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: Everytime I think I'm getting close to finishing, the characters grab the plotline and won't let go! I've already started "Implications" and I can't finish this one up to the beginning of that story. * sigh * I'm trying. * grin* Really, I am….
Chapter 6
"Terry?" Max called again softly. The all too recent fright had made her leery of approaching the body any closer. When no answer was forthcoming, she took a deep breath and moved forward.
It was Terry. Now a terror of a different sort took over. He didn't answer, he wasn't moving. In the dark, it was impossible to tell if he was even breathing. Carefully, she knelt down beside him and touched him lightly on the shoulder. He was warm, hot even, and slightly damp from the earlier rain. Rolling him onto his back, she leaned over his chest. Max felt him breath way too lightly against her cheek. His chest was moving, but he continued to be unresponsive to her presence. It was time to call in the Calvary.
Knowing from previous experience that the answering machine would only pick up if it registered her number as calling, Max felt around in Terry's pockets. Trying to avoid jarring him too much, she prayed that he'd kept out of habit the cellphone Wayne had given him.
"It's about time this damn thing proved useful." Max muttered as she finally found the object of her search. Keying in the security code for the Batline, 'See, Terry, being your sidekick is proving useful…', Max waited for Wayne's answer at the other end.
"Terry!" The response was immediate. "Where are you? I've been…"
Cutting off the tirade before it got started, Max answered back. "It's me. I found him."
"Where? Is he OK?
"He's unconscious, but I don't see any blood or anything. We're at Gotham Resurrection Cemetery." She started to give directions, but Wayne cut her off.
"I know the location. What part are you in?"
Max glanced around, trying to identify any potential landmarks. "I have no idea. I got lost and the fog was forming. I'm somewhere near the east side fence."
"At the top or bottom of the hill?"
"Bottom."
"Look up the hill. Do you see a large monument? One of a kneeling angel?"
The mists that had been closing in obligingly thinned enough to catch a glimpse of the gleaming marble. "Yeah. How did you know?"
For a moment there was silence. "I've been there before." Then grudgingly, "Many times."
Unable to think of a suitable reply to that statement, Max asked, "Are you going to tell his mom?"
"I'll be there in a few moments. The fewer people we involve right now, the better."
"But…" The line went dead before she could form the rest of her question. Knowing a call back would be useless; Max sat back, laid Terry's head in her lap, and waited.
Max idly ran her fingers through Terry's hair. She felt the swollen knot on his head and winced in sympathy. Looking around, the mist seemed less menacing now. As if it knew that what was sought had been found, it was content to keep its distance from the couple. To Max, time past slowly. She waited, every few minutes trying to waken her friend, her best friend. Sorrow filled her. Sorrow that she had not seen the signs in him before things had progressed to this point, that there was no one the hero could go to for a rescue. Lying there, Terry stirred once and then was silent. And Max continued to wait.
A shifting and sliding of loose gravel startled her. At the top of the hill, a man with a cane had stopped briefly, placing something on the headstone illuminated in the moonlight before starting down the path where Max and Terry were.
"Mr. Wayne?"
"How is he?"
"He won't wake up."
Slowly kneeling beside the teenagers, Wayne pulled out a small penlight and examined the still form. Only when he pried open Terry's eyelids to gauge the eye's response did the teen react. Blinking several times at the light, Terry shifted and managed to croak out "Dad?"
Max tried to hush him as he coughed. She helped Terry to sit up slightly, hoping to aid him in catching his breath. As the spasm subsided, Terry finally looked around.
"Bruce? Max? What …?"
"We've been looking for you."
"But…"
Wayne interrupted. "Hold still a second." Finishing his once over, he asked "Where are you hurt?"
"My head hurts. It hurts to breathe."
"Can you stand?"
It took several attempts and no little amount of help from both Max and Bruce to pull Terry onto his feet. With another look at the hill ahead of them, Max knew it was a no-brainer that the two of them were never going to get him up it. Wayne evidently had similar thoughts. Propping Terry against a handy monument, he fished around in his pocket for the car keys and handed them over to Max.
"What about the gate?"
"It's open. I have the key on the ring."
Privately wondering why anyone would have the key to any cemetery gates on their ring, she shrugged it off as a peculiarity of the rich. "You gonna be OK here?"
"I'll be better once you're back. Get going."
There wasn't a reply Max could give to that, so she started up the hill. At the top, she turned around to check on the two she'd left behind. Terry was still on his feet, but leaning heavily against the stone. Wayne was murmuring something to him, but it was too soft for her to catch. Whatever it was, Terry was nodding in agreement. Turning back to the path, the mist wasn't as thick and the moonlight was able to break through to light her way. Passing the kneeling angel, a stronger moonbeam focused and illuminated the headstone, allowing her to read the family name. It was 'Wayne'.
