Batman AC
by Night Hunter MGS
Foreword: Somebody stop
me!!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, Batman Beyond, or
your immortal soul.
Chapter 1: A Different Kind of
Soldier
My memories of the period known as the Eve Wars
are not fond ones by any stretch of the imagination. Every day was
terrifying. Even when we weren't in combat, which was a rare
occurrence, we had much to fear. We were afraid of discovery, since
the United Earth Sphere Alliance's military forces and OZ were
constantly on the search for us. The guerilla strikes against their
bases had become a painful thorn in their side and they wanted our
heads on a silver platter. The others were lucky in an odd way in the
fact that they didn't have any family to worry about. If their
identities were discovered, then whom would OZ retaliate against? I
wasn't quite as fortunate in that regard. Not only did I have a very
large family that was well known, but also they could carelessly
fling a bomb anywhere in the Middle East and it would hurt me
greatly. I may have grown up on the colony, but the Middle East was
my home and its people were my family. I was afraid every minute of
every day, not that something would happen to me, but that the
Alliance forces would start going after them.
And the
constant fear wasn't even the worst of it. I was raised in a home
where pacifism was revered as the best solution for any conflict. I
became estranged from my father after I became involved with the
Maganac Corps, and we did not speak again until shortly before his
death. It was also at that time that I experienced my darkest moment
as I fell to the madness of the Zero System, but that's a tale for
later. The point is that despite my convictions and determination to
destroy OZ and keep the colonies safe, I did not enjoy combat or
killing. I felt a small piece of my very soul being whittled away
every time I took a life, but it was a necessary sacrifice. Still,
that does not mean that I don't wake up screaming at nights, the
ghostly faces of all those who died by my hand and those who I failed
to save haunting my mind. However, despite all the horrible memories
that I wish I could banish from my mind, there are some good ones.
The first good memory that I have from that time is meeting one
of my fellow pilots for the first time. The soldier known as Trowa
Barton was a regular mystery to me. I'd seen him in action, and he
was a ruthless, emotionless warrior. When he stepped out of his
Gundam, hands raised in surrender, there was not a single twitch of
his eyebrow, not a single shiver or nervous flinch; he was without
emotion, cool, collected, perfect. I could have shoved a bayonet into
his stomach, and he still wouldn't have shown any pain, shock, or
other emotion. He would have just stood there and died without even
batting an eyelash. But deep within that emotionless shell was a
contemplative, philosophical soul. Clearly engraved in my mind is the
image of Trowa delicately picking up a flute and letting loose a
beautiful melody in harmony with my own as I played the violin. As he
walked away from the mansion where I was staying, I asked him his
name and gave him mine. He just half turned to me and said that he
had no name, but that if I had to call him something then I could
refer to him by the name of Trowa. Then he was gone.
When I next saw Trowa, it was at one of our darkest hours. OZ had
leaked false information about a meeting of their top officials to
us, and we jumped right at the opportunity to take out so many top OZ
officers in a single attack. But instead of crippling OZ, we killed
the UESA peace advocates and mobilized the Alliance army against the
colonies. Then OZ stepped in, overthrew the Alliance, and took on the
role of friend and heroic savior of the colonies. We'd played right
into their hands. I saw Trowa and the others again one more time
before we decided to head for space. It was another OZ trap, this
time designed to destroy us rather than use us to their advantage. To
protect the colonies and us Heero self-destructed. I could not
believe what my own eyes were telling me. Here was a young man no
older than the rest of us, who had just faced off against the
infamous Lightning Count, who had done things that even for the rest
of us were impossible. And he just calmly stood there on his cockpit
and didn't show the slightest flicker of emotion or regret as he blew
himself up. As OZ was still in shock at Heero's sacrifice the rest of
us escaped, and Trowa scooped up Heero's motionless body before
escaping back to the circus where he worked. It was then that I
became more acquainted with the cheerful American Gundam pilot, Duo
Maxwell.
