Explanations
By KnightRogue
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction. Batman, Batman Beyond and all related characters and concepts are owned by Warner Brothers and DC Comics. No profit is being made from this work and no infringement is in anyway intended.
Author's Notes: To everyone who reviewed this story and gave such positive feedback, Thank You! You kind words have been more of an inspiration than any muses I may possess.
Chapter 2
Stopping just short of the atrium leading out of the school, Terry looked across the opening to spot a familiar face. One he had never hoped to see again was striding across the open space towards the hallway where he was standing. With the man was another figure Terry was desperate to avoid, the school's guidance councilor.
'Great. Mom called in the Juvies.'
Ducking around into an empty classroom, Terry waited for the pair to pass before attempting another escape. Peering through the crack left by the opened door, he grew cold at another sight greeting him. Following the two councilors, his mom was talking animatedly to a stern looking Bruce Wayne. All thoughts of bluffing his way out of the situation fled. Acting solely on instinct, Terry froze and waited for the hallway to clear. It seemed as if Bruce had joined his mother in a campaign for more 'counseling'. Betrayed by a mentor who knew what he'd been up to and had trusted him to keep his secret, Terry mentally raged at the sight, filled with an undeniable need to escape. As the footsteps echoed down the hallway towards the school's offices, he seized his chance and bolted towards the exit.
The blinding sun only gave him a moment's pause as it stabbed through his eyes and into his aching head. Half running, half limping, Terry made his way to the hovertrain platform and his only means of escape. Entering the terminal, he had enough presence of mind to avoid using his passcard. Knowing it was a means of tracking him, Terry instead used an old trick, one he hadn't used since his days running with the gangs, to slip onboard the train leading to the main downtown hub. From there, he could lose himself in the crowds that passed though there daily. Even Wayne, for all his surveillance, would have trouble if he bothered to look. It wouldn't be impossible, but Terry intended to make it as difficult possible to be found. As for his destination, there was only one place that was safe right now. One place nobody would look. One place that would not, could not throw him out. Ever.
Bruce Wayne listened with only partial attention to Mrs. McGinnis's lecture/hysterics beside him. He had tried to phone the teen repeatedly after he had stormed out of the cave, but the Batphone had remained silent. Regretting his momentary anger at the teenager who had assumed the title of Batman, his concern ran twofold. First, he had forgotten to check Terry over from his return and Bruce knew he'd been injured. His fear had manifested in the form of anger from the close call the teen had had and he had taken out the increased adrenaline on him without thinking of the results. He prayed that the injuries were not severe since Terry hadn't mentioned them. The second concern had been blown up out of proportion before he could stop it. Knowing full well from past's experiences how worked up Mrs. McGinnis could get about Terry's late night 'job', Bruce had tried to run interference, but this time it had proved impossible. When contacting Terry had proved to be impossible, Bruce had contacted Mrs. McGinnis. Without pausing for breath, she had launched into a verbal attack. She had raged over Terry's lack of attention, frequent absences, bad grades, and late nights. She had cried over her fears of Terry's return to the streets. 'If she only knew.' Bruce thought. Protests to the contrary had fell on deaf ears. Giving up for the moment, he questioned about Terry's whereabouts. She had informed him of Terry's dramatic exit and her subsequent calls to the school and Juvenile. 'In short,' Bruce thought, 'she was afraid once again she had lost her son.'
Bruce had tried to stem the growing tide. Unfortunately, events had already been set into motion. By insisting on accompanying Mary McGinnis to Hamilton High, he hoped that his role as Bruce Wayne, leading citizen of Gotham, would prove to bring a more reasonable discussion of Terry's future to the two gentlemen walking ahead of him. If he played his role carefully, Bruce hoped that before the end of the day, Mary McGinnis would relinquish guardianship of Terry to him. In essence, he wanted for the two counselors to agree that Terry needed a strong male influence to 'settle him down'. With his money, influence, and persuasion, Bruce Wayne entered the high school's offices with the intent to acquire another 'son'.
Mr. Hibrom was irritated at the second interruption of his class. Snatching the printout from the hapless student aide who had delivered it. Scanning it quickly, he snarled out "He's not here."
Cringing at his teacher for the next period, the aide stammered. "Do you know where he is? The computer showed him present for this class…"
Ignoring for the moment the increased whispers of the curious students, he snapped out. "I excused him to the Vice Principle's office. You may find Mr. McGinnis there. " He returned his attention to the class and pointedly ignored any other questions from the student, who quietly left the room.
Returning to the guidance office, the aide repeated the teacher's words.
"I checked with the secretaries, but Terry hadn't been there. They don't know where he is. "
"What do you mean, he's gone? " Picking up the phone, the guidance councilor called to confirm the aide's words.
With every moment that passed, Mrs. McGinnis's agitation increased and Bruce's hope for a peaceful outcome sank. Another trip to Mr. Hibrom's classroom had confirmed the teen's withdrawal. Further questioning of Terry's friends had indicated that something was greatly wrong. The gossip of his breakup with Dana had permeated throughout the school. Dana herself had confirmed their last 'discussion', but she did not know of Terry's current whereabouts.
