Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Part 1: Family Ties
It distinctively felt as if he was back in juvie, as Terry threw the last punch to Nelson, who disrespectfully spat on him. ‘Enough!’ called the administrator, ‘Terry, pack your stuff and go!’
‘But he…’
‘Nope, I don’t want to hear it.’ Terry sighed while making his way to his belongings. To his side, Dana respectfully stood by, waiting patiently. She was a true ray of sunshine in his eyes, so it was troubling to be called out. It was a few moments past when he realised he was daydreaming.
‘McGinnis!’ She spoke.
‘Yes, sorry,' Terry blurted.
‘You still on for tomorrow night?’ She questioned appealingly, with Terry immediately responding with a nod and sly smile. They parted ways at the entrance of Hamilton High, and suddenly, it was just him.
A short cab from school had relieved Terry of a few distractions. Personally, flying on a railing across the city was more auspicious than looking up at giant buildings from below. The skyline had sat stretched across the horizon, giving Gotham its eerie looks, which it was known for. School had been the usual, there was Dana, a mindful distraction, Nelson, the class bully and a few others, which made the new year quite interesting, yet somewhat ambiguous. The cab pulled to a stop and slowly walked to his father’s house.
At the doorstep, Terry sighed, expecting to find his father nonchalantly waiting for him. To his surprise, his father was not home.
The door to his office remained ajar, which had him curious. Inside, the laptop had remained silent on the desk at a forty-five-degree angle. Terry, like an inquisitive student, found it unlocked to a file labelled as confidential. There was a small test tube that appeared in the preview. Terry had suddenly become concerned about what the file contained. What did it have to do with his father?
As he slowly moved the cursor up, ‘Terry!’ His father, shocked and dismayed, stood wearily at the doorstep. He made a quick note of Terry’s confound, snatching the computer off the desk.
‘What was that file?’
‘It’s of no concern to you Terry.’
‘Well, that seemed to be out of your job, what was the…’
‘Just go to your room, you're grounded, remember?’ His father exclaimed.
‘Don’t remind me!’ Terry shouted, slamming his fist against the wall.
‘That’s your problem right there, you can’t control your temper, and you better if you expect to get anywhere in life.’
‘Yeah, I’ll be a big success just like you.’ Terry knew he had hit a soft spot when his father looked down in silence. ‘I’m bailing,' and with that, he was back out the front door, only hearing a slight distortion in his name when his father finally gave up.
It was late when Terry arrived to go clubbing with Dana, who relished his appearance. The night was well spent as Terry enjoyed the company of his friends rather than being in the presence of his father.

Part 2: Where is Batman?
Flashing to Wayne manor, Bruce sat impassively in his chair, twenty years after leaving the light of the Batman. In the public eye, he was a myth, a legacy discontinued by fearless stories of fortune. One who had put himself in the face of danger, striking fear in his enemies. Though in the decades of absence of the vigilante, the ending was being forgotten in the eyes of the public.
Underneath the manor had laid the infamous Batcave, which was yet to be revealed. The display of Batman’s nefarious rogue’s gallery and transportation couldn't be missed. The T-rex, one of his first models, dated back to his early years fighting titan robotic reptiles. A giant penny, in memory of Penny Plunderer, a sly villain who unsurprisingly pursued crimes with a theme of pennies. The Giant Joker Card was no sight to miss that recognised the rivalry between Batman and the Joker. Many of the villains’ apparel was hung in a glass cover signifying Batman of his successes and now Bruce's only reminder of the unthinkable life he endured.
Some of the adventures of Batman alone were unhinged, to the extent of psychotic criminals and damaged family tales. Jason Todd was a painful reminder of the ramifications taken by not taking the job seriously. Robin had underestimated the risks of confronting the Joker in the amusement park, which had him killed. Dick had been critically shot, putting him out of commission for the years following due to his mistakes. These stories could effectuate a pang of unnecessary guilt to the burden of Bruce’s alternate life.
The likelihood of Batman’s return was as thin as ice, though Bruce had not thought about burdening the cape and cowl again, even if it meant leaving behind Gotham City. Not just because he was old but because having a petty criminal at gunpoint stood against all the values he believed in, making Batman no better than the criminals he thwarted.
The evolution of the Batman suit had aged well and adapted to modern technology. The latest had been a specially crafted exoskeleton of electric circuitry to help with Bruce’s dexterity in his older age. It was equipped with the ground-breaking technology of rocket boots, allowing him to fly short distances, the sixth sense to eavesdrop through thick walls and a cloaking device to temporarily hide in the shadows. As well as ideally being malleable such as regular clothing, it was useful for changing under … tough circumstances. These were a few upgrades to the standard bat suit, which had stood locked away among other valiant crusaders for decades now. Any mechanism which Bruce had created himself, would have been supremely useful for crime-fighting in his generation. In thinking of the past, Bruce had feelings of despondence not being Gotham’s lone Dark Knight.

Meanwhile, Terry was walking back from the club when he suddenly spotted a crime scene surrounding his father’s apartment. He immediately rushed through the door to find the walls covered in Jokerz graffiti as his anxiety grew worse. ‘Oh no’, nearing the end of the staircase, Terry ran between two forensics and up to his mother, who tried comforting him.
‘Mum, what happened?’
'A robbery… the police say it was the Jokerz, they surprised your father.'
She explained disturbingly.
‘Where is he, where’s dad?’ Terry asked pessimistically.
‘Honey, I….’ She didn’t finish her sentence she didn’t finish, what did that mean?
Terry started towards the door; he couldn’t bear to confront the truth, how would he accept an argument as their last words? How could he bail on his dad, leave him unprotected, vulnerable to the people who did this to him? Terry knew that if he had stayed grounded and listened to his father, there was a possibility he, they, could have fought off the gang.
How would Terry move forward with his life, knowing he was subject to his father’s death?
None of this mattered, pushing past two officers guarding the door to his apartment, which he will never walk back in the same.

Part 3: Derek Powers
Bruce Wayne passed down his family business to Derek Powers, hence the name, Wayne-Powers. Powers didn't have any sinister intentions through cynicism, but clearly, the company had denied the values which Bruce had initiated it to follow.
Currently, it claims to be working on a revolutionary product, giving the average person a unique ability entitled to their personality or dream.
It had been under due process for a few years at best, which gave the public a topic for discussion for past years. However, Bruce seemed to resent his company’s motives, as they seemed to be advertising a false product. The likelihood of Wayne-powers developing a substance more sophisticated than something made with the combined experience of Batman was implausible. Ironically, Derek Powers sat in his office, awaiting an update on whether he had just made history or just ruined his reputation. Alongside this, Powers already had two-fold problems on his hand, one involving the shocking death of an employee who knew too much.

Terry had been contemplating his father’s death for a few hours in his room. There was nothing he could do to alleviate the pain. Thinking back to what his father had been studying before their final moments, Terry opened his laptop to enter his password and found the file already open. The room was dim, though the only brightness emitted from his laptop showcased a chemical that seemed abstruse yet ominous. The file showed it was mixed elements with uranium and actinium, both radioactive substances. But this had been overshadowed by the prevailing elements that were seemingly propitious, a biochemical.
Terry’s hand formed a fist in the dark while also taking notice of the company CEO, Powers and formerly Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne…
Terry’s thoughts had discombobulated for a second, it took a minute to recognise him. He remembered his image as a billionaire playboy with a mansion outside of Gotham City. Images of Wayne had dated back fifty years, with him and his charming looks, taking his place as the predecessor of Wayne-Powers. Diving deeper into retrospect, Bruce Wayne hadn’t made any significant contributions to his own company. Peculiar as it was, there seemed to be a possibility that Wayne would have answers to whatever his father discovered.

Part 4: Batman Beyond - Origins
Terry made his way towards Wayne Manor cautiously, taking notice of how disorganised the road climbing up the hill had looked. The trees had curved inward to the track, and the pathway was covered in a heap of leaves. Terry had kept his thoughts to himself, wondering how this man had lived for the past decade. It was almost as if no cars had driven along this road, despite the generation evolving to have them flying. Though he inferred Wayne didn't have visitors often, if not at all, maybe it would have been better to email rather than face his newly formed conjectures.
About to backtrack his steps to prepare for a vault, Terry was marvelled by the silhouette atop the hill. It was everything he had expected for such a residence, only housing one person. Something about the way the manor reflected against the moonlight sent a sinister vibe toward Terry. A grim light made out from afar that indicated someone was home.
Terry glared at a pile of branches that had conveniently fallen in place of a wall surrounding the area. He walked a few steps back, then dashed up and over with an arduous effort. It seemed rather deceiving to vault over the wall without breaking a rib or two. Finding himself on the walkway, which seemed more like a travesty of a red carpet, Terry started his way to the manor above.
The closer the manor approached, the more vivid it had become. Terry had taken time to notice its intricate detail while also striking an ominous feel to its visitors. Its build would have given workers a complacent attraction to its fastidious exterior. It also became unreasonably cold, which could be explained by climatologists but still felt unprecedented.
Inexplicable to reason, the rain had been more deterring than helpful walking up such a steep hill. Luckily, Terry finally reached the doorstep. He asked to ring the doorbell, though hadn't been given a response. He knocked a second round which proved successful, having the door unlocked. Terry’s first impression was appalled to see how neat the manor had been treated almost as if Wayne had a personal butler who tidied the place 24/7. Nevertheless, it still possessed its gloomy vibe from the exterior, which was no surprise. Terry wondered whether the old man still resided in his home since most furniture was covered. He certainly had a conscience for books scrolling by the bookshelves which lay soundly on the wall and around the house. The windows were left slightly ajar, that was the only light provided for the room.
‘Mr Wayne……?’ He called out vociferously.
The manor hadn’t given a sound since he arrived, something told him it would continue to stay that way.
Sighing in defeat, Terry turned to face the door he entered from. The storm outside seemed to culminate with heavy rain gushing down the eave. Almost as if it had locked him inside, which gave Terry another chance to snoop around.
Entering through another doorway, Terry found himself clutching at his ears from a sudden noise. It wasn’t deafening, though it allowed him to find a Bat, locked in an old wooden clock with a pendulum.
‘A bat?’ He questioned, with good reason. Why would a bat be pestering around in a clock? ‘I’ll get you outa there, just don’t bite me.’
He opened the case to touch the rim of the clock face, latching onto a trigger of some sort. Terry gasped back as he watched the old clock self move to the left as a doorway to a passage downstairs had been revealed. He gave a startled glare walking down the staircase to an intimidating cave, which blew down to complete darkness. The air felt most unwelcoming that being even colder than it was outside. Fortunately, he found a latch and pulled it down to expect light.
The cave suddenly revealed its secret as dropping lights shone over peculiar vehicles. At least nothing that Terry had seen in his lifetime. A faint light had lit what seemed like a mini theatre screen overlooking a touch keyboard or just a giant computer that seemed out of date. Terry wandered down the steps to find a collection of slightly torn suits. The first greeted him with a bright scarlet-lit bat symbol. He remained fixed on the suit though his prying eyes had caught him looking at the other bat suits that were displayed ostentatiously. Terry had taken a few moments to comprehend that he had discovered the bat cave. Quite a revelation, considering what he initially came looking for.
He ran through the list of heroes he was already aware of at the time. Batgirl, Robin… Who was this? A neon bluish bird had been the bat symbol for another spandex costume. He shrugged it off, only mere sightings of the bat family had been caught on camera, running around Gotham City. More so the sidekicks than the big bat himself. They were limited, albeit enough to set the myth of Batman. Speaking of, he came across the last reserved spot in the row; the batman suit had spoken for itself, starting the legend way back to his first appearance where the cops had surrounded a masked vigilante in a warehouse. He foreseeably used sonar to advantage bats as his escape route, which no one had coming. There were a few close calls that only had detectives troubled when Batman had never been caught.
Lost in his thoughts, Terry suddenly established the link between Bruce Wayne and Batman. 'It was no telling that Batman lives in Bruce Wayne’s basement, or Bruce Wayne living in Batman’s attic.' Or they could simply be the same person, and Bruce aged well enough to discontinue being Batman. Either way, his newfound discovery had him indubitable on Wayne’s knowledge of Wayne-Powers. As if Batman wouldn’t be concerned about how his company was mistreated…
Suddenly, Terry realised he ventured into the wrong place, but possibly at the right time. Gripping the batman of the future vibes suit, he wondered whether it would be versatile to fit someone like him. A tentative idea formed in mind, but it was a long shot to borrow the suit to sneak into Wayne-Powers. It would be with good reason to figure out what Derek Powers had planned and what his father uncovered. While he reckoned Bruce Wayne would not liaise with the idea, Terry figured it would seem plausible in future events.

Part 5: Foxteca
Bruce looked around the walls of his old company, Wayne Enterprises. It stood tall as one of the better-developed and thriving industries of Gotham. Bruce still had control over the board and half of the company shareholdings. Wayne Powers had inevitably changed with a more advanced system when Bruce had been in command. It was 2040 after all; flying cars, skyline cabs and high-rise buildings were just the beginning of what the future stands to offer.
The elevator opened to Power's office. Derek stood there surprised but with a grin on his sly face, walking out to extend his hand.
‘Come in Bruce, what a pleasant surprise! How’ve you been holding up?’
‘With a cane.’ Powers forced a laugh walking alongside him to his desk.
‘I must say, it’s so nice to see you taking an interest after all these years. 'We’re lucky to have you as a resource.’
‘I just came to say this. Keep your hands off foxteca.’ A company that Bruce had grown rather fond of over the years. Especially; since the founder had been… helpful with his alternate life. ‘I might not have the leverage on paper, but I still have friends.'
‘Bruce, let me put your concerns to rest, I’d never do such a thing. Why Lucius Jr was still vice president when I took over.’ Powers had started to lead him out of the office, with Bruce worrying he didn’t receive his threat. ‘I know, you fired him.’
Powers didn’t speak any further down the elevator. As of coincidence, Bruce had never needed to step out of the mansion, though this situation had required it. While he was older now, he wanted to ensure his company would flourish under an assured head of directors.
Exiting the building, Bruce suddenly spotted a figure too familiar not to recognise. In the dawn of night, he saw the distinct outline of batman flying across the night. Bruce felt a sudden burst of anger forming inside, rushing into his extravagant ride. Unlocking the screen of the driver compartment revealed the feed of the suit lenses. Never had he been so furious about someone else reprising the role of Batman. He was batman! Bruce Wayne was Batman! Clenching his fist, he identified the Wayne-Powers logo from the suit’s transmission.

...

The controls had taken time to grasp, but falling off the roof atop Wayne Manor, it transpired like magic. The flying occurred upon self-activation when falling, though the steering was directed by the wings matching the colour of the bat symbol. Terry imagined that the suit would look visually appealing from below, with the contrast of dark-themed tones. It felt surreal to see Gotham from a different perspective above than being a pedestrian from below.
The suit had adjusted to his build but held a little weight around the waist. The utility belt was embedded within the suit, which had some gadgets clustered together.
Terry was straying too close to a building to move around when he suddenly realised he was about to crash. The wings didn’t help, so if he couldn’t move left or right, then up it was! Head movement had steered him this motion, though a slight jerk in the left leg activated another ability. With an acceleration at his feet, he was moving swiftly through the air, almost cutting it. He was awed to find that the suit had rocket boots when landing gracefully on a building opposite to Wayne-Powers.
A voice started speaking in his head, or the mask comms.
‘Who is this!’
‘Uhhhh….. hello?
‘You have something that belongs to me!’
‘Mr. Wayne?’
‘Yes, now return it immediately!’
‘Kinda in the middle of a heist right now, maybe later…’ Terry improvised something to avert his attention. But… It didn’t pay off, he was batman, of course, it wouldn’t.
‘I can see you on the rooftop of queen industries. If you don’t hand it over, I’ll just take it myself.’
‘Sorry, don’t see you doing that now, but promise I’ll return it, just need to find… Aggghhhh.’
Terry was flying abroad when the system suddenly crashed, and nothing was working, it was completely rigid. The fall from a height this extreme from city skyscrapers surely would be fatal. Free-falling through the air, he screamed at the top of his lungs only to be relieved when a parachute dropped.
The glide down was gentle enough, though Terry knew Wayne had prepared for a moment as such. All he could do was watch out the lenses as he slowly fell into the back opening of a car waiting below.

Part 6: First Flight
Moving against the arm wrists had achieved nothing, not to mention being tied down on all limbs. Terry awoke amid the silence watching Bruce Wayne himself eye him down with an intimidating canine resting at his side. He felt circumscribed within the chains against a tilted lift. He had the kind of feeling like a prisoner trapped inside an insane asylum. Terry wondered whether any of the equipment used to restrain himself was related to the Arkham asylum incident a couple of years back. This was recorded as the only interaction Batman had with the police to defeat an insane criminal, the Joker. Somehow, he trapped Batman within the walls of the asylum itself and followed a cruel charade of shenanigans, which was stopped within a night. There were indications that Hugo Strange, Ra’s al Ghul, Black Mask, Deathstroke and briefly, the Arkham Knight had been thwarted by Batman throughout the years.
Despite the references, Bruce Wayne had sat wordlessly in front of him with a way too menacing glare. It was an awkward five minutes before Terry started the conversation out of concern that he would never be released. He, of course, had a curfew to adhere to out-of-school hours. '...So, I’m guessing you’re not gonna let me go?’
Bruce looked up, then back down, to walk out of his chair to the oversized computer on the side. ‘Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t turn you over to the GCPD for larceny.’
‘Well, first, they would demand to know what was stolen, and I’m guessing you have no leverage in the police force.’
‘You would think so…’
‘Well, second, I have to go back and stop the lethal dispersion of a biochemical produced by your company.’
‘What biochemical?’
‘You didn’t know? Well, that would have been an unfortunate dead end... That just gives me more reason to go back out there!’ Bruce didn’t respond.
‘Listen, the guy who murdered my dad will be accompanying them, and this is my one chance to nail him.’ This time, Bruce seemed to take it deep and reflect for another minute, which Terry rolled his eyes at, though understood knowing how his parents were killed. Especially his parents, shot in front of an eight-year-old Bruce, which probably provoked feelings toward becoming Batman.
The chains of Terry’s wrists became uncuffed, as he grinned freeing himself. ‘So, how did you speak to me?’
‘Through the radio receiver in your cowl, try to avoid being hit there.’
‘Right, so since I’m batman, I can take the batmobile?’
‘No,’ Bruce answered.
Terry gave out a small chuckle as he donned the Batman suit once again. When out of action, the suit revealed its electric circuitry, which faded as adjusted to the holder. Terry admired this feature, which made the suit satisfying. ‘This time, go out the exit,’ Bruce pointed towards a cave that seemed to be an endless tunnel of gloominess.
‘Uh, sure…’ Terry trailed off, flying blind into the tunnel, which opened to an alleyway directed into the city. Wow… faster than the way he came, as he approached a windowsill of the Wayne-Powers building. It was technically his enterprise in past years.
‘I’ll be here to guide you, only if you need it.’
‘Thanks, but I think I got the hang of this.’ He leaned against the window for balance to hear a conversation between Powers and Fixx through his fingertips. Yet another ability the suit showed off having Terry impressed.
‘Any word on the kid?’
‘Not yet, but they're looking into it. They still believe that the boy had no affair with McGinnis’ finding.’
‘I don’t have to tell you how important this is to Wayne Powers. It will open a new technology and opportunity for business. So, I don’t need it spoiled by that worthless punk.’
‘I took care of his old man; he will be no exception.’ Mr Fixx had spoken, clear as day. Terry lifted his finger off the window, it wasn’t the jokerz, they had nothing to do with the attack. Powers had been involved, and Mr Fixx was the culprit, he killed his father. Terry would have slain him if he had been within closer proximity. He will face justice after all this ends.
‘A little early for Halloween,’ an officer spoke on the same ledge, with a couple behind. Terry glanced, ‘But just in time for fall,’ as he let himself drop off the ledge averting the lasers and flying into the building entrance below. The alarms sounded and the exit suddenly sealed off, trapping him inside. Terry ran underneath a garage’s open door, to hide behind a shipping containment. Just a few metres from him, a confused Derek Powers was being escorted to the containment tube, informed that ‘the Batman’ was interfering. The floor plan of Wayne-powers seemed complex enough, but he could think of a man who may know it by heart.
‘Wayne, still with me?’
‘Yes, I’ve tracked Powers to the central processing unit that can be found in the janitor’s closet, the northwest side of the room.’
‘Nice,’ he located the door successfully, parkouring over a few containers and reaching the door. Entering inside, he heard the shout of the security spotting him from afar, raiding the room. ‘Push hard against the opposite wall.’ Terry did as instructed, leaning a block of wood against the entry, and moving around the wall as security rammed the door. He silently flew up to a vantage point and found the biological weapon processed in a large tube with at least a dozen officers surrounding it.
He was Batman now, so he had to come up with a tactical strategy to take them out. Hiding in the shadows was one thing while beating the crap out of Powers was another. Using his night vision to observe closely, he considered a plan, though was distraught seeing the bioweapon suddenly spike in its readings. Too late, he went with the old trick in the book, gliding headfirst into battle. First, Terry blinded the lights by throwing a Batarang from the pockets of his wrist, then used hand discs to cut the power cables. A few shots missed, though what’s a misfire when you’re out saving the city? The room was temporarily blinded as Terry made his move by powering into an officer with his rocket boots. It stunned a few around, who were struggling to see in the darkness. As a bonus, Terry dropped smoke pellets while taking down the security team round to Powers and Fixx. Some were caught in the chaos of the moment, firing at random objects, which took down some men. Powers luckily found cover and avoided being caught in the crossfire. Batman similarly stayed down low, successfully making his way through the security and taking advantage of his neuromuscular amplification. He could feel the power of the suit surging through his veins as he took down the final guard. Through his lenses, Terry felt rage consume him seeing Fixx boarding a small plane transport. Just as he was about to pursue him, he heard Wayne through the radio receiver. ‘Remember Terry, don’t let your hatred deter you from the target, destroy the bioweapon!’ He listened, though Terry needed to stop for a moment. Batman stood as a symbol of justice while criminals ran rampant; he would be there to thwart them, not take revenge. The lights abruptly switched on, revealing Batman in the building. The remaining security fired instantly, which caught Terry off guard as he bullet dodged, transitioning from a backflip into an unpredictable glide. He flew erratically, watching the remaining guards and CEO fleeing to the transport. In mid-flight, he threw a bolas directly at Powers which caught him by surprise. He flew past the tube of the bioweapon and sprayed explosive gel on its surface so that he could destroy it later at a safe distance. In doing so, he was suddenly shot by a guard bringing him down, though the suit’s durability survived. Noticing the transport plane about to take off, he threw another Batarang to its wing, which was coloured blue, not the traditional red. He swung around the officer, who took him down, to jump off his back into another flight towards the transport. Terry felt a slight pain in his waist, hitting the wing of the plane. He flipped in, wondering who else was left in the plane. In his thoughts, Terry was caught off guard by Mr Fixx, who threw a punch his way. Ignoring the pain, he leapt up to grab his shoulders and intended to hurl him off the plane, though failed as he was caught. Hands seized, the plane suddenly took off, accidentally making Terry falter and activate an ability. A wrist laser suddenly flew out the top of his wrist and happened to touch the explosive gel. It exploded.
Terry’s eyes opened wide as the containment spread to everyone within proximity. Powers, the inmates and experimental subjects held by Wayne-Powers, would all be affected…
He watched as the green cloud of the dispersant device fogged the room where he would soon be affected. Turning back, Batman received a punch from Fixx, falling off the plane that was already airborne. Free-falling through the air, he noticed the cloud had already infected everyone in the building, though Terry brought out his wings as flying back up to the plane was the priority. His heart was pounding reaching for it. He fired a grappling hook, which he struggled to cling on. ‘Use your retractable claws,’ Wayne spoke through the receiver as Batman handled his grip, making his way inside the plane. The silence was broken by his breathing walking to the cockpit...
Bam! He was pinned down by Fixx on the controls panel, as he tightened his grip. ‘You're pretty strong, for some clown who thinks he’s Batman.’
‘I am Batman!’ Terry released himself throwing a freeze grenade that held him in place. Looking around, he found the distinguished blue Batarang locked in the wall, with a detonator shown on the lenses. Batman threw an explosive Batarang at Fixx, just for revenge, which combusted upon impact. Shocking him into bewilderment, Terry detonated the blue Batarang from his mask as he flew out of the plane with an epic explosion.

...

Batman was out of sight, circling the building from a reasonable distance above, contemplating the decisions he made. Terry wondered to himself, was he about to score for a new rogue of villains to face? The police arrived on the scene, with the gas contained. Though he could think of all the experimental subjects Wayne-Powers kept confined in the building, at least most of them would have inhaled the biochemical. The streets surrounding Wayne-Powers had been crowded, with people eager to have a glimpse of the ‘accidental security breach’. It still had been populous as he left the crime, hiding within the shadows and flying back to his mother’s apartment. While returning the batsuit was important, he was in dire need of some sleep.

Part 7: Aftermath
The morning still had Terry stuck in bed, still in the thought of last night’s events. There were a few different scenarios that could have averted the potential danger. But Terry had taken the worst possible route and dispersed a chemical agent which would have affected many in the building.
Apart from that mishmash, he'd think that being batman was pretty cool. He also succeeded in stopping his father’s killer which was a win. Wayne would hopefully forgive him when he returns the suit later in the day.
‘Terry… quick get dressed, we have company!’ Terry quickly blew the covers of his bed to hide the beyond suit lying underneath.
‘Company?’
‘Mr Bruce Wayne, he’s here to see you.’ Well, that was another stroke of unfortunate luck; was he about to be outed to his family? Or probably to take back the suit for safekeeping. Either way, Terry walked out of his room to find Mr Wayne on his couch.
‘I hope you don’t mind the milk, we ran out of cream.’
‘I prefer it. Terrence, sorry to get you up so early.’ Terry shrugged, walking up to him.
‘It’s okay.’
‘You never told me you knew Bruce Wayne.’ Terry’s mother spoke.
‘Well, umm actually…’
‘Terry had helped me with running an errand in the city, I tried to reward him, but he simply refused.’ Bruce didn’t lie, though showed he appreciated his work last night.
‘Mr Wayne wants to offer you a job.’
‘A job?’
‘It’s not much mind you, I find that in my old age I could use a part-time assistant, an ally as it were. Would you be interested?’
‘Of course, wouldn’t you honey,’ his mother insisted.
‘Sure.’
‘I warn you I could be a difficult taskmaster; I accept nothing short of excellence from all who work for me.’
‘I think I can handle it.’
‘Very good, Mr McGinnis. Welcome to my world.’
Terry and Bruce Wayne shook hands with the dawn of a new generation, comes a new adaptation with Batman of the Future.

Chapter Text

Part 1: Horror Fantasies
The couple woke up to the superstitions of apparitions roaming around their luxurious flat. The incident occurring in Wayne-Powers set a range of superpowered entities on the loose in Gotham. So just about anything was possible in the city, and no one was completely safe. Surely, increasing the number of guards or security cameras might make a difference. But they wouldn't stand a chance against the phenomenon that is a metahuman.
The second night after the incident also marked the return of the vicious vigilante known as Batman. The media immediately gave thoughts to his reappearance, especially with the topic debatable on two sides. Some believe he's the only solution to what was happening in the city, while others opinion it will only cause more trouble within the GCPD and give incentive for ordinary people to fight crime. Whatever may be true, the couple was no doubt scared about the concerning sounds made downstairs at 1 am.
The silence allowed them to hear unsettling noises knocking down a few vases below. It was clear that the thief had somehow made it through their costly appliance of security and that they were searching for expensive valuables hidden in plain sight. Out of many robberies, this one was particularly noted by an amateur, but gold star for the weird noises though.
The husband had already stepped out of bed and exited the room, with the wife fearful under the bedsheets. He cautiously made his way, avoiding creaking floor tiles to flip the light switch in the hall. Abruptly turning on, the brightness blinded him until his eyes adjusted. Wrapped in a robe, he slowly walked to a private compartment around the side of the bedroom and past the staircase. Aware of his surroundings, he reached silence as coming to the safe. Still nervous, he promptly used the touchpad to enter a series of finger patterns that unlocked the safe. Inside, held an abundant supply of cash followed by some equipment prepared in advance for situations as such. Hastily, he managed to grab hold of smart glasses, which were designed to see through solid walls and perform some other productive tasks.
The glasses viewed through solid walls in his line of sight. He saw his wife a few metres away and some other uninteresting content. Looking downstairs from his safe, he spotted a sight way too subtle to describe. Zooming in, he found some sort of ooze lying on the ceiling of the living room. It was alive, appearing from thermal imaging, within its form and stayed still for a couple of minutes. He was breathing heavily as the substance suddenly started to change. From the flat surface it had been stuck to, it contracted into an ellipsoid or some shape you would make in Fusion 360. It dropped off the ceiling and continued to snoop around the area, taking all sorts of forms, extending, breaking, expanding and even splitting around furniture that was heard from upstairs. He was visually stunned, though in the type of horror movie element. Even more shaken when it started to make its way up the staircase. It smoothly stood up the railing and gradually made its way to the top of the staircase. Adversely, the husband was too afraid to look around the corner bend as the figure may spot him peeking. He panicked as the substance started setting a human figure. From the posture, it was a petite woman making her way to their bedroom.
Suddenly, the husband became anxious as she walked sleekly to the doorway and found it open. His wife hadn’t seen her, though a rage consumed him as he started towards the bedroom. Leaving the safe open by accident, he removed the glasses coming to the room entry finding the petite woman.
Huh, the husband only made out a few shades of blue as hearing a scream. He went to tackle the women passing by the lights and entering the shady bedroom. He leaned low though was met with another distortion of sounds as he seemingly charged into nothing, crashing into the side of the bedroom. The noises faded as he wore the smart glasses again. Looking directly from the entry, he found the woman, variated into her original form with a bag, taking loot from the compartment he left unlocked. Within seconds, the mysterious entity travelled back in yet another form. It entered the room and swiftly revealed its true colours in front of them. Breaking into horror, the couple fought against tentacles infused with extreme strength and daunting speed. Their last scene was met with a white oval face tightening its grip around their neck.

