Batman Beyond: The Return of Two-Face II
By ShadowHawk and Dragonfang33
Chapter 14: Retribution
Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay everyone. Thank you everyone who added this story to your alert and favorite story list. Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: Batman Beyond is the copyright of DC comics and Warner Brothers is used here for non-profit entertainment purposes only plus we don't own the characters used in this story.
Location: Midnight Fire Bar and Grill, a half hour later - Night
"You mean to say that you were the second Robin?" Terry inquired with shock.
"You could say that," Dick replied, as he took a sip of his Crown Royal whiskey drink, "Bruce took me in after my parents were killed. However I wasn't the first Robin per-say, that title belongs to Bruce himself." Terry remained silent, he'd heard Bruce mentioned that the former Dark Knight himself was the original Robin as the former Nightwing continued his drink.
"So what happened between you two?" Terry asked, Dick breathed in heavily, this was something he'd long since tried to forget.
"Bruce and me had a difference of opinons," Dick replied, as the memories of the last night he'd worked with Bruce as Robin, "Bruce tried to intimidate a crook we were chasing in front of his family. When I tried to stop him, he wouldn't listen," Dick couldn't help but smile a little, "he's always had a thick head, but I never thought he'd go as far as he did that day. After that, I couldn't work with him any longer and I left that very day. However I didn't come here to reminice about what's been done."
"Really," Terry said harshly, "then why are you here?"
"Bruce called me even though we aren't on speaking terms," Dick replied, "but he told me about what happened to your mother." Terry remained silent, he'd tried to drum out the memories of the past few hours, how he craddled Matt in his arms when their mother had been taken to the hospital, and how both of them wept when the doctor's told them she'd be alright, except for the acid scar Two-Face had given her.
"What of it?" Terry said, coldly, trying his best to avoid the question.
"What do you plan to do about it?" Dick inquired. Terry slammed his fist.
"What do I plan to do about it?" Terry replied, angrily, "I'll hunt Two-Face down, and then end him." Dick remained silent, "I'll do what Bruce was too afraid to do, I'll ensure that Two-Face will never be able to harm anyone again."
"Listen," Dick said, "This is why Bruce called me, he feared what happened to your mother would push you to the edge."
"Flattering," Terry replied, angrily, "Don't try to talk me out of it, my mind's made up."
"Did you ever wonder why Bruce never took another life," Dick asked, "It wasn't out of some misplaced moral code, it's because it would be too easy, too quick. He'd seen death once before, and more then anything he wouldn't put another family through loosing a loved one, but more importanally he knew that once you start down that path, there's no going back." Terry remained unconvinced.
"So what would you suggest I do?" Terry inquired, "Sit back and do nothing, let that maniac run rampant?" Terry slowly stood up, slapping a few credits onto the table, before making his way to the door.
"No, not this time." Dick simply sat there, as Terry made his way out of the dinner. No sooner had Terry left his sight, his cell phone began to ring.
"Hello," Dick said, coldly.
"Did you talk with Terry?" Bruce asked.
Dick replied, "Your suspicions about Terry seem to be proving justified. He's determined to kill Two-Face, with or without your approval."
Location: Mayor's Penthouse, Downtown - Night
'This is the kind of stakeout I can get behind,' thought Detective Darcy Alcana as she sipped from her Caipirinha cocktail. Usually police stakeouts occurred in a cramped van outside a crack house or something like that.
This particular stakeout took place in a uptown penthouse, and instead of her police uniform, Darcy wore a long deep red, stylish open red dress (known as a Manchurian-Chinese qipao) with a gold design of butterflies on it and a flowing black ribbon worn around her neck that falls down her back with black high heels. The low cut front of the dress seemed to barely contain her cleavage.
'It's not every day you get to feel sexy and fight crime,' thought Darcy, and then mentally corrected herself. As her alter ego, the vigilante Black Scorpion, she combined sexy and toughness quite easily. Darcy sighed, praying she wouldn't have to use her Black Scorpion outfit on this night cause she thought many people who might oppose Black Scorpion using her skimpy outfit as ammo in their arguments against her.
