Meeting a Legend
Barbara stared at the masked hero as he crouched on top of the street light in the parking lot. He just came up out of nowhere and said that he just wants 'to talk.'
"After all this time of my officers chasing you, you just come down here just like that?" Barbara asked.
"Well, that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about." Spider-Man said as he rubbed the back of his head. "I just wanted you stop sending your cops to arrest me."
"They were never going to arrest you." Barbara clarified.
"Wait, what?" Spider-Man questioned.
"Think about it. Every time you were confronted by the police, all they said was that they wanted you to stop and stay where you are. They were trying to get you to stay put, just so we could talk to you." Barbara explained before sighing. "Granted we could have done it in a calmly manner, but you are a hard guy to find unless there's trouble."
"So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Spider-Man asked.
"I'll get straight to the point. I want you to hang up the mask and stop this vigilante routine you got going on." Barbara said firmly.
"Sorry, that's not going to happen." Spider-Man said immediately.
"Listen kid, you have no idea what this kind of life will bring. Let me tell you right now, it will destroy you." Barbara said while narrowing her eyes.
"It's better than letting this city and its people suffer." Spider-Man said.
"If you feel that strongly about it, then let the police handle it. We're qualified to handle these situations while I can tell you're still just a kid in a costume." Barbara argued.
"Maybe, but this is still something that I want, and have to do." Spider-Man said.
"Why do this? This life you're trying to live will only bring you trouble and pain if you're not too careful." Barbara said. 'Just like it did to me.'
Spider-Man didn't speak for a moment as he pondered his next response. He then began to speak as he recalled the words of his grandpa. "Because with great power, there must also come great responsibility. I have these powers, so it's my responsibility to use them to help people."
Barbara didn't say anything at that, I mean how could she. She didn't think that this kid in a costume would be that mature about the powers he had. From what she remembered back in the days fold Gotham, most people went crazy when they gained different abilities or means to hurt people.
This young man right here was given these amazing gifts and instead of using them for his own personal glory, he believed it was his duty to use me to protect this city.
For one split second, she almost saw a little bit of Bruce in him back in the day.
Spider-Man stood back up on the street light and was about to launch a web line before addressing the police commissioner again. "You know, I've done a lot of research on the old police force. Your dad, the first Commissioner Gordon, he had a solid partnership with the Batman decades ago. I hope one day we can come to an understanding like that as well."
"Those days are long gone, kid." Barbara said simply.
"That's exactly my point. This city needs help, and if Batman isn't going to do it, then someone has to step up." Spider-Man said before launching a web line and swinging away.
Barbara watched him swing away before he disappeared into the night. She sighed in resignation as she figured that not even a simple talk would get him to stop. But the question in her mind wouldn't stop nagging at her. Should he stop?
She wasn't blind, she knew that this city has been suffering with all the recent gang activities and now the new 'enhanced' criminals plaguing this city. She never said it out loud, but Spider-Man has done some major good for this city. She just believed that after her days of dawning a cape and mask, it might be better to use her skills officially instead of hiding in the shadows.
But those methods were more effective for a reason. Now she finds herself in a role reversal.
'I wish you were here dad, you would know what to do. I'm just not use to being on this side of the board.' Barbara thought before getting in her car and driving home.
/
It was the following morning and Terry was just taking an elevator with several people seated around as he was on his way to school. He was still pretty shaken up about what happened last night, but it was nothing he hasn't seen before ever since his encounter with that Shocker guy.
'It's a good thing Spider-Man showed up, as always.' Terry thought as he truly believes that the masked hero was doing some real good for this city.
Speak of the devil, the T.V. screen in the elevator started showing images of the super powered fiasco from last night.
"And in other news, the young man who was identified as Max Dillon, or as he so loudly calls himself 'Electro,' has been taken in to custody in order to see if there is a treatment for his condition." The male news anchor said before it changed to the female anchor.
"That's right, Tom. Once again, another disaster was avoided by the new vigilante in town known as Spider-Man. Gotham barely has anything to be thankful for now a days, but I can safely say that it is definitely thankful for having our own little web-guardian looking out for us." The female news anchor said.
Terry continued watching the news before the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Terry looked to see that a single person entered, and it was the bad kind of person.
It was obviously a member of the Jokerz, given that he was wearing a clown costume and had white paint all over his face. The only thing that made him stand out was that he had a spiked boxing glove in one of his hands. He walked into the elevator and stood in front of the T.V., his smile turning into a frown as it showed pictures of Spider-Man.
