Dimension two: The not so bright future
May sighed with relief sitting her new office in this dimension. It was
two days into week two, and she was just happy to get away from Yusuke for
awhile. The boy was driving her up the wall. This was partly her fault
for not telling him the whole story in the beginning. That and not
bringing him along for this trip. But honestly, she did not have time to
constantly bail him out of Gotham City jail, which is what would have
happened had she brought him with her this week.
Also, she was glad to have a break from the dreams. After bringing
Yusuke back with her, she went to sleep. It was a rather brave thing to
do with a pissed off Yusuke in the room, but she was tired. Apparently,
so was Yusuke, because he was asleep when she first woke up. As she
woke, the dream still stayed in her mind's eye.
She could see them all, all of the sons. Each had their arm around a
woman. Surprisingly, May could name them all. Yusuke had an arm around
Lady Keiko. Tremaine had an arm around a concerned Lady Maxine, who
happened to be a countess. Endymion had an arm around a concerned and
resigned looking Lady Daniella, a duchess. There were also three other
people in the room; May could only see one of them, who looked a lot
like the Botan from Yusuke's dimension, the same strange light blue hair,
the same attitude. At least she wasn't floating like she tended to in
Yusuke's dimension. The dream was already weird enought without it...due
mainly to the pieces of conversation that May could hear.
First a female voice, sounding stressed and worried, was talking. All
May could catch were snatches. "...wants stronger alliance...one of my sons"
"...go..." responded a male voice. It'd sounded resigned. Many of the
voices in the room sounded resigned.
Well, they all sounded resigned except for the voice that shouted something
in response. Although the voice was loud and angry, all that made sense to
May was "...enough for...witch!"
"Endy...for...people." This last voice intrigued May the most. It was
female, sad...yet strong. The voice also seemed was comforting...or at
least trying to be. Obviously, the voice was trying to get people to
accept a difficult decision.
May woke up frustrated. What was that supposed to tell her? And why did
she feel like she was there?
Of course, then Yusuke woke up and confronted her about messing with his
head. In the shouting match that followed, it came out that he had had
the same dream. That promoted May to tell the shortened version of her
mission and to explain who Yusuke was. He didn't take it well. He also
didn't take well that May was going to confront Terry by herself. She
wasn't really sure why Yusuke was upset about being left behind...unless
he felt he was being cut out of the action. He didn't respond well to the
story about the brothers...so May was pretty sure that he wasn't angry
about not being able to meet Terry right away. In the end she told
Yusuke just to watch the show from the video screen. From there he could
watch her attempt to talk Terry into coming with them.
Now, with Terry she had a completely different approach. He'd have a hard
time buying the idea of time walkers or a reincarnated prince. He was also
more observant than Yusuke, so she could enter his world and get him to
notice her. And she was going to enter his world. Both of them. Starting
with his life as Terry McGinnis.
***
Terry grumbled as he walked to the counselor's office. The school had
just hired a new counselor, who supposedly wanted to meet with every
student "just to talk". After the whole Spellbinder incident, Terry
wasn't one to trust counselors. And this one, wanting to meet with each
student in the school, just made him suspicious. But since he was ordered
by the principal and didn't want to rock the boat too much, he was
standing out in front of the counselor's office.
Terry knocked on the door.
"Come in," a female voice said on the other end.
"You wanted to see me," Terry said as he lounged in the doorway.
"You must be Terry McGinnis. Yes, I did want to see you. Come in; have
a seat."
Terry sat down and crossed his arms, staring hard at the female counselor.
"Can we-"
"Get this over with?" the counselor asked. "Well, not if you insist on
being this closed up the entire time we talk."
Terry's eyes just narrowed further.
"I realize you don't trust me, Mr. McGinnis. After what that last
counselor put you and the other students through, I honestly don't blame
you-"
"They told you about that?"
"Of course the school officials told me about that when they hired me. It
would only be fair that I knew what I was up against, right?" The
counselor paused slightly and then continued, "Look, Mr. McGinnis, all
I'm asking for is a chance."
"Shouldn't you have to earn that?"
"No one earns all the trust they are given. Some trust is given freely so
that people have the opportunity to prove themselves worthy of it. So,
will you talk to me?"
Terry crossed his arms further and stared at the counselor.
She sighed, "This isn't working, is it?" The counselor got up and walked
around the desk. She paused as if trying to recall training. After a
moment she took a deep breath and said, "Let's try this another way.
Good afternoon, Mr. McGinnis. My name is Dr. Lavon Grayson and I need
your help."
Terry continued to stare at her. Dr. Grayson sighed, "Mr. McGinnis.
Terry. In about 20 minutes another boy named Tyler is going to come
through that door to talk to me. Tyler just lost his father. I know you
lost your dad in the past year, and I want your advice. What should I
say to him?"