Darcy took another sip from her cocktail and surveyed the room, nothing but the elite of Gotham City, dressed in silly costumes, filled the massive penthouse. The penthouse in question belonged to the Mayor of Gotham City, who was celebrating his daughter's birthday. Apparently his daughter had been receiving death threats, so of course daddy pulled out Gotham City's finest to protect his little baby.
But against the insistence of the Gotham City Police Department, the mayor had still kept his daughter's wishes and kept it a costume party.
'We're like sitting ducks,' thought Darcy. You could tell the plain clothes police men in attendance because they had no costumes on.
Darcy turned and saw her partner, Detective Jesse Reese, making his way through the various silly costumes to her.
He wore a dark blue pinstriped three-piece suit with a red tie that has white polka dots on it and black shoes as he reached the bar and ordered a single malt scotch whiskey drink for himself. Unlike everyone else, who ignore the weird things that happen after night falls in Gotham City, he is searching for the truth. Because of that he ends up encountering The Batman. In the beginning he is very skeptical, even attempting to arrest him but Batman out smarted the cop and flown the coop and Jesse still does not trust the Vigilante which is why he is on a mission to unmask The Tomorrow Knight.
"Have you found the birthday girl?" Darcy asked her partner.
"Oh I'm sure no one will miss her." Jesse took a long drink.
"What do you mean?" Darcy went on edge, her cop instincts kicking in.
"Just look..." Jesse pointed towards a crowd forming at the other end of the penthouse, Darcy craned her neck to see what everyone was looking at.
Darcy tried to hide her distaste at the sight of the mayor's daughter, Megan, dressed in silken green hose clung to shapely legs, slim with a dancer's hidden strength. Green leaves covered the sensuality of her hips, the soft curve of her breast as it took in breath and released it with a sigh. Lips as red as blood roses parted slightly, and dazzling green eyes were framed by hair of spun flame, dancing on top of a grand piano and pouring champagne on her chest.
"She's dressed as Poison Ivy?" Darcy tightened one of her hands into a fist.
"Yep, I guess that's an F-you to dad." Jesse replied
The mayor was steadfastly opposed to a vigilante enforcing the law, and even appointed a new ambitious District Attorney Sam Young to head his witch hunt.
"Well this won't be awkward." Darcy hoped daddy put his little girl in her place, bad enough she was making the original Poison Ivy look bad.
Soon enough Mayor Walter Davis came running out, pulling his drunken daughter off the piano, the Poison Ivy clad brat fought back drunkenly as daddy pulled her into a nearby room.
"Well at least we're allowed to drink on the job." laughed Jesse as he took another drink.
Darcy nodded and ordered another drink, this was indeed a long night. She remembered when she was first partnered up with Jesse when she came to Gotham City a few years back.
Flashback, 4 years ago...
Location: Gotham Police HQ - Night
Detective Jesse Reese was at his workstation of his cluttered Precinct One office, was finding it difficult to focus on the big case that had landed in his lap when Chief Angel Rojas opened the door and came in, "Get anything on our vigilante this time, Reese?"
"Besides the fact that he Bat-wrapped Tyrus Block's butt for us?" Jesse replied honestly. He heard how Batman raided the penthouse of the criminal gangster who was also part of the high stakes poker game called The Derby, and the reports stated that Tyrus watched his men get quickly subdued by The Tomorrow Knight. Tyrus attempted to escape by leaping out the window onto the ledge of a water tower across the street while Batman followed him however and easily knocked him out.
"Well, it's up to you and your partner see to it that this urban legend doesn't become a folk hero again." Chief Rojas said with disgust. He only respects the men and women in the police force who give their lives for Gotham, not vigilantes in masks. He thinks that they are just doing good so that they can be above the law. To him, Batman is nothing but another masked vigilante that is opposing his own point-of-view on crime. All Chief Rojas is trying to do is unmask The Tomorrow Knight, and throw him into New Arkham.
"Partner? Since when?" Jesse asked
"Since I decided two heads are better then one." As he stepped aside, a plain clothes female cop entered the room. She was a caucasian woman with silky-black hair tied into a ponytail and a sharp pair of eyes that seemed to spot even the smallest detail. The GCPD badge pinned to her cherry-red coat would normally be a beacon for most characters.
