INT. A DARK ROOM - NIGHT
HARVEY DENT stirs, then lifts his head, opening his eyes. His normally handsome blond hair is unkempt, sweaty, hanging into his face. His left cheek is bruised. He shifts his jaw, tries to feel it with his hands, but he can't - he's bound to a chair.
He is awake now, and startled. He looks ahead sharply, the room coming into focus. There's a window in the back, and it's raining outside. A single, industrial lamp hangs from the ceiling, casting a somber gleam upon Dent and
the man sitting across from him:
Gray-haired, handsome, smiling, with eyes so black they look as though they've been painted on, SALVATORE MARONI is sitting in a chair identical to Dent's. His hands are clasped in front of him, and he looks happy to see Dent.
SALVATORE MARONI
(cheerily)
Finally. Thought you'd never wake up, Harv. Hope you had a nice rest.
Dent isn't going for it.
HARVEY DENT
(through gritted teeth)
You can stop right there. You're not going to charm me, put on some false face. I'm not even going to let you try. Don't pretend. My God, man, have you no dignity? You sell drugs to children and you shoot men in crowded places, and you laugh in your rat-hole and pour yourself a drink because you feel like you've won, and you'll do it again tomorrow.
Maroni is still smiling, but listening, too.
HARVEY DENT
And when somebody confronts you in public, when they say "Come out, goddamn you! We're not afraid of you, so by God, why don't you come out? Come out with your hands up and that way it'll be of your own volition, because we'll get you someday, you can bet your sorry wreck of a life on that. We'll get you, and you'll rot, but you can make on your terms, we're giving you that!" We're giving you that, damn it all! No, no, no that's not good enough for you. You skulk and you plot and you send two men you found in the sewers to come get the attorney, "Come bring him to me!" you say. "Come and bring him, because I can't face him in daylight, I slither on my belly and I know that I'm dirt and that's why I can't face my enemy unless he's bound to a chair and I can hold a gun to his head, because I'm not good enough to do otherwise, because I'm a damned coward and I've got no pride because-"
SALVATORE MARONI
And I think that's enough, Mr. Dent. I didn't know you were that passionate. Y'gotta lot of pride, don't you?
Dent refuses to look at Maroni. He looks off to the side, instead, and sees that they are surrounded by six thugs.
SALVATORE MARONI (CONT'D)
And that's important to you, i'n't it?
Maroni's voice jerks him back, and Dent nods, tight-lipped. Maroni heaves a sigh and stands up. He begins to rummage through the pockets of his coat.
SALVATORE MARONI (CONT'D)
Y'know I really didn't intend to do a lot of soul-searching today. Nah, I figured I'd rape a few puppies after I was done with you, maybe smoke a joint with my little nephews. After all, isn't that how people like me spend their free time? But I have to get something from you first, and after that you can go. Don't make that face at me, Harv. I like you. You got guts. That's why I want us to be friends, and we can't do that if you're trying to land me in the clinker.
HARVEY DENT
I'm not going along with you on anything, so you can just kill me now and leave my body for Gordon to find, or whatever you want. You're wasting my time and your time. You can even fit in an extra rape if you finish me now.
Maroni's located something in his coat, because his hands are still now.
SALVATORE MARONI
(chuckling)
See, but I knew we'd get to that, because I knew you wouldn't be afraid. Y'wouldn't be in a business like y'are if you were afraid of gettin' whacked. 'Sides you haven't even let me tell me what I want.
HARVEY DENT
(exasperated)
Because it's a waste of breath.
SALVATORE MARONI
(holding up a hand)
Hear me out. Now I know y'trying to connect me to the Joker, right? Thas' what I thought. He used to work for me, yeah. He's gone a lil' loopy though. So he don't work for me no more. So all you gotta do is drop that. I'm plainly in the right here. Y'can't even argue.
HARVEY DENT
The fact is that you have just admitted that you have a link to this criminal and are therefore indirectly responsible for too many armed robberies and murders for my office to cover in years. I'm not dropping it, and it doesn't matter, because you're going to kill me soon anyway.