"Some speculate that he might be the result of a mad science experiment, or maybe he is an alien refugee like Superman, or perhaps simple freak of nature. Whatever the reasons for his powers, the majority of Gotham have taken upon themselves in calling him a hero." The female news anchor finished.
"Yeah, well here's what I think of your 'hero.'" The Joker said in contempt before taking out a paint spray can from his pocket. He then began spraying green paint on the screen, which he drew a bad representation of the hero's spider symbol then a big 'X' over it, followed writing the phrase 'Spider-Man sucks' beneath it. Smiling at his handiwork he turned around and gave a mock bow to the scared civilians. "Thank you, thank you."
The Joker smiled sinisterly as he spotted a nervous woman in blue, so he sat next to her with a big grin still on his face. "I saw you laughing, yes I did. Now gimme." The Joker said to the woman as he held put his hand, as if expecting to be given something.
"What do you want?" The woman asked nervously.
"Your money of course. I give you a funny, and you give me the money. Now pay up." The Joker said.
Terry wasn't liking where this was going. He narrowed his eyes at this and made his way up to the Joker.
"I didn't buy anything." The women said as she was getting even more nervous.
"Aw, you're shy. I guess I'll just help myself. Haha!" The joker said as he snatched the woman's purse before standing up and laughing.
"Back off, clown!" Terry said as he pushed the Joker face first right into the T.V. screen, causing it to crack.
The joker got up and narrowed his eyes at Terry, but still kept his large smile. "Oh, big man trying to be a hero. You want to be like that loser Spider-Man?" The Joker mocked.
The Joker meant to punch Terry with his spiked boxing glove, but Terry dodged it while delivering a counter punch, sending him crashing right back into the T.V. screen.
"That does it!" The Joker said angrily.
The clown began to make some outrageous Kung-Fu moves and some weird sound effects. Terry readied his fists as he believed that this clown was actually about to fight back. The door in the elevator opened up and the clown blew a raspberry and was about to make his way out.
His efforts were halted when a web line launch from out the door and attached itself to the chest of the Joker.
"What the?" The Joker muttered in confusion.
He was soon yanked out of the elevator and brought outside, then was crashed right into a wall. Everyone, from the civilians in and out of the elevator, to Terry, were confused on what just happened. The answer came when everyone looked up and saw Spider-Man hanging from the ceiling.
"Now, now, people are already nervous around elevators already. Let's not give them another reason." Spider-Man said as he jumped down to the floor as the Joker got back up and glared at the hero.
"Why don't you buzz off, Spider-Man!" The Joker snarled.
"Come on, you should know a spider doesn't have wings to buzz. I know you Jokerz are clowns, but come on are you really that stupid?" Spider-Man mocked.
The Joker growled in anger as he tried to punch the hero with his boxing glove, but unlike Terry who dodged it, Spider-Man simply caught it in his hands. The Joker tried to pull back, but Spider-Man just held on.
Spider-Man simply looked at the glove before glancing back at the Joker. "Come on, a boxing glove? Can't you guys come up with anything original?"
Spider-Man punched the clown so hard he crashed right into the wall, and for good measure, sprayed him with some webs so he wouldn't run away from the cops. He picked up the woman's purse he took and returned to the woman who stood outside watching in awe.
"I believe you dropped this, ma'am." Spider-Man said kindly as he handed the woman back her purse.
"Thank you, Spider-Man." The woman said gratefully.
"No problem." Spider-Man said. He then turned to the rest of the civilians as he gave two-fingered salute to them and swung away.
Terry watched all this and had a smile on his face. 'Good one on you, Spider-Man.' Terry thought before turning to the pinned down joker and frowning. 'Wish I can make a difference like that.'
/
Nick put all his stuff back into his locker as school was almost done for the day. He was supposed to meet up with Terry, but he was running a little late, which confused him. Usually, it was Nick that would be the one late, so he was wondering what was taking him so long.
Nick soon spotted Dana and Chelsea exiting the building that held the indoor pool. "Hey, you two." Nick greeted as he walked up to them.
"Hey, Nick." Dana greeted back.
"Just got done with class?" Chelsea asked.
"Yeah, by the way, have you two seen Terry anywhere?" Nick asked.
"I thought he was with you?" Dana questioned.
"We were supposed to meet up after class, but I haven't seen him." Nick answered.
"Nelson! Nelson! Nelson!"
All three of them heard the cheering coming from the wrestling arena near them, so they decided to check it out.
"Sounds like Nelson and his male cheer squad is at it again." Nick said as they entered the building.
"I wonder who the unlucky guy is this time?" Dana said as they stood on the side behind the barricade where they could watch the match.
