CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Terry had a hard time concentrating on the dinner at hand.
It wasn't because of Dana's especially low cut dress that was distracting. Nor was it the violin music playing in the background at the restaurant. And it wasn't the magnificent view through the picture window where their booth was situated, giving them a perfect bird's eye view of Gotham City.
It was Bruce Wayne.
It made him reconsider everything he had done to take on the Batman mantle. He knew he wanted to carry on the sign. He knew he wanted to fight crime and keep the city safe. He knew all those things.
But it never occurred to him how much he *didn't* know about his boss.
Bruce never opened up to him before. Terry knew nothing about him. Didn't know what happened to the other Bat members, didn't know why he quit the mantle.
He had just taken the job blindly. Didn't even consider the complications that went with it.
Dana seemed to notice something was bothering him because she took his hand and asked, "Terry, are you okay? You seem kind of distant tonight."
He blinked and looked away from the window and back to her. She looked gorgeous. She had pulled her hair back and was wearing a tight little white dress. He smiled. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking. What were you saying?"
"I was saying that we should go out more often. I never get to see you. I know you have your job and everything and I understand-"
"I know," he interrupted, "and I promise I'll try to get in more quality time with you. It's been busy, but I'm sure it'll calm down."
She smiled. "I hope so. It's nice being out with you."
"Yeah, It's nice being with you too."
She grinned, raising her menu. "So, what are you going to have? I can't decide between the lobster and the---"
Her voice faded away as Terry caught something through the window. No longer paying attention to her he squinted his eyes, trying to see through the reflection in the glass.
A light was shining out of a balcony several tall skyscrapers away. Normally that wouldn't have caught his attention, but it was the sign the light was emitting. It shone up into the sky, forming a shape in the clouds.
Terry's breath caught in his throat. It was the sign of the bat.
"Terry? What do you suggest I get?"
He looked away from the window, distracted. "I'm sorry Dana, I'll be right back."
She looked alarmed. "Where are you going?" she asked as he got to his feet.
"Bathroom," he muttered, hurrying away. He started moving in the direction of the restroom, but as soon as he was out of sight from Dana he hightailed for the nearest exit.
Max had been driving through the city in her car. She was on her way to her sister's house downtown to help her decorate and she had to take a detour when the traffic got to heavy. Unfortunately the detour she had taken was equally packed and she was sitting in traffic at a standstill.
"This is the last time I help *her* out again," she muttered, "leave the house at seven-thirty- I could've been doing something."
She reached over to grab her purse for her cell phone. She might not make it until late.
When she sat up again Terry McGinnis was crossing the street among the cars, slinging a backpack over his shoulder.
She froze, watching him. He seemed disturbed and kept glancing up at something in the sky. He wore a dress shirt and pants and suddenly she remembered the date he was supposed to go on with Dana.
But he was leaving the restaurant. What was he doing?
She was so caught up in watching him that she didn't notice traffic had started up until the cars behind her began honking. Instead of going toward her sister's house, though, she turned the car in the opposite direction and started following him.
Terry had been acting far too strangely lately. It was time to figure out what he was doing.
Paxton stood on the balcony outside his apartment nervously, glancing at the strobe light resting on the rail. He had gotten a piece of heavy paper to project the image of the bat, and now he hoped it had at least attracted *someone's* attention.
He looked worse than usual. His tie was loose and draped around his neck. He was still wearing his office suit and had not yet changed into his dinner party clothes. It wouldn't start for another hour.
He started pacing, hands behind his back. He didn't know what he was doing. All he knew was that he had to contact Batman somehow. And he had read up enough history to know how they did it in the past.
Just when he was thinking of shutting of the light and giving up, the strobe blew up.
He jumped with surprise and turned toward the sound. The light had completely smashed, two batarangs lying the midst of the mess.
*He's here*.
"Next time, use e-mail," a gruff voice spoke, and Paxton whirled around to see the shadows against the building shift. The red enigma of the bat stood out in the darkness.
"I didn't know how else to contact you," Paxton explained nervously.
