"What the Hell happened?" he thought to himself as he looked in awe at the sunset. "How did things get this bad? Was it all my fault?" he cast his eyes down to the cold ground beneath him. It was not nearly as cold as he felt inside as memories of fear, loss and of pain washed through his mind. No, Barbara had scolded him enough times about blaming himself for all of this, at least she did, before…he felt himself cry, but no tears came to his eyes, there were none left.
"I thought I'd find you here Ter" came a voice from over his shoulder. For a moment he had been so caught up in his own mind that it barely registered with him as she came up from behind.
"It looks nice this time of day Max, it almost makes you forget-" he trailed off.
"Almost." Both of them let out a sigh. "Come on in McGinnis, everyone's eating and its freezing out here. You hungry?"
"Na, think I'll stay here a little longer"
"You ready for tonight?"
"Easy as pie" he smiled. Max climbed down the stairs leading to the school roof. It still sent a chill down her spine, the things that had happened in this building, and the reasons they had done so, what they had all been through. The building had been abandoned and silent for months until they had 'moved in'. She walked through the corridor, her footsteps echoing off the uncovered stone walls as she walked by. Two guys were helping an old lady to the hospital ward, and a young kid was running a round handing out extra blankets to those who needed them. 'The place looks like it could do with a lick of paint,' she thought smiling. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but the base; now renamed "Hell High" by the rebels was the safest place for many of these people. Most of them were homeless, many were sick and dying, and countless more had lost family and friends. The original idea was Terry's, but he was too busy being the Bat to do much about it. That's where she stepped in, Max, Mary McGinnis and Barbara Gordon got the refuge going, and it soon became the base for the rebel fighters as well as the hungry and the homeless. The rebel fighters, they were the last hope this city had.
Hope.
It was becoming a rare thing, it was always something she had turned to Terry for, but she knew she would not be able to turn to him forever, a few months maybe? If he was lucky. What would she do without hope? What would these people do without a leader? Without their Dark Knight?
"Hey!! Max!!" Her thoughts were interrupted, but she was almost glad to be pulled away from, she feared that they were getting ever darker as of late and it was scaring her. She looked to see the source of voice; it was Nelson Nash,
"I found that part you were looking for, it was just sitting around in the engine of some jokers bike," he laughed.
"Great!" It was amazing what near destruction could do to people-Nash had proved useful on several occasions, even if he still did do everyone's head in, at least he was still helping.
"McGinnis all set for later?" he asked, sounding much more serious, although there was a tone of worry in is voice.
"Your mom will be fine Nelson" Max reassured him. If anyone can get that medicine shipment to us instead of the enforcers, our guys can, Terry can, and your mom will pull through.
"I know", he said, "'Cos if she doesn't he's gonna get the ass kicking of a lifetime." As usual, he stormed off, his face a little more red than usual and like always, his anger spilling over, causing him to ball his fists at his side. Funny, even after seeing Terry, as Batman in action, he still insists he could beat him if he wanted. Some things never change. Max made her way to the infirmary to see if there was anything she could do to help out.
~*~*~*~
"All got it?" he asked as he pulled his cowl over his face,
"Yup"
"Sure thing"
"Yes" came the replies.
"Good" said Batman. In a breath, he went one way; the three men went the other. Minutes passed as he lay in wait for the truck; minutes that were long and silent. He reminded himself of the sound of the old mans voice in his ear when he was out on a night like tonight. Even so many years later he could remember it, he would think of it often. His thoughts were broken by the rumbling of an old truck rolling down the other wise dead road. It contained medicine and supplies for the so-called "enforcers". They had originally been called "Law Enforcers", but who obeys the law anymore? When the "law" was that everything belonged to Wayne Enterprises, and Wayne Enterprises belonged to Derk Powers. Powers, or Blight was effectively in control of the city. Those police officers that weren't corrupt were either dead or doing what they could to help the rebels, even if it cost them their lives, like Barbara. There was no council, and no government, there was only Powers, and the outside world didn't want to care, too many problems of their own to risk loosing armies in the Hell mouth of Gotham City.
He could have sworn he heard the old mans voice directing him as he leapt from his position on the second story ledge of the building he was on. Throwing two batarang through the windshield as he fell, landing on the roof of the vehicle as it skidded to a halt.
