Batman Beyond Season 4
Episode 54: Laugh Out Loud
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
"All this worldly wisdom was once the unamiable heresy of some wise man." Henry David Thoreau
Terry and Dana sneak around during lunch. "When can we see each other outside of school?"
"As soon as I figure out a way that keeps Bruce from knowing you know." He kisses her. "I'm sorry about, this."
"Hey the janitor closet isn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be." She kisses him back.
After school Terry goes to the batcave. "So Bruce any leads on what the Jokers wanted?"
"Joker DNA. And some new mutagenic program that was paid for by the Joker has ties with what ever the Jokers stole. I'm not sure yet but I think they may have found a way too bring back the Joker. It could take a few years I'm not sure yet."
"What could?"
"Regrowing the Joker. But if it is only his DNA then it won't have the memories or wounds the Joker had."
"Wounds? How did he get them?"
"He's told me several stories over the years. None of them true I'm sure. But hopefully I'll have time too train you for handling him."
"I already did."
"No you took care of an implanted memory of the Joker. This could be the real Joker. Or it could be some one entirely new. The files we found were incomplete. I'm guessing the good doctor either kept separate files or the information in his head. Either way we don't have a complete picture."
"So what do I do?"
"Be Batman. I'm setting up certain tests for you. Maybe if the real Joker comes back you will stop him."
"Maybe?"
"I couldn't. Robin did in the end. The original Arkham Asylum closed years ago but check it out for clues. The Jokers were more organized under Joker and may be following his plans or some one else's."
"Who else could it be?"
"I'm not so sure Harley Quinn died now. If the Joker could come back maybe she could. Just be careful the Joker was my worst enemy. He couldn't be intimidated."
"But he can be made fun of." Terry goes and changes before heading out.
Harley Quinn checks on the Joker. "Babs are you ready?"
"Ha, ha ha, old woman who you calling Babs?" The person rocks back and forth in the chair they are chained too.
"More then laughing, good! The stuff in the box said it might take a week or so. Soon you'll be back, very soon." She hobbles out of the room with help from her cane. "I have some other plans ready."
Several EPA scientists are near the waters edge with a Geiger Meter. "That old submarine shouldn't be giving off this much radiation."
"The water's been poisoned and several thousand fish have turned up dead. The reactor may have a leak." The water nearby starts boiling. "Get back this could be bad."
"Oh yes, very bad." Blight steps out of the water. "I'm mean, I'm green, and I'm back!" He laughs evilly.
"Aaaa!" The scientists turn and run away.
Batman is flying over the city when a signal comes through. "Some one is robbing a nearby store. Take care of it quickly."
"No problem Bruce this will be easy." Batman flies the Batmobile towards the store.
He hovers above the store and exits the Batmobile. When he lands he sees two Jokers inside pointing knives at the store clerk. He makes himself invisible as he gets closer. "Come on man get the dough in the bag or we'll make you smile."
"I can't just open it you must make a purchase. It is part of the store's security."
"Fine, scan this." A Joker grabs a candy bar and hands it over.
Batman makes himself visible just before opening the door. "Good job stalling them so I could get here."
"Back off Batsy or we kill the old man."
"With what?" Batman lunges at the two Jokers and knocks the knives out of their hands. He kicks one hard in the head knocking him out. The other tries escaping but Batman hits him with a Batarang on the back of knee making him fall. Before he can recover Batman lands on top of him and punches him knocking him out. "Are you ok?"
"Yes, thank you Batman."
"No problem it's what I do." Batman binds both Joker's hands. "The police should be here soon." He walks out of the store.
A Joker has a large blade in his hand. He leaps out from behind a dumpster and slashes Batman across the back. Terry feels the blade cut in to his flesh and bounce off of his shoulder blade. He turns and throws a Batarang knocking the blade away. "Back off." He knows he's hurt and may not handle a fight well.