"Detective Jesse Reese meet Detective Darcy Alcana, formally of Metropolis P.D. their loss." Chief Rojas introduced the woman before him.
"Howdy, partner." she said as she extended her hand to Jesse.
Jesse stood up from his desk and shook her hand, "Welcome to Gotham."
"Now that you two are acquainted, bring me this Batman, whoever he is." Chief Rojas stated to them as he left the office.
"Let me tell you something. Old Bats never leaves a trace." Jesse stated to his new partner as they went over the case notes on the current vigilante, "No prints, no follicles, no match on tire tracks."
"Hmm, custom jobs..." Darcy ponders
"The Dude has resources." Jesse pointed out
"And a knack for showing up where crime is and police aren't." Darcy replied
"Still I've never laid eyes on him until now." Jesse stated
End of Flashback...
Location: Gordon's residence, two hours later - Night
Barbara Gordon had just arrived home from work a few hours prior, and had been spending some much needed quiet time in her home study, sitting in front of her desk's built in holo-computer, pouring over the latest police reports and checking on the latest news reports. Her husband D.A. Sam Young had entered the study behind her and watched as she shook her head, an A.P.B, had just been issued for Two-Face and his gang ever since it had been reported that they had abducted and tortured a local woman from her house.
"Sweetheart?" Sam asked, as he approached his wife from behind.
"What is it Sam?" Barbara asked, as she switched off the holo-computer.
"I found this next to our bed," Sam replied, handing her a vanilla envelope,"any ideas who it's from?"
"No?" Barbara said, with a hint of concern to her voice, as she opened the envelope, concern because mail, outside of packages and other large shipments was usually delivered electronically, and the fact Sam had found it in their bed room pointed to the idea that someone had broken in. The contents of the envelope was an old wedding invitation from a few years prior. The message on the card sent chills down her spine: "We request the pleasure of your company, To witness the marriage and celebration of love between Melanie Walker To Jeffery Dent on Saturday, the 14th of February, 2044. 2pm, at St. Michael's United Church. Reception to follow."
Barbara looked at the card with a hint of confusion, it had to be some sort of prank. Before she could form a reply, Barbara heard the sounds of someone approching them from behind. She closed her eyes, and simply sighed, after years of being Batgirl and enduring Bruce's intense training, along with her own experiences back when she was a beat cop working her way up, Barbara was use to hearing the sounds of approaching footsteps.
She quietly took her husband's hand and smiled, as if assuring him everything would be okay. The small chime of a coin as it was being flipped into the air, over and over again filled the room. Barbara leaned back into the chair as the sound of yet another coin flip filled the eerily quiet room, she took a deep breath and then finally spoke. "Hello Jeffery."
"It's Two-Face now Aunt Barbara," a growled voice answered from the other side of the room.
"Just like your father," Barbara replied as she slowly turned around, on the other side of the room, Two-Face sat in a recliner, flipping his coin and holding a Chrome plated Benelli MP95E pistol at her and her husband.
"What do you want?" she said as she gestured to the card, "and what's with the old wedding invitation? Is this supposed to be some kind of sick joke?"
They noticed that Two-Face was dressed in a strange outfit. One half of his Armani suit is a trim light gray over a navy blue silk shirt with a red tie that never goes out of style, though you could contend that the look has never been more in style than right now while the left side was made of vertical black and white stripes like a decaying convict's suit over a purple shirt and black tie.
"Oh dear Aunt Barb, you're confusing me with someone else." Two-Face said as he continued to flip the coin as if he were practicing to judge Barbara's fate. "That was a card I had printed years ago before my unfortunate 'accident'. I thought it would be easier to pitch a date to her if she could see it on a card. I never had a chance to show it to her though."
Barbara realized there was only one course of action, she had to reach a pistol she kept hidden under the desk, yet to do so would require keeping Two-Face distracted, without drawing his suspicion.
"How did you manage to escape from the asylum?" Barbara asked, as she moved her hand toward's the weapon's hiding place.
