I've been wanting to do a Batman story for a while, I just never got around yo actually writing one. Until now, thanks to another Batman fan which I was inspired from by one of his great ideas. So, this story is going to be a bit heavy, but hey, it's Batman what did you expect?

DISCLAIMER: Batman Beyond and all related characters belong to Warner Brothers, original idea belongs to: Batman DannyP fanwriter, I only claim the story plot and whatever OC's that come into play.

Prologue

"This isn't good!" Terry thought as the slimy villain named Inque crashed into the Batcave's super computer after springing forth from under the Bat Mobile. Bruce had managed to dodge out of the way and ran into the shadows while Batman tried to get her attention.

The icky she-villain retook a humanoid form while keeping her identity concealed. She looked around the cave as her right hand formed into a thick whip with sharpened blades that resembled the teeth of a chainsaw. "Ou- looks like somebody's got a secret." She sneered as she shot forward into a messy ink-like blob and headed past Batman and towards the stairs.

Terry gasped, realizing what she was doing he quickly blocked her way by throwing a sharp-edged batarang at her, slowing her down and giving himself enough time to get between her and the doorway that led up to Bruce's mansion. If she found out where that led it would be all over for the old hero.

Inque wasn't intimidated by him in the least, instead she wrapped herself around him and lifted him off the floor. Batman struggled in her arms, trying to break free.

"Say ah." Inque told him as she tightened her grip, crushing his chest. He tried to resist, but gave in and opened his mouth to shout in pain and when he did she shoved her arm down his throat and allowed the dark slime to flow freely in an attempt to drown him. Terry struggled to break free, but with the oxygen being forced out of his lungs only to be replaced by the thick sticky slime his attempts were growing weaker until he started going limp.

Suddenly a blast of water shot out from the darkness and struck the villain at her base. She let out a scream on pain as the ink seemed to dissolve at the simple touch from the water. Batman fell to the ground and quickly got onto his knees. He started vomiting the blobs of inque, trying to force it out of his system. Once he managed to control his urge to gag he looked up at the old man who had covered his face with a brown hat and goggles. "What kept you?" Batman asked.

"Sudden case of shyness." Bruce simply replied with a smirk.

They quickly looked for inque as she once again made her way towards the stairs. "There she goes!" Batman shouted. Bruce ran over to the wall and pushed a button causing a large steel door to block the entrance to the stairs. This stopped Inque cold just as she reached the door.

"It pays to be prepared." Bruce stated with a smirk.

That door didn't stop Inque as she tried slinking under it. "She's getting through!" Batman announced, about to rush over there until Bruce pushed another button. There was a flash of light combined with the sound of an electric current followed by Inque's scream as she was forced back and landed a few feet in front of the two heroes.

"You are prepared!" Batman stated, impressed by the old man. Inque regained her humanoid form only for a moment before launching herself towards the ceiling.

"She won't get out that way either, there's a solid layer of steel." Bruce calmly stated, confident they had her trapped until the ground began to shake.

"I think she has other plans." Batman replied as large rocks and spikes began falling from the Batcave's ceiling. Several of Bruce's collection were shattered and destroyed by the falling debris as Batman and Bruce tried to avoid getting hit.

They kept dodging and were forced to separate. Batman was near the large T-rex statue while Bruce stood in front of the large penny. Neither of the two noticed Inque lower herself from the ceiling as she began to push the penny over. As it gave way and fell Bruce saw the shadow shift and turned, too stunned to get out of the way in time. He was about to be crushed when Batman came out of nowhere, grabbed Bruce and tried flying out from under the falling penny with the help of his jet boots. They had almost made it when the penny landed hard on Batman's legs, pinning him down and sending Bruce rolling forward.

Inque appeared a few feet away from the trapped hero before her sharp, whip-like blade formed again from her right hand. "Got you now." She stated as she slowly made her way towards the hero.

Terry quickly tried to pull his legs free, but it was difficult to get them from the over-sized coin.

Inque saw what he was doing and rushed forward, trying to finished him off before he could get loose. Batman saw her coming and with the help of his bat suit and the power of the jet boots he managed to free himself, but, she was too close. With one strong swipe, she slashed him across the chest and his torso, tearing right through the suit. Inque's attacked was rewarded with the flow of blood.

Batman stumbled backwards until he collapsed, clutching his chest in sheer agony. Inque casually walked up to him and kneeled down, grabbed his chin in her hand, forcing him to look up at her. "Why don't we have a look at those eyes of yours so I can see them glaze over?"

