Chapter Nine
Terry frowned. "May I help you?" he asked. He tried to avoid looking at the scar down his face.
"Perhaps," Mr. Fixx said in a deep voice. "My name is Mr. Fixx, I work for Derek Powers, your father's boss. You are?"
Terry hesitated. "Terry McGinnis. Maybe you haven't heard or something but my father's-"
"No, I know," Mr. Fixx interrupted, "I'm truly sorry about your father, I knew him well." He hesitated, looking past Terry and into the apartment. "May I come in? Is your mother around?"
"She's busy," Terry answered, holding the door in its place. "Do you need something?"
"I only needed to know about your father's files. Some of them he borrowed from the company and we'll need them back. I suppose you probably don't know anything about them?"
Something flashed dangerously in Mr. Fixx's eyes and Terry blinked, remembering what he had overheard from the Jokerz the night before. "No, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'll ask if my mom knows when she's not busy."
Mr. Fixx smiled charmingly, even though it wasn't much of an effect with his scar. "Please, I insist. May I come in and have a look around Doctor McGinnis' office? I promise it wouldn't take too long."
Terry started to shake his head. "I'm sorry, now's not a good time. Try again later."
Much later. Like never.
He started to close the door, and that's when Mr. Fixx's smile vanished. He shoved the door open and Terry stumbled back, surprised.
"Hey!" he shouted. Mr. Fixx entered the room, closing the door behind him. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"
Mr. Fixx grabbed Terry around the shirt collar and threw him out of his way. Terry crashed over the kitchen counter and onto the hard linoleum floor, feeling the air gush out of his lungs. "Matt!" he gasped, "Matt, get out of here!"
Matt looked around wildly, trying to get away. Fixx grabbed the boy and threw him up against the wall. Terry got to his feet angrily and tried to pull him off, but Fixx was too strong. Terry found himself back on the floor.
Fixx saw the laptop then and made a grab for it. Terry leapt up in his way and punched him across the face. It didn't nearly do as much damage as he'd hoped, and Fixx recovered quickly.
"Matt, run now!" Terry shouted, grabbing the laptop and tossing it to his brother. Matt made a run for the door, throwing it open and getting safely outside. It gave Terry a chance to be alone with the stranger.
"That wasn't smart, kid," Fixx snarled, "I'll just go after the boy instead."
"Oh no you won't," Terry said, attacking him. The two of them struggled in the family room, tripping over the coffee table and smashing into the TV. Terry rolled away, grabbing a nearby umbrella from the stand as a weapon.
Mr. Fixx froze, watching as Terry stood there, umbrella held out. He chuckled a little, getting to his feet.
"You can't beat me Terry," he said. "Give it up now."
"No way," Terry said, swinging the umbrella. Mr. Fixx caught it easily, yanking it from his hands and throwing it across the room. Terry turned and ran for the door, slipping on the linoleum as he yanked it open.
"You're not getting way!" Fixx shouted, coming after him. Terry had no intention of escaping. He waited until Fixx was the right distance away before slamming the door wide open, hitting the man square in the face.
He staggered back, hands flying up to his nose. Terry crouched slightly, fists up, waiting.
By then they had caused enough racket to alert the neighbors. Doors opened and heads poked out, curious. Matt stood in the hallway, clutching the laptop in his arms. His eyes were wide with fright.
"Matt, get out of here!" Terry shouted, but he was cut off when Mr. Fixx attacked him, yelling angrily. Terry cried out, slamming up against the wall. Using all his strength he kneed the man between the legs. Fixx bent over in pain and Terry elbowed him in the face, sending him sprawling across the hallway.
Cries of surprise emerged from the neighbors as Terry backed up, chest heaving. Mr. Fixx climbed slowly to his feet, face smeared with blood.
"Someone call the police!" someone shouted. Mr. Fixx heard and looked around wildly. Then he saw the laptop clutched tightly in Matt's arms. He made a dive for him and Matt screamed, dropping the laptop.
"No!" Terry yelled, trying to stop him, but Mr. Fixx had already scooped up the laptop and was running for the stairs. Terry went after him, ignoring the shouts of surprise from the doorways around him.
Mr. Fixx clattered down the stairs noisily, Terry close behind him. They reached the ground floor and Fixx went straight for the exit.
Terry went after him through the doors, nearly skidding to a stop as he ran into a crowd of people passing on the busy streets. He looked around wildly for the man and saw him running down the street, disappearing around the nearest alley.
He cursed wildly and went after him, coming to a stop inside the alley. Without thinking he went in, running as fast as he could.
Bruce Wayne normally didn't do courtesy visits, but Derek Powers had insisted on having him come by and take a look at Wayne Enterprises. And it gave him a chance to get out of the manor, concentrate on other things.
