Chapter Thirteen
Max did the first thing she could think of. She fought back.
She had no idea what she doing. When she was twelve she had taken a defense class, and now she used what she had learned years ago. She swung her fists and her legs, feeling the satisfying crunch beneath her blows as she battled to get away. But something went wrong and she was knocked off balance.
Chuckles surrounded her along with loud swearing as the Jokerz reached down to pull her back up.
Everyone stopped moving miraculously and a light flared up in the dark alley. Max stood there in the center, surrounded by the gang. She didn't dare move, but her eyes darted around, searching for a way out.
The light was coming from a match. One of the Jokerz was holding it up and its soft glow cast shadows down the alley. His smile was hideous.
"Don't come any closer," Max said, fists up, "I'm warning you."
The Jokerz burst out laughing and the young man holding the match guffawed. "You're warning us?" he asked. "We'll teach you what happens to a little lady who threatens us."
Max's eyes widened slightly and she stepped back as the Jokerz started advancing. She knew how to fight, but she had no idea how to do it when outnumbered. She looked around for an opening but there was none. She was stuck.
The closest Joker had the meanest looking club in his hand, and he raised it. She gasped and held out her arms to block it when-
Nothing happened.
She felt a gush of wind brush past her and she looked up as a black shadow appeared in front of her. For a split second she couldn't see anything, then the shadow moved.
She watched in amazement as Batman moved through the alley, pushing back the crowd, sending strange weapons from his wrists and delivering punches and kicks at the Joker. She had barely any time to think when he turned toward her.
"Go now!" he shouted.
She blinked, surprised to hear his voice. She stepped back, too frozen to do anything right away, but it didn't matter. The Jokerz were already running.
Batman stood there for a moment, making sure they were gone for good, before turning back to Max. She was standing there, staring at him, eyes wide.
There was an awkward silence, then he spoke.
"You okay?"
She blinked. "Yeah, I-arrg."
She had just noticed the gash on her right arm. She must have gotten it from the previous fight with the Jokerz when she had tried to escape. She lifted her arm and the cut caught the light.
Batman started at the site and she looked at him almost apologetically. He reached into his belt and took out a small aid pack. He held it out and she backed up almost fearfully, not sure what he was doing. The red bat emblem shown on his chest and she stared at it.
"Here," he said, handing it to her. "It should help."
She had never heard a voice quite like that before. But there was something about it that was familiar. She couldn't put her finger on it. She took the aid pack.
"Thanks," she stammered.
Then he looked up and jumped into the air. She jumped as the jetpack flared at the bottom soles of his feet, and he propelled up into the air, disappearing over the roof and into the night.
Barbara Gordan had reached 'Salita's' to find it in utter chaos. A huge gaping hole was exposed on one side, and people were swarming the vicinity. She had to fight to even find a person to tell her what had happened.
"Jokerz attacked and tried to blow up the place-"
"Grabbed this guy-"
"Tried to kill him!"
"People were panicking when-"
"This black shadow came out of nowhere and stopped them-"
"Couldn't stand a chance!"
"It was the Batman!"
Barbara had froze at that last statement and turned toward the last man who had spoken. He had been the DJ behind the record stand and he looked particular strange in his bright colored clothes and hat.
"What did you say?" she asked suddenly.
He blinked. "It was the Batman. I saw him, the ears and everything. I swear it was."
"Are you absolutely sure?" she asked.
Other people around them confirmed it and she sighed inwardly, looking toward the hole in the wall. She made a mental checklist, going over what she had heard. Jokerz had attacked, Batman had stopped them, and no one had gotten hurt.
Yet.
Tucking her pad away she turned toward her car. "Thank you for your time," she told the witnesses, "I'll be sure to contact you if needed."
She had to be alone for awhile.
Derek Powers reached up, touching his face gingerly. He looked the way he normally did, back to his white hair, the aging face, the deep piercing eyes---
"It worked," Paxton said finally from behind his desk. He stepped out and approached him. "It---it *works*."
"I know that," Derek snapped, annoyed. "I had to put it on, didn't I?"
"I was just saying-"
"I've fallen far behind," his father interrupted, walking around his son without a second glance and sitting down at his desk. He glanced at the papers strewn over the top. "Least you could've done was help your old man."
"I tried," Paxton explained, "I didn't know all the complications and I was busy trying to raise money for you."
"Learn to do more than one thing at a time, Paxton," Derek said crossly, looking up at him. Paxton swallowed hard. "At least you managed to get *some* things done. Or so I hope. Did you find out about this---winged person?"
