Disclaimer: I do not own Batman Beyond; it belongs to its creators. I gain nothing but a writing outlet and writing/editing experience.
Summary: Terry could have just as easily received Bruce's spliced X instead of Y; if so, would it have all started with Matt instead? But the world, particularly Gotham, needed a Batman again. The Jokerz overran the streets, businesses were ruining the world. Pride and avarice were destroying Gotham, and Gotham needed its symbol of hope and justice again.
A/N: So I've updated, I have a time line planned out and I will be mixing some of the second season into first season; also the episodes I don't write went how they did on the TV show. Anyways, please enjoy and thank you to those who review, put this on alert, or favorite ~ much love, depressedchildren.
Chapter 11: Black Out part 2/3
Terri felt awkward entering the stadium in her suit and heels, she felt even more awkward when she thought about how she hadn't been in school for over a week but was now coming to a game—technically the first home game of the season. It was like she shouldn't be here.
Jared was waiting by the concession stand with two of his friends and Dana. He waved at her before moving toward her while looking her up and down. "Came straight from work?"
Terri gave a weak laugh, "Yeah, Mr. Wayne wanted to pay Powers a visit, and well…" Terri rubbed at the back of her neck in embarrassment, "he sort of introduced me as his protégé of sorts."
Dana gave a squeal and proceeded to hug Terri while Jared looked at her in surprise. "Seriously? You're going to take over Mr. Wayne's place in Wayne Powers?"
"Well, he's thinking of coming out of retirement and he'll be training me in to replace him for when he really retires."
"Wait, I'm confused," Jared held up his hand, "I thought you were his assistant."
"I am," Terri nodded with a smile, "but he wants to teach somebody his business practices; after all, Powers hasn't exactly been running things as per Wayne Industries standards."
Dana scoffed, "Ethical standards you mean." They laughed a little at the joke before proceeding into the stadium. They found decent seats at the thirty yard line with Dana and Terri at one end with Jared sitting next to Terri while his friends sat on his other side.
"So what exactly do you do?" Jared asked once they were settled down and the referees were checking the anti-gravity tube.
"Well, I do some secretarial work, so I check Mr. Wayne's schedule and that sort of stuff, but I also remind him to take his medicine and sometimes actually have to force him to take it."
Jared and his friends laughed slightly in disbelief, but when Terri didn't acknowledge that it was a joke, Jared become serious and frowned slightly, "Wait? Seriously?"
"Yeah, the old man completely throws himself into projects and research so that he has to be reminded to eat and take his meds. He also has me studying business law, and his company's practices and products, so my plate is pretty full, without school" Terri concluded.
"What projects does he have?" Dana asked in an incredulous voice.
"He likes tinkering with things and he's into robotics. Probably just a hobby he had when he was younger that he keeps doing," Terri shrugged. Dana and Jared were about the only ones still invested in the conversation and they nodded in understanding.
"So does that mean he invented a lot of things for his company?" Jared asked.
"Yes and no, he made some proto-types but a lot of them never saw the light of day," because they were used for Batman.
"Oh," Dana didn't sound like she knew how to respond to that so she looked over to the tube, "Enough about Mr. Wayne, the game's about to start," Dana gestured with her head as the referees left the tube.
Jared leaned in closer to Terri as the players entered the tube and took position. Barely over the yell of the crowd, Terri heard Jared say, "I'm glad you could make it." She smiled broadly and nodded, though one of the crowd's favorite players entered and the noise was deafening. Both of them laughing a little awkwardly, they clapped their hands for their team and proceeded to watch the game.
After the first goal, the crowd settled down some so that they could speak. Jared leaned in closer to Terri again, "So, when are you coming back to school?"
Terri sighed and frowned, "Once our living situation is figured out and we're settled in." She and Mat were constantly turning homework in electronically and they would get assignments the same way, or Dana and Max would swing by the elementary school and bring both their assignments. Just that morning she had had a conference with the social worker and they would make another appeal at court in a few days. Mr. Wayne had scheduled an interview for tomorrow too, so she had that to look forward to with the hope of making a strong enough pathos appeal to sway the press and hopefully the court.
Jared looked down uncomfortably. "Oh…"
"I'm trying for emancipation and adoption" she murmured before those around her began to clap as their team made a goal and she joined in a little distractedly.
"Woah. Well good luck." He moved a little closer to her and smiled encouragingly, "I hope you get it."