She went to pull off his mask when Batman weakly smiled at her. "I was about to ask you the same thing."

Inque stopped, surprised by what he said and during her moment of confusion he fired the freeze gun at her which he had picked up when he fell. The label on the shattered case above him read: Victor Freeze.

Inque tried to get away, but the freeze ray turned her into a solid block of ice until it became unbalanced and fell, shattering into hundreds of pieces.

Bruce moaned as he slowly came to and sat up to see the aftermath of the fight. He saw Inque's frozen remains and looked over to see Batman lying on the ground. He smiled, noting the teen's good work, that is, until he saw the blood.

"Terry!" Bruce shouted as he hurried over to the fallen hero.

Terry was gasping for breath, but his struggles were growing weak. Bruce ripped the mask off of him. "Terry! Hang in there!"

The teen tried to swallow, but it only resulted in him choking as blood began spilling from the side of his mouth. The teen looked up at Bruce and smiled weakly. "Heh, not much of a hero, am I? Y-you were right."

"Don't talk like that! you're going to be fine!" Bruce retorted in his usual grumpy tone in an attempt to convince the boy to keep fighting.

"G-guess this is what I get for not listening." Terry said, as he remembered the night he left his father only to return hours later to find out he had been murdered. Terry had never forgiven himself for leaving his father to fight his attackers alone and considered this as a form of punishment.

"Terry, listen to me!" Bruce insisted. "You've got to hold on. I'll call the commissioner and get you some help. She and I go way back and she knows how to keep a secret." He tried, Bruce refused to let his newest pupil give in to death.

Terry looked down at the floor, knowing what the pool of blood around him meant. He looked over at the glass case that was nearest the door, where the Batman Costume still hung, the original Batman costume that Bruce once proudly wore. His gaze then shifted to his own mask that lay on the ground, facing him.

Terry heard a sound, it sounded like a voice, but it was muffled, distant some how. He turned his gaze to see Bruce shouting at him, but the old man was very blurry and he couldn't make out what he was saying. He also noticed how the pain was fading as well. He felt a calm wash over him and relaxed, relieved that he was no longer in pain. His world began to grow dark for a moment until he felt a warm light and embraced it, allowing his eyes to slowly close.

"Terry! Terry don't you dare give up!" Bruce tried, he kept shouting until his voice grew horse, but the teen's eyes had long since closed and his breathing had stopped. Terry Mcginnis was dead.

Sometime later sirens blared as an ambulance pulled in to the emergency entrance. The back doors flew open as the EMT's rushed Terry through the double doors. Bruce had followed behind in his car and rushed inside only to be directed into the waiting room. Minutes seemed like hours as Bruce waited and prayed. As he waited he realized this was the first time things had slowed down enough for him to reflect over the choices he had made.

"I should never have let him keep that suit. I should hade made him return it and sent him away." Bruce thought as he sat there, regretting ever letting that boy into his house. "None of this would have happened if I had just followed my instincts."

Finally after two hours the doctor emerged from the ER and approached Bruce. "Mr. Wayne?" He addressed him.

Bruce stood up with the help of his cane and approached the doctor. "Well?" He asked, impatiently.

The doctor looked down at his clipboard and adjusted his glasses which Bruce noted as a bad sign. "I'm sorry Mr. Wayne. We did everything we could, but there was too much damage and blood loss... I'm afraid we've lost him."

Bruce looked at the doctor in shock before losing the strength to stand and fell into the chair behind him as the doctor went on.

"If there's any family to contact, I suggest letting them know."

Why? Why was the doctor forcing him to face Terry's family? He glared up at the doctor and snorted. "That's your job. I'm not taking the blame for your failure."

Bruce pushed past the doctor and headed outside. He had to get away from that man before he did something he would regret. A drop of rain hit his face as he looked up at the sky. Dark red clouds had covered the sky. It felt as if the night itself were mourning the loss of it's newest defender.

I know, I know, the best character in the series and I kill him off in the prologue. Before I get mobbed by angry fan-girls I'd like to point out that it hurts me to. Terry is my favorite character from Batman Beyond, but this was the challenge that I was given and I'm going to write this out to the best of my ability, and no, Terry will not be replaced by an OC taking the name of Batman. If anything it's kinda sweet who takes up the name. Please review? :)