Max had also been called into the office. While she publicly had denied knowing of Terry's whereabouts, she had privately hinted to Wayne that she wanted to talk with him. A quick nod of his head had her waiting outside the offices for his appearance.
"They think he's suicidal. He may hurt himself or someone else." Bruce growled to her as Max escorted him to the waiting hoverlimo. "They're going to get the police involved now. I can only hope now that Barbara can be reasonable about this. Nobody else seems to be."
"Everybody else thinks it's something to do with Dana. Nobody else knows what's going on," she replied. "They have no idea about, you know."
"You wanted to say something to me?"
"Terry said you fired him."
"I didn't. I'm restricting him from the suit. He's had too many close calls recently."
"You know, he's hurt." she stated, matter of factly.
Bruce turned to her, blue eyes piercing. "How bad?"
"I dunno. He wouldn't say. I do know he was coughing a lot and limping." She slid into the driver's seat and headed towards the Manor. "Nice car!"
"He was caught in a chemical spill several nights ago."
"I think it's more than that. He's sick. And on top of that, he's tired. Don't you ever let him sleep?"
"I warned him that being Batman was a huge responsibility. He made the decision on his own."
"It's not that he doesn't want to be Batman, it's just that he also has to be Terry McGinnis as well."
"It didn't get any easier for me."
"But you had help. There was Alfred…" She ignored his savage look. "Oh please. I've played with your computer a few times." She continued on. "You weren't having to be somebody else for your family. You just were." Her voiced trailed off at his bleak expression. "All I'm asking is to give him a break. He's trying. He really is."
"Hopefully, if we can find him in time, I'm going to rectify that situation. I'm hoping to have him live at the Manor with me. That should cut out a lot of tension with his family. And I can monitor his grades and sleep pattern more effectively."
Max pondered that for a moment. "I could help…"
"Don't start." Bruce growled out threateningly.
Silent for a moment, she offered, "You know, breaking up with Dana may be the best thing that's happened to him."
Bruce looked at her questioningly.
"He won't appreciate it much now, but Dana wasn't good for him. Don't get me wrong, I like her, but Terry can't put in the time to maintain her. Especially with 'the job'."
"I'm sure that he'll appreciate the sentiments, but right now, our task is to find him. And without getting all the miscellaneous agencies involved."
"What about Commissioner Gordan? Can't she help? I mean, she already knows everything and all."
"I'll talk to Barbara privately. The point is, I don't want him hauled off to Juvenile before I have the chance to defend him. I want to find him, not drive him away with threats of being locked up somewhere for something he didn't do."
"So where do we start?"
To be continued
By KnightRogue
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction. Batman, Batman Beyond and all related characters and concepts are owned by Warner Brothers and DC Comics. No profit is being made from this work and no infringement is in anyway intended.
Author's Notes: To everyone who reviewed this story and gave such positive feedback, Thank You! You kind words have been more of an inspiration than any muses I may possess.
Chapter 2
Stopping just short of the atrium leading out of the school, Terry looked across the opening to spot a familiar face. One he had never hoped to see again was striding across the open space towards the hallway where he was standing. With the man was another figure Terry was desperate to avoid, the school's guidance councilor.
'Great. Mom called in the Juvies.'
Ducking around into an empty classroom, Terry waited for the pair to pass before attempting another escape. Peering through the crack left by the opened door, he grew cold at another sight greeting him. Following the two councilors, his mom was talking animatedly to a stern looking Bruce Wayne. All thoughts of bluffing his way out of the situation fled. Acting solely on instinct, Terry froze and waited for the hallway to clear. It seemed as if Bruce had joined his mother in a campaign for more 'counseling'. Betrayed by a mentor who knew what he'd been up to and had trusted him to keep his secret, Terry mentally raged at the sight, filled with an undeniable need to escape. As the footsteps echoed down the hallway towards the school's offices, he seized his chance and bolted towards the exit.
The blinding sun only gave him a moment's pause as it stabbed through his eyes and into his aching head. Half running, half limping, Terry made his way to the hovertrain platform and his only means of escape. Entering the terminal, he had enough presence of mind to avoid using his passcard. Knowing it was a means of tracking him, Terry instead used an old trick, one he hadn't used since his days running with the gangs, to slip onboard the train leading to the main downtown hub. From there, he could lose himself in the crowds that passed though there daily. Even Wayne, for all his surveillance, would have trouble if he bothered to look. It wouldn't be impossible, but Terry intended to make it as difficult possible to be found. As for his destination, there was only one place that was safe right now. One place nobody would look. One place that would not, could not throw him out. Ever.
