Life is as tedious as twice-told tale, vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man.
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Batman Beyond Season 4Episode 66: Threats
Author James the Lesser
I do no own the Characters, names, villains, so forth
A/N This takes place after Batman Beyond Return of the Joker so yes that movie happens in this timeline/series
Terri gets off the phone with Dana. "I don't know what else to do." Melanie puts an arm around his shoulders.
"We looked for her and didn't find her. If she was killed by the explosion we would have found her body." She kisses him on the cheek. "She's alive and out there some where."
Redhood quietly follows Inque. "She was paid by some one but who? Bruce? I couldn't see the card Melanie gave her." He continues following her.
Bruce is at Cadmus headquarters meeting with Ms. Archer. "Hello Mr. Wayne it is an honor to have some one of your stature and history here."
"History is exactly why I am here." He sits down across from Ms. Archer. "I have adopted several sons over the years."
"Of course. Your charity goes beyond donating money." She clears her throat. "You said over the phone you knew of Waller's activities."
"Yes." He shifts his cane from one hand to another.
"Does the boy?" Bruce simply nods. "So do you want more information on the Batman Beyond project?"
"No. Another project involving Jason Todd."
"The second Robin. The boy died years ago didn't he?"
"And was brought back. He died again a few years ago from cancer."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"But now he's back again."
"So why are you here? Cadmus would not be interested in bringing back a cancer patient unless some one paid for it."
"So check your records to see who diverged funds in to a project to clone a dead man." The woman shakes her head and clicks on the keyboard.
"I would have known about it." The woman clicks on the mouse. "Why do you think he was brought back? What evidence do you have to prove he was brought back?"
"He's killing criminals like he had when he went by Redhood."
"That answers the second question but what of the first? Why would some one do this? Who would want this Redhood back in Gotham?"
"Some one who thinks he is needed."
"And who spent the hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars to do this?" Ms. Archer stares at Bruce waiting for him to blink.
"That's what you should be finding out." As Bruce stands up he drops his cane. "Sorry. My arthritis is acting up." He slowly bends over and picks his cane back up.
"Well if you ever want to try our rejuvenation treatments just give me a call they'd be on the house for an important man like yourself." Bruce grumbles some thing as he walks away.
Inque knows she is being followed and leads the person in to a trap in an alley.
Redhood notices Inque's fingers stretching out under a dumpster. "Do you really think that would work?" Redhood leaps back as the fingers shoot out. They pierce the walls of the buildings making the alley.
"Why are you following me? Who are you?"
"I am here to kill you."
"You and every one else. So what's your name?"
"Redhood." He pulls out a gun.
"You really think that would stop me?" She laughs. "Go ahead and pull the trigger."
"Well if you insist." He pulls the trigger.
The bullet expands and a liquid shoots out of it. Inque realizes it was no normal bullet but is too late as the liquid hits her freezing her solid.
At the Batcave Bruce brings up a window. "They never suspect the elderly." He had placed a device on Ms. Archer's computer when he had bent over to pick up his cane. It allowed him access to Cadmus computers directly.
Terri, Melanie, and Flash are back at the scene where Max disappeared. "We've searched every building and the sewers."
"Then we missed some thing!" Flash flinches as Terri yells. "No body was found she's still alive and we will find her."
"Maybe some one found her."
"They found Batgirl, er, woman and did what with her? Flash she might have been hurt so badly..." Terri gets an idea. "PTSS."
"Huh?" Melanie and Flash are both confused.
"Some times when some one is hurt the damage can be so severe it causes a mental break. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. It happened with the Joker except he went insane."
"So what is she doing? If she was hurt that badly she'd need a hospital." Flash paces back and forth at the Flash's speed. "Unless she signed in under a different name. We looked for an unknown woman or Max."
"And if she signed under a different name then she wouldn't have come up in that search." Melanie snaps her fingers. "Hospital check but this time in person."
"I can use my stealth and Flash can just rush in and out but you're a little noticeable."
"I'll go in undercover." The three split up which hospitals they would check and then split up.
Bruce can't find any information on Jason Todd. "If this wasn't Cadmus who did it? Unless there is a separate server completely cut off from the rest of Cadmus." He smiles. "Of course they do. This is Cadmus we're speaking of." He contacts Terri
"What? Bruce I'm busy." Terri whispers as he sneaks around a hospital room.
"I need you to sneak in to Cadmus and find their secret server." Bruce checks Terri's location. "Why are you in a hospital?"
"We're looking for Max."
"What? I already checked."
"You checked for Max or an unknown woman. What if after the explosion she suffered for PTSS? She checked herself in under a different name?" Bruce is surprised. If he had been younger he might have thought of it.
"That is a good idea Terri. As soon as you finish that then go to Cadmus and find the server." Bruce leans back in his chair. Old age was slowing him physically and mentally. How long could he keep this up for? He had to retire as Batman many years ago because of age. When would he retire from helping Terri?
