FACE OFF 6
Coming / Going
The people in the bank were stunned in fear. Iola was pacing as the men loaded the creds into the digital pad from the assorted digital terminals.
"Where are they?" she muttered. "Where the hell are they?"
"They'll be here" smiled Masque. He swivelled his pistols in his hands. "They always arrive to spoil our fund. You just be ready to do what you have to." Iola snorted and shrugged. She held up the mirror…watching and waiting.
The glass shattered as the shapes came through the window. Robin hurled the redwing projectile and removed the gun from the hand of a thug. Batman spun into a kick that sent the nearest man flying off balance into a wall. Robin pulled the Tonfa batons from his hips and swung into a hurricane of moves. Batman attacked Masque. The man in the mask against the man in the mask… Masque caught Terry with an elbow to the jaw and with a laugh he swung his pistol to Terry's head. Batman had already ducked out of the way when he pulled the trigger.
"Fast Batsy!" giggled Masque. "But I'm faster then YOUR DAMN PRETTY FACE" Masque grabbed Terry by the shoulders and slammed both his feet into his stomach, shoving off and flipping through the air.
Iola advanced towards Chris who was smashing side kicks away. She cleared her throat, he whirled and swung at her, she deflected with her wand and kicked him in the chest. He skidded across the hall to crash into Terry. "All right boys" she smiled. "Here's a little something to think about…or not thing about…whatever suits" she held up the mirror, the flash of light shimmered a series of colours in the spectrum and then…Terry leapt to his feet.
"Guess you got seven years of bad luck fromt hat broken mirror"
"Ter" murmured Chris, he fell to his knees clutching his head. "I – I don't – I can't…" the images came rushing at him. The people all over the city crying and shouting and laughing and whispering and hating and loving. Chris cried out in pain… Masque reached for his gun to shoot but the wave of distortion rippled out, the banks patrons fell backwards, thugs were thrown aside as they all faced the force. Terry tried to fight through with his rocket boots. The wave ended abruptly like it had begun.
"That wasn't supposed to happen" Iola murmured as she picked herself up. "Oh well…". Terry cradled the unconscious Chris in his arms, there was blood on his nose, he was shaking and breathing shallow breaths. Masque looked at his men as they raised their weapons…
The glass exploded inwards as the bullets fired through the air shattering the panes of glass as they hit the men working for the villains. Masque ducked low as the energy bolts knocked his men down, stunning most of them or numbing a limb of four. Masque reached for his gun on the tiles nearby…the shot was precise it sent the weapon skttering away.
"We need out now!" roared Masque.
"Done!" Iola said. She waved her wand and smashed the small vial on the ground. The purple smoke filled the air. When it cleared everyone was gone. Terry lifted Chris into his arms.
"What's happened?" Selina was frantic.
"He's out cold" Terry said. "I'm coming back at top speed" he jetted out, the batmobile descending from the grey clouds of the night. He looked down, there was a flicker of white below him as someone with a rifle disappeared down a stairwell.
-WAYNE MANOR-
"He's all right" Selina breathed.
"In a word? Yes" Bruce agreed as Selina brushed the hair out of her grandson's eyes. He was lying there, unconscious for an hour now. Bruce was reading over the notes. "His mutated form means that its hard to get information on his physiology but from what I can tell the subliminal messaging caused a Neuron to trigger a reaction in his brain" the CATT scans appeared on the computer and Bruce pointed to the portion of the blue image highlighted with a strange shade of green-blue. "The brain anomaly that gives him his empathic abilities has morphed, some sort of growing mutation, the goggles he wore seemed to have in a roundabout way stunted his powers, now they're growing without his goggles stunting them and compensating for lost time in the process. The Illusionists illusion mirror hit a nerve."
