Max had put Matt to bed and he was fast asleep as Terry and Mary returned
from dinner. Bruce had given Terry a disc with where the proof Andrea and
Mary had stored on the Valestras that they needed to recover was located.
Bruce had also mentioned that he had finished working on a modification for
Terry's car to allow for a passenger when needed. Terry and Max went over
the information and she said that she could stay till they returned. Terry
then went to his room and changed.
Responding to a knock he opened his door. The black figure in front of Terry barely resembled the woman he thought he knew. Now the only color Terry could see was her red hair, the rest of her was completely covered in a thick black suit with armor plates. Her waist could hardly be seen under the belt she wore. It was twice as thick as any of the utility belts in the Batcave and hung heavily with a large assortment of tools, ropes, and weapons. Mary's head went to one side and seemed to be equally engrossed in assessing her son. Finally she broke the silence. "We should get going. The sooner we can get everything to the police, the better."
Terry nodded, "I've called the car. It should be under our window in two minutes." Mary and Terry looked at Max standing in the hallway. Max just looked blank-faced at the pair. They waved and went to Terry's window. Within seconds the car cam into view. Terry moved to the window ledge and touched his belt as the car approached. The car slowed and Terry grabbed his mother's arm and they jumped. They fell several stories and landed on the car. Terry motioned and Mary entered the car finding a very small seat behind the main seat. "We can get to Metropolis in less than an hour. I need to make a call." With that Terry opened a video screen and Superman appeared. Terry smiled "Hey, I have to take care of some business in your town tonight."
"Anything I can help with?" Superman eagerly inquires.
"I don't think so, but I would hate to run over you in mid-flight." Terry smartly snapped back at the older hero. Superman smiled and nodded bidding Terry good luck. Terry and Mary left Gotham to take care of their errands for the night.
Bruce finished modifying his hovercraft to fit Andrea as she immerged for the changing area in her new suit. It still resembles the Phantasm regalia, but with a decidedly more feminine flare. Bruce moved toward her momentarily distracted from the business at hand. Andrea noticed the effect, "I'm glad you approve, but don't we have work to do?"
Bruce smiled, "Then I should get ready to go." He quickly changed and returned in full gear. The distinctly darker aspect of his new uniform took Andrea aback. Bruce finished by picking up his black straight cane and placed it on his back.
Andrea was confused by his action. "What are you planning on doing with a cane; shake it at the bad guys?"
He smiles and unsheathed his sword, "Not exactly." Bruce returns his sword to its resting place and moves past his gape-mouthed lover. Moving to the hover-car he turns to her, "Shall we get this show on the road?"
The Metropolis skyline rises before the McGinnis's. Terry moved the car through the buildings finding a spot several blocks from the downtown train station. Mary and her son moved to the edge of the building and viewed the city before moving across the rooftops. Terry watches as his mother jumped with ease from building to building occasionally somersaulting. Mary was fearless and agile, and Terry was having trouble keeping up with her. They made their way to the warehouse district and the location of their goal. Mary moved silently across the roof as Terry hovered. The window proved simple to access and she had taken care of the alarms with ease.
They lowered into the building and moved quickly through the passages created by the towering crates. Soon they found the boxes that they needed. Terry moved the boxes and Mary opened them to ensure that they still had their treasures. Terry haled his hover-car and secured the crates to be moved. As quickly as they had come, they were gone. Leaving only a loop in the warehouses security video as indicator of their activities.
Andrea watched the lights of New York pass them as they glided just above the building tops. She had stored a number of documents with a long- standing legal firm located downtown. On a resent visit to the city she had checked on the files they had watched over for her. Now it was time to put them to use. Bruce landed across from the office building. They moved to the edge of the building. Andrea watched as he pulled a grapple from his belt and fired a line over the street to their destination. He took her by the waist and they flew over the street and landed quickly moving to an airshaft.
"My diagrams show this vent goes directly to the file room in the basement." Bruce removed the vent cover and proceeded to lower a thin line down the ductwork. He secured the line to the outside of the vent and attached the line to his belt. Once inside the vent he motioned to Andrea who took his hand and soon found herself hanging from his neck as they made their way to the basement. It wasn't long before they found the file cabinet they needed.
Andrea looked through the information passing the files to Bruce as she finished. After packing the files in a carrying case they moved back to the vent. Andrea looked up at the distance and turned to Bruce as he secured the case to his shoulder, "Ok, so how are we getting back up?"
Bruce pulled a motorized pulley from his belt and connected it to the line. "The line can hold over two tons and this winch can handle almost a ton. We should be fine." His eyes narrowed, "Unless . how much do you weigh again?"
