Hey how are you? This is my very first Batman Beyond fanfic ever! I'm so excited about it. I hear by pledge to update regularly until the story is finished. I can't stand when someone starts a fic and doesn't bother to finish it. That's just cruel and unusual punishment. I won't name any names but you know who you are. If I ever leave my stories for more than a week I will make sure to let you guys know what's going on and when the story will be updated next.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the batman characters they belong to DC comics and Warner Bros. I'm just barrowing them for my own little fantasy.

The villain is my own character and the story line is, as far as I can tell, original.

Well, enough talk and on with the shooo. Please review. Please, please, please, please etc... enjoy.

CHAPTER ONE

Batman Beyond: Death Stalks Us All

A chill ran through the air that late autumn day. It was the kind of day where everything was going wrong. The day started out as any other Friday did. Terry woke late that morning and was in a rush to get to school.

"Morning mom," he said as he passed the kitchen on his way to the door, "see ya twip."

"Terr don't forget, there's a meeting with your teacher tonight so don't be late," said his mother to his retreating form.

"How could I forget?" he mumbled to himself as he ran down the stairs to his bike.

He made it into his classroom just as the bell rang and he gave a relieved sigh as he sat down. "Well, Mr. McGinnis, on time today are we. I hope you can make it a habit," stated his teacher before he started the day's lesson.

"Nice timing Terry," said Max as he pulled his books from his bag and began his ritual of fighting sleep.

"First good thing that's happened this week," he told her. The rest of his day was pretty uneventful except for the occasional rude awakening in class and breaking up a bunch of troublemaking Jokerz.

After school he went right to work. The case that he had been working on was that the latest crime spree of stolen chemicals had some witnesses that could prove that the thefts had been committed by Powers and they could testify along with the evidence left at various crime scenes and prove that Powers was Blight.

After interrogation by both Batman and the commissioner, the remaining witnesses were put into a safe house along Park Row. Within the last two days there had been threats made against the witnesses and there had been break-ins at the police evidence lock ups and evidence for the case had been gradually disappearing.

Neither Bruce nor the commissioner had a clue as to who it could be but what everyone did know who hired that person. Powers. Terry had been out on patrol late every night to see if he could intercept possible theft attempts but so far he had had no luck.

It was his third trip around the outside of the only evidence lock up that hadn't been broken into when he landed on a close rooftop and called Bruce. "Hey, old man are you still with me?" he called.

"See anything?" he said not bothering to reply to the question.

"No, that's the problem, I've been around here for two hours and nothings happened. I do have an appointment I can't be late for in about an hour," he said to his counterpart.

"Sit tight something's bound to happen soon. It's almost the same time that the other lockups had been broken into."

"I still don't..." he then noticed a figure going through the roof of the building, "hold on, I think I've spotted our party crasher. Batman out." He then leapt off of the roof and dove at the spot on the roof that the person went through.

He turned on his stealth mode and went quietly along the roof until he saw the thief's entrance point. Keeping quiet he went through the open door. "Careful McGinnis," cautioned Bruce in his ear.

"Would it kill you to call me by my first name?" asked Terry. Of course, there was no response. He quietly walked along the empty corridor and made his way to evidence lock up. As he entered the room all he saw was the guard on the floor and the gate to the evidence shelves was left open. He went over to the guard and found that he had been killed. He deactivated the stealth mode and put his hand to his ear,

"He's dead. I didn't make it in time." He then stood up to go check the room for clues when he heard some one behind him. He turned expecting to see another guard but was startled to see a huge man in a black suit and mask.

The mask was made to look like a skull with a hood over it and the eyes were glowing red. His belt was silver chain with a silver belt clasp also in the form of a skull. His only visible weapon was what appeared to be a telescoping staff. "I was hoping to meet you before my job was finished," he said to Batman as he walked closer and stopped six feet away.

"Well you've got me, the question is can you handle me?" Terry said trying to make light of the situation. He had no idea who this guy was or what he could do.

"Hahahahahaha," The man laughed in a calm manner that unnerved Terry a little. "You have no idea who you're talking to but I wouldn't suppose you would. I try to keep a very low profile. Take your best shot," he said calmly.

Batman hesitated for a second before he gave into his compulsion to slag the guy. He lunged at him only to find that he was swinging at open air. Then he felt a slice of pain across his arm. When he stopped he turned around to see the man standing where he, himself had been moments before.

The only thing that was different was that his staff now had a curved laser on the end to make it look like a sai blade that belonged to the grim reaper. Upon seeing this along with the shock of how fast the guy was his eyes went as wide as saucers.

"Pity from your reputation I had expected you to be much faster," he said as he began to leave the stunned Batman. "I am afraid that I cannot test your skills farther, but I am on a dead line. I will leave you with this though. Be warry for Death stalks all and cannot be stopped," he said in a voice dipped in venom as he disappeared into the shadows.

The second he disappeared Batman ran to the door and started to look for the man but he was nowhere to be seen. "Bruce did you get that?" asked Terry.

"Yes, come back to the cave and we'll discuss this."

"Sorry, but I have to be somewhere. I'll come as soon as I can but not till after my appointment." He then turned off the link and headed to his school and the inevitable tirade over his behavior in school. Forty-five minutes after the meeting started Terry walked into the Bat cave.

"How did it go?" asked Bruce from his place at the computer.

"Great." Terry stepped up to the old man's side and stared at the computer screen. "Were you able to make anything out of his message?"

"His name is Death," Bruce said as he pulled up a window on the screen. "He's one of the worlds most wanted mercinaries. He is reported to have been in business for over ten years and he's never even come close to being caught."

Terry let out a long whistle as Bruce brought up all of the cases that were thought to have been committed by Death, "He gets around doesn't he? And I guess that's where I step in."