Duo and I had both chosen the same escape
route, so I offered to allow him access to a hidden base that we had
nearby. As we waited for our Gundams to be repaired, we talked for a
while and tried to plan our next move. Duo was a truly refreshing
personality to be around. He was funny, irreverent, and cheerful. Of
course as I discovered, this too was a front much like Trowa's
emotionless attitude. Duo simply took it to the other extreme and was
over cheerful and talkative in order to mask what he really felt. Duo
was as deeply hurt by each death he caused as I was. He really had a
very gentle and kind soul, and it seemed too cruel to imagine a world
harsh enough to turn him into a killer. Together, we made an attempt
to escape into space in order to attract the attention of the other
pilots. During the fight I stayed behind to allow Duo and Wufei to
escape successfully and detonated my Gundam. Just before it exploded
and took most of the enemy base with it I managed to escape in a
shuttle into space. I saw Heero and Trowa again, and was snapped out
of the insanity caused by the dreaded Zero System after I nearly
killed Trowa. Trowa and Duo were the two that I was the closest to. I
didn't know Wufei very well since he kept himself separate from the
rest of us. There was never an opportunity to become better
acquainted with him, although we respected his skill and knowledge as
a warrior. And then there's the man known only as Heero Yuy.
Heero has always been a paradox to the rest of us. We respect him
but we pity him. We like him but at the same time we fear him. He is
totally committed to his mission. For Heero, there is nothing besides
the mission. He will kill without hesitation or give up his own life,
all for the sake of the mission. And it wouldn't be overly difficult
for him to kill one of us if he felt it to be necessary, even though
we're closer to Heero than anybody else in the universe. It's ironic
that the name of the colonies' greatest pacifist was given to
history's most perfect soldier. Heero can do anything that is useful
in the modern battlefield; hacking, espionage, sabotage,
infiltration, assassination, you name it and he can do it. All of us,
Duo, Trowa, Wufei, and myself, respect Heero for his commitment and
like him for his skills. But it is that same unswerving commitment
and obedience that cause us to fear him. Heero Yuy is capable of
absolutely anything and he will do it without regrets or second
thoughts. Anything and anyone that is in the way of his mission is
classified as an obstacle that must be permanently removed. He truly
is the Perfect Soldier. It's really a sad thing though; Heero lives
to make himself obsolete. Soldiers fight to obtain peace, but once
there's peace what need is there for soldiers? All Heero knows is how
to be a soldier, so what will he do when there is no more use for
fighters, for warriors? That is why we pity Heero. He is a great man
trapped by the role that was chosen for him, and he has no choice but
to quietly fade away from existence, unloved and alone.
-Quatre Rababba Winner, "Tales of the Eve Wars", AC 197
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Duo wasn't sure what
to do. On the one hand, he knew that it wasn't healthy for any human
being, even Heero, to be drinking vodka like that. However, the
nickel-plated nine millimeter pistol on the table beside his comrade
tended to discourage him from raising any objection, and Duo had the
impression that actually taking the bottle away from Heero would be
more suicidal than all of his old missions combined. The last threats
to the peace had been eliminated. Quatre had taken over his family's
business and was heavily involved with colony politics, determined to
keep the peace that they had fought so hard for. Trowa was still with
the circus and was doing very well there. Wufei was working with the
Preventers and teaching at a local dojo in his free time. As for Duo,
he and Hilde had started a shipping and salvage company. All of the
Gundam pilots had gotten on with their lives. Everybody except Heero,
that was.
All potential hostilities had finally ceased
over six months ago. In that time, they had lost track of Heero. He
had simply disappeared, and they had accepted that fact. After all,
that was what Heero did; he moved into a place, stayed there for a
while, and then vanished never to be seen again until he popped up
someplace else with an entirely new identity. However, Trowa had
heard an unsettling rumor two months ago and called Duo about it.
Taking the lead that the rumor provided, Duo located Heero after only
two weeks. That in itself was great cause for concern. When Heero
disappeared, he disappeared so that nobody would have any chance of
finding him. Even Duo, one of the best computer hackers throughout
the colonies, normally could not find Heero for at least several
months. When Duo went to visit Heero, he was shocked at what he
found. Heero, normally the pinnacle of self-control, had been
drinking heavily on a daily basis since the other Gundam pilots had
last seen him. That reunion had been five days ago, and Duo still
couldn't get over his shock. Heero was such a great man. For him to
be reduced to this seemed horribly wrong. Still, Duo couldn't blame
the Perfect Soldier for breaking down; he had lost his only reason
for existence. How could he help Heero get back on his feet?
It was then that Duo heard the ringing of his portable phone, and
flipping it open saw Wufei on the miniature screen inset on the
phone. He had called the other pilots to let them know about Heero's
condition, and each had promised to try and help somehow. Adopting
his usual cheerful manner, Duo greeted the eternally grumpy Chinese
Gundam pilot. "Hey, Wu-man! What's going on? Have the doctors
finally managed to remove the stick up your ass?"