When they saw the arena, they saw Nelson dealing a grappling hold to his opponent. When they managed to get a good look at the mysterious fighter, they were mildly shocked to see who it was.
"Terry?" Dana said in surprise.
"Oh, why am I not surprised." Nick groaned with a face palm.
"My money's on Nelson." Chelsea said.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Dana said, having faith in her boyfriend.
"You've never wrestled with him." Chelsea said with a smirk.
Nick held up a finger and was about to say something, but then he just put it down. "You know, I was going to make a joke, but you ladies are present and I want to be gentleman."
They continued watching the match between Terry and Nelson and they could tell they were talking about something, but they couldn't hear what they were saying. Nick was able to see that Nelson then spit in Terry's face and knew that this was going to escalate.
He was right as Terry got out of the grappling hold and punched Nelson right in the face. This caused Nelson to tackle Terry to the ground and a full-on fight broke out.
"Oh no, not again." Dana groaned as she and Nick face palmed.
"This was inevitable." Nick said.
The coach came in and separated the two of them, before turning an angry look towards Terry. "That's it, McGinnis! Get your clothes, and get out of here!"
"But he just-" Terry tried to argue.
"But nothing, I saw you throw the first punch!" Coach yelled.
Terry sighed in resignation and made his way out, but not before giving a stink eye towards Nelson who held a smug smirk of his own.
Nick shook his head as he witnessed this. 'Nelson may be a complete jerk, but Terry needs to be careful. One of these days that temper of his is going to get him in trouble.'
/
Warren stood on the terrace of the WaynePowers building. He was meeting one of his co-workers and his good friend Harry here, saying that he wanted to meet with him. Harry didn't say what it was about, but he sounded urgent.
Warren sighed as this day was starting to become anything but a normal day. It was bad enough that he didn't know what this was about, but he also received a call that Terry got into another fight. When he got home, Warren was going to give that boy a stern talking to, after he grounded him.
"Warren."
Warren looked behind him to see his friend Harry walking up to him. The problem was that he was looked to be sweating bullets and was looking extremely nervous.
"Harry? You look slagged." Warren said in concern.
"Never mind that now, just take this." Harry said as he handed Warren a small disc.
Warren took the disc, but noticed beneath Harry's sleeve that his skin seemed to have black rash spots and his fingernails seemed to be turning to a dull grey color.
"What's wrong with your hand?" Warren questioned.
"It's nothing." Harry said defensively before looking at Warren in sadness. "Listen to me Warren, if anything should happen to me..."
"There you are, Mr. Tully." The two of them turned around and saw Powers' right hand, as well as head of security, Mr. Fixx standing there with two armed security guards. "You're late with your meeting with Mr. Powers."
Harry's face became absolutely terrified as he tried to run away. The two armed guards managed to intercept him and tackled him to the ground. Warren tried to step forward, but Fixx held him back but the shoulder.
"Stop! Let me go!" Harry exclaimed as he tried to get away.
One of the armed guards pulled out a syringe and injected whatever was in it into Harry, which knocked him out within seconds. Warren then stepped forward to check on him, but paused when he saw the same black rash spots on Harry's back.
"What's wrong with him?" Warren questioned.
Fixx didn't say anything as he walked away and security carried Harry off to who knows where. Warren couldn't do anything as he watched them take his friend. He cast a glance over at the disc in his hand. What was on this disc that scared Harry so much he wanted to keep it secret.
/
Warren tried to mask his nervousness as he sat in his boss' office. Powers called him up just as soon as he was about to head home. He said that he wanted to discuss what happened with Harry not that long ago.
"I asked you here, Warren, to clear up any misconceptions you might have gained from the incident with Mr. Tully." Powers said as he sat in front of his desk while Warren sat in the chair. "Harry suffered an allergic reaction to a chemical compound in the lab. Shook him up a bit, but he's under the best of care." Powers explained.
"That's great, when can I see him?" Warren asked.
"Monday morning, first thing." Powers said.
"That's great. Thank you, Mr. Powers." Warren said as he got up and was about to head out.
"Oh, Warren." Powers said as he stopped his employee. "Apparently there's a file missing from Mr. Tully's database. Would you happen to know where it is?"
"...No, I'm sorry I don't." Warren said.
Powers didn't say anything at first, but then smiled. "Right, of course not."
With nothing left to say, Warren exited the office and made his way down the elevator. Powers watched him go before he lost his smile and turned towards Mr. Fixx, who was standing in the office off to the side.
Powers nodded his head without saying anything, and Fixx left the office as well.
