Chapter Three: The Second Bat


Where'd you get it?

Wayne had a spare suit like yours... Just made the symbol yellow -

Yeah, Max, Terry said, stuffing his suit into his backpack. It was almost 2 in the morning.

Sorry. You know you needed help, Terry, Max said.

I'm not complaining. You could make my job a lot easier.

Max frowned, Thanks, I guess.

Terry keyed in the lock code to the Batmobile. The engines had cooled.

Why are you locking it? It's not like anyone will break -

Terry said, staring at her.

Oh. Hey, I'm not gonna take it!

You took the suit, said Terry as the door to the Cave closed.

***

Monday June 2nd, 2030
Five days later


What the hell are you trying to pull, kid? The Commissioner said, when she was sure the door was closed tightly. The name was visible on the door, backwards.

What? Nothing, as far as I know, Terry said, leaning on the desk with mock nonchalance.

Don't play dumb, McGinnis. The new Bat. The new... Batgirl. It's all over the news.

I had nothing to do with it. She did it herself. Why, you jealous?

Gordon said nothing... The long days in the tower in the No Man's Land... The wheelchair... The girl with the full-face mask who had made herself the Batgirl without Bruce's permission... Now it was someone else. Batman needed the help.

I need the help, Commissioner. The mutants -

Alright, Terry. The Bat's a powerful symbol here. Don't misuse it. Don't let anyone else misuse it.

Terry smirked, Will do, Commish.

***





Batgirl. You circle around and dive from the tower opposite me as soon as I attack, okay?

She left wordlessly. The Batman waited for a few seconds. The street had been covered in gasoline and lit on fire. Mutants everywhere. No cops in sight.

Another figure walked out of the shadows and into the flickering orange light around the Mutants. Batman tapped the side of his cowl. Magnification 5x.

Dana?


One of the Mutants, spliced with something green, walked towards her and grabbed her arm, speaking...

Sound sensitivity 5x.

...Knew you'd come. To'd all da spuds, he motioned to the Mutants standing behind him. Maybe spud was a rank..

How's Bo know da gal, Rob?

Saw her at skoo', Don.

Terry had to turn up the volume slightly to hear Dana's frightened voice.

What do you want? Why'd I come here?

We'll let ya know, sweety, said the Mutant, running a clawed finger behind her ear and down her neck -

A shadow from above made the moonlight flicker, and an instant later the Batgirl had landed and Bo was sent flying backwards, blood spraying from his mouth.

Batgirl! I said wait until I got there! said Batman, soaring down, red wings spread.

You waited too long, Batman!

Dana backed away from the ensuing battle slowly. Several of the Mutants ran away in fear, in different directions.

Get the ones running away! Terry screamed at Max, over the din of the fight, still turned up five fold.

Got it, Max said.

Batman threw one of the Mutants from his back forward, thus freeing himself from a headlock. Voices -

Lemme get

It's Boss! Letim getim, Don.

Better letim get -

Shaddap! Da rat be MINE!

The crowd parted and the Batman looked up to see the biggest man he had ever seen charging at him.

He felt it before he understood it: a powerful blow to the stomach, knocking the wind from him even with the reinforced suit, then one to the head that screwed up the optical system. Audio going haywire, screaming in his ears with each punch -

Some ribs broken for sure. Concussion, maybe...

The pain was all he could be sure about.

The static cleared from the optics, long enough for Terry to see the sharp-toothed, tattooed man slam his fist into Terry's jaw, sending him backwards.

Gotta be using Slappers... or injectable Venom...


The Batman gasped, blood dripping from his mouth. The spinning of his head combined with the failing microcomputers in the cowl made him completely disoriented... he was on the ground, but where was the boss Mutant? And where the hell was Max?

The Boss' clawed hand closed over Batman's skull. He held him up by his head so that his feet barely touched the ground.

Batman could feel that they were moving, but couldn't see. He could hear Dana's soft crying. They were probably going somewhere Max wouldn't find them...

Stop.

The massive hand tightened it's grip on Terry's head. Spots appeared... Death... No one to come save him in the nick of time except himself...

Terry made a guess as to where the Boss' head was and fired three Batarangs there.

The Boss roared, released Batman from his right hand and Dana from his left to hold his bleeding face, backing away in blindness. Batman rocketed towards him, only having a flicker of vision for every few seconds of static, and drove him into a wall, leaving a dent by the feel of it, and that was all he could do.

***

Terry woke up. He was still wearing the cowl, but the static had cleared up a little. He was laying on his back, and there was Dana, looking down at his face. Thank God, she was all right...

Are you awake? Dana asked, sounding meek. To her, the cowl's eyeholes were opaque.

Terry sat up. Couldn't say anything, couldn't risk it.

Thank you, Dana said, collapsing on him and hugging him, for saving me. Oh, God, I thought -

Stay away from them from now on, Dana, Batman said, prying her from him and standing up, trying to keep his voice deeper than usual.

How do you know my name? fear crossed her face, then surprise...

The Batman drew back his cowl, revealing the face of an eighteen-year-old boy, black hair, pale blue eyes...

Dana smiled, kissed him deeply, and left the alley.