003.

[velocette]

[LOCKED to WARDEN FILTER]

[He's thumbing through papers, frowning a little.]

Who's the best fighter on board?


[LOCKED to HARVEY DENT]

Hey. Guess we're hitched to the same wagon now.

Comments

[velocette]

Never heard it called that before. [Bad head, instead of tails.]

Library.

[halftheman]

[ He holds up the coin; first side, a clear Liberty head. Then he turns it. Scratched out, another head. ]

We un-rigged the game.

[ And then he flips. That comes up, and then goes down. ]

Came up clean.

You stoppin' there?

[velocette]

Clever.

[He says that earnestly, almost appreciatively. It's better than a standard coin, for the symbolism it could hold (and he loves his symbolism).]

Yeah, we'll stop there. If you end up needing some other kind of job we'll just go through the rest of the list.

--I forgot to tell you a couple things. [He pauses, smokes a few drags, thinking, trying to recall.]

I'm deaf. More than half the time, I'm deaf. You need to get in touch with me you can do it in person or send me a text message. Sometimes it happens when I'm talking.

[halftheman]

Deaf?

[ How does that-- how is he-- you are so strange, boy. ]

Right. That's hell of a selective hearing problem you got there.

[velocette]

So I've heard. [Get it? Get it?]

Did you read Art of War in law school?

[halftheman]

[ He snorts softly. ]

Yeah, I did.

[velocette]

You learn anything from it?

[halftheman]

I like to think so.

[velocette]

How 'bout Aristotle, Plato?

[halftheman]

Some. Why?

[velocette]

We'll see how they do when they're up against the real world.

[halftheman]

I can already tell you they don't.

[velocette]

[oh, he grins]

Then you're gonna surprise yourself, if you decide not to bullshit the jobs.

[halftheman]

If you say so, warden.

[velocette]

One more thing. Don't flip on this one till you get yours--we're going to have fish. Two. I have an idea, never got to see if it worked at home.

[halftheman]

Fish? What do you mean, fish?

[velocette]

They're just fish. Rumble fish. They kill each other if they're in the same tanks.

[Yeah he'd made up that phrase--rumble fish--so his dimwitted brother would understand why they were so profound for him...but the phrase kind of sticks, now.]

They're called Siamese Fighting Fish in the pet stores.

[halftheman]

And what the hell am I supposed to do with a fish? Had dogs. Never had fish.

[velocette]

What'd you do with the dogs?

[halftheman]

Two rottweilers; Romulus and Remus. Companions. Guards. Had to put 'em down. Got injured.

[velocette]

You just feed fish. They're easy.

[halftheman]

Sounds boring. Ornamental animals.

[velocette]

Most fish are. These are special.

[halftheman]

Why? Cause they'll kill each other? Any animal will if you kick it hard enough.

[velocette]

Yeah, I know, but you don't have to kick these. That's the point.

[He's practically giddy at the thought that maybe, maybe Two-Face or Harvey will get it, because right now he's pretty sure he's the only person alive (or dead) who does.]

Living does it to them. Just like with people.