Bruce Wayne listened with only partial attention to Mrs. McGinnis's lecture/hysterics beside him. He had tried to phone the teen repeatedly after he had stormed out of the cave, but the Batphone had remained silent. Regretting his momentary anger at the teenager who had assumed the title of Batman, his concern ran twofold. First, he had forgotten to check Terry over from his return and Bruce knew he'd been injured. His fear had manifested in the form of anger from the close call the teen had had and he had taken out the increased adrenaline on him without thinking of the results. He prayed that the injuries were not severe since Terry hadn't mentioned them. The second concern had been blown up out of proportion before he could stop it. Knowing full well from past's experiences how worked up Mrs. McGinnis could get about Terry's late night 'job', Bruce had tried to run interference, but this time it had proved impossible. When contacting Terry had proved to be impossible, Bruce had contacted Mrs. McGinnis. Without pausing for breath, she had launched into a verbal attack. She had raged over Terry's lack of attention, frequent absences, bad grades, and late nights. She had cried over her fears of Terry's return to the streets. 'If she only knew.' Bruce thought. Protests to the contrary had fell on deaf ears. Giving up for the moment, he questioned about Terry's whereabouts. She had informed him of Terry's dramatic exit and her subsequent calls to the school and Juvenile. 'In short,' Bruce thought, 'she was afraid once again she had lost her son.'
Bruce had tried to stem the growing tide. Unfortunately, events had already been set into motion. By insisting on accompanying Mary McGinnis to Hamilton High, he hoped that his role as Bruce Wayne, leading citizen of Gotham, would prove to bring a more reasonable discussion of Terry's future to the two gentlemen walking ahead of him. If he played his role carefully, Bruce hoped that before the end of the day, Mary McGinnis would relinquish guardianship of Terry to him. In essence, he wanted for the two counselors to agree that Terry needed a strong male influence to 'settle him down'. With his money, influence, and persuasion, Bruce Wayne entered the high school's offices with the intent to acquire another 'son'.
Mr. Hibrom was irritated at the second interruption of his class. Snatching the printout from the hapless student aide who had delivered it. Scanning it quickly, he snarled out "He's not here."
Cringing at his teacher for the next period, the aide stammered. "Do you know where he is? The computer showed him present for this class…"
Ignoring for the moment the increased whispers of the curious students, he snapped out. "I excused him to the Vice Principle's office. You may find Mr. McGinnis there. " He returned his attention to the class and pointedly ignored any other questions from the student, who quietly left the room.
Returning to the guidance office, the aide repeated the teacher's words.
"I checked with the secretaries, but Terry hadn't been there. They don't know where he is. "
"What do you mean, he's gone? " Picking up the phone, the guidance councilor called to confirm the aide's words.
With every moment that passed, Mrs. McGinnis's agitation increased and Bruce's hope for a peaceful outcome sank. Another trip to Mr. Hibrom's classroom had confirmed the teen's withdrawal. Further questioning of Terry's friends had indicated that something was greatly wrong. The gossip of his breakup with Dana had permeated throughout the school. Dana herself had confirmed their last 'discussion', but she did not know of Terry's current whereabouts.
Max had also been called into the office. While she publicly had denied knowing of Terry's whereabouts, she had privately hinted to Wayne that she wanted to talk with him. A quick nod of his head had her waiting outside the offices for his appearance.
"They think he's suicidal. He may hurt himself or someone else." Bruce growled to her as Max escorted him to the waiting hoverlimo. "They're going to get the police involved now. I can only hope now that Barbara can be reasonable about this. Nobody else seems to be."
"Everybody else thinks it's something to do with Dana. Nobody else knows what's going on," she replied. "They have no idea about, you know."
"You wanted to say something to me?"
"Terry said you fired him."
"I didn't. I'm restricting him from the suit. He's had too many close calls recently."
"You know, he's hurt." she stated, matter of factly.
Bruce turned to her, blue eyes piercing. "How bad?"
"I dunno. He wouldn't say. I do know he was coughing a lot and limping." She slid into the driver's seat and headed towards the Manor. "Nice car!"
"He was caught in a chemical spill several nights ago."
"I think it's more than that. He's sick. And on top of that, he's tired. Don't you ever let him sleep?"
"I warned him that being Batman was a huge responsibility. He made the decision on his own."
"It's not that he doesn't want to be Batman, it's just that he also has to be Terry McGinnis as well."
"It didn't get any easier for me."
"But you had help. There was Alfred…" She ignored his savage look. "Oh please. I've played with your computer a few times." She continued on. "You weren't having to be somebody else for your family. You just were." Her voiced trailed off at his bleak expression. "All I'm asking is to give him a break. He's trying. He really is."
"Hopefully, if we can find him in time, I'm going to rectify that situation. I'm hoping to have him live at the Manor with me. That should cut out a lot of tension with his family. And I can monitor his grades and sleep pattern more effectively."
Max pondered that for a moment. "I could help…"
"Don't start." Bruce growled out threateningly.
Silent for a moment, she offered, "You know, breaking up with Dana may be the best thing that's happened to him."
Bruce looked at her questioningly.
"He won't appreciate it much now, but Dana wasn't good for him. Don't get me wrong, I like her, but Terry can't put in the time to maintain her. Especially with 'the job'."
"I'm sure that he'll appreciate the sentiments, but right now, our task is to find him. And without getting all the miscellaneous agencies involved."
"What about Commissioner Gordan? Can't she help? I mean, she already knows everything and all."
"I'll talk to Barbara privately. The point is, I don't want him hauled off to Juvenile before I have the chance to defend him. I want to find him, not drive him away with threats of being locked up somewhere for something he didn't do."
"So where do we start?"
To be continued