In the Dark (Ch. 1)
------------------
Hi all. My first Batman Beyond fic. Criticism is welcomed because I'm still trying to get a handle on how to write a good action scene. The chapter is kinda long by my standards, but I hope it's not boring.
Ummm... I was trying to get in deeper here. See if you can pick up all the different meanings of dark and Dark in the story.
------------------
I didn't notice anymore. It seems completely, entirely natural... that's what worries me.
"Terry!"
Mom was standing in the doorway to my room with folded laundry nestled in her arms and the light from the hall silhouetted her form.
"How many times do I need to tell you? If you're working in here, turn the lights on."
A tap from her on the light switch and I had to shield my eyes from the sudden flood of brightness.
"Honestly, you'll ruin your eyes someday honey."
My eyes were the least of my concerns at the moment. But still, how long have I been doing this?
Reading in the dark, thinking in the dark, brooding in the dark, stalking in the dark, fighting in the dark, sleeping... actually I don't get too much sleep anymore.
But I'm not just living in the dark. I'm living in the Dark.
Some time ago, I was perusing through some of the old microfilm of newspaper clippings in the Batcave. Can you believe they used to call him the "Dark Knight?" Retro huh?
But it fits. The more I think about, the more it seems to fit.
It's a Dark world... very Dark...
-------------------
****Next Night****
"McGinnis! Pick up the pace and get over to the East side!" He yelled in my earpiece with his usual grumpy, old geezer attitude.
"Tell that to the Batmobile."
The ride wasn't feeling very smooth. It glided at an uneven hover, and seemed to be dragging a bit. I was feeling bad enough about what happened already. I didn't need any lip from Wayne right now.
I admit they caught me off guard. Jokers. A swarm of them ambushed me in the alley. They just appeared out of the shadows, in the dark, on my turf.
They charged, one after another after another, then two at once.
I tossed two of them into the dumpster and suddenly a chain whipped around my throat from behind, snaring me. I grabbed a hold of the chain and pulled to give my neck some slack. Then I leaned forward toward him and fired up the jets in my boots. Going from rest to 50 mph in under a second, I slammed into him and ended up sandwiching his fractured ribcage between my Batsuit and a solid brick wall. The chain loosened when the other end dropped from his limp hands and I gulped in a few breaths of fresh air before I was tackled from behind. Then, charged knuckle-spikes seared against my head.
We pummeled, thrashed and trashed.
By the time it ended, five of them laid unconscious, the rest had scrambled or scampered away, and I was left with a gaping knife tear through the circuitry of my Batsuit.
I stood there for a moment, trying to calm my nerves. Rumbling with the Jokers does this to me sometimes. Enrages me, infuriates me, and infects me with their own blind insanity.
"Silent alarm along McJenson Jewelers. East end."
I took note of his order. "Can I have a moment first?"
"You can have all the moments you want when you're off duty, but this is my time and you have work to do."
Yeah I'm fine, thanks for your concern. I made my way back to the Batmobile, but nearly stopped cold when I saw it.
"Slagged!"
"I beg your pardon, Terry?"
I stared in disbelief as I felt my anger rising and the bile boiling in the pit of my gut. My hand naturally went to my head, wanting to embed them in my hair and have something to grip, but it only met with the smooth surface of my mask. "Just turn on your vid-link Wayne. Look at what the freaking Jokers did to the car!"
I guess that brawl was just a distraction while they played their little practical joke.
Wayne sounded surprised. Disturbed and surprised. "It's..."
"I know. Hot pink." The signature grinning Joker mouth was painted across the hood, and the rest of the car was... "It's hot, freaking, magenta pink."
Wayne did a diagnostic scan on the machinery and nothing further seemed to be wrong with it other than the obscene paintjob. But I've been behind the wheels for long enough to know when something didn't feel right, and right now my Bat-senses were going off in my head.
"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with the engine?" I asked as I thrust the acceleration into a higher gear. Why did the situation seem so familiar all of a sudden?
"I don't see anything out of the ordinary. But you know, it looks like they used high-density gesso-based paint."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning it's not going come off easily. Might take 3 or 4 days of high-temperature and pressurized treatment."
"Out of commission for that long? Do I smell vacation time in the future?" Of course I knew the answer to my question, but I like messing with the old man sometimes, even if he does tend to overreact.
"No, you smell yourself going on patrol sans the car."
"Figures. What about the suit?"
"The tear isn't too bad. You should be able to function for the rest of the night if you don't overcharged the main electromagnetic components. In other words, stay away from electricity and water."
