BATMAN BEYOND 9
Chapter 9: Time To Reason Why
DAY 1:
"The Wayne Enterprises Criminal Weaponry Vault" explained Delphi to the triplets in the room. The screen showed the heavyset door. "The only person able to get in is a Wayne because of DNA scanning locks. We want Wayne to open it for us and bring us this". The imaged that appeared next was a large canister.
"This is Deleterious-25.1, a gas that combusts like Francium in water with just a spark...it is part one of our plan...Roxanne: you are in charge of making sure Batman remains Public Enemy One"
Roma stepped forwards. "While Roxanne deals with the Bat, Karl will be in charge of getting Wayne and making him open the vault in the W.E building and Stefan will take care of...the next part of the plan."
The trio saluted as Roma instructed them. Paxton entered. "While you're kidnapping Wayne, kill that wretchedly annoying gofer of his. He really annoys me for some reason...and with him out of the way Wayne has no one who can have any type of claim to the fortune and it falls to me...with that vast and growing wealth at my disposal this city becomes mine."
"Yay team evil" cackled Delphi linking her arm with Paxton's.
"Your mother was a very...strong willed young lady" Selina said at last. "She loved to play on the rooftops. I'd wind up having to follow her half the time. And she was definitely as agile as me..."
Selina gave a laugh and sipped her tea. They were seated in the library. Sketch sat on a ladder while Selina swirled her tea in the cup. "You look a lot like Jerry, but you're built like your mother, and...what colour are your eyes?"
"You're asking the wrong person" smiled Sketch. "Colour blind, I can't tell any colours whatsoever, I think its brain damage"
"The left side of the brain perhaps...some sort of reaction to the acid that activated Harvey's alter ego when it burned him...and made you a mutation. It was pretty experimental stuff you see, partially DNA disruptive. Explains the hereditary burns on your body, though I believe the skin..."
"Mutilation?"
"Distortion" corrected Selina. "I believe the skin distortion is randomly all over your body. It's a mutated birthmark in some ways. Am I right?"
"I bleed acid from various patches on my body and I'm pretty much Mr. Non- tox, you're as clued in as I am Ms Kyle."
Selina smiled. "I expect, in time, you'll embrace our relation."
"You never looked for me"
"And you never looked for me" Selina said. "Don't try tangle with me young man or I'll show you how clawed this cat is. Now, let's get back to business...where did you learn to fight?"
Sketch sighed realizing that Selina Kyle was too formidable for even his arguments. She sat their calmly waiting; on occasion a random book would disappear from one place in the blink of an eye and reappear on her other side.
"Sewers and streets, Rocco found me, he was...10 when I was 8. He brought me to Sewer Man. He basically got us to fight in an arena, I have the scars to prove it, I learned that it was a fight to survive and with my sanity, failing me sometimes I stuck to a simple instinct...that being the will to survive. Then Rocco gave me these goggles, I partially invented them myself but he got the others to pitch in and I saw my first...and only colour...green. Anyway, my empathy let me get a sense of my opponents, I would watch martial arts movies and copy the actions and kicks and be able to switch whenever I needed."
"Learning by viewing, impressive" nodded Selina. Suddenly a copy of war and peace had moved from the bottom of the pile nearest her to the other side.
"How do you do that? I barely realized you'd move that book"
"Feline reflexes" shrugged Selina. "They just keep improving."
Erika smiled at Terry and lifted the bag. "Delphi gave me the past week off, I managed some shopping on my way over...perks of forging a bosses signature, I got into the shops."
Everyone looked at her slowly.
"Legally, I forged a not saying it was okay" smiled Erika.
"Wow, you've found quite a gal Terry" Mel smirked. "And things between us fell apart."
"Things between Terry and I will fall apart" Erika said, silencing everyone. "As much as I wish they wouldn't they will, so let's enjoy Christmas, I might not be around for the New Year".
Mary McGinnis smiled at the girl. "Why do you say that dear?"
"Because sometimes no matter what things fall apart" sighed Erika. She opened the bag. "Go crazy kids, it's Christmas" she grinned like a Cheshire cat.
"Whoa!" Matt exclaimed. "The Batman Cat-scratch figure! This isn't due out til spring!"
"The Batman what-scratch figure!" spluttered Terry.
"It's an action figure of a beaten up Batman," explained Erika. "Very big at this time"
"Lovely" groaned Terry.
Max flashed him a mischievous grin. Then turned up the Soundbyte.
"In other news, the DA, Sam Young, reminded the citizenry of the city to keep an eye out for dangerous vigilante Batman. Mr Young says that he could have something else planned and until the police have apprehended him, no one is safe."
Night closed over the city. As Terry and Erika joined the family singing carols Selina, Sketch and Bruce sat in the dining room. Sketch was reading a copy of The Tempest in French.
"So...any look on his actual name?" Selina asked.
"Sitting right here" Sketch called from the other end of the table. "Possibly in my own zip code...but still here!"
"The computer turned up some files, I'm using a program to filter the one out, his relatively unique DNA is helping narrow it down"
"Only relatively? I don't feel so special anymore!" Sketch snorted.
Selina shook her head. "Honestly, you two! If Alfred were still here he'd slap some sense into you BOTH! Bruce, he's your family, the only family you've got! Sketch, dear, you've just found a family...it takes time. KEEP the Snide remarks to a minimum please. Now, I'm going to make sure that you both cooperate and form some sort of civil link! EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!"
Bruce opened his mouth to reply...the sound of breaking glass was heard. Selina looked at the other two at the table and rose slowly. "Kitty-sense is tingling," she purred.
The doors burst open and a spray of bullets was fired in. Selina performed an elegant flip (exceptionally amazing given her age) and landed behind a couch. Sketch vaulted backwards over the chair back flipped over a sofa. Bruce ducked in behind his chair.