Andrea's eyes widened at her companion. He merely continued with his work smiling at her he held out his hand. "Well, let's see if I'm as good as everybody thinks I am." She found herself holding on for dear life as Bruce started the motor and they rushed through the ventilation shaft to the roof, over the street and to safety.
Andrea turned as Bruce loaded his hover-car with the records. A security patrol entered the roof of the building they had just left. Her heart raced as they moved over the place they had just been standing a few moments earlier. After checking the roof they disappeared. She let out a sigh of relief. Bruce turned and smiled. "What? You think I didn't look into their security schedules? In the morning you had better contact them about the files to cover our tracks."
"I already contacted them at the end of business today to make sure that everything would be all right. Still I should check back with them in the morning to make sure that they're ok with it." Andrea quietly replied.
"You did what?" Bruce's tone had changed. Clearly he was worried that someone might tip off the Valestras.
Andrea realized that he might be right to worry. "I think they can be trusted, but your right I should have waited. I hope Mary and Terry don't run into any trouble."
Mary back flipped across the roof avoiding the barrage of gunfire as Terry activated his stealth-mode and managed to bolo three of the six thugs waiting for them at the self-storage complex outside of Bludhaven. Mary darted through the shadows and lost the remaining men until she was ready to be seen. She ran and executed an aerial summersault into the middle of the men flipping to face the two remaining mobsters. Terry landed and became visible again. He ran at the closer of the two remaining goons. Mary quickly roundhouse kicked the last assailant breaking his jaw and knocking out several of his teeth. Terry looked at the mangled and unconscious man thoroughly impressed with his mother. "So, is that how you got your name?"
"Very funny. You realized that this is just the welcoming committee. There's bound to be more waiting inside." Mary assessed the situation perfectly; they were in for a fight. Terry didn't like it, this was still his mother and he wanted to protect her. In spite of everything in his heart he knew Mary could handle herself almost as well as he could even though she was rusty. They worked their way across the roof and to an open window. Terry used his night vision to locate the rest of their playmates for the evening. He pointed the men out to Mary and proceeded to try to enter the window. Mary pulled him back shocked by his abject ignorance. "Do you always walk into traps like that? What has your grandfather been teaching you, how to get killed in three easy steps?"
Terry was embarrassed; he realized that his mother was right. He had been so concerned with her safety that he had made a stupid mistake. "No, I know better. I wasn't thinking, please don't tell the big guy or he'll skin me."
Mary was actually relieved by her son's comment. She was anxious that maybe Bruce hadn't done the job teaching Terry that he had led her to believe. It was clear that he didn't put up with any slip-ups. Mary advanced to the side of the building and lowered herself gracefully to a window ledge. Terry watched as she opened a window and entered the building then followed her. They traversed the beams overhead quietly till they found a number of goons separated from their cohorts. Dropping from the rafters Terry shot lines tying several of the men. Mary descended alongside her son and threw weighted bolos catching most of the others off guard. By the time they landed there were only two left to deal with and they quickly rendered the men unconscious. Before the goons could alert the others Mary and Terry had vanished.
As the remaining men ran through the warehouse they were met with tear gas, bat-a-rangs, and bolos. Mary glided through the building as the smoke cleared taking out what remaining resistance the mobsters had to offer. Soon mother and son found themselves free to pursue the container they had come for. The package however had been moved. Terry progressed toward one of the men and began questioning him. The man resisted Terry's inquiries until Mary positioned herself behind her son. She pulled a dagger from her belt. Mary had never used it on another living thing in her life, but she knew that the fool her son was holding didn't know that. The sight of a vexed, fire-haired woman holding a very sharp toy had the desired effect and the man gave up the location quickly. Before Terry could see her involvement in the situation Mary had hidden her knife and moved back from her son.
Fortunately the box had only been moved to another area of the warehouse and was found just in time. As they left reinforcement arrived to assist with their capture, too late. Terry loaded the car and they departed for home. Terry thought aloud to his mother, "I'm glad the we left the other crates with Superman to deliver, their weight would have made getting out of here tuff."
A black and silver hover-car flew over the landscape swiftly. Andrea's quick change into passable street clothes while still wearing her suit was impressive. She had been able to retrieve they final package from the Centerville Airport without notice. Bruce had followed her activity from the roof ready to offer assistance if any was needed. He was grateful that it wasn't; now they were on their way home. With any luck they would get some sleep tonight. Bruce tried to reach Terry on the comm-system, but had yet to reach him. The vid-link on the car flashed and Bruce answered. It was Superman asking where he should take the crates Terry had left with him at the Watchtower. At first he was mad with Terry, but then he had an idea. "Why don't you meet us at the cave, I'll explain what I have in mind when I get there."