Part 2: Detective Work
Terry finished off the training dummy with a sidekick at the head. The Batcave had been a second home by his standards, even if it hadn’t been in use for years. Bruce was always at the bat computer, touching upon recent events, while Terry would be in school, partying or spending time with his family. Speaking of, Terry hadn’t visited his mum or seen his brother Matt. Whether they were mourning dad or recuperating from last night’s events, he should still check in. ‘Alright, I’m out.’
‘Wait, I wanted to give this to you.’ Terry was intrigued, looking at a book of names that was irrelevant.
‘What is it? I have a due appointment to meet with friends later.’
‘Well, remember how the chemical spread into the facility yesterday?’ Terry recalled the moment quite vividly, as he was the cause of its blowout. Was Bruce going to address him as a primary suspect? ‘A group of all the people who were supposedly exposed is on the list. Find them, and you should be able to neutralise most threats in the city. I’ve also extended it to nearby residents who could have been within the radius.’
‘That’s rather an extensive list, but I’ll manage.’
‘Don’t walk it off, you’ll need to look into every person if you want to save this city. After all, you are batman.’ Raising an eyebrow, Terry’s sighing intensified.
‘Well, it sucks that you expect me to stay up during mid-hours just for a hunch.'
Almost estranged, Bruce glared at Terry the same way he had him in chains, which brought him back to reality. ‘Uh, well sure.’ It was practically a death threat to receive a glare (bat-glare) from Bruce Wayne, which reminded Terry of his role as Batman. Right now, Terry felt it was a burden for Gotham to reprise hope in these dark times. That also would be accompanied by how much more freedom he had to scour the city of ongoing dread. Apprehensive to what it may throw at him but driven by the thrill of flying across skyscrapers and beating criminals.
On the way back to his mother’s apartment, he came across a crime scene of a homicide with police already on the scene. One, particularly, of a rich couple, with stolen goods, snatched from every inch of their household. There was a possibility it could be related to the list Wayne handed him. In an alleyway, he revealed the bat suit in his bag. He quickly fitted it on to fly up the side of the building to the level of the flat. Clinging to the underside of the building, he twisted the circular function on his utility belt that was his cloaking device. Virtually invisible, he climbed inside the house, avoiding the detection of any lurking forensics. The cloaking device was one of his all-time favourite findings in the suit so far, which Wayne had taught on his first day. That was probably for avoiding fights since he wasn't much of a martial artist.
The crime scene wasn’t crowded, though Terry found an edge to peer at the details. Switching his mask lenses to the forensic deep scan mode. He found the bodies covered in a sheet, which wasn’t hard to pass. The lenses adjusted to body tissue and muscular layers, which may have revealed the cause of death. ‘Hey, Mr Wayne, you there?’
‘I’m listening.’
‘Could you help me out?’
‘Well, what happened?’
‘Apparently, some unknown entity broke in and stole all their jewellery. It kind of fits the description for ‘dangerous metahuman on the loose’.
‘Bring up the feed through your lenses.’
‘Umm, any button I press?’
‘Swipe up the side of your mask.’ Terry did as said, which immediately sent it to the Batcave.
‘Woah,’ this suit was full of surprises.
‘The telemetry shows they were asphyxiated but was impromptu considering the marks on their neck.’
‘Umm… English?’ Terry understood he had so much more to learn, especially with all the convoluted word choices.
‘The body was strangled. But it was the work of an amateur.’
‘Oh… nice.’
‘…’
‘I mean bad! Very bad…’
‘So, check around the crime scene, they’re likely to have dropped a sample.’
‘Right.’ Terry was self-conscious around the officers, cautious against inadvertently making notice of his presence. He climbed the walls downstairs, still cloaked, with a peculiar feeling passing the forensics team. They didn’t seem to be doing much forensic science, more eying their surroundings. As if it was show and tell at school, but no one was showing, just watching everything else. But through the lenses, Batman found something abnormal on the ground, surprised no one had collected it. On the ceiling, he isolated the compound into different samples. Sodium Borate combined with an unknown mutagen and water. The substance was completely liquified, though felt solid in hand. Essentially, a result of the bioweapon. This covered what Terry arrived for, now he just needed to avert the police.
As time passed, Terry found himself surrounded by many more officers that had arrived on the scene. He collected the sample in his utility belt and started his way back.
From the corner of his eye, he saw a movement sensor in the entry hallway. F***
He gave out a soft sigh watching the drone fly inside. It scanned the house perimeter, which made Terry second-guess his exit. Great, he was barred out the way he entered, so now the back entrance. Moving forward down the hallway, he felt sweat run down his forehead. Never in juvie had it felt high stakes, almost a life or death type situation. The forensic team had left the chat, with the police force entering through the elevator, armed with bulletproof vests. Damn, Terry realised they were expecting his arrival; were they this intent on catching Batman? Had they failed so badly in capturing him decades ago to have him a priority now?
He was still inside the house and needed to make a move. Waiting near the outside entrance to the alfresco, Batman sprayed some explosive gel atop the door frame that may be useful if he ever gets in a tight spot later. When the time proved successful, he flipped around the door frame to creak the greenhouse with his claws. Suddenly one officer fired, though missed as he glided down safely. Terry found an exit, but it was blocked by at least half a dozen men. Though now he was on the ground.
Terry had pondered in flight if the suit ever ran out of battery, which he never asked. Though to endure cloaked in perspiration for almost half an hour would have affected it, right? His conscience told him not to worry about it, especially in his dilemma. Suddenly, a detective decided to make it a problem by shooting him from inside the house. It caught him off guard being hurled into the wall and glitching it. He saw the detective briefly, dressed differently from the rest, but was cognisant of Batman's cloaking device.
That was before he spontaneously exploded the frame on itself, diverting the guards' attention. In the confound, Batman rocketed into an officer. Avoiding gunfire, he crashed past a few in the crossfire. In about a split second, Batman left the crime scene with some major repairs required to the beyond suit.

Part 3: Who is Inque?
Derek Powers sat weariedly in his office from the failure of his latest project. While he had high hopes for achieving a new extraordinary step revolution-wise, there had been some downsides. Downsides that were not thoroughly fixated to eschew. In its finished product, it was dangerous, though intended to form with another agent to be stabilised. In retrospect, it was still achievable, with small amounts recovered from the debris. Only one man could be held responsible for this. He felt this sudden motivation through revenge on Batman for wrecking the entire plan. This was not the end.
While exiting the room, a black slime substance entered through the window slides in a potent form. With pieces collected, the slime formed a distinguishing figure who sat on the desk. Surprised, Powers scrutinised the person who frayed a skin-tight garb revealing her collarbone. Her skin tone was defined, without a shadow of a doubt, a darkish indigo blue. Without the human features, Powers wouldn’t have recognised her nonetheless as the woman he had now taken for granted. ‘Inque… Nice to see you again.’
She peered down at him, taking that the bottom half of her expanded across the room to block off any exit. It slowly closed in to convey the memo. There was a grudge she had settled to deal with now.
‘Hi Derek, you have someone who belongs with me!’
‘Yes, I know, after all… I took her from you.’ This startled Inque, assuming she was the one in control.
‘You don’t seem to understand what’s going on. I did what you asked for.’ She threw a bag of precious jewellery items on the floor beside him. ‘Now tell me where my daughter is!’
‘Now now, Inque, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I appreciate the jewels, though I still have one more price for you to pay...’
‘No! I’ve had enough of being your personal mercenary, even before I became… this.’ She made a gesture pointing out her new-fangled ability. ‘Let me cut to the chase… I’ve worked tirelessly to uphold my end of the bargain, now it’s your turn.’ Sick of waiting, she applied her shape-shifting abilities to fold in on Powers, who made his move.
‘Wait! Remember… I’m the only person who knows where your daughter is kept, and I think you're smart enough to figure the rest for yourself.’ He explained indifferently, where Inque had slowly repealed her ability.
‘You may have control over my daughter, but once I find her… I will come back.’ He grinned, speaking once again just as she made her exit.
‘Yes, I’m sure you will, though you might want to hurry on those valuables. Her life depends on it.’ Swiftly, Inque turned around in confusion, threatening Powers with a shape-shifted sword at his neck.
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Well, there has been a certain… uprise, and she has become very sick, maybe even critical soon. If you want to save her, I suggest the financial district in the heart of the city, best cashflow for ransacking.’
‘Arghhhh,’ Inque screamed, disembodying while leaving the room cursorily with a streamlined shape to save time. She had felt forlorn the past few months, working fully and only for Powers to see her daughter again. In light of recent events, she contemplated their previous life, savouring the heartfelt moments. That was all she could compose, heading her way to the Gotham financial district.
Patently, foreseeing her exit, Powers fell to the floor while coughing up what had been inhaled by the chemical agent days before.

‘What do you tell her?’
‘Just that I run errands around the city.’ Terry answered while assisting Wayne patch up the beyond suit. Well, mainly the utility belt that had taken a direct hit from the gunshot by the detective. Underneath its layers, the suit had revealed the tech circuitry invented by Bruce. It all seemed so simple, fabricating the overlayer to refurbish. But Terry started to recognise the intricacy for itself. Better take a wholesome effort to at least protect the suit so he wouldn’t have to spend long hours watching it be repaired.
‘You know, next time, try to at least look around the room before you swoop in, unaware of anything.’
‘Well, to be fair, the camera was well-hidden in its hiding place. And it’s not my fault that the police have a grudge against Batman. Why do they hate you so much?’ It was something that Terry pondered, as he couldn’t just be some rando vigilante that the police couldn’t catch back in the day. There had to be more to what met the eye.
‘They felt that way from the start, so it was evocative of when Batman roamed Gotham. Just like any other vigilante prowling in the streets.’ Terry was perplexed at his answer, as they both knew it wasn’t the real reason, though probably moral in their situation.
‘Well someday, you will tell me the real reason.’ Terry spoke as Bruce eyed him, completing the finishing touches to the suit. In its current state, the suit glowed an ambient red as it reinstalled the hardware. Soon, it gradually reformed back to the known black that Terry had been accustomed to wearing.
‘Any suspects that fit our water slayer?’ Terry questioned.
‘Not yet, since there isn’t enough detail to satisfy facial recognition or biometric algorithms. Find out more about the culprit that will give us a clue towards their relation with Powers.’
‘Right, guess we just wait until she showers the bank or something.’ Bruce nodded unanimously.
The bat computer finished a final analysis of the slime collected that Bruce sought a concerning turn of events. Dust particles were damaging the living cells in the form, which would worsen its current condition. The particles must have caught from the combination of explosive gel Terry sprayed and the bioweapon. In contact with any ignition would combust an explosion of unimaginable magnitude.
‘Terry, wait.’
‘What’s up?’
‘The bat computer found a dissimilarity in the slime you collected earlier. If you immobilise it with explosive gadgets, it will burst.’ He nodded in response.
Terry became Batman to fly out the back, making notice of the batmobile. It was upgraded from the last time he saw it, though didn’t have time to stop and look as he flew to a restaurant meeting with friends.

Part 4: Teenage Mischief
‘Yes mum, I understand, I’ll be back soon. No, I didn’t bail! I had to complete a task for Mr Wayne. Yes, I said it before, I’m coming home in a few hours. Okay, bye.’ Terry settled the phone at the table. Dana turned to face him, with the two, Chelsea and Rick in the club. It appeared familiar to the cave, except for the unnecessary lights shining in his eyes. That was one, and the setting wasn’t appealing, with random objects standing lonely at the side. The nightclub also was filled with boisterous music and an abundant number of people on the dance floor. While it was one thing to party all night long on a Friday evening, it felt impractical for someone with a responsibility as such Batman. But he’ll stick with it anyway.
‘Grounded by your mum?’ Dana started.
‘Uhh, not exactly,’ he laughed. ‘Though I have to explain my absence for the entire day.’
‘Yep, I can understand that….’
‘How have you been lately?’
‘Well, school is fine, but I saw my brother in juvie the other day, he isn't getting any better.’ Ah yes, Dana’s brother, Doug, had been an inmate along with Terry in Juvie. He was not the kind to befriend since he had what some would say… an ego to live up to. There were some instances where Terry was bribed to follow his crowd; thankfully, he was out by the time it happened. There was always an expectation that gets people killed; luckily, Doug had not ever contacted him again.
‘I’m sure, he’ll be fine, take it from someone who has been in juvie and now standing sincerely before you.’ Terry gave a little bow out of charisma. While it wasn’t the truth, it would at least give her some consonance. But it was rewarded, as Dana replied with a slight smile as the two shared a moment.
‘So, I heard you have a job now?’
‘Wow, McGinnis has a job!’ Rick exclaimed, joining the conversation.
‘Yeah, it’s run under Bruce Wayne, you know? Shady guy living in a mansion outside of Gotham?’
‘Bruce Wayne? Like the hot one?’ Chelsea questioned.
‘Umm... He’s aged a little, but that was last century.’
‘Still, that’s amazing! How’d you score a job like that?’ Dana inquired ecstatically.
‘It’s a long story, though I just found him offering a job online to run errands in the city, which one thing led to another, and now I’m a personal assistant. The allowance pays well from a former billionaire.’
‘Cool man, that’s actually neat,’ Rick implied.
Not a moment after, Terry’s phone sounded a message notification. With Chelsea leading the subject elsewhere, he was surprised to see Wayne pinpoint a lead on their mystery murderer.
‘So, I kinda have to dip, so speak to you guys later?’
‘Yeah, talk soon.’ Dana replied as he left the nightclub. Terry contemplated the thought of his friends when rushing down the back alley. They could never find out; he considered the events unfolding if he had revealed it to anyone of them. Sure it would be helpful to have someone his age to talk about being Batman, but it would be too dangerous. What if a villain had the ulterior motive to overwhelm Batman through his friends? That would not end well, so he had to keep his identity a secret from the entire world. To do that, he would need to become the dark knight perceived by the public many years ago. A myth that wouldn’t disclose any information about his personal life, just the record of Batman. While soaring up to the ledge of a building, Terry confirmed that was the code he indispensably needed to abide.

‘So, what lead did you pick up?’
‘Not quite a lead, but there’s a robbery in process in the central Gotham district. Might be our culprit.’
‘Alright, I’m not too far from there, but keep me posted.’ Terry switched off comms to fly off the edge inwards towards the city. From a distance, he could spot an explosion in the financial district, indicating the thief was out for money rather than stolen jewels. He’d also finally catch an appearance of this mystery assassin of sorts. He envisaged a man of brute strength wrapped with a mask and deadly brutality. But he stopped wondering when approaching the bank that seemed empty. The cops were already on the scene, prompting him to venture inside, cloaked through the main gate. The bank was practically leaking money as the criminal discreetly plundered into a nearby vault.
Batman switched off his cloaking mechanism and silently flew inside the tightly secure vault expecting to face the perpetrator. Landing gracefully, he was shocked to find the place vacant, and there was no chance any person could fit between the ridges of gold surrounding the wall. Yet, when he turned around, he found another substance of black slime slithering around. Batman went to grab it, when suddenly, Slick! Tentacle-like fluids went to hold his arms and legs. It only had taken a split second to have him restrained in the enclosed vault. The black ooze slid around the walls covering any escape route as it was enveloped in darkness. All he could hear was the disturbing noises writhing to hold him in place. In the moment, a head seemed to ease out of the ooze, revealing its true self. It was a woman, obscured from the light, though his night vision was already active. Terry groaned, trying to break the confounds of the ooze suppressing him, but facial recognition had already been running in his lenses as she started.
‘So, you’re the disreputable Batman?’
‘…’ Terry didn’t speak, but the vague glare he gave back at the women said otherwise.
‘Well, I thought you would be taller,’ the head continued, held by the ooze surrounding them. Any child would be screaming, as if experiencing a horror movie in 4D with the monster-like antagonist staring directly at the screen. Terry realised he was erroneous about the mask, though brute strength and brutality were a definite tick.
‘Why steal money? Don’t tell me it's power.’ Terry quickly made off as the algorithm started to show promising results.
‘Hmm, your partially right, though why would I tell you? Plus, I’m on a busy schedule.’ Just as she started wrapping around his body, Terry saw the person picked up by the system within his mask. He tried speaking as the ooze started down his throat.
‘Inq…..’ She repealed as Terry caught his breath still in her clutches. He did not want to be under that pressure again. ‘Inque,’ he quickly skimmed by the description under her profile, finding a link to Powers.
‘How did you…..’
‘I know about Powers, you were taken under his wing to contract metahuman trials. I can stop whatever he has against you.’ Inque reflected for a second, wondering whether this decision was made involuntarily to save himself or just to throw her off guard. On the contrary, Terry believed he made it through to the villain and made a conscious effort to trigger an electric Batarang from his wrist. Outside of the vault, he heard police sirens surround the building out of the eerie setting of the black ooze. He needed out now.
Inque seemed to read his mind having other thoughts. ‘No, you’re lying,’ she started to perform the same trick as before, enfolding the substance around the suit and down his mouth to suffocate him of hypoxia. Terry squirmed forcefully inside as suddenly a shock wave electrified the suit and its surroundings. It was the feeling as if all the circuitry inside decided to give up on life. Around his pain was doubled to Inque as she suddenly made her retreat, bringing light into the vault. Batman ignored the sudden light exposure to his eyes as they conflicted within the enclosed vault. He dodged all attacks, moving adroitly on the gold reflecting upon the light. Inque, now reformed into a human-like shape, attempted to escape out the hatch, which Batman prevented. The electric Batarang startled her as he rocketed out of the vault, immediately closing it with his amplified strength. The vault seemed to securely hold her, hearing screams echo within the walls of the bank. He quickly rushed out of the back exit as police stormed through the main gate with armed troops. Outside the window, hidden by the night, Batman listened in through the glass, ensuring that Inque would be dealt with securely.
Unfortunately, with the combined efforts of the police force, she just wouldn’t be contained. Sliding through the vault fixated in place, she narrowly escaped with the jewels sliding off in the ooze, only budging against ballistic damage fired from afar.
Dammit, at this rate, Inque would never be able to be subdued. She needed to be held physically in a way that escape was impossible. Wayne had to have a plan, flying back towards the cave.
In a coincidence, Bruce analysed the data sample collected by Terry at the crime scene. Since he had been notified about the targets, he had locked down the manor with similar insulation as the cave, ensuring Inque did not influence him. He briefly remembered that Inque was completely liquified, so electricity harmed her as she is an insulator. Though to contain her… Bruce looked over at the Freeze gun safely handled by the side of the cave. Perfect! It would be ideal to ice Inque in battle and keep it under stable conditions.
In addition to his list of problems, Bruce already sequenced from Inque’s discovery that she had a daughter before her contract with Wayne-Powers. With his knowledge of criminals, he knew that this was the motivation for the massacres regarded with Inque. Ingeniously, Bruce isolated all possible locations that Derek Powers had owned and cross-referenced them with the DNA of Inque. Profoundly, the compound was a genetic laboratory loaded with flammable substances. Ideal for anyone with explosives, that was looking to infiltrate the facility. It included Terry as the batsuit had too many hazardous gear types. He needed to stay away from the facility. Regrettably, Terry always ventured blindly into battle, not aware of his surroundings. Rarely admitting it, Bruce recognised it was a quality that needed to be inevitable.
Still in thought, Terry flew in unoccupied with a scoop. ‘So, get this, armed military bust into the bank versus one metahuman trapped in a vault. And still! They get beat.’
‘Nothing is impossible in Gotham.’
‘Yeah, guess so, have anything else on Inque?’ From his point of view, Bruce seemed unsettled to give any information. Though still spoke to him, ‘It seems Inque has a daughter used as a bargaining chip in return for services to Derek Powers.’
‘He’s still alive?’
‘Yes, and head of the board, I’ve located her position to be in an explosive laboratory in Burnley. Though I think you should…’
‘I can take this,’ Terry started, just as Bruce suspected.
‘You have to be cautious, one explosive Batarang to the pipeline, and the whole building goes down.’
‘Yes, I’m aware of that,’ which made Bruce seem convinced.
‘Then go, she may be on her way there now. The batmobile is parked over there.’ Terry glinted with excitement at the sight of the batmobile, standing pompously under the glim light of the Batcave.

Part 5: The Batmobile
The car was portrayed as Batman’s most recognisable transport. A peculiarly stretched automobile with a variety of features including; flare guns, a missile rack and titanium alloy wheels. It was considered rather sophisticated in the previous generation.
But now, the vehicle which Terry was controlling could be respected as several years ahead of their time. It had taken the formation of a bat patrolling the skies with an exquisite design. The rear had appeared to complement the suit’s mask, with two streamlined wings to cut through the air. It blatantly took inspiration from a few contemporary types of flying transport in its time. Though he was sure it would be distinguished with the weaponry and likeable features. The interior was as inconceivable as the beyond suit, matching the scarlet lighting of its batmobile counterpart. It also provided Terry with a three-sixty-degree view of his surroundings, which was useful in escaping tough spots. The lighting also encompassed the controls running in and around the cockpit. That was quite an abundant number of controls to acquaint with.
Bruce ran through the basic controls in a hologram, appearing conveniently in front of him. With that, Terry pulled down a lever from the ceiling to fly out the exit and into neo-Gotham. Terry could see the city illuminated through a different tone as if looking through a transparent acrylic sheet. The aesthetics of the city was highlighted, presenting a new perspective of Gotham. One illustrates conspicuous details hidden behind solid walls that Terry found expedient. Considering privacy, he found that it was still in a prototype stage, so it could simply be repaired.
Despite the cons, the batmobile had performed way above his expectations, under the cloaking mechanism that was intended to be activated indefinitely. Since the batmobile shouldn’t be seen flying over any police vicinities.

Thermal scans revealed Inque within the side of a building, talking to what seemed to be her daughter. The outlines showed the irregularities in the building, which were likely to be the pipes, exposing traces of ethanol. Terry knew from his chemistry class that it was inevitable to collapse in contact with his weapons. To be safe, he exploited the ability to disable melee weapons within the suit, preventing him from another slip-up. Parking the batmobile stationary in the air, Terry inaudibly flew down to the level Inque had been seen with her daughter.

---- A Few minutes earlier ----

Deanna Clay had lain in an adjustable electric bed, usually kept within hospitals. Except she could discernibly tell the room she had resided in now for a few months was no hospital. The room contained spectrometers, beakers and temperature probes. If anything, this was a laboratory, deducing she was sick, or better yet tested on. Today marked the fifth month since Deanna had been separated from her mother. She distinctly remembered the moment Derek Powers had alienated them both.
They were living under tough conditions, and her mother ran errands for Wayne-Powers. It was only the moment she made apparent notice of her struggles, that armed men stormed into their house and kidnapped her. She was sure that her mother was more influenced under pressure to deliver to Powers. A strange distorting voice had sent a quick shiver up her spine as across the window beside her, formed peculiar pieces of black slime cluttering together. At night, it would have seemingly been more intimidating/ if it weren’t for the lights. The creature-like substance resembled a basic human shape, with arms and legs. Though clearly there was something strange with the platonic body, no resembling hands, and a white oval face for the head. It was entirely formed as she grew portentous at the sight of it walking towards her.

Inque gaped at seeing her daughter after too many long months, but Deanna didn’t seem to feel the same. She lunged out of her bed until she heard a familiar voice.
‘Deanna? It’s me, your mother.’
‘Mum?’ She was shocked.
‘Yes, can’t you see?’ Inque contorted herself to try and pertain to her distinctive features, but something was wrong. Her body, coated by black slime, writhed and dismayed to pieces, as she struggled. Inque was losing control of her powers, she could feel it inside, the agonising pain of her cells, oblivious to demand.
‘You’re not my mother.’
‘Yes! Yes, I am.’ She tried again, but her powers wouldn’t listen, and she remained a human-less figure. ’Please listen, Deanna, I’m your mother, I’ve waited so long to reunite with you. But we can go now. Are you okay though? Feeling nauseous?’ With her concern from what Powers acclaimed previously.
‘No, I’m fine, but is it really you?’ Deanna laid her hand on the slime, and she questioned. ‘You robbed the bank earlier today…’ Realising inopportunely.
‘Only so I could see you! Derek Powers is behind all of this, so once I get you outa of here, I’ll take our revenge on him.’
‘No! My mother would never do that. She wouldn’t become a criminal.’
‘I’m no villain, please trust me…’
‘No, I’m not going.’ Inque was troubled at her response, but visibly through a mirror, she saw a conversant outline of a pesky bat she had unfinished business with. ‘Stay here.’
With that, Inque turned around in her scarce form to rush at the bat. Just as he flew in through the window, she struck him out with a shape-shifted hammer. An uneasy feeling coursed through her ‘veins’, as she joined him. Immediately recalling their last battle, she ripped off his wings and prevented him from flying. In their free-falling course down the building, she could hear a small grunt escape him. ‘You won’t get to her!’
‘I’m not trying to, you’re dying Inque, if you get too close to a pipeline, you’re going to bring down the whole building, including your daughter.’
‘Enough with the lies!’ She was beating him down, manifesting all her abilities. With that, Batman threw a grapple to the top ledge, freeing him as Inque suddenly slipped. As batman went up, Inque felt a sudden pain as she lost grip and just fell to splat on the ground. Instantly, she recollected herself to slither across the side of the building at a rate that was much faster than Batman’s grapple line. She appeared at the level of her daughter within seconds ready for his move. Below, he redirected himself as Inque attacked with a sharp razor, and he swiftly moved past her and into the lab. Batman went for Deanna, but Inque wasn’t beaten as she used her ability to tackle him by limbs. She pulled him back to the windowsill, again where she wrapped herself around him. ‘You don’t remember anything from our last battle, do you?’ Inque wasn’t playing, as she was desperate to have Batman defeated. An electromagnetic force reacted to the suit, abruptly stunning Inque, as he ran to Deanna. ‘Ms Clay, you’re not safe here,’ she complied as Batman quickly picked her up, rocketing out the building. Inque felt a tingle of air as a flying automobile hovered near the window of their level. She had no doubt it was Batman’s.
‘No!’ Inque had taken an arduous effort to send another heave of slime attacking him. Now, she felt an alarming hazard foiling inside her as if she was about to self-implode. The feeling was gripping as she fell to the ground as Batman lost grip of Deanna hurdling over Inque. A rather outdated gun had also fallen off the hook in his utility belt, lost in the darkness below.
Deanna screamed as Inque only had a view of Batman from being smudged over the floor. There was no hope, she tried to let out a shriek, but couldn’t reconstruct herself from the lab floor.
In a few seconds, Batman caught Deanna with another grapple line. Barely holding her from atop a wall over the windowsill, clinging with his claws. ‘You’re alright…’

Terry could feel the pressure of gripping the wall while holding Deanna Clay off the side of the laboratory building. If he suddenly lost this ability, there was a certainty he would fall to his death, having shot his last grapple line. She wasn’t heavy but was worried that Inque would regain her strength before he would reach Deanna. Looking through the window, Inque had lay precariously, staring at him in loss, she was defeated. ‘Don’t let go!’ He exclaimed, slowly pulling her up, watching as she clung to the line.
‘Don’t let me go!’ She called out nervously. He exhaled, as he felt his hand slip while trying not to accidentally cut the rope. If he retracted them, they would both be dead.
Inque suddenly squealed as Terry saw her form an axe from what was left of her. He lost his ice gun and could only keep pulling her up, pleading he wouldn’t drop her.
Suddenly, Inque went for a final swing, drawing momentum back as she prepared. ‘No Inque! You’ll hit the…’
Crack! Inque egregiously hit Batman while blowing a hole in the pipe hidden in the wall. Terry held onto the line, as he flipped around to be face-up still against the wall. ‘Batman?’ Deanna Clay yelled from below as Terry glimpsed at Inque, who only stared back vividly. They stared belligerently at each other as she caught flame and detonated the explosion.
Boom! The building collapsed as Terry inadvertently withdrew the line as he was thrust away. ‘AHHHHHH,’ Deanna Clay fell into the dust below as Terry stared in horror. He was pushed, alongside the batmobile crazily repealed from the explosion, like opposing magnets. Terry gazed sitting on the bonnet of his vehicle, watching the explosion end the fallen structure from an unconventional site in the air.

Part 6: Matt is Batman
Terry sighed as he stared, pondering at the ceiling from his bed. He felt similar emotions from yesterday when the biochemical was released within Wayne-Powers. Inque had just been a lost cause, there was nothing that could have prevented her from saving Deanna. But in all his misery, he couldn’t help but think about what Bruce would have done in his situation. What would Batman have done? But he was Batman…
He collected his thoughts as his alarm startled him. Knocking it off the desk, Matt burst into the room, ‘Hahahaha! You should have seen the look on your face!’
‘Very funny twip,’ he threw a pillow as he dodged. Matt was the most annoying brother Terry could ask for. If there was an award for any villain of the week, he considered making an exception in the list of rogues.
‘Ahha, just like Batman, you can’t catch me.’ He made a senseless pose of Batman and pretended to fly around his room. Terry’s sighing intensified. ‘So what’s got you all wrapped around vigilantes now?’
‘Did you not see him fight Inque yesterday? It was legit.’ He pointed out his window to the wreckage of the sight, it was discreet, but the cops were all over it. Terry thought of the next target he would subdue in the list, anxious about what it would pose.

Chapter Text

Part 1: Fire and Ice
After the events of Inque, Terry felt a dire urge to let off some steam flying the batmobile across the city. To Bruce, he elucidated the importance of patrolling the city in case another villain randomly appears. He was in constant cognisance of the authorities also traversing the city. The commissioner set an APB for Batman as well as the metas. Terry wondered how Bruce had faired without the help of a supersonic aircraft or bulletproof suit. All he had was a ravish car and fancy bat costume beating the hell out of criminals. How was he never caught? Sure, there was the agility and strength, but how would he evade an entire police army? Something he would face in future events if there wasn’t any thought in the question.
There was also another query that Terry was yet to ask Bruce, being where his sidekicks had ventured off. Why weren’t they checking in on him? Unless there was some falling out, he would have liked to talk to someone about the experience of crime fighting.
Suddenly, his phone rang, which connected to the batmobile computer. He answered with audio, no facetime.
‘Yo Terry, what’s up?’
‘Hey Rick, nothing much, just flying…... In a cab,’ he quickly ended.
‘Okay, that’s nice. Just wanted to talk to you about Chelsea. She’s been acting a little strange after last time in the club.’
‘Oh… really? How so?’
‘Well, there was a matter with her father, maybe a family problem, but she seemed a little overwhelmed if you know what I mean.’
‘Was it job-related? Where does he work?’
‘He works in some lab downtown.’ Another call was pending by Bruce, to which he answered.
‘One sec Rick.’
‘There was a cryogenic facility that had an unusual seismic activity yesterday. If you're still on patrol, then check it out.’
‘On my way now, pinpoint it on the map.’ Terry switched back to the line.
‘Rick, I’ll see what I could do.’
‘Alright, thanks man, anyhow, what's that wind rush behind you? Unreal to have that much feedback.’
Terry stared momentarily. ‘Uhhh, just watching a …. superhero movie.’
‘In a cab?’
‘Yep, I’ll see you later!’ He stuttered, ending the call abruptly. Damn, sometimes it was too hard to keep a secret.
So, a cryogenic facility with seismic activity should be a random coincidence, right? He continued to fly the batmobile down South Gotham, briefly passing the asylum.
From the harsh wind gust heard from the outer edge, Arkham asylum had stood as the debris of what remained on Arkham Island. It was abandoned, though one of Gotham’s most infamous landmarks. With no trace of rogues locked within its walls, despite none having seen to make it off the island. While it had a depraved reputation, it followed for becoming objectionably haunted, with a case of missing persons who ventured on its shores. Terry always thought these criticisms to be scandalous but shrugged it off, having no personal encounters.
The trip down to South Gotham had taken a nifty twenty minutes at best, assuming that the distance between Wayne manor and Old Gotham was on opposite ends of the city. To think Batman drove around in a car and disappeared off a crime scene before the police arrived.
Anyhow, Terry finally reached the site that caused enough trouble for his alter-ego to be involved. From a bird’s eye view, it seemed undamaged, and the outline made it out to be a warehouse. Its storage vessels stood unimpaired behind, with the pressure valves connecting them. In this vicinity, there was no one around, so he could venture inside.
The batmobile was able to retain its auto-flight navigation as he slipped down below his seat. From the showy red lighting within the vehicle, slipped through the expanse of the vibrant sun. The bright colour blended well within the camouflage mode of the suit. But he already felt a tension landing on the warehouse, with a trivial trace of coolness. As he walked upon the ridge vent, a small glass space was found, overlooking the material inside. Though what stood peculiar was smaller vessels that had been pierced, releasing artificial energy reacting with elements already contrived in the air.
For safety, Terry recorded his intervention from the web feed in his mask as he clawed out a circle in the glass to lift it off gently. Gliding at a reasonable altitude inside, he found it to be conveniently empty with projects on standby. Decloaking, Batman landed near a mounting chamber that loaded freezing elements as exports for packaging. He skimmed a tracer over the transfer, seeking out anything abnormal causing the seismic activity. Nothing…
There had to be a sign as he didn't fly over the whole city to meet a dead end. He changed scanning modes from particle elements, detecting temperature changes, which proved to be fruitful. Two days ago, the air temperature had remained below a constant -150 degrees, then ranging to absolute zero. This was normal for a cryogenic laboratory, so he skipped to yesterday, past the time the problem had arisen. Hmmm… It jolted up to -100 degrees for a few minutes at midday. Only a few minutes? It would have needed an input, a gradual increase of energy though scans indicated it lasted only a few minutes. So if it wasn’t gradual, it could have been the work of an arsonist.
In 2040, arsonists had predominantly arisen due to the massive surge of technology, with the fuse to destroy being fire. While it may have been simple to apply in emergencies, it was also used with criminal involvement. Since it would imply a gateway for escapees or getaways at a crime scene. If just one building had caught fire, then the whole city may as well rest in peace.
‘Wayne, you reading me?’
‘I’m listening.’
‘Any arsonists in the bat computer looking to scramble labs with a temperature of absolute zero?’
‘Running now…. There aren’t any primary suspects, but I could list an address you could follow up with.’
‘Who is it?’
‘His name is Garfield Lynns, aka Firefly.’
‘Firefly?’ Out of the list of villains Bruce had mentioned, that had to be the most ridiculous, apart from the calendar man. It was another rogue Terry had not been familiar with but was intrigued to investigate further. ‘Alright, send in the address,’ at least it was still four in the afternoon. And it would be the first rogue of Bruce he would meet.
He settled smoothly into the batmobile as he flew up the map to meet the man who played with fire.