Roxanne and Karl entered with the soldiers. "I believe I should continue my part of the campaign," the Polish sister said to her brother. "And then you can take the millionaire".
She pulled the batarang from the back of her blue khaki body suit and hurled it at the chair. It exploded into green gas. Selina shouted Bruce's name as he collapsed to one side.
"My turn sister dear" smirked Karl as he and two of the soldiers strode forwards. "Grab the geezer boys, we have places to g-----"
Selina performed a perfect cartwheel from her hiding place and sent him shooting across the table. Roxanne shrieked in rage and pulled a pistol from her thigh holster. She aimed and fired. Selina's head whipped back. Roxanne giggled...then froze. Selina's head rose back up, she smiled and spat the bullet from her teeth.
"Granddame is trying to cut back on the iron in her diet," someone said. Sketch drop kicked Roxanne's arm and knocked the gun up before hitting her with a blast of mental power. She spun and slashed him across the face with a karate chop. He gasped. "Do it again" he sneered. "But this time...don't be so inhibited".
Selina gasped, there was something wrong, something very wrong, with her Grandson. He stabbed a fist out into a soldiers face and spun a kick across Roxanne's face. Selina ducked Karl's fist and managed to Judo flip him. "I'm too old for this".
She somersaulted over Karl's head and kicked him in the back of the knee. "I swear, back in the old days I would have landed into a double kick to your knees" she sighed. Karl spun and fired the small dart into her hip. She groaned and collapsed.
Sketch shouted angrily and sent a wave of pain into those around him. He back flipped and landed at her side. "Let's go Granddame," he muttered as he lifted her arm over his shoulder and grabbed a small bottle from his belt. "Smoke formula" he said and smashed it to the marble floor.
Karl swung at the smoke but the dark green cloud had already covered the escape. He looked at the guards holding Bruce Wayne. "Perfect" he grinned. "We have what we want." She looked at Roxanne as she tossed a few Batarangs around the room. "Ready?"
"Let's go" she nodded.
Terry looked at his watch, the small red light was flashing, his eyes widened. He rose and looked around. "I have to go, Bruce's alarm went off..."
"Should we call the police?" his mom asked. "It might be Batman".
"Nah" Terry said stiffly. "I'll just go scope it out..." he darted out the door. Erika watched him leave and frowned.
Terry arrived at the scene to find Commissioner Gordon on site with the police. "Hello Terry" she said. "I've got bad news, Batman kidnapped Mr Wayne". She held up the plastic bag with the batarang in it. Terry looked at her with wide eyes; he opened his mouth to defend himself.
"Don't worry" Barbara said as she lead him aside. "I know a gas batarang when I see one, this is a cheap knock-off. I guess someone's framed the bat again."
"Catwoman and the Orphans" Terry said. "One of them is...with Ms Kyle."
"Selina Kyle?" gasped Barbara. "You're kidding me, right? What's she doing back in Gotham?"
"Apparently trying to connect with her grandson..."
Barbara's jaw dropped to China. Terry led her into the house and down an empty passage to the study. He opened the iron maiden. "I'll take the elevator thanks," muttered Barbara as Terry grinned and shut the door. He dropped down the twisting slide and landed on his feet across the cave from the huge computer where Sketch sat tapping keys.
"Karl and Roxanne Krauss. Two thirds of the Krauss triplets, Aryan super soldier projects taken out of cold storage four years ago. They're experts in hand to hand combat and military tactics, they're also three of the most dangerous mercenaries on file."
"Freeze!"
"Oh brother, you let someone into the cave, bold Terry" Selina said as a police issue pistol clattered across the ground. Sketch turned and stared with terry as Barbara Gordon and Selina Kyle jabbed and kicked at each other.
"Good to see you're still in shape Selina" Barbara said as she blocked a spinning heel kick.
"You're not too shabby Babs" Selina said wiring past a punch. "For a cop."
"Granddame, please stop" Sketch sighed. "You've only just woken from a sedative."
"What's with the Grand Dam bit kid?"
Sketch shrugged. "I remember it in the back of my head, someone...my mother I think, saying we'd be visiting my Granddame" sighed Sketch. "It just...came to me."
Barbara sighed and looked at the screen. "I'll deal with this and you later" she said to Sketch. "But we have to find Bruce, and I mean now."
Sketch nodded. "I didn't get why they'd want him, they didn't come to kidnap, they were happy to kill him, so its not him they're after. It's something else..."
"DNA" Terry said.
"He's a key," Sketch murmured. "A tool for them..."
"And I know to what" Barbara said. "He's the only person able to open the Criminal weaponry vault in the Wayne Enterprises complex. Only his DNA can do that."
"We have to get there," Sketch said. "Stop them and bring Mr Wayne back."
Barbara looked at Selina. The ex-Catwoman shrugged.
"You're not coming" terry said. "It's way to dangerous for you to get involved in!"
"I can bypass that security faster then you" Sketch exclaimed.
"I'll use a Wayne Master Key"
"And let everyone know you're like this with Bruce Wayne?" Sketch snorted as he crossed his fingers and waved them at the angry Terry. All he got was an angry snort.
Erika pulled on her costume, adjusting the vinyl over the cybernetic skin of the suit. "Look, Terry, Mr Wayne will be fine" she said soothingly as she pulled the bodice of the outfit up and slid her hand into the sleeves. "He's a tough old fellow"
"But he's a tough old fellow with a heart condition" sighed Terry as he jetted across the skies. "I just hope that he's able to stay calm...too much could kill him."
"Well, you go get some sleep" Erika said as she pulled on her mask. "I'm sure there'll be news by morning. Sadly I have to go follow Delphi around like a dog"
"That's very un-you. But, Okay, whatever pays the rent"
"Hey doll, I'm a working girl" Erika said in mock hurt. "Maybe if my cat was chipping in instead of stepping out I'd be able to spend more time kicking her in the shins."