I made a sharp right turn and was suddenly aware of the sluggishness of the car again. Something was wrong. And that wasn't even the most disturbing thing. The black Batmobile was designed to blend into the night, utilizing the dark. Now it's a crying-out-loud pink and I painfully aware of how exposed I was to enemies. Whoever broke into the jeweler would see me coming a mile away.
You know, it bothers me. How did the Jokers get so smart all of a sudden? A planned attack? A planned distraction? They're using high-density whatever paint so I practically glow like a beacon?
"There they are!" I broke off the rest of my thought when I saw three figures soaring over the rooftops in the distance.
Looked like the Royal Flush Gang, now consisting only of King, Queen and the Ace, was making a hasty escape. The hover boards were taking them over the towering skyline of Gotham. They were a little too easy to spot. Maybe I'm just getting paranoid.
"I'm leaving the car and going on foot," I told him. "Better chance of catching them off guard."
"I was sure the smiling pink car would catch them off guard."
"I meant I needed to sneak up on them."
The hatch on the Batmobile slid open with a whisper and I stood up. The thin, red glider wings unsheathe from under my arms, and then I plunged into the cool night air again.
Moments later, perched on a rooftop I caught the gang in my sights again. I won't deny it. It felt good to be in the shadows, in the dark, and not in pink. I was the watcher again, slinking through the night, and utilizing my advantage.
I snapped out two Bat-a-rangs and zoomed in on my targets. Arching my arms back, I readied my wrists to fling them forward.
Suddenly, something wrapped around my arms from behind, and forcefully yanked me fully into the air. My body went flying, but before I could even try to break free, I was slammed back-first into the roof. The concrete splintered under me upon impact.
No allowing myself time to even groan in response, I pried myself off the ground and propelled myself aside just in time to dodge an arched, black tentacle as it spiked into the stone rubble.
"Oh, come on now. This can be done so much faster if you would just stay still."
The black tentacle retracted and her form reshaped before me.
"Inque?"
She cackled just as she lashed back at me again. I found myself running for dear life, springing from one spot to the next non-stop just to avoid getting flattened by her flailing, metamorphic limbs. Jumped from the roof to the edge, sprang off from the edge to a wall, pushed off from the wall to a window sill, swung off from the window sill to the rail of balcony. She was right behind me smashing through brick, pounding into metal, crushing into cement, and piercing through reinforced concrete like it was tissue paper.
All the while, I regrouped my thoughts and the truth seemed to appear. Inque pulled an old trick on me. The reason the car was dragging was she hitchhiking on the back, exactly like the time she snuck into the Batcave. If I hadn't been so distracted over the hideous color of the car, I might have remembered it.
"Terry! Terry! Is everything okay?" Wayne's voice was barely audible as Inque tore through a billboard, screaming after me.
"It's Inque. She's..."
I flung one of the Electro-pulse Bat-a-rangs at her. She caught it in mid-flight and showed no sign of even flinching as the electric current surged through her. I cursed silently when she turned my weapon back on me and almost embedded it into my skull.
She laughed again. "Didn't expect THAT did you Batman?"
I guess I didn't.
Just then I felt like a bolt of lightening struck me. The electricity crackled around my limbs, and surged through the rip on the suit before I understood that I had been attack from behind.
It was the Royal Flush Gang, coming in to close the door on the trap. The King tapped his scepter blaster on his palm and sneered, "How about this Batman? Did you expect this?"
Well, I guess did expect that either. Glad everyone's suddenly interested in surprising me.
I didn't expect it either when heard the wild war whoop of Jokers close in around me. Everything that happened that night made sense now. The attacks, the distractions, the decoys... everything. Well, I guess the whole gang's here now. Everyone who did the planning is now here for the party.
"Terry, get out of here. Get out of there now!"
Wayne didn't have to tell me twice. I know when the odds are stacked against me, and I know when the odds are about to crush me like a bug.
My hands flew to my belt and switched on the camouflage mode.
"Don't let him get away you fools."
I vanished from their sights, but I knew I had to move quick before Ace detected me with his infrared heat scan. But that chance never came. Inque, suddenly threw herself out in my direction, spreading her liquid body like a wide web and splattering every which way.
"I got him!"
She had splashed on my transparent suit and discovered my location. With lightening speed, she gathered herself and completely encased me in her fluid form, outlining exactly where I was for the world to see.
The King fired at me, directing the electric pulse square at the torn opening in my suit. The surge sizzled through the circuitry.
"McGinnis! Mc..."
Wayne's transmission died off. The suit itself lost all power and I collapsed onto the ground. It wouldn't let me move anymore. The suit was dead, and in a minute I have a feeling I might be too.
The last time I saw was the Ace walking over to me. Next his foot flew toward my head.
