It's been a week.
"Terry, get to school already!" Mom says, moving around the kitchen in her usual 125 mile-per-hour fashion. Matty tosses a piece of cereal at me. I bat it back halfheartedly with my spoon.
"What's the matter with you? You'd think that you'd be happy having so much time off from work!" She says, flying out the doorway without waiting for me to come up with an answer. Matty tousles my hair into my eyes before laughing gleefully and running out the door after her.
It's been a week.
"Earth to Terry!" Max yells, snapping her fingers in front of my face.
"Don't forget about that Trig test we have after lunch." Trig? You'd think that with so much time off I would have been able to catch up on my homework.
You'd also think that with so much time off, I would be able to sleep at night too.
"Boy it takes a lot to keep you on your toes." She says, laughing. I stare blankly at her.
"I hope you're not like this when you're Batman. You should have been dead by now." I stare at my lunch miserably. Lydia, sitting next to me, is silent.
"Boy, get some sleep." Max says, more gently this time, her face looking slightly confused because she's smart enough to know that there's a deeper reason for my depressed mood.
It's been a week.
"Lyd." I call.
"Terry." Lydia murmurs as I sit down and put my arm around her.
"You shouldn't be here." For a second I almost want to scream. Is she rejecting me too?
"I know." I know that's not what she meant. And I know that she's right.
I shouldn't be here on the roof with Lydia. I should be in the cave with Wayne, or in the suit being what Wayne was. I should be Batman. I am Batman.
"He thinks I'm wrong in almost every move I make."
"Did he ever say you were wrong?" No. Come to think of it, Wayne's never said I was wrong. Not once.
"No."
"He was just telling you that it wasn't right for him. That he wouldn't have done it that way. Not necessarily that it's wrong." She doesn't even put a maybe in there. She says it all matter-of-factly, as if she's an authority on the subject despite the fact that she's never met Wayne in her life.
"I messed up. He doesn't forget your screwups."
"He remembers them, but I doubt he holds them against you."
"He doesn't like you." I never would have been so blunt with anyone else, but Lydia respects nothing else. She smiles against my coat.
"McGinnis, you've been sitting here for the past half hour, telling me that you don't think you can do anything right for the old man, but you're still checking your watch every 10 minutes and looking over your shoulder every time there's a noise. Obviously something from him is rubbing off." I gaze at her. How does she do that?
"I guess I better go then. As much as I'd rather sit here with you." Lydia grins.
"I'd rather you be out there." I give her a kiss and make my way back down the stairs.
***********************************************************
"Mr. Wayne?" I call, walking into the cave cautiously. Ace isn't at my heels, growling, so I take that as a good sign.
"Mr. Wayne?" I call again, making sure to pronounce the Mr. as loud as I can. I respect the hell out of him. And I want my job back.
"No need to shout, Mr. McGinnis." Wayne answers back, stepping out of the shadows in the entrance he prefers above all else: dark and unexpected. We both stand for a second, Wayne able to read my entire week in my face, and me staring back at him and wondering why I can't even decipher what mood the man is in. Without a word, Wayne goes to the computer and sits down. I go to the suit and begin to put it on. You never need words with Bruce Wayne.
"Terry-"He calls as I'm about to climb into the car.
"Do the job well. Do it well and it'll pay you back when you need it the most." I debate whether or not to try and figure out his cryptic remark, or simply nod as if I understand his wisdom and get out there.
I nod.
5 seconds and I'm out there, just as if the past week had never happened, just as if I'm the best damn Batman there ever was, ever will be, and this is were I belong. I find some jerks with knives terrorizing every one who happens to turn down their particular alley. I land and walk straight up to them. Bold. Fearless.
Cocky, as Wayne would call it.
"Nice costume, buddy. I think it'd look better on me though." One sneers. It's hard to keep a straight face out here when you know what's about to happen to these losers.
"It's not exactly your size." I don't even have to punch him. This suit's strong enough that all I have to do is give him a shove. He flies back against the wall, dropping his knife. I raise my hand to pin him against the wall by his neck.
"Vinny.help me!" He croaks to his partner. Vinny drops the knife and takes off running. I turn back to the other one.
"Let me go! I'll do anything!" He begs.
"See that guy?" I growl, motioning with my head towards another person wandering down the alley.
"Yeah."
"Go rob him." I release him. The man stares at me for a minute, rubbing his neck, then picks up his knife and heads toward the man. I laugh to myself.
Stupid dreg just pulled a knife on a cop.
Wayne grunts in approval. I smile.
Things are getting back to normal.
"Smooth, McGinnis." Wayne murmurs. I grin.
"Thanks, Wayne."
I find two more thugs trying to terrorize a couple. I take care of them; knock out a couple of purse-snatchers, and all without breaking a sweat.
"How's that, boss?" I say to Wayne. No answer. Ignoring my comments as usual.
"Where to next?" Still no answer.
"Wayne?" Silence. I feel panic beginning to invade my previous sense of triumph, making that triumph all the more bittersweet.
"Mr. Wayne? Are you there?" I strain my ears, listening for that gruff voice to say that I should get back to work or that I'm wasting time calling his name.