"Ever since old crazy Dr. Arkham's daughter got the asylum back from the city, security is nowhere near the class act like it used to be under her dear old dad." Two-Face replied as he continued to flip his coin. "Lizzie Arkham spends more time trying to be Gotham's next White Knight instead of keeping those of us who are simply evil locked away," he sighed for brief second, "I still can't believe you took the time to have me transferred to that place."
"You needed help Jeffery," before Barbara had a chance to finish her statement, Two-Face slowly approached her - a sophisticated thud of a right leather shoe and a left jingle of a light metal plated boot alternating with each foot as he struck her in the face with the butt of his pistol.
"That's twice you called me that, never use that name in my present." Two-Face snapped, with a very unsympathetic feeling towards her efforts. "I am who I am, and your little public relations battle against the crime and corruption that has plagued this accursed city for nearly three centuries is no longer my concern."
"What is your concern then?" Sam inquired, as he knelt down by his wife's side.
"Justice." Two-Face said as he held the coin up for Barbara and Sam. "Your date with Justice was only delayed. But tonight you will finally face true, unbiased and righteous justice."
"What if we refuse to play your game?" Sam frankly asked.
"You both don't have a choice." Two-Face said as he got ready to start. "Either you take your chances with Justice or you'll lose by default for not playing along, because there's nothing I'd like to do more than to put two bullets in your skulls." He raised his pistol to eye level and Sam could tell the disfigured maniac in front of him was deadly serious just like his father had been, "and as for trying to reach that hidden pistol Aunt Barbara, don't bother, I'm holding it to your head."
This was a situation Barbara had never wanted to be in, but if she was given a choice this would be the time she would want to go through it.
"All right," she said, fighting against every instinct of her being, "let's get this over with. Call it."
"Very well then," Two-Face said, rather surprised that Barbara had backed down, "This side you live." he showed the side of his coin that was still in mint condition. He then turned to the other side, which was covered with massive scratch marks. "This side you die. Understood?" Barbara didn't say anything she simply put the card back onto the table and adjusted her glasses just incase she didn't win the flip.
It only took Two-Face a few seconds to toss the coin into the air but the anticipation made it feel like an eternity. Two-Face held out his hand and Barbara could hear the faint slapping of the coin, which seemed to her like the sound of a gong, as it landed perfectly flat on his hand. A cold smile crept over Two-Face's scarred visage as he looked down at the coin. Slowly, and with a cold laugh, he put the coin back into his pocket, it was then he pointed the pistol in their direction.
"You loose Aunt Barbara," Two-Face grined, as he slowly pulled the trigger. All Barbara could do was close her eyes and wait for the end to come. It seemed like an eternity but Barbara could make out the bang of the gun, but there was no flash and nor did she feel the bullet from the pistol strike her. A few seconds later she heard a thud, of something striking the floor.
When she opened her eyes the entire room was dark. Instead of shooting them, Two-Face had shot out the light and used the darkness to cover his escape. Barbara quickly grabbed the pistol Two-Face had dropped in the confusion and raced down the stairs. She quickly came into the kitchen and then into the living room, waving the gun around and looking all over the place.
"Jeffery!" she called out but there was no answer. "JEFFERY!"
Location: Two-Face's limo, a few moments later
"Gee Boss," One of the Dee-Dee Twins named Delia said, "How come you spared the Commish like that?" Two-Face ignored her, as he removed the coin from his pocket, it had landed scarred side up, and yet he didn't kill Barbara or Sam. But it didn't matter they had gotten the message.
"Simple girls," Two-Face snapped, "I didn't plan to kill them this time, only instill fear in them." He removed a small brief case from beneath his seat.
"That doesn't sound like you sir," the other Dee-Dee named Deidre added.
"Enough," Two-Face snapped, "we have more important things to do," he opened the brief case, revealing notes he had been working on since breaking out of New Arkham, "If you must know I spared them so they could watch as I make Gotham pay for what it did to my family."
"You mean it's time?" Delia asked.
"Indeed," Two-Face replied, coldly, "It's taken much effort but I've finally succeeded in duplicating the gas my father intended to use many years ago, and once the clock strikes 2:00 AM on the 22nd there will only be two kinds of people in Gotham City, the dead and the dying."
To be continued...