Liu A'dou returned from the warehouse by the sea after sorting his gear. Today was his day off, and he was home alone. He found two eggs in the fridge and made himself some egg fried rice for dinner. Iselin wouldn't be back until eight or nine in the evening, so Liu A'dou browsed the internet while waiting for her.
There was a lot of content about superheroes online, but the most searched was still Superman. As an alien visitor with near-godlike powers, it was no surprise he was worshipped. Superman's fan club was the largest single superhero fanbase in the world.
"Superman Saves the International Space Station, by Lois," Liu A'dou glanced at the day's trending news. Another piece by Lois Lane. The beautiful reporter from the Daily Planet was known for covering Superman. Her first report on him made her famous, and she even won a Pulitzer Prize for it.
Unfortunately, not every city had a Superman. Metropolis, New York, Central City, International City, Gotham City—only Metropolis had him. Other superheroes, while diligent, just didn't have Superman's popularity. Maybe Earthlings had a thing for outsiders.
Before he knew it, it was already late at night, and Iselin still hadn't come home. Liu A'dou was getting worried. Gotham City was too chaotic now. It wasn't safe for a woman to be out alone. Even sitting in a car at a red light, you might still get robbed.
He should've gone to pick her up, Liu A'dou thought.
"It's this late already?" He called the TV station. They said Iselin had left work a while ago. A bad feeling crept up his spine.
No idea where she had gone. Liu A'dou didn't hesitate. He changed into his Kaitou Kid outfit and took off with his glider. He checked around the TV station first and saw that his second-hand car was gone, meaning she had left normally. The question was, where had she gone after?
The unease grew stronger. Liu A'dou adjusted the direction of his delta glider, heading straight for the coastal warehouse. He had to use the Eye of God to find Iselin before his worst fears became reality.
It wasn't until 1 a.m. that A'dou finally located her, but the place she appeared at wasn't good. It was the same factory where Rachel had been held, and most of it had already burned down. No one should've gone back there.
Could it be...?
Liu A'dou had thought that since Rachel wasn't dead and Harvey's face was fine, Harvey Dent wouldn't turn into the vengeful Two-Face. But now he realized he'd been too naive. Rachel might as well be dead, and Harvey, full of rage with nowhere to direct it, had likely been pushed down a path of revenge by Joker's manipulations.
"Damn it!" Liu A'dou didn't waste a second. He launched into the wind at top speed, racing toward the site. He prayed Harvey wouldn't harm Iselin, or he wouldn't forgive him.
Why had Iselin been kidnapped by Harvey? Because she had wanted to convince Harvey Dent to agree to an interview. If Harvey, Gotham's White Knight, could publicly reaffirm his commitment to fighting crime, it would help restore order in the city.
It should've been a win-win. But she didn't know that Harvey had already vowed to avenge Rachel and was set on taking justice into his own hands. Unfortunately, she stumbled upon Harvey mid-attack, and the poor woman couldn't believe the White Knight had fallen into darkness.
Harvey didn't want his crimes exposed before he finished his revenge, so he took Iselin. He hadn't yet decided whether to kill her. He wasn't completely heartless, but he couldn't let her go. Not until he dealt with the rest of those on his list. If she talked, it would all be over. And then, Rachel's death would go unavenged.
"Harvey, why? You're the District Attorney. You could've taken them to court, had the judge sentence them. Why kill them?" Iselin couldn't understand.
"Because the law isn't fair. That's why I'm here to bring true justice," Harvey Dent said.
"Deciding life and death with a coin—how is that fair?"
"Chance is the fairest thing in the world." Harvey laughed wildly. "Haven't you felt it? Luck—having it or not, living or dying, it's just two sides of a coin. That's why this is the fairest method."
"No, this isn't fairness. This is madness." Iselin refused to accept it.
"We can't communicate. I won't kill you, but until I've finished my revenge, you'll have to stay here." But when would revenge be complete? Harvey didn't know. Maybe she'd be stuck here forever.
"Harvey, please, don't keep going down this path. Gotham City needs you," Iselin pleaded.
"Needs me? Look at what the people of Gotham did to Rachel and me! And now you say they need me? Rachel's still unconscious, probably for life. They don't need me—they need judgment." Harvey's face twisted in fury. Everything was Gotham's fault. This was just blood for blood.
Iselin looked at the man who used to shine with hope, now consumed by vengeance. Harvey's heart had been completely blinded. She didn't know what else to say, or do, to bring him back.
A wave of despair washed over her. She knew Gotham was doomed. Even its last hope for justice had become a vigilante judge. Who would believe in the law now? Without law and order, who could stand against the gangs, who would protect the people? It was over. Harvey's fall meant Gotham's end.
"Joker won," she thought, recalling what Liu A'dou had said—Joker would drive the whole city to the wrong side, against everything Batman stood for. Even Batman's allies had turned. What hope was left for anyone else?
Iselin stayed silent. There was nothing more to say. She slumped against the wall, letting the grime of the place soak into her clothes.
But it wouldn't end here.
"Harvey Dent, so you really went this far, huh?"
"Who's there?" The sudden voice made Harvey jump. He pointed his gun into the shadows. "Batman?"
"No, I'm not Batman." Liu A'dou stepped out. He really didn't want to see Harvey fall like this.
"Kaitou Kid." Harvey was surprised to see the white-clad figure. He'd never quite figured this thief out. He was a criminal for sure—he stole—but he'd also saved Rachel twice, making him a benefactor. His feelings about Kid were complicated.
"Stop hurting people. You belong in the courtroom, where your light shines. Don't let Joker erase the great man you were."
"…" Kid was trying to reason with him, Harvey knew that. But he wouldn't listen. "You don't understand anything. You were there when Rachel got hit. You saw what the people of Gotham are like—full of mIselin. There are no good people."
"Rachel wouldn't want you to take revenge for her. Hurting others would only hurt her heart. Her greatest hope was always to see Gotham rise again, to become as great as any other city."
"Hahahaha…" Harvey burst out laughing. "There's a guy flying around in a red cape, and now a thief is preaching morals? This world really has gone mad. Don't you see how ridiculous you sound? Open your eyes and look at the world! There are people who can fly, who are stronger than tanks, who can control the weather. What are we? What does anything we do even matter? Why not go wild? What's wrong with living free and taking revenge?"
Liu A'dou had no answer.