"That explains the keys," she whispered to herself. Hurrying on, Max easily found the car parked just inside the iron gates. Getting in, she started it back up the trail to where the two men waited.
Max was surprised at how anticlimactic it was to get everyone loaded in and headed back to the manor. The only stop was just outside the cemetery gates, which Wayne had ordered her to relock. She supposed the theory was sound; after all, kids had been vandalizing graveyards for a long time. But, with her fright so closely behind her, she couldn't imagine what it would take to convince her to head back there at night.
The only comment Wayne would make was "Better to be safe." After an ironic glance through the rearview mirrors to the two huddled in the backseat, "Batman won't be up for patrol for a few days."
Max couldn't agree more.
Back on the grounds of the manor, Wayne had consulted what looked to Max like some kind of security grid. Whatever it was, he nodded once in satisfaction and pulled off of the drive. After a brief jaunt through and around dense trees, ponds, and piles of rocks, she was lost. Max's theory that nothing more could have surprised her that night was suddenly put to an extreme test. With a sudden gunning sound, Wayne headed the car straight towards a solid rock wall. She knew that it was only an illusion created by the best special effects that money could buy. It still didn't help the gasp of fear, the clenching of the body and her eyes that squeezed tightly shut just before the moment of impact. Once through the barricade and into the dark tunnel, she managed to pry open her eyes and stare around. Terry hadn't even flinched as they broke through the illusion. Max supposed that he'd done it enough times that it was ordinary by now. Having been through here once before, riding in the Batmobile that was doing well over two hundred miles an hour, Max marveled that he knew just where in the cliff face the opening was. The opening wasn't that big, and a slight miscalculation would not be a pretty sight. Turning to Terry who was looking more alert, she started to ask the question. Looking back at her, he sensed what she was going to ask.
"It's the suit." At her puzzled look, he clarified. "The lensing in the cowl negates the effects."
She supposed it was an adequate answer. As the car came to a stop in the cave, Terry tensed.
"It seems we have a welcoming party," Wayne growled.
Following both their looks, Max noticed a figure striding determiningly towards the parked car.
It was Commissioner Gordan.
TBC!
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: Everytime I think I'm getting close to finishing, the characters grab the plotline and won't let go! I've already started "Implications" and I can't finish this one up to the beginning of that story. * sigh * I'm trying. * grin* Really, I am….
Chapter 6
"Terry?" Max called again softly. The all too recent fright had made her leery of approaching the body any closer. When no answer was forthcoming, she took a deep breath and moved forward.
It was Terry. Now a terror of a different sort took over. He didn't answer, he wasn't moving. In the dark, it was impossible to tell if he was even breathing. Carefully, she knelt down beside him and touched him lightly on the shoulder. He was warm, hot even, and slightly damp from the earlier rain. Rolling him onto his back, she leaned over his chest. Max felt him breath way too lightly against her cheek. His chest was moving, but he continued to be unresponsive to her presence. It was time to call in the Calvary.
Knowing from previous experience that the answering machine would only pick up if it registered her number as calling, Max felt around in Terry's pockets. Trying to avoid jarring him too much, she prayed that he'd kept out of habit the cellphone Wayne had given him.
"It's about time this damn thing proved useful." Max muttered as she finally found the object of her search. Keying in the security code for the Batline, 'See, Terry, being your sidekick is proving useful…', Max waited for Wayne's answer at the other end.
"Terry!" The response was immediate. "Where are you? I've been…"
Cutting off the tirade before it got started, Max answered back. "It's me. I found him."
"Where? Is he OK?
"He's unconscious, but I don't see any blood or anything. We're at Gotham Resurrection Cemetery." She started to give directions, but Wayne cut her off.
"I know the location. What part are you in?"
Max glanced around, trying to identify any potential landmarks. "I have no idea. I got lost and the fog was forming. I'm somewhere near the east side fence."
"At the top or bottom of the hill?"
"Bottom."
"Look up the hill. Do you see a large monument? One of a kneeling angel?"
The mists that had been closing in obligingly thinned enough to catch a glimpse of the gleaming marble. "Yeah. How did you know?"
For a moment there was silence. "I've been there before." Then grudgingly, "Many times."
Unable to think of a suitable reply to that statement, Max asked, "Are you going to tell his mom?"
"I'll be there in a few moments. The fewer people we involve right now, the better."
"But…" The line went dead before she could form the rest of her question. Knowing a call back would be useless; Max sat back, laid Terry's head in her lap, and waited.