/
"I can't believe you dragged me into this again." Nick grumbled as he was standing in line with Dana at this club she invited him to.
"Come on, I know things didn't work out like last time, but maybe this will turn out alright." Dana said before she smirked at him. "Who knows, maybe you'll see that girl again. What was her name again?"
"Melanie." Nick said with a small blush on his face. "And I doubt I'm that lucky."
"You never know." Dana said with a chuckle before frowning in slight sadness. "It's too bad Terry got grounded. I would have invited him if not for that fight he had with Nelson."
"Who said I couldn't come?" Terry questioned as he came up from behind.
"Hey!" Dana said cheerfully while Nick raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were in solitary?"
"I gave myself some time off for good behavior." Terry said.
"You got into another fight with your dad, didn't you." Nick stated rather than asked.
Terry was about to answer, but stopped when everyone heard the roar of an engine heading their way. They all looked and saw a nice looking red car parking right along the side. The door to the driver's seat opened up and Nelson stepped out.
Terry saw him and narrowed his eyes in anger. He was about to make his way towards the jock before Dana and Nick held him back.
"Whoa, easy there tough guy." Dana said as she held him back by the arm.
"Yeah, just be the better man and don't engage." Nick said.
Pretty soon the sounds of even more revved up engines were heard in the distance, and they were coming even closer. Pretty soon, an entire biker gang of Jokerz came rolling in.
'Great, I must be cursed for trying to have one night of fun.' Nick groaned in his head.
A joker in a purple coat with green hair, and riding a pink motorcycle came to a stop in front of them. "Evening, boys and girls! Who's up for some laughs!"
The rest of the Jokerz laughed like maniacs as they rode around, leaving skid marks, and one of them even rode their bike on top of Nelson's car. He started jumping on it, leaving dents on the red car.
"Hey!" Nelson shouted in anger as he was about to charge in.
A female Joker in a pink and polka dot dress rode up and smacked him with a rubber chicken with spikes. "You're not smiling!"
"Knock it off!" Nelson exclaimed.
"I would if you hold still." The female Joker said as she rode up to him again and knocked him down on the ground with her chicken weapon.
The lead Joker rode up close to Nick and his friends and actually snatched up Dana in his arms.
"Let me go!" Dana exclaimed as she tried to get out of the Joker's grip.
"Awe, don't be shy. Tickle, tickle, tickle." The Joker said as he tickled her sides, causing her to laugh.
Terry came up as soon as the Joker stopped driving and yanked him off. "Hands off!"
The other Jokerz didn't take too kindly to their boss getting hurt, so they were about to charge right at him.
Nick saw this and didn't know what to do. He looked around and he couldn't just slip out of there, seeing as how there were too many witnesses that were watching this.
Nick looked around and saw that he was standing next to a trash can. He kicked it down and rolled it in the path of one of the Jokerz, causing him to crash into it and let go of the bike and onto the ground.
The Jokerz saw this and turned their glares onto him as well. Nick saw this and started to sweat nervously. 'Uh oh.' Nick thought.
"So, these two want to play the heroes, huh? Well then let's waste 'em." One of the Jokerz said as they both drove up in a charge.
Terry saw one heading right towards him so he ran up to a street light pole and grabbed on to it with both hands. He used his momentum to swing around and kick the Joker right off his bike.
Nick saw one that was heading right for him and he tried to think of what to do. He looked down and saw a steel pipe on the ground and idea popped in his head as he picked it up. The Joker rode up closer and was about to ram him, but Nick used his quick thinking to side step the bike and in one quick movement, plunge the pole right into the wheels of the bike, causing it to crash.
Nelson saw all this as he got back up. "I knew those two were freaks."
"Look!" Chelsea exclaimed as she pointed down the street.
Nick looked to where she was pointing and he started to get nervous. 'Oh, well isn't that just perfect.' Nathan thought sarcastically.
Apparently these Jokerz had a lot of friends and they were riding their bikes right towards them. Of course, Nick could take them, but doing so would risk exposing his identity as Spider-Man. Plus, he didn't want to risk the lives of all these people if there was a fight.
"Get out of here!" Dana exclaimed as she used her boyfriend away.
Terry went to a downed Joker bike and put a helmet on. "Nick, hop on!" Terry yelled as he hopped on the bike.
"Don't have to tell me twice!" Nick exclaimed as he picked up a helmet off the ground and hopped the bike with Terry. They both drove off as soon as the downed Jokerz just got back up.
"Let's get those twips!" The lead Joker exclaimed as he hopped on the bike of the bike with the female Joker and all of them drove off after them.