"Funny" he said to him self, "I was sure this shipment would have had a heavy escort." He thought too soon, with that the back doors of the truck smashed open and no less than eight guards jumped from inside, some were armed, some had Venom, and some had been spliced. "Bingo". He could see one of the three accompanying rebels in the shadows, he gestured subtly with his hand for them to maintain their position, and they obeyed. His attention was soon shifted to the fist flying towards his face. He caught it easily, crushing it in his powerful hand, before running into a nearby garage.
"Coward!" cried one of the guards, "What's the matter Batboy? Weren't expecting us?" The eight of them fallowed Batman into the building and surrounded him. Terry took an offensive stance and focused. Outside, the driver and co-driver were frantically trying to start up the truck and make a quick get away while the Bat had his hands full. Seven years ago, the Batman would have had enough trouble dealing with any one of these guys, splicers, venom, and top of the range weaponry, which was kind of scary considering two of them were just tossed almost effortlessly out of the garage, crashing through an old boarded up window. The drivers head quickly shot around, only to be met by a smug look and the wrong end of a sharp fist from one of the rebels, the other yelled and attempted to make a break for it, but soon he was fast asleep next to his companion, courtesy of a second rebel. Leaving the two on the cold damp sidewalk, two of them jumped into the front seats while the third climbed into the back, closing the heavy doors behind him. Back in the building, Batman was holding his own quite well, he was now down to four guards, 3 venom users, and one who had been spliced, he hissed through sharp fangs as they prepared to fight. He spun quickly, raising his leg into the air, his foot connecting with the splicers jaw, before falling to the ground and sweeping his leg behind the guy, bringing him crashing to the ground, aching and cursing.
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," he reminded himself as his list of asses to kick was reduced to three. He blocked a kick as he heard the truck start up outside and make a quick exit. He smiled to himself before wincing in pain, clenching at his chest momentarily.
"Looks like you lost your prize, bub," grinned the guard as another of his well precisioned, and an extremely forceful and heavy blow was blocked with little less than relative ease.
"You'd think so," remarked Batman with a smile, and no sign of his apparent discomfort before he chopped the guard at the base of the neck beneath his left ear. Another fell unconscious to the ground.
"Next" he said, his voice toneless and seemingly bored. The two remaining guards looked at each other, each in the hope that the other would attack the bat before he had to. Each realised that the other could do nothing and they both made a break for it.
"I don't think so." They didn't get far. One swift kick as they ran took them both out. With that, he was off on the trail of the truck, with a thumbs up to the three in the front seat, he glided gracefully alongside the truck as it headed along the empty road towards the school as the sky on the horizon lightened.
On arrival at the base, they were met with both cheers and tears of joy. The supplies were badly needed and many thought it would never come, there were a few whose lives depended on it being brought to them soon. The three men revelled in the praise of those around them, they were as heroes, for a short while at least, until these started to run low. Batman, however, glided over the heads of the many people and landed on his favourite spot on the roof. He could hear the cheers bellow him, and smiled as he heard:
"Nice one McGinnis",
"No problem Nelson", he whispered to himself. He just wished there was something else he could do for these people other than bring them food and medicine. He wanted to protect them; he could protect them from the enforcers, Jokers which where under Blights wing, he could protect them from the Venom users and the splicers, who did as Blight commanded. More enforcers. He could protect them from the police who evicted them from their homes, homes, which they said, were property of Blight, but he couldn't protect them from Blight. Truth be told he was having a hard enough time keeping the "enforcers" from hurting and killing everyone in the city, they had to fight for everything, for food, for medicine, for their lives. Many were too week to do it for themselves and he had to do it for them, for as long as he could at least. He would make his predecessors proud of him no matter what. The old man would be proud, just as Barbara was. He remembered her words, words spoken only a week before she died.
"I know Bruce would have been as proud of you as I am," she said softly, which a few years earlier would have been a bid addition for her to have made. "I only wish he could see how strong you've become, what you've done for these people."
"I don't know if I can do it Barb" he remembered, "I just don't know if I can keep on fighting like this, I don't know if I'm strong enough, I cant beat Blight, so why do I even try?"
"Don't, McGinnis, you're the greatest warrior this city has, you're gonna see this through to the end". The conversation faded back into the depths of his memory, Barbara believed in him, so did so many others, but they didn't know, Barbara didn't know. He wanted to tell her, "guess now I'll never have the chance" he thought.
"Terry",
"Max? what's up?" Again, she had managed to catch him off his guard… she seemed to be making a habit of that. She sounded serious considering all the commotion below them.
"Come with me Ter." Her voice betrayed nothing of what she was thinking.
Nothing.
~*~*~*~