SALVATORE MARONI
(softly)
That's where you're wrong, Harv.
Maroni pulls out a bottle from his coat pocket. It's a small spray bottle, like a little girl would use for perfume.
SALVATORE MARONI (CONT'D)
Y'don't know what this is. This isn't perfume. Not nice, no. It's acid. And it doesn't like skin, no. Ah, that's gettin' to ya, isn't it? You don't like the thought of me squirtin' this on you.
Maroni walks around to the back of Dent's chair where his hands are tied.
SALVATORE MARONI (CONT'D)
I wouldn't lie to ya, Harv. This is gonna hurt a lot.
Harvey yells out as Maroni sprays his hand, and an incredible, stinging pain shoots all the way up his arm. The hand turns ashy, sores spring up, and the fingers seem to grow shorter. Maroni walks back around and looks at Dent with a sad smile.
SALVATORE MARONI (CONT'D)
You can just promise me and you'll walk out of here with an interestin' battle scar.
HARVEY DENT
(panting)
Just kill me.
SALVATORE MARONI
(shaking his head)
Nah, this is worse for you, isn't it? I'll get what I want this way.
BATMAN
No you won't.
The room erupts into a chaos of gunfire and shouts as BATMAN swoops through a vent in the ceiling. Maroni draws a gun, but can only look on, stunned, in the dim light as an unthinkable spectre demolishes his thugs one after another. One shoots Batman in the chest, he is slammed to the floor. Another gets in a shot to the gut and promptly falls to the ground with a broken hand.
Batman turns and throws a neatly aimed batarang: Dent's bonds are cut, and he extricates himself from the chair. Maroni sees him and shoots, but misses horribly: the bullet dents the lamp and sends it swinging as Dent tackles Maroni to the ground. The gun goes flying across the room. They throw punches as Dent, incredibly, keeps talking.
HARVEY DENT
You have the right to remain silent!
Maronis belts Dent in the stomach, who falls to the side and kicks Maroni in the chest. He grunts in pain.
HARVEY DENT (CONT'D)
You have the right to an attorney-
Dent once more is on top of Maroni. He clips him in the jaw, and Maroni retaliates by twisting his legs and knocking Dent sprawling. Maroni scuttles to the side and picks up the spray bottle as Dent approaches, walking fast and still speaking.
HARVEY DENT (CONT'D)
If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you at interr-
Maroni stands and blasts Dent in the face with the spray.
Batman dispatches the last of the thugs as a hellish shriek comes from the other side of the room. He whips his head around and sees Harvey Dent, hunched over, still screaming as if his soul is being rent in two, his hands over his face, one hand withered and covered with sores, the other strong and healthy. Maroni is standing aside, massaging his jaw with a cruel look of satisfaction.
All of a sudden, before Batman can even approach them, Dent turns and absolutely TEARS into Maroni. We're talking nails, teeth, kicks, punches, everything. Before we know it, Maroni is bleeding from eight different places and his clothes are ripped as he lies on the ground and is being destroyed by something akin to a wild tiger in a suit.
HARVEY DENT (CONT'D)
AAOH MY GOD YOU ****ING BASTARD!!! YOU KILLED MY FACE, YOU SON OF A *****! I'LL KILL YOU, KILL YOU KILL YOU KILL YOU! YOU'LL DIE YOU *****! KILL YOU!
BATMAN
(shouting)
HARVEY!
Batman swoops in and pulls Dent off. It takes an unbelievable amount of effort and even then Dent continues to thrash, scrabbling uselessly at Batman, until finally he goes limp, sobbing, one hand over the ruined half of his face as Batman holds him to himself, tragedy in his eyes. They stand there for a while over the crumpled ragdoll that had once been Salvatore Maroni.
Harvey continues to sob.
t: Being a girl and all, I had to touch on Heath's good looks. Lol. He's going to KILL as the Joker. Reading the descriptions of the WW footage was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Batman Begins had me leaving the theater with chills and excitement. I can't wait for TDK. 