"Those two crooks have pulled off too many successful robberies," said Selina. "They stun people too fast for the boys to get there on time and when the boys get there… well they end up facing Masque and The Illusionist and having to handle illusions and stun lights" she shook her head. "Thre robberies in the past five nights that have ended in bad news…now this"
"You're worried"
"Of COURSE I am" Selina said. She walked over to Bruce. Her voice lowered to a whisper. "You forget that the boy is going through more then the average teenage kicks, he's a meta, an ex-criminal and a partial amnesiac…why don't you let him know whatever you feel towards him? He needs to know"
"No he doesn't"
"Funny" snorted Selina cynically A/N: Alliteration WOOO!. "You sound like you actually know the boy…"
She turned on her heel and strode away. Bruce just immersed himself in the acidic blood and super immune systems of his grandson's scans…
Iola adjusted the mirror. "It's perfect" she giggled. Masque rolled his eyes, he was sitting on the bar sipping a blue drink. On either side Naughty and Nice were drinking a Black Russian and a Wine Spritzer respectively.
"What is?" drawled the villain.
"My mirror. I've changed it" she held up the hand mirror with the platinum frame and emeralds in the setting. "Now I can use special mirrors to open up a person's mind so I can see in and poke around using synthetic neuron waves."
"I care REALLY I do" Masque said with a twitch. Naughty and Nice rubbed his jaw and nuzzled up to him. Iola shook her head.
"I can read thoughts…this is more then I hoped for. Tomorrow night we're going to read the minds of one person in particular…a certain mogul…and when I have what I want from him…my little plan will be in action" the gemstone she wore around her neck twinkled wickedly.
Terry was trudging toward GCU. It was orientation day…he was excited he could admit that. But Veronica had said she didn't believe in going to college, that's why she hadn't, because she'd decided to go for the dream right away.
Terry was happy for her…but they way she'd thrown herself at the costume… he had to wonder…was it what she really wanted? Him? Or was the Bat who she was interested in?
He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.
"Hey!" Max hurried up to him. "I haven't seen you in weeks! Are you okay?"
"Just drained…" sighed Terry. "Chris was – hurt by Iola"
"Poor kid"
"He's fine, up and about, Selina was trying to get him to go and practice his gymnastics in the gym rather then on the chandelier" Terry said. He flashed a grin. There was a loud crack and the smell of sulphur filled the air. Iola Von Drake released the pigeons from her hat into the air and took a bow, another pigeon fluttered out as she did and the crowd applauded.
Iola's two chorus girl assistants swung a full-length mirror out before her and she stepped behind it. The mirror glowed. There was a flash and Terry felt as if someone was sifting through his brain…then it was over as Iola flipped the mirror in its stand and vanished from behind it to reappear in the crowd.
She bowed and waved to the crowd.
Terry shook his head and Max shrugged.
Veronica was leaving the building when she saw the Signal. Now, Veronica was the only one with any knowledge of what the hell the password to controls were. She turned and ran back into the building.
Terry lande don the roof. Expecting to see Veronica in a nighdress with two glasses of champagne. Instead he found Melanie Walker/Castle. She was wearing a black coat and white scarf. "Hi" she said.
Batman couldn't say anything else. Melanie nodded. "I did a little background work with a few old friends in the less then high quality of Gothamites. Apparently Masque's got a big hideout. If you match the psychological profile – you get Warehouse 22-22. It's built between the New Dock and the Old Dock and its got two types of architecture, it faces uptown and downtown and its been rebuilt twice… sound good?"
"Why are you helping?"
"Because I have to make amends" Mel said.
"Really?"
"Because I WANT to make amends," admitted Mel. She watched Batman leap into the night and she allowed herself a wishful sigh. Veronica silently shut the foor on the roof as Mel went back to undo her hacking on the homemade batsignal. The young reporter descended the stairs to get clear of Melanie's exit from the building. She grabbed a camera from a desk and opened a map of the city.
"Warehouse 22-22" she murmured. "Where is it?"
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Positive" Chris said as he and Terry sped through the sky on the Redbird and in the Batmobile. "Max? Reassure him please!"
"The kids fine" Max chirped. "Okay the warehouse is big, a mix of Roman and Gothic Architecture because of the two rebuilds…pretty nice actually. If you're a nutcase with a thing for halving things"
"Lets hope he doesn't get to half us" Terry muttered.
"The doors locked" Robin commented.
"Then let's make our own" the Batmobile rammed the warehouse doors startling the Desperados within the warehouse. Terry and Chris leapt out of their vehicles.