Terry's eyes went wide...then his gaze grew shuttered. If it were
possible, he seemed to put more emotional distance between himself and the
counselor. In a sarcastic and suspicious tone, he asked, "Isn't there
some psycho-babble you were taught to prattle off in these instances?"
"Of course there is. I'm just among those who think that psychobabble
isn't necessarily helpful. You've got to get through before you help.
I mean, what was the one thing you wished people had said to you?"
Terry looked at the counselor with a haunted look in his eyes. At first,
it didn't appear as if he would answer. He silently stood up and walked
to the door, stopping to turn around and say quietly, "I wished someone
had told me that he understood. That he understood and loved me anyway."
With that, Terry left.
*****
It was a typical night for the dark knight. Stop a few break-ins. Have
a run-in with a gang of Jokers. Same old, same old. Yet, something had
felt wrong all night. He just couldn't put his finger on it.
"Wayne, you there?"
"Go ahead."
"It was just some prank of the Jokers. Nothing I couldn't handle."
"Hmm."
"Hey, look, it's quiet out. Think I could stop patrols early? I could
use an early night. I haven't seen Dana in awhile."
"McGinnis-"
"Let me guess, no such luck, huh? I suppose you'll tell me something like
it's always quiet before the storm."
"Usually is."
"Great. Do I ever get a vaca-" Terry stopped suddenly. That feeling was
getting on his nerves.
"What is it, McGinnis?"
"Is there any other activity in this area?"
"No, why?"
"I don't know. I've just felt like I've been watched all night."
"And no one's around?"
"Not a soul."
"Come back to base. Maybe the suit has picked up something. And be
careful."
"On my way."
Leaving the alley, Batman didn't hear the light sounds of high heels and
a staff hitting the ground. Nor did he see the figure in the shadows...
who had been watching him all night.
******
"So, what do you think of the new counselor?" the black female asked her
best friend.
"Max, she's only been here two days!" Terry replied.
"And the whole school is raving about her. I hear she's very shway. And
very young."
"Max, everyone is talking about her because she's talked to practically
everyone in the last two days."
"I take it you don't trust her."
Terry threw Max a look, "Let's just say I remember what happened to our
last school counselor."
"Terry! All school counselors are not undiscovered Spellbinders!"
"No, just the ones who insist on meeting with everyone."
"Well, I'm going to go meet her."
"Max-"
"Besides, I think she's meeting with Chelsea right now. Chelsea said
something about it to me and Dana. And Ter, we both know what a piece
of work Chelsea can be. Let's see how Dr. Grayson handles her."
"Now, Max-"
"Oh, lighten up, Ter."
*****
May had a headache. Two days posing as a school counselor and she had only
had that one unproductive conversation with Terry. So here she was, no
closer to son number two than she than she was when she started and out
of her league in her current position.
As School counselor she dealt with all kinds of problem teens, e.g.
suicidal teens, bullies, delinquents. She wasn't trained for this and
it was driving her crazy!
Case in point, the student in front of her, Chelsea. The girl came out
of a pretty well off family and was clearly spoiled. Yet she had this
awful habit of attention grabbing, pulling all kinds of stunts and
running over a lot of people in the process.
May sighed, "So why this constant need for attention, Chelsea?"
The blonde gave her a dirty look, "Look, I have a rep to maintain here in
high school. You DO remember high school, right?"
"Actually, I do. I remember its stratification tendencies, the
'untouchables', the 'invisibles', the 'invincible'. Those who rule,
those who were run over and those who stayed out of the way. High
school can be brutal."
"So you know how important it is not to fall from among the powerful."
"At this stage in life, maybe. But what about later? Let me let you in
on a little secret. After high school, your place in the high school
hierarchy means nothing. Hey, people can even overcome their reps while
still in high school. Being important in high school is really not that
important in the long run."
Chelsea sighed, "You're too old to get it."
"Well, then explain it to me. In detail, if possible, because I never
understood it in high school either. Explain popularity."
"Explain popularity?"
"Yes, explain it. Why is it so important to be thought of a certain
way or have the next shway thing? What's the appeal of having following
and constantly having to maintain an image-"
A knock sounded at the door.
"Yes?"
The door opened and a young black female with bright pink hair stuck her
head in. Just beyond her, May could see Terry standing in the hallway.
"Dr. Grayson, I - oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were with someone. I
just came to make an appointment to meet with you."
May took a deep breath, "Do you mind, Chelsea? This will only take a
minute."
The teen shook her head.
May walked back around her desk. She looked at the new arrival again,
and noticed that she looked almost exactly like Tremaine's lady in her
dreams...well, expect all of her hair was all pink and in a short haircut
instead of being brown, in a long braid style with a pink streak woven
through. Regardless, this teen looked so much like Maxine, May had to
blink and try to re-focus.