"Fine, what ever Bats." The Joker turns and runs after picking up the blade.
"Terry your suit is damaged."
"I'm damaged. I can feel it bleeding."
"Get here now. I'll sew the wound."
"Control the Batmobile. I, I'm already feeling weak." Batman's rockets fire and he flies up in the air landing in the Batmobile.
The Joker with the blade puts it in a plastic bag. Two more Jokers come out of a car and grab it. One pulls out a phone and dials a number. "We got it."
"Good. We'll have Dr. Oolong look it over and enter it in to the database. Dee Dee," The two girls nod. "Get the doctor ready. Make sure he knows that this is very important too us and if he messes it up he will pay for it."
"Yes Nana Harley." They leave the room.
Terry winces as Bruce sews the wound shut. "I'll pay for any medical treatment you might need."
"Like what? What do I need?"
"They hit the bone. I didn't find a bone chip but I may have missed it. Also any muscle damage may come later. Go home and rest. If your back or shoulder hurt tomorrow let me know."
"It's still early."
"You're hurt. If he had aimed higher you could have lost your head. I'm wondering what they were planning."
"Planning? They were some thugs robbing a store."
"And one staid outside waiting for you with a machete. He may have killed you if he staid and fought but he ran off. It sounds like the Joker's may have a leader who makes plans like this."
"Joker? You said it would take years."
"He could have left behind a list of instructions. Don't put it past the Joker that he made plans for the years he would be gone."
"I'll look in to it tomorrow night."
"If you can."
"I will look in to it tomorrow night." Terry walks to his motorcycle and gets on.
The next day during school Terry, Max, and Dana meet in the lunchroom. "Ok you two I got an idea. Terry and I fight. I say I thought it was more then friendship but you say it was just tutoring for your classes. Dana forgives you and you two can get back together with the Big Guy knowing."
"Not bad Max. Why not right now?"
"No, tonight on a three way call. So he can hear it."
"Wait he listens when you're uh, working? So all those times we talked?"
"I couldn't tell you before. I'm sorry. There was a lot I couldn't tell you."
"I understand. So tonight I'll call around seven?"
"How about five? I have a date with some Jokers tonight." Terry winces thinking about his wound.
"What was that?"
"My back. I got hurt last night by the Jokers. They didn't stay and fight which is suspicious. They could have taken me if they really tried after the wound I received."
"Terry are you ok? Where it is?"
"Don't worry Dana the Big Guy took care of it. He had plenty of cuts too sew when he was younger."
"Well, be careful. If you have the night off any time this week let me know." She kisses him on the cheek.
"If I get a night off you'll be the first person I call." He kisses her on the lips and they go too lunch.
Terry hurries for the Batcave right after school. "Bruce I'm ready."
"Wait Terry let me check your wound." Terry pulls the back of his shirt up. "Not infected and didn't tear the stitches. You should be ok if you don't get in a fight."
"Isn't that my job?"
"Not tonight. You will observe them and try and find out who is running this. If the Joker left a list behind or some one took control will change how we approach this. The list can be destroyed but a person must be locked up and cut off from outside contact." Bruce taps on the arm of the chair.
"What if they made back ups of the list? I'd rather it be a person. They can be taken care of." Terry goes and changes in to the Bat Suit.
Flying over the city in the batmobile Terry lands in the old industrial section. "This was his old stomping grounds but this is the new Gotham. Are you sure this is a place we should check? If they are planning any thing I should stop them before they get any thing off the ground."
"You're impatient and hurt those two will get you killed."
"I'm more worried about not finding any thing and the Jokers planning some thing major." Terry gets out and goes invisible.
Terry leaps across an alley and lands on the roof of another building when his cowl beeps. "Hello?"
"Terry? It's me, Dana, can we talk?"
"Uh, I'm kinda busy working for Mr. Wayne right now."
"Please it is really important."
"I, well, what is it?"