The voice didn't change. "What do you want?"
"I didn't know you were real," he began, "I wasn't sure if it would work, if you were a myth or not."
"What. Do. You. Want."
"I wanted to warn you."
There was a short silence. Batman's outline was slowly coming into form and Paxton relaxed a bit. "It's about Derek Powers."
"What about him."
"You- you were at the lab when it blew up. You saw Derek Powers there. He's not dead if that's what you think- but maybe you already know that." Paxton fumbled around for the words. "He's going to do something."
Batman stepped forward, and something in his action seemed urgent. His voice confirmed it. "Where is he?"
"I don't know right now, but there's going to be this party. I didn't know who else to tell. He's going to kill everybody."
He had moved faster than he could blink. Before Paxton could move Batman was already grabbing on to his collar and pulling him forward.
"*Where?*" Batman yelled.
Paxton gasped for breath, eyes wide. "I don't know! It's going to happen at Wayne Enterprises!"
Batman's eyes widened momentarily and released him. Without another word he turned to leap off the balcony-
Paxton Powers smashed the strobe light as hard as he could against the back of Batman's head.
Batman staggered for a moment, falling back onto the balcony. Paxton stepped back quickly, dropping the strobe light and reaching into his pocket. Time seemed to slow as he watched Batman stand back up, moving back to face him. Until now Paxton considered him only a shadow, a menacing vigilant overrunning Gotham. It never occurred to him there was a real person in that suit until he had staggered from the blow. Moving quickly, feeling adrenaline take over, he pulled out the syringe and plunged it through Batman's suit. The sharp needle went through with little difficulty, and Batman jerked away.
The fist was in his face before he could even react and Paxton flew across the balcony. He tried to move but Batman was already on top of him, grabbing him by the neck and pulling him to his feet. Paxton gasped for breath, feeling the strong grasp in Batman's hand. It was more than human strength.
"Please-" he gasped, "don't hurt me!"
Max had lost him.
She couldn't believe it. She had been following him for five blocks when Terry had magically disappeared. She had even gotten out of her car to check but he was nowhere in sight.
Now she was standing at the bottom of an apartment building, leaning against her car and calling her sister up on her cell phone. Her sister wasn't happy.
"What do you mean you can't come?" Melanie demanded, "I made dinner!"
"Yeah, I'm sorry," Max said, looking around warily. "I got kind of lost in traffic."
"Well where are you? I'll come pick you up. You can follow me back to my place."
Max hesitated, biting her lower lip. "I'm at the northwest corner of Grant and Main under." she glanced up, looking for some sort of indication of where she was, "the Maybell Hotel."
"Way over there? Honey, you're completely in an opposite direction of where I am." There was a heavy sigh. "Okay, fine, I'll come get you. Stay in the car, it's getting late. Or at least get somewhere where I can find you."
"Okay," Max nodded, "In the meantime I packed some wallpaper designs that we can check out when I get there---" she trailed off suddenly.
Something was going on above her.
She could hear loud smacks and the breaking of glass and she looked up, straining to see through the darkness. Directly above her she could hear voices, indistinct but menacing. Then she heard a loud voice, pleading for something.
"Please, don't hurt me! Please-!"
Then there was a thud and silence.
Horrified, Max lowered the phone. Her sister's voice could be heard calling her name, but she ignored it.
Someone was hurt up there.
The party was dull.
Bruce knew that the minute he walked in, wearing his best suit and jacket, cane in hand. He stood out among the other employees, walking around wearing fancy outfits and sipping champagne. In one corner were the refreshments. In the other was a string quartet, playing an especially boring piece.
"Some gathering, isn't it?" a voice spoke up, and Bruce looked over to see Derek Powers standing next to him. The man looked especially stiff that night, and now that he was up close Bruce noticed a strange glow coming from his skin. He wore an especially expensive Armani suit, topped with silver cufflinks and navy blue tie.
"Apparently," Bruce growled in response. "I came Derek, just like you asked. Now what? Twister? Bridge? What are we here for?"
