Hey guys HAPPY CANADA DAY sorry for the delay but I just didn't have time to write yesterday because THE SPIDERMAN MOVIE CAME OUT. I went to see it yesterday and I turned some heads when I was leaving because I had a Spiderman 2 shirt on, two SM key chains, a SM visor, SM jean jacket and I had on my own SM home made gloves. The movie rocked. Anyone who hasn't seen the movie yet really should go to see it. It is awesome.
Also sorry about not having the option open for anonymous reviews. I didn't know that I had to enable it.(bashes head against wall) Thanks for pointing it out to me. Here's your next chapter so read and enjoy. Please tell me what you think!!!
PS: this chapter has some mushy parts that i think add a little substance.
CHAPTER FIVEThe next morning Bruce woke to Ace's barking as someone entered the cave. He turned in his chair hoping to see Terry but was instead greeted by the sight of Superman coming down the stairs. The hope was gone from his eyes for the moment to be replaced with worry all the while his expression never changed.
"Bruce, what's the emergency?" asked Superman in a jocular tone of voice. "Having trouble keeping the kid in line?"
"No." said Bruce not in the mood for the jokes. "I need your help to find him."
"What did he do, steal the suit again?" Clark said trying to lighten his friend's mood but turned serious when he saw the fear in the man's eyes. "What happened?"
"McGinnis was out on patrol two nights ago when he was caught in a trap by a hit man known as Death. His comlinks are down and the tracking device on the suit is inoperable. I haven't heard from him since then and I haven't been able to find him."
"That's where I come in isn't it?" Clark said gravely. "I'll start searching immediately. Do you have an idea of where in the city he might be?"
"No, I don't. We've searched the city all over and we haven't found a trace. With your abilities you may be able to find him where we couldn't."
"Bruce? Are you alright? When I came into the room I saw that the clock face was open and..." in the pause Max had spotted who had opened the cave entrance. "Superman?"
"Yes, I called him here to help find Terry," Bruce answered Max curtly.
"Will you really be able to find him?" Max asked hopefully to the man of steel with a pleading look in her eyes.
"I hope so. Now if you'll excuse me the sooner I start the better." With that he flew off out of the cave.
"Good luck," came a whisper from the occupants of the cave.
36 hours after the fight with Death
Superman had covered over half of the city and hadn't found a clue and was beginning to wonder if he would ever find the poor kid. He knew that Bruce had trained the kid well so he knew that he would have to be in bad shape not to have made his way back to the cave by now.
He was scanning a back alley with his x-ray vision when he noticed a circuitry covered form curled into a fetal position behind a dumpster. He dove straight to that spot. He saw a ratty old blanket appearing to hover in the air but knew that Batman had to be under it.
"Bruce, I think I've found him but he's cloaked. How do I turn it off?" he spoke into his communicator softly.
"Oh, thank God." Superman was taken aback by the show of emotion from Bruce. It made Superman realize how much the kid meant to his friend.
"You found him?" came the response from the kids girlfriend, "Is he alright? How badly hurt is he? Where..." Clark heard his friend silence the girl in the politest way he could and took over the communications again.
"The switch is on the main part of the belt. Turn the knob a quarter turn to the right." He used his x-ray vision to find the belt and turn off the stealth device to reveal the form it concealed.
He then pulled the blanket off of Batman's shaking form and Superman gasped in shock at the sight of him. The suit was torn so badly that he didn't even think that Bruce could fix it and the kid's arm was in a makeshift sling. His cowl was smeared in blood and he could see gashes all over the kid's body. He then scanned his body and wondered how he was even still alive.
Most of his ribs were either cracked or broken, his left shoulder was dislocated and his right arm was fractured, there was a device embedded in his left leg and he had internal bleeding. Thankfully there was no head wound to complicate matters more, even though it was a small consolation in light of the kid's condition.
He took in the pathetic sight with sympathy then knelt down and touched the kid's head to try to wake him. "Terry?" Superman said softly to the one in front of him.
As soon as he touched him he woke up with a start. He got ready to defend himself if necessary but as soon as he saw it was Superman he lowered his guard and began to shiver uncontrollably again in the cold morning air. He also started to cry and grabbed Superman around the chest in a loose but fear filled hug. Superman hugged the kid back and almost let go as the kid winced at the touch to his shoulder.