With a laugh Terry wished her goodnight and looked into the back of the Batmobile. Sketch was tapping his fingers across the keys. "You okay back there?"
"Yes" Sketch said. "Any chance you serve peanuts on this flight?"
"No" Terry said flatly.
"What is it with that mask? When you put it on it makes you humour proof?"
Terry sighed and turned the controls downwards at the complex of Wayne- Powers Enterprises.
The Panther stealth cycle sped along the road after the limo. It was silent, like a shadow behind the car, at just the right distance to be unnoticeable. But near enough so that Erika wouldn't lose the vehicle.
They were headed for Wayne-Powers. She grinned and leaned down on the bike.
DAY 2
The Karl Krauss and four soldiers strolled down the white vault passage; Bruce Wayne was unconscious in their grasp. "Hands up Mr Wayne" Karl grinned. He gripped one of Bruce's limp hands in his own and pressed it to the control panel. "That'll do...once we're in you boys can waist him".
The door hissed open...and revealed the long rows of Plexiglas fronted cupboards. With a smile Karl opened a communicator up. "The guards were bat-gassed Roxanne, is Stefan on schedule?"
"Yes brother dear, he's already finished up on the first two sites, he has another to complete but that will keep until tonight."
"Yeah, after all it's 1 in the morning boys, we've been waiting for over an hour"
Sketch dropped from the roof into a somersault landing the knocked the rifles from the hands of two guards. Terry shot from the shadows, becoming visible once more. He slammed a fist into Karl's face and kicked the blonde man into the corner.
Sketch slammed a foot into the gut of the guard holding Bruce's arm and uppercut the other. "And that's the end of that chapter!" he grinned. He looked at terry. Batman and Karl were punching and kicking each other into the cupboards. Karl pulled the long knife from his boot and savagely punched Batman to the ground.
"Hey! Blonde Boy!" Sketch shouted. Karl turned; the empathic blast knocked him off his feet. Terry spun to his feet and scythed the knife from Karl's hand. Sketch glanced over his shoulder; a rifle butt connected with his jaw and snapped his head back. With a snarl he lashed out, his eyes glowing behind the goggles. The fist cracked into the man's gut and made him buckle as a sharp knee crashed into his face and flipped him over.
"We're outties" muttered Sketch.
He glanced at the door; two soldiers were carrying a canister out. Sketch pulled out the small holographic camera on his belt and snapped an image. He pointed a projector at the group of guards behind him and pressed the button. The image of a hundred snakes covered the floor. They froze in place; unaware it was a holographic image.
"Impressive" Bruce said as Sketch turned them for the door.
"Yeah I knocked off a few of Spellbinder's tricks and put a Sketch spin on them" Sketch shrugged. "Now let's roll".
Terry grabbed Karl by the back of the neck and slammed his forehead into the man's nose. He shoved backwards and fired his thruster's boots. "Terry, police" Selina said over the link. Terry nodded to himself and jetted after Sketch. They reached the lobby to find the police officers unconscious, remnants of batarangs on the ground or tables near them. "Great, I just know this'll be my fault in the morning" sighed Terry.
"Hey! Look" Sketch exclaimed, pointing at the limo in the distance. "Something tells me that's a car we should note."
"Delphine Cartland's limo" Bruce said. "I recognize the license plates, she's not one for subtlety..."
"Yeah, DIVA 1 is a hell of an easy to remember plate" Sketch said. "Speaking of methods of transport...lets make like a not Napoleon and strategically retreat"
"Napoleon didn't really retreat" sniffed Bruce.
"He should have, little thing called Waterloo" Sketch sighed as the Batmobile descended. Terry paused and glanced at the car...Roma was tossed onto the bonnet and clapped on the head by a sharp hand.
"Ah hell" he groaned. "Catwoman"
The vinyl-clad cat slapped Delphi across the head hard and rendered her unconscious. She waved at Batman and snapped her whip around Delphi's unconscious body. She shoved the woman into a sidecar on her bike and sped off.
"Take the Batmobile" Sketch said. "I'll get Mr Wayne home. You follow Ms Kitty".
"How will you get back?" Terry asked.
"Easy" Sketch grinned as he pointed at a motorbike. "I did street races". He clapped a projector to the front of the bike and it became a police bike. "Up for a ride Mr Wayne?"
"I don't have much of a choice, go bag the cat Terry" Bruce sighed. He climbed onto the back of the hotwired bike and Terry leapt up into the Batmobile.
The streets of Gotham were turning red as the sun rose. The amber glow cloaked the city as two black vehicles tore down the road. Catwoman shot over a delivery van and swerved around a corner, Delphi still unconscious in the sidecar.
Terry followed...he didn't want to risk hurting Catwoman, or Delphi. But he couldn't see much of an alternative. He shot after Catwoman's bike, the thrusters flaring after the lighter and faster vehicle.
And suddenly the sidecar rocketed off, a thruster blazing from behind it and sending it shooting into the smog, locked on target to some destination pre-programmed by his feline foe. He focused on Catwoman now.
She sped up, a pair of taxis shrieked to a halt as she shot over them, Terry forced the controls down, scraping the roof off their underside as Catwoman spun around a corner and across the bridge. A rocket launched from her bike, hissing towards Terry. A stun spike shot from the front of the Batmobile and destroyed the projectile. Catwoman whipped her legs onto one side so she rode sidesaddle and pointed her gauntlet. The laser was no good, the distance between them was too great, her darts didn't stand a chance and her concussion rockets were "in her other suit". She had only one choice other then the rockets from her bike. She flicked the button bomb at the Batmobile and hit the detonator.
Terry shouted out as black smoke engulfed the front of the vehicle. He lost control swerving and wiring towards the bridges supports, he pulled up as the radar warned him of the obstacle.