"Oh, you'll see," Derek assured, patting him on the shoulder. "You'll see. In a few minutes, as a matter of fact, I'll be making an announcement. I'm sure you'll be especially interested in what I have to say. Stick around, mingle a little."
With that he left, disappearing among the crowd of workers. Bruce watched him for a moment with narrowed eyes. Then he scanned the room.
There were guards standing at every exit, hands crossed and watching the guests. Bruce frowned.
Why all the security? What was going on?
Terry couldn't be any more angrier with himself.
He didn't know what Paxton had given him on the balcony. All he remembered was turning around and getting socked in the back of the head. Before he could even turn around a sharp stab had erupted in his side and when he had tried to knock Paxton down, something had happened.
He had passed out, that was what.
But it hadn't been for long. Fifteen minutes maybe, tops. If Paxton had tried to kill him, he hadn't been very successful. Then again, maybe it was to get him out of the way.
But for fifteen minutes?
Cursing softly to himself, Terry tried to work his way free. Normally it wouldn't have been too hard, Paxton had only used handcuffs, but something in his mind was wrong. He couldn't think straight and his vision was off.
Must be the poison or whatever Paxton had given him.
It took several more tries to work his way free before he realized what was wrong. His body wasn't flexing properly.
Something in the poison must have frozen his nerves or stiffened them. That didn't help the disorientation in his mind at all.
He had to get out. But how? He couldn't move, his mind wasn't straight. He could barely tell where he was. Squeezing a section of his glove he managed to make his vision screen go infrared.
The room around him lit up in a harsh red glow and he saw the outline of a bathtub and sink. Across from him was the door. It was closed so he couldn't see anything past it.
Great.
He started running a list of solutions through his head when he heard a voice. He froze, listening. He couldn't strain because his hands were behind him against the wall, but he could hear the voice ringing clearly through the room outside. A girl's voice.
"Hello? Hello! Anyone here?"
His eyes widened, recognizing it.
It was Max's.
Terry had a hard time concentrating on the dinner at hand.
It wasn't because of Dana's especially low cut dress that was distracting. Nor was it the violin music playing in the background at the restaurant. And it wasn't the magnificent view through the picture window where their booth was situated, giving them a perfect bird's eye view of Gotham City.
It was Bruce Wayne.
It made him reconsider everything he had done to take on the Batman mantle. He knew he wanted to carry on the sign. He knew he wanted to fight crime and keep the city safe. He knew all those things.
But it never occurred to him how much he *didn't* know about his boss.
Bruce never opened up to him before. Terry knew nothing about him. Didn't know what happened to the other Bat members, didn't know why he quit the mantle.
He had just taken the job blindly. Didn't even consider the complications that went with it.
Dana seemed to notice something was bothering him because she took his hand and asked, "Terry, are you okay? You seem kind of distant tonight."
He blinked and looked away from the window and back to her. She looked gorgeous. She had pulled her hair back and was wearing a tight little white dress. He smiled. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking. What were you saying?"
"I was saying that we should go out more often. I never get to see you. I know you have your job and everything and I understand-"
"I know," he interrupted, "and I promise I'll try to get in more quality time with you. It's been busy, but I'm sure it'll calm down."
She smiled. "I hope so. It's nice being out with you."
"Yeah, It's nice being with you too."
She grinned, raising her menu. "So, what are you going to have? I can't decide between the lobster and the---"
Her voice faded away as Terry caught something through the window. No longer paying attention to her he squinted his eyes, trying to see through the reflection in the glass.
A light was shining out of a balcony several tall skyscrapers away. Normally that wouldn't have caught his attention, but it was the sign the light was emitting. It shone up into the sky, forming a shape in the clouds.
Terry's breath caught in his throat. It was the sign of the bat.
"Terry? What do you suggest I get?"
He looked away from the window, distracted. "I'm sorry Dana, I'll be right back."
She looked alarmed. "Where are you going?" she asked as he got to his feet.
