"How did they do it Bruce?" Maxine demanded, words ringing sharp in the airy darkness of the cave. "With the cutting edge technology we have access to and employ on a regular basis in this equipment, how could anyone possibly breach the security measures installed in the car and suit?"
"We may have early access to new technology, but new technology gets old fast these days." Bruce sighed, looking very much his age and then some. "I'm getting old too Max. I'm neither as fast or as sharp as I used to be. Truth is ... I do have the latest security codes downloaded into the computer, but haven't taken the time to transfer them. I take full responsibility for what's happened. There's no--"
"I'm the one who used to do that." Max murmured, her gaze taking in the familiar sights of the underground cavern. Memories of the many things she had done in this place to insure Batman's success on his nightly rounds protecting Gotham came to her minds eye. "This is my fault. Even when both of us were here for backup there was more than enough work to do to keep him on the cutting edge. I should never have left. I should have known that-- "
"Whoa!" Tim stepped out from where he stood in the background. "If you guys need to assign blame save it for another time. Right now let's just concentrate on finding the kid, okay?" Old man and young woman glanced at him then at each other. Maxine nodded and Bruce growled with finality at her.
"We'll find him."
******************
His mental time clock had lost track of the time. How long had he been hanging here? Hours? Days?
No. Not days. That was just the pain playing games with his head. Pain and thirst. Mouth so parched he could not work up any amount of spit. Lips so dry they cracked when he moved them. Got a little moisture from blood though. Where exactly it came from he did not know or care. It sure was no substitute for water. Thought of the cold, clear liquid had his throat constricting in anticipation. He had asked for water once. Had tried to keep his request irreverent.
"Don't suppose you belong to some kind of torturer's guild, where they have rules to follow like... allowing the torturee a cup of water every few hours or something." Her apathetic reply was about what he expected.
"If you are able to ask again in twenty-four hours I will consider the request."
There was no moisture in the air either. No humidity. They kept it as hot and dry as a desert in this room. And almost as bright. The constant glare was unsettling to him. He had become adapted to the darkness. That's where he found comfort and felt most at ease. There was a certain peace in the absence of light- in the dark of night. Dark Knight. Funny how that name never really meant anything to him until this moment. