CHAPTER ONE: Stuck at a Crossroad, Part 1
Gotham City Metro – 7:32 AM
It had been twenty years since The Batman last guarded the streets of Gotham; and while the old gothic styled buildings may have turned to glass and steel and the streets repaved, it was still the same corrupt city – no new paint job could change that.
No one knew this better than Terri McGinnis.
"Making news today, as every day, Gotham's own financial zard, Derek Powers, rocked the stock market, by acquiring several local industrial firms."
"Everyone loves a winner, right Kim?"
She was a Gothamite, born and raised. As such, she was more than familiar with the city's rather… eccentric history. Fifty years ago, during the Golden Age of Heroes, Gotham had been a cesspool of crime and punishment. With a criminal justice system that resembled a sadistic game of catch and release and a Bat as their mascot. Predictably, they were not remembered fondly through history.
Turns out, textbooks could be downright unforgiving.
Especially when the author's family had been held at gunpoint by the Joker.
While Metropolis got labelled as 'hopeful' and 'empowering' during this era, Gotham was stuck with 'crazy', 'demented' and 'dangerous'.
But times change.
The heavy hitters – the Joker, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Catwoman… were all gone now, receding into the shadows just as mysteriously and suddenly as they had once appeared. Some scholars believe that Batman's disappearance struck a chord in the heart of Gotham, causing some type of domino effect. Or perhaps they just got bored with him gone.
Either way, the world moved on and Gotham was desperate to move along with it.
"That's right, Tom. In the third hostile Wayne-Powers takeover this year, Powers has retained his crown as Gotham's most dynamic corporate king. Insiders clears a downsizing were released today, as Powers personally announced over three hundred layoffs. The handsome CEO may not be making many friends, but he's sure making money."
But the truth is, no matter how they like to paint themselves as 'reborn', Gotham is still the same steaming cesspool it's always been – only now there was no Dark Knight to protect it.
As if to prove her point, Terri noticed a ridiculously dressed teen step onto the elevator platform.
He looked more like a mall Santa reject then anything to be afraid of, but Terri knew how looks could be deceiving – and she knew him too. Levi Jones. Or Scab as he was now calling himself.
A once mildly productive member of Hamilton Hill High School, he dropped out in the beginning of the year to join the Jokerz – a collection of various gangs that roamed the streets of Gotham.
And because they couldn't have nice things, the TV monitor was quickly spray painted with the local Jokerz insignia in – predictably – bright neon green.
The teen turned away from his art to eye his audience, a large grin on his face.
"Thank you, thank you."
He took a deep bow and when he peered back up there was a new, more vicious look in his eyes. His stare continued to wander around the room. The elevator's occupants evaded eye contact, with most tightening their grip on their belongings.
Terri just rolled her eyes. The entire Jokerz gang were a bunch of attention seeking assholes, just looking for an excuse to cause trouble. None of them had even been alive when their namesake – the original maniac – had been loose in Gotham. In her opinion, it was best to just ignore them. Giving them even the hint of intrigue, fear or even disgust, just egged them on. She wondered why no one else has seemed to figure that out, when a woman a few seats over from her, flinched.
"Ah!"
Scab perked up at the lady's uneasiness and Terri felt her stomach drop. So much for a nice, quiet ride to school.
Striding forward, he slid into the seat next to the middle-aged woman. "I saw you smile!" he pointed to her, his giggle evolving into the fake insane laughter that the Jokerz were known for.
'What an idiot,' Terri rolled her eyes, 'That laugh must have taken hours in front of a mirror to get right.'
"Yes, I did, yes I did." He continued, holding out an open hand.
The woman scooted as far back as the seat allowed, her voice shaking as she stared at his expecting hand. "What do you want?"
"Payment for the joke you bought. I give you funny, you give me money."
"I didn't buy anything!" the woman looked to her side, desperate for help, but the rest of the passengers turned the other way.
"Ah, you're shy. It's ok. I'll just help myself." He smirked, moving to open her pocketbook.
Terri had seen enough.
"Scab."
He turned, his smirk turning more genuine upon spotting Terri.
"Well, if it isn't Teresa McGinnis." He chuckled, turning his full attention onto her. "What's a pep girl like you taking public transportation? What happened, someone mess up the carpool schedule?"
"It's Terri, Scab," She corrected half-heartedly, knowing he was just trying to get a rise out of her. "and besides, I'm not a cheerleader anymore." She gave a small, apathetic shrug. "So, I'm afraid no more carpools for me."
"Ya' don't say…" he straightened, patting the seat on the other side of him. Terri stared at it for a couple of seconds before taking the seat. "Well then, aren't you just ecstatic to see an old Hamilton Hill graduate?!"
Terri snorted, raising a brow, "I don't know if they would consider 'skipping out on your senior year' as 'graduating'." His mouth twitched. "What's with the clown getup anyway?"
Scab's smile dropped, his jaw tightening. "Oh, I see how it is." He laughed, but there was no humor there. "You've lost the skirt and pompoms, but not that judgmental attitude of yours."
Terri held her hands up, "I'm not judging you."
"Yeah, right." Scab scoffed. "You think you're so high and mighty. Hamilton High's own personal little white knight in a short little cheer skirt." He sneered, looking down at her. "I know better than to fall for that innocent act. Too bad Big Time didn't."
Hearing that name felt like a sucker punch to the gut.
"You shouldn't talk about things you don't understand." Terri shot back, with a false sense of calmness in her voice.
The elevator came to a stop and Scab rose. "Looks like it's my stop."
He passed her slowly, purposefully grazing against her shoulder on his way out.
Terri felt her fists clench as the door shut. "Jokerz," she growled.
So much for having a good day.
Hamilton Hill High School – 3:44 PM
It wasn't that Terri hated school. In fact, the raven haired girl liked a lot of her classes. She excelled in gym; loved English; science wasn't too bad, especially when she had such a great teacher; and math… well math was math. She just hated all of the other things that came with high school – the cliques, the pressure, the gossip.
It was filled with fake mean kids who would grow up to become fake mean adults.
She hadn't realized that before – how cruel life could be to people just trying to live their lives.
"Hello, Earth to Terri!"
Terri jolted at the sound of her best friend, Dana Tan's voice.
"We've been dressed for two minutes waiting for you to snap out of it."
'Right,' Terri thought, reorienting herself. The locker room – they were in the locker room.
"Well, it's not my fault that you two take forever to get ready." Terri joked, hoping to play it off.
Chelsea, the last member of their little trio, rolled her eyes. "Well just because you don't pay attention to your looks anymore doesn't mean we can't."
"Chelsea!" Dana, always the peacekeeper, chided.
"What?" Chelsea snapped back. "I'm just saying what we've all been thinking." The blonde's piercing blue eyes turned back to Terri. "Her parents get divorced and suddenly cheerleading isn't good enough for her anymore, she drops all of her extracurriculars and her boyfriend to boot." she laughed, "Man it's a good thing she can't drop school, or we might never see her again."
"Chelsea. That's enough." Dana interrupted again, only this time she physically put herself between the two of them.
"No, she's right." Terri breathed, standing up from one of the ancient locker room benches. "I've been totally AWOL lately. I know people think I'm cracking under the pressure by dropping everything at once. But the truth is, it wasn't just the divorce... I just got some news…" She shrugged, not unlike the one she had given Scab earlier. "I'm just not who I thought I was."
"Well, that's just silly." Dana sighed, wrapping her arm around one of Terri's. "We know exactly who you are."
"That's right," Chelsea agreed, capturing her other arm. "You're Terri McGinnis, our best bitch."
"Friend," Dana corrected. "Our best friend."
Chelsea waved her off. "Now that we've agreed that Terri has been a shitty friend, let's high tail it out of here." she said, grabbing her bag.
"Here here!" Terri cheered.
Dana giggled. "Honestly, if the coach had us do one more lap, I'd be sprouting gills."
They all laughed as they made their way down the hall.
As they approached the front entrance, Chelsea turned to Dana. "Hey, you catching a ride with me today?" she motioned towards the car waiting at the curb, a personal driver behind the wheel.
"If you wouldn't mind."
Chelsea shrugged, "Of course not. What about you, Terri?"
Terri winced, "My dad –"
"Say no more," Chelsea waved it off, "Mr. McGinnis needs to chill." She moved to the car. Dana climbed in and Chelsea went to follow before pausing. "Hey, ya know, if you want to make your whole recent flakiness up to us, you could always join the old crew at the club tonight." Chelsea suggested.
Terri rolled her eyes, "My dad won't even let me go to a friend's house and you seriously think he's going let me go to Club 54?"
"Just think about it!" the blonde called back.
"Bye Terri!" Dana waved, as the door closed. "Hope you can make it tonight!"
Terri rolled her eyes at her friends' antics as the car peeled away.
As if her dad would let that –
"You're going out tonight?" a familiar voice cut her off.
She winced.
Nelson Nash.
Hamilton Hill High School's hockey and wrestling captain.
The heir of the Nash family fortune.
The school's most eligible bachelor.
A bully.
And her ex-boyfriend.
Terri could feel a migraine forming as she turned to meet him face to face. "Not anymore," she hissed, turning to try and cut around him.
However, his hand shot out and grabbed her arm – gently, but still firm – to hold her in place. "Ter, come on."
Nelson's little posse were starting to stare.
"Let go." Terri all but growled, glaring him down.
Nelson's grip loosened but he didn't release it completely. "Ter… I'm sorry… please can't we just talk?"
There was real emotion behind those words and Terri didn't doubt, for a second, that he regretted what happened.
But that still doesn't change that it happened.
"Yeah, McGinnis," the nasally voice of Bobbi Sommer interjected. She flounced over, her blonde hair bouncing with each step she took. Pausing a couple feet behind Nelson, she gave Terri a once over. "Can't you just get over it?"
"You know," Terri said, adopting a nonchalant tone of voice, "you two remind me of a Joker I saw this morning. Funny." She served Bobbi a cold look. "except he was prettier."
Bobbi's red painted lips curled into a scowl. "Listen here you dirty little bit–"
"Bobbi!" Nelson warned in a surprisingly firm voice as he shot her a look. However, the moment they turned back to Terri they softened. "Terri, I know what I did was out of line. A complete douchebag move." He said slowly, sliding his hands down her arm to meet her own. "But I can't help the fact that I still love you. And if I have to spend every day for the rest of our lives making that up to you. I. will."
He released her arm and stalked back to his team, a determined set in his gait.
Terri watched him go, her heart clenching painfully.
"I really have no idea what Nelson still sees in you."
Right. Bobbi Bitch was still there.
"Frankly Bobbi, I don't give a damn."
With that, Terri began the twenty-minute walk home, ignoring Bobbi's growl.
The McGinnis Residence – 4:36 PM
The house was quiet when Terri finally made it home. Complete and utter silence usually meant Warren was busy working.
The house was always quiet.
The 16-year-old dropped her bag on the living room sofa before making her way to the most used room in the house – Warren's office.
She opened the door and found him hunched over his personal computer, pages and pages of lined notebook paper spread out around him.
"Knock, knock." Terri called, miming the action.
