I pull the car up in front of Ben's school again.
"Dad!" Ben says excitedly as he gets into the car. He seems a lot happier to see me now that he knows I'm Batman.
"Don't be too happy to see me. You've got a lot of work ahead of you."
"What do you mean?"
"Training, Robin." I reply. Ben laughs.
"Sounds better than homework." When we get home, we throw our bags in the living room and head down to the cave. For a second I just stare around at my secret sanctuary, now not-so-secret anymore.
When I jumped into this job, I didn't have any training. I had my street smarts and that was about it. And Wayne couldn't exactly run around with me and show me every move in the book. I made it through, but only because I had the best of the best with me at all times.
But I'm making sure that Ben doesn't have to do the same thing. When he goes out there, he'll be prepared.
"All right Ben," I finally say, rolling up my sleeves. "Let's get to work." Ben stares at me intently.
"Take a swing at me." For a second he doesn't move, probably debating whether or not to hit his father.
Rule Number One, McGinnis: Who you are fighting is who you are fighting, and nothing else. We have no gender, no age, no distinguishing between enemies. Regardless of whether it's your friend or your brother, if you have to defeat them, defeat them.
Wayne was right. Ben's got to learn.
I swing my foot around and trip Ben.
"Dad!" He yells, a little surprised.
"You can't say that out there, Ben. When some criminal attacks you, are you going to stand there and tell him he's not being fair?"
"You've got to be quick. Don't debate where to hit or when to hit. Just hit." Ben gets back up and puts up his fists, bouncing around like some little dog.
"Bennnnnn." I groan.
"I would laugh at you if I saw you jumping around like that. You look like an annoying twip." Ben instantly stops, and I feel bad when I see the hurt look on his face.
I still remember how it hurt when Wayne criticized me:
Wayne, when are you going to get off my back? When you learn to do it right. If everything I do is wrong- I never said you were wrong. I said you weren't right.
"I've never fought anyone before." Ben says, sounding a little ashamed of himself.
"If you want to help me you better get used to it." Ben nods.
"Come on. Think like Batman. You know enough about him." Ben instantly moves to a wary position, like he might run away or attack at any moment. I watch him move around me in a slow circle. I go to trip him again. Ben leaps out of the way.
"Good job." I murmur. Ben acts as though he didn't hear me. I lunge for him. In one swift movement, Ben slides under me and is out of my reach.
His best attribute is going to be speed. I take a swing at him. Ben bends backwards to avoid my fist, grabs onto it, and uses it to flip himself over me, at the same time pushing me towards the ground.
"Are you sure you've never been in a fight before?" I say. Ben smirks.
"I've never fought with anyone before. I never said I haven't been in a fight." Ben's quick. Resourceful. Both are pretty handy to have.
They wouldn't have been Wayne's weapons of choice, but he'd probably have awarded Ben with a grunt of approval.
"You're good at avoiding fights. What about starting them?" Ben furrows his brow for a minute, like he's concentrating.
"I can't fight." He finally says.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm just Ben McGinnis now. I'm not as strong as an adult. If I had the suit on." He murmurs, staring at the table where his half finished suit lies.
Rule Number Two, McGinnis: The suit is nothing. Batman doesn't need it and neither do you.
Wayne's right again.
"If you can't do it without the suit, you can't do it at all." I reply.
"You're not taking him out there without that suit, McGinnis, so he has a point." Lydia calls out, stepping out of the shadows. I sigh.
I don't want Lydia involved. This is between me and Ben. Batman and Robin.
"He still has to be able to beat someone without it. He's got to be able to intimidate people."
"Terry, he's twelve." Lydia replies cynically. I turn back to Ben.
"Until you can knock me down, we don't go out there." Ben nods again. I move to punch him. He kicks my fist right back at me. It catches me off guard, so much so that I almost knock the wind out of myself.
Ben knows he's just a kid. He knows that he can't fight like me or a regular adult. Luckily he's realized that he can turn someone's strength against him, or get out of the way of a punch much quicker than I can.
He's found his own way.
Ben kicks me right in the back, then quickly yanks my foot out from under me. I lay on the cold floor of the cave for a minute, listening to Ben's heavy breathing and the still-echoing noise of me hitting the ground. I look up and grin. Ben grins too, and for a second we both realize that we're having fun. Together.
"Let's keep going."
***********************************************************
"Terry?" I look up. Lydia stands in the doorway.
"It's about 10. Ben's going to go crazy if you make him wait any longer." I get up and walk towards the entrance to the cave. Ben's got every reason to be excited. Tonight is his first night. His first night as Robin.
Ben's already in the cave, waiting for me. I say nothing to him, just go to the suit and put it on. Ben follows my example.
That's how he does most things- follows my lead. 3 weeks of training have taught him to think for himself, but he can be forgiven for being a little nervous on his first night. Lydia watches us both. Ben slips the mask over his face.
We went through everything- fighting, hiding, every feature of the suit, what to do in every situation I've ever been in, everything Wayne taught me and everything I learned for myself. Ben's not going to learn anything else down here. Everything else has to be learned out there.