"Bathroom," he muttered, hurrying away. He started moving in the direction of the restroom, but as soon as he was out of sight from Dana he hightailed for the nearest exit.
Max had been driving through the city in her car. She was on her way to her sister's house downtown to help her decorate and she had to take a detour when the traffic got to heavy. Unfortunately the detour she had taken was equally packed and she was sitting in traffic at a standstill.
"This is the last time I help *her* out again," she muttered, "leave the house at seven-thirty- I could've been doing something."
She reached over to grab her purse for her cell phone. She might not make it until late.
When she sat up again Terry McGinnis was crossing the street among the cars, slinging a backpack over his shoulder.
She froze, watching him. He seemed disturbed and kept glancing up at something in the sky. He wore a dress shirt and pants and suddenly she remembered the date he was supposed to go on with Dana.
But he was leaving the restaurant. What was he doing?
She was so caught up in watching him that she didn't notice traffic had started up until the cars behind her began honking. Instead of going toward her sister's house, though, she turned the car in the opposite direction and started following him.
Terry had been acting far too strangely lately. It was time to figure out what he was doing.
Paxton stood on the balcony outside his apartment nervously, glancing at the strobe light resting on the rail. He had gotten a piece of heavy paper to project the image of the bat, and now he hoped it had at least attracted *someone's* attention.
He looked worse than usual. His tie was loose and draped around his neck. He was still wearing his office suit and had not yet changed into his dinner party clothes. It wouldn't start for another hour.
He started pacing, hands behind his back. He didn't know what he was doing. All he knew was that he had to contact Batman somehow. And he had read up enough history to know how they did it in the past.
Just when he was thinking of shutting of the light and giving up, the strobe blew up.
He jumped with surprise and turned toward the sound. The light had completely smashed, two batarangs lying the midst of the mess.
*He's here*.
"Next time, use e-mail," a gruff voice spoke, and Paxton whirled around to see the shadows against the building shift. The red enigma of the bat stood out in the darkness.
"I didn't know how else to contact you," Paxton explained nervously.
The voice didn't change. "What do you want?"
"I didn't know you were real," he began, "I wasn't sure if it would work, if you were a myth or not."
"What. Do. You. Want."
"I wanted to warn you."
There was a short silence. Batman's outline was slowly coming into form and Paxton relaxed a bit. "It's about Derek Powers."
"What about him."
"You- you were at the lab when it blew up. You saw Derek Powers there. He's not dead if that's what you think- but maybe you already know that." Paxton fumbled around for the words. "He's going to do something."
Batman stepped forward, and something in his action seemed urgent. His voice confirmed it. "Where is he?"
"I don't know right now, but there's going to be this party. I didn't know who else to tell. He's going to kill everybody."
He had moved faster than he could blink. Before Paxton could move Batman was already grabbing on to his collar and pulling him forward.
"*Where?*" Batman yelled.
Paxton gasped for breath, eyes wide. "I don't know! It's going to happen at Wayne Enterprises!"
Batman's eyes widened momentarily and released him. Without another word he turned to leap off the balcony-
Paxton Powers smashed the strobe light as hard as he could against the back of Batman's head.
Batman staggered for a moment, falling back onto the balcony. Paxton stepped back quickly, dropping the strobe light and reaching into his pocket. Time seemed to slow as he watched Batman stand back up, moving back to face him. Until now Paxton considered him only a shadow, a menacing vigilant overrunning Gotham. It never occurred to him there was a real person in that suit until he had staggered from the blow. Moving quickly, feeling adrenaline take over, he pulled out the syringe and plunged it through Batman's suit. The sharp needle went through with little difficulty, and Batman jerked away.
The fist was in his face before he could even react and Paxton flew across the balcony. He tried to move but Batman was already on top of him, grabbing him by the neck and pulling him to his feet. Paxton gasped for breath, feeling the strong grasp in Batman's hand. It was more than human strength.
"Please-" he gasped, "don't hurt me!"
Max had lost him.
