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: I'm not as happy with this chapter as I have been with the others. Emotions are hard to write! The problem is that I know where I'm headed with the story; it's getting there that's proving harder than I thought. I know where point A is and point B is; connecting them is both easier and more difficult than I envisioned. Sometimes the characters take over and write in their own scene, and then I'm stuck trying to make it work within the context of the story.
For those who continued to give me such wonderful feedback, thanks again. It means more to me than you'll ever know!
Chapter 3
It was all Max could do not to stare and shriek 'Shway!' every two seconds as she watched the master at work down in the cave. Sure, she had seen and even helped Terry a time or two, but this was something totally different. Bruce Wayne worked the inputs of the Batcomputer with the ease only the best of hackers could imitate. Her own skills, while not inconsiderable, were well below this level. Watching his hands on the keys more than the monitor, she resolved to take some solid mental notes.
It was barely two minutes after he had sat down when she heard the first muttered, "Damn." Not able to restrain herself any longer, she looked up at the vision in the monitor.
"You cracked the school's monitoring computer that fast?"
Without even dignifying that with a reply, Bruce punched a few more keys to enhance the image on the screen.
"He was hiding in a classroom while we were there."
Max looked confused for a moment. "You mean this morning? With his mom and all? I saw all the action. Believe me, if I had those folks after me, I'da hidden too."
"The question is, where was he planning on going?" He looked questioningly at Max.
"I'm not sure. I know he was asking around for a place to bunk out for a while. My parents and their friends are in town, so I couldn't. Dana and her friends are obviously out. His home is definitely a nope. You think he could be headed back here? I mean, he knows that you're his alibi. If anyone could square it with his mom, you'd be it."
"You're forgetting last night."
"But still, you're the only one who can bail him out."
"We'll know shortly." A few more strokes of the keys showed Terry leaving the school. Bruce frowned at the image. "He's hurt."
Max didn't comment on that.
"He was heading to the hovertrain platform." Another quick click of the keyboard pulled up the passcard accounts for Gotham Metro. "He's not listed for that time period."
"Big surprise there. He's the one who taught me how to bypass that."
Wayne let that one slide.
"Camera images show him boarding the train for downtown. We might be able to pick him up there."
Wayne grunted. "Not likely. Not unless he wants to be. He's learned that much."
A tap of the keys pulled up the main Gotham station. Setting the computer up for a face-imaging program, he set up a scan on the computer's camera inputs and settled back to wait. "One thing's for certain. He doesn't want to be found."
* * *
It hurt to breathe. It hurt to move. He just hurt, period. Terry leaned back against the warm granite stone. "Well Dad, I screwed up again." He paused as if listening to a reply only he could hear. "Mom's pissed. She thinks I'm out causing trouble again." His bitter laugh turned into a wracking cough. "Me. I'm Batman now, or I was. But I already told you that. What you don't know is that Bruce fired me today." Terry waited for the inaudible 'Why?' "I screwed up. I was tired and I didn't think. I had a term paper due, and all I wanted was to go home, finish that, and get some sleep. Instead, I blew three weeks of surveillance. The bad guys got away. He was right to be pissed." With more than a touch of irony in his voice, he continued, "I didn't listen to Bruce anymore than I listened to you. Maybe I'm not cut out for this superhero stuff."
Terry continued. "And remember Dana? You really liked her. She broke up with me because I'm Batman, or was… " Terry paused. "She couldn't understand why I kept having to leave her and I couldn't tell her. I know it's not fair to her. She'll be better off without me. But you know what? I miss her. I really like her. And I was kinda hoping… someday."
"You know. I started this whole Batman thing because I screwed up that last day with you. I've tried to make it up since then. I've tried to make it right. And I did bust Powers. I kept doing it 'cause I hoped you'd be proud. And I know somewhere you are. The problem is that nobody else is." His voice broke. Unbidden tears pressed against the back of his eyes.
Trying to recover for a moment, his fingers traced over the rough etchings in the stone as if seeking comfort from one he could not ever touch again. Warren McGinnis. The fingers followed the familiar pattern over and over. Swallowing a lump that kept rising in his throat, he tried to continue on.