"Okay fellas! Who's up for a break dance?" grinned Chris
Veronica crept into the Warehouse via the side entrance. Batman and Robin were bating the living daylights out of a gang of the Desperados. Veronica checked her camera and aimed it. "Here we go," she whispered as she crouched behind a crate. Batman hurled a Batarang at the lights, blowing them out. Veronica cursed and adjusted the lens to infrared night vision.
There was a crack and an explosion of black and white light and smoke. Masque pulled a breaker on the staircase and auxiliary power kicked in. The lights turned on. For a moment Masque and Batman simply stared at each other…then it happened. Terry leapt at Wade Masters who laughed and leapt at him. Terry reached out but Masters kicked him down. Chris leapt into a series of kicks…Wade Masters had done his own fight scenes. He caught Chris by the leg and hurled him into a crate.
Naughty and Nice opened fire from the staircase. Chris grunted. "Okay girls, take a powder," he snapped as he tossed the sphere at them, it exploded into a haze of pepper powder. Coughing and gagging the women stumbled about. With a shout Chris leapt up onto the stairway balcony they'd been on and kicked them swiftly in the backs of their necks. They groaned and collapsed.
"Hey batsy! You're not the one that's faster then the speeding bullet are you?" Masque cackled. He swung around and fired at Chris. "Sorry but the boy hostage is a much better target!"
Chris cried out as the bullet slammed through his shoulder.
"NO!" terry exclaimed.
"Wow he sure does get shot a lot" Masque said. He raised his gun to fire at Terry. "Armour piercing you THICK SKULLED DOGOONICK" the shot rang out but it was Wade Masters who hissed in pain, clutching his hand as a bullet took his gun out of his gloved hand. He hissed in pain and darted down a side passage. "You're a killer just like me Batman! You can't save anyone!" and then he was gone
"Are you okay?" the gunman exclaimed. Terry stared. Correction Gun-Woman. Andromeda was standing there with a sniper rifle in her hand.
"Robin!" Batman exclaimed rushing up the stairs. Chris was lying there, hanging onto consciousness like a drowning man, clutching his shoulder. Andromeda opened the white satchel she had slung over her shoulder. "Don't worry" she said. "I've got field medicine training I can treat the bullet wound" she took out the scanner.
"Where did you learn to shoot like that?"
"I met Wade at a shooting range" Andromeda shrugged. "What can I say? We have a good shot in common"
Veronica snapped a few pictures and then crept out. She grinned, this was big! Supermodels! Superheroes! Supervillains! She was in there now!
Mel tapped the keys on her laptop. "The Illusionist…" she murmured. The GCPD files were well guarded but she could hack them no problem. Opening the file on the woman she found that most of the robberies involved magic tricks. She opened a search window…the crossreferences flickered up as she typed.
"Wait a second!" she exclaimed. She removed her narrow wire rimmed glasses. "They were all used by the late Thaddeus Von Drake…father of Iola von Drake!" she zoomed in on the picture of the Illusionist then the news clippings of Thaddeus von Drake and Iola Von Drake. All three were wearing the same red stone pendant.
"Gotcha!" Mel grinned. She stood up and opened her closet. She pushed the clothing rail forward and there was a click as the back of the closet swung open. Mel stepped inside and took her 10-costume from the wall. She lifted the flying card from its place on the wall and grabbed her deck.
"What is it?" groaned Masque. "I've just lost my base and I'M A TADDDDDDDD CRANNNNNKYYYY" Naughty and Nice were massaging his temples. They were in Iola's nightclub, the one she'd secretly bought as a basis for her operations. Top Hat was shuffling a deck of cards.
"Well this'll make your day. I tested my mind reading mirror in a special outdoor show at the GCU campus today…guess what I found!" Iola said. She pointed her wand at a mirror. An image of a bat flickered up.
"What!" Wade gasped as he sat up.
"Watch" Iola giggled. The Batman mask…flashes of Catwoman, Zeiss, Inque, Blight… and then the face. "Bruce Wayne's Gofer!" she cackled. "He's Batman, my guess is Bruce Wayne passed on the "mantle" and now the kids got himself a vigilante credit for College Application"
"We HAVE to kill the INSUFFERABLE winged rat" exclaimed Masque. "Well?"