She couldn't believe it. She had been following him for five blocks when Terry had magically disappeared. She had even gotten out of her car to check but he was nowhere in sight.
Now she was standing at the bottom of an apartment building, leaning against her car and calling her sister up on her cell phone. Her sister wasn't happy.
"What do you mean you can't come?" Melanie demanded, "I made dinner!"
"Yeah, I'm sorry," Max said, looking around warily. "I got kind of lost in traffic."
"Well where are you? I'll come pick you up. You can follow me back to my place."
Max hesitated, biting her lower lip. "I'm at the northwest corner of Grant and Main under." she glanced up, looking for some sort of indication of where she was, "the Maybell Hotel."
"Way over there? Honey, you're completely in an opposite direction of where I am." There was a heavy sigh. "Okay, fine, I'll come get you. Stay in the car, it's getting late. Or at least get somewhere where I can find you."
"Okay," Max nodded, "In the meantime I packed some wallpaper designs that we can check out when I get there---" she trailed off suddenly.
Something was going on above her.
She could hear loud smacks and the breaking of glass and she looked up, straining to see through the darkness. Directly above her she could hear voices, indistinct but menacing. Then she heard a loud voice, pleading for something.
"Please, don't hurt me! Please-!"
Then there was a thud and silence.
Horrified, Max lowered the phone. Her sister's voice could be heard calling her name, but she ignored it.
Someone was hurt up there.
The party was dull.
Bruce knew that the minute he walked in, wearing his best suit and jacket, cane in hand. He stood out among the other employees, walking around wearing fancy outfits and sipping champagne. In one corner were the refreshments. In the other was a string quartet, playing an especially boring piece.
"Some gathering, isn't it?" a voice spoke up, and Bruce looked over to see Derek Powers standing next to him. The man looked especially stiff that night, and now that he was up close Bruce noticed a strange glow coming from his skin. He wore an especially expensive Armani suit, topped with silver cufflinks and navy blue tie.
"Apparently," Bruce growled in response. "I came Derek, just like you asked. Now what? Twister? Bridge? What are we here for?"
"Oh, you'll see," Derek assured, patting him on the shoulder. "You'll see. In a few minutes, as a matter of fact, I'll be making an announcement. I'm sure you'll be especially interested in what I have to say. Stick around, mingle a little."
With that he left, disappearing among the crowd of workers. Bruce watched him for a moment with narrowed eyes. Then he scanned the room.
There were guards standing at every exit, hands crossed and watching the guests. Bruce frowned.
Why all the security? What was going on?
Terry couldn't be any more angrier with himself.
He didn't know what Paxton had given him on the balcony. All he remembered was turning around and getting socked in the back of the head. Before he could even turn around a sharp stab had erupted in his side and when he had tried to knock Paxton down, something had happened.
He had passed out, that was what.
But it hadn't been for long. Fifteen minutes maybe, tops. If Paxton had tried to kill him, he hadn't been very successful. Then again, maybe it was to get him out of the way.
But for fifteen minutes?
Cursing softly to himself, Terry tried to work his way free. Normally it wouldn't have been too hard, Paxton had only used handcuffs, but something in his mind was wrong. He couldn't think straight and his vision was off.
Must be the poison or whatever Paxton had given him.
It took several more tries to work his way free before he realized what was wrong. His body wasn't flexing properly.
Something in the poison must have frozen his nerves or stiffened them. That didn't help the disorientation in his mind at all.
He had to get out. But how? He couldn't move, his mind wasn't straight. He could barely tell where he was. Squeezing a section of his glove he managed to make his vision screen go infrared.
The room around him lit up in a harsh red glow and he saw the outline of a bathtub and sink. Across from him was the door. It was closed so he couldn't see anything past it.
Great.
He started running a list of solutions through his head when he heard a voice. He froze, listening. He couldn't strain because his hands were behind him against the wall, but he could hear the voice ringing clearly through the room outside. A girl's voice.
"Hello? Hello! Anyone here?"
His eyes widened, recognizing it.
It was Max's.