Max idly ran her fingers through Terry's hair. She felt the swollen knot on his head and winced in sympathy. Looking around, the mist seemed less menacing now. As if it knew that what was sought had been found, it was content to keep its distance from the couple. To Max, time past slowly. She waited, every few minutes trying to waken her friend, her best friend. Sorrow filled her. Sorrow that she had not seen the signs in him before things had progressed to this point, that there was no one the hero could go to for a rescue. Lying there, Terry stirred once and then was silent. And Max continued to wait.
A shifting and sliding of loose gravel startled her. At the top of the hill, a man with a cane had stopped briefly, placing something on the headstone illuminated in the moonlight before starting down the path where Max and Terry were.
"Mr. Wayne?"
"How is he?"
"He won't wake up."
Slowly kneeling beside the teenagers, Wayne pulled out a small penlight and examined the still form. Only when he pried open Terry's eyelids to gauge the eye's response did the teen react. Blinking several times at the light, Terry shifted and managed to croak out "Dad?"
Max tried to hush him as he coughed. She helped Terry to sit up slightly, hoping to aid him in catching his breath. As the spasm subsided, Terry finally looked around.
"Bruce? Max? What …?"
"We've been looking for you."
"But…"
Wayne interrupted. "Hold still a second." Finishing his once over, he asked "Where are you hurt?"
"My head hurts. It hurts to breathe."
"Can you stand?"
It took several attempts and no little amount of help from both Max and Bruce to pull Terry onto his feet. With another look at the hill ahead of them, Max knew it was a no-brainer that the two of them were never going to get him up it. Wayne evidently had similar thoughts. Propping Terry against a handy monument, he fished around in his pocket for the car keys and handed them over to Max.
"What about the gate?"
"It's open. I have the key on the ring."
Privately wondering why anyone would have the key to any cemetery gates on their ring, she shrugged it off as a peculiarity of the rich. "You gonna be OK here?"
"I'll be better once you're back. Get going."
There wasn't a reply Max could give to that, so she started up the hill. At the top, she turned around to check on the two she'd left behind. Terry was still on his feet, but leaning heavily against the stone. Wayne was murmuring something to him, but it was too soft for her to catch. Whatever it was, Terry was nodding in agreement. Turning back to the path, the mist wasn't as thick and the moonlight was able to break through to light her way. Passing the kneeling angel, a stronger moonbeam focused and illuminated the headstone, allowing her to read the family name. It was 'Wayne'.
"That explains the keys," she whispered to herself. Hurrying on, Max easily found the car parked just inside the iron gates. Getting in, she started it back up the trail to where the two men waited.
Max was surprised at how anticlimactic it was to get everyone loaded in and headed back to the manor. The only stop was just outside the cemetery gates, which Wayne had ordered her to relock. She supposed the theory was sound; after all, kids had been vandalizing graveyards for a long time. But, with her fright so closely behind her, she couldn't imagine what it would take to convince her to head back there at night.
The only comment Wayne would make was "Better to be safe." After an ironic glance through the rearview mirrors to the two huddled in the backseat, "Batman won't be up for patrol for a few days."
Max couldn't agree more.
Back on the grounds of the manor, Wayne had consulted what looked to Max like some kind of security grid. Whatever it was, he nodded once in satisfaction and pulled off of the drive. After a brief jaunt through and around dense trees, ponds, and piles of rocks, she was lost. Max's theory that nothing more could have surprised her that night was suddenly put to an extreme test. With a sudden gunning sound, Wayne headed the car straight towards a solid rock wall. She knew that it was only an illusion created by the best special effects that money could buy. It still didn't help the gasp of fear, the clenching of the body and her eyes that squeezed tightly shut just before the moment of impact. Once through the barricade and into the dark tunnel, she managed to pry open her eyes and stare around. Terry hadn't even flinched as they broke through the illusion. Max supposed that he'd done it enough times that it was ordinary by now. Having been through here once before, riding in the Batmobile that was doing well over two hundred miles an hour, Max marveled that he knew just where in the cliff face the opening was. The opening wasn't that big, and a slight miscalculation would not be a pretty sight. Turning to Terry who was looking more alert, she started to ask the question. Looking back at her, he sensed what she was going to ask.
"It's the suit." At her puzzled look, he clarified. "The lensing in the cowl negates the effects."
She supposed it was an adequate answer. As the car came to a stop in the cave, Terry tensed.
"It seems we have a welcoming party," Wayne growled.
Following both their looks, Max noticed a figure striding determiningly towards the parked car.
It was Commissioner Gordan.
TBC!