"Terry! What happened?" Max exclaimed. "Man! I step out for coffee with the girls and you nearly crash and burn!" she sighed.
"Catwoman kidnapped Delphi Cartland" reported Terry.
"The police say that Batman is suspected, Mr Wayne declines to comment on the grounds he is too unwell" the anchorwoman reported. "But in other news, Delphine Cartland has been kidnapped..."
Selina switched the screen off and looked at Bruce sitting at the bat computer. "Sketch was impressive in the vault"
"How did he get in?" Bruce asked gruffly. "Without setting off the alarms and even after bypassing the lock? How did he break the codes?"
"Bruce, he's a professional thief"sighed Selina. "And a cyber expert...but in addition, he's you're grandson...I researched the files you kept on that vault, you should know that basing the lock on three key points of your DNA was clever, you have quite a few of those locks around...but Sketch can bypass them, because he has your eyes and quite a few other "key points" of your DNA".
She sighed, but Bruce remained frozen. "When you want to face the fact that we had a daughter and she had a son...then we can talk." Selina placed a small red stone pendant on the computer. "You kept the Lynx Blood stone I gave you" she added. "In your high-tech vault with the other keepsakes...Bruce don't detach yourself from the people who care. Sketch...Good Lord does he have a name? Well, Sketch cares about you even if he loathes to admit it..."
She kissed him on the forehead, surprising him. "Yes Bruce I did break into your vault, but I was bored at the time. And the fact you kept a present from our time together in Paris...it means a lot."
Bruce held the pendant in his pale hands for a second. "Selina I..." he swivelled in his chair. But Selina was gone, not a sound, sight or smell remained. But a sense of her hung in the air like a perfume...
Terry had slept through the morning ruckus of Matt's friend Christmas Present Computer Games Battle Royale Marathon. It was when Matt invited his friends over to try out all their games...it could get very messy.
"Nice boxers" a voice called from the doorway. Terry's half-opened eye snapped open and he flailed through his covers to find Erika in his doorway. She was dressed in a pair of white leather trousers and a red top. "So, will you be joining the living this fine morning? Because I have to go back to work tomorrow...so I want something fun to do as I mix blue food dye into Roma's coffee."
"Hey" blushed Terry as he covered his black boxers (with red Batman Insignia's on them) with his duvet. "They're a present from Max, she laughed her head off about them, Last Christmas...well she was under the Christmas tree giggling frantically by the time I'd unwrapped them."
"She doesn't seem the type to go cackle crazy" sighed Erika. "So, wanna have brunch...wait" she looked at her watch and raised a finger. "Sorry...Lunch" she brought her hand down as a signal. "With me".
"Definitely" Terry said...and fell out of his bed.
"I'll wait downstairs" sighed Erika.
Roxanne leaned in the window frame of the Justice Department. The DA was leaving the building. With a sigh, she pulled on her Batman mask and hurled the batarang with all her might. Sam Young turned around...his eyes widened and he tried to dodge the projectile... there was a wet crack and the DA fell to the ground.
Satisfied Roxanne removed her mask and pinned the small bat-pin to the windowsill.
"Barbara I just heard" Selina said as she stepped into the hall of the commissioners house. "I wanted to let you know that Terry is totally innocent!"
"I know" Barbara said, she was fighting to hide the signs of crying. "If Terry had wanted Sam dead, he'd never have used an ordinary batarang, I took a test of it...it was calibrated and weighted all wrong. A cheap fake like the rest. Sadly I can't explain that without mentioning my past as Batgirl."
They sat into the living room and Barbara offered Selina a coffee. "Two creams and one sugar, right?" Barbara said. Selina nodded slowly. "Bruce kept very in-depth files on you, you were even more detailed then the Joker...I hadn't thought that possible."
"Bruce was a sweet man...now he's bitter and cold...he can't accept Sketch." She grated her teeth. "I have to find that boys name."
"I can't accept Sketch...Bruce said it was that trip to Paris...all those years ago. And then Helena met Harvey's son and had Sketch?"
"Yes" mumbled Selina. "Paris...that was a great time...we even talked about marriage and...we should have known it couldn't happen. He and I...we were alike, you could give up the mask and have your father...but neither of us had a blood relative. Alfred was like a father...but he wasn't the same. And Holly was too busy looking after Karen and the Alleytown kids to be the sister I needed."
"You had Maggie" Barbara said softly.
"No one had Maggie. She never...we never got her back. Then one day she just died and it was almost a relief...because I had closure" Selina sipped the coffee. "But I lost her."
"You avenged her the day you killed the Black Mask"
"I hadn't realized I needed to avenge her...I killed him for myself, not for her."
"Then for her husband" Barbara said. "No matter what, Catwoman walks the line of good and evil with perfect balance, you never sway...you just walk the line."
"And now I'm tired" sighed Selina. "My protégé has had a nervous breakdown and cut all links to me...but I still can't reveal her identity to Bruce. She's on a self-destructive path...and I can't help her".
"Selina, you and I both know that the only way to help the girl is to defeat her"
"Is it? Is that really the cure? Or is it a catalyst for much worse from her psyche... she still trusts me...if she loses that then I think she'd be gone all together." Selina stared into the fires lapping flames
TBC:
Fox: Well I've put a little more space in the scene changes...kay? REVIEW AGAIN
CATgrl: I'm sorry if you didn't like the plot twist but there's a reason: I needed an anchor for Selina to Bruce. Even Cat's have trouble abandoning their young. Plus the links between Selina & Bruce, Terry & Sketch, Sketch & Selina and Sketch & Bruce are worth exploring in my view. In short Selina will play Alfred to Bruce and Bruce will play Alfred to Selina. Plus, someone has to smack some sense into Mr Wayne at some point!