There's nothing.
"Terry, get to school already!" Mom says, moving around the kitchen in her usual 125 mile-per-hour fashion. Matty tosses a piece of cereal at me. I bat it back halfheartedly with my spoon.
"What's the matter with you? You'd think that you'd be happy having so much time off from work!" She says, flying out the doorway without waiting for me to come up with an answer. Matty tousles my hair into my eyes before laughing gleefully and running out the door after her.
It's been a week.
"Earth to Terry!" Max yells, snapping her fingers in front of my face.
"Don't forget about that Trig test we have after lunch." Trig? You'd think that with so much time off I would have been able to catch up on my homework.
You'd also think that with so much time off, I would be able to sleep at night too.
"Boy it takes a lot to keep you on your toes." She says, laughing. I stare blankly at her.
"I hope you're not like this when you're Batman. You should have been dead by now." I stare at my lunch miserably. Lydia, sitting next to me, is silent.
"Boy, get some sleep." Max says, more gently this time, her face looking slightly confused because she's smart enough to know that there's a deeper reason for my depressed mood.
It's been a week.
"Lyd." I call.
"Terry." Lydia murmurs as I sit down and put my arm around her.
"You shouldn't be here." For a second I almost want to scream. Is she rejecting me too?
"I know." I know that's not what she meant. And I know that she's right.
I shouldn't be here on the roof with Lydia. I should be in the cave with Wayne, or in the suit being what Wayne was. I should be Batman. I am Batman.
"He thinks I'm wrong in almost every move I make."
"Did he ever say you were wrong?" No. Come to think of it, Wayne's never said I was wrong. Not once.
"No."
"He was just telling you that it wasn't right for him. That he wouldn't have done it that way. Not necessarily that it's wrong." She doesn't even put a maybe in there. She says it all matter-of-factly, as if she's an authority on the subject despite the fact that she's never met Wayne in her life.
"I messed up. He doesn't forget your screwups."
"He remembers them, but I doubt he holds them against you."
"He doesn't like you." I never would have been so blunt with anyone else, but Lydia respects nothing else. She smiles against my coat.
"McGinnis, you've been sitting here for the past half hour, telling me that you don't think you can do anything right for the old man, but you're still checking your watch every 10 minutes and looking over your shoulder every time there's a noise. Obviously something from him is rubbing off." I gaze at her. How does she do that?
"I guess I better go then. As much as I'd rather sit here with you." Lydia grins.
"I'd rather you be out there." I give her a kiss and make my way back down the stairs.
***********************************************************
"Mr. Wayne?" I call, walking into the cave cautiously. Ace isn't at my heels, growling, so I take that as a good sign.
"Mr. Wayne?" I call again, making sure to pronounce the Mr. as loud as I can. I respect the hell out of him. And I want my job back.
"No need to shout, Mr. McGinnis." Wayne answers back, stepping out of the shadows in the entrance he prefers above all else: dark and unexpected. We both stand for a second, Wayne able to read my entire week in my face, and me staring back at him and wondering why I can't even decipher what mood the man is in. Without a word, Wayne goes to the computer and sits down. I go to the suit and begin to put it on. You never need words with Bruce Wayne.
"Terry-"He calls as I'm about to climb into the car.
"Do the job well. Do it well and it'll pay you back when you need it the most." I debate whether or not to try and figure out his cryptic remark, or simply nod as if I understand his wisdom and get out there.
I nod.
5 seconds and I'm out there, just as if the past week had never happened, just as if I'm the best damn Batman there ever was, ever will be, and this is were I belong. I find some jerks with knives terrorizing every one who happens to turn down their particular alley. I land and walk straight up to them. Bold. Fearless.
Cocky, as Wayne would call it.
"Nice costume, buddy. I think it'd look better on me though." One sneers. It's hard to keep a straight face out here when you know what's about to happen to these losers.
"It's not exactly your size." I don't even have to punch him. This suit's strong enough that all I have to do is give him a shove. He flies back against the wall, dropping his knife. I raise my hand to pin him against the wall by his neck.
"Vinny.help me!" He croaks to his partner. Vinny drops the knife and takes off running. I turn back to the other one.
"Let me go! I'll do anything!" He begs.
"See that guy?" I growl, motioning with my head towards another person wandering down the alley.
"Yeah."
"Go rob him." I release him. The man stares at me for a minute, rubbing his neck, then picks up his knife and heads toward the man. I laugh to myself.
Stupid dreg just pulled a knife on a cop.
Wayne grunts in approval. I smile.
Things are getting back to normal.
"Smooth, McGinnis." Wayne murmurs. I grin.
"Thanks, Wayne."
I find two more thugs trying to terrorize a couple. I take care of them; knock out a couple of purse-snatchers, and all without breaking a sweat.
"How's that, boss?" I say to Wayne. No answer. Ignoring my comments as usual.
"Where to next?" Still no answer.
"Wayne?" Silence. I feel panic beginning to invade my previous sense of triumph, making that triumph all the more bittersweet.
"Mr. Wayne? Are you there?" I strain my ears, listening for that gruff voice to say that I should get back to work or that I'm wasting time calling his name.
There's nothing.