Terry, with Nick hanging on, drove off at top speed down the highway on a bridge. They looked back and saw two Jokerz with chains coming in from right behind them.
"Oh, that's great, we've got more friends! That's nice!" Nick said sarcastically.
The Jokerz tried to hit them with their chains, but both of the boys ducked and caused the chains to wrap around each other and causing them to crash.
"Now what do we do?!" Nick asked.
"We take a detour!" Terry said.
"What are you-WHOA!" Nick exclaimed as Terry drove off the bridge and down the railings to the streets below them.
The Jokerz saw this and didn't want risk going down the exact same way they did. They looked at a sign they were driving under and saw they were heading down the Gotham Harbor. Seeing their destination, they gave chase.
Terry and Nick continued to drive down the road, but Nick looked behind him and saw that the Jokerz were gaining on them. Nick tapped Terry on the shoulder and pointed behind them. Terry took a hard right that led to road going up a hill, all the while the Jokerz were gaining on them.
As they continued to drive, Nick managed to spot something in the shadows up ahead. "Hey, look out!"
Terry looked ahead and saw an old man with a cane up ahead. Terry swerved out of the way just in time to avoid crashing in to him, but that caused them to crash right into a tree.
Nick groaned as he slowly got up. "Thank God for helmets, am I right?" Nick joked.
"Yeah, better to have our bodies ache instead of our heads." Terry said sarcastically.
The Jokerz soon caught up with them and laughed at their pain.
"Awe, the poor babies had an accident." The lead Joker said with false sympathy.
"Let's put a smile on those faces." Another Joker said as he brandished a knife.
All the Jokerz got off their bikes and made their way towards Nick and Terry as they got ready for a fight.
"Leave them alone." Everyone stopped and turned to where that voice came from and saw the elderly Bruce Wayne walking out of the shadows. "And get off my property. You're trespassing."
"Is that right?" One of the Jokerz said.
"Look, just stay back, we don't want you to get hurt." Nick warned.
"Yeah, it's okay, we got this." Terry said as he readied his fists.
The lead Joker didn't like having his fun interrupted by the old man so he got up to his face. "Who do you think you're talking to, old man! We're the Jokerz!"
Bruce just gave them a smirk, as if he wasn't taking them seriously. "Sure you are."
The leader made to punch Bruce, but he swerved out of the way and smacked him with his cane. He hit the Joker again in the stomach and smacked him again on the head, sending flying back to the other Jokerz. Terry and Nick were stunned by this, but they shook it off and stood side by side with Bruce.
The Joker got up and his gang charged right at the three. The one with the knife made to slash at Bruce, but he used his cane to knock the weapon out of the clown's hand and bash him on the head. A second Joker came up, but he didn't fair any better than his pal after a few quick blows from the cane.
Another Joker came up to Terry and tried to punch him, but Terry ducked and punched him in the stomach. Terry did a roundhouse kick and sent the Joker crashing into another of his pals.
Nick did nothing but dodge the fists of a Joker he tangling with, thanks to his agility and spider sense. He expertly backed up while dodging the blows being sent his way, that when he dodged the next punch, the Joker accidentally punched the tree behind Nick. The Joker yelled in pain, but Nick managed to maneuver behind him and gave him a push, causing his face to collide with the tree.
Seeing most of the Jokerz were down, Nick breathed a sigh of relief. He looked back towards Bruce, but saw that a Joker was coming in from behind. Panicking, Nick made to warn him. "Hey mister, look..."
Bruce didn't even turn around as he raised his cane and managed to smack the Joker in the face.
Nick stared at that scene with wide eyes before calming down. "Uh...never mind."
"Let's get out of here!" The lead joker exclaimed as he and the rest of his gang drove away.
Finally having a time to rest, both teens turned towards the elderly Wayne.
"That was amazing!" Nick said in excitement.
Terry nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you sure are something else. I've never seen anything..."
They stopped talking and had a look of concern when Bruce started to groan in discomfort and held his chest in pain. Nick and a Terry went up to his sides and held him by the arms to make sure he wouldn't fall over.
"Hey, are you okay?" Nick asked in concern.
"My medicine...at the house..." Bruce said as he pulled out a remote and pressed a button.
The gates started to open and Nick and Terry could see a large mansion up at the top of the hill. They slowly walked towards the house, but Nick couldn't help but feel like they were being watched in the shadows. His concern was warranted when a large black Labrador dog appeared out of nowhere and started barking at them.
"Down Ace, they're okay." Bruce told the dog, which caused him to stop barking, but still growled at the two newcomers.