"Batman," Paxton replied. He rounded the desk to pull up a file on the computer. "I've done my research. Evidently he has been around for over twenty years. He dates back even to the late 1990's, even farther back."
"Impossible," Derek said.
"No, it's true," Paxton insisted. "That man, I checked what security videos we could of the lab. Most videos were destroyed but those that were not I managed to secure. He follows the same design, same emblem- look."
He pointed to the screen where a fuzzy picture from the lab security camera. In the corner they could see a dark figure, a red shape on its chest.
"That's Batman," he said almost excitedly.
"Nothing to get excited about, Paxton," Derek Powers said almost sneeringly. "Did you *find* this costumed freak? Did you find out who he was?"
"Well-"
"Then you're work's not done. I want you to do that. And just that." He got to his feet. "I'm going to prepare for tomorrow's meeting. And I'm holding my trust on you Paxton." Their gazes met. "*None* of this gets out."
Terry stopped at the Batcave long enough to change and collect his things. Then he made his way for the staircase.
"McGinnis, report," Bruce said from his console.
Terry stopped in the entrance and sighed outwardly. He turned around slowly, feeling his muscles ache slightly. "Nothing to report," he said.
"Overall smooth night?"
"Yeah."
"Good."
"Found anything else on Derek Powers?"
There was a long silence. Bruce had been spending the last couple nights working on finding Derek's location while Terry went out on patrol. Both men thought it very odd that Mr. Powers would disappear after the lab explosion, and they were trying to find all they could about it.
"No."
Terry stood there for a couple of seconds, waiting for any more responses. When he got none he left the cave.
Millions of thoughts were going through his head. It was his first *real* public appearance. He had never done that before. First the nightclub where Dana and practically every other kid from school was then Max in the alleyway. Hopefully he hadn't done anything too obvious that would give him away. He had been working on speaking in a tone that wouldn't give him away. He found it to be very useful, especially when he had to interact with someone in the batsuit.
He was done for the night. Now it was time for sleep.
The next morning was an important one for Bruce Wayne. It was the monthly meeting he always had with fellow employers at Wayne Enterprises and it was the only meetings he ever attended.
He sat at the front of the table in his usual place of honor, cane in hand even though he was sitting down. He could hear the soft murmurs from the other employees at the table, but he didn't say a word. He didn't exactly want to be there.
The door opened then and everyone quieted down. Paxton Powers had entered the room. He was normally the one to lead the meetings, but that morning he seemed a bit hesitant. Bruce narrowed his eyes suspiciously as Paxton shifted his weight, his fingers fumbling.
Behind him Derek Powers entered the room.
No one else in the room seemed to find this remotely interesting at all, but Bruce Wayne nearly jumped out of his seat. He had to fight his impulses and stay glued into the seat, his grip hardening on his cane.
"Good morning," Paxton addressed the group as a whole, "you all know my father, Derek Powers. He's just gotten back from a vacation trip- a very *well earned* vacation trip," he added, smiling.
Derek was smiling as well, but it was fixed as Paxton sat down. Derek was going to be leading the meeting today. Bruce saw him reach up and touch his neck, almost as if checking to make sure something was there. Bruce frowned slightly.
"Morning fellow employees," Derek Powers began, and he nodded in Bruce's direction, "and an especial welcome to Mr. Wayne, the manager and owner of Wayne Enterprises. I hope you find everything to your expectations."
Bruce didn't acknowledge. He just continued to watch him, his grip slowly relaxing on his cane.
"My son will be able to bore you all with company funding later," Derek said, "before that I would like to make a little announcement. I am very pleased to say that I will be hosting a company party tonight downstairs in the company hall. Black tie function, as it is, and I hope to see every one of you there including more."
Bruce heard the mutterings again. Derek was smiling, now but Bruce leaned forward.
"Exactly what is this party function for?" he asked, his deep voice carrying well across the room. Everyone else turned to look in his direction.
"Simply to celebrate the success of the agricultural department of Wayne Enterprises," Derek replied casually, "we *did* find a cure."
"Yes," Bruce agreed, "but killed two people and endangered several scientists in the progress."
The room was silent. Derek was no longer smiling. For a long moment the tension between them was thick enough to be sliced. Bruce watched him intently and for a split second, thought he saw a strange green glow break out around his eyes. Bruce frowned.
Paxton jumped up then and muttered incoherently in Derek's direction. Derek fumbled then, and pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his pocket. He put them on, but Bruce was still frowning.
He knew he had seen something. He didn't know what, but he had seen it.
"Disappointing really," Derek resumed after taking a deep breath. Paxton slowly sat back down. "I assume you wouldn't want to come to the party then, Mr. Wayne?"
