Terry McGinnis and the Mystery of Firewing
Firewing infuriated him. He had no idea who she was, and neither, to his shock, did the old man.
"Any closer?" the aforementioned old man queried in his harsh voice.
Terry McGinnis removed his cowl and glared at his mentor. "No, Wayne. Why'd you even bother to ask?"
Bruce shrugged. "She's probably closer than you think, McGinnis."
"Firewing," Terry said slowly. "She's another Selina, huh?"
"It certainly seems so, though she's been careful not to reveal her identity to you, unlike Selina and Melanie."
"She isn't a criminal, just another vigilante like me," Terry mused. "You know she took down eight of ten Jokers by the time I got to the docks?"
"She's gifted, that's for sure. We really should make more of an effort to get her on our side.
"What about Max? She's been asking to be Batgirl for a long time," Terry pointed out.
"Maxine is more like Oracle to you than Batgirl."
"Barbara was both Batgirl and Oracle," Terry shot back. "We don't know who Firewing is. You'd trust some complete stranger over Max?"
"It's nothing against her, McGinnis. It's just that Firewing has obviously trained herself for years. Max would be a rookie, and it's too dangerous for her to get hurt out there," Bruce explained, rubbing his temples. McGinnis was particularly aggravating today.
Terry opened his mouth to protest but anything he had to say was drowned out by an angry growling from his stomach.
"When did you last eat, Terry?" Bruce asked.
"Lunch," Terry admitted sheepishly. "That was hours ago."
"Go upstairs and fix yourself something," Bruce ordered. "We can't have you collapsing from hunger, now can we?"
Terry turned on his heel, rolled his eyes, and started dutifully upstairs.
"Nag," he muttered to himself.
Bruce sighed and scratched Ace's ears.
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Terry saw that Rachel was in Bruce's kitchen making a grilled cheese sandwich.
"That looks really good right now. Any chance you'd make me one?"
"Take this one," she answered, shoving the plate at him. "You look starved."
"You're a saint." He took a bite. "Fanks," he said thickly.
Rachel nodded and started another sandwich for herself. When it was cooking with a low sizzle, she turned to see Terry finishing up the last bite.
"Jeez, when did you last eat?"
"About eight hours ago."
Rachel shook her head. "Bruce generally likes his errand boys well nourished."
Terry frowned. "I don't have time for this."
"I'm sorry. Next time you're hungry come see me, alright? I can make anything but soufflés," Rachel offered.
Terry smiled. "I'll take you up on that another night. Thanks, Rachel."
She nodded, flipped the sandwich onto a plate and disappeared to her room.
'She's a genuinely nice person,' Terry mused.
He didn't know her well; she kept to herself. But she was always kind to him, something that was becoming more and more rare. Terry found himself wishing she'd stayed longer.
"You're grinning like an idiot," Bruce observed dryly. "Why?"
Terry made his face blank. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said airily. "See you tomorrow, Wayne."
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Max shook Terry awake.
"What class did I sleep through?" Terry probed groggily.
"English, you twit," Max snapped. "Walden read the best poems out loud. Rachel Grayson wrote one."
"I thought when he read stuff it was supposed to be anonymous," Terry slurred.
"She blushed like a tomato. It was hers," Max elaborated. "I think it was about you."
"I hardly know her. Why would she write a poem about me?"
Max rolled her eyes. "Are you so dense that you can't even tell when a girl likes you?"
Terry gaped at his pink haired friend. "Are you insane? Did you hit your head, Gibson?"
Max's gaze shifted to Rachel, who seemed to be lingering by the door. "Why don't you ask her? She'd tell you the truth."
"Rachel doesn't have feelings for me," Terry scoffed. "We're not even friends, really, just acquaintances."
"Look, I copied it down because I knew you wouldn't believe me. Read this."
Max held out the piece of paper.
Fairytale
Castles, ogres, witches
Shining armor
A handsome prince
Rescues the princess
White knights
Are really
Just
Fakes
Dark knights
Are so
Much braver
Than white ones
Dark knights
Are the ones
Who face
The lonely nights
"I can't say much about her rhyming ability," Terry said finally.
