damned_institute | Night 43: Doctor's Office 4 [Dr. Stegman]

Entry tags:

jason,
two-face

Night 43: Doctor's Office 4 [Dr. Stegman]

[From here.]

The office was more or less what Harvey had expected. Tidy, big desk, full of books -- he even noticed degrees from Harvard hanging on the walls. Why would a Harvard graduate end up in a place like this, dealing with people who weren't actually crazy?

That wasn't really his concern right now, though. He stalked over to the desk and dumped both the pipe and his gun onto it, not needing the extra weight when they were only planning to discuss for the time being. (He wouldn't stray far enough away that he couldn't grab both easily if something managed to attack them, though.)

Harvey was about to say something to 'Jay,' but that was when the intercom went off, spewing a series of ones and zeroes that had the man perplexed for a moment until he realized it must have been binary. Or it could just be gibberish, but it hardly mattered since he couldn't exactly translate something like that on the fly.

The garbled words came in soon after, and he frowned as he tried to catch them. What was the point of this? It was little more than an annoyance as far as he could tell, and the only thing that bothered him slightly was the unidentifiable noise that eventually became recognizable as screaming. Not just any screaming, either, but the sounds of people in real agony.

It didn't concern him, but it was definitely making it hard to concentrate.

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Jason bit down on the automatic reply of 'they weren't panties asshole'. That wasn't what Two-Face meant, if Harvey even suspected who he had been. The knowledge didn't make him any less irritated by the equally familiar jibe.

The gibberish suddenly spouting from the intercom was a lot more successful in dragged his attention away from the urge to beat Dent's smug face in.

Was that singing? .....What the fuck, was this supposed to scare them?

The screaming and moaning that followed was more unsettling but it didn't seem about to stop and there was no way of telling where it was coming from. They were just going to have to suck it up and ignore it. 'Screaming in the night' was practically Gotham's theme song so it really shouldn't bother him that much.

"Psychological warfare or you think someone's just watching TV too loud?" Forcing himself to focus on Two-Face instead of the noise while his instincts had joined in the screaming, wanting to go find the source and make whoever was causing it suffer too, wasn't easy. But reminding himself why the two of them were working together helped some.

Dismissing the sound with a shake of his head, Jason turned to Harvey. "How good a shot are you with that thing?" Last thing he wanted was to risk getting shot himself because Two-Face got trigger-happy.

Edited 2009-09-05 01:06 (UTC)

The smartassed comment from Jason wasn't much of a surprise. Harvey shrugged, not really caring much either way. "Does it matter? It's supposed to bother us, but more importantly, it's probably supposed to make us stand here and talk about it rather than getting down to business." Now that he and Jason had actually managed to meet up without something getting in the way (whether it was zombies or Jason's irresponsibility), he wasn't going to let the chance go to waste.

Ignoring the screaming (how long was that going to go on for?), he was about to say something when Jason came out with a rather insulting question. He realized he had gone from district attorney to gun-toting criminal in a rather short amount of time, but that didn't mean that he was going to run into anything half-cocked.

"Good enough," he snapped back. He had half a mind to show Jason just how well he could aim and shoot at one of his limbs, but he knew that wasn't exactly going to help him attain his ultimate goal.

There was one thing that needed to be cleared up before they went any further with this, though. Harvey crossed his arms over his chest and sent the younger man an accusatory glare. "What the hell happened earlier today, anyway?" He wasn't going to let Jason get away without some kind of scolding, since that would more or less translate to him being okay with it, which he wasn't.

Jason was willing enough to drop the issue of Two-Face's aim. He believed that Dent was at least a decent shot and not going to hit him by accident. And he was good at dodging.

He was tempted to feign ignorance at Two-Face's question but it was a reasonable thing to ask. Although Jason could really do without Harvey acting like he was some kid who'd screwed up.

"Didn't realise you'd get so mad at me for standing you up sweetie," he replied with a snort. "I ran into some other business I got going. And I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to get a lead on the bastard. That's all. Nothing you need worry your little head over." His issue with Luxord was nothing he planned on involving Two-Face in, though he had no issues sharing that he was going to kill the fucker. It just wasn't the sort of thing he felt like trying to explain to someone like Dent, that Jason was willing to go after Batman but harming kids was out of the question.

"But Batman still comes first, if that's what you're worried about. There's no way in hell he's escaping," Jason didn't try to hide his anger at just the thought of Bruce. He wanted to make it perfectly clear he's just as interested in bringing down the Bat as Two-Face. If he weren't he wouldn't have even bothered with Harvey Dent.