Chapter 9: Time To Reason Why
DAY 1:
"The Wayne Enterprises Criminal Weaponry Vault" explained Delphi to the triplets in the room. The screen showed the heavyset door. "The only person able to get in is a Wayne because of DNA scanning locks. We want Wayne to open it for us and bring us this". The imaged that appeared next was a large canister.
"This is Deleterious-25.1, a gas that combusts like Francium in water with just a spark...it is part one of our plan...Roxanne: you are in charge of making sure Batman remains Public Enemy One"
Roma stepped forwards. "While Roxanne deals with the Bat, Karl will be in charge of getting Wayne and making him open the vault in the W.E building and Stefan will take care of...the next part of the plan."
The trio saluted as Roma instructed them. Paxton entered. "While you're kidnapping Wayne, kill that wretchedly annoying gofer of his. He really annoys me for some reason...and with him out of the way Wayne has no one who can have any type of claim to the fortune and it falls to me...with that vast and growing wealth at my disposal this city becomes mine."
"Yay team evil" cackled Delphi linking her arm with Paxton's.
"Your mother was a very...strong willed young lady" Selina said at last. "She loved to play on the rooftops. I'd wind up having to follow her half the time. And she was definitely as agile as me..."
Selina gave a laugh and sipped her tea. They were seated in the library. Sketch sat on a ladder while Selina swirled her tea in the cup. "You look a lot like Jerry, but you're built like your mother, and...what colour are your eyes?"
"You're asking the wrong person" smiled Sketch. "Colour blind, I can't tell any colours whatsoever, I think its brain damage"
"The left side of the brain perhaps...some sort of reaction to the acid that activated Harvey's alter ego when it burned him...and made you a mutation. It was pretty experimental stuff you see, partially DNA disruptive. Explains the hereditary burns on your body, though I believe the skin..."
"Mutilation?"
"Distortion" corrected Selina. "I believe the skin distortion is randomly all over your body. It's a mutated birthmark in some ways. Am I right?"
"I bleed acid from various patches on my body and I'm pretty much Mr. Non- tox, you're as clued in as I am Ms Kyle."
Selina smiled. "I expect, in time, you'll embrace our relation."
"You never looked for me"
"And you never looked for me" Selina said. "Don't try tangle with me young man or I'll show you how clawed this cat is. Now, let's get back to business...where did you learn to fight?"
Sketch sighed realizing that Selina Kyle was too formidable for even his arguments. She sat their calmly waiting; on occasion a random book would disappear from one place in the blink of an eye and reappear on her other side.
"Sewers and streets, Rocco found me, he was...10 when I was 8. He brought me to Sewer Man. He basically got us to fight in an arena, I have the scars to prove it, I learned that it was a fight to survive and with my sanity, failing me sometimes I stuck to a simple instinct...that being the will to survive. Then Rocco gave me these goggles, I partially invented them myself but he got the others to pitch in and I saw my first...and only colour...green. Anyway, my empathy let me get a sense of my opponents, I would watch martial arts movies and copy the actions and kicks and be able to switch whenever I needed."
"Learning by viewing, impressive" nodded Selina. Suddenly a copy of war and peace had moved from the bottom of the pile nearest her to the other side.
"How do you do that? I barely realized you'd move that book"
"Feline reflexes" shrugged Selina. "They just keep improving."
Erika smiled at Terry and lifted the bag. "Delphi gave me the past week off, I managed some shopping on my way over...perks of forging a bosses signature, I got into the shops."
Everyone looked at her slowly.
"Legally, I forged a not saying it was okay" smiled Erika.
"Wow, you've found quite a gal Terry" Mel smirked. "And things between us fell apart."
"Things between Terry and I will fall apart" Erika said, silencing everyone. "As much as I wish they wouldn't they will, so let's enjoy Christmas, I might not be around for the New Year".
Mary McGinnis smiled at the girl. "Why do you say that dear?"
"Because sometimes no matter what things fall apart" sighed Erika. She opened the bag. "Go crazy kids, it's Christmas" she grinned like a Cheshire cat.
"Whoa!" Matt exclaimed. "The Batman Cat-scratch figure! This isn't due out til spring!"
"The Batman what-scratch figure!" spluttered Terry.
"It's an action figure of a beaten up Batman," explained Erika. "Very big at this time"
"Lovely" groaned Terry.
Max flashed him a mischievous grin. Then turned up the Soundbyte.
"In other news, the DA, Sam Young, reminded the citizenry of the city to keep an eye out for dangerous vigilante Batman. Mr Young says that he could have something else planned and until the police have apprehended him, no one is safe."
Night closed over the city. As Terry and Erika joined the family singing carols Selina, Sketch and Bruce sat in the dining room. Sketch was reading a copy of The Tempest in French.
"So...any look on his actual name?" Selina asked.
"Sitting right here" Sketch called from the other end of the table. "Possibly in my own zip code...but still here!"
"The computer turned up some files, I'm using a program to filter the one out, his relatively unique DNA is helping narrow it down"
"Only relatively? I don't feel so special anymore!" Sketch snorted.
Selina shook her head. "Honestly, you two! If Alfred were still here he'd slap some sense into you BOTH! Bruce, he's your family, the only family you've got! Sketch, dear, you've just found a family...it takes time. KEEP the Snide remarks to a minimum please. Now, I'm going to make sure that you both cooperate and form some sort of civil link! EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!"
Bruce opened his mouth to reply...the sound of breaking glass was heard. Selina looked at the other two at the table and rose slowly. "Kitty-sense is tingling," she purred.
The doors burst open and a spray of bullets was fired in. Selina performed an elegant flip (exceptionally amazing given her age) and landed behind a couch. Sketch vaulted backwards over the chair back flipped over a sofa. Bruce ducked in behind his chair.