Bruce didn't answer.
"Pity because I really hoped you would," Derek said. "After all.you *are* the owner of Wayne Enterprises." His smiled slightly.
The school was buzzing with the news of Batman at Salita's the night before. Everywhere Terry went he could hear the name 'Batman' being brought up and he had to do a quick double take to see if he knew who was speaking. He hadn't even reached his first class and he had passed three separate groups talking about it.
"Hey, Terry!"
Terry sighed inwardly and turned as Max, Dana, and Jared approached him from down the hallway. He was too tired to converse with anyone. He just wanted to get to class. Forcing a smile he waved at them.
"Terry, did you hear?"
"Everyone's talking about it!"
"Yeah, I heard," he replied, stopping in the hallway to talk to them. They had stopped conveniently right in the middle and they ignored the irritated looks other students gave them as they stepped around the group. "Exciting huh?"
"You don't know the half of it," Dana gushed excitedly, pushing a lock of black hair behind her ear. "I *saw* him! He just came out of nowhere and stopped the Jokerz without any trouble-"
"Extremely shway," Jared added, grinning. "It's too bad you weren't there, Terry."
Terry shrugged and looked over at Max. To his surprise, she was looking at him quizzically and he secretly wondered if she had told anyone about her run-in with the Bat last night.
"By the way, where *were* you?" she asked.
Terry thought quickly. "I was.baby-sitting my brother. My mom had a business meeting."
"I called your house last night," Max pointed out, "your mom answered and she didn't know where you were. I needed a ride to Salita's."
Oh slag.
He blinked, noticing the stares coming from Dana and Jared. "Yeah," he stammered, "that was probably when she came home. That was when Mr. Wayne called and I had to run over to his house."
"Oh." She didn't sound at all convinced, but Jared and Dana were nodding.
"It's okay," Dana said, "you'll see it on the news." Then she grew serious. "Terry, you remember about tonight, right?"
He blinked momentarily, snagging quick glances at Max and Jared. They were looking at him.
"Uh." he stammered, "yeah, it's-" He hesitated when he saw Max mouth something. Then he remembered. "Our one month anniversary."
Dana grinned. "I knew you'd remember! I've reserved a table for us at this great Italian restaurant so everything's ready."
Terry smiled hesitantly. "That's great Dana, what time?"
"Seven o'clock, so don't forget okay?" she hugged him, "I want this night to be special."
He hugged her back. "Of course I'll be there," he said, and gave himself a mental note not to let her down this time.
Terry had figured he'd go through the training system once before getting ready for his date. He had several hours to kill. Wouldn't hurt anything.
The training system had been set up by Bruce Wayne in the Batcave. It was similar to a danger room where holographic images would attack him. Sometimes he had to be careful because the holographic images had been wired to do damage. If he wasn't fast enough he'd be as knocked out as a pancake on the floor.
After the quick training he stood there for a moment, breathing hard and working to gather momentum. He was sweating like a pig in his costume. He had moved the levels up in the danger room and he always wore the costume when he was in there. He pulled off his mask, running fingers through wet hair.
He didn't know he wasn't alone until Bruce Wayne spoke.
"Turn up to level nine."
Surprised, Terry looked to see Bruce cross the cave toward the chair behind the computer console. "Are you kidding me?" he asked, "that was level seven and I'm already wiped out."
"Then you're not good enough." Bruce settled into his seat, resting the cane against the console. Ace appeared from the darkness and curled at his master's feet.
Terry couldn't believe this. "You can't be serious. I worked hard in there!"
Bruce reached over and switched the level. "Try again. Fifteen minutes."
Terry sighed. That wouldn't be so long, and he'd still have time to shower and get ready for his date. He put his mask back on and headed back in.
The program started and he was no longer standing in the middle of the cave.
Holographic images appeared, giving him the sensation of standing in the middle of a city street. He could almost feel the wind blowing against his back.
Before he could stop to enjoy the sensation, he was attacked.
He didn't even stop to think what was attacking him. He spun into action. If Bruce wanted more, he'd give him more. He went after each projected image, usually of a Joker or some other criminal image, pushing himself to be as fast as he could.
Bruce remained at the computer console, watching him.
Sometimes the program would give Batman objects to fight with. Normally Terry would go in empty handed and use whatever the program gave him. Sometimes it would be a staff, sometimes something familiar like batarangs.
But this time nothing was appearing to his aid. And the attackers were coming in fast. This was worst then what Terry had gone through before. He had to push himself even harder to get out of the way and find an opening.
Then his weapon aid appeared, lying inches away from him on the ground.