"You're not fooling me, Maxwell. You're more worried about Heero
than the rest of us combined. Listen up, I figure that a little
action might help Yuy. I've been hearing rumors about a gang war
breaking out in L1 colony's Alpha sector, Red block, fifth level. If
you get yourself or Yuy killed Maxwell, you didn't hear this from
me."
With that warning, Wufei hung up and Duo was
left staring at a blank screen. Slowly, Duo smiled the first genuine
smile that had graced his lips for days. Wufei was right; this just
might be what Heero needed. Putting a pot of strong coffee on the
stovetop, Duo went to gather up a few weapons and some body armor.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
The figure stayed hidden
within the shadows, looking down upon the madness that ran throughout
the streets below. Two centuries ago, it would have been the Jokers
and the T's going after each other's throats. Today, the new gangs
were the Space Cases, a group of anti-Earth punks, and the Ozzies, a
bunch of young delinquents who were still pro-OZ even after the
betrayal and near destruction of the colonies by OZ. There were other
gangs, but these two were the most violent and destructive. And now,
the Space Cases and Ozzies had declared street war on one another.
The figure crouched low on the rooftop, almost tempted to let them
wipe each other out, but if that were allowed to happen then
countless innocents would be caught in the crossfire. The figure knew
that it would be up to them alone, and as the person leapt down
amidst the thick of the fighting, a sudden freak lightning burst from
the colony weather generators revealed the symbol of a black bat on
the figure's chest.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
After downing several pots of coffee, Heero decided that Wufei and
Duo's plan had merit. Also deciding that he didn't want to put up
with Hilde's irritating complaints in case Duo got hurt, he hog-tied
Duo and threw him into the bedroom closet. In fact, after knocking
Duo out, he felt better already. It was almost like old times,
knocking out the "guard" before going up against hopeless
odds.
Heero was an oddity amongst the other Gundam
pilots. They couldn't wait for the war to be over. But in his weaker
moments, Heero had prayed that the fighting would never end. War was
all that he knew in life, and without it he felt lost and without
purpose. Without the war, Heero was slowly losing his mind. There
were no more battles, no more causes to fight for, nothing to die
for. Nothing to live for. He had fought and nearly died to bring
peace to the colonies and to Earth, but now the peace was killing
him. Oh well, at least bringing the fear of pain to some moronic
punks who were hell bent on stirring up trouble would make him feel
better.
Hearing the sounds of fighting around the
corner, Heero quietly parked his small car and began sneaking towards
the fighting. He hadn't brought along any sort of weapon or body
armor. Heero wanted to enjoy this, to beat as many people to a pulp
as he could with his bare hands. With his back hugging the wall of a
nearby building, Heero peered around the corner just as the colony's
weather generators shorted out and a streak of lightning lit up the
sky. He was surprised to see a darkly clad figure jump down from a
nearby rooftop and knock down several of the fighting gang members.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze as everyone looked at the lone
figure standing in the middle of their war. Then with an unspoken
agreement, the gangsters from both sides let out roars of fury and
charged at the one who dared to interfere with their fight. Heero's
eyes widened just slightly in surprise as he saw the figure
gracefully dodge blow after blow while disabling opponents left and
right. This wasn't just a simple fight; this was a dangerous ballet
of punches, kicks, and blocks. It was at that moment that another
bolt of lightning brightened the streets and Heero saw an unusual
symbol upon the figure's chest. Suddenly, his mind flashed back to
one of Doctor J's lessons long ago.
-- Flashback --
"Now Heero, I'd like to tell you an old legend that
originated on Earth over two centuries ago. Crime used to be so bad
back on old Earth that some countries had to use their military
forces merely to control their own populations. People were often
killed merely for being in the wrong place at the wrong time; it was
a horrifying time. And the police were helpless to do anything. So, a
single man stepped up and changed everything, breaking the rules to
protect the innocent and strike terror in the hearts of criminals. He
was named based upon his symbol."
"What symbol
was that, sir?"
"The symbol of a bat. The
point of this story Heero is that one person can make all the
difference if they're willing to go all the way. Now, back to your
marksmanship courses. Afterwards, you'll have physics class and
mobile suit repair."
"Yes, Doctor J."