Ben looks like a miniature version of me. He looks ready to play the part. He IS ready to play the part.
I'd like to smile, to give Ben a hug and tell him how proud of him I am.
But now he's Robin. I'm Batman. I can't do that. I just go to the car and he follows me without a word.
We fly out to the city, Ben silent but breathing slowly, almost nervously. I land on a rooftop and leap out. Ben follows.
"You ready?" I say. Ben listens to the change in my voice for a second.
"Always." His voice hasn't changed, but his attitude has. There's no more nervousness. That's good, because in this job you haven't got time to be nervous.
Although hidden by a mask, I can see his eyes. They're bright, shining with eagerness and energy. And I remember my first night. Only 17. Making a dozen mistakes and way too many close calls and almost being killed.
And having the time of my life while doing it.
"First time-we'll take it slow." His face falls a little. I point.
"Typical street gang."
"Yeah. Except they're Jokerz."
"You're not afraid, are you?" His eyes blaze challengingly at me.
"Nope." We crouch on a balcony. Surveying the insanely dressed punks wheel around the dumpster. Side by side. Father and son.
"Come on! What are we just sitting here for?" He hisses impatiently.
"Don't be cocky. You have to know what you're up against before you go up against it." Geeze, I sound just like him. Bet Wayne never imagined that would happen
"Fine. What are we up against? A bunch of kids only 6 years older than me."
"Ben, you can't just-"
"Sure you can." He leaps down.
Foolish. Cocky. Wrong. He'll pay for it.
"Ben, wait!" But it's no use. I sit and watch. He lands in the middle of the circle. He's trapped himself. Too quick. Too many of them.
"Hey look! It's Batty's little boy." One of them sneers. Ben shakes his head, like he's appalled by their immaturity. He slams his foot into one of them, knocking him off the bike. He gives no warning, no retorts to any lines thrown at him. He just fights. I leap down just in time to deliver a last punch to one of them, and they go racing off.
"Are you okay?" He senses my anger, and the exhilarated smile on his face instantly falls.
"I'm fine."
"Don't ever do that again." He nods, sighing like I just put him on a leash.
We land on top of a building, sitting to catch our breath.
"What now?"
"What, that wasn't enough for you?"
"Come on, Dad!" He says, crouching on the side of the building.
"Let's get the real bad guys! Jokerz are no challenge."
"This is a good night. We might actually get more than an hour of sleep." Don't I know it. Most nights are never spent asleep.
"Dad-"
"All right, all right. Let's find something. Don't be so eager." He sighs again, hovering in mid-air.
"Anything else?"
"Yeah. Don't call me Dad. Call me Batman."
"Dad!" Ben says excitedly as he gets into the car. He seems a lot happier to see me now that he knows I'm Batman.
"Don't be too happy to see me. You've got a lot of work ahead of you."
"What do you mean?"
"Training, Robin." I reply. Ben laughs.
"Sounds better than homework." When we get home, we throw our bags in the living room and head down to the cave. For a second I just stare around at my secret sanctuary, now not-so-secret anymore.
When I jumped into this job, I didn't have any training. I had my street smarts and that was about it. And Wayne couldn't exactly run around with me and show me every move in the book. I made it through, but only because I had the best of the best with me at all times.
But I'm making sure that Ben doesn't have to do the same thing. When he goes out there, he'll be prepared.
"All right Ben," I finally say, rolling up my sleeves. "Let's get to work." Ben stares at me intently.
"Take a swing at me." For a second he doesn't move, probably debating whether or not to hit his father.
Rule Number One, McGinnis: Who you are fighting is who you are fighting, and nothing else. We have no gender, no age, no distinguishing between enemies. Regardless of whether it's your friend or your brother, if you have to defeat them, defeat them.
Wayne was right. Ben's got to learn.
I swing my foot around and trip Ben.
"Dad!" He yells, a little surprised.
"You can't say that out there, Ben. When some criminal attacks you, are you going to stand there and tell him he's not being fair?"
"You've got to be quick. Don't debate where to hit or when to hit. Just hit." Ben gets back up and puts up his fists, bouncing around like some little dog.
"Bennnnnn." I groan.
"I would laugh at you if I saw you jumping around like that. You look like an annoying twip." Ben instantly stops, and I feel bad when I see the hurt look on his face.
I still remember how it hurt when Wayne criticized me:
Wayne, when are you going to get off my back? When you learn to do it right. If everything I do is wrong- I never said you were wrong. I said you weren't right.
"I've never fought anyone before." Ben says, sounding a little ashamed of himself.
"If you want to help me you better get used to it." Ben nods.
"Come on. Think like Batman. You know enough about him." Ben instantly moves to a wary position, like he might run away or attack at any moment. I watch him move around me in a slow circle. I go to trip him again. Ben leaps out of the way.
"Good job." I murmur. Ben acts as though he didn't hear me. I lunge for him. In one swift movement, Ben slides under me and is out of my reach.
His best attribute is going to be speed. I take a swing at him. Ben bends backwards to avoid my fist, grabs onto it, and uses it to flip himself over me, at the same time pushing me towards the ground.
"Are you sure you've never been in a fight before?" I say. Ben smirks.