Then, I was in the dark again.
------------------
Hi all. My first Batman Beyond fic. Criticism is welcomed because I'm still trying to get a handle on how to write a good action scene. The chapter is kinda long by my standards, but I hope it's not boring.
Ummm... I was trying to get in deeper here. See if you can pick up all the different meanings of dark and Dark in the story.
------------------
I didn't notice anymore. It seems completely, entirely natural... that's what worries me.
"Terry!"
Mom was standing in the doorway to my room with folded laundry nestled in her arms and the light from the hall silhouetted her form.
"How many times do I need to tell you? If you're working in here, turn the lights on."
A tap from her on the light switch and I had to shield my eyes from the sudden flood of brightness.
"Honestly, you'll ruin your eyes someday honey."
My eyes were the least of my concerns at the moment. But still, how long have I been doing this?
Reading in the dark, thinking in the dark, brooding in the dark, stalking in the dark, fighting in the dark, sleeping... actually I don't get too much sleep anymore.
But I'm not just living in the dark. I'm living in the Dark.
Some time ago, I was perusing through some of the old microfilm of newspaper clippings in the Batcave. Can you believe they used to call him the "Dark Knight?" Retro huh?
But it fits. The more I think about, the more it seems to fit.
It's a Dark world... very Dark...
-------------------
****Next Night****
"McGinnis! Pick up the pace and get over to the East side!" He yelled in my earpiece with his usual grumpy, old geezer attitude.
"Tell that to the Batmobile."
The ride wasn't feeling very smooth. It glided at an uneven hover, and seemed to be dragging a bit. I was feeling bad enough about what happened already. I didn't need any lip from Wayne right now.
I admit they caught me off guard. Jokers. A swarm of them ambushed me in the alley. They just appeared out of the shadows, in the dark, on my turf.
They charged, one after another after another, then two at once.
I tossed two of them into the dumpster and suddenly a chain whipped around my throat from behind, snaring me. I grabbed a hold of the chain and pulled to give my neck some slack. Then I leaned forward toward him and fired up the jets in my boots. Going from rest to 50 mph in under a second, I slammed into him and ended up sandwiching his fractured ribcage between my Batsuit and a solid brick wall. The chain loosened when the other end dropped from his limp hands and I gulped in a few breaths of fresh air before I was tackled from behind. Then, charged knuckle-spikes seared against my head.
We pummeled, thrashed and trashed.
By the time it ended, five of them laid unconscious, the rest had scrambled or scampered away, and I was left with a gaping knife tear through the circuitry of my Batsuit.
I stood there for a moment, trying to calm my nerves. Rumbling with the Jokers does this to me sometimes. Enrages me, infuriates me, and infects me with their own blind insanity.
"Silent alarm along McJenson Jewelers. East end."
I took note of his order. "Can I have a moment first?"
"You can have all the moments you want when you're off duty, but this is my time and you have work to do."
Yeah I'm fine, thanks for your concern. I made my way back to the Batmobile, but nearly stopped cold when I saw it.
"Slagged!"
"I beg your pardon, Terry?"
I stared in disbelief as I felt my anger rising and the bile boiling in the pit of my gut. My hand naturally went to my head, wanting to embed them in my hair and have something to grip, but it only met with the smooth surface of my mask. "Just turn on your vid-link Wayne. Look at what the freaking Jokers did to the car!"
I guess that brawl was just a distraction while they played their little practical joke.
Wayne sounded surprised. Disturbed and surprised. "It's..."
"I know. Hot pink." The signature grinning Joker mouth was painted across the hood, and the rest of the car was... "It's hot, freaking, magenta pink."
Wayne did a diagnostic scan on the machinery and nothing further seemed to be wrong with it other than the obscene paintjob. But I've been behind the wheels for long enough to know when something didn't feel right, and right now my Bat-senses were going off in my head.
"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with the engine?" I asked as I thrust the acceleration into a higher gear. Why did the situation seem so familiar all of a sudden?
"I don't see anything out of the ordinary. But you know, it looks like they used high-density gesso-based paint."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning it's not going come off easily. Might take 3 or 4 days of high-temperature and pressurized treatment."
"Out of commission for that long? Do I smell vacation time in the future?" Of course I knew the answer to my question, but I like messing with the old man sometimes, even if he does tend to overreact.
"No, you smell yourself going on patrol sans the car."
"Figures. What about the suit?"
"The tear isn't too bad. You should be able to function for the rest of the night if you don't overcharged the main electromagnetic components. In other words, stay away from electricity and water."