"Nice dog." Terry said.
"Not really." Bruce said simply.
/
Nick looked around the dining hall of the mansion in awe. Being a Gotham history nut, he read up on all of the exploits of the Wayne family. He was still trying to process that he was in the Bruce Wayne's mansion.
"I've read up on this place. It was said to be in the Wayne family for generations." Nick said in awe as he stared at some portraits.
"Since the first day the Wayne family came to Gotham." Bruce said simply as he sat in his chair.
Terry soon walked in with a medicine bottle and a cup of water. "The pills were right where you said."
Terry handed him the pills and the cup and he took a drink. After taking his medicine, Bruce's face began to show comfort and he sighed in relief, feeling much better.
"Well, guess you're feeling much better now." Nick said.
"We'll just show our way out." Terry said as he placed the cup on the table. "It was nice talking to..."
Terry stopped talking when he saw that Bruce was fast asleep. Nick and Terry didn't say anything as they made their way to the door. The moment Terry opened that door, Ace was right outside barking right at them. Terry managed to close the door before he could lunge at them.
"On second thought, maybe I'll just give my dad a call." Terry said as they backed up.
"And to think I've always wanted a dog. I think I'll get a cat instead." Nick said as he and Terry made their way to the phone.
"Here's where I'm grounded for life." Terry said.
"Join the club. My grandpa's going to freak knowing I missed their curfew." Nick groaned.
Terry was about to dial the phone, but stopped when he and Nick heard the sound of a scuffle behind them and what sounded like little shrieks. They turned around and saw a bat inside a grandfather clock.
"A bat?" Terry said as he made his way to the clock.
"Maybe we should call animal control. Let them handle this, considering it might have rabies." Nick said as he watched Terry try to pry the clock open.
"We can't just leave it here." Terry said as he pulled, but then something strange happened. The entire clock slid open and revealed a dark tunnel with stair leading down. "Whoa."
"Well...it's an old mansion. I read that some places have secret tunnels." Nick said as he looked at the tunnel in surprise. Terry then made his way down the tunnel. "Whoa Terry, what are you doing?"
"Come on, aren't you at the least bit curious?" Terry said as he continued down.
Nick groaned, knowing that nothing was going to change his friend's mind. "Sure, let's go down the dark secret tunnel in an old man's solitary old mansion, that'll end good."
Both of them made their way down the stair into the tunnel, until Terry came across a light switch. Being that it was so dark they couldn't see anything, Terry flipped the switch and lights came on.
When they did though, they were in for a surprise.
A long sleek black car was seen under one of the multiple lights that turned on. Another light shined on a jet with bat-like wings, while another light shined on a large computer.
"No...freaking...way." Nick said almost breathlessly.
Terry and Nick continued their way down until they hopped off the stairs and on to a platform. A light shined behind them, spooking them and causing them to turn around. What they saw were many different suits, from an all black suit with a red bat symbol, to the Robin suit.
Nick and Terry walked all the way down the end of the line of suits and stopped to look in amazement as they saw the original grey and black bat suit.
"Whoa, no wonder he can fight." Terry said in awe.
"I am so amazed right now that I can't even think straight." Nick said.
Nick's spider sense flared up all of a sudden as he spun around and raised his forearm. Doing so allowed him to block a cane strike from Bruce Wayne, who had an enraged expression on his face.
Bruce followed up his initial strike with another towards Terry, who was not fast enough to dodge the attack that he got hit and fell to the ground. Bruce made to strike at Nick again, but this time Nick jumped up and did a midair twirl in order to avoid the strike and land beside the elderly hero.
'He's skilled.' Bruce thought to himself as he observed the kid's movements.
"Whoa." Terry said as he saw his friend's movements.
Bruce didn't show his surprise as he kept up his enraged glare. "GET OUT!" Bruce exclaimed.
"Okay! Okay! We're going!" Nick panicked as he did t want this to escalate.
It wasn't long until Nick and Terry were outside the gate and looking back at the mansion. The dog Ace watched them go, still growling at them, before making his way back to the mansion.
"Come on, we didn't touch anything!" Terry called out, only to not get a response back.
"It's either he can't hear you, or he just doesn't care." Nick said as the lights in the mansion turned off.
"Whatever, let's just go." Terry said as he put his hands in his pocket and walked away, Nick following behind him. A question soon came to mind that he couldn't help but ask. "I've got to know, where'd you learn those moves."
That surprised Nick as he tried to think of an excuse. "Oh, that...I've been taking some parkour lessons."
"Really?" Terry asked.