For a change.
He stood in the main foyer of the Agriculture building, leaning on his cane. Derek Powers had just gotten done showing him through the laboratories of department and so far he hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary.
Even so he couldn't help feeling the nervousness Derek tried to conceal behind a fixed smile and deep eyes.
"Thank you for your time Mr. Wayne," Mr. Powers was saying, leading him to the door. "It's always a pleasure being inspected by you and we hope you find everything to your normal standards."
"Yes," Bruce answered, "I'll be contacting you for future visits."
"Of course."
"And a quick question."
Mr. Powers looking sharply at him. "Yes?"
"I just want to clarify that I still hold authority over this corporation and I hold it on to you to keep its research experiments permissible and legitimate while you hold your position in its building."
"Of course Mr. Wayne."
"And if there are any.questionable acts under this corporation I will hold you personally responsible," he continued, looking at Mr. Powers. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence and he flashed a small smile. "Not that I'd ever have to be permitted to do so."
Mr. Powers let out a small sigh of relief. "Of course Mr. Wayne. You can always depend on my authority over the company."
Sure.
They stepped outside where Mr. Wayne's car had been pulled up. The driver hopped out from behind the wheel, rounding around the vehicle to hold the back door open.
"What are your plans for the rest of the day?" Bruce said, not yet getting in.
Mr. Powers shuffled slightly. "Doing surveillance on one of our projects tonight," he replied, "shouldn't take too long. Do you need assistance with something?"
Bruce Wayne started to answer, when loud yelling erupted from behind them. They both turned to see a scarred-faced man emerge out of the alley and race past them, clutching a laptop inside his coat flap.
Derek's eyes widened slightly and took a step forward. "Mr. Wayne I-"
The scarred man took one look at Bruce and Derek, then disappeared in a nearby car, starting the ignition. He drove away, nearly causing two cars swerving to avoid hitting him.
"Stop! Stop!"
Another figure emerged from the alley, and this time Bruce was the one to respond. He narrowed his eyes as Terry came out on the street, looking around wildly. He turned and saw Bruce standing there, watching him.
"Mr. Wayne-" he began, but Bruce cut him off.
"Get in the car," he said sternly.
Terry hesitated, but Bruce was already turning to say good-bye to Derek Powers. Mr. Powers was stunned, looking past Bruce and down the street where the car had disappeared around the corner. Terry looked around, trying to figure out if Bruce had even been talking to him. Then, noticing the driver watching him with the open door, he climbed in.
The interior was all leather. It looked like a limo with a TV in one corner and a small refrigerator in the other. He sat there, not sure what to do as the driver stood where he was, waiting for Bruce to climb in.
No one spoke as the door closed and Terry moved over to give the older man room. The driver got back in behind the wheel and started the car, moving out into the traffic.
Finally Terry spoke.
"I'm sorry but that man stole my dad's laptop-"
Bruce moved his cane suddenly, causing Terry to shut his mouth. But all he did was use the cane to press the button on the side of the door. There was a whirring sound and the window shut between them and the driver, sealing them away.
"I didn't ask you in here for an explanation," Bruce said. "I already know."
"You do?"
There was another long silence. Terry shifted uncomfortably, suddenly wanting to get out of the car. Anything was better than this.
"Mr. Derek Powers hired Mr. Fixx to keep his research experiments a secret. He can and will do anything to keep it quiet. That included your father."
Terry was silent.
"I've looked up your history," Bruce interrupted. "Been on parole several times for break-ins, damages-"
"Yeah yeah, I know," Terry stopped him, flushing. "What's your point? I thought you didn't want me around."
"You want to take on the responsibility?"
He looked up, surprised. "What-?"
Bruce looked at him. "You have to prove you can."
"Didn't I already do that?"
"What you did was reckless and dangerous and you could've gotten someone killed."
"Yeah but I didn't!" Terry was starting to get worked up again. "I didn't kill anyone and you know that so-"
"Do you want the responsibility or not?" Bruce interrupted, looking sharply at him. Terry closed his mouth and sat back. "One chance Terry, that's it."
There was another silence. Terry wondered briefly if the driver knew any of this stuff. Then decided against it. If he did that window wouldn't have been closed. Bruce Wayne seemed to be waiting for an answer. It must have taken him a lot of thinking to bend this far and even have this conversation with him.
"I left my brother alone in the apartment building-" he began.
"Don't worry about it," Bruce said, "I'll have someone contact your mother."
"But-"
"Don't worry, she won't find out."
Terry nodded slowly, leaning casually back in his seat. One chance huh? And if he passed he could be Batman, no questions asked. But if he didn't-
Didn't matter. He'd do it anyway.
"Okay," he agreed.