Part 2: GCPD
The Gotham City Police Department had evolved genuinely from its former stature. In retrospect, the past twenty years showcased an increased involvement in its policing without any foremost criminals. The last couple of years showed an improvement in crime rates while actively promoting Gotham City amended from the Dark Knight era. Through that forlorn period, the GCPD had been whelmed with corrupt officers and immoral principles.
Driven by integrity, Captain James Gordon defeated the crooks running amidst the streets. Batman complemented these works by taking down crime lords in the shadows. Never was he publicised in the event of an identity crisis but was labelled as the World's Greatest Detective, having almost no mystery go unsolved. Alongside Harvey Bullock, Aaron Cash and Renee Montoya were many regarded as the saviours of Gotham City.
Though the GCPD was intent on catching the public enemy, even several years after, Batman had to be apprehended. While its ideologies had not gone unnoticed, they gained a few upgrades assisting their dominance over the city. These included flying squad cars (flyers), offsetting ammo and equipment specialised in overcoming Batman.
In any circumstance, that enigmatic commissioner would raise a young ambiguous Barbara Gordon. Throughout her time as Batgirl, she jeopardised her life countless times in the perseverance of saving Gotham. But she struggled with maintaining her priorities alongside Batman and robin. A few years passed, and she then realised playing superhero was nothing more than suicide, seeing Bruce overwhelmed. In his first years, Bruce initially killed criminals involved in drug trades and car chases. With no remorse, he based the principle simply that fewer criminals on the streets would mean fewer crime rates. This strategy worked but found Robin and Batgirl scarred at how it changed him. There was a violent tendency that with every neck snap, he almost became imperturbable.
In that process, she pushed that life behind her and focused on her studies, particularly computer science. Soon enough, she claimed a spot in the GCPD where she flew by rankings and then was titled, commissioner. By that time, Batman was in history books, which she disregarded. Bruce had remained in his manor, in which he hadn’t caused trouble.
Just a few days back, a new saviour of Gotham arose, cautiously moving about the city. In turn, he kind of instigated more problems. Barbara felt a reminiscing backlash being on the other side of the cowl and for the law. Despite her concern about whether it was Bruce under the mask, she knew it was wrong. While she was yet to act on the situation, Batman was seemingly the solution to all these problems. But the police department wouldn’t comply with this code, considering the generals who had misunderstood the vigilante firing on site. Even with her command, the officers wouldn’t comply. Sooner or later, she would have to confront Bruce; but for now, she would let Batman ensure Gotham’s safety.
An alert sounded from her tablet as specialist Forrest walked in.
‘There’s been an anonymous tip of a drug deal occurring near a cryogenic facility in Bristol.’
‘Alright, send in units 5,6… I’ll also come.’
‘Oh, that’s unexpected.’
‘Just need to clear my head.’

Part 3: Broken flames
‘Cold temperatures to a certain extent may also produce large volumes of heat. I’ve isolated the location on your map.’
‘Okay, approaching Lynn’s home now.’ It was nothing short of an apartment a few blocks from the shore bay viewing Wayne Manor. The place hadn’t been scorched but was tainted with burn marks running along the side of the building. In retrospect, it seemed abandoned while having several floor levels among the others in its densely clustered neighbourhood. It also encompassed the vibe of the more discarded suburbs in Miagani.
The apartment was quite simple to locate as he entered narrowly through the already broken window. The room had been a fit for the building, being as dusty inside with displaced furniture. No lights, which the sun only illuminated what was close to the windowsill, as he continued to scrutinise the apartment.

Terry entered the kitchen in a similar state, though to his surprise had an empty cup laying on the desk. Their room was dim, but he made out a few items from his night vision.
‘Have you found anything?’ Bruce spoke through his receiver.
‘Not anything certain, but no one’s been here for a while…’ Terry suddenly picked up an odious stench from his position. It was not familiar to him, yet looking around in his mask, he found nothing distinguishing. ‘Something reeks in here!’
‘The scanners should be able to create a virtual video of the apartment in the past year.'
'I’ll activate it.’ The mask lit up as it scanned the room surrounding him, building a frame-by-frame memory.
‘Run the frame with the touch sensor,’ to which Terry had started but still in confound.
‘Nothing has changed.’
‘Wait, look there, in the bottom left corner, a spec of DNA.’
‘I can't see any… Oh, wait, I see it.’ Terry looked at the darkest corner of the room, only making out a small sample of DNA lingering through his vision. He reached out to feel an unusual solid object encaged within something tough. He could wrap his hand around it, attempting to pull it off. ‘This is quite rigidly built-in.’ He complained as Crack! It broke off with Terry holding it in hand. ‘I can't make it out…’
‘Take off your mask.’ Bruce instructed as Terry saw it, and he was shocked.
From the grasp of his hand, mask in the other, Terry had been holding a bone. He gave out a small gasp while putting together the pieces of the puzzle. He sighed, dropping the bone and making his way out of the apartment. There was nothing left for him here.
Donning his mask, Bruce spoke as he perched out the windowsill brooding. ‘What was it?’
‘Firefly didn’t commit the crime.’
‘How so?’
‘There was a…’
Crash! The batmobile suddenly was thrust into the apartment. It slammed Terry back inside as the century-old walls collapsed. In consequence, the building tilted as the floor level above crashed on itself. All the evidence to Firefly had just been destroyed, a good thing it wasn’t important. Amid the collision, Terry punched through a layer of brick to free himself. Pushed against the wall by the batmobile, he looked out the hole of a wall busted down, finding no initial suspects. ‘Terry!’
‘Yes, I’m fine.’
‘Scans indicate you have several fractures.’
‘Alright… just give me a minute.’ Terry caught his breath under the egregious assault while reaching for the remote in his belt. Once held, he reversed the batmobile from the debris rendering Logan's former homage elapsed. Heading from its ruins, Terry sought to check further leads towards the cause of the incident.

Part 4: Batman: Year One beginnings
Walter Shreeve sent a sonic wave towards the ground sending him over another building. The feel of jumping across rooftops was satisfying, hovering at a considerable speed. The soundwave surged from the palm of his hand within his cumbersome suit. It was really just black spandex overlayed with a distinct metal cover. The black strokes marked around were complemented by a cyan spherical light illuminating within.
Soon enough, he sought out his apartment in the distance with the thought of his actions. Just a few minutes before, Walter had thrust the batmobile into the vigilante within the confines of the building. Surely, that would have killed him. He picked out his phone and spoke from his headset embedded in the suit.
‘Is it done?’
‘Yes, he’s buried underneath a ton of rubble, positive he can’t escape.’
‘Are you sure? No one ever stays dead in Gotham.’
‘Completely… this means I could keep my job?'
‘Just don’t mess anything further.’
‘So may I inquire why you wanted him dead?’
‘I have my reasons. See you later.’ Powers left the phone as he lost his grip, dropping it. There was tension in his hands as he struggled to combat a power overcoming his body. He knew at one point that he would succumb to the pain but needed Batman dead as revenge. Then he could work in peace to cure a certain blight of the night.

…

Batman drew closer to an isothermal cold temperature that was among many signatures across the city. It was, of course, another cryogenic facility but didn’t have any irregular energy fluctuations. The lab couldn’t be involved in seismic activity but did have the tools to attempt criminal activity. As a bonus, it strayed near his apartment, so he would be able to speed off home early.
Terry felt something dragging down the batmobile underneath him. In the in-built computer, he ran a schematic plan to find the weight of the engine. The damage had been new-found from earlier on. Comprised of frost to a specified extent but examined closer to find a disparity of waves emitting from inside the ice. How was this possible?
‘Wayne, I’ve found an irregularity in the structural integrity shot from our unknown assailant. Check the analysis I’m uploading now.’
‘….. It’s a formation of smaller sound waves vibrating at a larger frequency.’
‘That could mean our meta has control over sound molecules, rather than having icy powers, or yet alone heat.’
‘Yes, I’ll look into it…’
Another incoming call appeared, hearing a voice echoed in the batmobile.
‘Terry?’
‘Hey Dana.’
‘Where are you?’
‘Just in a cab, heading home.’
‘Oh, so you’re not free anymore? I thought we were going to study together?’
‘Umm… sorry Dana, I forgot, can I make it up to you next time? Had a long day with Mr Wayne.’
‘Okay, just…..’ Terry turned in confusion.
Quite suddenly, Dana disconnected from the system as he tried reconnecting. It seemed the batmobile had been as unresponsive. The lights had been dysfunctional seeing the batmobile break its camouflage memo. It was now just a heavy bulk of metal in the sky. Terry braced for impact seeing police sirens to his side as he crashed into a nearby billboard. It smashed through, bringing a deafening sound to the neighbourhood. The batmobile managed to halt by the corner of a building, obstructed by the wall of another towering structure. While that was an okay pro, he found a troubling con overlooking the edge, had seen several police cars barricading off the block.
If he flew up the building, they would have an easy shot at him, though flying across rooftops would appear the same. A weird light seemed to glow from below as well. Some dilemma he found himself in. He would have a shot at whatever brought him down, and it was most certainly not the police. As if they would be capable of rupturing his engine while camouflaged at night. Anyways, there were more important problems to focus on.
‘Batman, come out quietly, don’t make it harder than it already is.’ A voice spoke through a megaphone. He watched as the surrounding police forces grew weary.
The building had been cornered, but he had a few tricks in mind. To cater, he quickly threw a Batarang tracker on the batmobile, just for safekeeping.
Turning the circular function within his belt, he spread his wings to fly camouflaged between the two buildings. Just as he surpassed the edge, the [UV] light radiated against the suit, exposing Batman to the public. The officers below fired as his wings were torn, prompting him to throw a grapple line. Thankfully, it reached the building, as he avoided gunfire havoc below. The air felt extremely cold, as he ran along the side of a building, attempting to evade the police. It was an unusual feeling as he used to play fps games that required caution against specific targets. But the difference was that the other team was hell-bent on destroying him. Hearing police sirens behind, he jumped from the ledge and swiftly onto the next building.
The sirens had idiosyncratically seemed closer as he realised flying transport vehicles were gaining on him. They shone a light from above, tracking Batman as they fired neutralising agents his way. Terry was able to sense incoming attacks dodging seamlessly under pressure. The suit’s superhuman agility was useful in these situations, where he would have to rely on the essence of the beyond suit. A few more transport vehicles emerged above him as weaponry was fired. Below, the cop cars increased in number, ready for when he chose to fall below. Terry felt like the only piece in a chess game, and it was checkmate with every move.
He leapt across a ledge to switch to the other side of the street, which in turn lost the cop cars below. He moved diagonally on the rooftop heading away from the ground vehicles with the flyers still following close behind. Terry could persevere for so long before they would stun him. One of the overhead guards threw a stun grenade which inexplicably affected Terry. He slowed his running approaching another ledge where a stun dart shot him in the back. Terry could feel the pain surge in and around the suit to which he jumped, throwing his last grapple line. The flyers could only make it around the corner as Batman mistakenly flew into the window of a multi-complex building.
The cops were submerged at the entrance of the Gotham Stock Exchange, which started an evacuation procedure. Citizens swarmed out of the complex while police dashed inside and up the stairs. Flyers blocked all entry points while the police invaded all room exits. Inside the confines of a janitor's closet, Terry panicked about how he would figure out an escape plan.
‘McGinnis!’ Bruce spoke through the receiver.
‘Yeah, I’m here, alive…’
‘They’ve coordinated off all access points out of that building.’
‘Yeah, I know. I’m trying to catch an exit strategy.’
‘In about two minutes, they’ll be on your level, so you need one now.’ He looked around desperately since anything would be helpful. Looking up, he found the one place which every building was accustomed to having, the vents.
Crawling inside the vents with the cops searching below, Terry found an exit point straight ahead of him leading outside. With that, he hastily made his way over, echoing clamour to the cops. Reaching the exit point, he quickly concocted a plan to avert any attention spree.

In the hallways, the commander used a mapping sonar device that scanned the vent filtration system. He found a heated thermal signature close to the exit of the building.
‘Quickly, reroute a flyer to the side-exit vent.’ Through the radio, another cop pulled off from the entrance to anticipate Batman’s escape. Throwing a light, it seemed there was no one crawling about inside.
‘All entry and exit points are blocked, he’s still trapped, so keep your eye there.’ The commander continued. The cop waited a few minutes before a small explosion below in the alley caught his notice. As a result, one of the storm drains leaked open, sending a sprew of water to the flyer above. In mid-flight, the cop drew attention away from the vent while accounting for the sudden burst. As soon as it washed off, he diverted back to the secure vent, continuously waiting.
The commander peered at the thermal scans, sighing as the swat made their final swoop of the building. He wasn’t being found anytime soon…

Part 5: Give me a minute, coming back from war…
Bruce awaited Terry’s arrival as it had taken a few moments to pilot the batmobile out of the debris. It was camouflaged and trekked to Terry’s location tracer which was some blocks away from the incident. He should be arriving soon… which gave Bruce some time to think. Terry’s confrontation with GCPD had been probable but unexpected. The batmobile should have self-repaired itself not to crash into billboards crossing the police station. He was assured by this, to then conclude it was a set-up. Someone sabotaged the batmobile resulting in Terry's involuntary chase with the police.
In his line of work, Bruce hadn’t established any ongoing rivalries with criminals to attack now. That would have been long ago, so who would it have been? They found firefly dead to rights, which Bruce wasn’t surprised to discover. He may as well outlive most of his corrupt enemies.
Terry was yet to revisit their last location of the cryogenic facility, but seeing as there was a manipulation of sound waves involved, it was unlikely to be suspected. But there was a reason Bruce sent him on these overnight errands across the city as he allegedly believed there to be a higher purpose. As if there was something more to the clues already tracked down. So if not pursued, it would soon pose serious trouble.
Still in thought, Terry appeared at the exit, landing the batmobile promptly. Immediately, Bruce sought out a severe mark contracted underneath. Almost like a sword just ripped in and tore through the circuitry.

Terry removed his mask uncomfortably as perceived by the state of his suit. It was wrecked, again… something he would make up for today and tomorrow. But a part of him found it nice to return to the Batcave safely. The police had him worried there for a second. Next time, he would have a plan, or more so a fail-safe avoiding them.
‘Rough night?’ Bruce started, already taking notice of the batmobile.
‘Yeah, you should have seen it. They had missiles, stun darts and everything! Good thing this suit upgrades agility, then I would be serving a life sentence in prison right now. You as well.’
‘I know, which is why you need more training.’
‘Well, seeing as I managed to find firefly, survive that building cave-in and avoid the police, on top, I’d say that’s enough for the night.’ Terry had truly meant this, as he was exhausted.
‘How did you escape?’
‘There was an opening through the vent that allowed me to fire an explosive disc into one of the pipes. It was easy sneaking past the flyer once he was distracted.’
‘Alright. We’ll continue tomorrow with this meta.’ With that, Terry found the beyond suit he was wearing to innately amend itself. The bullet holes and exposed circuitry were seemingly repaired.
With that, Terry started his way back to the house, leaving the batmobile to be repaired by Bruce alone. To a certain extent, he felt sorry for the man to work on the equipment he damaged. But then again, it looked as if studying the puncture holes by the police was his only entertainment, almost a hobby.

Flying to the windowsill of his bedroom, he made a quick survey to find the room empty. Restfully, he slipped into something more comfortable and slept peacefully for the night. Well… half of the night, but it wasn’t Wayne bothering him.
‘Terry?’
‘…Morning mum,’
‘Where have you been? I’ve contacted the school, your friends, and no one has seen you.’
‘I was out working for Mr Wayne, remember? The job I got a few days back?’
‘Oh, well for how long? I didn’t see you come back last night.’
‘Just a few hours past my bedtime, nothing I can’t handle though.’
‘Well, be careful… I have your lunch and school bag packed for the day.’ As she left, Terry looked at his alarm clock seeing he only had three hours of sleep. While his sleep schedule as Batman didn’t matter, he realised a three-hour nap wouldn’t suffice for Terry McGinnis. His phone buzzed, finding a text yet again from Bruce. Probably tracked down a lead helpful for their sound silencer meta.

Part 6: Sounds of the Siren
‘Shriek…’ Yes, that would work nicely. Walter nodded to himself as he functioned the sound suit in his workshop. The modulator had been advanced to manipulate sound molecules on another level. That being those within close range, essentially, he would be able to combine the powers he gained from the bioweapon and combine it to expand the insides out. So the suit would just be enhancing his power capability. With the money obtained from his current position in Wayne-Powers, there was no limit to the devices he could create.
Taking position, he fit on the suit standing by a small runway close to his desk. He slowly opened and clenched his fist to control the air contrived within. Concentrating, he ranged the air gathered and struck some objects nearby. A pillow laying low on a couch gradually hovered to a reasonable height. Contracting his power, Walter separated the sound waves gathered within the pillow leading to a soft burst of polyester. It instantly popped like popcorn in a microwave as Shreeve marvelled at the gasconading power. Amid the little show, his watch rang, receiving a call from Derek Powers. Walter answered, seeing Powers furious in a hologram projected out of his watch.
‘Yes?’ Walter questioned.
‘Turn on the channel nine news, now.’
‘Okay…’ Nonchalantly, he switched channels on his watch casually.
‘In an unfortunate turn of events, the malicious vigilante known as Batman escaped the GCPD last night. Evidence confirms that he is likely dangerous and armed.’ Walter was brave to willingly keep staring as if nothing had just happened. After ten seconds, Powers erupted, ‘Batman is still alive and running freely around Gotham. If you don’t deliver his corpse, I will cease all your projects and reprimand your crimes to the police. Do you understand?’
‘Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he stays dead this time.’
‘Yeah, I’m sure you will.’ To Walter’s confusion, Batman stood atop the window overlooking his workshop.
Shriek appeared stunned at his entrance; he hadn’t physically heard him approach. He quickly fit on his mask to handle his powers. ‘Why won’t you die!’
‘I don’t know, you never killed me, but you’re going down… What do I call you?’
‘Name’s Shriek!’ He sent a sound wave up to batman’s position as he flipped around to send an automated Batarang back. Shriek dodged skillfully as he rewrapped a ball of sound waves releasing it to escape. He wasn’t yet prepared to take on Batman. The wave stunned Batman being inescapable as Shriek ran past him to jump out the window. Projected by his sonic wave, he retreated towards the city, acquiring new use for his powers.

Batman was brought back to reality as he recovered from the shock wave.
‘Terry!’
‘Ya, I’m still here.’
‘He fled into the city. If using his powers, we’ll be able to track his movements.’
‘How so?’
‘By tracking the low pitch of noises within the city, we could isolate a location with a seismographer since the waves would reverberate on the ground. Sending the location now.’ Terry saw the outline of the city in his mask, with readings in a map diverging at a general location. ‘In a pocket of your utility belt, I left a sonic dampener. Just in case there’s anything useful against Shriek.’
‘Alright, I’m heading there now, but it will be dawn soon.’
‘Then better take care of it before the police survey the area.’
‘Right.’ Terry then flew across the city, scanning for levels of sound waves at the city’s surface level.

…

Derek Powers sat concerned in his chair watching as Shriek jumped from building to building towards the abandoned Logerquist hotel. He kept his place long enough to know that the hotel was an ideal location for using sound metrics. It would have much room to bounce off within the bare walls of the hotel. Yet as a weapon, it would count as almost invincible. He had more hope for Shriek than he had Inque, but that decision would soon plummet, seeing Batman fly not far behind.
In the dawn light, he sighed as finding sunlight reaching his skin. It glowed in a manner that was too anomalous to be normal. It also vaguely shaded a greenish tint that gave off a flare. Touching the glass seal enclosing him inside the building, he watched as it melted before his eyes. A new power, that would come with new-fangled abilities. If Shriek couldn’t destroy Batman, he would most certainly have his methods.

…

Terry skimmed by a sound wave article in his mask lense while multitasking the search for Shriek as Batman. Scans also revealed that Walter Shreeves was on the list of people experimenting in the laboratory. No doubt he was affected as well.
The suit performed surprisingly better in its repaired state, giving him more flexibility. He flew across uninhibited estates across Miagami. Estates that were searched for an arsonist not too long ago, now sought to find a villain who used sound as a weapon. Well, it was Gotham, anything was possible.
Reading through an article written by Queen Industries, he realised that sound could be dampened in areas that had as little space as possible. The less room sound has to travel, the less efficient it could prove. Results indicate that these sounds were controlled under 300 decimals! Wonder how they were able to find a subject emitting that frequency?
Suddenly his scanner came through as he reached the centre point for Shriek’s last known location. The sun had appeared on the horizon, as he looked around for possible hideouts. In the radius, several buildings appealed, but one stood out from the rest.
The logerquist hotel stood proudly among many that occupied neo-Gotham. Of course, many taller skyscrapers accompanied the area, but none were already abandoned. From his mask log, Terry viewed the area that hadn't been inhabited for several decades, being the perfect place to flee to. He flew down towards the tower and stepped in through an already broken window. The place had visually been ransacked countless times while still maintaining a feeling of 2000s Gotham. He could reason why the tower wasn't demolished since it was in recognition of its founder, Jon Logerquist. Too bad it hadn’t been refurbished in the following years.
He tracked down any trace of sonic waves that bounced off the walls gliding down the non-functional service elevator. A slight trigger had been detected in the main entrance of the hotel which was a broad space. It had only accompanied some furniture covered up and the receptionist's desk. He walked down the hallway, ignoring the footsteps that were echoing.
Stopping at the centre of the walkway, he looked around to observe the empty room that remained silent before him.
Suddenly, he heard wild bewilderment settle above him as readings in his mask spiked. Sound levels were off the charts as the ceiling started to collapse in on itself. The structural integrity broke as Terry twisted and weaved around the falling bricks. Soon enough, there was a point where everything fell simultaneously to catch Terry under the wreckage.

…

Shriek hovered into the unstable room, only held together by the pillars that stood rigidly at its sides. The debris that fell from the ceiling had entirely buried batman alive. There was no way a person could survive a fall like that. Even if they had, they would run out of air trapped underneath the several layers of fallen tower parts. Walter sauntered around in hopes of finding a corpse he could deliver to Powers as a parting gift but grew apprehensive as there were no signs. He removed broken parts to cough up some dust but couldn’t find him…
Abruptly, a light shone at Shriek as he swiftly turned around to face GCPD flyers surrounding the building. Even though there was no reward, he wasn’t going down without a fight.

…

Batman crept into the shadows on the inner walls of the tower. He watched as Shriek awaited an attack from the GCPD. He managed to escape the debris but stayed for when they made a mistake. A flyer sent out a stun grenade as another shot him in the back. The result was sudden in that Shriek sent out another shock wave from his combined powers with the suit. At that moment, Terry used the sonic dampener and threw a smoke pellet clouding Shriek in the mist. Batman flew in with night vision to detain Walter as he coughed up smoke. Instinctively, he sent out sonic waves towards the footsteps heard from around him. Terry realised that the waves were visibly noticeable in night vision as it was elaborated, by sound. He dodged attacks that Shriek attempted to defend himself, using the sonic dampener to slowly drain power. Batman distorted Shriek heading around him in circles to knock him out with a final punch in the smoke.
Batman threw a Batarang at the light, temporarily blinding the flyers as he safely flew away from the crime scene. Behind him, Terry saw the debris that was Logerquist tower crumble on itself unsteadily. Just another problem to add to his record of property damage.

Part 7: [Late] for School!!
Terry perched down in an alley to quickly run in Hamilton High. He ran past students who were lingering around classrooms, finding his first-period class. Dana sat quietly at a desk alone, studying while he took the spot next to her.
‘Sorry I’m late.’ He started.
‘Late? School starts in an hour Terry!’ She laughed as he realised the time and the fact that no one was in the classroom.
‘Oh, right, I knew that… So what are you doing here so early?’
‘Just studying for tomorrow’s exam, and you?’
Terry imagined the conversation as if she knew his identity. ‘Oh, I just saved the city from a sound-striking villain named Shriek.’ If only…
‘Just doing some early work for Mr Wayne, he had a tight schedule planned, which I crammed all in the morning. So, I have the afternoon free.’
‘Oh is that right?’ She remarked.
‘Yep, want to study in the library?’
‘Sure, I’d like that.’ Dana responded as she looked down briefly.
‘Something wrong?’
‘No… it's just that you cut me off yesterday over the phone.’ Terry quickly remembered the scene in shock, he never got back to her.
‘Ohh, sorry I just… lost connection…’
‘Really?’
‘Well, yes, that’s the truth.’ He instinctively wanted to hit himself for saying something so idiotic, but it was the actual reality.
‘Ok… I guess that makes sense.’ She went back to studying as Terry frowned in his chair. There was nothing worse than having to lie to your best friend about who you really are. Then again, being the dark knight would have its downsides.

Chapter Text

Part 1: Jester of Genocide
The Jokerz, a notorious street gang darned the streets of Gotham. The cult was a group formed a few weeks back to bestow honour on the Joker. The leader had a disreputable reputation in juvie, and followers were brought together to bring chaos to his name. The Joker was labelled the clown prince of crime around the original Batman era, creating unpredictable anarchy. It seemed even the world’s greatest detective couldn’t predict what the joker threw at him. But enough of the backstory. Onto their recipe of disaster, Stewart trashed a storage compartment as the Jokerz behind ravaged through supplementary components. His Halloween costume also came with his street name, Ghoul. The group made their first impression in the Gotham herald. To his right, Stewart saw the Dee-Dee twins, Dell and Deirdre Dennis. Probably the most centric related to the group, as they were actual descendants of the Joker. Or more so Harley Quinn, a psychotic mental instructor falling in love with him. They were joined by Woof, a spliced human mixed with the DNA of a hyena. If the disturbing sounds he was making were not enough to taunt him, he couldn’t think of much else. To his left conquered the bronze but no brain of the Jokerz gang. Bonk was quite a brute but wouldn't be the type to call smart. Chucko, awaited their exit as the police were heard close by. He was the leader directing the Jokerz in heists about Gotham. The clock ticked by his hand as he urged the rest of the group to follow him. In the distance of the herald building, raced GCPD flyers approaching their position. ‘Time to go!’ Chucko called out as the group followed with no hesitation. With their uncharted sense of direction, they averted lights through the windows making their way downstairs. A flyer circulated the building as cop cars emerged below. On his way down, he sought Woof catch a distraught scent causing him to gape. ‘What now?!’ Bonk asked. ‘It’s the police, they’re inside. Ghoul, go out and distract them and Dee-Dee, get the backup plan.’ ‘On the double!’ They sprinted energetically to wherever Chuck sent them. ‘Alright, do us proud Ghoul.’ Bonk pushed Ghoul into the light, appearing at the entrance in the light. Stewart watched conspicuously as the CGPD fixated their guns on him. Guess he had a special talent for some things more than others. ‘Hi, there folks. We’re the Jokerz, this was just an encore, but don’t worry, they’ll be more from where this comes…’ ‘Turn around slowly… and hands on your head!’ An officer called out. ‘Calm down geez, just give me a second to compose myself.’ Behind him, Ghoul sought the reflection in a cop car of a signal by Bonk, they were clear. ‘You know what makes a joke funny? Anyone?’ The cops looked at each other in confusion, as ever facing a crook of such ambition. ‘Eh, well that’s disappointing, it’s the punchline you idiots.’ He swayed sideways to introduce Chucko holding a rocket launcher. ‘Good riddance.' The rocket launcher fired at the direct area of the cars. At that moment, the immediate explosion craved a path, creating a gateway for the jokerz exit. Within the midst of the flames, the jokerz walked away in delight with their stolen goods.

Part 2: Meet my friend, Joe
‘Left! Right! Around!’ Smack! ‘Oww.’ Terry received an unwelcome hit to the stomach as Bruce watched nonchalantly. The training dummy almost winced at him, referring to its original position.
‘I think this is a little extreme, I could take at least a dozen leg fractures from one round.’ Terry spoke exhausted after finishing the final rep. Surrounding his training as Batman, he seemed proficient for the job, but obviously, Bruce was putting too much pressure on his level.
‘Well if your going to be running on rooftops and avoiding the police single-handedly, you could at least put in the bare minimum.’
‘The bare minimum? Is that how little you think of me??’ Bruce watched carefully to determine his actions. In all honesty, he felt as if he had to steer clear of his emotions with Bruce so he wouldn’t inflate any more problems. This would stand to build his reputation as Batman, whether it was out in the streets or the cave, he needed adherence or somewhat control.
‘Whatever, I’m done.’ Terry ran out of the bat cave unsettled to take off some time in the house. Maybe even complete some homework, he was at least at the bare minimum in that department.

Walking felt somewhat different to flying across Gotham. The fact that Terry saw Gotham almost entirely from above presented him with some perspective on some buildings. But the altitude was limited on his suit to only withstand a certain threshold until giving in. So Terry could only fly among some buildings at half their height. Despite their size, Terry realised Gotham had evolved extensively from its pre-existing 2000s. Where there were few but many buildings that developed Gotham’s metropolitan area. He imagined Bruce grappling and jumping across rooftops as Batman depicted in old newspaper articles. Tone his age down a little, and he would have made an effective dark knight remedy for the city.
In this generation, skyscrapers had evolved, reaching new heights, with Wayne-Powers still claiming the top spot. Surprisingly, as there seemed to be an endless torch of buildings clustered together except for ‘Old Gotham’.
In his liking, Terry found himself venturing into Old Gotham abundantly, with many crime lords in the city residing in its abandoned apartments. He didn’t mind but to think that villains of Bruce’s rogue gallery were still roaming around. He already had a spread of critically acclaimed villains that he was slowly progressing past. Inque, Shriek and even some self-proclaimed Jokerz had stolen the spotlight earlier in the day. But they were simply crooks the police could deal with, seemingly.

It hadn’t taken long to gather his thoughts as Terry came across the crime scene across the old Gotham herald. While the building wasn’t exactly a new furnished product in neo-Gotham, it formed an archive for old architecture and history records. The Jokerz having trashed the place wasn't exactly helpful in preserving its essence. But still, the majority of the storage compartments had been uncovered, thankfully.
This view was perceived below, where Terry found the entrance gridlocked by the GCPD holding an investigation. From initial inspection, Terry supposed that something quite powerful had torn through the steel-coated cop cars. The trajectory and penetration indicated they had the perpetrators surrounded. Though, Gotham did have many uprising criminals claiming a spot in its most nefarious rogues. He wasn’t surprised.
Inside the boundary line, Terry realised a familiar face, one that his alter ego had a vague altercation in a rich couple’s sanctuary. A detective distinctly wearing a long dark coat depicts him as an important status in their system. His blonde hair was fitting with his attire, yet Terry could sense an ulterior motive with his body language. The man wasn’t a fan of moving but stood abnormally still discerning the area. Though also appeared to be of similar age as him, though not exactly a teenager. His badge, Wilson…
It seemed legit, but something about the name felt acquainted.
At the moment, he turned, to which they made brief eye contact. Terry quickly renounced his gaze, seeming uncomfortable. After a few seconds, he peered back to find the detective right in front of him.
‘Problem?’
‘Uhh no, just wanted to know what happened.’
‘Just your average smash-and-grab heist.’
‘Ah alright, did they steal anything significant?’
‘Well, not exactly precious, but it's of no concern to you.’ Despite his demeanour, detective Wilson seemed reasonably just, such as his brooding behaviour.
‘What’s your name?’
‘Terry.’
‘Joseph. Joe’s fine.’

Part 3: The Killing Joke
‘It looks like junk, what the heck are we supposed to do with this?’ Bonk questioned Chucko as if he was under interrogation. The two main powerhouses of the Jokerz were arguing at the table, like two parents scaring their children. Except there was a little more argument from both sides.
‘Yeah Chucko, when are we creating some funnn.’ The Dee-Dee twins' ecstasy disrupted his cloud of thought, though Chucko rested his hand to his head. There was no denying they were closer to emerging the plan in the face of the Joker but was interrupted. Wayne-Powers prototype of the dispersal device was delayed for further precaution, though the stakes rested in their hands.
‘Okay, we have the formula, so now we just need the dispenser and a multitude complex to make it omnipresent.’
‘So what are we doing here?? Ghoul asked vociferously.
‘Woof!’
‘We’re waiting for an import that's delayed to arrive in Gotham.’ The Jokerz digressed, looking confused at each other as if a group of students in confound. Chuck sighed indolently, literally no one understood the mechanics of their plan except him. He vividly flashed back to a time where he first made out the name, Joker. It was quick, but as a child, he had seen a visage of Batman and the Joker’s confrontation up on a steel train. They both delivered formidable blows to the opponent about equally matched. Equipped with a knife, the Joker while the train sped across the skyline railway. The Joker pulled out a knife, lunging at the dark knight as Chucko watched in horror. From his perspective, the moonlit night reflected upon two exaggerated silhouettes lashing at each other. As the Joker seemingly struck him, the force propelled in Batman’s counter knocked the Joker off the train. From the walkway, he could hear the tension and disturbing laugh that dropped into the factory chimney. The Joker wasn’t gone, but clearly, this event encouraged him to become a valued member of the Jokerz.
‘We take three stations, one that would set up the plan. The docks, ACE chemicals, and a high vantage point.’
‘Like Bruce Wayne?’ Bonk replied.
‘What?’
‘His tower. It’s a hotspot of the city.’
‘Okay, you and Dee-Dee go to that region, then Ghoul and Woof head to the docks and I’ll take ACE Chemicals.’ Everyone seemed to agree with reason. Though Ghoul seemed uncertain, questioning his plan.’
‘How is this plan going to bring back the Joker.’
‘It won’t but will give all he ever wanted… for Gotham to witness the punchline.'