Roxanne and Karl entered with the soldiers. "I believe I should continue my part of the campaign," the Polish sister said to her brother. "And then you can take the millionaire".
She pulled the batarang from the back of her blue khaki body suit and hurled it at the chair. It exploded into green gas. Selina shouted Bruce's name as he collapsed to one side.
"My turn sister dear" smirked Karl as he and two of the soldiers strode forwards. "Grab the geezer boys, we have places to g-----"
Selina performed a perfect cartwheel from her hiding place and sent him shooting across the table. Roxanne shrieked in rage and pulled a pistol from her thigh holster. She aimed and fired. Selina's head whipped back. Roxanne giggled...then froze. Selina's head rose back up, she smiled and spat the bullet from her teeth.
"Granddame is trying to cut back on the iron in her diet," someone said. Sketch drop kicked Roxanne's arm and knocked the gun up before hitting her with a blast of mental power. She spun and slashed him across the face with a karate chop. He gasped. "Do it again" he sneered. "But this time...don't be so inhibited".
Selina gasped, there was something wrong, something very wrong, with her Grandson. He stabbed a fist out into a soldiers face and spun a kick across Roxanne's face. Selina ducked Karl's fist and managed to Judo flip him. "I'm too old for this".
She somersaulted over Karl's head and kicked him in the back of the knee. "I swear, back in the old days I would have landed into a double kick to your knees" she sighed. Karl spun and fired the small dart into her hip. She groaned and collapsed.
Sketch shouted angrily and sent a wave of pain into those around him. He back flipped and landed at her side. "Let's go Granddame," he muttered as he lifted her arm over his shoulder and grabbed a small bottle from his belt. "Smoke formula" he said and smashed it to the marble floor.
Karl swung at the smoke but the dark green cloud had already covered the escape. He looked at the guards holding Bruce Wayne. "Perfect" he grinned. "We have what we want." She looked at Roxanne as she tossed a few Batarangs around the room. "Ready?"
"Let's go" she nodded.
Terry looked at his watch, the small red light was flashing, his eyes widened. He rose and looked around. "I have to go, Bruce's alarm went off..."
"Should we call the police?" his mom asked. "It might be Batman".
"Nah" Terry said stiffly. "I'll just go scope it out..." he darted out the door. Erika watched him leave and frowned.
Terry arrived at the scene to find Commissioner Gordon on site with the police. "Hello Terry" she said. "I've got bad news, Batman kidnapped Mr Wayne". She held up the plastic bag with the batarang in it. Terry looked at her with wide eyes; he opened his mouth to defend himself.
"Don't worry" Barbara said as she lead him aside. "I know a gas batarang when I see one, this is a cheap knock-off. I guess someone's framed the bat again."
"Catwoman and the Orphans" Terry said. "One of them is...with Ms Kyle."
"Selina Kyle?" gasped Barbara. "You're kidding me, right? What's she doing back in Gotham?"
"Apparently trying to connect with her grandson..."
Barbara's jaw dropped to China. Terry led her into the house and down an empty passage to the study. He opened the iron maiden. "I'll take the elevator thanks," muttered Barbara as Terry grinned and shut the door. He dropped down the twisting slide and landed on his feet across the cave from the huge computer where Sketch sat tapping keys.
"Karl and Roxanne Krauss. Two thirds of the Krauss triplets, Aryan super soldier projects taken out of cold storage four years ago. They're experts in hand to hand combat and military tactics, they're also three of the most dangerous mercenaries on file."
"Freeze!"
"Oh brother, you let someone into the cave, bold Terry" Selina said as a police issue pistol clattered across the ground. Sketch turned and stared with terry as Barbara Gordon and Selina Kyle jabbed and kicked at each other.
"Good to see you're still in shape Selina" Barbara said as she blocked a spinning heel kick.
"You're not too shabby Babs" Selina said wiring past a punch. "For a cop."
"Granddame, please stop" Sketch sighed. "You've only just woken from a sedative."
"What's with the Grand Dam bit kid?"
Sketch shrugged. "I remember it in the back of my head, someone...my mother I think, saying we'd be visiting my Granddame" sighed Sketch. "It just...came to me."
Barbara sighed and looked at the screen. "I'll deal with this and you later" she said to Sketch. "But we have to find Bruce, and I mean now."
Sketch nodded. "I didn't get why they'd want him, they didn't come to kidnap, they were happy to kill him, so its not him they're after. It's something else..."
"DNA" Terry said.
"He's a key," Sketch murmured. "A tool for them..."
"And I know to what" Barbara said. "He's the only person able to open the Criminal weaponry vault in the Wayne Enterprises complex. Only his DNA can do that."
"We have to get there," Sketch said. "Stop them and bring Mr Wayne back."
Barbara looked at Selina. The ex-Catwoman shrugged.
"You're not coming" terry said. "It's way to dangerous for you to get involved in!"
"I can bypass that security faster then you" Sketch exclaimed.
"I'll use a Wayne Master Key"
"And let everyone know you're like this with Bruce Wayne?" Sketch snorted as he crossed his fingers and waved them at the angry Terry. All he got was an angry snort.
Erika pulled on her costume, adjusting the vinyl over the cybernetic skin of the suit. "Look, Terry, Mr Wayne will be fine" she said soothingly as she pulled the bodice of the outfit up and slid her hand into the sleeves. "He's a tough old fellow"
"But he's a tough old fellow with a heart condition" sighed Terry as he jetted across the skies. "I just hope that he's able to stay calm...too much could kill him."
"Well, you go get some sleep" Erika said as she pulled on her mask. "I'm sure there'll be news by morning. Sadly I have to go follow Delphi around like a dog"
"That's very un-you. But, Okay, whatever pays the rent"
"Hey doll, I'm a working girl" Erika said in mock hurt. "Maybe if my cat was chipping in instead of stepping out I'd be able to spend more time kicking her in the shins."