He didn't even stop to think as he rolled, grabbing onto it. When he was back on his feet he was pointing the weapon at the closes enemy in front of him.
Then he fired.
He didn't even realize what he had done before it was too late. The person in front of him stopped still, and that's when he realized it was a holographic image of a woman. She hadn't even been attacking him, she had been just walking by.
He looked down to see that he was holding a gun. The danger room had given him a gun as his aid.
Almost as quickly as it had begun the images winked out. The sensation of wind against his body vanished and Terry was standing back in the middle of the Batcave. The gun was gone from his hands.
Bruce wasn't looking at him.
Terry was more confused then ever. "Bruce.what was that?"
Bruce still didn't look at him. He was looking down at the computer console. "You fired on an innocent woman, Terry."
Terry stammered. "I didn't know, it didn't happen before-"
"You have to be prepared for the worst," Bruce finally looked at him. "And you used a gun and you fired without even looking at who you were firing at."
"The program never gave me a gun before, I didn't know-"
"And whose fault is that?"
Terry couldn't believe it. He pulled off his mask. "Not mine! I told you I wasn't ready for this level!"
"You have to be or else you can't carry the mantle."
There was a stunned silence. Terry was a loss for words. Bruce turned away from him and switched on the computer screen as if dismissing him. Terry wasn't about to stand for that.
"What is up with you?" he demanded, walking forward. "Did you decide to have a bad day or something? I didn't know okay, I wasn't ready for that! Run it again, I'll be ready now."
"It doesn't matter."
"The danger room is to help me prepare- now that I know I won't make the same mistake!"
"No more, Terry."
Now Terry was angry. "What makes you think you can do this to me? Everything was going fine until now. I saved people you know! I won't fire at the woman this time-"
"That's not the point!"
Bruce's voice rang through the cave, causing Terry to jump. He had never heard him *this* angry before.
"You *never* use a gun! Batman does not use them! There are other means at fighting for safety! You don't use a gun!"
Terry blinked. "Okay," he said quieter, "I won't-"
"You did. You didn't even check to see what was in your hand. You fired without thinking. How do you think that makes you look?"
"It was a mistake, I didn't know okay?"
"Mistakes can get you killed. Don't make them."
There was another long silence. Bruce had turned completely away now. Terry could feel his face burn with anger.
"Fine," he said, grabbing his stuff that he had stored at the other end of the cave. "Fine. I'm out of here. I don't know what's wrong with you, I really don't, but I'm not about to stand here and take it."
He changed quickly, throwing on his street clothes. Then he stalked out of the Batcave, leaving Bruce at the console.
Bruce sat there in silence, elbows propped on the console, fingers together.
Watching Terry had made him remember what had happened to him on his last night as the Bat.
*'His finger played across the trigger and for a moment he thought about it. He actually thought about it.'*
The memory was too hard to bear and he didn't want Terry to make the same mistake he did. The Bat never used that weapon before and he never will again. Bruce was going to make sure of it.
Trying to clear his head from his anger he scanned the computer through his memos. Derek Powers' dinner party came up. He couldn't believe he had forgotten about it. He knew Derek wanted him to come, but Bruce didn't believe in the reason for it at all.
Still.maybe he should go. Just to get him out of the mansion and thinking about other things.
That decided, he stood up to get ready.
Paxton Powers was distressed.
"You can't seriously mean to do that Dad," he protested, "you can't!"
"*Don't* tell me what I can or can't do!" Derek snapped, turning away momentarily from the mirror he had hung up in his office. Paxton stood by the desk, watching him, pale with anxiety.
"Please Dad, I beg you to think about this-"
"I already have," Derek interrupted, prodding at the skin around his eyes. He had tried to fix it back into place, but it wouldn't stick. The radiation off his bones was melting too quickly through it. "I do all I can for this society and what does it do to repay me? Turn me into a *freak of nature*! This cannot go overlooked, they deserve what they're going to get tonight."
"But to kill all of them at the party-?"
"It's what I'm going to do, Paxton!" Derek yelled angrily, pulling at the skin on his face. It came off in his hands, revealing the green glow beneath. A pain of sorrow racked through him as he looked at his reflection, revered at monster he had become.
Paxton winced at the sight of his father and stepped back. Seeing his reaction Derek turned away from the mirror toward him, the flesh still hanging from his hands.
"I will do what I have to do, Paxton," he said, his voice dangerously soft, "and *you* will handle the most important part of it."
Paxton swallowed. "What?"
"Yes, Paxton." Derek started stepping toward him, and Paxton backed up, feeling heat coming from his father's radioactive body beneath the false skin. "A *very* important part."
He grinned, his skin falling away from his face.