…

Terry found himself back at school, specifically in a history lesson. Surely it was his favourite subject due to his recent accounts. Especially interesting to see the public view of Batman compared to the real deal. Some myths were correct, leading a truth into his double life and balancing both sides. He could see Bruce struggling to maintain his public billionaire playboy persona while pursuing a life in crime-fighting. But some were quite hysterical with theories conjecturing him to fly. There was one instance where he found himself smiling like an idiot for no reason while being asked a question in class. It was humouring, but lively to have at least some parts of life connected, whereas they both lean towards dissimilar directions.
After their lessons, Terry walked alongside Chelsea and Dana, who talked about the ramifications of the city overrun.
‘Yeah I know, I saw one that shapeshifted into different moulds out the bank the other day.’
‘It’s a shade for Gotham’s underworld with all these metahumans running rampant, but Batman…’
‘Uhh, I don’t know, he’s just there stopping crime. I mean… I thought he was some crazy psychopath on a killing spree in the 2000s. But now, he seems chill.’ Chelsea opinioned.
‘He can’t have aged that well to still be out there in crime-fighting. He must be at least eighty by now. Or even…’ Dana sought out an obscure end to her statement, leaving him in thought.
‘Well, he’s taking down crooks, and I'm fine with it.’ Terry gave his input, biased towards his side willingly. ‘And he’s not killing, which seems reasonable.’
‘I guess so?’ A flying car horned in opposite them, signalling at a certain someone. ‘That’s my dad, catch you guys later!’
Terry and Dana waved Chelsea goodbye before they were left alone near the school entrance. It was awkward, but Terry made out from his peripheral vision that Dana underwent the same tension.
‘So, want me to walk you home?’
‘That’s a little cliché for you, Terry.’ She laughed as they started.
‘But you’re okay with all this, right? With everything happening in Gotham?’
‘It does feel more apprehensive walking around Gotham now, but you know, it’ll pass soon.’
‘How so?’
‘Well, with everything happening, how could metahumans and bats work alone in this golden age. They’re all outdated. Even Superman may have struggled at least a little in this generation. So what gives criminals the upper hand?’ Terry considered her thought carefully, but Bruce had already given him the means to justify this information.
‘But with a new generation also comes flaws, and the criminals are more sophisticated, better yet, even Batman seemed to have an upgrade last time I saw him. Can’t be grappling around rooftops in this decade.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘Know what?’
‘That he grapples off rooftops. There’s barely any evidence to conclude that.’
‘Hmm, I just presumed that’s how it worked.’
‘Oh…okay… see you tomorrow, Terry.’ He watched as Dana silently made off, seemingly with second thoughts. As opposed to her usual outing, she was off with the way they approached each other lately.
Suddenly, Terry’s phone buzzed as he received a notification about a bank robbery in progress at the docks. Looking back to his side, Dana disappeared, leaving him to settle his other duty. But behind him, a particularly eminent glow peered out to where Terry ran off.

Part 4: Muse of Fire
He looked to his wrists as a warm sensation crackled within his skin cells. The feeling encompassed his entire body as if it just wanted to explode. Green spark lights already emerged from him as Derek Powers slowly found control over this new-fangled power.
From the dark alley he hid behind, a student was seen walking out the back of Hamilton High. The school stretched across the street, though his appearance was vague when discreetly concealing himself in an alley for a few short minutes.
Powers waited for a brief second in the thought of what he was doing at a dead-end alleyway. His intentions were now cynical as he specifically had pleasured himself to find and kill Batman. It was a basic plan but an ingenious one at best with his power. In the short period he developed it, Powers figured some abilities founded from heat. These included; fire waves, radiation emittance, transference of heat and other alternatives he was yet to discover. For his growing form of radiation disclosure, there was a consequence which formed from his human side. Every time he emitted radiation, his body would become just that little weaker… unfortunate. Though what was there to accomplish with his motive if he had nothing to lose? Probably everything.
On the side note, Powers heard a distinctive rocket fire as out the small ominous alleyway emerged Batman. It was him, skinning the dark tint of red in the chest emblem, to persuading a shade of black all around. Only momentarily, he looked around to check his surroundings, to which he backed around the building he stood behind. It was a few seconds after where he realised that the mysterious vigilante had disappeared over the horizon. The moment was clouded over his hatred with revenge, consuming him from the inside.
Though with recent events, two facts undeniably fell in place. Potentially he would uncover the identity of the crusader defeating Gotham’s underworld. Derek Powers was close to ending this case because all he needed was his name.
Scouring the area, Powers leapt onto the ledge of a building on top, making full use of his abilities. With that, he set out to unmask the legend of the dark knight.

…

‘Why not??’
‘It's still in repair, its damage is too extensive to fix overnight.’
‘But it's been three days, I’d cut you some slack, but it was just a minor slit.’
‘The impairment lost a crucial component of the batmobile’s operating system, you won’t be flying it around anytime soon.’ Terry frowned as he flew past a flagpole loitering in the wind. The docks had reports of a missile launcher that sunk one of Gotham’s luxurious vessels. Soon enough, he’d find the perpetrators calling themselves the Jokerz. From what he heard, they were a cunning group of felons who conducted mischief in parts of Gotham’s wealthy district. The motive would simply be to ransack for money, but there had to be an ulterior goal for the seemingly random spots they had eliminated.
In the distance of the docks, were heavily employed Amertek technologies used in the case of an emergency. Quite intently, a suspicious move to make their appearance was deceptive. He made out a clown in a Halloween costume and another at first glance being a wolf. These both startled Terry as a trivial matter, as the dog-like being leapt from one of the exports to lash at him. Swiftly, he ducked around to see his partner in crime with a rocket launcher.
Without a second thought, the rocket fired as Batman made a barrel turn that narrowly avoided danger.
‘Quick! Refer to plan B!’ One of them called out as Batman fired a disc at the clown. As he was just in mid-air, the wolf attacked him from above as being slammed against the concrete surface. Terry felt an immediate adrenaline rush in collision with the hard ground, having the suit absorb most of the impact. In consequence, he dodged another attack lashed by it and balanced himself to counter. Quaintly in the corner of his eye, he figured out the clown-like persona trudge inside.
Suddenly, Batman heard sirens not too far from the district as flyers approached from above. The abrupt noise was a continuous pain for the wolf as it howled desperately. Batman took the opportunity at hand and quickly swung a hook at the forehead to fly into the entrance of the dock facility. Metres away from the entry, he found himself appearing in front of the cops, where they immediately placed fire. From the minimal number of seconds shown, Terry stumbled as he flew inside crashing into some barrels. But the police were blocked by railings which would buy him time.
From the ruins, Batman donned his camouflage montage flying to an above wood railing. Like a falcon peering for his prey, Batman utilised his enhanced vision through the mask to identify the missing Joker. ‘Hi Batman, I’m Ghoul, how’s it going.’
‘Not well for you, give it up.’
‘Geez for a Bat, you have quite the temper!’
‘What are you here for?’
‘In due time, you’ll find out.’ Batman found Ghoul hiding behind a fissure in the wall with some toxic substance. With a gas mask on, he aimed a built-in Batarang to lock on his location. As he made a shot, the railing was forced down as the police invaded the dock faculty. Instantly, a guard tased Ghoul, yelping in shock, then dropped the barrel to gas the place.
Unfortunately, Terry felt his memo fail as the camouflage mode wore off and had some dire consequences. There he was again; Joseph pointed a gun aimed with a red flash at Batman to which he sent a Batarang off immediate response. The moment repelled as a heat-signature-based weapon was sent towards him. Joseph along with other guards attempted to fire as Batman proceeded out the exit flipping around the header. As the police ran by the flyer line, they watched in disappointment as the overhead remained unaffected.

Part 5: Tangled Shenanigans
‘What’s the lead?’ Barbara questioned Joseph as he laid the report on the desk.
‘Wayne-Powers, didn’t the idea of the dispersal device seem far-fetched, as if there was a clandestine motive behind Derek Powers?’
‘Powers isn’t manufacturing any more of the product, so it's taken care of.’
‘Come on! A caution isn’t adequate. At least give me this.’ Joseph looked desperately at the police commissioner with hopeful eyes. In the long run, this would be his first hit as a high-ranking detective. When taking the job, he dictated by two goals; justice on the streets and defeating the known vigilante that was Batman. Though he wasn’t just any other petty bystander that wanted him finished, he had a personal grudge.
As a child, Joe’s family had some… problems that did relate to the criminal offence. His father especially was a trained soldier that led him to the background of martial arts and spatial awareness. This was until not even ten years later, the Batman killed him, in cold blood. His father wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t deserve to be treated unfairly. Policing was merely a step in the direction that would allow him to shoot a bullet in his eye.
This batman was presumably not the perpetrator who killed his father years ago but would suffice for interrogating. An identity reveal would expose the aged Batman out of the shadows so that he would ensure his revenge. The look the commissioner passed him was concerned but considerate.
‘Just don’t let your hatred of Batman interfere with it.’
He shrugged but ignored the comment. Seemed as if Derek Powers had an overdue chatter with arrest he would adhere to.

…

Ghoul wrapped his hand vivaciously around the imported formula of Joker toxin. The docks manager had been kind enough to direct him straight to the package where Batman found them. In that instance, he was bold enough to make a few remarks before being discovered by the police who surrounded him. Luckily, only parts of the cylindrical canister had been exposed, which was enough to cloud the warehouse. This was marginally small compared to what the Jokerz had in plan for the city. To his side, Wolf jumped from the storage boxes scattered around their lair.
‘Is it done?’ Chucko asked from the ruptured telephone still functional for over twenty years.
‘Yes, we’re back now.’
‘Good, leave it be, we’ll meet up later.’ He ended the call abruptly. Not even a minute later, a teleport of another chemical formula appeared in the lair. Woof and Ghoul just hunched as they both sat back, relaxed and satisfied with their work.

(A few minutes earlier)

On the other hand, Chucko was close to transporting the second formula found in ACE chemicals. The already abandoned nuclear plant was convenient to exit and enter upon entry. The building, encompassed by the bay, led out of Gotham’s borders, but the plant itself was well built and rigid for the time passed. The explosion that occurred earlier in the years was rigged, supposedly by Batman himself, which degraded much of the property. Chucko was surprised to see no one had taken the debris as property for themselves unless the owners were too Kane on rebuilding.
He wrote the transcripts in the machine and placed the canister inside. It floated around as he sent it to the Joker Lair. On a radar placed at the back, he realised a fast-flying signature was incoming to ACE chemicals. The common sense reasoning pointed out Batman was approaching as the teleportation was complete. In the process, Chucko brought out the rocket launcher, one of two that he had also handed to Ghoul. With that, he ran up to a chimney of the rooftop to kill a bat.

…

Terry received the open signature of one of the other Jokers venturing into ACE chemicals. There wasn’t much time to run down as he knew there was probably another case of invasion in another building in Gotham. From the ashes of the decrepit factory, Batman flew closer to identify lurking Jokers ransacking the place. To his surprise, he immediately spotted an outline that was rather corpulent to first impressions. In this instance, he saw an opening to defeat the Joker who stood still atop the chimney of the building. But something was off as there seemed to be a stillness in his arm. He buried his night vision to see yet another rocket launcher and sighed.
‘Couldn’t they ever catch a break with this?’ With that, Chucko fired the rocket while Terry made an easy escape from a fair distance. Suddenly, the rocket turned around, following his course as a heat signature. He groaned as he used his rocket boots to attempt manoeuvring around the missile. Chucko seemed to stand in place on the chimney that was disturbingly unstable at the time. Ingeniously, he picked the rocket to follow his course and waited, flying directly in front of the chimney below Chucko. The missile speed skimmed through the air as it became fixated on Terry.
‘Oh no,’ Terry heard Chucko whimper as he smiled, dodging the missile. Crash! The chimney blew off as Chucko felt his world drop falling with the debris onto the building. As Batman was about to capture Chucko, he heard a distinct noise coming from across the bay. It was frightening for residents to witness a confrontation between the Dee-Dee twins and Bonk. The clatter blew to bring down structural residue surrounding the place. Wayne-Powers was clearly the primary objective as he went to jump off the ledge.
‘You can’t stop them.’ Chucko laughed as Batman glared momentarily. ‘It’s only a matter of time before the reign of the Joker will torment Gotham indefinitely.’
‘We’ll see.’ Batman leapt off the ledge into a glide that blasted across the bay towards the last two Joker members. He took camouflage mode as the water seemingly gushed off his mask, flying close to the water. The jet rockets blistered the water in a streamlined motion accompanied by the sounds of police sirens clouding gunfire shot from both sides.

Part 6: Three sides, three goals = Conflict at its finest
Bruce sat freely in the chair of the bat computer looking through the feed of Terry’s mask. From his perspective, Terry’s decisions as the dark knight were nifty, most probably inspired by his training drills. Though the mistakes he stacked as Batman, were resolved in his battle against Shriek. With each decision made came a solution that would progress his evolvement into Batman.
Part of him wished that he was under the mask that defeated criminals in the dead of night. But Terry seemed to be doing well without him, which had some pros to cons. The advantage was becoming more independent on the streets, but the con was leaving Bruce behind. There wasn’t any doubt that Batman was still getting the job done despite the person underneath the mask. But the truth remained clear that whatever he would be facing, it would entail a necessity of his experience.
In the backseat of his chair, he watched as Terry flew blindly into the battle ahead.

…

The camouflage memo blew off as Batman was unwelcomed into the crossfire. The neurogenetic amplification enhanced his ability to dodge bullets as well as facing the Jokerz. Outside the Wayne-Powers building, the Dee-Dee twins and Bonk stood their ground against the three agendas that stood just. As Batman, went to face the Jokerz, they pulled their trick, spontaneously throwing objects being bolas and gun darts. Unfortunately, even with his innate ability, Terry was hit to be flung into a nearby alleyway.
‘Yessss, Batbrain got hit!’ With that remark, the Dee-Dee twins were hit and knocked down by the police. The remaining Joker started to flee into Wayne-Powers as the cops split to pursue both ‘criminals’. Joseph attempted to track down Batman as Terry felt someone watch him escape from the corner of his eye. Joseph climbed up the barrels opening towards where he sought out the dark knight. It followed a rushing of footsteps on the balcony top. Terry felt a sweat tear down his face as he was confronted by the swagger of a man equally combatted, if not better than himself. Seeing there was no exit, Batman and the detective faced off in an epic duel.

…

Bonk threw a canister of fear gas remaining from the subjects he acquired. There was no mission so if he were to go down, he would do it in style. The cops on the other end were persistent in completing their job, taking every chance to defeat the bodybuilder. In a desperate effort to make an opening, he engaged a full-frontal attack making notice of the two silhouettes clashing above.

…

Joseph made out a jab following a quick succession of free-flowing hits. Batman evaded where possible, but Terry was still in an intermediate type fighting range. He deflected but soon knocked to the ground.
‘Terry, give me a name. I’ll follow it up.’
‘Joseph?’
‘That’s too broad. I need background information.’
‘Lemme run facial recognition.’ Soon enough, the punching strives of the man intimidating above became a picture in the lenses of his mask. The software outed Joseph’s identity to be Jericho Wilson. In the radio receiver of his mask, Bruce remained silent for a couple of minutes as Jericho asserted his dominance. Tackled on the ground, Terry was able to curl his leg and rocket Jericho off him. ‘Wayne?’
‘Jericho Wilson, a high profile trainer who was taken from his parents… Batman was associated with their death.’
‘How so?’ Jericho clapped at Batman as he evaded to find a point of balance.
‘Batman killed his parents…’ Terry went silent for a few seconds as Jericho found an opening full of rage. The anger culminating inside was estranged as he jumped above Batman to break the roof. They both fell through the ceiling with glass remnants of the building tumbling alongside. From the board of the roof, Bonk was afflicted by shrapnel screaming in pain, as Jericho hit the ground with a thud. Batman safely landed with the use of his wings gliding down unsteadily. As he settled down, every objective was taken precariously at the moment.
As the police failed to react promptly, Bonk whipped at Jericho, holding him down by the neck. Their position was handed to each other as Jericho was under his head, struggling to breathe.
‘Let him go.’ Batman kept his hand out, ready to fire a disk at a fatal point to his head.
‘Give me one good reason.’ Bonk kept a fair distance from Batman and kept Jericho’s neck wrapped in his bulky grip.
‘Killing isn’t a joke, it’s not fun.’
‘Well you don’t know him as I do, I’ve seen the Joker… greeted him… worshipped him.’
‘And what would he think of you now. Desperate to make a name for yourself. You’ll be forgotten, just like the rest of them.’ Terry knew he hit a nerve when Bonk became more unsettled with his emotions. An opening was easing out as soon as he would counter.
‘Noooo, I will be remembered!’ Suddenly, he picked a scattered glass piece and sliced his neck. The bloodshed was seen on his face as the knife slashed through his skin disturbingly.
Terry watched as the light in Jericho’s eyes burned down, as he was in a state of shock. Almost like a calling as if he wanted to be helped. But again, he was a man not too far off his age, killed before his eyes. Jericho kept his eyes fixated on Batman as if he was trying to accomplish one final task. At that moment, Terry felt an unusual feeling wrap around him, but he blamed his conscience for not saving Jericho. As the police completely ignored Batman to help Jericho move to a hospital, Terry pitched a disk at Bonk. As hit, he activated an electric taser stunning him to the floor. Batman flew from the scene, having disregarded an unusual but traumatic moment.

Part 7: Jericho Wilson
With a cognisant awareness for lingering police trackers, Batman flew into the Batcave meeting with Bruce. While he wasn’t sure what the extent of the ramifications was, or either being disappointed, but he was in for an idiosyncratic conversation.
‘Before you say anything, I already know what went wrong.’
‘I’m not concerned about how you acted on the scene, but at least you were able to stop the Jokerz. That was the main goal. And you accomplished it.’
‘You’re not mad?’
‘I’m mad, but I’m not one to say the least.’ Terry peered at him in the thought of the broad question brought up. ‘His name is Slade. Or more so, codename being Deathstroke.’
A shiver went up to his back as Terry ruminated the title. It was as a child he encountered Deathstroke running off a Wintergreen household in Gotham’s detached suburbs. He was covered enveloped in an arsenal of weapons and firearms, insinuating his mercenary look. Though imaging a fight against Deathstroke was mind-bending, considering the options he had to his advantage.
‘His parent? The one you killed?’
‘No, I didn’t kill him. But I’m worried about Jericho, the Wilson family have a bad habit of not staying dead. That one line was enough to intimidate Terry if they were ever to meet again.

…

In the dim light of the hospital bed, the corpse of Jericho lay stringent ready to be sent into the morgue. One light flickered as the surroundings of his body shifted. In a very brief but abstract drought, a spirit lifted from the body and hastily exited the open door...

Chapter Text

Part 1 (Present 1): Is it okay to be Batman?
‘Bruce…’ Barbara Gordon spoke from the staircase leading into the Batcave. She anticipated the place to be gloomy and dull, but it felt a little more reminiscent. The police chases following Shriek and the Jokerz Gang had prompted her to make a rough return to Wayne Manor. The usual entrances were as she remembered, not maintained. But the interior posed different when she walked to the antique clock. Leaving the doors of the cave decades back, she never thought she would stroll back in her older age.
Bruce, however, seemed casual, or more so detached that was his usual demeanour. He sat back in his chair as the two of them remained silent underneath the caves of Wayne Manor.
‘Nice to see you again, Barbara. Though I doubt the police would feel the same.’ Straight to the point as always, that was Bruce Wayne.
‘The police are just doing their job since vigilantism isn’t tolerated even after your time.’
‘You know what I mean.’
‘What you mean? Does that imply you’ll be taking Terry McGinnis of the case?’ Bruce made a slight contraction with his eyes but wasn’t wholly surprised. ‘His secret wasn’t that hard to trace from you or anyone in that case. If anyone finds out Bruce Wayne is Batman, that boy’s life will change for the worst.’ But Bruce already knew this, from the day he set out the cape and cowl, anyone he partnered with would have a target on their back. Hopefully, the boy knew this risk when he decided to become Batman.
‘That is if you choose, you are the commissioner after all.’
‘Well, my superior doesn’t agree, so if he goes out there again, I can’t call it off.’
‘So be it.’ Bruce sat there unbothered about the fact that he’s endangered a teenage boy still in high school.
‘What happened to you, Bruce? Even if you killed back then, it seems you were so readily available for someone to don the suit.’
‘I didn’t have it lying down at the doors of the Manor waiting for someone to pick it up.’
‘Nevertheless, you haven’t changed at all.’
‘Is that all?’ Barbara was shocked at the response Bruce gave her.
‘Yes. And I’ll be on my way.’ She stormed out of the Batcave, lingering by at the black and yellow spandex that was her batgirl suit. It had torn edges running down the cape from her final mission and a fine-tuned cowl to replace what was lost. It was her last mission, a dreadful reminder of the dangers posed when jumping off rooftops. Back then, there was a moment she lost her mask in the midst of a police run, almost revealing her identity to the commissioner that was her father. To this extent, she also received a few bullet holes in the cape to her back escaping underneath a chopper, which unfortunately had a machine gun in hand. It was only when the dark knight ruptured the rotor blade blinding the police as she was carried away in his arms. Luckily none of the bullets made it to her spinal cord, which would have paralysed her for life. But then again, it would have made no difference to her quitting batgirl. Then there she was, standing next to the suit confined within a glass case among the other expenses in the cave.
‘You know the worse part?’ He stared back blankly as she continued. ‘It was that you never stopped, not even after everyone left. And somehow you manage to continue your crusade twenty years later.’
She didn’t look back after making her statement.

…

In school, following the events of the Jokerz, Terry was finding it difficult to concentrate in class. From the backseat of the class, their lineup was considered similar to an olden day lecture room. The seats were aligned accordingly, with each row ascending from below, eventually leading a ‘high’ class of students. Since the lecture room was especially crowded, it didn’t seem suspicious at all for two students to quietly acquaint themselves.
Terry looked down at his laptop, holographically displaying an article from the incident. The picture taken hadn’t included Batman but seemed to be the cops arresting Dee-Dee and Bonk. Photos of the remaining Jokers were also displayed, as the other few escaped. The only other member detained had been Chucko. The news anchor briefly mentioned Batman in the byline, only bringing up matters that was the controversy behind himself. The rest explained how the fight was brought down, with some exaggerations, though was fairly depicted. But the ending sentence had him shook, ‘Wilson’s condition has not been confirmed, but doctors describe the results to be inconclusive momentarily.’ He sighed while ignoring the lecture teacher, who seemed to overlook his distraction. Dana, however, seemed to discern herself with figuring his mood, especially when he appeared to be giving the cold shoulder.
‘Terry?’ To which he concentrated and kept staring at his computer. She was intrigued by what would keep his attention from the class and her. Leaning over, she was in confound to see an article of an attack dating a few days back. Why was he so interested in the metahuman attacks? He could literally read it any other time than now. ‘Terry!’ She quietly shrieked from their seats, waving a hand in front of him. Finally, this caught his attention as he turned around.
‘Hey.’
‘Hey? I was trying to get your attention for like five minutes.’
‘Oh sorry, I was just reading on Shriek. Remember?’
‘Yes I remember, but I don’t remember you being this cocky about this.’
‘Hmm, I’m just interested.’
‘Not as interested with me?’
‘Of course not, you know that.’ He kept his voice down subtly.
‘Well, I’m not feeling it, Terry. What’s going on?’ She asked inquisitively.
‘It’s something Mr Wayne asked me to follow up on since the attacks had begun from his company.’
‘I’m sure he can do that himself, and you know that as well, so I’ll ask one more time. What were you doing Terry?’
‘…’
‘If you can’t be honest about me, then I don’t think this relationship is working out.’
‘Wait, Dana, you can’t be serious?’
‘I am Terry.’ He looked at her sincerely, appearing to be shocked at this sudden breakup. Just as he made out another word, a sudden noise broke through a wall of the high school.
Boom!

Part 2 (Flashback 1): Gotham Pre-2040
His steps felt heavy running on the rooftop edge overlooking an abandoned warehouse district in Gotham’s corrupt estates. Bruce jumped across buildings with a reminiscent feeling as he let himself fall then land steadily. He long ago conquered the fear of heights to be afraid now. The air was misty and carried cold gusts of wind, like it was trying to attack him. Though Bruce was taken back, feeling the pain of a scar received from the head of the league of assassins.
Bruce Wayne was to become the heir to the demon with his promising methods of saving the city. It was a fit for their criteria, but Bruce had other ideas. Nevertheless, after discovering he had conceived a child with Taila and driven a sword into Ra’s al Ghul, he looked for a distraction. Anything like a bank heist, drug trafficking, or what appeared to be an illegal gun trade across the street would be suitable. From the building, he jumped across with a prototype grappling gun developed by Wayne Enterprises. It stretched out the coiled line to a nearby building finding an anchor, as lifted from the ground. He felt his weight carried by the monofilament wire to let it off. Gliding down, he spotted the necessary contraptions guarding the roof. It was divided by a triangular glass shaped prism, meaning he would take them out silently. Surveying the number of guards and enemy traps, he figured knocking out the guards before the machines surveyed the area.
Batman used his cape to ease his way down while jumping on the back of a lingering guard. In doing so, the guard was given a concussion hitting the concrete forcefully. Looking forward, he advanced through their defences in a flash, though couldn’t help but notice another sound swiftly going around the roof with him. Reaching the other side of the rooftop, he was shocked to see them defeated. Though Bruce was able to recognise the trademark of the other vigilante, the figure stood behind him.
‘Dick… I had it covered.’
‘Nice to see you too, Bruce.’ Nightwing stood pompously with a self-praised personality. Bruce discerned his new appearance with the resemblance of a bird spreading across his suit and the escrima sticks cross hanging off his back. His utility belt blended in with the black spandex but seemed accessible.
‘What are you doing here?’
‘Well, I was heading to the manor when I got an alert of a gun trade in this area. Funny seeing you here because last we heard from you, you were fighting the league and made it conspicuously clear that you didn’t need help.’ Bruce recalled the moment when he left Barbara and Dick to protect Gotham. Though in the time absent, he didn’t expect Robin to grow into another superhero persona. One having all his redeeming qualities except for the height and maybe some maturity.
‘I still had it handled.’
‘I know, which is why I’m leaving Gotham tomorrow, heading for Bludhaven.’ Bruce was apparent that he wanted to start a new life, becoming more independent, but didn’t expect it to be this soon.
‘Then let’s finish this.’ Bruce spoke as he peered down the glass and into the warehouse. The number of people was adequate to defeat, between the two of them, so all they needed was to make their entrance.
‘Be my guest.’ Nightwing hinted as Bruce positioned himself against it and shattered the glass ceiling.

…

Batman KO’d the final henchmen with an elbow to the collarbone, shattering it as he screamed, falling to the ground. His partner watched eerily and unsettled, as he was against killing, but put up with it. He knew Barbara would second his opinion, but she wasn’t out there with them.
Suddenly, a willowing echo crowded the room as the former dynamic duo became perplexed. The lights were exhausted as an intimidating voice spoke through the speakers.
‘Batman… At last, we finally meet.’ The voice spoke, modulated.
‘Who are you?’
‘Oh me? I’m Anarky.’

Part 3 (Present 2): Batman v RFG
Terry watched as a group covered in deck spandex flew into the school on literal cards. He counted four the traditional cards in a deck; the Ace, King, Queen and Jack. They were represented in black and white spandex suits covering them whole. Some had pretentious jewellery on them, probably to recognise their wealth. Through the entry of the lecture room, they made their impromptu entrance. The King seemed to jump off his card to exit into the locker bay as the others followed behind. Terry quickly made off in a manner that was oblivious to anyone. Running down the stairs, he ignored the teacher reading the emergency plan. Soon after he was in the distance, he found the janitor’s closet to change into the beyond suit. By the time he was set, scanners showed the four cunning card players to already make their way to the exit they busted. He hadn’t expected to face any card-suited villains, but Gotham consistently proved the impossible.

…

She felt a slight draught pass her as Dana looked to her side, finding Terry to disappear.
It was only a few minutes after the break-in, where students and the teacher were under their desks. The action plan followed them waiting at least fifteen minutes after the attack to exit. The whole situation was confusing since why would they rob a school in broad daylight? She saw that most students were apprehensive leading wary noises coming from the doorway out front. If it wasn’t for the already combusted hole in the wall, they were in for another conflict. She was worried about where Terry had run off, but hopefully, it hadn’t gotten him into any trouble.
Suddenly, the laughs became nigh as the gang opted into the lecture room.
‘We are the Royal Flush Gang!’ Jack spoke. ‘Thank you for your time and your jewels.’ Just as they made their departure, Batman flew into the King, who stumbled off his card. The result was him being thrust against the wall as his allies confronted him. From within the confines of the school, Jack rammed him while the Ace jumped from above. The Batman dodged attacks seamlessly as Queen zapped him with her cane. The fight particularly caused damage to the interior walls of the room.
Chelsea shrieked as some of the debris fell on her desk, many were screaming being hit by falling rubble. Batman struggled to take on the group at once devising him to take away their advantage. Dana barely watched from below as he threw a grapple line that tripped them all off their cards. She briefly saw a priceless jewel held in the palm of the King. Most probably what they came for, as he closed it within a satchel. She held her hands to her ears as the electricity became almost like a lightning bolt throwing Batman out of the school. The Royal Flush Gang shuffled their cards, making no haste to fly off with their deck.

…

The next twenty minutes went by quickly, as most students calmed down from the shrieking. Dana’s class was influenced the most, having been bombarded abruptly with a hole in the classroom. So, they were let go off early, where she had continually been worried for Terry. Just because they broke up, doesn’t mean she wouldn't worry for him. She and Chelsea talked about the incident leaving the school where they parted. Dana picked up her phone again, calling Terry one last time before she would give up.
‘Dana?’
‘Terry, where are you?’
‘I’m right here.’ She heard the voice overlay as appearing behind her. She turned round to see Terry with a slight smile. Her worry turned into relief as she gave him a small hug.
‘Where did you head off?’
‘Oh, I thought I would take my chances at calling for help, but guess Batman showed.’
‘Yeah, he did.’ Dana remembered the moment where he took off, Batman emerged to stop the Royal Flush Gang. There was nothing suspicious about that at all.
‘Well, I’m glad you’re okay.’ Dana walked home, ignoring that they broke up not even an hour earlier.

Part 4 (Flashback 2): Corruption and Greed
‘Anarky?’ Nightwing repeated wittily. As confused as Bruce was, he didn’t take the villain seriously. The voice echoed in the darkness of the warehouse which they had just apprehended. But the voice wasn’t fazed by that and only was concerned with conveying a message.
‘Yes, I am a prodigy who believes solely in anarchism lying abundantly right here in Gotham. Everything, every place and everyone manages to corrupt the welfare of our citizens and future. The extent to how dysfunctional it has become is also influenced by you Dark Knight. Your actions of killing every crime boss in the city have subjected many to the deep end.’ Bruce stood indolently, waiting for the villain to explain their motive and somehow give away his location.
‘Society was shaped upon the so-called rulers playing God at the top of the food chain. They just reflect everything that is wrong with humanity. For that, any government or litigation thinking that they’re above the law should be terminally disposed of.’
‘What makes you think we aren’t already doing that?’ Nightwing questioned, wondering the ideas brought up by Anarky.
‘I fight for social justice, philosophical ideologies and public disposition. You all just snap any neck you believe is harming the city. Just like Joseph Carny among us, Batman didn’t even hesitate to kill a man who didn’t have any evidence against his crimes. Yet considering his part-time job pursing the King of Spades, you may as well have another vendetta with his family.’ Batman glared at the darkness in front of him, taking no pleasure from any of the points made in the villain’s rant.
‘Who are you?’ Batman questioned abruptly.
‘I am the saviour of Gotham City. But it’s not me you have to worry about. There is a bomb located precisely in the city. In the most desolate area in Gotham, where its corruption is the pinnacle, you have twenty-four hours to stop it.’ Batman slammed a wall with the fury of his fists in rage. He already had enough on his plate, despite recent events. ‘And in doing so, you’ll find that wherever Gotham is most fraudulent, will also cause the end of you, Batman. The lights flickered back on as Batman and Nightwing were shown to the light.

