i thought you had to go look after your mother, detective.
i'm sorry.
often doesn't. but i like reminding everybody that he's out there.
hopefully.  because he's busy.
put this out, by morning we can put a big top over central holding and sell tickets. what's he hiding under that makeup? gordon approaches a forensic photographer shooting grumpy's body. gordon crouches to look at his clown mask. batman steps from the shadows. gordon nods at ramirez.
another bunch of small timers. batman pulls a device from his belt- moves to the bundles of cash scattered near the clown's body. the device pings. batman picks up a bundle. hands it to gordon.
my detectives have been making drug buys with them for weeks. this bank was another drop for the mob. that makes five banks- we've found the bulk of their dirty cash.
what about this joker guy?
we'll have to hit all banks simultaneously. swat teams, backup. gordon holds up the bundle of banknotes.
when the new da gets wind of this, he'll want in.
be hard to keep him out. gordon bags the cash.
i hear he's as stubborn as you. but batman is already gone.
word is you've got a hell of a right cross. shame sal's going to walk.
we liaise with various agencies-
official policy is to arrest the vigilante known as batman on sight.
if you have any concerns about.  malfunctioning equipment.  take them up with maintenance, counselor. dent tosses the bills back onto his desk. annoyed.
in this town, the fewer people know something, the safer the operation.
if i didn't work with cops you'd investigated while you were making your name at i.a.- i'd be working alone. i don't get political points for being an idealist- i have to do the best i can with what i have. dent looks at gordon. considering how to proceed.
i can give you the names of the banks.
you don't have to sell me, dent. we all know you're gotham's white knight.
yeah? all that was left in the vaults were the marked bills- they knew we were coming! as soon as your office got involved, there's a leak-
don't try to cloud the fact that clearly maroni's got people in your office, dent. dent turns to batman.
we're going after the mob's life savings. things will get ugly.
he does that.
charge them with what? rachel enters.
he can't go to county. i'll keep him here in the holding cells.
you trust them over at county?
lau stays.
i am, counselor.
our boy looks good on the tube.
don't worry, they're coming, too. gordon points out the window to a prison bus.
forty-nine, sir. gordon nods at dent, approving. dent grins back.
any matches?
the joker's telling us who he's targeting- get a unit to surrillo's house, tell wuertz to find dent- get them both into protective custody. where's the commissioner?
seal the building. no one in or out till i get there.
we're secure. i want a floor-by- floor search of the entire building. i'm sorry, sir. we believe the joker has made a threat against your life.
sir, the joker card had a trace of your d.n.a. on it- a bang at the door. gordon pulls his weapon, then opens it.
somebody with access to your house or office must've lifted a tissue or a glass.  gordon, realizing, spins around-
wait- but loeb is already choking- he drops his tumbler onto the desk- the spilled whiskey is smoking, eating into the wood.
get a medic! loeb collapses.
as long as they don't get to lau, we've cut off their funds.
what about dent?
patrick harvey. richard dent.
ramirez. she stands down. batman moves past the bodies to the wall. finds an embedded stray bullet. he pulls a sawing device from his belt- thrusts it into the wall and starts cutting around the bullet.
that's brick- you're gonna try and take ballistics off a shattered bullet?
whatever you're gonna do, do it fast, 'cos we know his next target.  batman looks- a campaign poster: re-elect mayor garcia. the mayor's image has a manic clown's grin and "ha,ha,ha".
how's it looking up top?
we got you, you son of a bitch.
we got him, harvey. dent nods. respect in his eyes. they shake hands.
stand away! all of you. i don't want anything for his mob lawyer to use, understand? handle this guy like he's made of glass. the mayor walks in. shakes gordon's hand.
i couldn't chance my family's safety. the mayor looks over at the joker in his cage.
nothing. no matches on prints, dna, dental. clothing is custom, no labels. nothing in his pockets but knives and lint. no name, no other alias.  nothing.
i couldn't tell you. i couldn't risk- she slaps gordon. he grabs her, holds her tight as she sobs.
actually, this time i saved him. gordon's phone rings-
has he said anything, yet? ramirez shakes her head. gordon pushes through a door.
harvey dent never made it home.
what have you done with him?
where is he?
what difference does that make?
if we're going to play games, i'm going to need a cup of coffee.
not exactly. gordon steps out. the overhead lights come on. batman is behind him. the joker blinks in the harsh white light. wham! the joker's face hits the table- comes up for air- crack! crack! to the head. batman is in front of him. the joker stares, fascinated. bleeding.
he's in control.
which one are you-
with lau? the joker planned to be caught. he wanted me to lock him up in m.c.u.
i'm sorry about rachel. the doctor says you're in agonizing pain but you won't accept medication. that you're refusing skin grafts-
harvey, i can't-
two-face. harvey two-face. dent turns to face gordon- the left side of dent's face is destroyed- skin blackened and shriveled. molars visible. the eye a ball and socket. dent manages a small smile with the good side of his face.