"I thought Bruce would help. I mean, I know he can't tell them what I'm really doing and I'm not asking him to. But he could'a stopped mom. And I can't go back to Juvie. I know you never asked, but it was bad there. Worse than you ever imagined I couldn't tell you what it was like. I still can't. I just know I can't go back. I can't."
"Dad, I'm scared. I don't know what to do." When no answer was forthcoming, he couldn't restrain a sob. His head throbbed so much; he could feel the blood pounding through it. The sunlight became too intense and he was forced to keep his eyes closed against it as he once again fought down the nausea. Breathing deeply didn't help; his lungs wouldn't allow it. His body had fought the fight to stay going too long. Giving up, he slumped against the grave, unconscious.
* * *
"You know, you've got one angry mom out there." Commissioner Barbara Gordan's voice echoed down into the cave from the top of the stairs. Without waiting for a reply, she clomped down the stairs to the two waiting people at the computer.
Bruce didn't look up, intent on the images flashing on the multi screens above the terminal. "Have you found anything?"
"Nothing worthwhile. Mrs. McGinnis is convinced he's run off to his old gang. Any chance you'd want to correct that viewpoint?"
"Have you found out anything?"
"I've questioned most of his friends and I've got my ear to the street. I've unofficially put as many of my people on it as I can get away with without blowing this up to a public debacle. The last thing we need, or he needs, is this to be picked up by the 'nets."
Max ventured a question. "Are you gonna take him to Juvie if you do find him?"
"Not if I find him through the back channels. Or should I say, Bat channels." She addressed Bruce again. "What the hell happened between you two anyway?"
Bruce finally looked up at his old protégé. "A misunderstanding."
Max interjected. "Bruce fired him."
Bruce gave Max a look that quelled her back into silence.
"I didn't fire him. But I did pull him out of the suit for a while."
"About time."
"We've been over that before. The focus is now to find Terry."
"For god's sake Bruce. You've got a teenager who's running around playing superhero at night, getting beat up in the process, and a mother who's having hysterics not knowing what's going on. Don't you think it's time to give it up for a while? If nothing else, he might graduate high school instead of sleeping through it."
"You didn't listen to me when you were that age either."
"But I wasn't out there by myself. You were there. And so were the others."
Max couldn't help it. "You were Batgirl?"
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: I'm not as happy with this chapter as I have been with the others. Emotions are hard to write! The problem is that I know where I'm headed with the story; it's getting there that's proving harder than I thought. I know where point A is and point B is; connecting them is both easier and more difficult than I envisioned. Sometimes the characters take over and write in their own scene, and then I'm stuck trying to make it work within the context of the story.
For those who continued to give me such wonderful feedback, thanks again. It means more to me than you'll ever know!
Chapter 3
It was all Max could do not to stare and shriek 'Shway!' every two seconds as she watched the master at work down in the cave. Sure, she had seen and even helped Terry a time or two, but this was something totally different. Bruce Wayne worked the inputs of the Batcomputer with the ease only the best of hackers could imitate. Her own skills, while not inconsiderable, were well below this level. Watching his hands on the keys more than the monitor, she resolved to take some solid mental notes.
It was barely two minutes after he had sat down when she heard the first muttered, "Damn." Not able to restrain herself any longer, she looked up at the vision in the monitor.
"You cracked the school's monitoring computer that fast?"
Without even dignifying that with a reply, Bruce punched a few more keys to enhance the image on the screen.
"He was hiding in a classroom while we were there."
Max looked confused for a moment. "You mean this morning? With his mom and all? I saw all the action. Believe me, if I had those folks after me, I'da hidden too."
"The question is, where was he planning on going?" He looked questioningly at Max.
"I'm not sure. I know he was asking around for a place to bunk out for a while. My parents and their friends are in town, so I couldn't. Dana and her friends are obviously out. His home is definitely a nope. You think he could be headed back here? I mean, he knows that you're his alibi. If anyone could square it with his mom, you'd be it."
"You're forgetting last night."
"But still, you're the only one who can bail him out."
"We'll know shortly." A few more strokes of the keys showed Terry leaving the school. Bruce frowned at the image. "He's hurt."
Max didn't comment on that.
"He was heading to the hovertrain platform." Another quick click of the keyboard pulled up the passcard accounts for Gotham Metro. "He's not listed for that time period."
"Big surprise there. He's the one who taught me how to bypass that."
Wayne let that one slide.