To Be Continued.
Max did the first thing she could think of. She fought back.
She had no idea what she doing. When she was twelve she had taken a defense class, and now she used what she had learned years ago. She swung her fists and her legs, feeling the satisfying crunch beneath her blows as she battled to get away. But something went wrong and she was knocked off balance.
Chuckles surrounded her along with loud swearing as the Jokerz reached down to pull her back up.
Everyone stopped moving miraculously and a light flared up in the dark alley. Max stood there in the center, surrounded by the gang. She didn't dare move, but her eyes darted around, searching for a way out.
The light was coming from a match. One of the Jokerz was holding it up and its soft glow cast shadows down the alley. His smile was hideous.
"Don't come any closer," Max said, fists up, "I'm warning you."
The Jokerz burst out laughing and the young man holding the match guffawed. "You're warning us?" he asked. "We'll teach you what happens to a little lady who threatens us."
Max's eyes widened slightly and she stepped back as the Jokerz started advancing. She knew how to fight, but she had no idea how to do it when outnumbered. She looked around for an opening but there was none. She was stuck.
The closest Joker had the meanest looking club in his hand, and he raised it. She gasped and held out her arms to block it when-
Nothing happened.
She felt a gush of wind brush past her and she looked up as a black shadow appeared in front of her. For a split second she couldn't see anything, then the shadow moved.
She watched in amazement as Batman moved through the alley, pushing back the crowd, sending strange weapons from his wrists and delivering punches and kicks at the Joker. She had barely any time to think when he turned toward her.
"Go now!" he shouted.
She blinked, surprised to hear his voice. She stepped back, too frozen to do anything right away, but it didn't matter. The Jokerz were already running.
Batman stood there for a moment, making sure they were gone for good, before turning back to Max. She was standing there, staring at him, eyes wide.
There was an awkward silence, then he spoke.
"You okay?"
She blinked. "Yeah, I-arrg."
She had just noticed the gash on her right arm. She must have gotten it from the previous fight with the Jokerz when she had tried to escape. She lifted her arm and the cut caught the light.
Batman started at the site and she looked at him almost apologetically. He reached into his belt and took out a small aid pack. He held it out and she backed up almost fearfully, not sure what he was doing. The red bat emblem shown on his chest and she stared at it.
"Here," he said, handing it to her. "It should help."
She had never heard a voice quite like that before. But there was something about it that was familiar. She couldn't put her finger on it. She took the aid pack.
"Thanks," she stammered.
Then he looked up and jumped into the air. She jumped as the jetpack flared at the bottom soles of his feet, and he propelled up into the air, disappearing over the roof and into the night.
Barbara Gordan had reached 'Salita's' to find it in utter chaos. A huge gaping hole was exposed on one side, and people were swarming the vicinity. She had to fight to even find a person to tell her what had happened.
"Jokerz attacked and tried to blow up the place-"
"Grabbed this guy-"
"Tried to kill him!"
"People were panicking when-"
"This black shadow came out of nowhere and stopped them-"
"Couldn't stand a chance!"
"It was the Batman!"
Barbara had froze at that last statement and turned toward the last man who had spoken. He had been the DJ behind the record stand and he looked particular strange in his bright colored clothes and hat.
"What did you say?" she asked suddenly.
He blinked. "It was the Batman. I saw him, the ears and everything. I swear it was."
"Are you absolutely sure?" she asked.
Other people around them confirmed it and she sighed inwardly, looking toward the hole in the wall. She made a mental checklist, going over what she had heard. Jokerz had attacked, Batman had stopped them, and no one had gotten hurt.
Yet.
Tucking her pad away she turned toward her car. "Thank you for your time," she told the witnesses, "I'll be sure to contact you if needed."
She had to be alone for awhile.
Derek Powers reached up, touching his face gingerly. He looked the way he normally did, back to his white hair, the aging face, the deep piercing eyes---
"It worked," Paxton said finally from behind his desk. He stepped out and approached him. "It---it *works*."
"I know that," Derek snapped, annoyed. "I had to put it on, didn't I?"
"I was just saying-"
"I've fallen far behind," his father interrupted, walking around his son without a second glance and sitting down at his desk. He glanced at the papers strewn over the top. "Least you could've done was help your old man."
"I tried," Paxton explained, "I didn't know all the complications and I was busy trying to raise money for you."
"Learn to do more than one thing at a time, Paxton," Derek said crossly, looking up at him. Paxton swallowed hard. "At least you managed to get *some* things done. Or so I hope. Did you find out about this---winged person?"
"Batman," Paxton replied. He rounded the desk to pull up a file on the computer. "I've done my research. Evidently he has been around for over twenty years. He dates back even to the late 1990's, even farther back."