The fact that Jason had some "clever" comment as a response for everything was really start to wear on Harvey's nerves. The kid wouldn't have been worth his time if he didn't apparently have such important information (come to think of it, Harvey still didn't know how Jason had figured out that Batman was here). The man crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for a proper explanation.

Other business? Business that Jason didn't seem to want to tell him about? That set off a whole series of warning bells, and Harvey narrowed his eyes suspiciously. While the kid was quick to clarify that Batman was his number one priority, that was pretty hard to believe when he'd stood him up for this other thing.

"I don't like the sound of that," he said in a half-growl. "Just make sure it doesn't distract you again." He was willing to give Jason one chance, but another screw-up like that might officially place the kid on his "bad" list.

He could have pressed Jason on this other project a bit more, but he knew that was just going to waste the small amount of time that they had. He sighed and pushed off of the desk, glancing around the room for a moment before he looked back at the younger man. "So where are we going to take him?" he asked, doubting that he would need to specify who 'him' was. "Someplace like this?"

Jason rolled his eyes, smirking in amusement. Two-Face had no say in the matter - if Jason wanted to go after someone else before Batman he'd just have to suck it up. Not like he'd figure out who he was after on his own.

"Could work. It's private and doesn't look like anyone else comes down here much. We won't get interrupted by wanna-be heroes and we should be able to block the door so he can't get away easily." He took a closer look around the office, sizing up the sparse furnishings. An empty room would be better since it would give Batman less potential weapons and the enclosed space could make the gun less useful. But Jason didn't expect Dent to be too concerned about not hitting him and he could use his environment to his advantage just as well as Batman.

This was looking to be the best option right now - everywhere else was too busy or offered too many opportunities to escape. He should- he would be able to convince Bruce to come investigate the offices with him under the pretence of looking into what records they had on the patients.

"Unless you've got something better in mind, I'd say this'll do."

Edited 2009-09-06 06:08 (UTC)

While a doctor's office seemed like a strange setting for their revenge, Harvey admittedly didn't know where else they could go. If he was going to be honest with himself, he hadn't seen very much of the institute yet. There had been the room where the horse had attacked him (which he imagined was well-trafficked), the janitor's closest which he already knew was visited often, and this office.

He supposed any of the other offices would work just as well, and it was possible that each one was outfitted with different furniture. Still, he couldn't imagine it varied that much, so it didn't seem like it was worth the effort to look through each one.

"We can also use the furniture here to block up the door and make sure no one else gets in," he pointed out. "Just in case." There was always that slight chance that they would get unlucky and someone else would decide to search the office for whatever reason, so it would be best to barricade it.

It was true that there wasn't much space for them to work with, but he didn't think that he would need all that much, especially if they tied the Bat to one of the chairs. Speaking of which...

He met eyes with Jason. "We should find some kind of rope so that we can restrain him." They weren't exactly going after small fry, after all. They were going to have to be thorough if they wanted this to be successful.

Sauntering around the desk, Jason threw himself into the office chair, grinning at the thought of tying Bruce to it. Even tied up like that he wouldn't be helpless but that was half the fun. Seeing how he wormed his way out and the fight that would follow...

He propped his feet up on the desk, meeting Two-Face's gaze. "I got a roll of duct tape the other night. We can use that." It should be strong enough to hold Batman for a while though maybe it wouldn't hurt to get some rope too. He didn't want it to be too easy for Batman to get free. Bruce's guilt would only hold him back so much and with Bruce apparently not recognising him they might not even have that weapon. They could always go look for more supplies when they'd worked out all the details.

They were both armed and had a place picked out. He had the tape to restrain Bruce with and as Two-Face suggested they could barricade the door. What else did they need to be ready? Apart from Batman himself. The local wildlife could be a problem - but if they barricaded the door and checked the room to make sure there was nothing hiding inside it'd be fine.

"Anything else?"

Edited 2009-09-06 08:08 (UTC)

Watching as Jason fell into the chair, Harvey could imagine what the other man was thinking as he sat there. Looking around at the room and envisioning what plans they had for it was enough to get his blood pumping. He couldn't track down the person who had physically taken Rachel to her grave just yet (he had the name, but not the means), so right now this was the next best thing.

Duct tape would probably work pretty well, although he wasn't sure if it was as good as real rope. Then again, he wasn't sure if that janitor's closet had any, although he didn't think it was a stretch to assume that it did. Rope was one of those essentials.

Harvey leaned himself against the desk again when Jason asked his question, back turned to the kid as he thought it over. "Well, we still need a basic plan," he said. "How are we going to get him here? What do we do first? We both want a piece of him, so how are we going to divide that up?"