"Yeah, they've got great online classes nowadays for that kind of stuff." Nick said, hoping his friend would buy it.
Terry looked at his friend for a moment before sighing and just kept walking. "Whatever, let's just get home."
Nick sighed thinking that he dodged a bullet there. He kept walking, but not before turning around to look at the mansion up on the hill. He spent almost half his life trying to search for answers on the where the Batman was, and now here was the location of all his answers. He just wasn't expecting all the answers to be in an angry old man, and now he may never get the answers he's been searching for.
'I guess it's true what they say, never meet your heroes.' Nick thought before he continued walking.
/
Nick soon returned home and was expecting an angry Grandpa Joe, but when he entered the house, he wasn't met with any of that. He found his grandfather sitting at the kitchen table waiting anxiously.
When Joe saw him enter the house, he got up and gave Nick a large hug. "Thank god, you're okay."
"Grandpa Joe, what's wrong?" Nick questioned as he hugged back.
"Where's Terry?" Joe questioned.
"He should be on his way home by now." Nick said as he was getting more confused. "Grandpa Joe, what's going on?"
Joe sighed as he sat back down. "Mary called me not that long ago."
"Terry's mom? What did she want?" Nick asked in confusion. Being how he was good friends with Terry for a long time, he's on good terms with both his parents, even after they separated. They were nice people and they thought he was good boy, in fact both of them wished him condolences after his parents died.
Joe looked down in sadness before looking back up at his grandson. "There was a break in at Warren's house. Police say it was the Jokerz."
"What?" Nick said in shock, before a dark thought entered his mind. "What about Warren...what happened to him."
Joe took a deep breath before answering. "He didn't make it."
/
"Warren McGinnis leaves behind two sons, seen here beside former wife Mary."
Nick was in his suit as he stuck to the side of a building. He was currently watching a news report on his tablet on the funeral for Warren. The video showed Terry, his little brother Matt, and his mother standing in front of a gravestone.
"Among the mourners was McGinnis' employer, Derek Powers."
Derek Powers appeared on the screen standing on a pedestal in front of a news conference. "I pledge to use all of my resources to make sure these...creatures...pay for this heinous act."
Nick turned off the tablet as he stuck to wall waiting for something. He didn't need to wait long as he heard the sounds of motorcycle engines coming down the street. Nick saw a group of Jokerz driving down the street before going inside an old abandoned warehouse. Nick sprang into action right there as he swung to the side of the building and clung to one of the windows, peeking inside.
One of the Jokerz was laughing hard as he parked his bike. "Did you see the look on that guy's face when he pied his car?"
"Yeah, it was quite explosive!" Another Joker exclaimed with with glee.
Spider-Man entered through the window and webbed up those two on the back and yanked them up onto the ceiling.
"Hope your last gag got you a ton of laughs, because that was your last one." Spider-Man said as he made himself known.
"Spider-Man?!" One of the Jokerz exclaimed.
"Get him!" Another Joker exclaimed as he pulled put a knife.
The Jokerz charged at the hero, but he jumped up high over them. A joker came up from behind, but Spider-Man raised his fist without turning, causing him to hit the Joker. Another one came up from the side, but the hero did a roundhouse kick that sent the criminal crashing into two more Jokerz.
The Joker with the knife came in and tried to stab the hero, but Spider-Man managed to dodge each strike. He then grabbed the Joker by his knife-wielding wrist and tossed him over his shoulder, sending him crashing into some crates.
The lead Joker saw that his gang was pretty much all taken down so he made his way to his bike. Spider-Man saw this and launched a web on his back and yanked him back. He grabbed him in midair and slammed him into the ground before spraying him with some web to keep him from escaping.
"Sorry pal, but there's no leaving this party." Spider-Man said.
"Come on, we're just some poor innocent clowns. Why do you have to pick on us." The Joker whined childishly.
Spider-Man narrowed his eyes beneath his mask. "After what you did to that man not that long ago, you're anything but innocent."
That seemed to confuse the Joker before he narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "You talking about that guy everyone's saying we took killed? Dude, we weren't anywhere near that house that night."
"Yeah, like I'd believe anything you clowns say." Spider-Man said as he was about to leave to make an anonymous call to the police.
"I swear I'm telling the truth! They say it was robbery and that nothing was stolen, right? Well, you really think we would rob some nobody's house and not take anything or have some kind of plan?! We may be crazy clowns, but even we have an agenda!" The clown tried to reason.
Spider-Man didn't look back and just launch a web line to swing away and make a call to the police.
But the words the Joker said still stuck to his mind.