…

The batmobile stood proudly in the alleyway Bruce hid it in. Its sleek design helped it cut through the air while also doing it in style. The features were incredulous but would help him if ever in a tough spot. Both landed seamlessly inside the vehicle as Batman put his foot down at the wheel. The drive back was short, but Nightwing was surprisingly quiet, given the whole Anarky situation. Batman tried to keep the thoughts at a minimum in the far corner of his mind, but it felt relatively close to him.
The Batcave used to be a few underground caves that were one of the hidden secrets of Wayne Manor. Now it stood as Batman’s base of operations only revealed to a few special people. The shutter door opened as the batmobile entered the cave stridently. It came to a sudden stop as Batman and Nightwing came out. Bruce saw two of his most trusted companions, Alfred stood tranquilly with his usual suit. He had accompanied Bruce ever since his parents were murdered, and that’s something he would forever be in debt. Barbara sat near the batcomputer, checking leads for the bomb location, which was now their top priority. She had been batgirl for roughly a few months now, but she proved to have an unflinching capability with computers.
‘Hey, how did it go?’ She turned around to question their outcome.
‘There was some trouble. But you heard everything through the feed?’ Nightwing replied.
‘Yeah, I’ve been trying to dig up anything on Anarky, but he’s completely in the dark. I’ve checked police databases and looked up the literal name ‘Anarky’. They’re probably using it as a codename to disguise themself from the internet.’
‘He’s an anarchist. Lookup any politicians who've been dropped or people corrupted by the government.’ Bruce demanded his input.
‘That’s quite a fair list.’
‘Well, I’m trusting you to narrow that down.’ Barbara gave a faint smile as she turned back to the batcomputer.
Bruce received a message from his phone as he put back the batsuit on the stand. He was surprised to see a familiar face as the text was from … Selina.

Part 5 (Present 3): Figure of an Identity
The Royal Flush Gang flew through the window of their hideout. It was more an apartment they had freely allowed themselves to enter through. All cards on the deck landed to which they discussed strategy.
‘Did we get the diamond?’
‘Yes, the school security system was hard to bypass,’ Jack replied. King brought up the diamond as it glistened a red tint in the light.
This brought about the first part of their goal that would now financially support them for a long while. ‘Batman is still out there, however.’
‘We talked about this, and we already defeated him in battle, did we not just moments ago?’ Queen responded vigorously.
‘It's not enough! He killed my father, and that at least deserves death as a penance.’
‘This little fiasco has been diverting your focus for too long, so why can’t you get past it?’ Jack questioned abruptly. Their family was built upon the King of Clubs, Kerry, who discovered a source of Stelleration energy. Eventually, the power was passed down generations until it came upon to their family. Though Batman’s sudden kill over Joseph Carny had triggered his son to have a dispute against him. Batman was the source of corruption for them, and they intended to take him out.
King looked at what remained of them, with his wife and their son Jack. Ace was a physically enhanced robot that was useful in some crime sprees. Their family had been through too much to stop now. ‘Alright then, if it will calm you down, we will find a way to draw out Batman. Any ideas?’ Queen suggested.
‘Yeah, I have a few.’

The next day after, Terry found himself back at school in a psychology class. The aftermath of the break-in of the Royal Flush Gang had brought chaos into the school. The room having exploded a hole in the wall was sealed off, due to it serving as an attraction for the city’s dangers. Right after this class, he would head off to the cave, asking Bruce about these events. The group particularly seemed prepared for his arrival, as if many metahumans already are. But the likelihood of using electricity and fighting as if they lived in the 90s was unlikely. They had a grudge against something, but why would they go to the school? And then there was Dana, who was already complicated. Rick sat next to him silently, focusing on his work. He and Chelsea were a thing, so maybe he would have some experience with his situation.
‘Hey, Rick.’
He unplugged his headphones and gave his attention to Terry. ‘Hey, what's up?’
‘Some things more than others, Dana and I kind of got into a fight.’
‘Just be yourself, and be honest, because keeping secrets is never good if that were happening.’ He laughed.
‘Yeah, I guess so…’
His phone buzzed suddenly, as Terry likely figured it was Bruce with a location on the Royal Flush Gang. At the moment, all the devices in the room lit up, broadcasting a signal that appeared to be King. It caught Terry off guard as he dropped a certain list out the pocket of his bag.
‘I am King, and I am demanding that Batman surrender himself now before we bring the city down.’ The signal disappeared as the computers flickered to their original state as Terry quickly leapt up and snuck out.
Rick turned back to Terry, where he found him gone as finding a grey book underneath the seat.
Terry found a discreet area, where he changed back again into the beyond suit. ‘Found a location?’
‘Yes, head to Otisburg, because the signal passed someone around there. I’ll send the batmobile over now.’
‘Finally.’ With that, he flew up to the rendezvous point where he would soon fight playing cards.

Part 6 (Flashback 3): Catch of the Night
The minute he walked through the restaurant, he felt loitering eyes recognising that the billionaire playboy was making an appearance. While Bruce was apparent on the attention, he preferred it if people kept their distance. Despite keeping his image as someone who would most definitely not go around snapping necks at night. Going past tables, he gave a slight smile and waved back at a few but found the catch of the night up ahead. Selina Kyle sat strikingly at the table in front that took him back. She also had changed while he was momentarily gone, with a few scratches running up her arm. He took his seat amidst the chatter of the restaurant.
‘Selina, how have you been?’
‘I’ve been well, Bruce. See you’ve taken care of the league.’ She appeared to check him over his extensive injuries obtained from Ra’s.
‘And I also see you’ve been busy.’ He particularly noticed a gunshot forming a scar along her neck. From this, he identified it as a bullet of a Type 85 Sub-Marine Gun. Deriving this, he figured that she had been tampering with the Russian mob.
‘The Bratva.’ Selina sighed at this statement as she hated this quality of him.
‘So what? They had something which had me interested. A diamond cat figurine was transported in Gotham a few days ago. I tried going after it, but you could tell what happened…’ She referred to herself.
‘I’m not going to help you, Selina.’ Bruce already knew what direction this conversation was heading. She had already asked several times in the past, where only in some instances he would help. But the likelihood of her favours was running out, and really the only way she had persuaded Bruce in the past were ashaming to his self-esteem.
‘Come on! I know you liked us working in the past.’ Bruce remembered the time they fought Penguin together, handcuffed. They had to stop him before aligning two essential items that could puncture a hole in the Earth's crust. Fortunately, they were successful at that, but Bruce found that she would do anything to have what she wanted. This was a reoccurring theme every time they had partnered, she even sided with the killing occasionally. But she stopped ages ago when it became repetitive, and even she started to feel the consequence of taking lives.
She rested a hand on Bruce as if tempting him to follow. He kept his gaze but was saved by the phone buzzing. Barbara sent a text with possible locations of the bombing site.
‘I have to go.’ Forcing his hand away as he made off to the exit.
‘You know Bruce. You’re much more distant, and I say this out of goodwill, but… talk to someone. The killing is changing you, and soon you’ll be out of your mind, and nothing could stop you. Not even me…’ She looked down at her purse as Bruce embraced the thought heading to the batmobile.
Around the restaurant, he suited up as Batman where he grappled up to a building edge to talk freely.
‘Do you have a location?’
‘Yes, I have three potential sites, already sent Nightwing to one, I’ll check out another. But the last one is…’
‘Be safe, Barbara.’ He checked his map reader to find the site to be Wayne Enterprises. Around the back loft, the scans indicated had traces of ammonium nitrate. He was surprised but thought that it was merely just an oversight.

…

He tracked the signal to Wayne Enterprises that he was familiar with. The backlot seemed to be untouched, with no initial readings. Anarky made it clear that the bomb was located within Gotham’s most corrupt estate and that it would level the entire city.
‘Has Nightwing found anything?’
‘No, there’s nothing here.’
‘Yeah, same.’ Batgirl spoke through the radio receiver.
‘Keep checking, it should be here.’ He checked off, continuing to search around the backlot of his company. Something suspicious caught the corner of his eye as he spotted a manhole cover in the sidewalk way. Sceptical enough, he slid down a ladder to drop into a flooded tunnel. As one way, he chose a route and trailed it to an underground mining and railroad structure. The environment was not well maintained, but as the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, he was never shown this facility. But then again, the board hadn’t formally recognised any area subversive of their site.
‘Hello, again Batman,’ Anarky spoke.
‘Where is the bomb!’ Batman demanded.
‘Now now, I’m keen to inform you that there is no bomb, but that was merely a charade to bring you here.’ Batman trekked further into the underground caves, looking for an opening, anything that would reveal his hiding spot.
‘You know I never thought any of this would be possible. But thanks to your convincing method of stopping criminals, I was prompted to start all of this. Not because of vigilantes, but the power they hold over the city.’ Batman attempted reaching back to the Nightwing or Batgirl, but his signal was cut. He walked down a staircase leading to the centre of the mining field as the light started to succumb to the darkness ahead. ‘Power, dominance and pressure can be associated in our society Batman. Under the ever-growing population thwarting our future, every man goes in for themselves. It's the lies and grievances that build to shape leaders only fending for their reputation, never mind what people say. That’s also you Batman, you take the law into your own hands and twist it into this justice that’s apathetic and bigoted. If one man was blamed for the smallest of crimes, they get a neck snap, hence even a child that façades a city would be killed by yourself.’
‘And why would I do that?’
‘Allow me to introduce myself.’ The man behind the forged threats revealed himself in front of Batman. Cowering in the darkness, he stood up to which Batman overestimated his danger factor.’ He wore a white hood, similarly fabricated as Batman with a cape and cowl. Seemingly the complete opposite to him if someone were to say. His chest emblem resembled an ‘A’ presumably standing for Anarky. His utility belt was also similarly assembled. ‘You are everything that is wrong with this city!’
Suddenly, Anarky threw a grenade-like feature exploding on impact, striking Batman. The move was sudden, as it blinded Batman for a contemporary second as Anarky started his beatdown. Batman lunged into his defensive stance while recovering from the grenade as Anarky subtly fought to the best of his ability. He particularly liked using his upper body striking Batman in the head, overthrowing him. By the time he found himself seeing, Anarky struck him again, but with this time, Batman fought back. It was that instance where he threw a sharply pointed Batarang, followed by a furious range of attacks, desolating him. Anarky attempted to fight back, using the little skill he had accomplished but was bested. Batman axed a kick to his stomach that was enough force to pitch him into the wall of the underground cave. The impact solidified a gust of mine dust that clouded him for a brief second as his hood fell. Batman observed closer as it was none other than a teenager standing before him.
‘You’re just a boy.’
‘So what? Doesn’t matter because I’m trying to save this city.’
‘No, you haven’t saved it, you’ve failed it. If you continue down this path, you’re in for nothing of a future if you understand the repercussions of your actions.’
‘Well, that’s politics now, nothing short of injustice.’
This struck Batman wordless leaving the crime unhinged as police sirens were heard. From his gauntlets, he called in the batwing rapidly approaching his position. As exiting the manhole cover, he found himself surrounded by opposing police officers with their guns aimed at him. The lights shone above as cornered by the commissioner. Batman had been in this situation too many times to know how to avert it.
‘Not this time Batman.’ He shook it off, throwing a smoke grenade not even in the blink of an eye towards their view. The batwing swooped in as the police misfired in different directions. The smoke disfigured as batman grappled onto a hook and shot up. The police found their ground as they tried shooting but failed, as they watched Batman disappear into the night.

Part 7 (Present 4): What have we accomplished?
The batmobile flew around a curve to meet Terry as he grappled in. The lights glinted as he locked onto a location the Royal Flush Gang pinpointed. With new upgrades, it flew faster towards the villain lair in Otisburg. Terry looked from the 360-degree view from the window that he was coming across yet another abandoned estate in Gotham. The place seemed more like a construction site that held many cranes and operatives. He slipped down the chute to fly at the centre point where he would grasp a view of the entire area.
Suddenly, he felt an adrenaline rush as a grip of lightning fried the circuits in his suit. He fell at an alarming rate as seeing his ambusher in the distance being Queen. Below him, he spotted Ace, largely built considerably as he prepared to blast him. At the moment, he used the force from the punch to pull around him and take him out. Figuring he was a robot, Terry looked for some emergency power-off switch, though his sensors detected movement behind him. He jumped off as Jack shot Ace with a shotgun, blasting a hole right through as it fell impassively.
‘No!’ King shouted as he charged at Batman with his pretentious sword lined through generations in their family. He whipped at him, to where Terry dodged under while using his weight to leverage him round. Over his shoulder, King, was thrown into a canister of iodine. Receiving an overdose, he screamed in pain as two of the four were defeated. Batman looked around to seek out the remaining associates, seeing Jack stood again with his shotgun. With no mercy, he attempted to shoot Batman as he took cover behind a barrel. In doing so, Batman heard sirens approaching their area, where he opted to finish it fast. The Queen stood in front of him, ready with her cane as he waited for her to strike. She looked with no hesitation to fire the electricity from her cane as what looked like lightning bolted in his direction. He ducked the attack conveniently to throw a dispensable Batarang her way. The electricity crackled the barrel that Terry hid behind, launching it at Jack, who received an unwelcome splash of acid.
‘Ahhhhh!’ he cried out as the Batarang hit the Queen’s cane out of her hands. With all the unfortunate luck the Royal Flush Gang received, the Queen was topped with a punch to the face as Batman finished her.
The sirens seemed inbound as Batman was about to make his escape when an electric shot tased him. Still conscious, he peered to his right, seeing the King furious with Queen’s cane in hand. Batman made no sudden moves as he started.
‘You should be dead for what you did to my family.’
‘Why?’
‘You wouldn’t know, but I declared my revenge when your predecessor killed my father. He never deserved to die, but you’ll meet with death as punishment.’ He looked to pull the trigger as Bang! King was shot as the GCPD entered the district armed and loaded. Terry made his exit as he camouflaged, launching into the air.

…

‘Has it been taken care of?’
‘Yeah, the Royal Flush Gang are nothing less than a scattered deck.’
‘Good, I’ll meet you back at the cave.’
‘Ah wait, King said he wanted vengeance against Batman, so would you happen to know anything about that?’
‘Yes, they were old foes, but now you’ve dealt with them.’
‘Ok, but they seemed hell-bent on destroying me, or well you. Just to take note because they aren’t dead, so they’re likely to come after us again.’
‘We’ll be ready then.’ Bruce ended the call as he sat on an armchair in Wayne Manor. The window overlooked Gotham, the city he felt he failed. Even after Batman, crime was still high, so what had he truly accomplished? The only successful part was the criminals he killed, and that was only before… It levelled the crime but defined Batman as someone willing to kill anyone if it led towards justice. He didn’t regret the life, but some part of himself felt as if there was another way around, one that could draw the line between killing and moral values.

…

On the other hand, Terry flew the batmobile towards the cave, still in question of Bruce’s history with the Royal Flush Gang. There was a lot of pieces missing from the puzzle that needed filling in. But one thing was set straight, that Bruce killed a man leading to that family’s vendetta formed. He wondered how many more of the criminals would still be out there having it out for Batman? He was quite sure that the group was listed in the book Bruce gave him. While they hadn’t been around the incident surrounding Wayne-Powers, he must have noted down former adversaries still in the blue.
He checked his bag pocket while the batmobile was placed on auto-drive. Under the red light encompassed in the driver’s seat, he was confused to find it misplaced. As his bag had no trace of the book. He was sure he brought the book everywhere with him for safekeeping, though there was the alternative he just left it at home.

Part 8 (Flashback 4): Kill or be Killed
‘Nice work,’ Barbara commended Bruce on his victory over Anarky. Sure, the stakes weren’t there with the bomb diversion, but he was psychotic and needed to be beaten.
‘Yes, very well done sir,’ Alfred added as Batman unveiled his mask walking into the Batcave. Bruce appeared to have mixed emotions, though that was a reoccurring theme after every victory with them. Barbara noticed the sudden change in behaviour which was out of the usual and walked over to him.
‘Bruce, what’s wrong?’
‘It’s nothing.’
‘I told you.’
‘What?’
‘You killed him, and now you’re feeling the ramifications. He was Lonnie Machin, a 15-year-old studying at Hamiliton High. Remember I told you to stop…’
‘I didn’t kill him, Barbara.’
‘Oh, you didn’t? Then what happened?’
‘He was… different than the others.’
‘How different?’ Bruce acted as if he was about to speak and then gave up, leaving with no response. While Anarky proved not to be a physical threat, he did take him back mentally, which had Bruce ruminative with his motive.

Chapter Text

Part 1: Identity Figure
‘Terry McGinnis.’ The high school student who always skipped classes, following a track record of juvie. The boy appeared at almost every crime scene discreetly on the sideline. And no evidence disproved he wasn’t Batman. The whiteboard he rolled out displayed the images and news lines Terry was revealed in.
Three locations that he sought Batman following had triangulated towards the far corner of the island. The only estate he could think of was Wayne Manor, where Bruce Wayne had resided. While thinking of a few reasons Wayne would target the company, he didn't think it would be adequate to become Batman. Nevertheless, Bruce could never be Batman considering his old age. But the boy’s father had been employed under the directory in Wayne-Powers. Whether his death had caused him to investigate in his company was the primary concern. But how he had revolved around the Batman identity was unknown. There was a slight possibility that Bruce Wayne had an involvement that would only result in one thing. Bruce Wayne was originally Batman.
No? Yes? He didn’t know but needed to prove it.
The projection in front of him listed at least five slides of overwhelming evidence of the issue at hand. Ever since seeing Terry near the school, an obsession lingering behind the identity of Batman was eating at him. Derek Powers looked for a solution to solve his intolerable crisis.

...

Bruce let out a sigh as seeing the invitation slid underneath his front door. He wasn’t regularly invited to galas in the city, but a fundraiser for a local orphanage had him intrigued. Since being orphaned at a young age, the fondness for others in his situation was present growing up. The event was held in Neo-Gotham, which was a separate district from the areas he was familiar with. The era had evolved not far off his retirement as Batman, where the idea to create a city free of crime was proposed. Though in Gotham, crime was an insinuating factor living in the city. While the tall skyscrapers on par with the approaching heights of the clouds were impressive, Bruce knew that it would never be crime-free entirely. But in his time, he would contemplate the number of parties interrupted by the city’s most wanted.
Supposedly say Harvey Dent’s campaign prompted his idealism thriving in Gotham’s corruption. A clown prince of crime crashed the party, holding several hostages that he foiled. This upcoming party would seem nothing different, so caution was a lingering thought he would keep in mind. But since sent out of context, it seemed apprehensive. Terry had a few days off after the Royal Flush Gang incident. Bruce might have him go because he could never be too careful.

Meanwhile, Terry spent his time clubbing in his spare time instead of doing anything productive. The breakup with Dana took him back, not to depression, but someplace low and dull. He knew what he was getting himself into being the Dark Knight but didn’t expect anything else to happen. A part of him wished he could tell her everything so it would resolve things indefinitely. Though the likelihood of gaining approval would be the same as Bruce's chance of getting out of the manor. The nightclub posed to be the opposite mood of Terry, with flickering lights and a hot mess of the dance floor. In this case, he spotted a particular girl to notice him from a distance. Under the contrast of bright lights, the brunette in a leather jacket appeared subtle when looking him up. She came off pretty in Terry’s perspective but soon realised his actions, turning away. He was not going to straight-up cheat after a misleading breakup with the girl of his dreams. Under his critic, the girl seemed to disappear in his favour.
Rick sat beside him, who seemed off from their regular visits to the club. Normally, he would be out dancing with Chelsea but seemed rigid in his spot beside Terry.
‘You okay?’
‘Oh, yeah, I’m good. Just thinking about something I found recently.’
‘What kind?’
‘Nothing special, just drawing my attention from all of this.’
‘Right, I have the same feeling.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah, just something about the Wayne internship gets me tired often.’
‘…Yeah, I would imagine working part-time for a billionaire.’ Rick stared back down in thought as Terry received a message from Bruce.
‘And there it is again. He wants me to go to the gala in the city.’
‘Wow, guess you’re in for a night.’
‘Yeah, see ya.’ He escaped the lights and deafening music to fly out the back alley, camouflaged. Behind him, a figure of the girl watching him followed discreetly with a league of her own.

Part 2: Scattered Sabers
‘Does it look nice?’
‘I think it looks wonderful!’ Her mum commented on the suit Terry picked out for the gala. Since Bruce didn’t have the courtesy of attending himself, he would be the replacement.
‘It’s only for a fundraiser, I’ll probably only be there for an hour tops.’
‘Still, it’s important to make your mark.’ His suit followed a clean polyester jacket topped with a luxury handmade necktie. For the most part, fashion had evolved pretentiously outside of Gotham. But the definite standard hadn’t evolved much from Bruce’s time which said a lot about its customs.
‘Alright, bye, mum.’
‘Bye honey.’ Terry made his way to the batmobile, overlaying the beyond suit on top of his own. But the gala was in the city, which had him flying over a tall skyscraper. Neo-Gotham truly surprised him at how, unlike fashion, its infrastructure was superb. The gala was situated in one of the lofty views of a fortified tower in the city. The batmobile was left at a reasonable altitude as he continued the remaining levels in the beyond suit. While there would be an ideal entry through the front, Terry doubted that the security team would allow it for someone of his status. As scanning the endpoints for a vent to the janitor’s closet, Terry spotted an unusual thermal activity. Caught from the corner of his eye, was two heat signatures of two broad figures laying atop an art building. Since the gala could wait, Terry flew towards them ignorant of his surroundings. The art building was typically colourful, hidden from readings picked below a particular level. But the bodies became more apparent, seeing the figures loosely hold an intimidating blade, less than a metre long. He landed atop the roof to observe them with visual scans through his mask. Terry was astonished that the two seemed to resemble ninjas, completely dressed in black with skin-tight overlay.
‘Bruce, I know you wanted me at the gala, but I found something interesting.’
‘I’m here.’
‘Sending the feed through now.’
‘… This is the league.’
‘The league?’
‘The League of Assassins, an ancient society run by Ra’s Al Ghul, or that’s what I'm presuming.’
‘So basically, an army of ninjas are taking over Gotham now?’
‘No, the league doesn’t have intentions for Gotham but just keeping the world in order. Unless their motive has changed or something happened within the group. Scan the bodies first, we'll talk after.’
‘Right.’ As much as Terry’s intrigue with the society of shadows, he was focused on identifying this mystery case. In retrospect, the scans scrutinised the assassins killed by their blade. The blade was driven right through their chest for an instant death. There was no determining factor as to why they fought on the Gotham Arts building and had no reason for a motive.
‘I’ll fly back to the cave with the evidence since the gala can wait.'

…

‘A wielded sword made of steel, they haven’t changed material.’ Bruce recognised the intricacy of the sword that lay in the testing chamber of the cave. He recalled the league of assassins lair in Nanda Parbat, where he ventured back and forth many times in controversy. The head of the demon, Ra’s Al Ghul, would be long dead by now as he was in a deprived state that the Lazarus Pit couldn’t restore. Repeatedly shown, Batman proved to be the worthy adversary to Ra’s being one of a few who could defeat him in battle. The league had occasionally visited Gotham, following the destruction of innocent citizens that they were ignorant about. Bruce identified the common sword wielded by a league member. ‘Sounds like you need to pay them another visit.’ Terry pronounced.
There was a particular foreshadow that caught Bruce off in the moment. Terry’s phrase caused movement within a point in the cave. He quickly whipped around in his chair to survey the situation. ‘We’re being watched.’ Terry made notice of his sternness, reacting instantly to look into the darkness. The dim light shining over them made it impossible to see, but Bruce picked up a hidden Batarang from underneath the computer and aimed it. It wasn’t even a moment before he threw it into a league member falling from the top of the cave. Suddenly, what seemed to be five or six assassins jumped down from the darkness, which revealed a familiar face to Terry.
Bruce wasted no time bringing out his gun immediately, shooting the remaining assassins. The lead member struck Terry with her peculiar weapon, as Terry narrowly evaded her attacks, as she followed with a push kick that threw him into a two face stand. From the shattered glass pieces, Terry threw a non-fatal shot. She whimpered as he quickly unmasked her to find the girl in the leather jacket standing before him. ‘Wait, weren’t you…’
‘At the nightclub? We followed you here to find Bruce for assistance.’ Bruce calmed as he dropped an assassin threatened against his life.
‘Nyssa? What assistance?’
‘The league has founded a new member, one that my father has fallen prey under or most likely dead indefinitely. I don’t know the specifics, but the leader has been slaughtering all the assassins remaining as we came to Gotham to find you. He trailed us back here and is now seeking my death.’
‘Well, Nyssa, presuming that this someone has a vendetta against Batman, any of the leagues concerns are not of mine, especially in this age.’ Terry inherently figured out that Bruce and this, Nyssa, had a connection, even though the woman seemed to be of physique form. But that was probably works of the Lazarus Pit that he had spoken little about in recent days.
‘Unfortunate for us, this Ra’s has a vendetta and is likely to pursue you as we speak. He could walk through that door at any time.’ Bruce’s expression tightened as in a tough position. As much the dilemma he found himself in, fighting a new Ra’s would be suicide in his old age. But if he ignored it, then he might as well be a dead man.
‘Okay, we’ll get rid of the problem and wait for him to make his next move.’
‘You better do it quickly before we all die under his stipulation.’ He vaguely agreed, with Nyssa making her way to the exit. Terry glinted her intentions of what necessity she had in the nightclub, to follow him to the gala, the crime scene and then intermediately the cave. But he caught her sinister glare as she left the cave with the rest of her protégés.
‘So Nyssa Al Ghul, [heir to the demon] I’m presuming? How do you know her?’
‘I knew her sister.’

Part 3: Lazarus Pits
The league had fortified areas in the past, uncovered with some detective work. Bruce suspected the same for their current situation, given the new Ra's. He couldn’t think of any candidates for the role. His skill could only be matched by brute strength and versatility with his standards. Anything awry would either be killed or escape with a target behind their back. In truth, Bruce only heard of a certain emerald archer in star city who matched his skill, escaping his control altogether.
In the monitor, he saw Terry’s locator tracking a possible location.
‘I don’t understand how this could be a potential site!’ Terry claimed.
‘When Ra’s was past his potential, he attempted to use the Lazarus Pit to become immortal. Their place was hidden in a trailing tunnel underneath a road in the outskirts of the original three islands. I doubt it, though they could still use that as their fortification in Gotham.’
‘Cool, I’m approaching the location now.’ Terry managed to fly around and under the road, using the necessary contraceptions to find the league lair.
This most probably came across as the most intimidating lair he discovered, considering not many of the others even had a lair. It was surrounded by a discerning fungus that had grown reluctant on the walls. As colourful as that made it, Terry glided down slowly to the site that seemed to be what he was looking for. Entrancing through an overhead tunnel, he landed dissimilarly against the wall. Scrutinising the ancient ruins of the league hideout, he didn't pick up much. But it retained the last traces of Lazarus Pit water that Bruce discovered long ago. The pit seemed degraded as traces of nitrogen, was similarly stored within the explosive gel canister of his utility belt. Though any trackback to the pit had been removed as if someone physically canned up any of its remains. But only one person would have done that, as Ra’s Al Ghul would technically have the means to revive himself with the Pit’s water.
Suddenly, his wrist gauntlet showed a spike reading in the batmobile’s operating system. He looked up towards the entry he sought and heard the echo of metal being malformed. The sound felt like scraping nails to glass as Terry disturbingly flew back up. The light found at the end of the tunnel was the batmobile with a sword driven into its engine motor. As he flew up, the batmobile suddenly fell at an alarming rate, as if it was nothing but a heavyweight in the air. Crash! The impact caused some suspicion in the neighbourhood as Batman walked through the dust that settled around the batmobile.
‘Wayne, did you see that?’
‘What happened?’
‘The batmobile just gave up on the life and crashed on the deck. But I think I saw another sword jammed in the motor.’
‘Checking the schematics…. Go to the gala while you’re at it. The batmobile can stay there undetected with the cloaking tech.’
‘Alright then.’ As leaving the batmobile, a spike was sent throughout the suit’s circuitry as Terry felt remnants of the debris shock him.’

Part 4: Robin
As Bruce peered down at the data about the piercing of the motor engine, he found something interesting in the file. The traditional sword that Terry found earlier wasn’t the same as the one analysed. It proved similar but ultimately had traces of blood spitted about it. Bruce had only known one protégé who wielded a long, shimmered blade that was retractable and also never washed. With the blood of his own, the sword was a signature weapon of a robin. A robin that similarly trained in the League as a skilled martial artist.
Boom! Suddenly, Bruce thrust off his chair as the entry of the bat cave exploded. The reinforced steel penetrated as standing before him was none other than his son.
‘Father.’
‘Damian.’
‘Why are you doing this?’
‘Why, you say? In case you don’t remember, we didn’t head off in the right direction last we met.’
‘Remind me.’
‘It was your decision alone to deny me out there. Why couldn’t you give me the satisfaction of killing as yourself.’
‘They’re not prey, they were innocent people, and my judgement was clouded. Now their deaths are on my penance, and that’s something I never wanted for you.’
‘Well, clearly, becoming the head of the league was what I needed to achieve exactly that. I’m going to enjoy tearing your city apart.’ Bruce recognised the familiar tone that was his arrogant personality, like himself. Though killing his grandfather to become Ra’s was cruel, even if the man wasn’t at all beyond redemption. He wore the thin cloak and demon ring which Ra’s before had worn regularly. Throughout his adventures in the Titans and with himself, he always had a nagging quality behind it all. Bruce should have known the type of person he was growing into. But he was too late to figure out his overbearing attitude would have brought his son into a vicious entailment with the league.
‘You must be so petty to act on something that small of a scale. Your mother would feel dishonoured at what you have become.’
‘No Father, she would be proud at the legacy I’ll create for the league. Seeing as I’ve almost used up all the remaining traces of Lazarus Pit water, I’ll find another way to preserve it. Wayne-Powers seems to have created a stimulant of the replacement formula in the chemical agent spread throughout the city.’ Bruce was enraged at Damian using his former company to reign havoc that he could not fight against.
'You won't get away with this.'
‘It's nothing you’ll certainly be able to outlive.’ Bruce picked up a gun and immediately fired in his direction. With the skill Batman had taught him, Damian dodged effortlessly. He ran up the walls with his cape making him a ghost. With him apparently distracted, Damian took the opportunity of jumping him from above. What he didn't notice was a trap Bruce installed in his retirement. He activated the escape on his computer, swiftly catching Damian midair in a cage. It fell forcefully as Damian struggled to escape. He struck it with the force of his hand, not adding any support as he felt humiliated having lost to an elderly. Bruce made out a slight grin having the capability of manipulating people with rage issues.

…

Terry walked about the gala, which almost provided a sense of relief on his case. In all honesty, it served to be a break from school, life and Batman. The charity was an open event that gave him a cover-up to drink while representing Bruce. Since Bruce didn’t have many connections with famous people, he was practically alone. The fundraiser within Gotham’s wealthy estate was in its prominent buildings. Just as he was about to leave for another drink, a certain girl approached him with a concerning look. She wore a tinted black dress, one that he swore he could see in Bruce’s old pictures but on another girl.
‘Nyssa.’
‘Terry.’ She greeted appealingly.
‘Unless you’re here for the same reason I thought in the nightclub, there isn't anything left for you here.’ Surprisingly, she brought out a sticky note, not taking too long for him to find she was writing a phone number. ‘Okay, didn’t think that the heir to the demon would have a dating life.’
‘She doesn’t, but maybe you need it anytime you find yourself in trouble with the league.’ Nyssa held out her phone number to which Terry slowly picked from the palm of her hand. ‘Actually, there is the fact that Ra’s Al Ghul is still in Gotham and that he’s connected to Bruce.’ Terry tilted his head at this statement, pondering that last phrase she made.
‘The new Ra’s Al Ghul, the man that has been slaughtering all the league members from the moment of his upholding, is Damian Wayne.’ He raised his eyebrows at this statement.
‘Wayne?’
‘Yes, the son of Batman killed my father.’
‘So what are you doing here?’
‘He is your business, most likely his motive to stay in Gotham.’
‘So has he been in the cave.’
‘Yes, I believe he was a Robin back in the day, an arrogant one I believe.’
‘So much so, he could be there right now, I need to go.’ Terry glanced one last look at Nyssa before he left the gala. The chatter heard was silenced behind him as Terry left the building through the vents.