Flash finds a woman wrapped up in bandages. He pulls back at the eye area and sees dark skin. "I can't tell if that is burnt flesh or you're Max." The patients eyes open.
"Billy? Flash? What are you doing here?"
"We've been looking for you. What name did you file under?" Flash finds the chart and checks. "Jane Doe. Who put you here?"
"Redhood."
"No in the hospital."
"Redhood." Flash is surprised.
"Why? Why didn't he leave you for us?"
"I was hurt too badly. He knew I needed immediate attention and got it for me."
"So why didn't you tell any one else? We've been looking for you for days."
"I can't let my parents know. They'd ask too many questions for me to answer." She turns her head as much as she can and checks the time. "It could take weeks for me to heal."
"We have to tell your parents some thing. Right now they think Bruce sent you off on some charity work in Africa."
"Charity work?"
"He thought it would look good on a college application." Flash places a hand on her forehead. "Do you want me to get a phone? You can call your parents and apologize for going off so fast and not telling them you were leaving."
"Not right now. I'm tired. Healing burns across over ninety percent of your body takes a lot out of a person." She closes her eyes. "Thanks for looking for me."
"Of course we looked for you. Terri's been out of his mind with worry."
"Tell him I'm ok. I'll be ok. At least the doctors say I will." Flash touches his ear.
"Hey Bruce I found her."
"Where is she?"
"A hospital."
"I figured that but which one? Why wasn't I informed? I called every one of them."
"Redhood put her here as Jane Doe."
"Redhood? He put her in a hospital under Jane Doe?" Bruce was no longer talking to Flash and instead was trying to put logic to this. "He tries to kill her then saves her. Is it because she's not a villain or does he have an ulterior motive?"
"Well maybe," Bruce cuts Flash off.
"I'm not asking you." Bruce cuts the connection.
Later that night Terri goes home. He should have staid out later but he couldn't will himself to do it. "I knew she'd get hurt. I should have put my foot down." He sits on his bed. "Bruce brings her in and she worms her way in to becoming Batwoman." He finds his phone and calls Dana.
"Terri it is almost one in the morning."
"We found Max. She's in a hospital."
"Is she going to be ok? Which one?"
"She'll be fine once she heals. I can't tell you which one she doesn't want any one telling her parent's she's not over in Africa doing charity work." Terri yawns. "I'm going to bed."
"Wait we can talk and," Terri hangs up as he lies down on his bed and falls asleep in minutes.
Melanie is back with Joker. "And where have you been?"
"Sorry Mister J I was following Batman. He was going to different hospitals but I couldn't get inside to see why."
"Did Reddie strike again? Maybe he didn't finish the job?" Joker looks back at the cages where he has several more criminals locked up. "I need more if I'm going to catch him."
"I thought we were going to kill him."
"Eventually. But I want to play with the new vigilante. He's like Batman but he kills so why isn't Batman going after him?"
"Maybe he is but can't catch Redhood?" Joker laughs.
"Then he isn't as good as the real Batman." Melanie worries that this might be true and starts hoping the Joker's plan might actually work.
The next morning Terri wakes up when some one knocks on his door. "What?"
"Terri, Dana is here to see you." Terri groans in frustration.
"I'll be there in just a minute." Terri gets up and looks at the clock. "Up before noon there's a first." He stretches a few muscles then gets dressed.
In the living room Terri sits on the couch. "Hey Dana."
"Hey." She sits next to him. "So where is Max?"
"In a hospital. I can't tell you which one."
"Why not? I want to see her."
"The Old Man didn't tell me."
"But didn't you find her?" He shakes his head.
"No. Flash did." Terri feels uncomfortable sitting so close to Dana. After all the fighting with her and seeing what happened to Max he didn't want to get back with Dana. "Why are you here?"
"Because I'm scared for you. This happened to Max but what if it happened to you?" She puts a hand on his leg. "Terri what if worse happened?"
"Why I don't think you should be here." Terri grabs her hand and lifts it from his leg. "Max was in a suit and was being trained and this happened. What if Redhood came after you?"
"Who?"
"A ghost from the Old Man's past." Terri sighs and sinks in to the cushions of the couch. "Maybe. We don't know."
"Why did he hurt Max?"
"We don't know. He also saved her."
"Why?"
"Again, we don't know. There is so much going on with the Joker and Redhood and Blight and other criminals and that's not on top of Flash coming from the past because of an alternate dimension." Terri leans forward and uses a hand to push the hair from his eyes. "And if any thing happened to you I don't know what I would do."
"I bet you sound like Bruce did when he was younger." Dana leans against him and puts an arm around his shoulders. "Look how his life turned out."
"I know. I don't want to be like him. Even if I am turning in to him physically."
"Well you know not to drink to prevent liver and kidney failure." Dana tries to get a laugh out of Terri.
"Dana if you get hurt," She shoves him lightly.
"I could get hurt no matter who you were. The Joker's could have hurt me countless times and they don't know who you are. I was driving when that laser blasted through the city you said the Joker controlled." She snuggles against him. "It could happen any time. I'd rather enjoy what time I have with you then worrying about any thing else."