/
"I really appreciate you doing this, Nick." Terry said as he was carrying a couple of boxes, same as Nick, as they walking up to his mother's house.
"Hey, it's all good. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Nick said.
"Hey Matt, could you get the door?" Terry called out.
"Hold on, I'm going as fast as I can." Matt called as he opened the door for them.
"You're some help, you know that." Terry said as he gave his brother a light glare as they made it to Terry's room.
"Hey, it's not my junk." Matt retorted. Terry soon started to trip and dropped most of his stuff on the floor. "I suppose that's my fault to?" Matt asked sarcastically.
Terry turned around angrily and slammed the door shut. Nick placed the boxes he was carrying down and helped his friend pick up some of the stuff off the floor. He paused when he saw Terry pick up a picture of he and his dad. Seeing the sadness in Terry's eyes, he placed a hand on his shoulders.
"You and your family were there when my parents died. If you need me for anything, then I'll be there. I promise." Nick said with a smile.
Terry smiled in return and turned the picture frame, that was when he and Nick spotted something strange. It seemed to be disc sticking out of the frame, which Terry removed to get better look.
"A disc?" Nick asked in confusion. "What do you thinks on it?"
"Let's find out." Terry said as he pulled out his laptop and inserted the disc. "'In the event of my death, or disappearance?'" Terry questioned as he read the message.
That definitely raised a lot of red flags in both of the two teens minds. What appeared on the screen was a serious of chemical formulas that any normal person wouldn't get, but since Nick understood this stuff, and to smaller extent Terry as well.
"Whoa." Nick and Terry said at the same time as they could feel a cold sweat running down their necks.
"Whatcha looking at?" Matt said as he popped out of nowhere.
That scared the two for a bit before sighing in relief. "Just something dad was working on." Terry said as he showed his brother what was on his laptop.
"Boring." Matt said with a yawn.
Terry shook his head before taking the disc out of the laptop and looking at Nick. Both of them nodded their heads firmly as they seemed to have the same idea.
"We gotta go." Terry said as he and Nick left.
"Where you guys going?" Matt asked.
"Out." Terry said as they exited the house.
/
Terry called Dana and asked her if she could give he and Nick a call to this old mansion on the hill, which she agreed to do, though she was confused by the request. She drove up to the front gate and looked in the distance to see the Wayne Manor in the darkness.
"If you just continue down this road, it'll circle you back to the freeway." Terry said as he and Nick got out of the car.
"I can't leave you guys here?" Dana said.
"It's alright, we just need to talk to this guy real quick." Nick said.
"But..." Dana tried to argue.
"It's alright. You just have to trust us." Terry said as he kissed Dana on the cheek.
Diana still had a worried look on her face, but she nodded her head and drove off.
"You think he's gonna listen to us?" Nick asked as they walked up to the gate.
"Only one way to find out." Terry said as he pressed a button on the side speaker. "Come on, we know you're in there!" No answer came so Terry tried again. "Listen to me, something stinks in your company! I think it cost my old man his life! The answer is on this disc we have!"
There was still no answer which got Terry angry. "Yeah, that's what I thought. You're no Batman, you're a fraud!"
Terry stormed off, but Nick decided to give it a try and spoke into the speaker. "Listen, I spent so much time learning about how Batman protected this city. He cared about the people and felt it was his responsibility to make sure the people were safe. Right now, someone is creating something that could do major damage to Gotham if there is any part of you that still cares about Gotham, then at least hear us out."
There was still no answer...but then the gates began to open.
Terry was surprised by this, while Nick smiled as he turned to his friend. "You just got to know how to talk to people."
Terry chuckled a bit before he and Nick walked through the gate. They were immediately met with Ace growling at them, but they weren't deterred in the slightest.
"Back off, Scooby. It's just us." Terry said.
As they were walking down the road, Nick couldn't help but stare up at the mansion, managing to catch the shape of Bruce Wayne in the window staring at them.
'Whatever's going on, I know this for sure. This night is going to change everything.'
/
And there is the first chapter of the Batman Beyond part of the story. There will be more to come, and we'll see how out web swinging hero handles it.
This chapter was definitely longer than I thought it was going to be, but it was still fun to write, as we are now diving into the Batman Beyond lore and seeing how Spider-Man can acclimate himself into it.
Honestly my favorite thing to write is mostly Nick and Terry's friendship. I tried to make it as believable as possible from two buddies who have been thrust into the world of being a super hero. Let me know what you think of their friendship.
Wish I had more to say. But that's really all and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Get ready cause this is going to get even more awesome in the next chapter.
See you all soon, everyone!