May looked back at her appointment book quickly, vaguely glancing at the
names of the students that she had yet to meet. Yet, even though she
tried to re-orient herself, she heard herself asking, "Maxine?" before
she could catch herself.
Luckily, the teen laughed, "Well, Maxine is my given name. But everyone
calls me Max."
"Okay Max. When do you want to talk to me?"
"Well, I have a study hall sixth period."
May checked her date book. "That's fine. I'll see you then, Max."
*****
"Do you think I could get the night off to catch up some sleep?" Terry
asked as he stood in the bat cave next to Bruce Wayne.
"It's always something with you, McGinnis."
"Sorry, it's just that I practically passed out during history and had...
like a vision of sorts."
"Tamara trying to contact you again?"
Terry thought back for a moment to the young girl with mind powers
who contacted him through visions to save her. He thought he was
blitzing out then too. Amazingly, however, although his current
dreams were more 'normal' in form, they made him much more uncomfortable.
He wasn't sure why. After a pause, he answered Mr. Wayne, "No, it was
different. It was set in...well from my best guess, the past. I was
someone important, running around in some armor, a cape, and a
sword. Max was there in some kind of court dress, and there were other
people around. We were talking, fighting about something-" Terry sighed,
"You probably just think I'm blitzing out on you."
"Not necessarily. I've learned that dreams can be important."
"Yeah, but I bet your dreams were part of some plot of one of the freak
jobs you fought."
"On occasion."
"So what do I do now?"
"Don't you have patrols?"
"You are so supportive, Wayne. You know that, right?" Terry said
sarcastically.
"Get going, McGinnis."
Suddenly, the computer started beeping. Terry turned back to the
computer screen. "What's up?"
"Distress signal from DiaCorp Central. There is a lot of sensitive
technology and government experiments housed there."
"On my way."
*****
May stood in the shadows on the roof in her second guise for this
dimension. She was a little nervous in that she was not in time walking
uniform, which meant she have to rely on her own strength and agility.
The last time she "died" it was kind of painful...and she had realized
over the course of this assignment that she wasn't immune to pain. She
just wished she hadn't learned this by slipping and falling down a flight
of steps. 'I'm sure Yusuke got a kick out of that,' she thought to
herself.
Having that distress signal to show up on the bat cave computer took a bit of
work. The former Batman had some impressive hardware...and May was
barely computer literate. May sighed. She knew she was playing a very
dangerous game. This whole thing could blow up in her face. She looked
down at what she was wearing. This whole Catwoman inspired outfit may
not have been her best decision either. It seemed a whole lot easier in her
mind when she had thought this up. Hack into Bat computer. Send fake
distress signal. Explain to Batman when he arrives. It was much smarter
than actually getting into trouble and waiting for Batman to find and
save her...and more ethical than starting trouble to get Batman's
attention. Now she was beginning to feel like the girl who cried 'Wolf!'.
She heard him land before she saw him. As he made his way to the door
that would lead down into the building, she stepped out of the shadows.
"There is no distress here, Batman. I sent for you."
The dark knight spun around...and stared at her, "A little devious and
dangerous, don't you think?"
"Since the Bat signal seems to be passé, what would you have suggested
that I do?"
"Depends on why you wanted to see me."
"I need your help."
"And I have a job to do. Creating fake problems to get my attention is
not a good idea."
"Look, at least hear me out."
"Who are you?"
"In this incarnation? Just call me Shadow."
Batman's eyes narrowed, "Just what are you playing at?"
At that point, a scream ripped through the night. Batman through his
companion on the roof a dirty look, "That would be real trouble." With
that, he blasted off the roof toward the distressed sound.
"Damn, I was afraid of this," May said. She grabbed something that looked
like a gun from the belt around her waist and fired it at a nearby building.
"After tonight, I'm gonna hate heights." Then May jumped off the building
after him.
She arrived at the scene about two minutes after Batman. In a glance she
took in the problem. A woman lay on the ground, beaten and practically
dying. And Batman was vastly outnumbered by a bunch of hoods in...clown
make-up? "I think I miss the good old-fashioned crime that I saw back
home," May murmured before she plunged into the fight. Between the two
of them, all of the gang was either knocked out on the ground or running
away within three minutes. After the threat was gone, Batman ran over
to the victim with May trailing behind him.
"How is she?" May asked.
"How does she look?! She's really fucked up. It wouldn't have been this
bad if I was doing patrols instead of answering fake distress calls!"
That point pricked May's conscience. Since she didn't know what to say,
she thought to try and make Batman feel better. "You can't blame yourself
for this. It's not your fault."
"No, it is your fault, Shadow. Grandstand somewhere else." Angry, Batman
moved to fly off.
May decided to pull out the big guns, "Terry, wait."
At that, Batman turned. "What did you call me?"