"I'm so sorry I was mad at you and Max. I get it she's your tutor because you work for Mr. Wayne all the time. Your mom relies on you and your work is important. I shouldn't have been so stupid and gotten jealous."
"I, it, I forgive you. I shouldn't have yelled I'm just so stressed out with work and class and falling behind in science. I can't handle every thing some times and I lose control."
"No I was the one who kept bugging you. I don't work and don't have my mom or a little brother relying on me bringing in a pay check. Um, at school tomorrow maybe we could talk?"
"I guess. I'm sorry for fighting but I am working right now and gotta go."
"Ok, see you tomorrow, bye." Dana hangs up and Terry smiles.
"Now that I'm done throwing up can we focus on your job?"
"Oh, crap you heard all that." Terry smiles even more.
Terry sees movement and runs over to the edge of the building. "Jokers, you were right." He goes in to stealth mode and leaps down.
Terry waits for another Joker and follows him through the door. Walking quietly behind the Joker Terry hears a laughing he had only heard from one person. "Terry, I recognize that laugh but it can't be. They might be playing a video he could have left recordings." Terry can't respond for fear of being overheard.
Terry takes the first chance he has and leaps up in to the rafters. "Bruce there are at least a dozen of them and a doll? The twin girls are protecting it."
"It could be filled with Joker gas."
"It, it moved." Terry zooms in on the doll. "That's no doll."
"That's a really old woman. What is she doing? Did they kidnap her? Terry just watch in your condition you can't be fighting." Terry stays up in the rafters and watches.
The old woman turns around. "Soon he will be back better then ever! We must keep the Batman busy. I want three teams in different parts of the city rioting. Burn stores flip cars what ever. Just keep him busy."
"Yes Ma'am."
"Good and any one who gets caught better not squeal. You all know what happens with squealers." They simply nod.
"Bruce what do I do? I can't handle that many people. I can't even handle the five or six guys here."
"Stay there we must find out who she is."
"Are you sure?"
"The police can handle riots."
Terry watches the Jokers leave. The old woman and the twin girls are all that are left. "Nana why can't we go?"
"He dealt with you last time. If he sees you he might suspect what is going on." Both cross their arms and stick their tongues out. "Put those away or I'll yank them out." They suck their tongues back in.
"Nana Harley how much longer? He was fun."
"Harley? She's dead! Terry that can't be her but if it is we must get a DNA sample."
"How?"
"Get one. She's a little old lady and two young girls I think you can handle them. Just punch her and get some blood on a glove then get here."
"Punching little old ladies? I, that makes me feel a little dirty."
"If it stops the Joker from coming back it is worth it." Terry sighs and makes himself visible.
He lands behind the old woman and grabs her hair and pulls. "Crap." He pulled off a wig.
"Dee Dee get him!" The two leap at Terry. He tries ducking and hears the stitches rip.
"Ow," He ignores the pain and swings at the old woman who holds a cane up blocking it.
The twins drop and do a leg sweep taking Terry down. One leaps on his legs while the other leaps on his chest. "Get out of here Nana Harley we got him." The one on his chest starts punching him in the face.
Terry presses a button on his utility belt and an shock runs through the suit knocking the two off. "I got an idea." He punches one of the twins and grabs her hair ripping some out. "See ya." He activates the rockets and takes off.
Back at the Batcave Terry gives Bruce the hair. "They called her Nana I'm guessing she's the grandmother."
"If she is I should be able too make a match." Bruce takes the hair and starts examining it.
The next morning Terry wakes up and feels his back stick to the sheets. When he gets up he looks and sees blood on the sheets. "It must have ripped open again." He takes the sheets off and throws them in a laundry basket.
Sitting at the table he looks at the clock. "No school, teachers meeting." He yawns. He turns the news on and sees video of riots. "Sorry I'm on bed rest this weekend." He turns it off.