Superman agreed and the video cut off. Bruce continued and finally got through to Terry who indicated that they had run into some trouble, but nothing to worry about. Bruce instructed Terry to meet him at the cave. As he finished Gotham came into view and he was grateful to be home.
Responding to a knock he opened his door. The black figure in front of Terry barely resembled the woman he thought he knew. Now the only color Terry could see was her red hair, the rest of her was completely covered in a thick black suit with armor plates. Her waist could hardly be seen under the belt she wore. It was twice as thick as any of the utility belts in the Batcave and hung heavily with a large assortment of tools, ropes, and weapons. Mary's head went to one side and seemed to be equally engrossed in assessing her son. Finally she broke the silence. "We should get going. The sooner we can get everything to the police, the better."
Terry nodded, "I've called the car. It should be under our window in two minutes." Mary and Terry looked at Max standing in the hallway. Max just looked blank-faced at the pair. They waved and went to Terry's window. Within seconds the car cam into view. Terry moved to the window ledge and touched his belt as the car approached. The car slowed and Terry grabbed his mother's arm and they jumped. They fell several stories and landed on the car. Terry motioned and Mary entered the car finding a very small seat behind the main seat. "We can get to Metropolis in less than an hour. I need to make a call." With that Terry opened a video screen and Superman appeared. Terry smiled "Hey, I have to take care of some business in your town tonight."
"Anything I can help with?" Superman eagerly inquires.
"I don't think so, but I would hate to run over you in mid-flight." Terry smartly snapped back at the older hero. Superman smiled and nodded bidding Terry good luck. Terry and Mary left Gotham to take care of their errands for the night.
Bruce finished modifying his hovercraft to fit Andrea as she immerged for the changing area in her new suit. It still resembles the Phantasm regalia, but with a decidedly more feminine flare. Bruce moved toward her momentarily distracted from the business at hand. Andrea noticed the effect, "I'm glad you approve, but don't we have work to do?"
Bruce smiled, "Then I should get ready to go." He quickly changed and returned in full gear. The distinctly darker aspect of his new uniform took Andrea aback. Bruce finished by picking up his black straight cane and placed it on his back.
Andrea was confused by his action. "What are you planning on doing with a cane; shake it at the bad guys?"
He smiles and unsheathed his sword, "Not exactly." Bruce returns his sword to its resting place and moves past his gape-mouthed lover. Moving to the hover-car he turns to her, "Shall we get this show on the road?"
The Metropolis skyline rises before the McGinnis's. Terry moved the car through the buildings finding a spot several blocks from the downtown train station. Mary and her son moved to the edge of the building and viewed the city before moving across the rooftops. Terry watches as his mother jumped with ease from building to building occasionally somersaulting. Mary was fearless and agile, and Terry was having trouble keeping up with her. They made their way to the warehouse district and the location of their goal. Mary moved silently across the roof as Terry hovered. The window proved simple to access and she had taken care of the alarms with ease.
They lowered into the building and moved quickly through the passages created by the towering crates. Soon they found the boxes that they needed. Terry moved the boxes and Mary opened them to ensure that they still had their treasures. Terry haled his hover-car and secured the crates to be moved. As quickly as they had come, they were gone. Leaving only a loop in the warehouses security video as indicator of their activities.
Andrea watched the lights of New York pass them as they glided just above the building tops. She had stored a number of documents with a long- standing legal firm located downtown. On a resent visit to the city she had checked on the files they had watched over for her. Now it was time to put them to use. Bruce landed across from the office building. They moved to the edge of the building. Andrea watched as he pulled a grapple from his belt and fired a line over the street to their destination. He took her by the waist and they flew over the street and landed quickly moving to an airshaft.
"My diagrams show this vent goes directly to the file room in the basement." Bruce removed the vent cover and proceeded to lower a thin line down the ductwork. He secured the line to the outside of the vent and attached the line to his belt. Once inside the vent he motioned to Andrea who took his hand and soon found herself hanging from his neck as they made their way to the basement. It wasn't long before they found the file cabinet they needed.
Andrea looked through the information passing the files to Bruce as she finished. After packing the files in a carrying case they moved back to the vent. Andrea looked up at the distance and turned to Bruce as he secured the case to his shoulder, "Ok, so how are we getting back up?"
Bruce pulled a motorized pulley from his belt and connected it to the line. "The line can hold over two tons and this winch can handle almost a ton. We should be fine." His eyes narrowed, "Unless . how much do you weigh again?"
Andrea's eyes widened at her companion. He merely continued with his work smiling at her he held out his hand. "Well, let's see if I'm as good as everybody thinks I am." She found herself holding on for dear life as Bruce started the motor and they rushed through the ventilation shaft to the roof, over the street and to safety.