May's eyes narrowed. "Oh, you heard me. Look, I know all about you.
I actually came looking for you specifically. That distress call may have
been faked, but I do need your help. We can either talk here as the
police begin to arrive-" As if to underline this point, sirens could be
heard in the distance, "Or we can talk at a safe place of your choosing."
Batman threw her a dirty look.
"Batman. Terry. I mean no harm to you or to the ones you love. I
promise."
Batman paused, still looking as if he would take off. He turned back to
stare at Shadow. 'I don't trust her. But she knows who I am, and if she
was willing to create a fake distress signal, what else would she be willing
to do to get my attention? And who would she be willing to hurt? It's safer
if I talk to her like this...at least in the Batsuit I can fight back.'
"Alright," he said to the woman in front of him, "come with me."
*****
May looked around the room where they were. "Okay, this is a deserted
warehouse. Plan to leave me for dead?"
"Let's just say I don't trust you."
"My asking for help was real enough." May sighed. "Look, all I'm trying
to do is to reunite a family. If you promise to listen...for the sake
of the family, not for me, I'll abide by whatever decision you make in
the end."
"Alright, I'm listening."
May took a deep breath. "I honestly don't know where to start."
"The beginning is usually a good place."
"Yeah, usually. The problem is, I'm not really sure where the beginning
of this story is." May paused. "Okay, let me try to explain it this
way. Have you had any strange dreams lately?"
"Who are you? Are you messing with my had as some sort of game?"
"No." May sighed. "I guess, to be fair, I should take off my mask and
explain who I am. Although, I'm pretty sure that is going to make things
worse." After looking at Batman for a few moments, May reached around
and took off her mask.
"Dr. Grayson?!"
"Yes and no. My name is May Lavon Hammond and I'm a grad student, not
a doctor. I took on that role...and this one in order to get to you,
Terry."
"Why?"
"Not to hurt you, if that's what you think. Almost two weeks ago, I was
offered the opportunity to reunite a scattered family; three brothers that
had been separated on purpose. It required me to travel to different
universes. I agreed to help and quickly went to the first dimension to
find the youngest brother.
"Shortly after returning with him, I had a strange dream. In the dream I
saw the whole family...or at least all three brothers and the loves of
their lives. It startled me awake. Within minutes of my waking up, the
brother that was with me woke up and immediately confronted me about a
dream he just had. Amazingly, it was the same dream I had. I honestly
think that all the brothers had that dream.
"So, I'll ask again. Have you had any strange dreams lately?"
"Wait. So you're saying that I'm one of these brothers? I don't buy
it, lady. I have a family already, thanks."
May groaned about halfway through Terry's response, "He called me 'lady'.
Great, it's genetic." May rolled her eyes...but quickly refocused herself.
"Yes, in this life, this incarnation you have a family. Your mother,
Mary. Your brother, Matt. Your late father. But a long time ago, part
of you lived and you had another family: a mother, a father, an older
brother, and a younger brother. That's the family I'm trying to put
back together!"
There was silence for a moment. Then Batman looked at May and said, "You
honestly expect me to believe this?"
"I take it you want proof? Okay, but you may want to sit down; this will
probably shock you. You have been warned." May closed her eyes and
concentrated. 'This worked in trials, hopefully it will work now.'
As May concentrated, a transformation took place. The Catwoman-like
costume melted away, leaving in its place that revealing sailor outfit
and a pair of spike heels. Her rather intimidating staff appeared in
her right hand. After a few seconds, May opened her eyes...
...to see a rather shocked Batman in front of her. He was standing when
she started the transformation; he was sitting now. For a few moments he
couldn't even speak. Finally, he managed a "Whoa."
"Believe me now?"
Batman nodded. Although technology was extremely advanced, they was nothing
he'd seen, even as Batman, that could do what this woman just did. After a
few moments of silence, where Terry mentally adjusted to the story he had been
ready to reject, he asked, "To meet these so called brothers of mine, I'd have
to leave here, right?"
"Yes, but I have some temporary sway over time. I can return you right
to this spot in time when everything is over. No one will miss you,"
May paused. "And no one will get hurt in your absence." May held out
her hand, "If you want to come with me, just take my hand."
As Batman reached for May's hand, he asked, "Do I need to get clothes
for the trip?"
"Don't worry about clothing. I'll take care of that. Besides, as shway
as the bat suit is, I can't have you running around different dimensions
in that."
As the two stepped out of time, May thought to herself, 'Two down, one
to go. And two weeks in the most dangerous dimension in this trip.'
- to be continued -
Wow. Yeah, this chapters a little long. Hope I did justice to Terry.
And yeah, I raised more questions that I answered. Maybe I should write
a sequel? *ducks flying objects* Or maybe not.
I'm still looking for beta-readers. Please email me if you are interested,
or if you have feedback of any kind. Thanks for reading.