Part 5: Truth
Batman dropped down an escape tunnel, landing gracefully into the cave to find an unexpected turn of events. In a securely kept cage to the left, Damian Wayne sat quietly without rest, meditating. A technique that Bruce taught himself earlier in his training. Damian seemed taller than expected, more than Bruce in his prime and well built. Only something that years of training would have paid of, as for his few months as Batman. In hand-to-hand combat, Terry may as well be in over his head picking that fight. But he was surprised Bruce captured him despite his lack of physical ability. He walked over to Bruce with his mask still fitted.
‘You captured him?’ He asked curiously.
‘Why so surprised.’
‘No reason.’
‘I never taught him to have self-control.’
‘Right.’ Terry chuckled, but he wondered whether he was holding back on some teachings with him. It was kind of worrying.
‘He’s contained, that’s what matters. I’m turning him over to Nyssa since she has a knack to handle these situations, especially if league related.’
‘So I guess I don’t need to be here.’
‘Well, you don't have to go back to the gala since you already made an appearance.’
‘Do you think it was a decoy?’
‘Yes, he was trying to separate you from the situation. Though the plan failed, now we can be happy with that.’ Bruce lingered to the batcomputer as he planned his next move against some other villains on the loose.
Terry found himself looking at Damian again until interrupted. ‘If you’re going to stare, then at least be discreet.’ He spoke, despite his eyes still closed.
‘Just admiring how Bruce still beat you at your best.’
‘He didn’t, because I just made the mistake of fighting him in a familiar environment. Besides, distracting you was easy on that half, Terry.’ Batman wasn’t surprised, since he would have figured that being invited to the gala from the beginning was his plan. He would have the means necessary to figure his identity. Nevertheless, he removed his mask as if revealing his identity to a random stranger. With the mask, everything seemed less vibrant, with all the external scans indicated behind the tech. Now he saw it all clear, with Damian’s smudge face grinning in front of him.
‘You know, there was a point where I wanted to become my father.’
‘Well, I’d say Robin is a pretty great feat itself.’
‘But it started with the killing. He seemed to be fine with me going out there until one night, he just stopped. I never was allowed to go into Gotham again.'
Terry kept a fair distance as he walked close to him. ‘You know for someone who played his hand smart, you were pretty dumb to fight Bruce in his cave.’ Damian sighed sarcastically as if not standing behind bars.
‘You know, when I first came to the base, Bruce told me everything there was to this nifty hiding place he calls a lair. There was a mechanism controlling everything in his utility belt, including this cage.’ Terry suddenly realised that button was metres standing from his position in his belt. Before he had time to react, Damian threw a trailing knife unlocking all operations confined to his surroundings. Unfortunate to the technology overcome by Terry, the cage opened as he kicked the door. From the force of the door, Terry was thrown forcibly into the counter, where Bruce entered. Damian wasted no time stunning him in his infirmity. Terry attempted to subdue him with discs, though failed as sliced by a penetrating blade. Damian went straight for a missed kill, with Terry dodging but overseeing a shoulder to his jaw. Holding his hands to stop the bleeding desperately, Damian quickly stabbed him by the hip. In the insanity of his actions, Terry felt a rush of dreadful emotions falling to the ground. The last moment he witnessed was Damian’s cunning look at his despair before the darkness unfolded.

…

Waking up within short circuits and objects crashing, Terry awoke within the debris. The wiring cables had been hanging from the ceiling, with the batcomputer thoroughly left in ruins. That was only the least of his worries, as beside the now broken set of bat suits dangling off the stands was an absent Bruce. Damian had taken Bruce from within the cave to only nobody knows where. He struggled to lift rubble weighing off on his back, standing in the midst of the cave wreckage. The lights were flickering as the wound inflicted by Damian grew worse under his condition. For the most part, receiving a knife wound would require a bandage, or at most, surgery. Though for the costly damage Damian sort out, it bruised his fighting spirit. Not only had he allowed for the new head of the league a simple getaway, but let him destroy everything Bruce had stood for. Not that it changed anything on the outside, but all his relics were destroyed. That and who knows what in Wayne Manor that was accessible right above.
In the heat of the moment, Terry vehemently punched the wall, creating a slight dent in the titanium. It was merely a show of the power pertained within the beyond suit combined with his rage. Along that punch drained power from the technological-active batsuit Bruce crafted. The suit was physically town down to the circuits surrounding the utility belt to the mask. He sighed as he felt tears run down his face as he struggled to compose himself. He was reminded of something that Bruce had told him ever since the beginning.
‘One bad day is all it takes,’ a quote from the Joker. Ironic how a phrase from a villain, could be taken so seriously in becoming Batman as a child. The day his parents died started his revenge quest towards fighting for something more. But the same could be said for himself or anyone orphaned by a random street thug. But out of everyone, he was the one who ventured into the manor, and he was the one who donned the Batman suit. So Terry was chosen to atone for the city's sins, much less than his own.
From the ashes of the bat cave, Terry cleaned up what he could while making a plan. His unwelcome wound also felt healing under all the amour. He knew that he couldn’t take Damian on with hand-to-hand combat, given the suit's status. Sneaking up on him would also be advantageous, but he was the head of the league of assassins. Then he would need someone with an expert opinion on the whole situation despite Bruce not being there. He picked up his phone and found himself finding a number he received a few hours earlier. She didn’t take long to answer.
‘Nyssa, I need your help.’
‘I knew you would, where is he?’
‘I’m working on a location, I’ll message you when I find them.’

Part 6: Terry's Reconnaissance
Bruce was forced into the highest level of the Gotham Shipping building. Much like the gala he didn’t visit, he found that it had a prominent view of the luminous city he had once looked over. As Batman, he reminisced Damian enjoying the thrill of Robin, grappling through the city. The dangers posed themselves, though as a potential heir to the demon, nothing was a threat. Though right now, he represented what was wrong with this city or greatest failure. He threw Bruce on the ground with temptation, readying his sword.
‘We both know that torture is nothing to you, so I’ll make it quick.’
‘Yeah, since the beginning, it’s always what you wanted.’ He hesitated as Bruce stared at him justly, watching his newfound expressions.
‘What do you mean?’
‘You wanted it to end like this, just like it would in the league. Pick a fight by a trial of combat and kill indefinitely. Except you have the ignorance to pick on a man like myself, fragile.’
‘I still would have defeated you long ago, and this is my penance.’ He lifted his sword again as Bruce watched him.
‘Do what you have to Damian, it's all any of us can do these days.’ As he brought down the sword towards him, it was knocked off by a Batarang. Bruce was confused to not having noticed anyone but instantly recognised the glimmer of wrecked circuits that was his batsuit. Even though it wasn’t completely camouflaged, Batman revealed what was left of him in the night. In the follow-up, he missed a kick to receive a counter from Damian, pushing him back.
‘Don’t even try it, we both know that you can’t beat me in combat.’
‘I know, which is why I brought someone who could,’ Terry replied decisively. Nyssa revealed herself from her hiding spot atop the rooftop with the remaining followers.
‘Smart, but remember I’m Ra’s Al Ghul, they’re obliged under my terms.’
‘Actually, you were never given the power, you took it for yourself. That doesn’t make you head of the demon.’ She readied her sword, where Damian similarly positioned himself. Bruce watched from the sideline as a traditional fight occurred atop the modern convention building.
As one of the assassins attacked Damian, he simply moved out of the way before driving a sword through his heart. Others passed by as Nyssa joined at a fair distance to avoid the same displeasure. Batman looked for an entry point, but Damian seemed to be a barricade defending off all sides. But what he saw in motion was nothing but a boy jealous of his father killing at his loss. He fired a disc that Damian pushed an assassin in front of, eliminating the last follower leaving Nyssa and Terry.
They resorted to a full-frontal attack which would stun him, but only managed to slightly cut a thread. Terry was careful in his move, as Damian would kill him at the chance. He threw an electric Batarang where sliced, electrocuted him momentarily. Batman leapt to use his rocket boots to propel him up in the air, where he lost grip of his sword. As gravity brought him back down, Nyssa forcefully brought him into a headlock, inclined to snap his neck.
‘Don’t do it.’ Bruce exclaimed, urging her not to do something she’d regret.
‘Why? Just because you were given a right in the past doesn’t mean I could do it now?’
‘He’ll face justice, but only if you let him.’ She contemplated before knocking him out with a knee to the chin.
‘What justice will he face?’
‘The police won’t hold him, so he’ll be your prisoner, assuming you don't kill him.’

…

‘I’ll have him returned to Nanda Parbat. Until then.’ She left the bat cave with Terry watching her leave allured. Bruce eyed him, concerned, focusing his attention back at the computer, partially wrecked.
‘You know she is at least fifty by now.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘Because she regularly used what was left of the Pit, making her seem way younger than she is.’
‘Well, I know you were in bed with her sister, since that is her in those pictures, right?’ Terry pointed to the frames that were now disappeared from the wall.
‘If you’re referring to Talia, then you’d be right.’ Bruce seemed deep in thought at the mention of her name, which Terry respected. ‘Bring out the list, I needed to check a name I added on there earlier.’
‘Uhh, I kinda lost it.’ He stuttered.
‘You lost it? That’s not going to end well.’
‘Because whoever found it might trace it back to Batman?’
‘And hope they didn't catch you with it.’ Terry seemed hopeless at the end of that statement, given he had no luck with it in his apartment. Either he dropped it in the streets or left it back at school where anyone could have spotted him.

Part 7: The List
Derek Powers was astounded at the fight which concurred atop the Gotham Shipping building. He followed Terry and Bruce to find a strangely dressed boy and another foxy lady. Terry was unmasked at one point, which he found peculiar that no one else had noticed. But it confirmed his suspicion at this point, and now needed a plan to take his revenge. In the end, Batman’s legacy would be nothing but history unfolded.

…

In an apartment, not far from Hamilton High, Rick sat at his desk. He finished his homework leading into the next school day and now lingered in his seat. There was virtually nothing left to do now, but it was close to midnight. As he stood up from his seat, he knocked over his bag for the certain grey book to fall out of its pocket. Intrigued from days before, he picked up the book he recalled belonging to Terry and opened it up. The small pages seemed to have a line of names running down each page with no context. Fixx, Willie Watt, Charlie Bigelow, Robert Vance and Julian Day? Some of the names he recognised as actual students in the school. Though others seemed familiar from the past: Thomas Elliot, Ra’s Al Ghul, Victor Freeze, Lonnie Machin, Jonathan Crane and the Joker. These were all villains of the Batman, or were, given their status now. The pages continued for a fair lot, containing further names which his interests explored. But some of them were crossed out: Inque, Walter Shreeves and some one-off Jokerz members.
Why would Terry have a list like this? Since it seemed to be a sort of checklist that Batman would carry around. Unless…
No. There was no chance he was Batman. But it would have explained a lot of his absences. And even disappearing at random times. So maybe he was? But how could a teenager develop this sort of technology? He had too many questions processing at the same time. Whether or not he felt about him being Batman would decide solely on the moral compass the city pins him as. Though he already knew his life was about to make a change for the worst.

Chapter Text

Part 1: Captured and Chained
Terry woke to chains cluttering as he felt strictly attached to the wall of the desolate room he was confined in. It wasn’t too long ago since he received a lead onto the identity of Spellbinder. This meta had developed the power of manipulating people to his advantage. Much towards his costume inspiration, it contained a few endless spirals of hypnosis, which he had gratefully been able to encounter up close. Though with the benefit of the doubt, he was viciously knocked out at the principal’s office in Hamilton High. Now he figured he was unconscious until this moment when he found himself tackled with chains and intimidating equipment laid in front.
The room itself didn’t seem to be a part of the school, given the lack of maintenance proceeded with the running cracks throughout the walls. The curtains were open, bringing the only form of light, which indicated it was still morning at least. The time he arrived in the principal’s office was a few hours short of 1 am, so he was out for a few hours. Not to mention he was already unmasked like a display for anyone standing in the room. He attempted breaking free off the chains, forcefully making quick sharp movements with his limbs having no outcome. The second strategy was to call Bruce, with a radio receiver in his mask, that lay not even a metre in front of him among his utility belt. There was nothing he could do, absolutely nothing.
Suddenly, the door opened to the sound of laughter to a man with a devious secret. Spellbinder aka. (Ira Billings) walked in after realising the sounds of the chains.
‘I had to admit, I didn’t expect it to be you, Mr Mcginnis. Especially with a man of your intellect and criminal history, I’d put you at the bottom of my list.’
‘What do you want?’ Terry spoke nonchalantly.
‘Well… I don’t know. What do you have to offer? Aside from being the son of a somewhat average family, your internship with Mr Wayne is what intrigues me.’
‘What makes you think I would steal for you?’
‘If you can’t recall, I easily was able to subdue you with my unique capability.’ He nudged at a holographic effect pulled from one of his prototype machinery.
‘So you’re not a meta, just insane.’
‘Maybe, so I guess I won’t have a problem doing this.’ He rested his hand closer to Terry, with a piece of tech inside. While manifesting his power, Terry felt an immediate adrenaline rush through his head. As if seeing a dozen bright lights flickering simultaneously. Through this, he watched as several scenarios passed through his head. One illusion brought forth showcased him to the public, where he felt his mask coarsely pulled off; an identity crisis. The second flashed by with Dana tormented by a man he didn’t recognise. His face divided into black and white with a stingy laugh he swore he heard from juvie. The last was himself fighting a villain lit up in green, radiating with powerful energy waves surging in and around his body.
Terry woke in the midst of confusing events, screaming as Spellbinder struggled to finish his hypnosis. One of the chains conveniently loosened from his hand as he wasted no time sending a fist to the face. Billings was thrown into the table of weaponry planned on being used. He shrieked, feeling the pain of some sharp objects to lay unconscious on the floor.
Terry felt his mind shaken, freeing himself. He walked over to find his mask, slipping it back on. The system took its time rebooting while running a series of calculations. In his momentary confound, he found himself in an abandoned district of the city, far from the school or anyplace. Luckily, the suit wasn't drained in the few hours he was a hostage. Looking out the window, he saw several acres of ground to cover as he leapt out, flying across the plains back to the city.

Part 2: Where is Terry McGinnis?
Bruce was dismayed the moment Terry’s signal went off the grid. Either someone had unmasked him, or even worse could have occurred. He only went out for a heist leading them towards a villain, Spellbinder. He had been demanding people around through hypnosis stealing objects out of the blue. This included priceless objects that the manor was practically composed of.
After five hours of tracking down leads, he found a promising signal heading back to the city. By the readings, he was flying at a speed accelerated more than the suit would abide by. He called out through the microphone. ‘Terry! Do you read?’
‘…’ The radio receiver seemed to be damaged, as all he received was crackling noises. Bruce repeatedly tried getting hold of him, but nothing seemed to be coming back. Unless he was under the influence of Spellbinder, there was no telling what he would be doing.

…

Terry approached the batmobile perched atop Hamilton High, with his suit’s sensors reconnecting. He wasn’t entirely sure what his next move was, considering he defeated Spellbinder already. But it probably wasn't wise to be out in the open with the sunrise setting on the city. As he leapt on the batmobile, a sudden spike in energy readings came about in the city infrastructure.
The mask had been visibly blinded momentarily as what seemed like a cluster of ice particles gathered together and exploded. The force expanded like a nuke on a smaller scale, rustling the trees in the same motion and some cars into walls. It soon reached Terry having the batmobile pushed from the school with no sense of direction. He attempted changing course with his rockets, only causing more property damage, as he landed face-first into the concrete of an alleyway. The bruises ran across his side up to the neck. Terry had no idea what was going on. Where did that come from? The last he checked, they were still in Summer; meaning it was an artificial circumstance that brought about the explosion. He was now struggling to stand where he found his mask to have slipped off again. His suit wasn’t equipped to deal with these intense conditions after being on stand by for several hours.
From the corner of his eye, Terry spotted a stranger in the alleyway that caught him off guard. They shined what seemed to be a phone light towards him, where he held a hand to block it away from his spot.
‘Terry?’ A light voice sought out to which Terry instantly recognised. He looked again to see a familiar face that was his ex.
‘Dana?’ Once turning off the flashlight, she revealed herself in awe. It was an abrupt identity reveal on one hand, but provided a sense of relief at the other. Terry needed this, he wanted her to know, so why did it not feel welcomed? Right. The explosion, he needed to find the centre point and figure whoever conducted it. That was a priority.
‘You’re Batman?’ She queried as Terry was about to fly off. He turned back, thinking of a response, but nothing came to mind.
‘Talk later.’ He forced his wings down to propel him up into the sunrise, leaving Dana with no answers. They would definitively be having an awkward conversation later in school.

Part 3: Plot Twist!
Bruce packed the essentials for him to leave the manor. Terry’s key signature had been spiking all over the city while facing great danger. Not too long ago, a small ice fissure emerged in another lab, the third one in the past few months. As the guy in the chair, he spent much of his time discovering more secrets that lay behind Gotham’s crime world. While not a crime, he knew the ice surges were connected.
In his time as Batman, Mr Freeze plotted all the cryogenic facilities in his area with a bomb. This was to atone for not being capable of saving Nora so he would have died with his work. Essentially, Batman stopped all the bombs, but Mr Freeze was lost, or more so rumoured to be buried under all his work, waiting to return. That could have been now.
Bruce checked the rest of his equipment and ventured out to find Terry amidst his conditions.

…

Terry stood atop a roof over a radius of where he spotted the explosion come about. In his eyes, the world around him seemed to be changing with the blizzard. But he couldn’t feel the temperature change unless the suit was still running to keep him warm. But there weren’t any potential sites related to an incident that would cause citywide damage. As he peered down, he was suddenly struck and pulled from the roof. With his neck kept in a headlock, he wasn’t able to identify the culprit. In a sudden motion, he kicked off the ground to rocket fire the assailant, slamming him to the ground.
Spellbinder struggled to stand before him, as Batman was surprised to see he recovered from their fight from before. He wore his Halloween costume, with the black stripes wrapping the orange spandex. But he appeared weak as if fighting with a broken spirit.
‘You took what was mine!’
‘Yours?’
‘My power, the powers I got from Wayne-Powers.’
‘Oh, so you were affected as well.’ Terry responded, checking the list in his mask against Ira Billings. ‘So what happened?’
‘What do you think happened when you interfered with the mind illusions I cast in your head.’ Terry wasn’t convinced that he was still affected but had witnessed plenty of strange events that could be exaggerated illusions.
‘You took some of my power, and now I’m struggling to keep existence. It’s as if I’m fading away.’ He held out a hand that flickered like a light bulb, except it wasn’t long before it completely disappeared. Terry figured it was a side effect of being a meta as if your powers are taken, then a part of yourself would be as well.
As Terry comprehended the situation, Spellbinder leapt at Batman, who dodged effortlessly. He attempted to throw a series of punches and kicks but was defeated, as Batman threw him to the edge of the rooftop.
‘You can’t win.’ Batman spoke soundly.
‘I know, but maybe my illusions will kill you instead.’ He told, walking back towards the edge of the cliff, ready for his beat down. But alternatively, he tripped over the edge and screamed as he fell off one of Gotham’s elegant skyscrapers. Batman glanced over the edge as he lost Spellbinder, falling among the multiple stories in the city.

Part 4: What's right is wrong?
It wasn’t long before Terry found himself launching over buildings before finding a nearby computer café. He tugged away the beyond suit to sit at one of the holographic computers. Using a micro USB identified him to access an in-depth capacity of the beyond suit’s scanners. The glasses provided on the side allowed for only himself to view the screen, as people passed by him regularly. They noticed how physically tired Terry had appeared, given that he had no sleep for the entire day. But there weren't many people in the café, or so it seemed to be as dark clouds started to settle above. For all he knew, Terry might have been imagining the sequence, but right now, nothing major was occurring.
Terry found the scanners running inside the beyond suit to be damaged extensively, having received an energy blast from a metahuman. It wasn’t corrupted or nothing Bruce couldn’t fix but needed a jumpstart. It indicated that the suit was under a malfunction and required to draw electricity from a power grid.
‘It was a calculated risk.’ Terry uttered in the back of his mind as he unplugged the USB and ventured out.

…

From the few minutes it took him to fly to the electricity grid, Terry sighed a breath of relief, knowing it would all be over. But what would he have achieved then? He was jumpstarting the suit again, and it would do nothing else. He figured he just had a long day, and hopefully, Bruce would fix the suit accordingly.
As he foiled the power lines, he noticed the intricacy of the electricity grid. It was a series of transmission lines connected to towers crowding the scene. Each tower line distributed a network of electricity to homes all across Gotham. Meaning if he severed the connection, it would cut all power citywide. This made no sense. He could have gone to Bruce with this, why hadn’t he called yet? Why has he been making all these illogical choices with the ice burst, with Dana, with Spellbinder? Yet he continued. This was all an illusion, he needed to stop himself, but he felt his body unable to take control. He was stuck in his own vicious cycle of violence. Suddenly, he saw the inconceivable when two of his former enemies arose in the scene. They seemed to be exactly as remembered, another figment of his imagination.
He jumped off the power circuits as Shriek sent a sound wave in his direction. Terry didn’t feel his actions controlled by himself, rather as another entity. Inque shapeshifted herself up to crush Batman, where he avoided it, to send an electric Batarang towards her. She screamed as Batman ran towards Shriek aggressively. He faltered when firing sound waves across the floor as he started flying, using the power of his rocket boots to shove him into the electrical grid. Batman attempted to control himself, but the suit or whatever else proved otherwise. It was only suddenly that the allusions disfigured as Batman was hit with a powerful shock.

…

Bruce was already pompous at the scene. He saw Terry jump around unnecessarily as if he was battling imaginary villains. But didn’t seem to notice him, with his objective to reach the electricity grid. Bruce scrutinised the plain for any advantages as luck found him.
The batmobile lay perched above the power grid that he hacked. From the skills he obtained from Barbara, he managed to override the system in his favour. Terry jumped upon the power grid as he aimed the shock taser. He fired.
It was one thing to see Batman from afar. It was another to watch him fall unconsciously to the ground.

Part 5: Aftermath
Terry woke in the manor stunned as he found a mix of pain pills on the table in front. He didn’t remember the day’s events, but his head felt much clearer. The suit seemed beyond repair, with the bat logo torn off from the fight. He recalled Inque and Shriek, figments of his imagination that seemed too real. Bruce approached him and sat on the opposite end of the couch.
‘How are you?’
‘Well enough. I don’t remember much.’
‘You caused some property damage, but Spellbinder’s illusions clouded your judgement.’
‘No, in the end, I wasn’t in control of myself, as if I was a puppet with strings pulled. That wasn’t me.’ Bruce was concerned with this information, given he couldn’t be out in the field and keep self-control.
‘If there’s something wrong, then maybe I should keep the suit for a while.’
‘You think so?’
‘Unless you feel no different now?’
‘I feel fine.’
‘Then keep it, but if things get out of hand, then I’m taking it back.’ Terry sought that as a reasonable agreement but still had a few questions.
‘If I wasn’t in control, then who would be?’
‘We’ll run tests.’ He walked up just as Terry jumped to the next.
‘What about the snow blizzard?’ Bruce turned back in confusion.
‘There was no snowstorm, so you probably imagined it. But there was a malfunction in one of the cryogenic facilities again. I’m thinking it's an old foe coming back from my past.’
Great, Terry looked forward to battling yet another of Bruce’s rogues. Hopefully, this one wouldn’t be as frosty as the rest.

Chapter Text

Part 1: Awakening
The cryogenic facility imposed on itself as the interior wall weakened. The current projects mixed as the canisters broke into debris that formed a dust cloud across the district. In the midst of the fog, a suit with glinting blue lights emerged with a sense of fury. His suit was revealed to be a bulky metal armour that fully coated him. Wires ran around to supply the cool temperatures to his head. If ever exposed to normal temperatures, or if he ever took off the cryogenic suit, he would have inevitably suffered.
The facility was wrecked and open to seeing the rest of the cityscape.
Mr Freeze solemnly looked to Gotham as he sauntered through the endless piles of debris he once was buried underneath.

…

Bruce saw the structural collapse of the fourth cryogenic facility fall in a district not too far off metropolitan Gotham. As accompanying signals fell under categories like infrastructure, electrical systems, a particular heat signature arose in the centre. He zoomed in on it, sensing a familiar icon already faced. From his chair in the Batcave, Bruce hacked the security cameras around the area. It covered a block for a small radius that he focused on a blurry image of a brute man encompassed with bright lights.
Mr Freeze.
His hunch was right, as seeing a villain that returned from the grave. Or he thought so.
The last time facing Mr Freeze had resulted in chaos and destruction. Victor had certainly seen better days since he lost the only means towards curing his wife, Nora. But he didn’t know that since it was Bruce’s fault for losing the antigen. If Mr Freeze were to have any motive, it would have been finding his wife, meaning tracking her DNA. If he finds out her body was in a grave at the Gotham Cemetery, there was no telling what could happen. Especially since Mr Freeze was only known for having a kindred personality. That was a weakness, a weakness that couldn’t be used against him. But then again, it could be a strength.

Part 2: Finding Nora
Victor Freeze set out to use his mediocre technology to locate her wife. Nevertheless, he was truly astounded at the world that surrounded him in the present. The city looked more pretentious, with its tall sky-rise buildings reaching for the clouds. The overall design seemed more sophisticated, seeking inspiration from flying cars and skyline trams. Victor considered for a second that he might have time-travelled into the future, to a time that there was no Batman.
He configured that tracking her DNA similarly connected off his suit would be sufficient. There was a momentary silence as he activated the scanner integrated within.
Suddenly, he watched as a power line in the distance disrupted as the wires fell. Victor realised his technology was too old since it was connected to electrical lines that degraded over time. Another problem was the fact that he had been on ice for twenty years. He imagined all his dated tech wouldn’t have kept their functionality in play. So if he were to use the system again, the machinery would crash. No matter, as long as it would seek out her wife, it would be fine.

…

Terry already received the call from Bruce to proceed near another cryogenic facility. Among the many that he had investigated for the several weeks passing. In the meantime, Terry had been spending more family time since school had just been passing by, and nothing special was happening in his social life. Except for the fact that Dana figured out his identity in his allusion sequence with Spellbinder. For all he knew, it could have been another figment of his imagination, but he would have to confront her some time. Since they hadn’t talked much after the Royal Flush Gang attack.
He set his sights on Victor Freeze, who intermediately walked in an untroubled manner. It seemed as if he had his motives locked onto one goal and one goal only. He looked up at Batman as if expecting his arrival, not making any sudden moves. Terry decided it would have been genuine if he talked first before picking this fight. He landed a few metres in front of Victor making his acquaintance.
‘Batman, I didn’t expect you to still be around.’
‘Correction, I’m not the Batman you know. But from what I understand, would you be looking for your wife?’
‘I am.’
‘Well, I’m sorry to say, but she's here.’ Batman passed a simple piece of tech that specified any given location of interest. He watched appropriately as Mr Freeze saw the holographic projection of the Gotham Cemetery.
‘No, that cannot be. My wife was inside a cryogenic containment unit that kept her alive indefinitely.’
‘Not by my records. But maybe you should consult with the GCPD before making your next move. Just because…’
‘No, I will save my wife, whether you comply or not.’ His freeze gun strikingly charged as the indicator lit up. Mr Freeze pointed the gun in his direction as Batman leapt up to dodge the freeze ray. Directing the gun to Batman now in flight, Mr Freeze used his signature weaponry to disable his flight mechanism. Batman attempted to remain awry from sight, but Mr Freeze proved otherwise as he struck in mid-flight. As Batman fell forcibly to the floor, Victor watched as the dust settled around him. Knowing that Batman would bounce back from his position, he fired another cold wave toward him. He missed as Batman made a roll underneath to send a Batarang which disintegrated under another ice cannon. This shot went right through the Batarang to hit Batman near the waist, subduing him with ice. Mr Freeze continuously fired the freeze ray, walking closer to Batman. Terry felt the ice disturb his suit mechanics and meltdown to his skin. The cold shots of absolute zero would kill him if Freeze persisted further for nothing but a few minutes.
‘I told you to stand down, so if you knew better, you would stand out of my way.’ He left Terry alive with a frost burn in his lower abdomen. Severely injured, Terry struggled to stand as he breathed in cold gusts of air.

Part 3: Kiss and make-up
Dana stared at the picture of Batman flying across the city. It was quite a spectacle, with how technology had given people the power to fly in their generation. But Terry was one of those people who used his abilities to take down the criminals in the city. She didn’t think it was his type, especially with his juvie history. She thought of him more like a bad boy.
She peered down at her homework, with nothing in her head processing. Her room with a similar environment as her mind, a few posters and all, but plain and simple.
It was not until a few moments that there was a knock on her balcony window. She lived in a sky-rise apartment tower situated in Gotham’s central district. There was some hesitation turning back to the window but ultimately found it to be the one person she avoided for the past few weeks.
Terry lay outside a balcony door in his Batman suit that was a particular shade of blue. His bat-emblem still embodied its scarlet colour but was coloured with small degrees of frost burns. She almost immediately went to open the door, lifting the shutter and allowing the cold breeze to enter through. It was reflected through Terry as his body felt as if he was returning from an ice age.
‘What were you doing out there?’ She queried, feeling the coldness drop to her skin, as she wasn’t wearing any long-sleeves.
‘Just faced down Mr Freeze, and he was kind enough to give me frostbite.’ He stuttered at attempting to make his sentences flow. She sat him down on one of her couches, with him leaning back so she could catch a better view of his injury. Lifting his suit above the utility belt, she saw his frostbite spread from his waist up. Terry grunted as the wound was exposed to the room, feeling a rush of emotion.
‘Oh, that doesn’t look good. Wait here.’ She left the room to care for some medication Terry might require as he waited patiently. While it wasn’t wise to come to her ex-girlfriend for recovery, he didn’t have many options. Apart from being the closest apartment in range, Terry was too injured to fly elsewhere. Dana came back, closing the door slowly behind her, not attracting any unwanted attention.
‘Okay, so hold this towel to your hip.’ Terry presented himself as docile, completely listening to her command. Though not seeming to make eye contact with her.
‘Cat got your tongue?’
‘Hmm?’ Terry shot up in response.
‘Don’t worry, Terry, it’s not like I’ll call the cops.’ This caught him off guard.
‘Would you?’
‘I mean, technically, you’re a wanted man… But I wouldn’t do it.’
‘Yeah, plus I couldn't resist, given my injury.’
‘Right.’ There was a momentary silence that Terry wasn’t exactly fond of. He looked around Dana’s room, which hadn’t changed nearly as much from memory. She still hung the same posters of boy bands and pop culture she caught up with. This was beside her study desk in the same mess that it was months ago.
‘Nice to see some things haven’t changed.’ She shot him a confused stare as if the last couple of weeks hadn’t existed.
‘It was nice seeing you Terry, and I’ll always be here if you need me because I appreciate everything you’ve done for the city. But we haven’t changed.’
‘I know, but trust me when I say that this is everything I had to hide from you.’ She glinted an expression his way. It was considerate and kind-hearted. But it seemed as if she had said everything required. Terry felt rejuvenated, with the beyond suit having sufficient energy to head home. He dropped off the couch to walk to the windowsill.
‘I’ll call you.’ He made a hand gesture as Dana responded with a slight smile. In doing so, he leapt out the window without missing a beat.

Part 4: Talking Strategy
Soon into the next day, Terry finished classes to find Bruce in the Batcave. He was conducting his research on Mr Freeze, with articles and a list of known acquaintances.
‘You know, all he’s fixated on is finding his wife.’
‘Makes sense, but what’s he going to do when he finds out Nora can’t be resurrected.’
‘I have no idea. What has he done in the past?’
‘He’s never been in this position. There’s no telling.’ Bruce seemed to be working on a prototype to counter the freeze gun.
‘How did you hold up yesterday?’
‘Just went to a friend’s apartment.’
‘A friend?’
'She already figured it out when I was in the dream sequence under Spellbinder’s allusions.' He didn’t take much pleasure stating this to Bruce, as if he failed a part of being Batman.
‘Well, try to keep the circle of trust small.’
‘Speaking from experience?’
‘Not exactly, I’ve just seen first hand what it could do to people.’
‘Right, well, she would be the first to know.’ Bruce didn’t reply, but his continued typing at the batcomputer showed he didn’t exactly care. He seemed more concerned about defeating Mr Freeze, who was posing to become a dangerous threat.
‘I’ve fought Freeze multiple times, and almost, in any case, I had to build a cold suit to face him again.’
‘So, you’re suggesting I do the same?’
‘Not exactly, because that was to insulate the heat. But maybe you just need more strength. I’ve diverted the power of the beyond suit to focus on specific modes like flying or strength. It should give you the edge you need against Freeze.’
‘Well, I guess I’d need it.’
‘Any doubts?’ Bruce questioned after Terry gave a muffled response.
‘He seems reasonable to talk with, and I just don’t see the necessity of violence.’
‘Victor Freeze will always look for a way to find his wife. If he won’t back off, then there’s no other way.’
‘Alright then.’