Terry takes a nap on the couch when his little brother leaps over the back and lands on him. "Hey!" Terry throws him off. "What was that for?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I was sleeping."
"Shouldn't you be at work?"
"I have the weekend off." He looks at the clock. "Wow, I did get a nap." He had slept for a little over five hours. "I wonder what Dana is doing." He goes to his room and finds his phone.
In the Batcave Bruce closes a screen on the computer. "It is a close enough match. She lived. Why did she wait this long? The Joker can't come back we got lucky last time. Terry got lucky last time. Will this Joker know? Does Harley? Why hasn't she come after me if she does? I better upgrade the security."
That night Terry and Dana walk through a park hand in hand. "So what did you do last night?"
"Fought an old woman and her two grandkids." Dana gives him a weird look. "The old woman is Harley Quinn. She was uh the Joker's girlfriend or some thing back in the day."
"So she's like ancient. And her grandkids?" He nods. "I guess it runs in the family. Why were you going after them?"
"They have some plan for bringing the Joker back. The old man is worried about it but I dealt with him and I won. I can handle him again."
"Just be safe my grand dad talked about the Joker. He was on the police force back when the Joker was around. Nightmare city after visits with him."
"He isn't that bad. He can't handle some one who talks back. Don't worry Dana." He lets her hand go and puts his arm around her waist pulling her close. "I can handle this." He leans down and kisses her lightly.
In an underground base Harley checks on Joker. "Honey babe how are you?"
"Hungry."
"I'll get you more soon ok?" She pats him on the arm and he pulls against his restraints. "Now don't do that you know you can't be let free yet. You're still taking over this body. Soon though you'll be free and back on top!" She walks out.
Terry enjoys the school day off and then Saturday. But on Sunday he gets a call from Bruce. "Are you sure? My wound still hurts and I've been enjoying this thing called sleep."
"And I know this is Harley Quinn and I have an idea on where she is keeping Joker. She was wearing a wig and when I analyzed the video I saw a stamp on the inside after you pulled it off."
"And?"
"It was an old costume shop even in my day. They kept a lot of the stock in a basement during the off season. I think if you look there you might find a clue."
"I'll be there in a few." Terry hangs up and shakes his head. "Two days is better then none."
Terry finds the shop, or what was left. "They trashed this place." He lands and looks around. "I don't see a door."
"It is an old cellar style look for a handle on the floor." Terry starts knocking debris out of the way.
When he finds the handle he pulls and can't move it. "It's locked."
"I'm sure no one will notice if you break it." Terry pulls out some plastic explosives and places them around the heavy wooden door.
After blowing the door apart he goes down slowly switching the cowl to night vision.
He gets to the bottom of the stairs. "I don't see a light switch. And I don't see much of any thing." The room was bare.
"Keep looking for a hidden panel or device."
Terry feels the walls then the floor. "I'm not finding any thing." He turns his head towards the stairs when he hears a noise. "I got company."
"Hide and wait." Terry activates the stealth mode and backs up against the wall.
Two Jokers come down with flash lights. "He's here I'm telling you he did that."
"I don't see nobody." Even invisible Terry flinches when a light shines on him. "He mighta left already."
"You better hope so Harley will have our hides we let the Bats get around in here." The smaller Joker walks farther inside.
Terry watches him walk over to the far wall and press a hand on the wall. "Dude he can't be in there only a Joker can get in."
"Says who? This is Batman we're talking about." Terry sees a door appear. "Stay here I'm checking." Terry takes his chance and hurries after the Joker before the door closes.
Terry follows the Joker to a glass door. The door slides open and Terry follows the Joker farther. Terry can hear the laughing before he can see where it is coming from. "You Bats if you're in here you aren't getting out!" The Joker pulls out a pair of brass knuckles.
Terry strikes the Joker from behind knocking him out. "Bruce can you hear me?" He gets no response. "I guess not." He goes farther.