Terri ducked her head and blushed slightly. However her phone began to vibrate and she sighed as she picked it up and waved it to Jared to show she had a call. Jared dropped his head and laughed slightly as he moved away from her a little bit.
Terri put the phone to her ear, "I did research on that folder and pulled up the projects' name. I need you to go on patrol and watch over Foxtecha software productions."
Terri gave Jared an apologetic look, "Alright, I'll be there shortly." Terri put her phone away. Jared and Dana were both looking at her almost expectantly.
"Mr. Wayne just got confirmation on an interview I'm to have tomorrow. He wants to go over my answers and how I should behave in an interview," she rolled her eyes to express how much she didn't want to leave and they both gave her sympathetic looks.
"Well, it's exciting that you have an interview," Dana stated lamely and Jared gave a grimace like smile.
"Maybe we can hang out another night."
"Yeah," Terri gave her own slight smile and left the stadium. She moved into the nearest bathroom, which had a window, and quickly changed into the suit—thank goodness Dana had convinced her to buy a black tote bag; it completely hid the suit. She then put her tote in the ceiling of the bathroom.
Soon Terri was flying around Gotham with the comm link on. She followed the old man's instructions.
"So I'm just curious," Terri commented as she rode the air currents between some of the high rise buildings. The old man made a noise that suggested he was listening, "But if I do get custody of Matt, there are going to be visits and if I'm gone all the time…"
"Crime doesn't sleep, but…I won't have you on patrol all the time, just on call." He did not sound happy about that…modification
"So I'll be sneaking out a lot?" great, what if Matt had a nightmare and she wasn't there? Maybe she shouldn't be Batman…but Gotham needed a Batman!
Conflicted, Terri decided to change the subject, "So that report on Powers' desk?"
"It looks like Foxtecha and Wayne Powers are up for the same job. The government wants a new lunar station, and only one of them gets to build it."
"I heard about that, or well, I didn't know it was a competition, just that Wayne Powers was up for the producing new lunar station" Terri landed outside of the office Mr. Wayne wanted her to scope out. "So Powers is trying to cripple the competition through sabotage." Could that bastard get any lower? "Any idea on who he's hiring?"
"Still working on that. And until we can stop him and his accomplice, you're going to be Foxtecha's guardian angel."
"Because I'm such an angel," Terri remarked sarcastically and the old man scoffed on his end.
"Tell me what you see." And he couldn't just phrase that as a question.
"Well it looks like someone's setting off bottle rockets in their office," Terri commented, "Though I don't see anyone inside. I'm going in, but I if you have any clue on what I'm going up against, I'd appreciate that."
"I know, and I'd prefer not to send you in blind." And it really sounded like that was the case, "But for now, you'll need to do some investigating inside, but stay aware."
Terri mumbled an affirmative before dropping down from her perch and breaking through the glass into the destroyed office. As she moved around the burning units and tried to avoid their smoke, she couldn't find any trace of the culprit. There were no snatches of fabric, or blood. Most of the computers looked like they had been hampered with from the inside.
Once she made a full circle, she found a piece of glass with a weird black like substance on it. She didn't feel like anything was around her so she poked at the substance.
"McGinnis, get out of there!" Terri nearly jumped at the old man's words.
"I found some weird inky goo—"
"Get out now!" the panic in his voice made Terri's hair stand on end. She was in danger, wasn't she? She looked behind her to see a wall of that weird goo behind her. Oh shit! She quickly leaped backwards, just in time to avoid getting hit in the face.
The wall morphed into a more human like shape, but Terri quickly dodged to the side before it could grab her, but then her ankle got caught and she felt herself being swung through the air like a whip as she was thrown into computers.
She landed heavily against one main frame and felt her head spin. She stared up in horror at the humanoid shape. Surely it was a thinking creature which meant… oh god, it had to have heard her. Terri looked at the creature with wide terrified eyes. She'd be found out. The whole world would know the new Batman was actually a woman! And it was only a week in!
It stared at her for a moment, "Please don't tell…" she found herself whispering fearfully before it made its escape.
"McGinnis?!" the creature disappeared up a vent and Terri let out a shaky breath.
"I-I'm fine," she swallowed thickly. She felt sick with dread.
"Get back here," the old man ordered, "I think I know what we're up against." Oh, so now he knew.