~December
May sighed with relief sitting her new office in this dimension. It was
two days into week two, and she was just happy to get away from Yusuke for
awhile. The boy was driving her up the wall. This was partly her fault
for not telling him the whole story in the beginning. That and not
bringing him along for this trip. But honestly, she did not have time to
constantly bail him out of Gotham City jail, which is what would have
happened had she brought him with her this week.
Also, she was glad to have a break from the dreams. After bringing
Yusuke back with her, she went to sleep. It was a rather brave thing to
do with a pissed off Yusuke in the room, but she was tired. Apparently,
so was Yusuke, because he was asleep when she first woke up. As she
woke, the dream still stayed in her mind's eye.
She could see them all, all of the sons. Each had their arm around a
woman. Surprisingly, May could name them all. Yusuke had an arm around
Lady Keiko. Tremaine had an arm around a concerned Lady Maxine, who
happened to be a countess. Endymion had an arm around a concerned and
resigned looking Lady Daniella, a duchess. There were also three other
people in the room; May could only see one of them, who looked a lot
like the Botan from Yusuke's dimension, the same strange light blue hair,
the same attitude. At least she wasn't floating like she tended to in
Yusuke's dimension. The dream was already weird enought without it...due
mainly to the pieces of conversation that May could hear.
First a female voice, sounding stressed and worried, was talking. All
May could catch were snatches. "...wants stronger alliance...one of my sons"
"...go..." responded a male voice. It'd sounded resigned. Many of the
voices in the room sounded resigned.
Well, they all sounded resigned except for the voice that shouted something
in response. Although the voice was loud and angry, all that made sense to
May was "...enough for...witch!"
"Endy...for...people." This last voice intrigued May the most. It was
female, sad...yet strong. The voice also seemed was comforting...or at
least trying to be. Obviously, the voice was trying to get people to
accept a difficult decision.
May woke up frustrated. What was that supposed to tell her? And why did
she feel like she was there?
Of course, then Yusuke woke up and confronted her about messing with his
head. In the shouting match that followed, it came out that he had had
the same dream. That promoted May to tell the shortened version of her
mission and to explain who Yusuke was. He didn't take it well. He also
didn't take well that May was going to confront Terry by herself. She
wasn't really sure why Yusuke was upset about being left behind...unless
he felt he was being cut out of the action. He didn't respond well to the
story about the brothers...so May was pretty sure that he wasn't angry
about not being able to meet Terry right away. In the end she told
Yusuke just to watch the show from the video screen. From there he could
watch her attempt to talk Terry into coming with them.
Now, with Terry she had a completely different approach. He'd have a hard
time buying the idea of time walkers or a reincarnated prince. He was also
more observant than Yusuke, so she could enter his world and get him to
notice her. And she was going to enter his world. Both of them. Starting
with his life as Terry McGinnis.
***
Terry grumbled as he walked to the counselor's office. The school had
just hired a new counselor, who supposedly wanted to meet with every
student "just to talk". After the whole Spellbinder incident, Terry
wasn't one to trust counselors. And this one, wanting to meet with each
student in the school, just made him suspicious. But since he was ordered
by the principal and didn't want to rock the boat too much, he was
standing out in front of the counselor's office.
Terry knocked on the door.
"Come in," a female voice said on the other end.
"You wanted to see me," Terry said as he lounged in the doorway.
"You must be Terry McGinnis. Yes, I did want to see you. Come in; have
a seat."
Terry sat down and crossed his arms, staring hard at the female counselor.
"Can we-"
"Get this over with?" the counselor asked. "Well, not if you insist on
being this closed up the entire time we talk."
Terry's eyes just narrowed further.
"I realize you don't trust me, Mr. McGinnis. After what that last
counselor put you and the other students through, I honestly don't blame
you-"
"They told you about that?"
"Of course the school officials told me about that when they hired me. It
would only be fair that I knew what I was up against, right?" The
counselor paused slightly and then continued, "Look, Mr. McGinnis, all
I'm asking for is a chance."
"Shouldn't you have to earn that?"
"No one earns all the trust they are given. Some trust is given freely so
that people have the opportunity to prove themselves worthy of it. So,
will you talk to me?"
Terry crossed his arms further and stared at the counselor.
She sighed, "This isn't working, is it?" The counselor got up and walked
around the desk. She paused as if trying to recall training. After a
moment she took a deep breath and said, "Let's try this another way.
Good afternoon, Mr. McGinnis. My name is Dr. Lavon Grayson and I need
your help."
Terry continued to stare at her. Dr. Grayson sighed, "Mr. McGinnis.
Terry. In about 20 minutes another boy named Tyler is going to come
through that door to talk to me. Tyler just lost his father. I know you
lost your dad in the past year, and I want your advice. What should I
say to him?"