…

Mr Freeze stood indolently over the sight of his wife in the grave below him. He always felt disbanded since not having talked with her for several decades. The cryogenic chamber built for her would have spared life for many more years at choice. But in all honesty, he felt he wouldn’t have been able to provide her with life. So what now? His life mission failed, and there was nothing else to do. Anything except getting vengeance against everyone who had prevented him from resurrecting Nora.
Essentially, if he brought out his powers to the maximum, it would destroy the city. Not from the power, but the reality of using his old equipment connected to wires across Gotham. But to do this, he would have to find his laboratory that was probably in the dust.
Suddenly, he felt something attach to his back, as Batman dropped in front of him. He reached out to his cold gun, only for ropes to force him to the ground. Victor ripped himself out as he wasted no time talking. In his recovery, Batman landed a flying punch that threw him off. It felt profusely powerful, compacted with brute strength that a human could not pull off. He continuously flew by, attacking him with no mercy. Mr Freeze struggled to latch back, only before knocking him back from behind. He picked his freeze gun and fired an ice ray towards Batman. To his surprise, there was no one standing in front, as if he had disappeared off the radar. He figured he was using some futuristic cloaking technology that seemed to dissipate his heat signature. Seeing as Freeze also picked up some tricks on ice, he created an ice vortex. The blast expanded quickly to his surroundings. It froze everything within proximity, as Batman was revealed, coated in ice and stuck in his movements.
‘I told you to stay out of my way.’
‘If you wouldn’t be destroying my city, then maybe I would reconsider.’
‘Well, it won’t do you any good.’ He lifted a razor pinpointed on his bulky suit as a red light lit in the ice. Freeze peered down to his utility belt that shone bright red as the ice structure suddenly broke. Shattering the ice surrounding him, Batman elbowed Freeze’s helmet, suddenly breaking the containment keeping him alive. He struggled to breathe, holding his hands to his neck as the heated temperatures exposed to his body. Batman watched as Mr Freeze fell in defeat.
‘It’s over. Stand down.’
‘Maybe, but I’m fully aware that the cops are still in pursuit of you in this time. They will be here any second.' Terry whipped around to the sound of cop cars in the cemetery. With it still being sunrise, he was blatantly seen in the open as Batman looked for an escape route. All exits were covered, as flyers surrounded the area in quick succession. Batman flung a disc at one of the flyers as they blasted it almost immediately. The cops had pulled off their flying cars to march in around Batman and Mr Freeze. It wasn’t before them firing, that Terry dodged to receive a headshot from the back. There was virtually no exit out of his tricky situation.
It was a moment before Terry perceived his suit’s new capability of changing modes. At the moment the flyers trained their guns on him, he converted all the power to his rocket boots.
‘Hands in the air!’ The lieutenant called out. Batman suddenly spread out his wings and rocketed the hell out of there. Leaving a trail of dust behind him as the police became covered in dirt from the cemetery grounds. The wind was felt blasting off his face as Batman cut through the air with confused cops not even trying to pursue him. But Mr Freeze’s plan seemed to backlash while cornered as a wanted felon. Terry became instinctively aware that no flyers were behind, as he then camouflaged and flew quietly back to his apartment.

Part 5: Doug Tan
Terry cleaned up fast while finding his casual clothes to wear to school. He hatred early mornings, but for the sake of his responsibility, it was worth it. As if never leaving his room, Terry waved by his family as heading off to school. He figured that maybe he would take the sky tram, considering he had been flying around the city abundantly these days. It would be nice to see things from an original perspective of a citizen.

…

Approaching the school grounds, Terry found Rick, who seemed to be eying him suspiciously. He couldn’t think of anything he had recently done to annoy him.
‘Hey,’ Terry waved.
‘Hey, how was your night?’
‘It was fine, but didn’t get much sleep.’
‘Oh, why was that?’
‘Just up doing homework, procrastinating and all.’
‘Not running any late-night errands for Bruce Wayne?’
‘I mean sometimes sure, but not necessarily before school.’
‘What type of errands is it exactly?’
‘Just the normal kind, more representing him in formal events and stuff.’
‘Nothing crime-related, right? Like sometimes getting involved in dangerous fights?’
‘Nope, not that I could think of.’ Terry stuttered in his answer.
‘Oh ok, well, as long as you’re fine.’ Rick waved at Terry before heading off, leaving him in confusion. Terry was convinced he had a lead on his identity as well, making him the second person to learn his secret. This was getting out of hand, and it didn’t seem people took it well at first sight.
Before heading off to class, he saw Dana approach him by his locker. She seemed to be more content than the night before spent in her room. Though there was something off that hadn't included his involvement with Batman.
‘You okay?’
‘No.’ She replied dejectedly. He turned his head in confusion, like a worried boyfriend in the making. ‘Listen, I’m fine with you being Batman, and I understand why you lied to me. We’re good on those terms.’
‘But?’ He sensed it coming.
‘But just after you left, my brother returned from juvie with his sentence off,’ Dana spoke uncomfortably. In return, Terry was shocked since her brother was a psycho. He represented everything that was emotionally wrong with a human being. Plus, he didn’t really give him the best of times in juvie.
‘Terry… McGinnis!’ Doug Tan shouted from across the hallway ecstatically, as if he was some celebrity he’d seen for the first time. Doug presented himself in an intimidating fashion returning to school, as he wore a few self-pompous chains that reflected his immediate personality. Also, flexing a star tattooed on his left hand. With others behind, the arguably 'cool' students walked up to face him.
‘It’s good to see you, Terry.’ Doug explained, he couldn’t tell if sarcastic or not. Leaving him behind in juvie seemed more of a vendetta that Doug might have cast aside or not. ‘It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Not since you left me in juvie. But it seems as if you’ve been giving my sister a nice time.’
‘We’re fine, Doug, so you can be on your way now.’ Dana spiked at her younger brother.
‘Really, because it seems like we have a problem.’ He went to latch at her when Terry abruptly pushed him to the side. Practically every student in the hallway stopped to watch the imminent fight that started. Doug seemed surprised as if Terry had gained an attitude, even laying a finger on him.
‘Be careful who you pick your fights with.’ He pointed at Terry as he left the corridor, and the bell rang for the first period. Dana watched precariously from her comfort with Terry, who keenly watched Doug leave. No matter how Doug had escaped prison, it would be horrifying to see what he had planned next.

Chapter Text

Part 1: Victim
The alleyway contained remains of the shattered glass fallen from above. A window to an apartment building wrecked as if someone had ripped through it with bare arms. Though the tracing was different, it proved to be more than human. Almost as if they had claws or just brute strength. Barbara Gordon investigated the scene, as a pedestrian reported notice of the site a few hours prior. Around the team of forensic scientists surrounding her, she knew there was a pointy-headed figure of a bat prowling around above. The shadows didn’t hide him since she once lived in it herself. But pinpointing him out would lead to an overly exaggerated chase leading to nothing but disappointment by their hand. She sighed as moving off the perimeter, heading to a squad car to report it in the evidence log. Though something was eating at her, the crime wasn’t distinctly remote from her understanding. It was more reminiscent that the debris was familiar. She didn’t entirely know but would soon figure out.

…

Terry wandered around on the wall he stood angled upon. As soon as the commissioner left the scene, he took the liberty to make more meticulous observations. The crime was mainly centred around a break-in, well not exactly, since nothing was stolen. It was more like rushing in, loitering around for some time and leaving of boredom. Which made no sense.
There was no motive, no clue to track in his extensive list of longstanding criminals. He couldn’t run a scan of past residents who resided in the area as it was too far off neo-Gotham. The shattered glass also contained no traces of DNA that could be analysed.
‘Did you run a blood analysis?’ Bruce questioned through the comms.
‘It came inconclusive.’
‘Hm, that's unlikely.’
‘It’s true though, maybe we'll just wait until they strike again.’ Batman marked down the location on his map as if it would lead to any connection. He flew off the edge to a graceful glide propelled by his wings.

Part 2: Work of Art
Terry walked the corridor of the school hallway with somewhat more attention than in previous days. In the time he made a stance against Doug, there had been some… situation surrounding it. But he didn’t mind, as long as there wasn't much tension between them.

Terry watched Dana type away at her laptop, finishing the final parts of a project she worked on for school. He hadn’t even started, but he didn’t care losing a few grades to protect the city. Besides, he liked spending time in her apartment, where he was unmasked. He already spent that time with Bruce, but it was different around someone his age.
‘How’d today go?’
‘Nothing spectacular just tracked a few leads down on another meta-human.’ Dana whipped around at this statement, seeming more eager than usual.
‘Who was it?’
‘Wayne thinks it's another villain from the past, but I don’t know. It seemed quite large and speedy. There were two locations hit, both random places, nothing to run off.’
‘Hm, unlucky.’
‘And what's got you all psyched up?’
‘Oh, I just thought I would get to see you in action. Or something along those lines.’ She stared at the emblem of the beyond suit, which reflected a vibrant scarlet colour in the window light. ‘Besides, I finally finished it.’ Terry glinted up.
‘Really, can I see?’ She showed her piece from vis com, depicting a portion of neo-Gotham. It was stunning, displaying the picturesque of a vibrant Gotham City that was far from what the original could ever reach. The intricate detail in some sections represented the paramount companies and some small businesses. He noticed Gotham Square, the Falcon Penthouse, a Boxing Arena, the sewers and some parts of Old Gotham. It was vaguely recognisable to Terry as he perceived the view while flying in the city.
‘Wow, that’s really good.’ He spoke surprised while noticing a nonchalant blush from her side.

Part 3: Discovery
The commissioner sat in her office, staring in contemplation of the crime scene. She constantly reminded herself of her time as Batgirl, recalling the crime scene. These claw marks had resurfaced from a particular crime in past evidence logs.
‘Ma’am.’ An officer in his mid-twenties rolled up at the front door. From the site of his badge, she recognised him as a recruit. One ambitious new cop apparently. ‘We found a location of the creature heading uptown near the abandoned Arkham Asylum tunnels underground.’
‘Alright then, arrange a squad and flyer. I’ll join you shortly.’ He nodded in agreement, leaving the room swiftly. Barbara planned to exit the room when she noticed a result appear on the screen from the corner of her eye. There was a projection of a large monstrous beast lighting up her office. It had titan green scales running by its back, accompanied by irregular spiked patterns that were intimidating. If there was any indication, the creature would inevitably swallow a man whole or something threateningly worse. She almost immediately recognised the creature, leaving the room with slight apprehension.

…

Terry found himself staring at the boxing arena in utter disbelief. There was no doubt that the suspect wasn’t thinking clearly. Yet they still managed to avoid the police, any witnesses and himself. In his time evading schoolwork and making considerable play with Dana, he found himself viewing an attack site.
‘There’s nothing here.’ Terry spoke for the fifth time through the receiver to Bruce. ‘How do you expect them to return here?’
‘I don’t. Just looking for a certain someone.’ Through his lens, Terry noticed Bruce surveying the district.
‘Care to share this information?’
‘I have a suspect in mind, his name is Waylon Jones.’ Terry paused while trying to recall the name in his history textbook. But it didn’t exactly ring any bells. And that had no account for how a person would break through a brick wall.
‘Over there, that woman passing by.’ Bruce locked on one of the bartenders of the boxing arena exiting the building. She was a redhead, seemingly middle-aged but somewhat timid from suspicious looks.
‘So what about her?’
‘That’s June Moone, an associate of him. Interrogate her.’
‘Right now?’
‘Better get it over with.’ Terry hesitated but soon turned on the dial to camouflage before launching into a deep glide. In the follow-up, she stepped in line with a hidden alleyway. In a mere few seconds, Batman took her off balance as dragging her away from the public without notice. They fell to meet the ground with a thud as she struggled. Batman revealed himself from camouflage as attempting to calm her down. ‘June Moone?’
‘What do you want?’ She exclaimed.
‘Waylon Jones, where is he?’ June stood still in hearing his name.
‘He’s dead. After you supposedly dropped a building on him.’ Terry sighed, it sounded like something Bruce would have done.
‘Oh right, sorry. Were you two close around here?’
‘Yes, he was a boxer. What about it now?’
‘Hm, just running a hunch that he might have returned.’
‘You think so? I guess you’d better be careful. The last I heard, he broke your back in some of your last encounters. Plus maybe grown a few more scales.’ Terry winced at hearing this, processing their conversation at the back of his head.
‘Thanks for your time.’ He leapt up before subtly flying into the night.

…

There was a connection; June, the boxing match and that apartment building had relations to Waylon Jones. But he was missing something. Something that felt to be crucial information.
‘What aren’t you telling me?’ Terry asked vehemently.
‘Sorry?’
‘Don’t act dumb, I know you’re hiding something.’
‘It’s better you figure out when you get there.’ Terry sighed before Bruce continued. ‘Check the map of the sewers. From what we've seen, he would be hiding in that district.’ Terry knew the map of the sewers was lost among endless files in the police lockup, but the sewers? Where had Terry seen the entry before?
Right! He face-slammed himself with his hand recalling Dana’s artwork, as it showed a subtle entry to the underground tunnels.
‘Hey! What’s up?’ Her voice spoke highly.
‘Hey Dana, what inspiration did you have behind the landscape you chose?’
‘For vis.com? It was on an old journal article in the library which I recreated.’
‘Do you have a location for it?’
‘Sure, I’ll send it in a bit. Why do I get the feeling this is Batman related?’
‘Yep, talk later!’ He laughed off while ending the call, heading to the nearby location beneath the surface.

Part 4: Welcome to the sewers
The abandoned sewers presented itself in a horror-type setting, like in the movies. The remaining signs of construction degraded into lonesome piles of waste. It was accompanied by a distinguished stench from the running water meandering into the darkness ahead. The light which Terry entered through slowly diminished as he headed further into the tunnels.
The hints Terry discovered about Waylon Jones hadn’t given him many indications of what he was dealing with. And it was something Bruce took personally in not describing. He soon activated night vision in his mask lense to identify the surrounding environment. With the green filter, he saw the bacteria loitering on the rounded walls trapping him inside. The silent drops of water from the ceiling vents sent chills up his spine. Every second spent underneath the cave walls became more dreadful as witnessing the ruins of old Gotham.
‘Terry!’ Bruce called out through the intercom.
‘What happened?’
‘I’ve been trying to reach you. Are you getting any coverage?’ He checked the signal range from the depths of the underground sewers.
‘Not much,’ he replied uncomfortably.
‘Okay, but make sure you look out…’ The radio receiver crackled as Terry attempted to retrieve the signal.
‘Hey, your cutting out.’ He hit his hand against his cowl, trying to reconnect the line. But alas, the signal expired as the receiver was cut short by a loud abrupt noise. Almost as if someone had taken out the local radio tower. He sighed, one that was of disappointment and some apprehension. He was trapped in the maze of a tunnel network that was severely damaged and degraded. Probably best if he headed back.
Suddenly, Terry turned back at the exit, a longstanding distance from him, and spotted uniformed officers crowding the entrance. They were armed with tasers and weaponry for something seemingly more than himself. Normally his experiences with the police involved no such use of equipment, but this was different. But his reaction was the same each time. With steady speed, he extended his wings making a silent glide through the tunnel. The police seemingly progressed through the tunnel behind him, where he struggled to keep his wingspan within the confined walls of the tunnel. The air blew past his face, mixed with an unpleasant feeling of sewer stench and other mixed fumes experimented in the abandoned tunnels. It was past a minute when Terry came at a divided path splitting into three routes that seemed to lead the same setting. As about to randomly enter, he felt a shot pierce him. Bang!
Batman fell to the floor as hearing the police approach him in violent pursuit. It was mere seconds he felt dazed by the bullet wound but noticed a lingering sound from one of the diverted tunnel paths.

Part 5: Bad Lizard / Exploring Arkham
It was too big to be human. Almost like a giant reptilian lizard. Its scales covered the entirety of its body. Only through the green filter of his mask, Terry saw the giant creature run towards the police at an alarming rate, immediately striking the horrified officers. Covered by the gush of water running throughout the tunnels, Terry was hidden in plain sight, shockingly watching the police massacre unfold in the abandoned tunnels. The reptile moved in a quick motion taking the guards off balance. It used its claws to penetrate through their armour while throttling them with its tail.
In the moment of crisis, Terry escaped at one of the tunnels while hearing the trauma behind him slowly ease away.

…

After about five minutes, he found a hole in the ceiling comprised of little light. By this time, there was no point going back. So he flew up the light towards what seemed to be a promising exit. The surrounding walls showed more vivid colours, as he saw it without night vision. Soon enough, he reached the surface, escaping the abandoned tunnels that lay beneath.
‘Are you reading me?’
‘Yes, I can now.’
‘What happened.’
‘Waylon Jones. Why didn’t you tell me he was a metahuman?’
‘Because. You wouldn’t have confronted him if I mentioned it earlier.’
‘Yeah well, he is a giant killer crocodile living in the sewers. I think that may have been a little more than important.’ He paused after making that statement. ‘But I have no idea where I am now.’
‘That’s why I reached out, your locator says you’re in Arkham Asylum.’
‘Really? That insane asylum off the coast of Gotham?’
‘Yes.’
‘Wow, guess I’ll explore before I head back.’
‘Be careful, that place holds a lot of disturbing memories. I don't recommend staying there for too long.’
‘Okay okay, see you in a bit.’ As Terry disconnected the line, he heard a sudden racket from the hole he had just escaped. The walls seemed to be violently scratched at with claws, and a low heavy breathing sound latched closer. Almost similar to a reptile panting.
It was killer croc and he was climbing up the tunnel towards him. He quickly looked around the walls of Arkham asylum as there was no exit he could fit through. But there was a hallway running through a list of jagged jail cells. The sounds of the reptile creature eked closer as he rocketed out of sight to find a hiding place.

…

It wasn’t long before Terry found himself confined in a jail cell, hearing the noises climax as the lizard entered the walls of the asylum. The rustling noises soon faded into low panting puffs that resembled its nature. From his side in the cell, Terry heard its scales crease in each other as it moved along the hallway. He had taken the corner of a cell, camouflaged out of sight from passing strangers. The bullet wound from earlier had healed with the support from his suit, so he was feeling more versatile with his movement. From the distinct view on his side, he watched in silence as Waylon Jones, the transformed reptile, stepped in the line of his cell. Terry observed its features closely at this range, making notice of its damaged skin layered with bullet and taser wounds. It had two lengthy bandages wrapped around its arm accompanied by an old Arkham electric collar bound around its neck. The rest of its body resembled a human physique, except for the slouched back and abnormally long tail. There seemed to be some weaknesses he could exploit in his certain predicament.
It stopped, peering into the jail cell eagerly as if it was sniffing out a scent. Terry recalled that reptiles did have a knack for tracking down their prey. He recoiled back as it further crept into his cell before it was mere centimetres within touching distance. He didn’t even breathe, hoping that invisibility would be decided over scent. It soon paid off, as killer croc was taken back at a sudden clamour in the distance. It huffed, quickly moving towards the sound. Terry sighed a breath of relief, seeing it speed off into the darkness of the asylum.
As leaving the cell, he caught notice of some markings made on the wall. Not exactly knowing if it was from killer croc, but it appeared to be a clown with a wide grin. One side of its face was covered in black, and the other pale white. He had a dreadful reminiscent memory of his encounter with Spellbinder. One of the illusions was a picture of this exact person. What did that mean? For the moment, he shrugged it off as there were more important things to attend. But he would keep it in mind.

Part 6: Teamwork
The police team sauntered in the hallway of Arkham Asylum. A tracker they placed on killer croc had located them to the insane asylum of Gotham. From their previous encounter, it was clear that Waylon Jones was no longer inside the beast. It seemed decades of ageing had warped his mind, fully transforming him into a giant reptile lizard. The aggressive predator on the hunt was now a top priority, let alone their run-in with Batman. In addition to some high-voltage electrical chains, they brought a ping ball that tracked movements in the asylum. Quite an advantage in the modern age, but Barbara wasn’t complaining. She had the experience, but if only it was available when she donned the batsuit. It would have been a dangerous combo indeed, except it was in the past.
Their squad team was equipped with surrounding flyers around the edges of Arkham asylum. In case Jones decided to attempt escaping the confines of the asylum.
Barbara felt a very distinct vibe that brought back many painful memories. She wished that she would have never returned here.
But she made note they had been making quite a racket, and if it wasn’t the ceiling making unstable noises, then she was sure someone was tracking their movement. She trained her stun dart, containing a powerful sedative that would instantly knock out killer croc. A sudden drop of water behind the police force configured everyone to jump in shock. It was nothing. But the ambient silence was disturbed by low panting noises. It was accompanied by the slithering of scales grinding against each other.
‘It’s here, be cautious.’ She informed her group carefully before all of a sudden catching a glimpse of the creature. It was camouflaged by the darkness, silently watching them as if it hadn’t realised it was found. Though what Barbara found more concerning was its size, needing to hold itself in the corner like a heavyweight. But its stare was more intimidating than she had ever perceived in her teen years.
Suddenly, the reptile jumped at them, where she stuttered, failing to fire her stun dart. The lizard immediately knocked down her squad team members. It growled as it completely took down the chains that attempted to wrap around its neck. In the moment of crisis, the reptile knocked Barbara out, with its tail overwhelming her physical capabilities. Defeated on the floor, she looked out to see the reptile extend its claws, about to lash out at her. She closed her eyes, almost as if accepting death.
Suddenly it was pulled back as the lizard struggled to break out of the ropes Batman attached around it. Barbara looked to see him standing behind on a ledge, attempting to hold it back. The reptile broke free to fiercely climb up the wall confronting Batman. In a series of violent clashes, Batman fought against croc as the remaining officers recovered. He seemed to hold his own, but ultimately the lizard had the upper hand. In the modern age, Barbara contrasted how Batman depended a lot on technology using his flight, wall-climbing abilities with an abundance of stun gadgets…
She suddenly recalled their weapon to command her team (still in awe of batman) to retrieve it.
As one proficient member leapt off to find it, Barbara looked towards the fight between batman and killer croc. They somehow managed to climb the rails to just above the ceiling. But a built-in roof fan revealed snippets of the fight. The lizard hissed between projectiles thrown at him. At this stage, Batman was only holding him back. It was at this moment she saw the stun dart retrieved by the officer, who aimed it precariously. She latched out to stop him as Bang!
The bullet hurtled from the Gunbarrel to the figures above. They could hear the shot pierce a wound, not knowing who was subdued. As Barbara peered into the darkness with special optic glasses, she sought a large brute silhouette fall lifelessly. Killer Croc unconsciously hit the floor with a thud, revealing the beast's more prominent features.
Batman jumped down from his hiding spot in front of the awed officers, not saying a word. It was apparent that he didn’t feel comfortable among them.
‘Thanks for your help, commissioner,’ he spoke, not posing a visible threat to the police force. ‘He’s all yours.’ Suddenly, he blasted by them towards the asylum exit. She watched as Batman soon became a figment in the landscape. The police squad were shocked, not just from Batman helping them but also saving them from a very violent and insecure death.

Part 7: Clown Prince of Crime
Terry left off the phone with Bruce, discussing the situation involving killer croc. The police arranged for a flyer to carry the beast over its rudder. Meaning Waylon Jones should be treated in a medical facility somewhere in neo-Gotham. There wasn’t much else to say, Terry defeated the creature, a mindless reptile causing trouble in the streets of Gotham.
‘How does it feel? You bet him both in an underground sewer and jail cell of Arkham asylum!’ Dana exclaimed.
‘Well, technically, I made it out with luck. It was both times the police distracted croc before he was detained.’
‘Ah right. That must have been an awkward first interaction,’ she concluded, which she was right to assume.
Terry kept his eyes focused on the work in front. He really needed to finish his homework. But something was eating at him like he forgot an important topic of discussion.
Right! The wall marking in the cell. The one he saw in the illusions. He took a piece of paper while drawing the clown mark he saw from both events. He showed Dana, who sent a chilling glare towards him.
‘I’ve been seeing this symbol lately, I don’t know what it means.’
‘Terry. Where did you get that?’
‘I saw it in Arkham and also an illusion.’
‘That’s one of Doug’s signature signs.’ A sudden shiver ran up his spine. ‘He leaves it with every artwork.’
‘What do you mean, artwork?’
‘Well, the kind that puts you behind bars.’
‘But Dana, he wasn’t in Arkham… or was he?’ She showed a worrying face that Terry took as a dreadful sign. If Doug spent time in Arkham, then what could have influenced him behind its criminal history. How ‘insane’ was he? And why a clown?

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: Jericho
Part 1: History Lesson
Was this a dream? Or were the police just delusional? He saved their lives from a giant lizard hunting them down. Sure, he didn’t exactly do it all himself, but that should have at least removed the arrest warrant kept on him. In sense, the news articulated the police were still in pursuit of his masked persona. He sighed, closing his laptop in history class, a subject he had grown rather fond of. A whole term unit was dedicated to vigilantes and their role in the justice system. Something which had him questioning ethics in debating, but lying was practically a skill at this point. No point arguing for vigilantism unless he wanted to raise suspicion. But what they learnt in the first period of the day was enlightening enough to avoid him drowning in sleep.
‘Deathstroke, a common example of vigilantism, affiliated with an eastern clan.’
‘I’m pretty sure he was a mercenary,’ Terry immediately contradicted the teacher, who didn’t state the exact fact. ‘And that group was a league in the west.’
‘And how would we prove these ambitious claims you make Mr McGinnis?’ She asked pretentiously as he suddenly realised the dilemma he aroused.
‘Uhh, by reading what’s in our history platform?’
‘It’s in there?’
‘I forgot which section in the pdf.’
‘Right. That’s quite impressive by your standards McGinnis, especially considering your inability to show to most classes. At least we can count on you.’ She continued her explanation, to which Terry shut up for quite some time. As the class discussion resumed, he felt a small punch to his elbow, hearing Dana let out a small laugh.
‘Why? I said the right thing.’
‘Yeah, but we all don’t moonlight as a bat at night.’ She laughed.
‘Wait, I didn’t say anything revealing just then. Did I?’ A sudden adrenaline spike ran up his spine.
‘Nooo, I’m just messing with you, Terry.’ She stated with a smirk.
‘Oh, right, I knew that.’
‘Sure you did.’

…

Rick stared at both Terry and Dana goofing around in the front row. If he didn’t just realise, Terry had an ambiguous preset knowledge about history, that being in the case of vigilantism or anarchy. He already knew about the whole batman thing, there was no point in denying it.
The only reason he hadn’t told the police was because he had morals. Since Terry wasn’t doing anything reckless, it was more benefitting than what Batman stood for back then. He was making a difference in defeating metahumans and local gang members. He was even capable of fending off a team of police flyers. He could have told him about the secret anytime now unless Terry knew about his suspicion.
But for now, he would sit back with Chelsea in the back row and observe. Looking in her direction, Rick saw her taking notes from her phone.
‘What happened to your notebook?’
‘I left it at home.’
‘Oh, unlucky.’

Part 2: School Lockdown
Ding! The school bell suddenly alarmed as the lockdown protocol initiated. What for? No idea. Terry watched in bewilderment as the class suddenly broke into perplexed conversation under the announcement.
The principal vaguely explained that while there were no meta human sightings, the power lines were cut off without reason.
That could mean anything, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to sit around and do nothing. The lights of the lecture room flickered until dimmed, to which students were surrounded by a silent tension that was gripping them. The teacher took a few seconds to compose herself.
‘Alright, I’m sure this issue will be resolved soon, so stay where you are now.’
‘Yeah, right,’ he whispered sarcastically.
‘You’re leaving?’ Dana questioned.
‘Course I am, it’s Gotham. Anything’s possible.’

…

He stealthily exited the classroom with assistance from his bat persona. The corridors were empty, lights were off, and students/teachers were locked in their rooms. Terry couldn’t pinpoint any intruders, but then again, it could have just been a drill. He followed a corridor until reaching a dead end with a wall vent. Nothing. He figured to head back to class as the school was dead silent.
Suddenly, the floor crate creaked behind him as he turned around to find Rick. He was shocked, and his face widened but in a way that was a little awkward. Terry stood there, confused at his reaction to his being there. In a loud voice, he spoke.
‘You’re the McGinnis boy, Batman,’ he uttered.
‘Wait, who?’
‘Don’t play dumb. At least I’ve finally found you.’ He started to run at him, hands out to grab him. Terry stuttered as being caught off guard, but his reflex kicked in. Rick went to an upper punch which he dodged while rolling him off the shoulder to force him against the wall. The thrust caused a sudden drought that released a wind from Rick as if being pushed out. Terry couldn’t make out much in the dark while he felt the shivering draught pass by him into a vent in the wall. He watched intently as the disfiguring sounds of the draught left the vents. The strange feeling he received as coming back to reality was frightening, as it was abnormal for anything to that extent to occur.
As he was about to follow it, Rick awoke stunned.
‘I’m not batman!’ Terry uttered, maintaining focus on the vent.
‘What?’
‘Hmm?’
‘You’re not batman?’ Rick spoke.
‘Don’t you remember what happened?’
‘My memory's fine, just… wait. What did happen?’
Interesting, did it have something to do with the mist? Rick turned his back for a few seconds, and Terry took his chance to escape.
‘Anyway, what’s this about you not being bat…’ He trailed off as a confused Rick wondered at Terry’s disappearance. In the distance, he saw Chelsea waiting for him as they proceeded to the bathroom.

Part 3: Ghost Story?
‘What do you know?’
‘Well, there’s something in these vents, I can’t describe it.’
‘How so?’ Bruce spoke nonchalantly.
‘It’s almost like a mist or something that you feel pass by.’
‘Are you sure it's not just the wind?’
‘Wind doesn’t travel through solid walls.’ Terry crawled through the school’s surprisingly clean ventilation system. It had a maintenance shift that surveyed the vents every few weeks, making it almost spotless. But the darkness still kept it intimidating as Terry struggled to move freely in the confined space. Though he now wore the beyond suit, which alleviated the pain.
‘If you’re sure about this, it has to be a metahuman, so keep your distance.’
‘I know, I know, just interested in who this is, and how would they know my identity?’ Only three people knew his identity, Bruce, Dana and possibly Rick. But that wasn’t Rick, not until the fog escaped him and went back to normal. So whatever that the thing was had a mind of its own. An entity that already knew he was batman.
From the noise that echoed in the vents system, Terry heard a commotion stir a fight down one of the main hallways. So much for the lockdown.
He crawled towards where the sound appeared to originate, to eavesdrop from above. It was Doug. The boy who seemed to be causing everyone trouble in the school. He wasn’t surprised to find someone like him causing problems at this time. But it appeared to be a little more than that right now. He was straight up stirring a fight with another student that was unusual on his behalf. It was strange since Terry only seemed to receive that affection.
‘What’s your problem?!’
‘I was just minding my own business.’
‘It didn’t seem like that when you knocked the bin over.’
‘Shut up, now tell me, where is McGinnis?’
‘Who is that…’ Suddenly the student was gasping for air as Doug held him by the throat. The other classes locked in their rooms couldn’t hear the whimpers that escaped him as choking. Alright, it was official that thing was controlling Doug now. No way he would act that way in school. But why was it looking for him? Terry decided to break cover as soon as Doug lifted him to see the ceiling. From his position, Doug saw him peering inside the vent. He received a chilling feeling that was accompanied by his body tensing.
Doug showed the most toxic smile as he dropped the student to close his eyes. In the light, Terry was able to see the entity escape his body. He made the same actions as Rick when a cloudy mist rose to Terry. It made an uncanny noise intimidating Terry as it entered through the vents.

