halls, making the place feel like a tomb as it was obvious death was still present there.

'Rachel, you are still here, aren't you?' he thought while he walked up the main staircase, every time he breathed in via his nose, the former DA could still smell the burnt concrete and metal that stood around him like a Skeleton.

'Of course you are, since this dreadful place is your final resting place, my love.' Dent added before stopping and standing complete still, his eyes widening as he recognized where he was.

'It was right here.' he thought as his mind was overrun with memories once more.

"Harvey!" he heard Gordon call out, making him turn and look in it's direction, only to find no one there. Then there were the sounds of the Police Commissioner's Family cowering to his left.

"Stop pointing that gun at my family!"

"You don't want to hurt the boy, Harvey!"

"Don't punish my Son, punish me."

But then one more memory broke past the others, as a very familiar and caring voice spoke.

"I do have an answer for you and my answer is...yes."

This suddenly made the former DA's grab his head with both hands and scream, like everything he was feeling and remembering at that point had exploded within his mind.

"AAAGGGHHH!"

His painful cry echoed throughout the scarred remains of the building, even gaining the attention of the Soldier who then got out of the car and entered the derelict himself.

Harvey though fell to his knees and slouched there on the floor, feeling completely over come by the memories. A single tear ran down the scarred side of his face, feeling like a knife being run over his skin as it crossed over the burnt tissue, making him grit his teeth as he stared down at the spot where his Lover had died.

"Rachel...I know what I have to do, but...I don't know how to do it. Please tell me?" he asked softly, before another voice spoke from behind him.

"Are you okay? What's happened?" Sloane asked as he looked down at the former DA with a puzzled expression, with the latter just ignoring him.

"Why are you just kneeling there like that?" the Soldier continued to ask, in a tone of voice that Harvey found annoying. But then as he stared down at the burnt and charred ground, something there caught his attention as it reflected a little light towards him.

'What is that?' the former DA thought as he reached with his right hand and picked it up, making the soldier stare back with a now curious expression as he watched.

'Yes, finally.' Dent thought as he picked up the small object and then stood up beside the other Man, who looked at his clenched hand.

"What did you pick up there? What's in your hand?" he asked, gaining a knowing look from Harvey in return.

"Where is this base that your team was heading too?"

"If I tell you, will you show me what you've got there?" Sloane asked back, making the scarred Man nod back.

"Of course, so where is the base?"

"It's down at the Docks, a warehouse owned by 'The Final Offer' transport Company." the younger man replied, gaining a slight smile from Dent as he then opened his hand to reveal a Nickel lying in it's palm.

"A Coin? I don't get it, why would you just randomly pick up a coin?" the Soldier asked with a confused tone.

"Oh this is no ordinary Coin, it's my lucky-charm. I have made every major decision of my life with this..." Dent began to explain, looking between the small object and his puzzled companion as he rubbed his thumb over object's surface, wiping the dirt away to reveal the Coin's true shine.

"...but I lost it, thanks to the Bat and Commissioner Gordon, just like how I lost the Woman I loved." he added, while Sloane just stared back with a bemused expression.

"Okay, so...we going now?" he asked with an impatient tone.

"Yeah..." Dent started to reply before flipping the coin into the air and catching with the same hand, noting that the burnt side was facing him.

"...but you're not."

"What...?" the Soldier started to say as a more confused look appeared on his face, only for his eyes to widen as the scarred-Man then aimed his gun at him and pulled the trigger.

The sound of the shot echoed throughout the hallowed out husk of the derelict, before Sloane's body fell into a heap on the floor.

"Thank you, Rachel." Harvey then said softly as he clenched his hand around the coin, before looking back out at Gotham as a smile appeared on his face.

"Now I am ready."