Terri shakily got to her feet and flew first to the school to retrieve her tote before heading back to the cave. Once she was inside, she took off the cowl and ran a hand through her short hair before throwing her bag onto the examination table.
"What was that?! It was like some kind of blob!" Terri shuddered and moved toward the super computer. "Do these freakish villains happen a lot?" she asked as she looked around at the various cases, "Because I am not prepared for this!"
"Yes, mutated villains are common, but that is wear thinking on your feet comes in." He began as he pulled up a search engine—it looked like Interpol. "You won't always know what you're going into, and you'll have to think fast. It's something I can't teach you; you have to experience it."
Terri sighed and rubbed at her face as she looked at the various cases. One pedestal titled Ivan Freeze caught her attention and she stared at the gun for a moment. He was the one who was trying to put Gotham in a deep freeze, right?
Terri focused back on Mr. Wayne and replied to his statement, "Yeah," she consented with a sigh as she approached the super computer to look at what he was pulling up. "But you could explain a little more about your past enemies and how you dealt with them." Terri added as he finished pulling something up. "So I can get an idea of what to do with my own."
"I highly doubt you'll run into any of them," he commented.
Terri shrugged, "You never know, maybe one of them is cryogenically frozen, or copied their mind onto a data chip, or someone made a genetic copy."
He looked at her with a deadpan expression before turning to the screen which displayed an Interpol wanted screen for one "Inque." There was no picture but given the data on the screen, it sounded like their blob.
"She's a corporate saboteur."
"And acts like oobleck with crazy strength," Terri commented which caused the old man to look at her again, she just gave him a fake, sarcastic smile before turning back to the screen.
"Interpol's been after her for years." Wayne continued…hmm…Wayne…that had a better ring than always saying Mr. Wayne. "And it looks like Powers is her new employer."
Terri nodded as she read through the information displayed before her, "A mutagenic experiment," she hissed sympathetically, "Any idea which experiment? Maybe it could give us insight into her condition and how to take her down."
Wayne gave a dry laugh, "That's like finding a needle in a haystack, do you realize how many mutagenic experiments have been conducted in Gotham alone?"
Terri shuddered and shook her head, "Yeah," she grimaced, "I don't like thinking about it."
Wayne nodded his head, "So many refugees come here and get caught in these experiments…"
"All for the hope of making a little money," Terri finished the old man's sentence as she continued skimming through the information.
Terri turned away from the screen, "Can you equip me with some electric um…batarangs?" the old man scoffed at the question in her voice but nodded his head and moved to grab some of the prototypes he had been making.
"Thinking she'll react to it like water?" he asked as he handed them off to her. Terri nodded and Wayne gave a slight smile, "Just have a plan B ready." He then began moving toward the car, and Terri could not believe it, she was going to get to use this!?
Holstering the electrically charged weapons Terri stared at the beauty before her. She had done some maintenance on it the day before so she had a fair understanding of how complex this beautiful piece of machinery was.
"Seriously?"
"Take it easy on it, and let the suit do the work." Terri nodded her head and pulled the cowl back on. She then hopped into the car, "and remember, you scratch it, you won't have any cash left for fun."
They had done her budget quite a while ago, so his threat meant that he'd give her the exact amount she needed to pay her mom's medical bills, buy food, and have a little extra to save in case of emergencies. Essentially, she wouldn't get to go out or take Matt to the arcade if she scratched the car.
"Yes sir," she could not help but smile as she said that a little too sarcastically. Within minutes, she left the cave and was flying toward the harbor. This was too cool! The slightest gestures moved it like….like she couldn't even find words for this! Her anxiety from her earlier confrontation with Inque was pushed to the background at the sheer excitement of this all.
"This is seriously way too cool!"
"Just get to the harbor." Terri laughed and kicked up the speed. This was exhilarating!
Of course, by the time she was at the harbor, one barge was on fire and a forklift was speeding toward a tankard. She engaged the forklift in the car's crosshairs and blew it up. She then found Inque running below her. Pulling out one of the new electric weapons, she dropped out from the bat mobile right above her. Just when Terri was about to tackle Inque, she threw the weapon and used the suits wings to pull her back slightly so she didn't land on Inque.
Terri retracted the wings, landed, and flipped backwards as Inque gave a pained cry. Her skin began to boil as the electric current ran through her. Terri had another electronic weapon out, but Inque began running, her form was slightly more sluggish than it had been before. Terri chased after her and threw another of the electric weapons at her just as she began to jump off of this level and onto the next one.