Part 4: Coincidence
‘You took so long! We have to get back to class before the teacher notices.’
‘Not my fault you can't enjoy being locked in the bathroom for an hour.’ Chelsea replied while they dressed in the bathroom stall. They knew the school would be in lockdown for at least an hour, but they also expected it to be a drill. So why not have some fun?
They strolled down the dark hallway that echoed their footsteps. The classrooms seemed empty, but they knew there were apprehensive students behind each door. It was present to Rick that Chelsea was worried about their situation tugging at his hand.
‘You okay?’
‘Yeah, just happy nothing happened.’
‘Well, what did you expect?’
‘I don’t know, maybe ghosts or some sort of apparition,’ she laughed. Rick stuttered as recalling his time with Batman moments before. ‘Finally, back at the classroom.’ They walked to the entrance as Chelsea patted her pockets, checking she still held her belongings.
‘Ah s***, I left my phone in the corridor.’
‘What? How could you lose your phone at a time like this.’
‘Well, it must have dropped out my pocket coming back.’
‘Do we have to get it?’
‘Yes, you know I had all my notes on it!’
‘Don’t you have a back-up? We can easily get a new phone.’
‘I couldn’t bother. It’s too much work.’
‘Uhh, I guess we can still get it.’ They quickly ran back in the same direction as pinging her phone. It was before coming across the science lab that they heard a ringtone.
‘Alright, I’m ninety-two percent sure it’s in this room.’ They walked in, attempting to turn the lights on before realising they were in a power outage. Chelsea’s phone emitted a clear blue light near the back of the room, where she quickly silenced it. As about to exit, Rick heard a sudden thud outside the room, worrying a teacher may have caught them.
‘Stay there.’ He whispered as going to hide at the table with her.
A low, grunting noise that Chelsea and Rick heard was a figure concealed in the darkness. They peered around the edge to see a person in black with pointy-headed ears.
Chelsea appeared stunned as she started panicking, to which Rick covered her mouth, signalling her to quiet down. The figure dropped down a body, or more so, something that looked like a corpse on the table.
‘On my count, you make a run for it.’ He grabbed a pencil that conveniently lay on a desk to throw it toward a corner of the room. The figure twitched while moving towards it as they watched in trepidation.
‘Okay, one.’
‘What happened to two?’
‘Doesn’t matter!!’
She started to run towards the door that was straight ahead of them, tripping over a chair leg. Suddenly, the figure was startled at seeing Chelsea near the door and made a sprint after her. Rick escaped from his cover after seeing it speed across the room to a screaming Chelsea. At the leap over a chair, he knocked it head-on into the table of the corpse, causing the tables to collapse on each other.
Crash!
As closer to the figure, Rick noticed it was batman, and the corpse was not so much a corpse anymore.

Part 5: Jericho
Terry suddenly regained control of his body as transitioned from the moment the mist took over in the vents to suddenly being in a science room. He looked up, seeing Rick in shock at what was behind him. Having no idea what was happening, Terry whipped around 180 to see a body.
Jericho. This was Jericho, the detective, son of Deathstroke awaking from his corpse that wasn’t dead anymore.
‘Jericho?’
‘Terry.’
‘What happened to you?’
‘I died, remember? My throat was sliced by the Jokerz you didn’t bother to stop.’
‘I’m sorry that happened, but it doesn’t reason why you’re threatening this school.’
‘I came here for my revenge and found you, Batman.’ He leapt at him as Rick moved out the way to watch the fight unravel. Terry moved out of the way as defending himself from a detective he once envied. Jericho used the surrounding equipment at his disposal, including the leg of a chair as a sword, how original. With this advantage, he managed to clip the edge of his mask off as Batman became unmasked. Terry grew more disdain on his part as he eagerly opted to finish this fight.
While Jericho used many of Slade's skillsets, he was trained by Bruce and had an edge with technology. Jericho lunged at him, jabbing forward, as Batman weaved around to use a taser at his neck. The blue electricity shocked him as Terry ensured he would be knocked out by digging it deeper. It took a second until Jericho’s lifeless body suddenly fell to the floor with a thud. He wasn’t dead, just unconscious for Terry to take him someplace he couldn’t harm anyone else.
Terry focused his attention on finding Rick watching him in reflection. There was no denying it wasn’t the first time he saw Batman this way.
‘You okay?’
‘Yeah, I’m fine… So batman, right?’ He immediately brought up the topic that was a long-overdue discussion at this point.
‘Yep,’ he laughed in response. An awkward silence reigned between them all as a sudden… Crack! Behind Rick turning around, he saw Chelsea standing at the door, mouth open with her phone broken on the floor.
‘Come on, Chelsea, we just came back to get that,’ Rick sighed as Terry stood in shock, looking for his mask.

…

‘So another two people figured you out?’
‘Well, technically, one already knew.’
‘That still doesn’t account for you randomly signing off strangers your identity.’
‘You can trust these two, I’m sure.’
‘We’ll talk about this later.’ Terry was about to speak as Bruce indirectly cut off the line. He was in so much trouble right now. It was fine that Rick knew since he already suspected it anyway, but Chelsea as well? Though in reality, that was Jericho’s fault, having him there in the wrong circumstances. Better be careful next time.
But one thing was sure, he wasn’t trusting anyone to stay dead, especially after Jericho. He didn’t know about his meta abilities when fighting the Jokerz, which didn’t help that he technically was the cause for them slicing his throat. He was just another innocent person treated unfairly unless he followed in his father’s footsteps. Hopefully, Terry could make amends for that incident if given the chance.
‘If you’re Batman, does that make Bruce Wayne the other one?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You know, you work for him, how else would you get the batsuit?
Plus, his name is signed in your book.’ Rick took out the list which Terry lost months ago at school.
‘Ohh right, thanks, I forgot about that,’ he laughed off.
‘You must be annoyed that I know.’
‘Well to some extent, yes, but as long as too many people don’t know, you’d be fine.’
‘Good.’ Rick seemed to be on better terms with knowing his identity, which proved secrets were more like carrying a burden, but he wasn’t planning to inform anyone else about this secret.

Chapter Text

Finally.
Derek Powers watched the machine load the antigen in place. It was a tough few weeks, but he secretly was able to recreate a version of the blast that spread through Wayne-Powers. But this was much more deadly. To be frank, he didn’t care anymore as the only revenge best sold was that to the city. If he was to remain as a meta human, why couldn’t everyone else receive the same fate?
Because it was no gift, it was a curse. For what humanity evolved to in the year 2050, the bad much outweighed the good, so everything had to be erased from the equation.
He looked to the side, seeing the algorithm set and ready to initiate. It was definitive proof that Terry was Batman that would eventually lead Bruce Wayne to be exposed. For the last few weeks, he realised that Batman was the turning point towards his downfall. Before unleashing the horror that would mutate the city, he would first humiliate its becoming white knight. What he was doing wasn’t insane.
In one swift motion, he pressed initiate.

Terry:
It was a tough couple of weeks, but nothing compared to the intimacy shared between Terry and Dana. There were so many factors against them, but if they knew anything, it was that life was short. Like really short.
Meaning they would make the most of the time spent together.
…

Though for the most part, he would find himself in the classroom. An empty room with a teacher occupying his detention for failing tests. But who could blame him? He had other responsibilities.

…

‘You know, maybe you could study while flying.’
‘How would that work?’
‘Like it would be easier to memorise formulas.’
‘I see your point, but it could also be a distraction.’
‘Oh yeah, bummer.’ Dana replied from the corner of his room, watching Terry complete his homework. She spoke from his bed, looking at the ceiling in deep thought.
‘You don’t ever get a break, do you? How are you coping with it?’
‘Eh, every problem has a solution, I’m still finding mine.’
Beep!
His phone suddenly lit up, lighting a hologram of a local police report. Something that Bruce installed to keep up-to-date with events. His eyes shot to the byline as his heart dropped in the suspense. No way this just happened.
‘WTF!’

Bruce:
Sirens. An unacquainted sound echoed up the hills to Wayne Manor. The last time he ever heard those noises were as Batman, which was quite a while back. But he was curious why the sirens were so close to the manor as it was an unusual time at night. He looked out in the distance from the long arching windows that solidified it as a pretentious home in West Gotham. The sirens appeared to be flyers with flashing lights, accompanied by a truckload of weapons on wheels touching the road that had remained untouched for decades. Something was wrong.
He walked towards the Batcave, pulled down the clock pendulum and entered inside. It wasn’t long before he noticed a glow of radiant light from the batcomputer. It was his warning system, which notified him of incoming news broadcasts that involved himself or Terry. It had never activated.
But what Bruce saw shocked him to the core, as seeing an unmasked Batman on the cover page…
If Terry was exposed, then it was undoubtedly known the police discovered his secret. They just waited for their moment to strike…

Terry:
He wasted no time exiting Dana’s apartment building in a glide propelled by his rocket boots toward the manor. In the distance, he saw a glimmer of white and blue lights that were inevitably GCPD. They were hanging about the entrance with a battering ram, quite old-fashioned. He soon passed overhead and undetected sliding down the secret entry from the roof. It wasn’t long before he found Bruce waiting near the door.
‘What happened?’
‘We lost,’ Bruce replied. A loud force thrust into the door as the flyers were closer to breaking into the manor.
‘How did that picture get leaked?’
‘There was no picture.’
‘What do you mean??? It's literally me in the batsuit standing on a rooftop.’
‘You were never on that building. I tracked the suit's location. None of your sightings was placed even remotely in that area.’
‘So??? What does that matter right now? We are literally about to be arrested and probably jailed for life. Because that picture could not be any less than right, and how are you so calm??’ Bruce gazed nonchalantly, as if he had already been in their predicament a thousand times. Though seemed to be far from panicking.

Bang!
A sudden burst of energy expelled from the centre of the city. As a result, Terry saw a huge gas cloud disperse above Wayne Powers. It circulated for a few seconds to abruptly expand to surrounding districts. This wave of energy somehow reached the hills of the manor to the police flyers. From the insulation provided by Wayne manor, the energy dissipated at the entrance, which didn’t mean the police weren’t infected. A painful cry of screams were heard from outside that was the mutating of people into metahumans. Inhumane metas at that fact.
The energy spliced their DNA which brought out erratic powers that Terry sought impossible. Some just straight-up died in the fire, while others shattered into pieces like a broken mirror. The rest remained the same but were horrified at the spectacle.
At that moment, Terry instantly realised that the madness behind the surge of energy was Derek Powers, there was no doubt about it. The physical changes of the police replicated what happened to those within the Wayne-powers building. He just expanded the radius to the entire city.
‘The readings indicate it was remotely triggered from the outskirts of the city.’
‘Which building do you think he’s in.’
‘ACE chemicals is just outside the city limits and also an abandoned waste factory.’
‘Alright, I’ll check it out.’
‘Be careful.’

Doug:
He was finished. Everything with the police, school, juvie, there was no way his reputation would be the same. His actions only caused the inevitable that made him beyond redemption. In his room, Doug placed his hands over his face, drowning in teenage angst. All he ever wanted was to fit in, but it was all McGinnis’ fault and Batman.
Looking towards the side wall, he saw the wall-decorated picture of his idol, the Joker. He had always influenced… certain decisions he made in life. But he couldn’t help it, the Joker was doing his bit to change Gotham. His story started at ACE chemicals, so it was only reasonable that he find his destiny there. Maybe something would be awaiting him in the factory plant.
Suddenly, a loud burst of energy hit the wall of his apartment, and he felt the flooring shake. While only lasting a few seconds, Doug felt shaken by the damage it inflicted on the city. But in some ways, it was full-filling, like it was something the Joker would find fitting.
He latched on to his coat and strolled out for the night. Time he paid a visit to the old factory plant at the edge of the city.

…

‘How did they figure it out?’ Terry asked Dana while flying above the clouds towards ACE.
‘It says it was from an anonymous source sent to the news.’
‘Wayne said it was photoshopped, but I don’t know anything about reversing the process.’
‘I mean, Rick does the technology elective in school, should I ask him?’
‘Oh really? Give it a try I guess.’
‘Ok! I’ll phone Chelsea.’ She hung the phone up. Terry sighed as seeing the debris of the city below. The wave of meta-energy crippled most of neo-Gotham, chipping pieces of its most famed buildings. What was present a few hours ago had turned into nothing but an unliveable mess. From the ice which touched the edges of his suit, Terry felt the outside temperature sink to touch his skin. He pushed further as seeing ACE chemicals appear within the radius of his map. It was only a matter of time before he would confront Blight.

…

Little did he know that Doug Tan was following from below. Easing between cars and avoiding all the mindless metahumans crowding the streets.

Blight:
Pondering his next move from the top of the old factory plant, Blight figured he’d turn what was left of the city into his private estate. He hadn’t thought of what he would do next since he occupied the police with Wayne, hence Batman was out of the picture. Then he would be free to carry out his will. As about to leave the view of the city, the distinct image of a bat appeared in the skyline.
It wasn’t long before he felt a strong hatred reside in him, building up an intense radiation level inside. He felt his skin turn a green shade before being plummeted into a nearby lamp. Not even a metre away, he saw the figure that was Batman stand furiously with fists clenched.

…

Terry was ready to beat the shi* out of Powers, plus there wasn’t exactly anything else he could do. But for all the lies, the trauma he had inflicted on his family, and the damage caused to the city, he deserved it.
Suddenly, he saw an unusual change that he couldn’t quite pinpoint. His veins turned a lawn green which spread throughout his body. His face slowly formed the shape of a skull that lit up the entire roof. He was practically a walking lightning rod at this point as they were at the highest point for a few miles.
‘Why?’
‘Why what?’
‘You know what I mean. You turned it back on, you released that back into the city again. And on top of that, you decided it would be a good idea to expose me.’
‘I know, and I’m happy how it turned out.’
‘You’re sick, look at yourself!’
‘Exactly, if I were to be affected, then why not everyone else?’
‘That's not your decision,’ Batman charged at him in flight, propelled by his rocket boots. It wasn’t long before he realised the type of meta he was against. Powers shot a wave of radiation in his direction, with Terry only narrowly dodging the blast. He was able to make a quick recovery though his opponent seemed to be building rage with his powers similarly influenced. But it didn’t seem like he could even touch him at this point. As the heat radiating from his body became brighter, the more powerful he became. Batman was practically just dodging flames, not able to land a shot on him.
He then recalled his past fights to take out his ice pellets. It seemed respectable in this situation, given he had no previous preparation. After taking cover in the shadows of the cloud, he threw any cooling gadgets picked from his utility belt.
Fortunately, the pellets struck him down cold, coating him in ice. Terry flew down to the roof, where he figured out his next move. Powers was down, and he left the dispersal device in the factory. If he could find the antigen, maybe he could formulate an antidote.

…

Doug:
He slid under an opening of the gate surrounding ACE chemicals. The worn-down factory had been abandoned for a good few decades at best. Everything surrounding him was just pieces chipped off from climate change and weathering over the years. With past research, he knew where Red Hood fell into a pool of acid, turning him into the clown prince of crime. He continued searching for anything that lay useful in the birthplace of his idol.

Batman:
Terry wandered around the inside of the building, on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. For an abandoned chemical factory, Powers was able to conceal his device out of view. He turned the dial on his mask, which showcased scans of certain areas. It wasn’t long before he found a strange tracing of red in the corner. That could have been the source, except there was one problem. It was moving?
He silently approached the figure, trying to make out who was wandering in the building. The database revealed their identity, it was Doug Tan.
wtf was he doing here?

…

‘Kid, you need to get out of here, now.’
‘Huh?’ Doug moved around to see the figure that was Batman approach him from above. ‘Why are you here?’
‘That’s none of your business.’
‘Doesn’t matter.’ He abruptly moved to punch him at the jawline. But he completely missed as Batman evaded in confusion.
Batman was an enemy to the Joker, the exact opposite. They were meant to be fighting in that significant landmark. Something told him he was exactly where he should be.

…

Terry didn’t understand Doug’s intentions as he defended himself. There was absolutely no reason for Doug to be there with him. In the barrage of pitiful strikes, Batman felt a sudden pain behind him. The blast was a mix of heat and built-up radiation. Powers.
Doug moved out the way as Batman thrust into a few empty barrels. The sound echoed throughout the factory plant as he felt the pain melt through the circuitry of his suit.
But Doug seemed to have the weirdest smile on his face, directed towards the human torch that was Derek Powers.

…

Their battle continued to a ramp that oversaw the construction of multiple green chemical waste canisters. Bruce once talked about his more prominent adversaries, Joker, who fell into one of those chemical agents. This was dangerous territory to start a fight, which he started before it had begun.
So technically, he had an out-of-control metahuman that was likely to blast his way into the heart of the city. And another fellow student who seemed to have his intentions wrapped all over the place. Perfect.
They seemed to nod at each other in unison as if they decided the enemy of their enemy was a friend. Not good.
Batman threw bolas at Doug, which Powers melted with a heat blast. It fell to the floor and branded itself as a small bump for any unfortunate soul who would trip over it.
They both proceeded to attack Terry as he attempted to flee the scene. In the process, he felt a grab on his leg that forced him back to the ground. The heat caused a small patch of skin to be revealed as the radiation was becoming too hot to handle. Terry flipped back to notice Doug was struggling with the growing radiation generated by Powers. He could take advantage of that and the lightbulb which illuminated the factory.
He fired discs at the dimly lit lights, enclosing the three in the dark, where the light source had emit from Derek Powers.
‘Arghhh.’ Powers aimed blatantly at nothing, trying to coordinate himself. With his enhanced vision, Batman found the two in visible confusion. This time, he threw explosive Batarangs at Powers and another electric batarang in the following.
Crash! With a combined force, the two were momentarily vulnerable, covering their eyes from the spectacle. Batman aimed another bolas, trying to subdue two in one to contain them. It wasn’t until Powers threw a lucky shot at him that Batman threw the bolas to their legs, cuffing them together. Good enough.
As going to temporarily knock them out, Doug tripped over the bolas engraved into the floor that Powers melted earlier. The fall was enough to plummet the two over the railing and into a chemical bath below. Terry’s adrenaline kicked in, rocketing to the place they fell, grabbing onto an arm that was practically the temperature of the sun.
He struggled, seeking assistance from his suit to pull the two back up. But the circuitry had been too damaged for him to pull off any miracle at this point. He gave one last look to Doug, who seemed to have a chaotic grin spread across his face. One that he could not figure out for the past several minutes. But it seemed worthless to solve now, as the heat burned through his suit as Batman lost grip.
The last sight of Doug and Derek Powers was sent down the pool of acid.

Chapter Text

From above the canister, Terry could hear the mutations occur from below. Doug and Powers had fallen into the mixture of chemical waste, and there was no coming back from it. Terry had technically defeated the two, but it didn’t feel like a victory. It was a feeling astray from pride, more coming from a place of darkness like regret. He really just let them both fall into a green chemical laying under the ramp, untouched for decades.
Suddenly, he was brought to an anomaly as a surge of green waste gushed out like a spark toward him. He jumped out of the way to narrowly escape shredding more of his suit. On the floor, Terry saw a hand grasp the railing that was pale and drooling with the green stuff. He flinched as seeing the body pull itself up above the railing, and stand with his back toward him. Terry’s visible confusion became solved as he realised the person was Doug.
The boy turned around to face him again with a wide grin. Batman stood there, shocked at his physical appearance. Doug had made a complete transformation. Suddenly, as making eye contact, he started to laugh hysterically in a disturbing manner. It was loud, annoying and exasperating. No way that was Doug anymore.
‘HAHAHAHAHAHA. HOW’S IT GOING BATS.’
‘Uhhh,’ Terry felt unease in his voice.
‘It sure is good to BE BACK. HAHA. After all, who doesn’t love a good comeback story?’ Terry suddenly realised his hair turned a dark shade of green with a smile with a red lining.
‘Who are you?’ Batman took his fighting stance with a Batarang in hand, ready to stun him.
‘Oh me? I’m quite sad no one remembers after all these years. The harlequin of Hate, Ace of Knaves or the Clown Prince of Crime? … I’m the Joker.’ A wide grin spread across his face as Terry remembered that look from a picture Bruce had shown him containing a list of rogues.
Suddenly, Terry was knocked into a group of barrels as the Joker took advantage of his abrupt pause in memory.
‘See you later, kid!’
The imposter joker left the building as Terry lifted himself off the barrels containing traces of the chemicals exposed to Doug earlier.

…

‘What happened out there.’
‘Doug happened. Does the name Joker mean anything to you?’
‘What about him?’ Terry sighed, as there was no point explaining if he could just show him. He ushered Bruce to the side while downloading files from his suit to the batcomputer. The image was blurry, but by the look on his face, Terry knew he understood. Noticing his newfound expression, Terry watched as Bruce looked in awe, as what he saw utterly stunned him. The camera showed a distinctly familiar figure of his arch-enemy, the Joker.

…

‘That's impossible. It couldn't be him.’
‘Well, clearly you know him better than I do.’
‘This was at ace?’ He nodded. ‘Ok, while you round up all the metahumans, I’ll go to the factory.'
‘Don’t you have the police and media at the gate?’ Terry was about to hint to hundred of news reporters at the entrance of the manor until realising it was empty. He thought the unmasking of batman would have caught more attention. Guess the entire city in panic was enough to cause a distraction.
‘We have a break from them now, one problem at a time.’

…

The clutter among thieves trashing all of neo-Gotham was bringing the city down to its knees. The town was in havoc, with households kept under secure lockdown in their apartment. Anyone outside would be in a hell of a lot of trouble, given the wave of energy dispersed throughout the entire city. But while only a few were affected, it was enough to spark city-wide distress. Behind the populated crowds that ran through the city centre, one jumped atop a wrecked car to lead the chaos in the right direction.
‘METAHUMANS, SOCIOPATHS, can I have your attention?’ The crowds of metahumans shouting and chatter broke as they maintained focus on the man of the hour.
‘Now, that’s more like it.’ He fittingly stroked down his attire that he quickly found among one of his old abandoned safe houses. It was green coated in a purple suit and a tie. The white gloves complemented his pale skin colour, which was accompanied by his green hair and lips red.
‘It is very nice to see you all again. Perhaps my comeback story was reinstated by this poor teenage fellow who fell into a vat of chemicals. But I recently discovered an old secret from my time.’ He pointed to a billboard flickering from above, displaying an unmasked batman.
‘Oh batman, you know secrets come with consequences. Onto Wayne Manor everyone!’
The groups of metahumans cheered on as they marched towards the manor that stood on the outskirts of the city.
‘Here we … Oh!’ Batman flew Joker from the car to a nearby sky rise. He chucked him on the roof, where the clown hysterically laughed.
‘McGinnis!’ Batman glared at the statement. ‘Well, you’re very comparable to the original with that kind of attitude.’
‘Argh!’ Batman flew to knock Joker off his feet. ‘What do you want Joker.’
‘It’s not what I want, it's just, let's say, settling an old score. I bet old Bruce would be inviting of all those metahumans I sent to him in his old manor.’ Terry knew Bruce was safe away at ACE where he dropped him off, but still, they were going to destroy everything in the manor.
‘Let’s see how you handle this compared to the old one, especially with your infamous history with the police.’ He hinted toward the army of police transports against the army of metahumans. Batman looked to the side and sighed. How was he going to overcome this disaster?
He suddenly felt a punch to the ribs as Joker knocked him down. He immediately threw a Batarang his way to miss as Joker leapt off the skyscraper.
‘Let’s see who gets the last laugh!’ His obnoxious sense of humour faded as Terry saw him escape into the night with a parachute and his annoying laugh.

…

Bruce found the spot Doug and Blight had fallen into the pit of chemical waste. He picked up a sample in a small heatproof test tube which he proceeded to analyse. While processing the chemical, Bruce thought about the Joker, the one who seemed to be outfit and healthy while he was still in his old age. But if having any preference, Terry would be able to take him out permanently this time. But that was sided with all the metas and police against him, especially knowing the man under the mask. That was no easy feat.
The chemical analysis finished, as Bruce looked at the results with a hologram projected in front of him. It was… inconclusive. Bruce recalled a newspaper article about a man in a red mask that fell into the chemical pit. There was no proceeding news on the event, but the Joker managed to make his debut not a few months later.
If what he thought was true, then the Joker was a product of the chemical waste, partially influenced by Blight’s remote detonation. Since some dark matter particles were mixed in the analysis. This could mean the second wave of energy that affected these chemicals somehow caused the Joker to be reborn from Doug. He better get rid of this.

…

The police fended off as many metas as possible while maintaining bases around their headquarters. The spectacle of metahumans included those with flight and super strength. Some of them were able to distort themselves into tight spaces, while others gained the ability to turn invisible. From the rooftop across the street, Terry flew in to assist them in their compromised state. It was the least he could do as Bruce figured out their next move.
He turned invisible by taking out the various types and planning ahead. His main advantage was utilising the dark as an ally.
For a moment, Batman noticed the Joker leading a crowd toward the police base. He aimed a Batarang at him to unexpectantly receive a UV blast from behind. The bat fell behind a police car, finding himself swarmed by police officers. To his surprise, they noticed his presence to continue defending against the metas closing in around them. He felt a hand on his shoulder.
‘Good to have you here.’ Terry darted round to see the police commissioner, Barbara Gordon.
‘Uh, yeah, great to see you after someone else for once.’
‘Well, I don’t know how you did it, but that stunt you pulled off with Killer Croc gained some trust from the public and the police force.’
‘Okay? So, I’m supposed to believe you guys turned a new leaf or something?’
‘Give them maybe a month or two, at least now that you cleared your name, somehow.’
‘I don’t follow.’ The commissioner looked towards a billboard which he saw in denial. An article published with himself and Batman crossed out. ‘FAKE.’
‘Oh.’
‘Oh? You aren’t Terry McGinnis, right?’ Barbara challenged.
‘Of course, why would I be some punk teenager?’
‘Right.’

…

‘How did you do it!?’
‘I don’t know the specifics, but Rick was able to trace back the photo to its original content and exploit it as a fake.’
‘Wow.’
‘Yep, even I don’t believe it.’
‘Remind me to thank him after.’
‘Sure thing.’ Dana chuckled. Terry started rounding up most metas while on the call with Dana. He hadn’t been able to get a close shot on Joker yet.
‘Hang on Dana. I’m getting a call from Wayne.’
‘Be safe.’
‘You too!’ He handed the phone off. ‘What have you found?’
‘An antidote, come back to ace.’
‘That fast?’
‘Yes.’
‘What about Joker?’
‘I know, but it's not important now. The metas are already destroying half the city.’
‘Alright then.’ Well, that was the reason why Bruce was (and still) is Batman.
Crash! Terry heard an explosion out the comms from Bruce’s end. That couldn't be the police.
‘Wayne? Are you there?!’

…

Bruce fell forward, losing grip upon the antidote gun that was locked and loaded as a flare. It lay only a few metres in front of him as he heard footsteps echo down the staircase into the Batcave. He heard someone clapping from a distance with a distinguished laugh that he would recognise from anywhere.
He wasn’t convinced by the footage Terry showed him since there were still many identifiable features from the other boy. Though this proof was all necessary to stun Bruce for the first time in a long while.

Because there standing above him was none other than a murderous villain, also an infamous past foe.
‘Brucey! Well, I had absolutely no idea you were causing all that trouble when we were… you know.’ Bruce remained nonchalant at his jokes as he had done his homework. He knew exactly what type of situation he was dealing with.
‘Would it be such a pain to crack a smile after all these years?’ He pulled Bruce off his feet and was returned a menacing glare. ‘You’re still so boring.’

A sound broke the silence between them as smoke pellets dropped down the staircase. ‘Fuck.’
The Batcave filled with a cloud of smoke dispersed rapidly inside the cave, making it less dim than before the lights were even on. The Joker peered around, releasing his grip off Bruce to be surrounded by the fog. He looked around with the mist fading away before catching a glimpse of Batman in the distance. It appeared he was picking up something from the floor. The antidote!
Joker went to ram the bat as he ran head-first to tackle him down.
‘No way you’re escaping here ali.. Ouch!’ He was whacked to the side as Bruce defended his apprentice. Batman kick-flipped up to pin him against the wall with discs.
‘I’ll be making my leave now.’ Batman smiled as Joker saw the antidote attached to his utility belt.
‘Noooo!’

…

Terry didn’t like the idea of leaving Bruce with the clown, but even he told him to leave since curing the city was the utmost important task. He needed to fly to the highest point and fire the flare gun upward that would spread the antidote. He peered down to Gotham, seeing the abandoned streets, well, only what was left of metas roaming around. Luckily the people in skyrise buildings weren’t nearly as affected, though with only limited supplies given the current situation. Terry saw Wayne-Powers in the distance, the perfect location, but another fast-coming aircraft followed.
He looked behind and became startled hearing that maniacal laugh again.
Joker had legit stolen a plane and was already near his position.
‘Hi, bats!’ He heard from behind as... Bang! He narrowly avoided a missile as he spot Joker with the launcher in his plane. This guy was insane! And what was it with villains and their desperate need to use a rocket launcher against him?
‘Back off clown, I’m fixing your mess here.’
‘What mess? This city is a masterpiece now!’ Terry groaned at his response. There was nothing worse than being chased by a psychopathic clown while the fate of the city was in his hands, no pressure.
An idea sparked in his head as Batman engaged in camouflage mode, also activating his location for a certain flying automobile.

…

‘Huh, you kids and your technology.’ Joker snarled at his attempt to conceal himself. As he peered around the plane, he suddenly felt it concur a hit to the engine. Batman was pulling apart wires from below as Joker made his move. He flipped the plane round to see him clawed to the engine.
‘This time you won’t get away!’ He leapt from his seat taking Batman to tumble off the side in free-fall. Joker lashed out at his wings as Batman attempted to fly.
‘Haha! You’re not going to ruin this city any further bat!’
‘Maybe not, but I still have one more ace up my sleeve.’
‘?’ Joker was confused as he heard the sound that appeared to be a speeding bullet behind him. Or in his case, the batmobile… Crash!

…

The batmobile slammed into the side of the Wayne-Powers building as Terry grabbed hold of the windshield. The Joker disappeared. He hadn’t fallen to his death below or seen dangling off the side with him. The silence of being this high up a skyscraper assumed Terry was alone up there now. He climbed over the edge into the batmobile, where he met a sudden intruder in the cockpit.
‘Hmm, what does this button do?’ Joker pressed the eject button curiously, just to annoy him.
‘No, wait. Sto…’ Whoosh!
The ejector seat blasted from the batmobile as Terry quickly held onto the chair, getting a free pass to the top of the sky-rise building. He saw Joker stare down at him with a mad smile as he kicked off his grip from the seat. Almost at the top, Terry went back to basics by firing a grappling hook that reached the top of the tower, zipping past Joker, who took no time to react. He jumped off the ejector seat to cling onto his leg as Terry took out the flare gun. Not even in two seconds, he fired the antidote and grasped the hook as Joker held onto him from below.

…

Terry watched in awe as the antidote dispersed across the entire city in seconds as a blue mist coated the streets. The darkness soon became light as he saw the mist fall upon the metahumans below him. He couldn’t exactly describe the changes but could tell any radiant glimmer of a metahuman was eliminated. Was this all over?
The realism of the event was enough for him to ignore Joker starting to slip off, experiencing a sudden personality change.

...

‘Batman?’ Terry suddenly heard a familiar voice call out from below as he looked down to see Doug Tan slipping off his grip. How? Did the antidote reform him back or was this him just imagining things? ‘A little help please…’
Okay, definitely Doug.
‘Hang on.’

Epilogue:
The aftermath of the events striking Gotham caused many of its residents to flee out of fear for new threats. Wayne-Powers had reverted to its original name (Wayne-Enterprises) as sole ownership was given back to Bruce Wayne. As for his identity crisis, Terry was momentarily in the clear, as Batman had averted being a public menace to society. But he didn’t spend too much time in the beyond suit because Bruce had set holograms for reporters to follow up on while Terry was still in school.
There was a commotion about his identity for a few weeks after the event, but soon died afterwards. Doug seemed to watch his behaviour, but Terry kept an eye on him if Joker ever decided to awake inside him. Plus, he already received attention as being called out by the police and military. While his ‘alter-ego’ had blame placed on himself, he might have been looking at an infamous lifelong world of fame.

Terry reflected on these moments as sitting upon a sky rise building with an aesthetic view of the city, one that endured through the worst of the worst. His assailants were the minority of metahumans created by Powers, with the rest out for revenge on Batman or some other indignant motive. It appeared there was still more work to be done and probably never be fully completed. But if he had known anything over this past year, being Batman was the privilege of a lifetime. It almost made up his personality or acted like a stress reliever. For better or worse, he decided it was a positive change in his life that he would be forever grateful for.
'Terry, there's a robbery down Mainstreet, perks taking advantage of the city in ruin.' Bruce spoke through the radio receiver.
Terry glinted at this line. 'Time to get to work.'
He put on his cowl and leapt off the edge of the building, flying into the dawn of night.