-- End Flashback --
Heero had forgotten about that
story after dismissing it as fiction and therefore unimportant. But
now it seemed that such an opinion had been hasty, since here before
him was that very legend, alive and literally kicking. The Batman was
real.
It was then that the masked crime fighter
collapsed, clutching at his chest. The remaining gangsters didn't
hesitate to take advantage of this moment of weakness. Dozens of
gangsters piled over the fallen vigilante. Heero watched as many
attacked a single man, and made a snap decision. "Mission…
accepted."
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Bruce Gibson McGinnis the Third woke up groggily. Slowly as he
blinked his eyes open, memories came back to him. He'd been
overwhelmed after experiencing a mild stroke, and he was sure that he
was finally going to see the end of his long crime fighting career
when someone smashed into his attackers, and that was when he blacked
out.
"You're awake."
Bruce
nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of that voice. That voice
was so emotionless, so dead, that it would make even the original
Batman shiver. Looking up, he saw a young man about seventeen years
old standing on the other side of the plain room, his intense blue
eyes seemingly boring into Bruce's very soul. Snapping his fingers,
Bruce activated the Batsuit computer's auto command to identify the
person he was currently looking at. Behind the mask, Bruce's eyes
grew to the size of saucers as he absorbed the information that his
computer was quietly whispering into his ear.
"Code
name, Heero Yuy. Real name, unknown. Occupation: professional
soldier, assassin, demolitions expert, espionage expert, close combat
expert, advanced mobile suit pilot, saboteur, bodyguard, intelligence
expert, mobile suit mechanic, hacker, computer expert, guerilla
warfare expert, infiltration expert…"
"Computer, give me his credentials later, give other information
quickly", Bruce muttered underneath his breath.
"Acknowledged. Subject is approximately seventeen standard years
old. Date of birth unknown. Parents unknown, believed to be the ward
of known assassin Odin Lowe, later assigned to the custody of
scientist in charge of original mobile suit program, Doctor J.
Trained to be a versatile soldier from an early age. Sent to Earth in
AC 195 as part of the altered Operation Meteor. Pilot of special
Gundam mobile suit designated Gundam 01 by OZ forces during the Eve
Wars and the period immediately after the Eve Wars. Fought in at
least three indecisive one on one engagements against Zechs Marquis,
OZ's infamous Lightning Count, and defeated him in the Battle of the
Libra. Responsible for the destruction of multiple OZ and Alliance
bases on Earth, responsible for the destruction of Lunar Prison
colony, L2 colony holding facility, Lunar mobile suit production
factory, and many others. Infiltrated terrorist group White Fang and
destroyed battleship Libra. Later rescued vice-minister Relena
Peacecraft from plot by remnants of White Fang manipulated by OZ
founders the Romefeller Organization. Also participated in events
immediately following said incident. Has worked closely with the
Preventers unit off and on. No known political or military
involvement at this time."
Bruce felt an
overwhelming urge to swear and checked to make sure that his mask was
still on since he most definitely did not want this person to know
his true identity. He was at the mercy of a young man who was known
to be a ruthless soldier. The young man standing in front of him
seemed to read Bruce's mind. "You don't have anything to fear
from me. I saw one man attacked by many, so I stepped in."
The kid did have a point. The only way that he could possibly be
alive right now was if Heero had fended of an entire horde of
attackers. Bruce really didn't have any reason to be wary of him. Of
course, there was no reason to trust him either, but Bruce would play
along for now. "Alright, so you stepped in and I'm grateful.
What now?"
If Heero had just a little more
capability for emotion in his body, he probably would have smiled. It
was refreshing meeting someone as cautious and distrustful as
himself. They were both the sort of person who wouldn't give someone
the time of day unless they had already earned their trust, and even
then they were wary of deceit. "For now, let's just talk for
awhile."
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
"So basically, you've been falling apart since the end of
the war?"
Heero and Batman had been talking for
several hours now while Heero worked on Batman's injuries, at least
the ones that didn't require him to remove his mask. Heero approved
of the Batman's sense of caution; it was nearly as fine-tuned as his
own was. Many would call it paranoia, but in their lines of work
there was never such a thing as being too cautious. "That is
correct. Being a soldier is all that I know. What can I do now?"
Batman couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the young man.