"Camera images show him boarding the train for downtown. We might be able to pick him up there."
Wayne grunted. "Not likely. Not unless he wants to be. He's learned that much."
A tap of the keys pulled up the main Gotham station. Setting the computer up for a face-imaging program, he set up a scan on the computer's camera inputs and settled back to wait. "One thing's for certain. He doesn't want to be found."
* * *
It hurt to breathe. It hurt to move. He just hurt, period. Terry leaned back against the warm granite stone. "Well Dad, I screwed up again." He paused as if listening to a reply only he could hear. "Mom's pissed. She thinks I'm out causing trouble again." His bitter laugh turned into a wracking cough. "Me. I'm Batman now, or I was. But I already told you that. What you don't know is that Bruce fired me today." Terry waited for the inaudible 'Why?' "I screwed up. I was tired and I didn't think. I had a term paper due, and all I wanted was to go home, finish that, and get some sleep. Instead, I blew three weeks of surveillance. The bad guys got away. He was right to be pissed." With more than a touch of irony in his voice, he continued, "I didn't listen to Bruce anymore than I listened to you. Maybe I'm not cut out for this superhero stuff."
Terry continued. "And remember Dana? You really liked her. She broke up with me because I'm Batman, or was… " Terry paused. "She couldn't understand why I kept having to leave her and I couldn't tell her. I know it's not fair to her. She'll be better off without me. But you know what? I miss her. I really like her. And I was kinda hoping… someday."
"You know. I started this whole Batman thing because I screwed up that last day with you. I've tried to make it up since then. I've tried to make it right. And I did bust Powers. I kept doing it 'cause I hoped you'd be proud. And I know somewhere you are. The problem is that nobody else is." His voice broke. Unbidden tears pressed against the back of his eyes.
Trying to recover for a moment, his fingers traced over the rough etchings in the stone as if seeking comfort from one he could not ever touch again. Warren McGinnis. The fingers followed the familiar pattern over and over. Swallowing a lump that kept rising in his throat, he tried to continue on.
"I thought Bruce would help. I mean, I know he can't tell them what I'm really doing and I'm not asking him to. But he could'a stopped mom. And I can't go back to Juvie. I know you never asked, but it was bad there. Worse than you ever imagined I couldn't tell you what it was like. I still can't. I just know I can't go back. I can't."
"Dad, I'm scared. I don't know what to do." When no answer was forthcoming, he couldn't restrain a sob. His head throbbed so much; he could feel the blood pounding through it. The sunlight became too intense and he was forced to keep his eyes closed against it as he once again fought down the nausea. Breathing deeply didn't help; his lungs wouldn't allow it. His body had fought the fight to stay going too long. Giving up, he slumped against the grave, unconscious.
* * *
"You know, you've got one angry mom out there." Commissioner Barbara Gordan's voice echoed down into the cave from the top of the stairs. Without waiting for a reply, she clomped down the stairs to the two waiting people at the computer.
Bruce didn't look up, intent on the images flashing on the multi screens above the terminal. "Have you found anything?"
"Nothing worthwhile. Mrs. McGinnis is convinced he's run off to his old gang. Any chance you'd want to correct that viewpoint?"
"Have you found out anything?"
"I've questioned most of his friends and I've got my ear to the street. I've unofficially put as many of my people on it as I can get away with without blowing this up to a public debacle. The last thing we need, or he needs, is this to be picked up by the 'nets."
Max ventured a question. "Are you gonna take him to Juvie if you do find him?"
"Not if I find him through the back channels. Or should I say, Bat channels." She addressed Bruce again. "What the hell happened between you two anyway?"
Bruce finally looked up at his old protégé. "A misunderstanding."
Max interjected. "Bruce fired him."
Bruce gave Max a look that quelled her back into silence.
"I didn't fire him. But I did pull him out of the suit for a while."
"About time."
"We've been over that before. The focus is now to find Terry."
"For god's sake Bruce. You've got a teenager who's running around playing superhero at night, getting beat up in the process, and a mother who's having hysterics not knowing what's going on. Don't you think it's time to give it up for a while? If nothing else, he might graduate high school instead of sleeping through it."
"You didn't listen to me when you were that age either."
"But I wasn't out there by myself. You were there. And so were the others."
Max couldn't help it. "You were Batgirl?"
To be continued…