Terry's eyes went wide...then his gaze grew shuttered. If it were
possible, he seemed to put more emotional distance between himself and the
counselor. In a sarcastic and suspicious tone, he asked, "Isn't there
some psycho-babble you were taught to prattle off in these instances?"
"Of course there is. I'm just among those who think that psychobabble
isn't necessarily helpful. You've got to get through before you help.
I mean, what was the one thing you wished people had said to you?"
Terry looked at the counselor with a haunted look in his eyes. At first,
it didn't appear as if he would answer. He silently stood up and walked
to the door, stopping to turn around and say quietly, "I wished someone
had told me that he understood. That he understood and loved me anyway."
With that, Terry left.
*****
It was a typical night for the dark knight. Stop a few break-ins. Have
a run-in with a gang of Jokers. Same old, same old. Yet, something had
felt wrong all night. He just couldn't put his finger on it.
"Wayne, you there?"
"Go ahead."
"It was just some prank of the Jokers. Nothing I couldn't handle."
"Hmm."
"Hey, look, it's quiet out. Think I could stop patrols early? I could
use an early night. I haven't seen Dana in awhile."
"McGinnis-"
"Let me guess, no such luck, huh? I suppose you'll tell me something like
it's always quiet before the storm."
"Usually is."
"Great. Do I ever get a vaca-" Terry stopped suddenly. That feeling was
getting on his nerves.
"What is it, McGinnis?"
"Is there any other activity in this area?"
"No, why?"
"I don't know. I've just felt like I've been watched all night."
"And no one's around?"
"Not a soul."
"Come back to base. Maybe the suit has picked up something. And be
careful."
"On my way."
Leaving the alley, Batman didn't hear the light sounds of high heels and
a staff hitting the ground. Nor did he see the figure in the shadows...
who had been watching him all night.
******
"So, what do you think of the new counselor?" the black female asked her
best friend.
"Max, she's only been here two days!" Terry replied.
"And the whole school is raving about her. I hear she's very shway. And
very young."
"Max, everyone is talking about her because she's talked to practically
everyone in the last two days."
"I take it you don't trust her."
Terry threw Max a look, "Let's just say I remember what happened to our
last school counselor."
"Terry! All school counselors are not undiscovered Spellbinders!"
"No, just the ones who insist on meeting with everyone."
"Well, I'm going to go meet her."
"Max-"
"Besides, I think she's meeting with Chelsea right now. Chelsea said
something about it to me and Dana. And Ter, we both know what a piece
of work Chelsea can be. Let's see how Dr. Grayson handles her."
"Now, Max-"
"Oh, lighten up, Ter."
*****
May had a headache. Two days posing as a school counselor and she had only
had that one unproductive conversation with Terry. So here she was, no
closer to son number two than she than she was when she started and out
of her league in her current position.
As School counselor she dealt with all kinds of problem teens, e.g.
suicidal teens, bullies, delinquents. She wasn't trained for this and
it was driving her crazy!
Case in point, the student in front of her, Chelsea. The girl came out
of a pretty well off family and was clearly spoiled. Yet she had this
awful habit of attention grabbing, pulling all kinds of stunts and
running over a lot of people in the process.
May sighed, "So why this constant need for attention, Chelsea?"
The blonde gave her a dirty look, "Look, I have a rep to maintain here in
high school. You DO remember high school, right?"
"Actually, I do. I remember its stratification tendencies, the
'untouchables', the 'invisibles', the 'invincible'. Those who rule,
those who were run over and those who stayed out of the way. High
school can be brutal."
"So you know how important it is not to fall from among the powerful."
"At this stage in life, maybe. But what about later? Let me let you in
on a little secret. After high school, your place in the high school
hierarchy means nothing. Hey, people can even overcome their reps while
still in high school. Being important in high school is really not that
important in the long run."
Chelsea sighed, "You're too old to get it."
"Well, then explain it to me. In detail, if possible, because I never
understood it in high school either. Explain popularity."
"Explain popularity?"
"Yes, explain it. Why is it so important to be thought of a certain
way or have the next shway thing? What's the appeal of having following
and constantly having to maintain an image-"
A knock sounded at the door.
"Yes?"
The door opened and a young black female with bright pink hair stuck her
head in. Just beyond her, May could see Terry standing in the hallway.
"Dr. Grayson, I - oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were with someone. I
just came to make an appointment to meet with you."
May took a deep breath, "Do you mind, Chelsea? This will only take a
minute."
The teen shook her head.
May walked back around her desk. She looked at the new arrival again,
and noticed that she looked almost exactly like Tremaine's lady in her
dreams...well, expect all of her hair was all pink and in a short haircut
instead of being brown, in a long braid style with a pink streak woven
through. Regardless, this teen looked so much like Maxine, May had to
blink and try to re-focus.