"You idiot," Max chided. "She knows it's over with you and Dana. Doesn't that make your nights lonely? And it's gotta suck being out there alone, risking you neck 24/7."
Terry nodded, his mind racing. "I'll see you Max."
"Where are you going?" Max demanded. Too late. He'd already gone.
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She came out of nowhere, just as she always did.
A gang of twenty Jokers had steadily worn him down; this was a well put together association of thugs.
The leader, who we'll call Boo, approached Terry, grinning eerily. His fellow criminals cackled. Boo revealed a container of knock out gas.
"McGinnis, get out of there," Bruce instructed roughly.
"What do you think I'm trying to do? I have no way out," Terry muttered.
"Tell me Boo," a light, feminine voice purred, "Do you believe in ghosts?"
The gang members and Terry looked to see where the voice had come from. No one had joined the fray. (Whee! Love that band!)
"G-ghosts?" Boo stammered. "Sure I does."
The can of knock out gas seemingly floated away by itself.
"Good," the female voice continued. "Because you've made this ghost very angry."
The little color left in Boo's face drained. "If me and my crew roll will ya leave me in peace?"
"Of course," she replied. "But you must promise me one thing, Boo: Do not ever come near here again."
Boo and his gang nodded.
"This is the part where you scamper like frightened rabbits," she hissed.
The Jokers turned and ran.
Terry's rescuer chuckled after them. She rematerialized as Firewing.
"Not you again. Who do you think you are?"
"I think I'm the one who just saved you," she shot back. "Next time I'll think twice."
Firewing turned on her heel and stalked down the alleyway.
"McGinnis don't screw this up. We need her," Bruce nagged.
Terry clenched his fists. "I hate you, you know. I hate admitting when I need help."
"Go on McGinnis."
"Firewing, wait. I'm…"
"Sorry?" she suggested. "Because you should be, Batbo."
Terry rolled his sweet baby blue eyes behind his cowl. "I think we should trust each other. It's dangerous out here and if there are two of us, um…"
"We'd have a better chance?" Firewing finished. "I don't do partnership."
"Neither do I," Terry retorted. "But I have this mentor, an old, cranky guy who thinks he can tell me when to breathe."
"McGinnis," Bruce said warningly.
"Go with me on this," Terry replied.
Taking off his glove, he crushed the devices that allowed Bruce to see and hear him.
"I'm doing this on my terms," he told her.
She nodded. "So he tells you when to breathe?"
"Pretty much."
"I don't need pressure like that, Bats," Firewing scoffed. "You go solo and maybe I'll play Robin to your Batman."
Terry gritted his teeth. "He's just worried you'll decide to turn criminal. He's paranoid."
"I'm on the good guy side. Tell him to leave me out of his little club."
"Come on…you get a really schway car."
"I'll think about it," she said tartly. She turned away but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
"There are a lot of lonely nights when you take this gig," he said gently. "No one wants to be alone."
The next thing he knew he had been backed up against the wall. Slowly, Firewing's hands found the end of the cowl and pulled it up just enough to see his mouth.
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'She tastes like raspberries," Terry mused later that night as he climbed into his bed. 'At least she told me she'll be around tomorrow night. It got Bruce off my back.'
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Terry was so preoccupied with Firewing he hardly noticed where he was going. Only when he collided with someone did he snap out of his trance.
"I'm sorry," he said, kneeling to get his notebook.
Two pale ivory hands with lavender painted nails sorted the books into two piles.
Terry looked up into her face. "Rachel. I'm so sorry. Are you OK?"
"I'm fine."
They gathered their respective books and Rachel hurried away, blushing.
Terry spotted a tube of lip gloss left among his things.
"Hey Rachel! You forgot your…lip gloss."
He picked it up; he'd leave it for her at the manor. Out of curiosity, he looked for the flavor.
It was raspberry.
He smiled.