A Batman Beyond Fic

Batman's Crush Part 3:

Batman Verses Airhawk

By: Malaizjan De Jesus

New Gotham…

Today was the day.

24 hours after Molly Greyson's 11th birthday party, it was time to fight for her.

Terry knew this was the silliest fight on the planet. But his fellow reserve teammate and young hero Airhawk didn't know that. After all, he is Warhawk's son.

Terry grabbed the Bat Suit from his alcove and walked over to where Bruce was at, which was the Batcomputer. Areina and himself tried to get something about Red Hood out of Bruce.

The original Batman would not utter one word about Red Hood. He threatened to take back the suits and shut them down if they kept asking.

But Areina knew how to hack and got into the files which were quadruple encrypted. Both young adults leaned about Jason Todd, the second Robin. They read of his life, death and resurrection as Red Hood.

They still had questions, but Areina would be able to get more answers as Terry fights Andrew at Watchtower.

The two called for a boom tube and got it within seconds.

12:42pm

Mathen Greyson sat in his room, on his bed, the lights dimmed. He was in costume but without the full face mask.

In his hands was a single photo, a faded photo. He stared at it; stared at the 10-month old babies within the photo. They were sitting in the sandbox, playing. Being carefree babies. Not knowing what would happen to the three of them when they turn a year old.

He stared at the baby boy in a green striped onesie. Mathen grinned in nostalgia. Outside his parents, Meygan, Orin and Uncle Kaldur, no one knew his secret. That was how he wanted it.

"Wish you were here, Marik," Mathen told the photo. "You'd love the team and how we settle things. You liked the fighting…"

There was a distinctive knock at the door. "Mathen? We're gathering now. GL arrived." Orin's voice traveled nicely through the door.

"I wish Kai-Ro was old enough to take over as the new GL. Guy is…hard to swallow." Mathen shoved the photo under his pillow and met Orin outside. "Sorry…"

"Don't be." Orin lowered his voice. It was out of practice that he did it. "You were remembering…"

"I don't have an Atlantean memory like you," Mathen commented, also lowering his voice. "I kinda know something's missing, well…actually someone but not much else. Even when I look at photos."

"I know. Just remember I can answer anything you want to know about Marik." Orin looked around to make sure no one was around. "I lost my other best friend that day too."

"Thanks Orin. Sometimes, I think you're the only one that understands how I feel." The two 20 year olds headed for the training room, not wanting to speak more on the topic and also not to risk anyone overhearing them.

Guy Garner was shaking Nightwing's hand when Mathen and Orin arrived. "Hope you don't mind me dropping in."

"No Guy. It might be a one-sided fight though," Nightwing said. He hoped not Terry had more experience-Andrew had been training for a year. To him, it was a no-brainer. "I have to go and meet up with someone. Tim is on his way here."

"Dad?" Mathen asked. Since when did Uncle Tim give a crap about the team?

"I'll be back soon, Mat, just make sure they don't kill each other, okay?" Dick then left as Brian came in with a stupid huge bowl of popcorn. He was grinning like fool. "So, let's ring the bell!"

Dick turned to glare Brian down.

Brian vibrated in place in fear.

Guy shook his head. "You still have it."

Dick sighed. "Sometimes, I wish I didn't." The he was gone.

An hour later, in San Ontario, Canada…

Meygan tightened her leather jacket around her body as she headed for Raven's loft at theTwin Towers. The half-demon sorceress wanted to talk to Meygan about the next stage of her training-the 'soul search'.

The door was held open as the young Greyson walked inside the apartment complex. She calmly took the penthouse elevator to the top floor.

Raven loved her privacy, and the penthouse suite was as private as she could get in this digital age.

The elevator door opened.

It was overly dark in the penthouse. However, Meygan was trained to see in the dark way before she had acquired her 'demon' powers. The teen girl went to Raven's room. It was where Raven often meditated at.

As Meygan rounded the corner toward the hallway, she immediately crouched down, Wing-Ding in hand. It took a few precious seconds to realize who it was. She slowly got up and stood there. "Dad?"

Dick came away from the darker shadows. "We need to talk, Meygan. Raven's giving up privacy."

"I, I don't-" Meygan then caught an object flying at her. She knew what it was.

The collar.

"That wasn't real. So I want to know why you didn't break free." Dick folded his arms. He meant business.

Meygan was screwed.

Back at Watchtower…

Terry was standing in the middle of the training room, waiting. He was in his Batman suit, nervous about beating up Warhawk's son. The next JLU meeting was going to be tense.

The sliding doors opened and Andrew walked in, sans armor.

Terry's eyes widened. He was seeing Airhawk as he really was. The first think Batman noticed was that Andrew's hair was a dark brown but he had green eyes. He wore yoga-style gi pants and a tank top. His wings were stretched out, and they were real…wait. Terry got confused.

Warhawk's wings weren't real. They were mechanical, part of the JLU member's exo armor. He assumed the same was true for Andrew. "Andrew, get your armor. I don't want your wings injured," Terry told the kid.

"I'll deal." Andrew freed his mace from the belt on his waist.

"Molly already said she wasn't healing us."

"So? I'll deal," Andrew repeated.

"Alright, you two." Tim Drake said over the PA. "It'll be a three block radius of a city. The buildings can be wrecked. But don't."

"Tell that to him!" Andrew told the PA.

"Look, just don't kill each other," Tim told them.

"Ring the bell!" Brian was heard to say.

Bill smacked the speedster in the head, and that was also heard.

"What're doing here, Drake?" Terry asked.

"I'm doing a favor for Dick."

Areina watched Tim carefully from the corner of her eye. She was going to ask the 3rd Robin about Red hood. She had to. She was curious as to why Bruce refused to talk about him.

Tim hit a button and the training room morphed into a city block. "Have fun."

Andrew flew at Terry and wacked the new Batman in the stomach. Terry flew into a stop sign.

"Ooowww…"

Areina waited until everyone was preoccupied with the dueling pair before approaching Tim Drake.

It seemed like Time Drake had need a push to get back into shape, with that whole "Joker body-napped you" thing a while back. He was no longer a "flabbio". He lost all of the extra weight, gained muscle and a few abs too, by the way his tank top fitted him. And he dressed better now.

Tim saw Areina coming toward him so he left the training room. The third Robin knew that Reiena's daughter had been raised by Bruce and she wanted answers. He knew that look.

Areina followed Tim out.

Meygan was nervous. Her dad was on to her. Her plan was going to go to the crapper if he got in the way. She hated lying to him but she would try not to. "Stalker was there." Which was true.

Dick paused, as if his stomach fell from his body. That bastard Ian had been there! "Are you alright?" he asked, a slight panic in his voice.

"Yeah."

Dick walked up to his daughter and hugged her. He felt her shaking. "Let's sit down." Now it made sense. Why she didn't try to escape. He knew his eldest daughter. He knew she didn't recover after Stalker kidnapped her, not emotionally anyway.

His daughter panicked.

It didn't explain the collar but it explained why she didn't escape. Dick guided her over to the sectional couches Raven loved in her entertainment area.

But why was the collar fake? Dick wanted that answer. But right now, by the way his daughter shook, he had to deal with her fear first…

Still, that collar was nagging him.

And he needed to know why.

***That's the end of part 1. Will Meygan blow her operation before it ever really began? And what about Terry and Andrew? Who's going to win? ***