"Teresa, I'm busy." He answered, not even bothering to look up.
Chewing her bottom lip, she figured she might as well try.
"I was wondering if I could go out tonight –"
"Grounded."
Terri nodded, "I know, but if we could just talk about it –"
"Grounded."
"But I didn't do anything wrong!" she fired back, frustration starting to settle into her voice.
She could practically feel him roll his eyes, which did nothing but fuel her anger. "Yes, I'm sure I'll hear all about it, when we meet with your counselor. Again."
That did it.
"Why don't you believe me?!" Terri cried, her eyes blurring from tears. "Mom would have heard me out!"
"Well, you're not living with your mom."
"Don't remind me!"
Warren shook his head, "You see that's your problem, right there." He pointed out, still calm, like she was nothing but a mild inconvenience – a fly buzzing in his ears. "You'd better learn to control that temper of yours if you expect to get anywhere in life."
"So I can be a big success, just like you?" she laughed, "look around Warren!" she twirled around. "You own a house that you barely live in, a bed you don't sleep in, and a daughter you don't even like. So, tell me," she breathed, her chest puffing erratically. "How is that the dream?"
Warren didn't answer. In fact, he didn't say anything.
"That's what I thought." Terri whispered, but she felt worst. "I'll be back before midnight. I'd tell you to not wait up, but that would imply you cared enough to."
The door slammed as she left.
It would be the last time she would ever see Warren McGinnis alive.
Club 52 – 8:43 PM
'I don't know why I expected anything different.' She sighed internally, her feet dragging on the curb. The bad days, like these, were becoming more common than not.
"Yo, McGinnis, is that you?"
Terri smiled at the large man in front of her. "Yeah, it's me Todd."
Level 52's bouncer grinned, "Long time no see. You doin' okay?"
"I'm getting there."
Todd had always kept a close eye on the younger crowd, made sure no one got into too much trouble.
"Hey! Terri!" a beaming Dana ran up to meet her, Chelsea trailing behind.
The blonde smirked, "I thought you were in solitary?"
Terri smiled back. "I gave myself time off for good behavior."
Dana laughed, "Well, I'm glad!"
"Come on girls!" Chelsea cheered, moving them forward. "let's head in!"
Todd nodded at them as they stepped inside.
She hadn't been able to enjoy herself for even a half an hour before trouble found her. Honestly, she should have seen this coming. After all, when it rained, it poured.
So, it would only make sense that one run in with her ex, just wouldn't be enough to satisfy whoever was keeping score on her karma card.
Terri was returning from the bar with drinks when she caught Nelson's eye across the dance floor.
She felt her heart pick up in anticipation as he began to make his way towards her.
Her mind was in overdrive, trying to think of an exit strategy. Maybe she could convince Chelsea to cause a diversion so she could sneak out the back. Or maybe she could –
BOOM!
Suddenly, the entire club erupted into chaos – people were screaming and running. Some were holding injured body parts as they fled from the source of the destruction.
But all Terri could think of was Chelsea and Dana. Numbingly, she found herself moving against traffic and towards the commotion.
Even above the noise, Terri could hear Nelson's outraged, "That's my car!"
'A car.' Terri thought blearily, 'some idiot ran a car into the club.'
That made sense.
As the dust cleared, a maniacal laugh ripped through the room. J-Man, the leader of the most prominent Jokerz gang in this part of the city, let his motorcycle engine roar.
"Evenin', boys and girls! Who's up for some laughs? You're not smiling." He lashed out, grabbing Dana's arm and pulling her onto the bike.
Terri's eyes widened.
"Knock it off!" Dana screamed, trying to pull her arms out of the Jokerz tight hold.
Terri could barely hear what was being said over the annoying ringing in her ears.
"Hey! Let her go!"
Honestly, she hadn't even recognized the sound of her own voice, only realizing she was the one who spoke when everyone turned towards her.
"Well, well, well…" J-Man drawled, dropping Dana's arm, "who do we have here?"
"Teresa McGinnis," a scratchy voice provided. Scab? When did he get here? "she's the girl I was telling you about."
"Ohhhh," J-Man's face brightened. His attention was now completely off of Dana, who began to edge her way back to Chelsea. Instead, the Jokerz gaze sat intensely on her. "I hear you kept Scab here from completing a business transaction this morning."
"I wouldn't call shaking down a scared lady a 'business transaction'."
J-Man tilted back his head and laughed. "Someone is feisty," he chuckled, walking forward. "I think you need to cheer up, sweetness."
He moved to grab her, but a fist came flying, slamming into the Jokerz's face.
"Hands off!"
A familiar flash of auburn hair came into view.
"Nelson?!" Terri gasped, trying to move out of the way of the scuffle, as the joker crashed to the ground. "What are you doing?!"
Nelson shook out his arm, "This piece of filth was going to touch you." he practically seethed, opening and closing his hand, as if to test it out.
"I was handling it!"
"Handling it?" he repeated, incredulously, his angry eyes turning towards her. He took in her disoriented appearance and laughed, "Oh, you call being groped by some low-life 'handling it'?!"
J-Man flipped himself back onto his feet, rubbing his jaw. "Ho oh oh, looks like Miss. Frigid isn't the only one in need of a good laugh." He clapped, his face brightening in twisted glee.
The arguing couple begrudgingly broke their glaring contest as the rest of the Jokerz who had, at this point, stayed in the background, began to move towards them, menacingly.
Terri bit back a curse word. 'Why isn't anyone doing anything? Where the hell is Todd? Where are the cops?!'
She took a step forward, intending to grab her idiot ex-boyfriend and make a run for it, when a hand reached out and pulled her backwards.
