The place: Gotham Stadium. The first game of the double header ends. The Gotham Twins have lost to their rivals, the Metropolis Cavaliers, 4 to nothing. The fans are getting rowdy with anticipation. As the second game begins, fan-favorite second baseman Jim Rojek comes on to the field and shakes some fans hands. The crowd roars.
Suddenly, Mr. Rojek falls to his knees in pain. Many officials runs to meet him, but collapse as well. Out of the crowd jumps Robin, the Boy Wonder.
He grabs the microphone, "Folks, listen!!. There is a dangerous situation here. We need everyone to quickly walk to the..." Batman's sidekick suddenly drops to his knees. The crowd begins to panic.
You are Two-Face, sitting in the VIP stands, awaiting the moment to strike. You quickly realize something is going wrong. Rupert Thorne isn't too far from you, but with the panicking people it's like a riot.
The coin flips. Heads. Retreat is not an option.
You and your goons bust through to Thorne's private booth. There seems to be a dark haze in the room. Suddenly the Bat jumps out at you. You raise your gun but he quickly knocks it away. Your henchmen have vanished. The room has turned black as onyx.
Batman, a dark spectre in a flowing black cape that seems to be an extension of the darkness of the room, speaks in a sephrucal voice: "YoU HavE nO ChoIces left. Your coiN iZ gone. YOur goOnz r gonE. Now WaLK!!!"
The Batman leads you in a few steps back into your stone grey cell. After what seems like days, you awaken in a dark room. A shadowy figure hovers in the corner. A tall pointed hat tops off the lanky figure. It is the criminal mastermind the Scarecrow.
Scarecrow: gheff@falls.igs.net
“Harvey....Harvey....Harvey,” he calls. “I’m sorry you had to be mixed into my chaos. One of my goons found you and brought you back along with Rupert Thorne. Your henchmen I could not help.”
“Don’t worry about it,” you say. “It was a baseball game. There was likely to be an error or two. As soon as I call my boys, I’ll get me and Thorne out of your straw-like hair.”
“Listen,” says the Scarecrow. “Have I got a deal for you.... How'd you like to be the one who defeats the Batman, hmmmm?”
Round #2a - Double Jeopardy
Two-Face is immediately suspicious. "What's your game, Crane? You heard the magician when he busted us out of Arkham. Only the one who captures the Bat gets the reward. Why would you give that up? Why are you willing to help me?"
"Rewards are relative, Harvey. I have my reasons. Now, do you want the deal, or not. I'm sure I could always interest Poison Ivy or perhaps even The Joker..."
The Scarecrow grins from ear to ear.
Two-Face scowls as Scarecrow mentions Poison Ivy. His voice is low and angry. "Isley. I'd rather rip out my tongue than give her any help." He begins to pace.
Harvey takes out his coin and flips it. He looks at it briefly. "All right, professor. Two heads may be better than one in this case. But I'm on a schedule -- I've got my own plans to get back to.
"Tell me what you have in mind. But make it quick."
The Scarecrow presses his long fingers together.
"You had first hand experience what my new fear toxin is capable of. That demonstration was only a diluted example of what it is capable of. Imagine a fear solution so thick, it could literally destroy the part of the brain in which fear takes hold...
And we let that toxin loose in, say...A few strategically placed water supplies...Batman and his pathetic entourage will show up to save the day, but will fall victim to my fear ray that I am currently devising, leaving them easy prey for you and your boys. You can do what you will with the Bat and reap any puny reward our benefactor deems fit to bestow upon you. While I reap my revenge against my old university and then, the world!!!!!"
The Scarecrow calms down eventually.
"How does that sound?"
"I'd say you were fooling yourself if I hadn't already seen your goop work. It was worth the price of admission just to see the Boy Blubber writhing on his belly. But poisoning the water supply; you're talking about hurting a lot of people, even those who might not deserve it."
Two-Face flips his coin. Scarred heads. "Well, that's just their bad luck. All right, I'm in. There will, however, be some conditions. I'm a lawyer after all -- even though I'm not currently practicing -- and I know how important contracts are."
Harvey holds up his repulsive left hand and ticks points off his fingers one by one.
