Batman Beyond: I don't own any of the characters except for Serena aka Renie Wayne. All other characters belong to the wonderful Bob Kane and DC Comics.

Prologue

Batman looked down into the airplane hanger seeing the girl Bunny Raymond who had been kidnapped weeks earlier was still being held hostage after her parents had paid the ransom of five million dollars. Batman beat the man that was about to kill her and in the last moment of the fight as he was about to take down the last one he had a heart attack. Batman used one of the fallen guns to protect himself as he staggered out of the hanger he stared down at the gun in his hand in horror and threw it away from himself. Bruce Wayne stood at the entrance to the bat- cave and as he shut off the power he vowed never again.

Chapter 1

Years later

Bruce Wayne was walking his dog Ace through the rougher part of Gotham city when Ace suddenly started growling and straining at his leash.

"What is it Ace?" When Bruce suddenly heard a voice in his mind.

"Help me please help me." Bruce was amazed he protected his mind with the strongest mind shields ever taught to him.

"Who are you?" he asked cautiously and got a vision of a young girl around ten who was so emaciated she was just skin and bones and her black hair fell to her waist in wild tangles.

"My name is Serena let Ace lead you to me." Bruce took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number as he and Ace walked to the house that held the little girl Serena.

"Commissioner Gordon." Came a crisp cool voice on the phone.

"Barbara I need an ambulance and some officers at this address." Bruce gave her the address and waited as she repeated it and wrote it down.

"What is it Bruce why do you need an ambulance and some of my officers?" Bruce sighed and told her he'd tell her when she arrived.

"So Bruce are you going to tell me whats going on or are we going to stand here all day?" Bruce didn't answer as they watched the men try to open the door to the house.

"Please you must hurry I don't have much time." Serena's voice was fading in his mind.

"Bruce...Bruce are you there?" Bruce blinked and looked at the door and went over to it and kicked it hard the door burst open.

"We have to hurry the girl in there doesn't have much time left."

"How do you know there is a girl in there?" Barbara asked.

"Serena are you here!" Bruce called into the house.

"I'm in the kitchen I can't speak because of the collar biting into my neck."

The police followed Bruce into the kitchen and gasped as they saw the emaciated figure of the ten year old girl lying on the floor chained to the stove. Serena raised her head and looked at them with startling blue eyes that reminded Barbara of Bruce's eyes when he was younger. The paramedics gently cut the chain to the collar and lifted her onto the gurney. As Serena passed Bruce she made them stop and she gabbed Bruce's arm.

"Thank you for saving me." Ace gently lapped at her fingers and she smiled tiredly before shutting her eyes and letting go of Bruce. At the hospital Bruce waited for Serena to get out of surgery as he talked to the social worker.

"I want to adopt her she deserves a better life than the one she has."

The social worker was startled she had heard about the reclusive Bruce Wayne everyone knew he preferred to stay alone in Wayne manor.

"Um Mr. Wayne? I'm out of surgery now." Serena's mind voice was sluggish and a little slurred because of the anesthetic. The doctor came over to them and Bruce asked the question that had been on his and Serena's mind.

" Will Serena be able to speak again?" Bruce asked and he could feel the anxiety radiating from Serena's mind.
"She will once her neck heals it's a wonder that she wasn't paralyzed that chain was very close to cutting into her second and third vertebrate. If you hadn't gotten there when you did Mr. Wayne she would have died."

They entered the room and Serena's eyes lit up and she smiled shyly at Bruce as he and the social worker sat in the plastic chairs.

"I'm making arrangements to adopt you but only if it is something you want." Bruce said awkwardly. Serena smiled and nodded her blue eyes flashing with laughter.

"Of course thank you I'm honored." She whispered into his mind and he could tell that she was tired.

"We'll let you sleep and don't worry the man who did this to you will be caught." He didn't want to say her father but she knew what he meant. That night Bruce was working with the police to track Serena's first adoptive father while Serena slept. A dark shadow swept over her sleeping figure and a pillow was put over her face and the power that had been given to her at birth woke her up and she came up fighting.

"Help me someone please help!" she screamed with her mind since she couldn't speak. Serena's heart was racing and she could feel her consciousness slipping away as her body used up the air in her lungs. Bruce heard her mental cry and picked up speed down the hallway rushing to where security guards and hospital staff were converging.

"Get him off her he's going to kill her." One doctor shouted as pandemonium reigned in the room.

Just as the security guards were trying to get through Bruce pushed his way into the room and grabbed the man who was trying to smother Serena. Bruce threw him into the wall and went to Serena.

"Are you all right?" Serena nodded as she coughed it hurt her throat but at least the pain let her know she was alive.

"I'll be fine hang on let me see if I have my voice back my power was healing my neck little by little as I slept." Serena coughed and took a deep breath.

"Mr. Wayne I'm fine Miller he tried to kill me twice now." Serena's physical voice was raspy and she winced a little as she spoke.

"Your going to pay for the misery you put me through!" Miller screamed. Serena's eyes closed and silver fire flared over her body on her forehead a crescent moon blazed and when she opened her eyes they weren't blue but the silver of her gift.

"No I haven't put you through anything you're the one who starved me and put that chain collar around my neck and left it there for five years. You are the one who caused me suffering now you will pay for trying to kill me again." The power ranged around her like a fiery cloak she was about to strike at him when Bruce rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Serena don't." Bruce said those two words and the silver fire disappeared from her body her eyes went back to being blue and the moon on her forehead disappeared.

"I'm sorry I wasn't going to hurt him I was going to put him to sleep." Her voice seemed to get better each time she spoke but she knew not to over do it.

"What will you do they'll remember everything they saw." Bruce asked as amusement colored his thoughts.

"I'll erase their thoughts of what they witnessed but if you want I'll let you keep yours." Bruce nodded slightly and Serena announced that she was going to sleep some more but what she was really doing was erasing the memory of her visibly using her powers. Weeks passed and Serena's neck healed leaving a large scar that looked like a collar. Serena moved in with Bruce the trial and the adoption were finished in the same week.