Batman Beyond 'Fan Fiction Story'
By Tayla Drago
Episode# 36 – Payback
A teenager, Drew, heads out of the store that he works in but his boss, Warren, calls him back in saying that he has to do overtime. When Drew protests, Warren threatens to fire him. Drew returns and another individual, a tall figure in an outfit walks in. Warren mocks the figure, but he angrily locks the door and attacks. Warren pulls out the cash drawer, activating the silent alarm, and tries to give it to the man but it's swatted away. Warren tries to run while the man goes to Drew and tells him to stay where he is and he'll be safe.
"Stay here, you'll be safe." said Payback.
He continues to go after Warren, claiming that he's doing this for the kids that he disrespects. He almost kills Warren with a laser whip but Batman and Batwoman intervene recognizing the man as 'Payback'.
"(Who is this man?)" Gwen wonders.
"Batman and Batwoman!"
"Payback, right?" Batman question the new villain.
At first he claims that he's Batwoman and Batman's allies, but when Batman refuses to help him, Payback decides he's the enemy too along with his partner.
"Way a go, Bats..." said Batwoman to be ready to fight him.
After a brief fight, Payback escapes while Batman saves an ungrateful Warren.
"Look at this...Couldn't you two fight outside?"
Batwoman hits Warren right upside the head.
"You're welcome!" she said. "Well, looks like we got ourselves a uncontrollable enemy to deal with."
After the fight, Terry talks to Bruce about the encounter and Bruce points out that he failed to capture Payback.
"He must be too good to outsmart you both." he said.
"(We're are trying, Uncle Bruce.)" Gwen looks up on something. "(From what both Megan and I can gather...Payback goes after adults who do some mean things to other kids. So strange, and yet I sense a lot of sadness from this Payback person.)"
Back at the Batcave, Bruce shows Terry and Gwen that 'what she said was true' that there's a connection between the victims of Payback, as they're linked to teenagers that attend counseling sessions at the Gotham Youth Counseling Center.
"It just a place where people talk about their problems..." said Terry.
"Lots of things to be going on." Megan talks from the Bat-Computer. "Hey you guys, how's it hanging? Looks, this place is important to talk about things people are scared to say to their lovers, friends, or their families about to feel scared for some reason. My guess is this: one of you two has to hack to the system to learn and find something from it. Leads, suspects, and clues...While the other one goes there undercover to see other people on how that place is done. It's the only lead we got."
Megan has a point for Bruce to say this to Terry and Gwen as well.
"You know, we did do detective work before there was a net."
He has Terry enroll into the Center in order to learn more.
"Okay." Gwen was in as well. "Terry, you'll go undercover there, and I'll try hacking into the place for us to get something from it. (This has got to work.)"
While at the Center 'with Gwen sneaking in to hack into the system carefully', Terry listens as some teenagers talk about their issues in life, particularly a girl named Trina and her problems with her boyfriend DuWayne. When asked what his problem is, Terry claims that it's Bruce.
"It sounds to me that Mr. Wayne really does respect you but that he has a hard time showing it." said Dr. DuWayne.
"Why do you think that is?" Terry asks the doctor.
"Maybe some trauma in his past."
After the session, the head doctor, Dr. Stanton takes Terry through the center and talks to him about it. During the walk, Dr. Staton introduces Terry to the two 'resident geniuses' Howard Lewis and Dr. Stanton's son Kenny Stanton. Kenny asks his father to play but is refused. While Terry talks to Howard, Kenny continues to ask about doing something but his father refuses saying he has to work. Just then, a nurse rushes in saying that a girl, Maxine Gibson, has arrived saying she has an emergency. Dr. Stanton leaves to take care of the situation giving Terry time to search things on his own.
"Okay, Terry, Maxie has gotten the rest...It's time to investigate some more." Gwen reports to her boyfriend.
"Man, I love it when you say it so hot like." he said back. "I'm on it, Gwen, just keep an eye on things a bit longer."
"Roget that."
Terry sneaks into Dr. Stanton's room and hacks into his computer and Gwen gives it to Bruce on the other details to send out.
"Good work, you two. I'm starting the download next." he gets to work on his end.
Bruce quickly starts a download but while this goes on, Terry is attacked from behind by an unseen assailant.
"Terry? What's wrong? What happened? Terry!" Gwen got worried. "(Did someone followed him? Payback?)"
When Terry comes around, he sees both Howard and Dr. Stanton looking down over him. Terry manages to make up an excuse for his being there and manages to avoid suspicion. He calls Gwen back for her and Bruce to hear his voice to be alive and well.