Terri reeled her arm back, ready to elbow whichever idiot thought it was a good idea to grab her but restrained herself when she realized she recognized this particular idiot.
"Garrison," She hissed, yanking her arm out of his grasp. "We need to go. Grab Nelson and let's get out –"
"Hey, Nash," Garrison called out, sidestepping in front of Terri. "You need a hand?"
The boy in question smirked over his shoulder, but never took his eyes of the Jokerz. "If you aren't doing anything else."
Terri wanted to bang her head against the wall.
Garrison shrugged, "Nah, I didn't have any other plans."
Correction, she wanted to bang their heads against the wall. Maybe that would knock some sense into them.
A few of the other guys, emboldened by Nelson and Garrison's show of 'heroism' (read: idiocy) moved forward from the crowd to join the two.
J-Man howled with laughter at the little display.
"It's fun time, boys!"
One of the Jokerz lurched forward, throwing themselves at Garrison and madness ensued.
Screams of terror echoed as bystanders tried to escape the rising chaos.
"Nash!" Terri roared, as she tried to shove her way through the crowd back to her – and she cannot stress this enough – idiot of an ex-boyfriend but found herself being swept away by the masses in the opposite direction.
Finally, someone bumped her from the side, allowing her to escape the current of people and she turned back to survey the damage.
The two sides continued to clash, reminding Terri vaguely of a scene from a musical they watched in her AP literature class last semester – only without the singing and snapping.
She barely cut off the giggle that threatened to break free at the thought of the Jokerz breaking out in song.
'Oh, lord, I might actually be concussed,' she thought airily, her shoulders still shaking from the ridiculousness of it all.
"You think something is funny, eh?" A rough hand clawed at her shoulder from behind, snapping her back to reality. "I'll give you something to laugh at."
Without thinking, Terri gripped their wrist tightly and took a step forward, pulling him with her. The joker let out a surprised yelp as his feet left the floor. In one fluid motion, Terri tucked her bottom into his hip, crouched, and flipped him forward.
He landed with a loud thud on the dance floor in front of her, wheezing as he struggled to regain his breath.
Terri was barely back on her feet before another joker was on her, swinging a – is that a mace?!
She didn't have time to roll her eyes, but she hoped her exasperation read just the same as she jumped to her right just in time to miss the spiked weapon heading for her head. Instead, it wrapped its way around the dance pole that stood behind her, throwing him forward. Taking the opportunity, Terri leapt forward, grasping the pole with both her hands and using the momentum to swing herself full circle, sending a sharp kick in to the guy's chest.
She landed, chest heaving as the guy flew back, sliding past an impressed looking Scab.
"Well, damn, McGinnis," Scab chuckled, casually stepping over his teammate, "I never knew you were a bonafide Lara Croft."
Terri ignored his dig choosing, instead, to survey the remaining pandemonium. Much to her relief, she found most of J-Man's crew was down for the count. And if the sight of a familiar red head of hair produced an audible sigh of relief? Well, she wouldn't dwell on it.
Returning her attention back to Scab, she leveled a glare on him. "The party is over, Scab."
He laughed, "Is it though?"
As if in reply to his question, the loud roaring of engines tore through the room. Terri didn't need to look back to know reinforcements had arrived.
And not for them.
Scab took small, but calculated steps forward, closing the distance between them. "Looks to me like the fun is just getting started." The clown continued on, until there were only a few inches separating the two. He leaned forward, crowding her into the wall as a dangerous grin formed on his face. "And I'd like you to be the guest of honor."
Despite herself, Terri felt a shiver of fear run down her spine at the thinly veiled threat.
Scab raised a hand, making as if to caress her cheek. But before he could, a rough force from behind wrenched him off her and Nelson's sweaty, worried, face took his place.
Despite the recent threat against her life, Terri felt her body relax slightly in his presence.
Nelson clenched his teeth at the sound of renewed laughter but never took his eyes off hers.
"We need to get out of here." He panted, grabbing her hand and pulling her forward, heading towards the exit.
"You say that now," Terri tried to dig her feet into the ground to slow them down, but the exhaustion was getting to her. "Nelson, there's no way everyone is going to be able to get out of here without some kind of distra –"
Nelson rounded on her, dropping her hand in the process, "I don't care about everyone else!" he screamed, the frustration poring off him. He gripped her shoulders, and for a moment Terri thought he was going to try and physically shake some sense into her; but he just held her there, instead. "I don't care about everyone…" he repeated, though softer this time – tired.
Terri understood where he was coming from. She did. What she was suggesting was utter madness. And yet…
"But that's just it, Nelson…" Terri whispered, eyeing J-man's fallen motorcycle that laid abandoned a few feet beside them, "I do."
As if reading her mind, Nelson dove forward to block her, but Terri was already gone, righting the motorcycle.
"Hey boys!" she called out, earning the attention she sought. She smirked as she gunned the engine. "Catch me if you can."
And she was off.
Outskirts of Gotham – 9:50 PM
Terri had lost most of the Jokerz with her stunt work off the overpass, but those idiots were harder to get rid of then she thought.
'Like chlamydia,' she smirked to herself as she turned the corner.
The woods on the outskirts of Gotham felt like the only part of the city that remained untouched by the passing of time. She wondered how the area had managed to remain untainted while the rest of Gotham was covered in grease and oil.
The roads, however, might have benefitted from some upkeep. They were unpaved and clearly seldom used. The uneven pathways were making it difficult to steer, and Terri had to tighten her hold in order to prevent falling off.
But she was managing.
Terri really thought she was going to be able to make a clean getaway.
What she wasn't expecting was a damn old man standing in the middle of her path.