Melanie feels eyes following her. She goes down an alley then turns around. "Look who ever you are know you aren't messing with some helpless girl." Some one leaps down from the fire escape.
"Of course you aren't." Redhood pulls out a gun. "So what is your plan?"
"Plan?" Melanie starts sweating.
"You work for the Old Man and for the Joker. Why?"
"I'm undercover. I find out what the Joker is up to and then tell the others."
"And what is my old friend up to?" He walks over to her as she trembles.
"He, he wants to catch you. Kill you." He gets closer and brushes the hair out of her eyes with the barrel of the gun.
"And how does he plan to do that?"
"He is rounding up other criminals so he can use them as bait."
"So he is making it easy for me? Nice." He presses the end of the barrel against the side of her head. She screams after a loud bang noise. "Sorry didn't mean to do that." She opens her eyes and sees a firecracker on the ground. He was toying with her.
"Please let me go. I'm not a criminal." Tears roll down her cheeks.
"You used to be." He walks around behind her and presses a knife against her spine. "I could paralyze you from the waist down. Only take half your life for being half a criminal." He cuts her drawing blood.
"I changed. I'm trying to undo every thing I did." He leans down and whispers in her ear.
"Then really change things. Change them in a way that matters." He hits her with a stun gun and then takes off.
Bruce calls Terri who answers after the third call. "What are you doing Terri? You went home early and refused to answer my first two calls."
"I'm working on not turning in to you." Bruce ignores Terri's comment.
"I need you to break in to Cadmus and find their real servers."
"You said that yesterday."
"And you didn't do it yesterday."
"I'll do it tonight."
"Be careful. Cadmus isn't a regular company."
"I know." Terri was proof of that.
Melanie gets up and stumbles over to the nearest dumpster. She hangs on to it for support and catches her breath. "I need to change." She looks up at the sky. "How long was I out?" The Sun was going down. "I need to shower and change." She stumbles out of the alley. "Then hunt down and kill that sonofabitch." She smiles weakly. "I'll make a change." She raises her right arm to hail a taxi when she feels a sharp pain. She pulls her sleeve up and sees a message burnt in to her skin.
Max moans in pain as the bandages are being changed. "Your skin is healing faster than we thought. Another fifteen days and you'll be ready for physical therapy Ms. Doe."
"She'll be ready for much more than that." Redhood has a syringe in his hand. He had injected Max earlier and was watching how the chemical affected her.
Terri uses his camouflage to sneak in after hours. "Where would it be?"
"I've had all floors scanned and found no heat signatures. Try the basement."
"Already thinking that." Terri moves quietly to the nearest staircase.
He finds a locked steel door. "That's not normal." He places a hand against the door and receives a small shock. "Steel door and electrified."
"I can cut all power to the building."
"That won't be suspicious or any thing Bruce." Terri hears a noise. "I'm near a subway aren't I?"
"Yes." It takes Bruce a second to realize Terri's plan. "A hole in the wall is a hole in the wall."
"Except that hole leads in to the subway not the Cadmus building which would be under heavy security." Terri goes up the stairs to leave the building and go to the nearest subway entrance.
Flash is already at the wall Terri needed. "How did you get here so fast?"
"Really? That's the question you ask?"
"How did you know to come here?"
"Bruce sent me the info." Flash pulls out a small disc. "He also gave me this." Flash sticks it on the side of the wall.
"What does it do?" Terri's question is answered as the disc starts vibrating the wall and soon it crumbles. "Let's go." The two go in through the hole.
Inside they find more security. "Cameras and laser trip wires. That's how I guard the water heater."
"Your suit can't hide you from lasers."
"I don't need it to." Terri changes the vision mode in to infrared. "I can see a server access and the lasers."
"But how do we get to it?" Terri pulls some thing out of his belt. "You, Robin, Bruce, even Batgirl always had something in their belt."
"Watch." He lets the device go and it floats. It flies through the mesh of laser wires and attaches to the server access point. "And that is how it is," An alarm sounds.
"Pressure sensitive cover on the server?" Flash hears more alarms. "Bruce better get what ever information he is looking for while we better get the hell out of here." Terri and Flash run back through the hole in the wall and in to the subway.
Bruce downloads as much information as he can. He types in key words and downloads all information related to the keywords before the server access point is corrupted.
Melanie is with Joker. "Redhood threatened me to threaten you Mister J."
"He just let you go?"
"With a message." She pulls her suit up over her right arm.
Round Em Up For Me Old Friend
"He acts like he knows me but any old friends must be dead or geriatrics!" He laughs maniacally. "So I'll send another message back!" The Joker pulls out a gun and shoot Melanie between the eyes.
A/N Holy Snarks Batman! What is Redhood planning? Why did he save Max? What or who is he? And poor Melanie. Sudden? Yes. Tearjerker moment? Maybe next episode...