"I was so afraid that I wouldn't wake up," whispered Batman so quietly that only Superman could hear him just before he tensed and hissed in pain. He then passed out and went limp in Superman's grasp.
"Bruce, there's no way you'll be able to treat him at your cave. I'm going to take him to the watchtower. I'll get someone to come and get you two because it will be better if he wakes up to familiar faces."
"That's okay, I can make it there myself and I'll bring Max with me," came Bruce's voice before the link was disconnected. Superman hit a control device on his glove and entered a code.
He then called J'onn at the Watchtower through a mental link, 'J'onn, this is Superman, do you read me?'
'Loud and clear Superman. What is the problem?'
'I need you to prep the infirmary and be ready for a patient.'
'It will be done shortly Superman.' There was a pause from J'onn. 'It isn't Bruce is it?'
'No. It's the new Batman.' Superman then gingerly picked up the battered form of Batman and flew to a rendezvous point with the Javelin as fast as he dared to go with his precious cargo.
Once during the flight Superman's worry for the boy caused him to speed up but promptly slowed down as moans of pain started to come from his unconscious passenger. He was waiting at the location where the Javelin would land to pick them up to take them to the Watchtower when he had to land himself because his passenger woke up and started into a wild coughing fit.
When he landed he put Batman down on the ground and tried to get him to relax but the kid couldn't stop coughing. Batman rolled over and propped himself up on his hands and knees and he began to throw up again from the force of his coughs, spitting up more blood. As the kid started to lose his strength he began to fall towards the ground face down.
Superman caught him just as he fell and laid him down on his side. Then he started to rub the back of the hacking form at his feet. To Superman's dismay the kid was still coughing up blood as the Javelin arrived. As Batman passed out again Superman picked him up and took him into the spacecraft.
He then put the craft on auto pilot and stayed in the back with Batman on the floor incase he woke up again. As the spacecraft made its way to the Watchtower Superman kept a watchful eye over his charge with dismay. Even unconscious the kid was restless. He would twitch every now and then as if in a dream state and would mumble out words. One in particular was repeated constantly and with pleading. Max.
When they arrived at the Watchtower Superman carried the lightly coughing form of Batman off of the spacecraft and was met by the members of the Justice League. J'onn of course, the new Flash, Wally West's grandson, Wonder Woman, a new Green Lantern and Hawk Man.
Superman flew past their surprised stares and worried expressions towards the medical bay. J'onn was right behind him. As he entered the doors to the medical bay he flew to the prepped med table and set the boy down on it.
He was about to start taking off the kid's costume just as Bruce came charging through the door with a frantic Max in persuit. Superman hadn't seen his old friend move that fast in years. The look of horror in his eyes alone were enough to convey the reason for his rush.
Max upon seeing her beloved in such disarray ran to the side of the bed and looked him over tentatively. Superman then began to take off Batman's boots. "Would you help me take off his suit?" he asked Max who was still standing there only now with an unreadable expression and a hint of something in her eye that Superman was to busy to notice. She nodded and began to take off his gloves.
He was about to take off the suit's top but stopped when he remembered the injuries. Superman looked over to his friend, "would you mind if I cut it off? I don't think that I would be able to pull it off without causing him more injury."
Bruce just looked at him and that was all the permission that Superman needed from his old friend. He used his heat vision to cut the suit down the front and then down the arms. As he pulled back the suit he heard gasps from the doorway and he understood why.
The kid's chest and abdomen were a mass of bruises and gashes. Superman lifted the kid's body and Max pulled what was left of the suit's top out from under him. Bruce was already taking the bottom half of the suit off and when he had finished he handed it to Superman.
Superman then held the suit out, "Flash, take this to the electronics lab and put it on my work station." No sooner were the words out of his mouth the suit was gone from his hand and the flash was back at the door saying that it was done.
He then turned back to Max who was reaching up to take off the cowl of the suit. As the mask came off he just stared at the expression of pain etched across the kid's face. There was a gash above his eye and blood was slowly trickling down from the corner of his mouth. Max then lightly brushed his hair away from his eyes and whispered softly, "Ter, what am I going to do with you?"
The Flash, Wonder Woman and J'onn all had the same reaction to the sight of the new Batman. But Flash was the one to voice it, "He's just a kid."