"I've never fought with anyone before. I never said I haven't been in a fight." Ben's quick. Resourceful. Both are pretty handy to have.
They wouldn't have been Wayne's weapons of choice, but he'd probably have awarded Ben with a grunt of approval.
"You're good at avoiding fights. What about starting them?" Ben furrows his brow for a minute, like he's concentrating.
"I can't fight." He finally says.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm just Ben McGinnis now. I'm not as strong as an adult. If I had the suit on." He murmurs, staring at the table where his half finished suit lies.
Rule Number Two, McGinnis: The suit is nothing. Batman doesn't need it and neither do you.
Wayne's right again.
"If you can't do it without the suit, you can't do it at all." I reply.
"You're not taking him out there without that suit, McGinnis, so he has a point." Lydia calls out, stepping out of the shadows. I sigh.
I don't want Lydia involved. This is between me and Ben. Batman and Robin.
"He still has to be able to beat someone without it. He's got to be able to intimidate people."
"Terry, he's twelve." Lydia replies cynically. I turn back to Ben.
"Until you can knock me down, we don't go out there." Ben nods again. I move to punch him. He kicks my fist right back at me. It catches me off guard, so much so that I almost knock the wind out of myself.
Ben knows he's just a kid. He knows that he can't fight like me or a regular adult. Luckily he's realized that he can turn someone's strength against him, or get out of the way of a punch much quicker than I can.
He's found his own way.
Ben kicks me right in the back, then quickly yanks my foot out from under me. I lay on the cold floor of the cave for a minute, listening to Ben's heavy breathing and the still-echoing noise of me hitting the ground. I look up and grin. Ben grins too, and for a second we both realize that we're having fun. Together.
"Let's keep going."
***********************************************************
"Terry?" I look up. Lydia stands in the doorway.
"It's about 10. Ben's going to go crazy if you make him wait any longer." I get up and walk towards the entrance to the cave. Ben's got every reason to be excited. Tonight is his first night. His first night as Robin.
Ben's already in the cave, waiting for me. I say nothing to him, just go to the suit and put it on. Ben follows my example.
That's how he does most things- follows my lead. 3 weeks of training have taught him to think for himself, but he can be forgiven for being a little nervous on his first night. Lydia watches us both. Ben slips the mask over his face.
We went through everything- fighting, hiding, every feature of the suit, what to do in every situation I've ever been in, everything Wayne taught me and everything I learned for myself. Ben's not going to learn anything else down here. Everything else has to be learned out there.
Ben looks like a miniature version of me. He looks ready to play the part. He IS ready to play the part.
I'd like to smile, to give Ben a hug and tell him how proud of him I am.
But now he's Robin. I'm Batman. I can't do that. I just go to the car and he follows me without a word.
We fly out to the city, Ben silent but breathing slowly, almost nervously. I land on a rooftop and leap out. Ben follows.
"You ready?" I say. Ben listens to the change in my voice for a second.
"Always." His voice hasn't changed, but his attitude has. There's no more nervousness. That's good, because in this job you haven't got time to be nervous.
Although hidden by a mask, I can see his eyes. They're bright, shining with eagerness and energy. And I remember my first night. Only 17. Making a dozen mistakes and way too many close calls and almost being killed.
And having the time of my life while doing it.
"First time-we'll take it slow." His face falls a little. I point.
"Typical street gang."
"Yeah. Except they're Jokerz."
"You're not afraid, are you?" His eyes blaze challengingly at me.
"Nope." We crouch on a balcony. Surveying the insanely dressed punks wheel around the dumpster. Side by side. Father and son.
"Come on! What are we just sitting here for?" He hisses impatiently.
"Don't be cocky. You have to know what you're up against before you go up against it." Geeze, I sound just like him. Bet Wayne never imagined that would happen
"Fine. What are we up against? A bunch of kids only 6 years older than me."
"Ben, you can't just-"
"Sure you can." He leaps down.
Foolish. Cocky. Wrong. He'll pay for it.
"Ben, wait!" But it's no use. I sit and watch. He lands in the middle of the circle. He's trapped himself. Too quick. Too many of them.
"Hey look! It's Batty's little boy." One of them sneers. Ben shakes his head, like he's appalled by their immaturity. He slams his foot into one of them, knocking him off the bike. He gives no warning, no retorts to any lines thrown at him. He just fights. I leap down just in time to deliver a last punch to one of them, and they go racing off.
"Are you okay?" He senses my anger, and the exhilarated smile on his face instantly falls.
"I'm fine."
"Don't ever do that again." He nods, sighing like I just put him on a leash.
We land on top of a building, sitting to catch our breath.
"What now?"
"What, that wasn't enough for you?"
"Come on, Dad!" He says, crouching on the side of the building.
"Let's get the real bad guys! Jokerz are no challenge."
"This is a good night. We might actually get more than an hour of sleep." Don't I know it. Most nights are never spent asleep.
"Dad-"
"All right, all right. Let's find something. Don't be so eager." He sighs again, hovering in mid-air.
"Anything else?"
"Yeah. Don't call me Dad. Call me Batman."