She gasped and swerved instinctively. However, roads like that weren't made for swerving. The front tire caught on to an upturned rock and, in the cover of darkness, Terri was flung from the bike.
She slammed to the ground as the motorcycle crashed into a nearby tree.
"Ohlordughhhh…"
Terri groaned, her face in the dirt, and for a second – just a second – she thought about just staying there and letting the Jokerz catch up with her. At least she had gotten the Jokerz away from the club, right? She deserved a break.
But then she remembered the old man.
"Ughhhhhh!"
She rolled to her stomach and pushed herself off the ground, muttering angrily. "Stupid old man walking in the middle of the night. Who even does that?!"
She was able to straighten herself just in time to see the Jokerz roll up.
J-Man leaned forward on his bike, taking in her ruffled appearance. "Aw, the no-fun girl had an accident." He simpered, pouting with fake sympathy.
His gang erupted in laughter.
One of the men in the back pulled a switchblade out from his jacket pocket and eyed her. "Let's put a smile on her face."
They dismounted their bikes, and for the thousandth time that night, Terri felt her fear and the thrill of excitement mix.
A terrible combination to be sure.
She was busy deliberating her next move when an aged voice broke through the night.
"Leave her alone."
It was the old man.
"And get off my property. You're trespassing."
The stupid old man.
"Oh, is that right?" One of the Harley Quinn wannabes laughed.
J-Man turned to the older gentleman and Terri felt her stomach drop. "Hey," she called out, hoping to sound reassuring, whilst keeping the Jokerz attention. "It's okay. I'll handle this."
Unfortunately, J-Man saw a potential new playmate and he wouldn't be discouraged.
"Who do you think you're talkin' to, old man?" He laughed, stalking forward. He gripped the old man's jacket and pulled him forward roughly. "We're the Jokerz."
He should have stayed away. He should have run back to wherever the hell he came from the moment she almost ran him off the side of the road.
Staring down a gang of Jokerz, he should have been terrified.
But he wasn't.
He just smirked. "Sure you are."
Terri's eyes widened at the old man's nerve. 'Well, shit,' she mused, impressed.
However, judging by the animalistic growl that rumbled in J-Man's chest, he was decidedly not impressed.
The joker pulled back his fist, his intent all but palpable.
Fear seized Terri's body once more, but when the clown swung, the old man took a casual step back and the punch flew by him, missing it's target completely. Without waiting for his attacker to recover, the old man smashed his cane against the joker's ugly mug twice before upper-cutting him in the jaw.
J-Man went flying, landing in a heap by the rest of his gang. As the other Jokerz surrounded their leader in shock, Terri made her way over to the old man.
What happened next, Terri could only describe as something out of a movie.
The Jokerz moved to attack them.
Without a word, or even a shared glance, the two responded in sync. Leaping forward, side by side, the duo fought with a ferocity, the likes of which Gotham hadn't seen in many years. One by one, the clowns are picked off, either by Terri's fists or the old man's cane until they all laid defeated on the pavement in front of them, in varying levels of consciousness.
Even as Terri peered down at their handiwork firsthand, she couldn't believe it.
For the first time that night, the girl was at a loss for words.
Sure, a run in with the Jokerz was one thing, but stumbling upon some type of suit-wearing Mr. Miyagi?
Terri was so engrossed by her attempts to rationalize what the hell had just happened, that she didn't even notice when the Jokerz were finally able to pull themselves off the ground and make a run for it until the roaring engines of their motorcycles snapped her out of it.
Staring at their retreating forms, Terri waited until there was a comfortable distance between them before turning towards her unsuspecting hero.
The first thing that stood out to her, was how intimidating he was. For starters, he was tall. Even though he was clearly past his prime, he still stood at a daunting six feet in height. That coupled with his wide shoulders and slightly hunched forward posture, he reminded her of the gargoyles that guarded town hall.
With that being said, his most startling and enrapturing feature, were without a doubt, his eyes.
At first glance, they were a nice shade of steel blue – the kind that, at one point, probably received many compliments. But they had a hardness about them – a sadness too – that seemed to dull the original glamour.
This man had seen – and most likely lived through some terrible misfortune.
Hesitantly, Terri moved forward, "Hey," she called out, waving awkwardly.
His eyes turned to her, with one of the most disapproving glares she had ever seen (it would have put Warren's to shame, which was saying something considering he disapproved of everything she did) and she had to suppress the sudden urge to apologize.
She floundered in the uncomfortable silence until she couldn't take it anymore.
"Uh, you – you're something." She stammered, hoping to ease the tension. But to her dismay, this only seemed to make him angrier. His hand tightened on the hold of his cane as his lips pulled back into a grimace. "Um, well, I've never seen anyone who could –"
The cane fell from the old man's grasp, interrupting the young girl with a startling clatter.
He stumbled forward, catching himself on a nearby tree. His breathing was short and heavy as his right hand moved to clutch the fabric over his heart.
In that moment, all of Terri's apprehension vanished.
She was at his side not a second later, pulling his left arm over her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"My medicine," he grunted. With great effort, he pointed up a near pathway that diverted from the main road. "At the house."
Once again, Terri was in shock. At the top of the hill sat a freaking mansion.
The realization was sudden. 'Tuxedo Miyagi is Bruce Wayne.'
Despite the surprising revelation, she shook herself lightly; she didn't have time to get distracted.
Slowly and with great care, Terri moved forward with the old man at her side. They had barely made it halfway up the obnoxiously long driveway when a ferocious barking startled them both and a black figure jumped out in front of them.
It was the largest dog Terri had ever seen.
The beast's appearance seemed to comfort the old man, but Terri couldn't find it inside of her to share his ease.