May looked back at her appointment book quickly, vaguely glancing at the
names of the students that she had yet to meet. Yet, even though she
tried to re-orient herself, she heard herself asking, "Maxine?" before
she could catch herself.
Luckily, the teen laughed, "Well, Maxine is my given name. But everyone
calls me Max."
"Okay Max. When do you want to talk to me?"
"Well, I have a study hall sixth period."
May checked her date book. "That's fine. I'll see you then, Max."
*****
"Do you think I could get the night off to catch up some sleep?" Terry
asked as he stood in the bat cave next to Bruce Wayne.
"It's always something with you, McGinnis."
"Sorry, it's just that I practically passed out during history and had...
like a vision of sorts."
"Tamara trying to contact you again?"
Terry thought back for a moment to the young girl with mind powers
who contacted him through visions to save her. He thought he was
blitzing out then too. Amazingly, however, although his current
dreams were more 'normal' in form, they made him much more uncomfortable.
He wasn't sure why. After a pause, he answered Mr. Wayne, "No, it was
different. It was set in...well from my best guess, the past. I was
someone important, running around in some armor, a cape, and a
sword. Max was there in some kind of court dress, and there were other
people around. We were talking, fighting about something-" Terry sighed,
"You probably just think I'm blitzing out on you."
"Not necessarily. I've learned that dreams can be important."
"Yeah, but I bet your dreams were part of some plot of one of the freak
jobs you fought."
"On occasion."
"So what do I do now?"
"Don't you have patrols?"
"You are so supportive, Wayne. You know that, right?" Terry said
sarcastically.
"Get going, McGinnis."
Suddenly, the computer started beeping. Terry turned back to the
computer screen. "What's up?"
"Distress signal from DiaCorp Central. There is a lot of sensitive
technology and government experiments housed there."
"On my way."
*****
May stood in the shadows on the roof in her second guise for this
dimension. She was a little nervous in that she was not in time walking
uniform, which meant she have to rely on her own strength and agility.
The last time she "died" it was kind of painful...and she had realized
over the course of this assignment that she wasn't immune to pain. She
just wished she hadn't learned this by slipping and falling down a flight
of steps. 'I'm sure Yusuke got a kick out of that,' she thought to
herself.
Having that distress signal to show up on the bat cave computer took a bit of
work. The former Batman had some impressive hardware...and May was
barely computer literate. May sighed. She knew she was playing a very
dangerous game. This whole thing could blow up in her face. She looked
down at what she was wearing. This whole Catwoman inspired outfit may
not have been her best decision either. It seemed a whole lot easier in her
mind when she had thought this up. Hack into Bat computer. Send fake
distress signal. Explain to Batman when he arrives. It was much smarter
than actually getting into trouble and waiting for Batman to find and
save her...and more ethical than starting trouble to get Batman's
attention. Now she was beginning to feel like the girl who cried 'Wolf!'.
She heard him land before she saw him. As he made his way to the door
that would lead down into the building, she stepped out of the shadows.
"There is no distress here, Batman. I sent for you."
The dark knight spun around...and stared at her, "A little devious and
dangerous, don't you think?"
"Since the Bat signal seems to be passé, what would you have suggested
that I do?"
"Depends on why you wanted to see me."
"I need your help."
"And I have a job to do. Creating fake problems to get my attention is
not a good idea."
"Look, at least hear me out."
"Who are you?"
"In this incarnation? Just call me Shadow."
Batman's eyes narrowed, "Just what are you playing at?"
At that point, a scream ripped through the night. Batman through his
companion on the roof a dirty look, "That would be real trouble." With
that, he blasted off the roof toward the distressed sound.
"Damn, I was afraid of this," May said. She grabbed something that looked
like a gun from the belt around her waist and fired it at a nearby building.
"After tonight, I'm gonna hate heights." Then May jumped off the building
after him.
She arrived at the scene about two minutes after Batman. In a glance she
took in the problem. A woman lay on the ground, beaten and practically
dying. And Batman was vastly outnumbered by a bunch of hoods in...clown
make-up? "I think I miss the good old-fashioned crime that I saw back
home," May murmured before she plunged into the fight. Between the two
of them, all of the gang was either knocked out on the ground or running
away within three minutes. After the threat was gone, Batman ran over
to the victim with May trailing behind him.
"How is she?" May asked.
"How does she look?! She's really fucked up. It wouldn't have been this
bad if I was doing patrols instead of answering fake distress calls!"
That point pricked May's conscience. Since she didn't know what to say,
she thought to try and make Batman feel better. "You can't blame yourself
for this. It's not your fault."
"No, it is your fault, Shadow. Grandstand somewhere else." Angry, Batman
moved to fly off.
May decided to pull out the big guns, "Terry, wait."
At that, Batman turned. "What did you call me?"
May's eyes narrowed. "Oh, you heard me. Look, I know all about you.