He follows the laughing and soon finds a steel door with a slot. He tries the handle and finds it locked. "I used up my explosives but lets see if this works." He pulls out a small torch and starts cutting at the hinges.
The Joker up top starts getting worried and calls for backup.
Terry is working on the last hinge when he hears footsteps. "Trapped, slag it I can do this." He cuts through the last hinge and pulls the door off.
"Hello Bats great seeing you after all this time! But you've lost weight Atkins?"
"What?" Terry sees a Joker unlike any other. His skin was pale but not white. He was clearly losing weight even as he stood there. His hair was a shade of green but not the usual Joker green. "What have they done to you?"
"Oh so sweet that you care. I was a normal Joker but they implanted some real Joker in me and now I'm like this!" The facial expression changes. "Please, help me. I didn't sign up for this." It changes back and he starts laughing like the Joker.
"Bruce what do I do? I can't leave him here but I can't get him out."
"You're right about that Batman." Terry turns around and sees four Jokers carrying bats and one carrying a crowbar.
"I could kill him." Batman gets behind the restrained Joker and grabs his head.
"Batman doesn't kill."
"The old Batman doesn't kill. I'm different."
"Ooo this Bat has some guts! Spill them boys!" Joker laughs some more. Terry wraps his arms around Joker's head.
"I'll snap his neck."
"No you won't you don't kill! You never have! New costume or not you're still the same old Bats."
"He's a new one we told you this is decades since you been fighting the old Batman."
"Hmm so this one just might do it. Go ahead new Bat do it! I've snapped dozens of necks in my time just one quick jerk and it is done."
"You sick freak you'd enjoy it." Terry pulls a gas bomb out of his belt and throws it.
As smoke fills the room Terry forces his way past the Jokers. He runs down the hall and sees the stairs. Forgetting about the glass door he smashes through it sending glass shards every where. "Ow, ow," He picks some out of his arms as he runs up the stairs.
When he gets to the top he sees two more Jokers. He turns his stealth on but the shards of glass have torn holes in it and the stealth malfunctions. "I'll do this the hard way or the easy way. Step aside or get knocked out."
"No way Batman we got our orders."
"Fine." He leaps and kicks a Joker in the face before he can raise his bat. The second one swing and hits Terry on the right arm.
"Slag!" He swings at the Joker but misses.
"Not so tough now are you?"
"I'm tough enough." Terry picks up the fallen Joker's bat. "It has been awhile since I last played but I bet I can still hit a double." He swings and gets the Joker between the legs.
Terry escapes and uses the rockets for a faster escape. "Bruce can you hear me?"
"I can now what happened what did you find?"
"The Joker. He's not back but he will be soon."
"Soon? How soon?"
"I don't know they're doing some thing to a thug that is making him in to the Joker."
"Like Tim?"
"No this is way different. I recorded it maybe you can tell."
"Are you ok?"
"Uh, maybe. I went through a glass door and got smacked with a bat but other then that I'm fine."
"Get back here and I'll take care of any wounds."
"Get the sewing kit out for the suit." Terry continues flying away.
In the basement Harley and two Jokers go down and check on the real Joker. "Honey buns are you ok?"
"I'm fine but a little thirsty."
"Oh of course here." She hands him a glass of water. "Another day or so and we can let you go."
"I think I can be released now." Joker holds up one hand revealing a wire he picked off of Terry. The other hand smashes the glass on the arm of the chair breaking it. He uses the broken end of the glass and slashes Harley across the throat. She backs away grabbing at her bleeding wound as Joker stabs the glass in the stomach of one of the Joker thugs. The other turns and starts running when Joker throws the glass catching the thug on the back of the head stunning him.
Joker runs over and snaps the thug's neck.
After checking his clothes for blood he walks over to Harley. She looks up at him as the life slips from her eyes. "Sorry Harley but this is a new age! Why do I need some old bag like you?" He laughs as he walks away from the body of Harley Quinn.