With a laugh Terry wished her goodnight and looked into the back of the Batmobile. Sketch was tapping his fingers across the keys. "You okay back there?"
"Yes" Sketch said. "Any chance you serve peanuts on this flight?"
"No" Terry said flatly.
"What is it with that mask? When you put it on it makes you humour proof?"
Terry sighed and turned the controls downwards at the complex of Wayne- Powers Enterprises.
The Panther stealth cycle sped along the road after the limo. It was silent, like a shadow behind the car, at just the right distance to be unnoticeable. But near enough so that Erika wouldn't lose the vehicle.
They were headed for Wayne-Powers. She grinned and leaned down on the bike.
DAY 2
The Karl Krauss and four soldiers strolled down the white vault passage; Bruce Wayne was unconscious in their grasp. "Hands up Mr Wayne" Karl grinned. He gripped one of Bruce's limp hands in his own and pressed it to the control panel. "That'll do...once we're in you boys can waist him".
The door hissed open...and revealed the long rows of Plexiglas fronted cupboards. With a smile Karl opened a communicator up. "The guards were bat-gassed Roxanne, is Stefan on schedule?"
"Yes brother dear, he's already finished up on the first two sites, he has another to complete but that will keep until tonight."
"Yeah, after all it's 1 in the morning boys, we've been waiting for over an hour"
Sketch dropped from the roof into a somersault landing the knocked the rifles from the hands of two guards. Terry shot from the shadows, becoming visible once more. He slammed a fist into Karl's face and kicked the blonde man into the corner.
Sketch slammed a foot into the gut of the guard holding Bruce's arm and uppercut the other. "And that's the end of that chapter!" he grinned. He looked at terry. Batman and Karl were punching and kicking each other into the cupboards. Karl pulled the long knife from his boot and savagely punched Batman to the ground.
"Hey! Blonde Boy!" Sketch shouted. Karl turned; the empathic blast knocked him off his feet. Terry spun to his feet and scythed the knife from Karl's hand. Sketch glanced over his shoulder; a rifle butt connected with his jaw and snapped his head back. With a snarl he lashed out, his eyes glowing behind the goggles. The fist cracked into the man's gut and made him buckle as a sharp knee crashed into his face and flipped him over.
"We're outties" muttered Sketch.
He glanced at the door; two soldiers were carrying a canister out. Sketch pulled out the small holographic camera on his belt and snapped an image. He pointed a projector at the group of guards behind him and pressed the button. The image of a hundred snakes covered the floor. They froze in place; unaware it was a holographic image.
"Impressive" Bruce said as Sketch turned them for the door.
"Yeah I knocked off a few of Spellbinder's tricks and put a Sketch spin on them" Sketch shrugged. "Now let's roll".
Terry grabbed Karl by the back of the neck and slammed his forehead into the man's nose. He shoved backwards and fired his thruster's boots. "Terry, police" Selina said over the link. Terry nodded to himself and jetted after Sketch. They reached the lobby to find the police officers unconscious, remnants of batarangs on the ground or tables near them. "Great, I just know this'll be my fault in the morning" sighed Terry.
"Hey! Look" Sketch exclaimed, pointing at the limo in the distance. "Something tells me that's a car we should note."
"Delphine Cartland's limo" Bruce said. "I recognize the license plates, she's not one for subtlety..."
"Yeah, DIVA 1 is a hell of an easy to remember plate" Sketch said. "Speaking of methods of transport...lets make like a not Napoleon and strategically retreat"
"Napoleon didn't really retreat" sniffed Bruce.
"He should have, little thing called Waterloo" Sketch sighed as the Batmobile descended. Terry paused and glanced at the car...Roma was tossed onto the bonnet and clapped on the head by a sharp hand.
"Ah hell" he groaned. "Catwoman"
The vinyl-clad cat slapped Delphi across the head hard and rendered her unconscious. She waved at Batman and snapped her whip around Delphi's unconscious body. She shoved the woman into a sidecar on her bike and sped off.
"Take the Batmobile" Sketch said. "I'll get Mr Wayne home. You follow Ms Kitty".
"How will you get back?" Terry asked.
"Easy" Sketch grinned as he pointed at a motorbike. "I did street races". He clapped a projector to the front of the bike and it became a police bike. "Up for a ride Mr Wayne?"
"I don't have much of a choice, go bag the cat Terry" Bruce sighed. He climbed onto the back of the hotwired bike and Terry leapt up into the Batmobile.
The streets of Gotham were turning red as the sun rose. The amber glow cloaked the city as two black vehicles tore down the road. Catwoman shot over a delivery van and swerved around a corner, Delphi still unconscious in the sidecar.
Terry followed...he didn't want to risk hurting Catwoman, or Delphi. But he couldn't see much of an alternative. He shot after Catwoman's bike, the thrusters flaring after the lighter and faster vehicle.
And suddenly the sidecar rocketed off, a thruster blazing from behind it and sending it shooting into the smog, locked on target to some destination pre-programmed by his feline foe. He focused on Catwoman now.
She sped up, a pair of taxis shrieked to a halt as she shot over them, Terry forced the controls down, scraping the roof off their underside as Catwoman spun around a corner and across the bridge. A rocket launched from her bike, hissing towards Terry. A stun spike shot from the front of the Batmobile and destroyed the projectile. Catwoman whipped her legs onto one side so she rode sidesaddle and pointed her gauntlet. The laser was no good, the distance between them was too great, her darts didn't stand a chance and her concussion rockets were "in her other suit". She had only one choice other then the rockets from her bike. She flicked the button bomb at the Batmobile and hit the detonator.
Terry shouted out as black smoke engulfed the front of the vehicle. He lost control swerving and wiring towards the bridges supports, he pulled up as the radar warned him of the obstacle.