"Impossible," Derek said.
"No, it's true," Paxton insisted. "That man, I checked what security videos we could of the lab. Most videos were destroyed but those that were not I managed to secure. He follows the same design, same emblem- look."
He pointed to the screen where a fuzzy picture from the lab security camera. In the corner they could see a dark figure, a red shape on its chest.
"That's Batman," he said almost excitedly.
"Nothing to get excited about, Paxton," Derek Powers said almost sneeringly. "Did you *find* this costumed freak? Did you find out who he was?"
"Well-"
"Then you're work's not done. I want you to do that. And just that." He got to his feet. "I'm going to prepare for tomorrow's meeting. And I'm holding my trust on you Paxton." Their gazes met. "*None* of this gets out."
Terry stopped at the Batcave long enough to change and collect his things. Then he made his way for the staircase.
"McGinnis, report," Bruce said from his console.
Terry stopped in the entrance and sighed outwardly. He turned around slowly, feeling his muscles ache slightly. "Nothing to report," he said.
"Overall smooth night?"
"Yeah."
"Good."
"Found anything else on Derek Powers?"
There was a long silence. Bruce had been spending the last couple nights working on finding Derek's location while Terry went out on patrol. Both men thought it very odd that Mr. Powers would disappear after the lab explosion, and they were trying to find all they could about it.
"No."
Terry stood there for a couple of seconds, waiting for any more responses. When he got none he left the cave.
Millions of thoughts were going through his head. It was his first *real* public appearance. He had never done that before. First the nightclub where Dana and practically every other kid from school was then Max in the alleyway. Hopefully he hadn't done anything too obvious that would give him away. He had been working on speaking in a tone that wouldn't give him away. He found it to be very useful, especially when he had to interact with someone in the batsuit.
He was done for the night. Now it was time for sleep.
The next morning was an important one for Bruce Wayne. It was the monthly meeting he always had with fellow employers at Wayne Enterprises and it was the only meetings he ever attended.
He sat at the front of the table in his usual place of honor, cane in hand even though he was sitting down. He could hear the soft murmurs from the other employees at the table, but he didn't say a word. He didn't exactly want to be there.
The door opened then and everyone quieted down. Paxton Powers had entered the room. He was normally the one to lead the meetings, but that morning he seemed a bit hesitant. Bruce narrowed his eyes suspiciously as Paxton shifted his weight, his fingers fumbling.
Behind him Derek Powers entered the room.
No one else in the room seemed to find this remotely interesting at all, but Bruce Wayne nearly jumped out of his seat. He had to fight his impulses and stay glued into the seat, his grip hardening on his cane.
"Good morning," Paxton addressed the group as a whole, "you all know my father, Derek Powers. He's just gotten back from a vacation trip- a very *well earned* vacation trip," he added, smiling.
Derek was smiling as well, but it was fixed as Paxton sat down. Derek was going to be leading the meeting today. Bruce saw him reach up and touch his neck, almost as if checking to make sure something was there. Bruce frowned slightly.
"Morning fellow employees," Derek Powers began, and he nodded in Bruce's direction, "and an especial welcome to Mr. Wayne, the manager and owner of Wayne Enterprises. I hope you find everything to your expectations."
Bruce didn't acknowledge. He just continued to watch him, his grip slowly relaxing on his cane.
"My son will be able to bore you all with company funding later," Derek said, "before that I would like to make a little announcement. I am very pleased to say that I will be hosting a company party tonight downstairs in the company hall. Black tie function, as it is, and I hope to see every one of you there including more."
Bruce heard the mutterings again. Derek was smiling, now but Bruce leaned forward.
"Exactly what is this party function for?" he asked, his deep voice carrying well across the room. Everyone else turned to look in his direction.
"Simply to celebrate the success of the agricultural department of Wayne Enterprises," Derek replied casually, "we *did* find a cure."
"Yes," Bruce agreed, "but killed two people and endangered several scientists in the progress."
The room was silent. Derek was no longer smiling. For a long moment the tension between them was thick enough to be sliced. Bruce watched him intently and for a split second, thought he saw a strange green glow break out around his eyes. Bruce frowned.
Paxton jumped up then and muttered incoherently in Derek's direction. Derek fumbled then, and pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his pocket. He put them on, but Bruce was still frowning.
He knew he had seen something. He didn't know what, but he had seen it.
"Disappointing really," Derek resumed after taking a deep breath. Paxton slowly sat back down. "I assume you wouldn't want to come to the party then, Mr. Wayne?"
Bruce didn't answer.