i.  i know you tried to warn me. i'm sorry. wuertz picked you up- was he working for them? do you know who picked up rachel? harvey, i need to know which of my men i can trust. dent looks at gordon. cold.
i'm sorry, harvey.
you should have thought of that before you let the clown out of the box.
call in every officer- tell them to head to their nearest hospital and start evac and search. call the transit authority, school board, prisons- get every available bus down to a hospital- the priority is gotham general- wheel everybody out of that place right now- my hunch is that's where the bomb is.
that's where harvey dent is. the uniforms sprint off. gordon turns to his detectives.
to get reese.
get the cars around back! gordon hauls reese to the stairwell.
well, maybe batman will save you. the van peels out. heads onto the streets.
berg, isn't it? the young cop, berg, looks up. sweating.
you okay, son? berg nods. looks at his watch.
i'm gonna need your weapon, son. berg looks at gordon.
yeah. that would be why.
you okay, mr.wayne? wayne looks at him, woozy. sits on the curb.
that was a brave thing, you did.
you weren't protecting the van? wayne turns- sees the police van as if for the first time. reese steps down, dazed.
you don't watch a whole lot of news, do you, mr.wayne?
not today, i wouldn't.
gotham general.  did you get dent out?
you must know how many were inside- you've got patient lists, roll calls-
yeah? what's your guess about where harvey dent is? the cop says nothing.
keep looking. keep it to yourself.
my officers are going over every inch of the tunnels and bridges, but with the joker's threat they're not and option.
backed up for hours. which leaves the ferries with thirty thousand waiting to board. plus, corrections are at capacity, so i want to use a ferry to take some prisoners off the island.
you should be- they're the people you least want to be stuck with in an emergency. whatever the joker's planning, it's a good bet that harvey's prisoners might be involved. i want 'em out of here.
then we have a hostage situation. they look across at the large windows of the prewitt building. the joker's men, in crude, homemade clown masks are clearly visible, automatic weapons in hand.
it's a shooting gallery. why'd he choose a spot with such big windows?
let's do it.
what's simple, is that every second we don't take him, those people on the ferries get closer to blowing each other up!
then he'll blow them both up! there's no time- we have to go in now-
that's why we can't wait- we can't play his games- batman turns.
no. there's no time. we have clear shots. gordon pulls his gun. batman turns back. the swats watch.
dent's in there with them. we have to save dent! i have to save dent! get ready- batman leaps from the building, opens his cape- soars across the gulf between the two buildings- gordon puts his weapon away. curses softly. turns to the swat leader.
two minutes. then you breach.
hello? barbara, calm down-
harvey? what the hell's going on?
where are you? where's my family?!
dent? no reply. gordon makes his way deeper. up the stairs.
i know. i was here. trying to save her. dent turns, revealing his dark side.
i couldn't.
i was trying to fight the mob- dent moves towards gordon.
harvey. put the gun down. you're not going to hurt my family.
put the gun down. dent moves the gun to point at gordon's little girl.
please, harvey.  dent moves to james gordon. brushes the hair out of the boy's eyes with the muzzle. gordon snaps.
goddamit. stop pointing that gun at my family, dent.
i'm sorry, harvey. for everything. but, please. please don't hurt him.
all they know is there's a situation. they don't know who, or what. they're just creating a perimeter.
no one needs to escape, because no one's done anything wrong. and nobody has to. dent chuckles. a macabre sight.
you're right, harvey. rachel's death was my fault. but punish me-
it's going to be all right, son. dent flips the coin. high. dent's eyes follow the coin up- batman hurls himself at dent and the boy. all three of them vanish over the edge. a terrible crash- then silence, but for the sound of dent's coin, spinning on the floor at the edge of the hole. gordon, horrified, runs to the edge- peers down- dent lies at the bottom of the hole, his neck broken. dead. the coin stops spinning, good side up.
thank-you.
yes, i do. gordon and batman stare down at dent's body. grave.
the joker won. gordon stares down at scarred side of harvey dent.
harvey's prosecution, everything he fought for, everything rachel died for. undone. whatever chance gotham had of fixing itself.  whatever chance you gave us of fixing our city.  dies with harvey's reputation. we bet it all on him. the joker took the best of us and tore him down. people will lose all hope.
five dead? two of them cops? we can't sweep that under-
you? you can't-
no, you can't! you're not! batman hands gordon his police radio.
a hero. not the hero we deserved- the hero we needed. nothing less than a knight. shining.
they'll hunt you.
because we have to chase him.
because.
he's the hero gotham deserves.  but not the one it needs right now. so we'll hunt him, because he can take it. because he's not our hero.  the bat-pod streaks through gotham's underground streets, the batman's cape fluttering behind. a wraith.
he's a silent guardian, a watchful protector.  a dark knight. The Batman races up a ramp into a blinding light-