Chapter Text
Besides repeatedly grinding a broken bottle into the side of Two Face’s head, Joker also gouged a jagged gash into his stomach. Currently, it is full of broken glass and bleeding syrupy blood over the barroom floor, spreading down the grid of linoleum tiles.
Batman crouches and quickly unrolls a set of medical tweezers. Looking at Two Faces, hands cuffed behind his back and laid out on the floor, he can tell the drug is starting to wear off and the pain is taking its place, see it in the whites of his eyes. He doesn't have the time to waste on this but at one time Dent was one of his best friends, Joker is in the wind, and he has no direction to move in. A pit is forming in his gut, a solid mass made of his own futility and ineptitude. He starts staunching some of the blood with one hand and working bits of glass out of Dent's abdomen with the other. He should have known this would happen. Part of him did. But he wanted to believe anyway, needed to believe. Change must be possible.
“Where did she go?”
Two Face groans as a large shard comes free from his flesh and falls into the rag. The ‘Dent’ side looks up at him, squinting in agony. “Where's that famous soft touch Batman? She get under your skin??” His voice is a rasp.
He says nothing, pulling out a thin shard from his gut.
“Don't take it personally. You were never going to win this one, Bat. She’s a force of nature.”
“I asked where??”
“Even if I knew, why would I say?” snarls Two Face.
“Because she needs to be stopped. She is going to make the wrong choice.”
“You're a smart fella Batman. Should she have to wait for justice to be handed to her? When we both know this system will never give it to her?”
“You don't know that!”
“I know that better than anyone!” Two Face spat, a tremor of rage shaking through his body as his abdomen gushed red.
“Why are you helping her?? You have every reason not to.”
To this Dent’s gaze fell away from him. “Maybe… she can balance the scales a bit… for all the sorry fuckers out there who wish they could… and the sorrier fuckers too stupid for that. She isn't a child. She has killed before…you know that.” He looks up again, eyes locked with his, “Think about it. Really look into your heart, Batman. What's one more life? What is the real harm?”
Looping an abdominal tourniquet around his old friend's waist Batman bites his inner cheek and cinches the strap tight. “What's the harm? Do you even hear yourself, Dent??” Two Face twists in pain at the mounting pressure. The river of blood halts to a drizzle. “We have no idea the harm because no one capable seems interested in stopping it…You're right, she's not a child but she's not a force of nature either, she is just a woman in pain, trapped in a cycle!" He gives the tourniquet another yank.
“You're hopeless. I already told you. You're too late…“ Two Face grunts, voice strangled by his suffering even as Batman saves his life.
“It's people like you that ensure we will never know what could have been!” Rage fading, Batman is left hollow, wondering at this husk of this once principled man. How things have in fact changed, but as is so often the case, only for the worse. “Dent… If it's more than just the luck of a coin toss,... if you care,... you won't let her disappear down that road alone. Tell me where she went.“
At last, shame joins the blood painted over Two Faces twisted expression. There is no escape, only a long silence broken by muffled afternoon traffic outside. Under his breath, Two Face says “Nixy Laze.”
“I'm not interested in playing games-”
“You won't be able to stop her. Not after what he's done… But maybe you should be there…”
“What are you-
“Listen carefully Batman.” Two Faced eyes darted back and forth over his, voice barely above a whisper like a part of him was scared that he would never get the words out. “I'm only gonna say it once. Tuesday is pool night. Each night we take turns covering the bar tab. Always with stolen credit cards. We make toasts all night to the sorry fuck paying for our drinks. Last night it was Riddler's turn to pay, and he used a card under the name ‘Nixy Laze’.”
“I don't-...” Batman freezes “The drug used to incapacitate you both… Nixy Laze is an anagram for Xylazine. ” He looks at Two Face.
He nods, blood dripping off his chin. “That slimy schmier-fink.”
“Joker must have remembered.”
“ I- I should have known… If you're looking for Joker…“
Batman sits back on his haunches. “I have to find the Riddler.”