"Pity because I really hoped you would," Derek said. "After all.you *are* the owner of Wayne Enterprises." His smiled slightly.
The school was buzzing with the news of Batman at Salita's the night before. Everywhere Terry went he could hear the name 'Batman' being brought up and he had to do a quick double take to see if he knew who was speaking. He hadn't even reached his first class and he had passed three separate groups talking about it.
"Hey, Terry!"
Terry sighed inwardly and turned as Max, Dana, and Jared approached him from down the hallway. He was too tired to converse with anyone. He just wanted to get to class. Forcing a smile he waved at them.
"Terry, did you hear?"
"Everyone's talking about it!"
"Yeah, I heard," he replied, stopping in the hallway to talk to them. They had stopped conveniently right in the middle and they ignored the irritated looks other students gave them as they stepped around the group. "Exciting huh?"
"You don't know the half of it," Dana gushed excitedly, pushing a lock of black hair behind her ear. "I *saw* him! He just came out of nowhere and stopped the Jokerz without any trouble-"
"Extremely shway," Jared added, grinning. "It's too bad you weren't there, Terry."
Terry shrugged and looked over at Max. To his surprise, she was looking at him quizzically and he secretly wondered if she had told anyone about her run-in with the Bat last night.
"By the way, where *were* you?" she asked.
Terry thought quickly. "I was.baby-sitting my brother. My mom had a business meeting."
"I called your house last night," Max pointed out, "your mom answered and she didn't know where you were. I needed a ride to Salita's."
Oh slag.
He blinked, noticing the stares coming from Dana and Jared. "Yeah," he stammered, "that was probably when she came home. That was when Mr. Wayne called and I had to run over to his house."
"Oh." She didn't sound at all convinced, but Jared and Dana were nodding.
"It's okay," Dana said, "you'll see it on the news." Then she grew serious. "Terry, you remember about tonight, right?"
He blinked momentarily, snagging quick glances at Max and Jared. They were looking at him.
"Uh." he stammered, "yeah, it's-" He hesitated when he saw Max mouth something. Then he remembered. "Our one month anniversary."
Dana grinned. "I knew you'd remember! I've reserved a table for us at this great Italian restaurant so everything's ready."
Terry smiled hesitantly. "That's great Dana, what time?"
"Seven o'clock, so don't forget okay?" she hugged him, "I want this night to be special."
He hugged her back. "Of course I'll be there," he said, and gave himself a mental note not to let her down this time.
Terry had figured he'd go through the training system once before getting ready for his date. He had several hours to kill. Wouldn't hurt anything.
The training system had been set up by Bruce Wayne in the Batcave. It was similar to a danger room where holographic images would attack him. Sometimes he had to be careful because the holographic images had been wired to do damage. If he wasn't fast enough he'd be as knocked out as a pancake on the floor.
After the quick training he stood there for a moment, breathing hard and working to gather momentum. He was sweating like a pig in his costume. He had moved the levels up in the danger room and he always wore the costume when he was in there. He pulled off his mask, running fingers through wet hair.
He didn't know he wasn't alone until Bruce Wayne spoke.
"Turn up to level nine."
Surprised, Terry looked to see Bruce cross the cave toward the chair behind the computer console. "Are you kidding me?" he asked, "that was level seven and I'm already wiped out."
"Then you're not good enough." Bruce settled into his seat, resting the cane against the console. Ace appeared from the darkness and curled at his master's feet.
Terry couldn't believe this. "You can't be serious. I worked hard in there!"
Bruce reached over and switched the level. "Try again. Fifteen minutes."
Terry sighed. That wouldn't be so long, and he'd still have time to shower and get ready for his date. He put his mask back on and headed back in.
The program started and he was no longer standing in the middle of the cave.
Holographic images appeared, giving him the sensation of standing in the middle of a city street. He could almost feel the wind blowing against his back.
Before he could stop to enjoy the sensation, he was attacked.
He didn't even stop to think what was attacking him. He spun into action. If Bruce wanted more, he'd give him more. He went after each projected image, usually of a Joker or some other criminal image, pushing himself to be as fast as he could.
Bruce remained at the computer console, watching him.
Sometimes the program would give Batman objects to fight with. Normally Terry would go in empty handed and use whatever the program gave him. Sometimes it would be a staff, sometimes something familiar like batarangs.
But this time nothing was appearing to his aid. And the attackers were coming in fast. This was worst then what Terry had gone through before. He had to push himself even harder to get out of the way and find an opening.
Then his weapon aid appeared, lying inches away from him on the ground.
He didn't even stop to think as he rolled, grabbing onto it. When he was back on his feet he was pointing the weapon at the closes enemy in front of him.