Terry frowned. "May I help you?" he asked. He tried to avoid looking at the scar down his face.
"Perhaps," Mr. Fixx said in a deep voice. "My name is Mr. Fixx, I work for Derek Powers, your father's boss. You are?"
Terry hesitated. "Terry McGinnis. Maybe you haven't heard or something but my father's-"
"No, I know," Mr. Fixx interrupted, "I'm truly sorry about your father, I knew him well." He hesitated, looking past Terry and into the apartment. "May I come in? Is your mother around?"
"She's busy," Terry answered, holding the door in its place. "Do you need something?"
"I only needed to know about your father's files. Some of them he borrowed from the company and we'll need them back. I suppose you probably don't know anything about them?"
Something flashed dangerously in Mr. Fixx's eyes and Terry blinked, remembering what he had overheard from the Jokerz the night before. "No, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'll ask if my mom knows when she's not busy."
Mr. Fixx smiled charmingly, even though it wasn't much of an effect with his scar. "Please, I insist. May I come in and have a look around Doctor McGinnis' office? I promise it wouldn't take too long."
Terry started to shake his head. "I'm sorry, now's not a good time. Try again later."
Much later. Like never.
He started to close the door, and that's when Mr. Fixx's smile vanished. He shoved the door open and Terry stumbled back, surprised.
"Hey!" he shouted. Mr. Fixx entered the room, closing the door behind him. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"
Mr. Fixx grabbed Terry around the shirt collar and threw him out of his way. Terry crashed over the kitchen counter and onto the hard linoleum floor, feeling the air gush out of his lungs. "Matt!" he gasped, "Matt, get out of here!"
Matt looked around wildly, trying to get away. Fixx grabbed the boy and threw him up against the wall. Terry got to his feet angrily and tried to pull him off, but Fixx was too strong. Terry found himself back on the floor.
Fixx saw the laptop then and made a grab for it. Terry leapt up in his way and punched him across the face. It didn't nearly do as much damage as he'd hoped, and Fixx recovered quickly.
"Matt, run now!" Terry shouted, grabbing the laptop and tossing it to his brother. Matt made a run for the door, throwing it open and getting safely outside. It gave Terry a chance to be alone with the stranger.
"That wasn't smart, kid," Fixx snarled, "I'll just go after the boy instead."
"Oh no you won't," Terry said, attacking him. The two of them struggled in the family room, tripping over the coffee table and smashing into the TV. Terry rolled away, grabbing a nearby umbrella from the stand as a weapon.
Mr. Fixx froze, watching as Terry stood there, umbrella held out. He chuckled a little, getting to his feet.
"You can't beat me Terry," he said. "Give it up now."
"No way," Terry said, swinging the umbrella. Mr. Fixx caught it easily, yanking it from his hands and throwing it across the room. Terry turned and ran for the door, slipping on the linoleum as he yanked it open.
"You're not getting way!" Fixx shouted, coming after him. Terry had no intention of escaping. He waited until Fixx was the right distance away before slamming the door wide open, hitting the man square in the face.
He staggered back, hands flying up to his nose. Terry crouched slightly, fists up, waiting.
By then they had caused enough racket to alert the neighbors. Doors opened and heads poked out, curious. Matt stood in the hallway, clutching the laptop in his arms. His eyes were wide with fright.
"Matt, get out of here!" Terry shouted, but he was cut off when Mr. Fixx attacked him, yelling angrily. Terry cried out, slamming up against the wall. Using all his strength he kneed the man between the legs. Fixx bent over in pain and Terry elbowed him in the face, sending him sprawling across the hallway.
Cries of surprise emerged from the neighbors as Terry backed up, chest heaving. Mr. Fixx climbed slowly to his feet, face smeared with blood.
"Someone call the police!" someone shouted. Mr. Fixx heard and looked around wildly. Then he saw the laptop clutched tightly in Matt's arms. He made a dive for him and Matt screamed, dropping the laptop.
"No!" Terry yelled, trying to stop him, but Mr. Fixx had already scooped up the laptop and was running for the stairs. Terry went after him, ignoring the shouts of surprise from the doorways around him.
Mr. Fixx clattered down the stairs noisily, Terry close behind him. They reached the ground floor and Fixx went straight for the exit.
Terry went after him through the doors, nearly skidding to a stop as he ran into a crowd of people passing on the busy streets. He looked around wildly for the man and saw him running down the street, disappearing around the nearest alley.
He cursed wildly and went after him, coming to a stop inside the alley. Without thinking he went in, running as fast as he could.
Bruce Wayne normally didn't do courtesy visits, but Derek Powers had insisted on having him come by and take a look at Wayne Enterprises. And it gave him a chance to get out of the manor, concentrate on other things.