Andrea turned as Bruce loaded his hover-car with the records. A security patrol entered the roof of the building they had just left. Her heart raced as they moved over the place they had just been standing a few moments earlier. After checking the roof they disappeared. She let out a sigh of relief. Bruce turned and smiled. "What? You think I didn't look into their security schedules? In the morning you had better contact them about the files to cover our tracks."
"I already contacted them at the end of business today to make sure that everything would be all right. Still I should check back with them in the morning to make sure that they're ok with it." Andrea quietly replied.
"You did what?" Bruce's tone had changed. Clearly he was worried that someone might tip off the Valestras.
Andrea realized that he might be right to worry. "I think they can be trusted, but your right I should have waited. I hope Mary and Terry don't run into any trouble."
Mary back flipped across the roof avoiding the barrage of gunfire as Terry activated his stealth-mode and managed to bolo three of the six thugs waiting for them at the self-storage complex outside of Bludhaven. Mary darted through the shadows and lost the remaining men until she was ready to be seen. She ran and executed an aerial summersault into the middle of the men flipping to face the two remaining mobsters. Terry landed and became visible again. He ran at the closer of the two remaining goons. Mary quickly roundhouse kicked the last assailant breaking his jaw and knocking out several of his teeth. Terry looked at the mangled and unconscious man thoroughly impressed with his mother. "So, is that how you got your name?"
"Very funny. You realized that this is just the welcoming committee. There's bound to be more waiting inside." Mary assessed the situation perfectly; they were in for a fight. Terry didn't like it, this was still his mother and he wanted to protect her. In spite of everything in his heart he knew Mary could handle herself almost as well as he could even though she was rusty. They worked their way across the roof and to an open window. Terry used his night vision to locate the rest of their playmates for the evening. He pointed the men out to Mary and proceeded to try to enter the window. Mary pulled him back shocked by his abject ignorance. "Do you always walk into traps like that? What has your grandfather been teaching you, how to get killed in three easy steps?"
Terry was embarrassed; he realized that his mother was right. He had been so concerned with her safety that he had made a stupid mistake. "No, I know better. I wasn't thinking, please don't tell the big guy or he'll skin me."
Mary was actually relieved by her son's comment. She was anxious that maybe Bruce hadn't done the job teaching Terry that he had led her to believe. It was clear that he didn't put up with any slip-ups. Mary advanced to the side of the building and lowered herself gracefully to a window ledge. Terry watched as she opened a window and entered the building then followed her. They traversed the beams overhead quietly till they found a number of goons separated from their cohorts. Dropping from the rafters Terry shot lines tying several of the men. Mary descended alongside her son and threw weighted bolos catching most of the others off guard. By the time they landed there were only two left to deal with and they quickly rendered the men unconscious. Before the goons could alert the others Mary and Terry had vanished.
As the remaining men ran through the warehouse they were met with tear gas, bat-a-rangs, and bolos. Mary glided through the building as the smoke cleared taking out what remaining resistance the mobsters had to offer. Soon mother and son found themselves free to pursue the container they had come for. The package however had been moved. Terry progressed toward one of the men and began questioning him. The man resisted Terry's inquiries until Mary positioned herself behind her son. She pulled a dagger from her belt. Mary had never used it on another living thing in her life, but she knew that the fool her son was holding didn't know that. The sight of a vexed, fire-haired woman holding a very sharp toy had the desired effect and the man gave up the location quickly. Before Terry could see her involvement in the situation Mary had hidden her knife and moved back from her son.
Fortunately the box had only been moved to another area of the warehouse and was found just in time. As they left reinforcement arrived to assist with their capture, too late. Terry loaded the car and they departed for home. Terry thought aloud to his mother, "I'm glad the we left the other crates with Superman to deliver, their weight would have made getting out of here tuff."
A black and silver hover-car flew over the landscape swiftly. Andrea's quick change into passable street clothes while still wearing her suit was impressive. She had been able to retrieve they final package from the Centerville Airport without notice. Bruce had followed her activity from the roof ready to offer assistance if any was needed. He was grateful that it wasn't; now they were on their way home. With any luck they would get some sleep tonight. Bruce tried to reach Terry on the comm-system, but had yet to reach him. The vid-link on the car flashed and Bruce answered. It was Superman asking where he should take the crates Terry had left with him at the Watchtower. At first he was mad with Terry, but then he had an idea. "Why don't you meet us at the cave, I'll explain what I have in mind when I get there."
Superman agreed and the video cut off. Bruce continued and finally got through to Terry who indicated that they had run into some trouble, but nothing to worry about. Bruce instructed Terry to meet him at the cave. As he finished Gotham came into view and he was grateful to be home.