Come to think of it, he wasn't entirely sure that Jason even wanted Batman dead. Then again, the kid had asked him about his aim with the gun, which more or less implied that he didn't care if Harvey took a shot at the vigilante.

Kicking off the desk, Jason sent the chair scooting backwards as he bounded to his feet again. "Leave getting him here to me." He paced around to stand in front of Two-Face as he spoke. "You just get here and be ready to make sure he doesn't get away. I'll get him in place, don't you worry.

"How should we divide him up? Hmmm," he made a show of thinking about the rest of the plan, tapping the machete against his neck before extending it to lightly drag down Two-Face's front. "Well, what do you want from this game? I'm happy to let you have first crack at him, provided there's enough left for me to play with after."

Jason got most of what he wanted just by seeing Batman bleed. It being at the hands of someone he was always giving second chances, no matter what Harvey did, just made it better. But Two-Face didn't need to know that, same as he didn't need to know that beating the hell out of Batman when he was tied up was the last thing Jason wanted. There wouldn't be any satisfaction in that. If he was going to beat Batman, if he was going to teach Bruce, it should be on even footing.

Harvey only watched as Jason started to circle back around. The kid really didn't know how to sit still, did he? Harvey was once again reminded of the fact that he knew next to nothing about Jason, but he got the feeling that their encounter with the Bat would clear some of that up. It sounded like Jason already had something in mind for getting Batman here, and Harvey didn't think he needed to say that the kid had better be absolutely sure that it would work. Still, he wouldn't mind getting here first and arranging everything for the vigilante's arrival.

He watched with little amusement as Jason scraped the machete down his chest -- not hard enough to draw blood, but Harvey knew perfectly well that even a little more pressure would do the job. He reached behind him for his pipe and pulled it forward, using it to nudge Jason's blade away.

"Fine," he agreed. "I'll say my piece, you say yours, and then once we're both all said and done..." His eye lit up for a split second as he placed the pipe back down and pulled his coin out of his pocket to show the kid. This was the real question that he had. Would Jason let him put Batman up to that ultimate judgment, or was he really some kind of softy underneath all of the clever comments and bravado?

Jason chuckled and swung the machete back up to rest against his shoulder. He could imagine what Two-Face might have to say to Batman and how he'd choose to say it but Jason was done with talking. Bruce had made his choice clear and Jason had nothing more to say to him. Anything he might say or do to the bastard would just be making time till the final part of this little game.

"Like I needed to be told," he replied dryly as Two-Face produced his coin. "I got a question for you now. What happens if that comes up the wrong way? You really gonna just let him go and expect him to walk away?" True, there was only so much Batman could do to them here - he couldn't exactly ship them off to an asylum, could he? - and all the scum of Gotham knew that Batman never killed but to think that he wouldn't get some form of retribution was just stupid. That could be the point. Two-Face's obsession with his coin might stop him murdering Batman then - or trying to - but defending himself could be another matter entirely. Or not.

It seemed that Jason was definitely familiar with his methods, though Harvey hadn't forgotten that the kid apparently knew a Two-Face who had been around for years rather than days. The fact that the kid brushed it off so easily implied that he didn't mind if Harvey put a bullet through the Bat's brain, which meant that they shouldn't have to butt heads about this encounter they were planning.

The question was a valid one, though it wasn't the point that Two-Face had been focused on this entire time. For him, it was the confrontation, the coin toss, that mattered the most. He would follow what it told him to the letter, which meant leaving Batman be if the clean side of the silver dollar landed up. Harvey knew better than anyone that he was partly responsible for Rachel's death, and so if the vigilante decided to go after him, then he would be ready for it. He was willing to take whatever damage he dished out.

"I don't expect him to," he said out loud. "I'm sure he'll want some revenge after we tie him up and slap him around, and I'll deal with it." For now, that was all Jason needed to know. He'd be witness to it playing out, after all.

"In any case, what's our plan for getting him into the chair?" he asked, wanting to turn the conversation away from that particular point. "I could wait next to the door and pistol whip him when he walks in," he suggested, almost practically. Trying to struggle the man into the chair when he was awake probably wouldn't go over all that well, even if it was two against one.

Of course Two-Face would deal with. If by 'deal with it' he meant getting the shit kicked out of him. Batman was going to be, heh, gunning for them both after this. Even if by some miracle he learned from the encounter but when miracles happened they never worked out like you expected.

Jason finally put the machete down on the desk as Two-Face shifted back to planning. He walked back over to the door, turning his back to it like he'd just entered and glancing around. In the dark it should be difficult to see if anyone was waiting near the door. So long as they were quiet and their target wasn't expecting a trap.