"Terry! What happened?" Max exclaimed. "Man! I step out for coffee with the girls and you nearly crash and burn!" she sighed.
"Catwoman kidnapped Delphi Cartland" reported Terry.
"The police say that Batman is suspected, Mr Wayne declines to comment on the grounds he is too unwell" the anchorwoman reported. "But in other news, Delphine Cartland has been kidnapped..."
Selina switched the screen off and looked at Bruce sitting at the bat computer. "Sketch was impressive in the vault"
"How did he get in?" Bruce asked gruffly. "Without setting off the alarms and even after bypassing the lock? How did he break the codes?"
"Bruce, he's a professional thief"sighed Selina. "And a cyber expert...but in addition, he's you're grandson...I researched the files you kept on that vault, you should know that basing the lock on three key points of your DNA was clever, you have quite a few of those locks around...but Sketch can bypass them, because he has your eyes and quite a few other "key points" of your DNA".
She sighed, but Bruce remained frozen. "When you want to face the fact that we had a daughter and she had a son...then we can talk." Selina placed a small red stone pendant on the computer. "You kept the Lynx Blood stone I gave you" she added. "In your high-tech vault with the other keepsakes...Bruce don't detach yourself from the people who care. Sketch...Good Lord does he have a name? Well, Sketch cares about you even if he loathes to admit it..."
She kissed him on the forehead, surprising him. "Yes Bruce I did break into your vault, but I was bored at the time. And the fact you kept a present from our time together in Paris...it means a lot."
Bruce held the pendant in his pale hands for a second. "Selina I..." he swivelled in his chair. But Selina was gone, not a sound, sight or smell remained. But a sense of her hung in the air like a perfume...
Terry had slept through the morning ruckus of Matt's friend Christmas Present Computer Games Battle Royale Marathon. It was when Matt invited his friends over to try out all their games...it could get very messy.
"Nice boxers" a voice called from the doorway. Terry's half-opened eye snapped open and he flailed through his covers to find Erika in his doorway. She was dressed in a pair of white leather trousers and a red top. "So, will you be joining the living this fine morning? Because I have to go back to work tomorrow...so I want something fun to do as I mix blue food dye into Roma's coffee."
"Hey" blushed Terry as he covered his black boxers (with red Batman Insignia's on them) with his duvet. "They're a present from Max, she laughed her head off about them, Last Christmas...well she was under the Christmas tree giggling frantically by the time I'd unwrapped them."
"She doesn't seem the type to go cackle crazy" sighed Erika. "So, wanna have brunch...wait" she looked at her watch and raised a finger. "Sorry...Lunch" she brought her hand down as a signal. "With me".
"Definitely" Terry said...and fell out of his bed.
"I'll wait downstairs" sighed Erika.
Roxanne leaned in the window frame of the Justice Department. The DA was leaving the building. With a sigh, she pulled on her Batman mask and hurled the batarang with all her might. Sam Young turned around...his eyes widened and he tried to dodge the projectile... there was a wet crack and the DA fell to the ground.
Satisfied Roxanne removed her mask and pinned the small bat-pin to the windowsill.
"Barbara I just heard" Selina said as she stepped into the hall of the commissioners house. "I wanted to let you know that Terry is totally innocent!"
"I know" Barbara said, she was fighting to hide the signs of crying. "If Terry had wanted Sam dead, he'd never have used an ordinary batarang, I took a test of it...it was calibrated and weighted all wrong. A cheap fake like the rest. Sadly I can't explain that without mentioning my past as Batgirl."
They sat into the living room and Barbara offered Selina a coffee. "Two creams and one sugar, right?" Barbara said. Selina nodded slowly. "Bruce kept very in-depth files on you, you were even more detailed then the Joker...I hadn't thought that possible."
"Bruce was a sweet man...now he's bitter and cold...he can't accept Sketch." She grated her teeth. "I have to find that boys name."
"I can't accept Sketch...Bruce said it was that trip to Paris...all those years ago. And then Helena met Harvey's son and had Sketch?"
"Yes" mumbled Selina. "Paris...that was a great time...we even talked about marriage and...we should have known it couldn't happen. He and I...we were alike, you could give up the mask and have your father...but neither of us had a blood relative. Alfred was like a father...but he wasn't the same. And Holly was too busy looking after Karen and the Alleytown kids to be the sister I needed."
"You had Maggie" Barbara said softly.
"No one had Maggie. She never...we never got her back. Then one day she just died and it was almost a relief...because I had closure" Selina sipped the coffee. "But I lost her."
"You avenged her the day you killed the Black Mask"
"I hadn't realized I needed to avenge her...I killed him for myself, not for her."
"Then for her husband" Barbara said. "No matter what, Catwoman walks the line of good and evil with perfect balance, you never sway...you just walk the line."
"And now I'm tired" sighed Selina. "My protégé has had a nervous breakdown and cut all links to me...but I still can't reveal her identity to Bruce. She's on a self-destructive path...and I can't help her".
"Selina, you and I both know that the only way to help the girl is to defeat her"
"Is it? Is that really the cure? Or is it a catalyst for much worse from her psyche... she still trusts me...if she loses that then I think she'd be gone all together." Selina stared into the fires lapping flames
TBC:
Fox: Well I've put a little more space in the scene changes...kay? REVIEW AGAIN
CATgrl: I'm sorry if you didn't like the plot twist but there's a reason: I needed an anchor for Selina to Bruce. Even Cat's have trouble abandoning their young. Plus the links between Selina & Bruce, Terry & Sketch, Sketch & Selina and Sketch & Bruce are worth exploring in my view. In short Selina will play Alfred to Bruce and Bruce will play Alfred to Selina. Plus, someone has to smack some sense into Mr Wayne at some point!