"Sorry to have you worried, Gwen."
"It's fine, Terry, at least you're well." she said. "So, what do we do next...?"
After returning to Bruce wit Gwen too, Terry is scolded for not watching his back.
"Why weren't you watching your back?" Bruce questions Terry.
"I was too busy watching my front." he answers back. "Am I supposed to have eyes everywhere?"
"And I lost connection when Terry was finishing up, Uncle Bruce." Gwen tries to defend her boyfriend. "Please don't blame this on him."
Not to be mean about it, but it was the only way to learn sometimes.
"Gwen, I'm just telling Terry to be more careful next time." he said back. "And Terry, only if you want to live to a ripe old age."
"You don't make it sound too inviting."
Bruce tends to Terry's wound then tells him about what Gwen and he found. He's confirmed that Payback is linked to the Center and due to the fact that he has attacked victims from several different sessions, he has access to the Center's files.
"Payback goes after teachers, bosses, parents, and a few others on his target listing." said Bruce.
"I was right about this man getting to the adults more to save the kids with their problems...Someone at the place gets this information to be a fake." she said.
Terry instantly jumps to the conclusion that it's Howard, who has access to the files, but Bruce doesn't see a motive.
"It has to be Howard to be the only one who can access to the files."
"Terry, if that's true – what could be Howard's motive?" Bruce questions Terry. "What of the doctor?"
True, but he would've done things like this to do his best being a doctor for the kids, and for Terry to follow his gut.
"You always tell me to follow my gut, and I am." he said to getting his Batman suit on.
Good point...
"Be careful, both of you." Bruce smiles. "Your guts are still young."
"We will, Uncle Bruce." Gwen transforms. "Burning passion. Batwoman!"
Bot Batwoman and Batman headed out to the Center and finds that Howard has been making strange looking statues and also finds the laser whip that Payback had wielded.
"Some good clues in here so far..." said Batwoman. "But will this prove anything, Einstein?"
While Batman examines the laser, Howard attacks him.
"(Batman, look out!)" Gwen warns him.
After a brief fight, Batman eventually brings Howard down and Batwoman ties him up.
"Good, Bats, I got him!" she has her fire out to be a warning. "Don't make me burn you, mister..."
When Batman accuses Howard of being Payback with Gwen helping him out, they seem to have no idea what Batman is talking about.
"What...?"
"You're Payback to have the laser shows it's the weapon he uses!" said Batman.
For Howard didn't know what Batman or Batwoman meant to not be Payback, he also claims that the laser is only used to cut the statues.
"But I use that type of laser to cut my statues to make them..." he said to them.
For Gwen to check the fingerprints to not match or feel the same from Payback's hand markings.
"(Batman, hes right. This isn't Payback.)"
Bruce calls Terry and Gwen and alert them to the fact that Payback is attacking someone far from the Center.
"Oh, great!" Batwoman was upset. "We just almost hurt the wrong man!"
Batman sheepishly apologizes and leaves Howard looking over his destroyed statues.
"Sorry."
"(Please forgive us.)" and Gwen. "(We have to go after the real Payback who's on the streets.)"
Meanwhile, Payback cuts his way into DuWayne's truck and mocks him for caring nothing for his girlfriend. He forces DuWayne to lose control of the truck, sending it over a cliff. It's only through Batwoman and Batman's interventions that they are saved.
"You two have a bad romance." Batwoman takes off with her partner. "Unlike two other people I know of...They love each other a lot."
Afterwards, Batman and Batwoman go after Payback and attacks them both. For no fire blast can't stop the laser sword whip at all.
"That won't work on me..."
"Now he tells me!" said Batwoman.
Payback fights back refusing to listen to reason. During the fight, Payback starts a forest fire and escapes while Batman tends to the blaze with Gwen/Batwoman takes care of it in seconds.
"Batwoman!" he asks for her help.
"Lots of fire to absorb, baby!"
A close call there, huh? Back in the Batcave, Terry and Gwen fill Bruce in.
"Oh, no...Here comes another scolding..."
Gwen moves aside as Bruce scolds Terry for his reckless actions with Howard telling him:
"You injured an innocent man. That's inexcusable!" he said. "Gwen restrain him, and you went too far!"
"(Awkward...)" Gwen's other self said.
Terry decides that Payback is Dr. Stanton, but Bruce snaps at him again and insists that they'll do things his way from now on.
"We'll be taking our time to getting it done."