I made a sharp right turn and was suddenly aware of the sluggishness of the car again. Something was wrong. And that wasn't even the most disturbing thing. The black Batmobile was designed to blend into the night, utilizing the dark. Now it's a crying-out-loud pink and I painfully aware of how exposed I was to enemies. Whoever broke into the jeweler would see me coming a mile away.
You know, it bothers me. How did the Jokers get so smart all of a sudden? A planned attack? A planned distraction? They're using high-density whatever paint so I practically glow like a beacon?
"There they are!" I broke off the rest of my thought when I saw three figures soaring over the rooftops in the distance.
Looked like the Royal Flush Gang, now consisting only of King, Queen and the Ace, was making a hasty escape. The hover boards were taking them over the towering skyline of Gotham. They were a little too easy to spot. Maybe I'm just getting paranoid.
"I'm leaving the car and going on foot," I told him. "Better chance of catching them off guard."
"I was sure the smiling pink car would catch them off guard."
"I meant I needed to sneak up on them."
The hatch on the Batmobile slid open with a whisper and I stood up. The thin, red glider wings unsheathe from under my arms, and then I plunged into the cool night air again.
Moments later, perched on a rooftop I caught the gang in my sights again. I won't deny it. It felt good to be in the shadows, in the dark, and not in pink. I was the watcher again, slinking through the night, and utilizing my advantage.
I snapped out two Bat-a-rangs and zoomed in on my targets. Arching my arms back, I readied my wrists to fling them forward.
Suddenly, something wrapped around my arms from behind, and forcefully yanked me fully into the air. My body went flying, but before I could even try to break free, I was slammed back-first into the roof. The concrete splintered under me upon impact.
No allowing myself time to even groan in response, I pried myself off the ground and propelled myself aside just in time to dodge an arched, black tentacle as it spiked into the stone rubble.
"Oh, come on now. This can be done so much faster if you would just stay still."
The black tentacle retracted and her form reshaped before me.
"Inque?"
She cackled just as she lashed back at me again. I found myself running for dear life, springing from one spot to the next non-stop just to avoid getting flattened by her flailing, metamorphic limbs. Jumped from the roof to the edge, sprang off from the edge to a wall, pushed off from the wall to a window sill, swung off from the window sill to the rail of balcony. She was right behind me smashing through brick, pounding into metal, crushing into cement, and piercing through reinforced concrete like it was tissue paper.
All the while, I regrouped my thoughts and the truth seemed to appear. Inque pulled an old trick on me. The reason the car was dragging was she hitchhiking on the back, exactly like the time she snuck into the Batcave. If I hadn't been so distracted over the hideous color of the car, I might have remembered it.
"Terry! Terry! Is everything okay?" Wayne's voice was barely audible as Inque tore through a billboard, screaming after me.
"It's Inque. She's..."
I flung one of the Electro-pulse Bat-a-rangs at her. She caught it in mid-flight and showed no sign of even flinching as the electric current surged through her. I cursed silently when she turned my weapon back on me and almost embedded it into my skull.
She laughed again. "Didn't expect THAT did you Batman?"
I guess I didn't.
Just then I felt like a bolt of lightening struck me. The electricity crackled around my limbs, and surged through the rip on the suit before I understood that I had been attack from behind.
It was the Royal Flush Gang, coming in to close the door on the trap. The King tapped his scepter blaster on his palm and sneered, "How about this Batman? Did you expect this?"
Well, I guess did expect that either. Glad everyone's suddenly interested in surprising me.
I didn't expect it either when heard the wild war whoop of Jokers close in around me. Everything that happened that night made sense now. The attacks, the distractions, the decoys... everything. Well, I guess the whole gang's here now. Everyone who did the planning is now here for the party.
"Terry, get out of here. Get out of there now!"
Wayne didn't have to tell me twice. I know when the odds are stacked against me, and I know when the odds are about to crush me like a bug.
My hands flew to my belt and switched on the camouflage mode.
"Don't let him get away you fools."
I vanished from their sights, but I knew I had to move quick before Ace detected me with his infrared heat scan. But that chance never came. Inque, suddenly threw herself out in my direction, spreading her liquid body like a wide web and splattering every which way.
"I got him!"
She had splashed on my transparent suit and discovered my location. With lightening speed, she gathered herself and completely encased me in her fluid form, outlining exactly where I was for the world to see.
The King fired at me, directing the electric pulse square at the torn opening in my suit. The surge sizzled through the circuitry.
"McGinnis! Mc..."
Wayne's transmission died off. The suit itself lost all power and I collapsed onto the ground. It wouldn't let me move anymore. The suit was dead, and in a minute I have a feeling I might be too.
The last time I saw was the Ace walking over to me. Next his foot flew toward my head.
Then, I was in the dark again.