I actually came looking for you specifically. That distress call may have
been faked, but I do need your help. We can either talk here as the
police begin to arrive-" As if to underline this point, sirens could be
heard in the distance, "Or we can talk at a safe place of your choosing."
Batman threw her a dirty look.
"Batman. Terry. I mean no harm to you or to the ones you love. I
promise."
Batman paused, still looking as if he would take off. He turned back to
stare at Shadow. 'I don't trust her. But she knows who I am, and if she
was willing to create a fake distress signal, what else would she be willing
to do to get my attention? And who would she be willing to hurt? It's safer
if I talk to her like this...at least in the Batsuit I can fight back.'
"Alright," he said to the woman in front of him, "come with me."
*****
May looked around the room where they were. "Okay, this is a deserted
warehouse. Plan to leave me for dead?"
"Let's just say I don't trust you."
"My asking for help was real enough." May sighed. "Look, all I'm trying
to do is to reunite a family. If you promise to listen...for the sake
of the family, not for me, I'll abide by whatever decision you make in
the end."
"Alright, I'm listening."
May took a deep breath. "I honestly don't know where to start."
"The beginning is usually a good place."
"Yeah, usually. The problem is, I'm not really sure where the beginning
of this story is." May paused. "Okay, let me try to explain it this
way. Have you had any strange dreams lately?"
"Who are you? Are you messing with my had as some sort of game?"
"No." May sighed. "I guess, to be fair, I should take off my mask and
explain who I am. Although, I'm pretty sure that is going to make things
worse." After looking at Batman for a few moments, May reached around
and took off her mask.
"Dr. Grayson?!"
"Yes and no. My name is May Lavon Hammond and I'm a grad student, not
a doctor. I took on that role...and this one in order to get to you,
Terry."
"Why?"
"Not to hurt you, if that's what you think. Almost two weeks ago, I was
offered the opportunity to reunite a scattered family; three brothers that
had been separated on purpose. It required me to travel to different
universes. I agreed to help and quickly went to the first dimension to
find the youngest brother.
"Shortly after returning with him, I had a strange dream. In the dream I
saw the whole family...or at least all three brothers and the loves of
their lives. It startled me awake. Within minutes of my waking up, the
brother that was with me woke up and immediately confronted me about a
dream he just had. Amazingly, it was the same dream I had. I honestly
think that all the brothers had that dream.
"So, I'll ask again. Have you had any strange dreams lately?"
"Wait. So you're saying that I'm one of these brothers? I don't buy
it, lady. I have a family already, thanks."
May groaned about halfway through Terry's response, "He called me 'lady'.
Great, it's genetic." May rolled her eyes...but quickly refocused herself.
"Yes, in this life, this incarnation you have a family. Your mother,
Mary. Your brother, Matt. Your late father. But a long time ago, part
of you lived and you had another family: a mother, a father, an older
brother, and a younger brother. That's the family I'm trying to put
back together!"
There was silence for a moment. Then Batman looked at May and said, "You
honestly expect me to believe this?"
"I take it you want proof? Okay, but you may want to sit down; this will
probably shock you. You have been warned." May closed her eyes and
concentrated. 'This worked in trials, hopefully it will work now.'
As May concentrated, a transformation took place. The Catwoman-like
costume melted away, leaving in its place that revealing sailor outfit
and a pair of spike heels. Her rather intimidating staff appeared in
her right hand. After a few seconds, May opened her eyes...
...to see a rather shocked Batman in front of her. He was standing when
she started the transformation; he was sitting now. For a few moments he
couldn't even speak. Finally, he managed a "Whoa."
"Believe me now?"
Batman nodded. Although technology was extremely advanced, they was nothing
he'd seen, even as Batman, that could do what this woman just did. After a
few moments of silence, where Terry mentally adjusted to the story he had been
ready to reject, he asked, "To meet these so called brothers of mine, I'd have
to leave here, right?"
"Yes, but I have some temporary sway over time. I can return you right
to this spot in time when everything is over. No one will miss you,"
May paused. "And no one will get hurt in your absence." May held out
her hand, "If you want to come with me, just take my hand."
As Batman reached for May's hand, he asked, "Do I need to get clothes
for the trip?"
"Don't worry about clothing. I'll take care of that. Besides, as shway
as the bat suit is, I can't have you running around different dimensions
in that."
As the two stepped out of time, May thought to herself, 'Two down, one
to go. And two weeks in the most dangerous dimension in this trip.'
- to be continued -
Wow. Yeah, this chapters a little long. Hope I did justice to Terry.
And yeah, I raised more questions that I answered. Maybe I should write
a sequel? *ducks flying objects* Or maybe not.
I'm still looking for beta-readers. Please email me if you are interested,
or if you have feedback of any kind. Thanks for reading.
~December