"Yes, Uncle Bruce..." Gwen understood to check on her Terry next by hugging and kissing his cheek. "It'll work out, Terry, I don't blame you for hurting someone we thought to be Payback by accident. We can still do this."
Holding his girl to try it out with Bruce and some help from Megan next.
"I know, Gwen, let's see what we can do." Terry agrees. "You're amazing to be there by my side."
The next day for Gwen to scan in the building on what she could find, Terry goes to the Center and complains about how Bruce treats him and how he thinks he'll never be good enough for him. While some believe that Terry should quit and get another job, other patients advise that he should confront Bruce, Terry agrees with them, but mentions how Bruce will be attending a party at a new hotel. The others tell him he can't put it off. Terry hopes a night away from his house will mellow Bruce out a little but they tell him he'll never mellow out.
"Hey, Gwen." Megan joins in. "Is it happening?"
"It is..." she said. "I just hope it'll work without him getting hurt."
Something tells Megan that it'll all be find.
"I think we can both pull this off."
That night, Terry and Gwen take Bruce to the Vreeland Marquis Hotel while newscasts announce him as Megan stood by her husband's side for protection. Things seem to be okay but while Bruce rides in the elevator with Megan, Payback arrives and attacks him letting the other people on the elevator leave.
"Megan, you know what to do." he said.
Trying to be a friend to Bruce, to protect him still in real life for them to be married and in love.
"Right..." she gets her gun out. "Hey, Payback! You want to get to Mr. Wayne, then you got to get through to me first!"
Firing some gun shots, with the suit protecting this man to walk through it all.
"Not happening, lady, Bruce Wayne's mine."
Cutting through Megan's whip to be trapped in it, Payback wants Bruce gone.
"You're a mean old man, you know that?" he said.
"Mmm-hmm, and what are you?" Bruce said while smiling.
"Your worst nightmare!"
Like Payback can scare Bruce or Megan.
"You have no idea what my nightmares are like." he said to the villain.
Bruce delays Payback for a while but is unable to prevent him from cutting one of the elevator's brakes causing it to fall.
"Bruce!" Megan tries to get him out of there.
Fortunately, Batman manages to rescue the two lovers, revealing this was part of the plan he and Bruce worked out. And for Batwoman to throw a tracker on Payback to follow him easily.
"(It's done!)"
"I told you my plan would work out." Bruce said.
"And it did!" said Megan. "So far..."
Payback continues his assault cutting a support beam trying to crush Bruce but it fails and when Batman and Batwoman try to confront him, the structural damage causes the floor to fall out form under him.
"Ah, you guys..." Batwoman tries to warn them both. "Get out of the way!"
With Batwoman melting the metal parts and Gwen hacking to the suit to not be used anymore, Batman saves him and Payback is unmasked as Kenny.
"Is Stanton's son..." said Batman.
For him, Bruce, Megan, and Gwen feel bad for Kenny to be behind it all.
"(Kenny...)"
"Why, Dad...?" said the sad Kenny. "All I want is for you to spend time from me and away from your work..."
While Kenny is being taken away by the police, his father realizes that this happened because he neglected him for Megan to see that she blames the father more than the young boy.
"Some father you turned out to be..." she said. "(Sorry, you guys, but I have to let the police handle this. Kids aren't my thing to harm.)"
Kenny's motive was that if he solved his patients' problems, then his father would have more time for him.
"I only blame myself for this..."
"Go to your son." said Bruce.
Bruce tells Dr. Stanton to go to his son and leaves with Terry, Megan, and Gwen.
"I'm glad you're okay." Megan kisses her husband.
"You did great today too, Megan."
Bruce marvels over how well Terry performed and Gwen finding out more from hacking a lot, but he quietly says that Terry wasn't performing.
"By the way, exactly what did you say in that group to get Payback so mad at me?" Bruce asks Terry. "You must've given quite a convincing performance."
Terry smiled to answer back to be more than getting Payback to coming out of the open to go after Bruce.
"Who said anything about performing?"
And neither of the two girls didn't notice it at all.
"You weren't, Terry?" Gwen was lost. "(I better keep that talk aside from Uncle Bruce to know but Megan and me only.)"
For Bruce and Megan to see their love and a bit more different like Terry and Gwen's to be in love to and think differently, it was hard to tell what was what sometimes...With Bruce and Megan looking at each other to have trouble knowing what was what.
"Good thing they're nothing like Kenny was, that was be a bad Payback type of version..."
You said it, Megan. Lesson – parents, please spend more time with kids to for parents to work it out and others to be better to them besides getting some help from a doctor, yes.