"First up: I want the same protection you use against your fear toxin and zap ray. It would be a shame if I was 'accidentally' exposed to the same poisons that we're going to release on Gotham.
"Second: You are the technician -- you know the toxin and how to administer it. But we go by my timetable. We act when I'm ready, and if I say we pull the plug, we pull it.
"Third: I walk out of here with Thorne. He's all mine, no questions asked.
"Lastly: I want two tokens of good faith --
"First, you make reparations for my men that were taken out at the ball game. Find 'em if their missing, bust them out if they're in jail, pay me off, whatever. But good goons don't come cheap, and you cost me some.
"Second, you prove you're willing to serve my interests by taking out a target of my choice. And I choose Pamela Isley. I want her out of the picture. This should be a also be a good field test of your toxins and your fear ray. If they work on Poison Ivy, they'll work on anybody. And if you can't handle her, then you're in no shape to take on the Batman.
"And by the way, don't even think of double-crossing me. If you do, I'll double the number of holes in your head.
"So what do you say? Do we have a deal?"
Scarecrow pauses.
"A deal."
The Scarecrow brings Thorne to Harvey, and leaves him alone to find his own way out.
Two-Face uses his cell-phone (or a phone on premise) to contact some goons to pick up himself and Thorne. Until they arrive, he will use the time to examine the Scarecrow’s hideoout and get a
good idea of its layout and compliment of thugs. He will also arrange contact codes and points with the Scarecrow.
Two-Face will then continue with his original plan with Thorne. Since he was not tracked to the Scarecrow’s lair, he will be less worried about the appearence of Batman, but will be more
paranoid about interference from other villains. He will take great pains to make sure he is not followed.
During the ride to the factory, Harvey will read the recent newspapers. He will notice that Mr. Rojek’s name is an anagram for Joker. This will make him more wary.
Once at the factory, Two-Face will place Thorne in the death-trap. He will interogate Thorne about 1) The structure and assets of the crime boss’ organization, 2) The identity of the Batman, 3) If he has any information about the Scarecrow.
After setting the trap, Harvey will stand in the shadows to see if Batman or another hero shows up. If not, no great loss. After Thorne is dispatched, he will exit, leaving the crime boss’ scarred corpse for the authorities to find.
Two-Face will then set out on two projects: 1) Siezing and consolidating as much of Thorne’s criminal empire as possible, and 2) Researching the Scarecrow. Harvey wants to stabilize his
power base, and learn as much as possible about the man who is his putative partner.
Two-Face learns quickly. He uses this ability to store as much as he can about Scarecrow and his
hideout. If Harvey is one thing, he is eager. Eager to get to work on interrogating crime boss
RupertThorne, who he has brought to the same wharehouse that saw the birth of Two-Face.
Thorne claims to know nothing of Scarecrow.
Harvey leans close, putting his scarred half in front of the man responsible for making it so ugly.
"Are you the Bat?"
"What!! Are you stupid??” the crime boss blusters. “That fool ruined tons of my work. I'd like
to get my hands on him as much as you. Don’t hurt me -- we can be allies. We're two of a kind."
Two-Face quickly angers at that statement and flips his coin. "There is something that you are that I'm not."
Thorne "What's that? I have greater contacts? Contacts that you can...."
"No Thorne. You're dead"
Two-Face walks away, and a giant vat of acid pours over the former crime boss. Mercifully, Thorne’s screams are brief.
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Notables personalities that were affected include Twins’ second baseman J. Rojek, businessman and alleged crime boss Rupert Thorne, and criminal mastermind Harvey “Two-Face” Dent, who was spotted at the scene. Police state that the villain Clayface was also sighted, and reportedly tussled with Batman before escaping. Batman's junior partner Robin was also affected. When asked what had happened, Robin replied, "They must have injected me with it or something."
Commisioner Gordon stated, "The criminals that have escaped from Arkham will all soon be caught and sent back where they belong." Thirteen people were seriously hurt at the game. Harvey Dent and Rupert Thorne remain among those missing.
Mr. Freeze Iced - The infamous Dr. Victor Fries was found dead early this morning just outside the Gotham city line. No other information is as yet available.