Terri followed after her and used the wings and jets to ensure she cut off Inque's exit. Terri had out one more electric weapon, and Inque stared between her and the water on either side of them. Of course! She wasn't exactly water but neither was she a solid. No…she was like ink—wow; what was with villains naming themselves after their abilities?—which meant water would dilute her.
Terri quickly used one arm to splash water toward Inque who gave a scream but managed to morph out of the way. Terri threw the electric weapon again before quickly splashing more water at Ink. She gave a cry and flipped backwards away from the water, but she got hit by the weapon. She then forced her form under the tiles and began rushing toward Terri. Terri was quickly forced into the Gotham Harbor unless she wanted to get hit by Inque. Pulling herself up out of that toxic mess, she sighed heavily.
"She got away, but water isn't her friend…" Terri wondered if ice would work too? If Inque was made of an ink-like substance, so that she was partly liquid, freezing her word work, right? "Do you have any liquid nitrogen?"
"Now you're thinking on your feet." Wayne commented, and she could imagine there was a slight smile on his face.
Terri laughed weakly before she called the car to her. Just as she was pulling herself into the vehicle, Wayne spoke up again.
"It's getting late and Clearwater has called me twice already."
"What'd you tell her?" She got the car into the air and began flying back to Wayne Manor.
"That you were studying for your interview and had tuned out everyone."
Terri laughed wryly, "Great, now I have to act that way when I'm studying around her."
"You could always say it's quieter in the study." She could hear the smile in his voice. By study, she knew he meant the one at Wayne Manor.
"Yeah, yeah" she weaved through buildings and took a roundabout way back to the Batcave. "So does this mean I get to call it a night?"
"Yes, I don't think we will be seeing anymore of Inque tonight, but make sure to study the questions I've given you. You don't want to be blind-sided in the interview."
"Okay." After that, it was silent until she got back.
After parking the car in the cave, she pulled off the cowl and looked around the empty Batcave. Shrugging she changed back into the clothes in her tote before folding the suit into her bag. Once she was dressed, she head toward the stairs.
When she got up there, the old man was sitting in his chair with Ace by his side. He was rubbing the dog's head as he stared at something in his other hand.
"We need to figure out what I'm going to do with my purse and carrying the suit around," Wayne looked up at her in alarm for a moment before nodding his head.
"You'll use the car, not all the time, but at least to hide your bag." Wayne then stood up with the aid of his cane. Terri met him half way and noted it was an old looking "velvet" case with pearl earrings inside.
"The backings may be a little fragile, but I've had them taken to jeweler every few years." Terri swallowed thickly as she accepted the earrings. She felt nervous for some reason, and sad too.
"Thank you," she murmured and Wayne just nodded his head.
He was looking away as he set both his hands on his cane. He smiled grimly and shook his head, "Sometimes…" he looked at her out of the corner of one eye, "You look like her, just for a moment." He shook his head and began to head toward the stairs.
Terri just stared after him stunned. She reminded him of his mother? Terri took a deep breath and tried to think. Just as the old man was at the top of the stairs she called out, "Don't forget your meds!" she didn't think he'd like her getting them for him, at least not right now. He just looked back at her and nodded slightly.
When Terri got home, Clearwater was waiting for her, and she did not look terribly happy about this. However, her annoyance vanished and concern took over, she asked Terri what was wrong. Terri was still holding on to the box with the pearls and she looked down at it still stunned. Terri shook her head when Clearwater began to mumble something about reclusive, old men, and she should have known better.
"No," Terri interrupted and flipped open her computer before pulling up a search engine. What was her name? Terri asked herself before remembering and typing in Martha Wayne. Clearwater was behind her and Terri could practically feel her confusion and intrigue.
When the images came up, Terri frowned further. She could see it, she supposed but… "Do I look like her?"
"Did he say you did?" Clearwater asked.
"Yeah, and he wanted me to wear these for work," Terri gestured to the box the pearls were in and Clearwater opened them to see what was inside. "They were hers." Terri commented distractedly.
Clearwater was silent for a long time, "There are a lot of similarities," she said at last and Terri just continued staring at the pictures before her. She certainly looked more like her than she did her own parents, and that worried her. What exactly did this mean?
A suivre
A/N:
thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoyed ~ love depressedchildren