Bruce held out a shaking hand, "Down, Ace!" his voice, even in pain, demanded obedience. "She's okay."
The dog – named Ace apparently – backed down immediately.
Terri didn't speak dog, but she got the distinct impression that Ace was disappointed that he didn't get to tear his teeth into someone.
"Nice dog," she muttered wearily, keeping an eye on the pooch as they resumed their climb.
The old man 'hned'. "Not really."
Wayne Manor – 10:24 PM
Everyone with half a brain knew about the Waynes. They were practically Gotham royalty – having built this city from the ground up – and they lived like royalty. Old grandma McGinnis still crooned on about the old Wayne galas. How extravagant and exclusive they used to be.
But they were also, to their bones, good people. Which is not something many people, in Gotham city, let alone the world, could claim. Martha and Thomas gave every bit of themselves to the city they loved.
Including their lives.
They left behind only one heir – their son, Bruce.
Bruce, who people insisted was good and kind – a man who adopted several children and funded dozens of charities – and yet would trash hotel rooms with the models he had taken home from a party.
And yet, Wayne Manor was nothing like Terri expected it to be. For a billionaire playboy's home, it was a lot less Great Gatsby and a lot more Beauty and the Beast. It was massive and sad.
A thick layer of dust covered most of the furniture like a weighted blanket. Drapes covered all the windows, keeping the house shrouded in another layer of darkness.
The silence was deafening, and Terri felt pity swell in her gut.
He was alone.
Then she passed a large picture, framed in gold on her way back with his meds. She laid eyes on the 5 men in the photo and her pity turned to anger. He had children – heaps of them. Where the hell were, they?!
Their father could have died tonight and none of them would even know.
For the life of her, Terri couldn't understand why a man who had all that money would want to stay in such a lonely and cold place. She couldn't understand why anyone would let him.
Terri returned to the large dining room where Mr. Wayne had insisted, he wait for her.
She held out the water and pill bottle he had requested. "Here you go." She gently placed them in his waiting hands. "The pills were right where you said." She waited for him to finish taking them and then accepted the glass back.
Terri turned around to rest the glass on the long, but clearly unused dining room table. She paused, her mind flashing back to the picture.
She bit her lip, "Hey, Mr. Wayne, do you want me to call someone?"
Silence was her only reply.
"Mr. Wayne," Terri repeated, spinning back around to find him sleeping soundly in his chair. "Okay, well, I guess you're going to rest now." She sighed, "That's fine, Warren is probably waiting to yell at me anyway. I'll just let myself out."
Terri was halfway out of the room before taking one last look at the resting old man.
"I really hope you feel better, Mr. Wayne." She whispered, shoving her hands into her pockets, "and thank you."
This time Terri had made it all the way to the front door before pausing.
She didn't have a ride home.
Terri cursed. "I'm going to have to call my mom." She whined, her hand going to her forehead. "how am I even going to explain this? Ugh, whatever." She took in the spacious foyer, thoughtfully, "there has to be a phone in at least one of these rooms."
She pulled the first set of doors open and her eyes widened at the sight. It was a library with books practically covering every surface – save for a large grandfather clock that stood at the far end of the room.
Well, that settled it: definitely Beauty and the Beast.
She perused through the shelves, gingerly thumbing the myriad of texts as she wandered by. Airily, she wondered if there was any rhyme or reason for the way the room was catalogued. Poetry, history, chemistry, fiction… they all sat haphazardly arranged on the dusty mahogany in front of her, paying no attention to author or genre.
It was a magnificent display and yet Terri couldn't help but feel the sadness from earlier curdle in her chest. It must have taken decades to build such a marvelous collection. All that hard work and this is what it amounted to – treasured analogs locked away with nobody to enjoy them.
Shaking her head, she continued her self-guided tour.
Fortunately, her snooping paid off when she finally spotted a landline that had been hidden under a stack of motorcycle magazines.
If Terri wasn't in such a rush, she might have wondered what Mr. Wayne was doing with such recent issues of MotorHead Monthly. Unfortunately, the 16-year-old was too busy attempting to come up with a believable story to tell her mom to wonder about such things.
"You can do this…" Terri muttered to herself, snatching the phone off the display.
She had the reviver halfway to her ear when she first heard it – a panicked screech.
She froze. 'What in the world was –'
SCREECH
She debated just ignoring it, but like earlier that night, Terri couldn't find it in her to leave someone – or something – in distress. Sighing softly, the teen gently placed the phone back down, once again finding herself scanning the room.
The screeching went off a few more times before Terri found herself in front of the aforementioned grandfather clock that was nestled between two of the massive mahogany bookcases. There, locked behind the confines of the intricately etched glass casing was a familiar fuzzy winged creature.
"A bat?"
The tiny creature let out another screech.
Dumbfounded, Terri moved closer, "Okay, little guy, I'll get you out of there." She whispered, trying to sound reassuring as she pulled open the hatch. "Just don't bite me."
Despite being taller than most of the girls in her grade, Terri still found herself on her tippy toes trying to reach the clasp on the side of the clock's face.
"Come on…" She grunted, stretching a little bit further, "Almost got it… just a little bit more… Yes!"
The metal bolt unfastened, but instead of flipping outwards like she had expected, the entire clock began to slide.
Terri could only watch, gob smacked, as the clock slid to reveal a hidden set of stairs.
The rational part of her brain screamed at her to hightail it out the front door – ride be damned. However, as Warren could attest, she had a long history of not heeding its warnings as much as she probably should.
So, the 16-year-old didn't find it too shocking when she felt her body move forward into the darkness.