"Tonight. The boys have finished the construction at the Station" Iola looked at Sparkle. "Well?"
"We zapped the TV man" Sparkle said as she and the two other chorus girls sashayed in. She handed over the mirror. "All the pass codes to the doors are drained from his brain."
"Good to hear it" smiled Iola. "When we launch the signals into the TV waves of the planet I'll brainwash every single man, woman and child while the veg out for a TV dinner! I've finally finished building my Subjugator and NOTHING will stop me form turning the masses into mindless puppets!"
"Not even the Bat and Bird" laughed Masque spitefully.
Veronica was typing out the story in the empty office. The phone was ringing; with a sigh she tapped the button and put it on Speaker. "Hello?"
"Hi! Veronica? It's Terry"
"Hi Terry" she smiled soothingly. "What's up?"
"Well I wanted to know…do you want to join me for dinner tonight?"
"Sure!" Veronica said, leaping at the invite.
"Wayne Manor…say…9:00?"
"Perfect" she said. With a giggle she said goodbye and punched the air. "He likes me!" she chirped. There was a sound behind her. She spun around and stared. Batman was standing there. "Wow" she said. "What are you doing here?"
He didn't say anything. Veronica turned back to her console and tapped the button on the keyboard. Terry's eyes widened as footage from a fight with Catwoman rose up. "Do I have to patch myself up in vinyl to get the attention?"
"You're playing a dangerous game" warned Terry
"Maybe I like danger"
"And if you had the chance to be with me would you take it?"
Veronica was caught off guard by that one. She paused for a moment and then looked him squarely in the eyes. "No" she said. "Maybe I would have before…but there's someone else…someone who – he's the one for me." Terry nodded. Veronica was about to say something but he was gone…vanishing into the shadows of the darkened office.
"Sexy but strange" Veronica muttered. She turned back to the computer…
Chris was sitting on the medical table. Selina had finished bandaging his shoulder properly. "You're getting shot a lot" she said.
"I hadn't noticed" her grandson replied dryly.
"You should be more careful"
"I am careful, but people vent their angers on Robin! What can I do?"
"Stop being Robin" Bruce said as he descended the steps of the lair.
"WHAT!" Chris was on his feet. "No!"
"You have no choice" Bruce said. He pressed a button on the computer and typed in a code. The Neo-Robin suit's case sealed up. Chris was furious. The medical tray beside Selina rattled as she felt his rage contact her own.
"I want to be Robin! It's MY LIFE!"
"And you'll end it faster if you take up something you aren't ready for!"
"I've been facing danger on the streets since I was 8 years old!" Chris said. "That's longer then any of the Robin's you trained before! I have more experience and skill then they did at my age! ITS NOT YOUR CHOICE TO MAKE"
"yes it is" Bruce said gruffly. "You're no longer Robin"
Chris stormed away. Selina glared at Bruce he turned away from her. "You're pigheaded! As stubborn as he is!" snapped Selina. "Like Grandfather like Grandson"
"It's for his own good!"
Selina shook her head. "Not its for your own good. If you keep pushing him away then you'll push me away as well…think about it this way…what if you'd been told you could never be Batman. Something you needed to be. He's doing penance just like you are Bruce. But unlike you it's not all about him!"
She turned and stormed away.
Chris entered the now empty bat cave with his bag. He pulled on his helmet and swung himself onto his racing bike. "Where are you going?" Max's voice was in his helmet.
"Away"
"Away where?"
"I heard from Rocco – he's in metropolis…I'll be going there to see him…then who knows?" Chris replied. "I can't stay here"
"Chris…running away won't solve-"
"Blocking the Oracle signals and Batcave wavelengths" Chris said as he tapped a button on his helmet. Max was cut off as Chris revved up and exited on a long winding road.
TBC
Chris Gone? Terry In love? Iola Knows? Oh hell…this stories heading for its climax so stick with it please! Getting close to the end everybody!
Also some stuff mightn't make sense in the next two chapters if you don't know about Fatale Fury my other Batman Beyond fic. It's quite long but complete...kay?