Then he fired.
He didn't even realize what he had done before it was too late. The person in front of him stopped still, and that's when he realized it was a holographic image of a woman. She hadn't even been attacking him, she had been just walking by.
He looked down to see that he was holding a gun. The danger room had given him a gun as his aid.
Almost as quickly as it had begun the images winked out. The sensation of wind against his body vanished and Terry was standing back in the middle of the Batcave. The gun was gone from his hands.
Bruce wasn't looking at him.
Terry was more confused then ever. "Bruce.what was that?"
Bruce still didn't look at him. He was looking down at the computer console. "You fired on an innocent woman, Terry."
Terry stammered. "I didn't know, it didn't happen before-"
"You have to be prepared for the worst," Bruce finally looked at him. "And you used a gun and you fired without even looking at who you were firing at."
"The program never gave me a gun before, I didn't know-"
"And whose fault is that?"
Terry couldn't believe it. He pulled off his mask. "Not mine! I told you I wasn't ready for this level!"
"You have to be or else you can't carry the mantle."
There was a stunned silence. Terry was a loss for words. Bruce turned away from him and switched on the computer screen as if dismissing him. Terry wasn't about to stand for that.
"What is up with you?" he demanded, walking forward. "Did you decide to have a bad day or something? I didn't know okay, I wasn't ready for that! Run it again, I'll be ready now."
"It doesn't matter."
"The danger room is to help me prepare- now that I know I won't make the same mistake!"
"No more, Terry."
Now Terry was angry. "What makes you think you can do this to me? Everything was going fine until now. I saved people you know! I won't fire at the woman this time-"
"That's not the point!"
Bruce's voice rang through the cave, causing Terry to jump. He had never heard him *this* angry before.
"You *never* use a gun! Batman does not use them! There are other means at fighting for safety! You don't use a gun!"
Terry blinked. "Okay," he said quieter, "I won't-"
"You did. You didn't even check to see what was in your hand. You fired without thinking. How do you think that makes you look?"
"It was a mistake, I didn't know okay?"
"Mistakes can get you killed. Don't make them."
There was another long silence. Bruce had turned completely away now. Terry could feel his face burn with anger.
"Fine," he said, grabbing his stuff that he had stored at the other end of the cave. "Fine. I'm out of here. I don't know what's wrong with you, I really don't, but I'm not about to stand here and take it."
He changed quickly, throwing on his street clothes. Then he stalked out of the Batcave, leaving Bruce at the console.
Bruce sat there in silence, elbows propped on the console, fingers together.
Watching Terry had made him remember what had happened to him on his last night as the Bat.
*'His finger played across the trigger and for a moment he thought about it. He actually thought about it.'*
The memory was too hard to bear and he didn't want Terry to make the same mistake he did. The Bat never used that weapon before and he never will again. Bruce was going to make sure of it.
Trying to clear his head from his anger he scanned the computer through his memos. Derek Powers' dinner party came up. He couldn't believe he had forgotten about it. He knew Derek wanted him to come, but Bruce didn't believe in the reason for it at all.
Still.maybe he should go. Just to get him out of the mansion and thinking about other things.
That decided, he stood up to get ready.
Paxton Powers was distressed.
"You can't seriously mean to do that Dad," he protested, "you can't!"
"*Don't* tell me what I can or can't do!" Derek snapped, turning away momentarily from the mirror he had hung up in his office. Paxton stood by the desk, watching him, pale with anxiety.
"Please Dad, I beg you to think about this-"
"I already have," Derek interrupted, prodding at the skin around his eyes. He had tried to fix it back into place, but it wouldn't stick. The radiation off his bones was melting too quickly through it. "I do all I can for this society and what does it do to repay me? Turn me into a *freak of nature*! This cannot go overlooked, they deserve what they're going to get tonight."
"But to kill all of them at the party-?"
"It's what I'm going to do, Paxton!" Derek yelled angrily, pulling at the skin on his face. It came off in his hands, revealing the green glow beneath. A pain of sorrow racked through him as he looked at his reflection, revered at monster he had become.
Paxton winced at the sight of his father and stepped back. Seeing his reaction Derek turned away from the mirror toward him, the flesh still hanging from his hands.
"I will do what I have to do, Paxton," he said, his voice dangerously soft, "and *you* will handle the most important part of it."
Paxton swallowed. "What?"
"Yes, Paxton." Derek started stepping toward him, and Paxton backed up, feeling heat coming from his father's radioactive body beneath the false skin. "A *very* important part."
He grinned, his skin falling away from his face.
To Be Continued.