She moved slowly down the steps, careful not to lose her footing – as if that would save her if something dangerous was there to greet her at the end. Halfway through her descent, Terri began to wonder if this was really such a good idea. Scratch that, she knew it wasn't. After all, curiosity killed the cat, and all that.
Maybe it was time she started listening to that pesky voice inside her head.
But then the walls lit up.
Terri didn't even try to restrain the strangled gasp that forced its way through her lips.
She tried to take it all in at once – the cars, the computer, the freaking giant penny – but it was overwhelming. With every step she took, a new treasure unearthed itself for her to gawk at – there was a life-sized T-Rex for goodness' sake.
Terri doubted there was anything that could compare. Like a flower pressed safely within the pages of a favorite book, the cave retained its glory in a way the Flash Museum could never hope to replicate.
The cave – she was in the flipping Batcave…
Never, in her entire life, would Terri have ever believed something like this could be hidden under Wayne Manor. Because if this was here then… Bruce Wayne…
Terri stared up at the display of familiar costumes. "No wonder he could fight." She muttered under her breath.
"You…"
Without warning, a pain erupts in the back of her head and she's on the ground before she even knows what's happening.
The enraged face of Mr. Wayne greets her.
His cane, which she quickly realizes is responsible for the growing bump on her head, is pointed threateningly at her chest.
"Get out!"
She's up and back up the stairs before he had another chance to hit her. The minute she clears the front door the demon dog is on her, snarling.
"All right, I'm going!" she growled back, indignantly, as he chased her down the driveway.
He all but pushed her over the property line and that was it. The gates closed swiftly behind her and Terri was alone.
"I didn't even do anything…" she sighed, turning to the ancient call bell that was built into one of the brick pillars that held the enormous gate.
Muttering a quick prayer, Terri pressed the button down. Choppy static erupted over the line, but static at least meant that it worked, right?
"Mr. Wayne, I don't have a way home."
Nothing.
"Sir, please, I just want to call my mom. I won't tell anyone."
Silence.
She sighed in defeat.
It was chilly and dark, but the only option left was to walk.
Dejectedly, the girl shot the manor one last look over her shoulder before starting her long journey home.
Interlude I: Warren McGinnis
The McGinnis Residence – 11:22 PM
Warren McGinnis was not someone who let his heart rule his actions. In fact, most of the time, he was brutally apathetic.
Despite that, and what others may think, he did care for Mary – in his own way.
He had never wanted kids.
The girl was a compromise he made in an attempt keep Mary happy. With him so busy with work, his wife began to long for the family she had always dreamed of. Mary knew he had never wanted children, but against his better judgement, he relented.
For a while, the child did exactly what it was supposed to do – ensure his wife was occupied and amused. But then, his wife began to demand that he spend time with the little thing. She argued that the child needed both of them, but Warren wasn't interested.
That's when the arguing started.
As she got older, the girl tried tirelessly to impress him. And while Mary liked to accuse him of being blind, even he couldn't ignore the child completely. If he was being honest, Warren only resented the girl more for it.
The arguing continued to escalate.
He had never wanted children.
Perhaps, if he was capable of giving the child the validation that she craved, he would have offered it. But he wasn't.
And if the girl had been a compromise, then the boy that came after was a mistake – one, that should never have been possible.
He mentioned that once, in the midst of one of their screaming matches. That was a misstep, he would realize later. After all, it cost him his marriage.
The divorce, itself, was messy.
He had never wanted children.
And yet, he found himself demanding custody of the girl.
He couldn't fathom why he did it. Perhaps, he was angrier at Mary than he had previously thought.
He found the 'why' was of little importance in the end.
He got what he wanted. That's what mattered.
As for the girl – his handling of her did not improve, and without Mary there to satisfy her need for attention, he found himself becoming increasingly frustrated.
He had never wanted children.
He snapped.
It was sudden and his words were harsh. He said things he should not have.
Another misstep on his part.
The girl only got worst after that, causing him endless amounts of trouble.
She yelled and screamed, fought back in ways she never had before. Perhaps, she had finally come to the conclusion he had always desired for her to make – that he would never be the man she wanted him to be.
He found himself staying at the office later and later.
There was no correlation.
She was simply a compromise.
He had never wanted children.
And yet, Warren couldn't help but be glad Teresa wasn't there that night.
BANG!
The McGinnis Residence – 12:49 AM
Despite the fact that Terri had eventually managed to catch a ride on a bus, it was still close to one in the morning when she finally pulled up to Warren's.
She was expecting angry faces and furious shouting when she opened the door. Nothing in her life could have prepared her for what waited for her instead.
"WARREN!"
Even with everything that Warren McGinnis had put her through, he was still her father.
"McGinnis leaves behind two children, seeing here with his former wife, Mary. Among the mourners was McGinnises employer, Derek Powers."
To Terri, the days leading up to the funeral felt like time had stopped for only her. Other people were moving and milling about as they normally would to prepare for the service, but she felt stagnant – frozen in place. Terri once read that everyone manages their grief differently. The only issue is that the 16-year-old wasn't feeling grief. In fact, she wasn't feeling much of anything other than guilt and anger, a historically bad mix.
"I pledge to use whatever influence I have, to see, that these creatures pay for their horrible act."
A robbery.
It was her fault.
Years and years spent trying to make that man happy and a few months of rebelling got him killed. But, as the early haze of emotions began to ebb, Terri realized there were things that didn't quite add up. In all her life, Terri had never known the man to open the door without checking the cameras first – Warren was not someone who liked idle chit chat.
The police thought he was waiting up for her – Terri had to resist rolling her eyes.
Moreover, how would the Jokerz have been able to regroup and do the deed all before Terri made it back? None of it made sense.