"Could work. I'll be able to keep his distracted." He thought that he would anyway. Jason was gambling that he would be able to get Batman where they wanted him. He knew enough - about Bruce and Tim and even Alfred if he had to - to make sure he had Bruce's attention. After that he was betting that he could convince Bruce to give him a chance to explain.

"But you'll have to stay quiet and make sure he doesn't notice you. He's smart and catching him off-guard isn't easy. And you better make sure not to hit him too hard. If he's out the whole night it won't be much fun." Although, the only way to keep Bruce out that long was would be to hit him hard enough to crack his skull.

Once Jason had set down the machete, Harvey did the same with the pipe. He rubbed his thumb over the darkened side of his coin a few times before returning it to his pocket as well, and then focused on Jason as he gave his analysis. Harvey had to wonder, once again, what kind of relationship Jason had with Batman, but that was probably all going to come to light soon. For now, he had to focus on his own role in this setup.

He didn't need to hear that Batman was smarter than the average bear, but he chose not to snap back at Jason for the moment. Instead, he followed after him, positioning himself on the other side of the door as he tried to pick out the best spot to get a good shot in while also not being seen until it was too late.

Making sure to hit the man with just the right amount of strength would be a bit tougher, but he was confident that he could pull it off. He didn't think that the vigilante stayed down too easily, so hopefully it would be hard to misjudge it.

"All right, I think I can pull it off if you keep his attention on you," he said after a while. "Now the only thing we have left to worry about is the rope." The duct tape might be good enough, but he would rather be safe than sorry. To spend all this time planning only to have it fall apart because they didn't have proper rope wasn't something he was willing to risk unless he had to.

Maybe Two-Face was right and he'd be able to surprise Bruce. Jason would do his part to bring him here and keep him off-balance. After that he was just going to have to see how it played out.

He dragged the maps out of his pocket again, dislodging one of the cookies he'd jammed in there as he did so. Catching it, he shrugged and offered it to Two-Face as he studied the maps. "Midnight snack, Harv?"

Rope should be easy enough to find, though they might have to head upstairs. Hopefully they had enough time left tonight to get there and find what they were after. It was hard to tell how long the nights were going to last here and they'd been talking a while.

"We can hit up the janitor's closet again and the storage rooms around there." Although Jason was wary of going to the closet again. He didn't want to run into the same creature he had last time. The injuries from that encounter might have healed - disturbingly fast too if he let himself think about it - but he didn't want to be facing Batman with a handicap.

"Or else there's a gardener's shed on the grounds." It might be faster if they split up to search but after last night Jason would rather someone be watching his back. Even if that someone was Two-Face.

Harvey waited with some impatience as Jason decided to consult the maps a second time, although he wasn't expecting to be offered a cookie that looked like it was about to fall apart after being shoved in the kid's pocket for who knew how long. He wouldn't have accepted it even if he wasn't opposed to eating around others. He waved him off, not making any move to take the snack.

There was that nickname again, but it would be pointless to go through the same exchange that they'd already wasted time on earlier. The kid just didn't learn, or didn't care to. The best thing would be for Harvey to not like it get to him.

He nodded when Jason brought up the janitor's closet. He hadn't been actively looking for rope the last time he had been there, but he wouldn't be surprised if there was some stashed in that mess. It sounded like there were a few other storage areas around there as well, so they were bound to find some eventually.

"Let's head upstairs," he decided, wanting to go somewhere he was familiar with in this case. Besides, after last night he got the feeling that outside was a lot more dangerous than inside. "There should be a set of stairs close to here." He hadn't brought his maps, but he had copied them down rather meticulously, so he could at least remember that much.

Jason carelessly tossed the cookie on the desk. He hadn't really expected Two-Face to trust anything from him an he could find someone else to test the things on if he really wanted.

He wasn't too happy about going back up to the closet but damned if he was going to let Two-Face know that. Besides, Dent had gotten that pipe from somewhere and he was perfectly fine. No one had mentioned that spot as being any more dangerous than anywhere else so whatever that thing had been it was long gone. But he was still going to be on guard this time.

"Yeah, yeah. I know where they are." He shoved the maps away again, after a cursory glance at their route. Grabbing his machete back off the desk, Jason yanked open the door, smirking at Two-Face over his shoulder. "Keep up now, Harv."

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/710674.html?thread=58602770#t58602770)]

Edited 2009-09-10 09:17 (UTC)

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Night 43: Doctor's Office 4 [Dr. Stegman]

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