At first he had been distrustful of Heero considering the boy's
outstanding criminal records from the Eve Wars, but admittedly that
was during a time of war. And also, the boy might seem emotionless
but if there was ever an expert judge of character and about how
people truly felt than it was Batman. He could feel lurking
underneath the kid's cold exterior a sensitive soul that had been
through an awful ordeal and had horrible things done to him. After
speaking with Heero for so long, he could also sense that there was
regret for much of what he had done, and along with everything else
that impressed him so far about Heero Yuy that simple fact was the
greatest. If even after an entire lifetime of killing and training to
be the ultimate soldier he could still regret his actions then that
suggested a person with a strong moral code and sense of right and
wrong. Bruce had to admit he wasn't getting any younger. It had been
thirty years since he accepted the mantle of the bat after his father
died protecting the people of L1 colony. He hadn't had any kids or
met anyone who could succeed him, and it often seemed that the
tradition of the Bat would die with him. But now, the legacy just
might make it to another generation.
"You know
Heero, I wouldn't mind my war ending, but I know that it will never
happen. Our war has gone on for nearly three hundred years, and it
will continue until there is no longer anyone to become Batman. As it
is, I don't imagine that I'll be able to be Batman for longer than a
few more years anyway."
Heero thought that it was a
little unsettling for a living legend to be speaking like this, but
he realized the truth of what Batman said and felt sorry for the man
who was trapped by endless conflict. Still, the thought of a
never-ending war made him excited. "While you might hate your
war, I can not think of any better place for myself than a battle
without end, Batman. I fought for a cause, and it gave me a purpose,
it gave me a life. And now I don't have it anymore. There is only one
proper way for a true soldier to die, and that's from the last bullet
of the last battle of the last war. And until that death, the only
way for the truest of soldiers to live is in battle, Batman."
"Bruce."
"I beg your pardon?"
Batman hesitated for a moment, then reached up and pulled off
his mask, revealing the lined face of a man in his late fifties. "I
said, my name is Bruce."
Heero took a second to
look at Batman's revealed face, then replied. "You mean Bruce
Gibson McGinnis the Third, only child of Bruce the Second and
Caroline Devers, and owner of Gibson Enterprises, founded upon the
former Wayne Enterprises. Your company is small and not very
productive compared to other corporations, but it's still enough on
the cutting edge that it is in little danger of going out of
business. You specialize in advanced electronics, communications, and
computers, but you also manufacture medical supplies and equipment
and non-lethal weaponry for police riot squads. Unknown to the
public, however are your more candlesteine operations, or "The
Black Pearl" as it is referred to in your database. These
include espionage equipment, military grade transports, and mobile
suits. However, you do not sell these, just develop them, and you
don't sell any of your developments or designs either. There is no
profit in these enterprises but you spend great deals of money to
keep them at the cutting edge and secret, while not even the few
people who know about them know where the products go when completed.
However this makes sense now. You use them in your vigilante
activities, don't you?"
"You certainly do your
homework, don't you?"
The former Gundam pilot
shrugged. "Back in the war I needed to know who built the mobile
suits, and I found out that your company was working on the best in
the business. But you did not ask for military funding, so I decided
that for some reason this was a private venture and therefore not a
threat if it wasn't providing OZ with mobile suits. The question is,
why did you let me know who you are?"
"Heero,
I told you that I won't be able to be Batman for much longer. In
fact, I should probably retire right away, but before I do that I
need a successor to my mission. You told me that you needed a cause
to fight for, that you almost wished that the war never ended. I'm
offering you an eternal war without end; a war to protect the
innocent and see the guilty brought to justice. Most people would not
wish for such a life, but I have a feeling that you would fit right
in. Quite frankly, I'm desperate for a replacement, and so I am
offering you the mantle of the Bat. What do you say?"
Heero Yuy could hardly believe his ears. He was being offered
another chance for a war? And not the kind of war where he would be
forced to kill and to destroy, but one where he would protect and
save. The only part of being a soldier that he actually enjoyed was
the thought that through his actions he was protecting others. Now he
could have that joy without the pain of killing. He did not have to
think long about his answer; he could be a soldier again like he was
born and meant to be. A soldier in a different type of war. He looked
Bruce straight in the eye, and after a short pause said two simple
words.
"Mission…. Accepted."
End of Chapter 1
Afterword: Look, I honestly don't know
where this idea came from. Probably from watching too much Batman
Beyond and going to far too many Gundam Wing chats. All I can say is;
somebody stop me! Stop me before accursed inspiration strikes again!
Stop the insanity! Ahem… Anyway, send me reviews and read my
other fics.