Her anger got worst.
She was angry at the cops; the Jokerz; Warren. She wanted to scream and to tell those stupid news stories who called Warren a hero and loving father to shut the hell up. She wanted to track down Scab and beat him until he told her the truth.
But she was with her mom now – sweet, caring, loving Mary. She didn't need or deserve the cold shoulder her daughter was giving her. Nor would she appreciate Terri purposefully breaking the law.
Instead, Terri decided to focus her anger in a more refined manor: viciously destroying Warren's things.
The police had dropped over boxes and boxes of his belongings after being cleared by evidence. Mary had said she would handle it, but days later, they still sat there in the hallway, gathering dust. So, Terri decided to make use of it.
So, there she was, in the middle of the basketball court at Halloway Park, with a lighter and a whole lot of anger.
Plucking one of the golden trophies out of the boxes, Terri reared her hand back, ready to shuck it onto the pavement, when something clanked to the ground.
That's how she found the CD.
Of course, Warren would be pretentious enough to foresee his own death. She shouldn't have expected anything different. If nothing, that man was always prepared.
Scrolling through the files, Terri realized two things. The first being that she was right. Whatever happened that night, was no accident; and secondly, she absolutely no clue what anything on the document was talking about.
But she knew who would.
So, Terri grabbed her phone and shot a text to the only person that would help her, no questions asked and was out the door.
After all, Warren might have been might have been the most unapologetic asshole on the planet, but he was still… her father.
Outskirts of Gotham City – 10:32 PM
So that was how Terri found herself seated in Nelson Nash's sports car, speeding down the highway outside of Gotham City. She was determined to ignore the concerned glances shot her way. She just needed a ride not small talk, so she kept her steely eyes on the road.
They were about 5 minutes out, when Nelson finally caved.
"Terri," He sighed, anxiously beating his thumbs on the steering wheel. "When you said you needed me for something, this wasn't what I was expecting."
"What?" Terri snapped, "Did you think I wanted to talk?" scoffing, she scooted closer to the door, resting her face on the cold windowpane. Her voice was still hard when she continued, but not as accusing. "where we'd have some kind of heart-to-heart? Want me to cry and admit I miss him?"
"Of course not." Nelson's reply came just as fast as hers and with equal feeling. "That man…" he drawled, anger in his voice, "that man doesn't deserve your tears after everything he's put you through. Still…" He reached across the dash and shifted gears. Immediately the car slowed to a complete stop.
"Nelson?!" Terri screeched as the belt lock engaged to keep her from falling forward. "What the hell?!"
To his credit, Nelson managed to remain calm, even in the face of her anger. Coolly, he shifted in his seat so that they were facing each other.
"Terri, he died."
"Are you an idiot?" Terri laughed, but it was cold, devoid of humor. "Don't you think I know that?! I don't want to play whatever game this is, just go."
Her arm shot out in attempt to shift the gears herself, but Nelson's hand caught hers. His grip was tight but careful not to hurt her.
"Terri." His tone was stern, even as he gently pulled her chin up so he could look her in the eye. "Most of the time Warren was awful and unforgiving. He never showed up to any of your shows or competitions. He put you down constantly. He didn't appreciate or deserve the amazing and loving daughter that he had."
Terri felt tears prickle in her eyes. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because." He sighed, wiping the tears from her cheek, "Because, despite all of that, he was still your Warren. You loved him even when he didn't deserve it and he's gone."
There was a moment of silence, as the significance of Nelson's words settled in, before Terri let loose a deafening sob.
"I'm so pathetic," she wept, the tears now flowing freely down her cheeks. "He didn't even love me back."
"Hey now," Nelson whispered, pulling her forward into a crushing hug. "You are not pathetic. In fact, you are the strongest person I know."
Terri aggressively brushed the remaining tears from her eyes. "I have to do this."
Nelson nodded, pulling away and turned back to the wheel. "Then let's finish this little road trip."
The rest of the drive flew by and before Terri knew it, they were pulling up in front of Wayne Manor.
Terri outstretched her hand for the door handle before hesitating. "Nelson," she breathed, refusing to turn in his direction, "thank you for everything."
"I know things are… bad between us at the moment, but I'll always be there for you. Even if that's just as a friend."
Nelson knew Terri's small smile was the only acknowledgement he was going to get. She'd had enough of emotions for one night. She climbed out of the car and he waited until she was safely at the gate before peeling off.
Wayne Manor – 10:45 PM
"Mr. Wayne! I need to speak with you! Come on, I know you're in there! Listen to me, something stinks in your family's company. I think it cost War- my father his life." She pulled out the CD from insider her jacket and held it up to the camera. "The answers are on this! I'd take it to the cops, but you know how cosey they are with Powers! How about you taking a look?"
If Terri was being honest with herself, she hadn't really put much thought into 'how' exactly she was going to convince Mr. Wayne to help her. She had hoped hearing how criminal activity was besmudging his beloved parents' company would be enough to garner some type of reaction. However, it would appear she was wrong. Clearly, she had overestimated him.
"Yeah!" she yelled, kicking the gate, "Why should someone like care about the life of one measly programmer." She scoffed, "I just thought Batman would have. Too bad he's not here."
Once again, she was met with silence.
"Guess I'm done here." Terri muttered. Sighing, she stuffed her hands into her pockets. 'Guess it's time to call Nelson and tell him to come back.'
Maybe the GCPD would surprise her and take her allegations seriously.
She was halfway back to the main road when the familiar sound of old metal hit her ears. Turning back, Terri's eyes widened when she found the gate completely open. For the first time in a while, Terri felt completely sure of herself as she entered Wayne Manor.