For a change.
He stood in the main foyer of the Agriculture building, leaning on his cane. Derek Powers had just gotten done showing him through the laboratories of department and so far he hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary.
Even so he couldn't help feeling the nervousness Derek tried to conceal behind a fixed smile and deep eyes.
"Thank you for your time Mr. Wayne," Mr. Powers was saying, leading him to the door. "It's always a pleasure being inspected by you and we hope you find everything to your normal standards."
"Yes," Bruce answered, "I'll be contacting you for future visits."
"Of course."
"And a quick question."
Mr. Powers looking sharply at him. "Yes?"
"I just want to clarify that I still hold authority over this corporation and I hold it on to you to keep its research experiments permissible and legitimate while you hold your position in its building."
"Of course Mr. Wayne."
"And if there are any.questionable acts under this corporation I will hold you personally responsible," he continued, looking at Mr. Powers. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence and he flashed a small smile. "Not that I'd ever have to be permitted to do so."
Mr. Powers let out a small sigh of relief. "Of course Mr. Wayne. You can always depend on my authority over the company."
Sure.
They stepped outside where Mr. Wayne's car had been pulled up. The driver hopped out from behind the wheel, rounding around the vehicle to hold the back door open.
"What are your plans for the rest of the day?" Bruce said, not yet getting in.
Mr. Powers shuffled slightly. "Doing surveillance on one of our projects tonight," he replied, "shouldn't take too long. Do you need assistance with something?"
Bruce Wayne started to answer, when loud yelling erupted from behind them. They both turned to see a scarred-faced man emerge out of the alley and race past them, clutching a laptop inside his coat flap.
Derek's eyes widened slightly and took a step forward. "Mr. Wayne I-"
The scarred man took one look at Bruce and Derek, then disappeared in a nearby car, starting the ignition. He drove away, nearly causing two cars swerving to avoid hitting him.
"Stop! Stop!"
Another figure emerged from the alley, and this time Bruce was the one to respond. He narrowed his eyes as Terry came out on the street, looking around wildly. He turned and saw Bruce standing there, watching him.
"Mr. Wayne-" he began, but Bruce cut him off.
"Get in the car," he said sternly.
Terry hesitated, but Bruce was already turning to say good-bye to Derek Powers. Mr. Powers was stunned, looking past Bruce and down the street where the car had disappeared around the corner. Terry looked around, trying to figure out if Bruce had even been talking to him. Then, noticing the driver watching him with the open door, he climbed in.
The interior was all leather. It looked like a limo with a TV in one corner and a small refrigerator in the other. He sat there, not sure what to do as the driver stood where he was, waiting for Bruce to climb in.
No one spoke as the door closed and Terry moved over to give the older man room. The driver got back in behind the wheel and started the car, moving out into the traffic.
Finally Terry spoke.
"I'm sorry but that man stole my dad's laptop-"
Bruce moved his cane suddenly, causing Terry to shut his mouth. But all he did was use the cane to press the button on the side of the door. There was a whirring sound and the window shut between them and the driver, sealing them away.
"I didn't ask you in here for an explanation," Bruce said. "I already know."
"You do?"
There was another long silence. Terry shifted uncomfortably, suddenly wanting to get out of the car. Anything was better than this.
"Mr. Derek Powers hired Mr. Fixx to keep his research experiments a secret. He can and will do anything to keep it quiet. That included your father."
Terry was silent.
"I've looked up your history," Bruce interrupted. "Been on parole several times for break-ins, damages-"
"Yeah yeah, I know," Terry stopped him, flushing. "What's your point? I thought you didn't want me around."
"You want to take on the responsibility?"
He looked up, surprised. "What-?"
Bruce looked at him. "You have to prove you can."
"Didn't I already do that?"
"What you did was reckless and dangerous and you could've gotten someone killed."
"Yeah but I didn't!" Terry was starting to get worked up again. "I didn't kill anyone and you know that so-"
"Do you want the responsibility or not?" Bruce interrupted, looking sharply at him. Terry closed his mouth and sat back. "One chance Terry, that's it."
There was another silence. Terry wondered briefly if the driver knew any of this stuff. Then decided against it. If he did that window wouldn't have been closed. Bruce Wayne seemed to be waiting for an answer. It must have taken him a lot of thinking to bend this far and even have this conversation with him.
"I left my brother alone in the apartment building-" he began.
"Don't worry about it," Bruce said, "I'll have someone contact your mother."
"But-"
"Don't worry, she won't find out."
Terry nodded slowly, leaning casually back in his seat. One chance huh? And if he passed he could be Batman, no questions asked. But if he didn't-
Didn't matter. He'd do it anyway.
"Okay," he agreed.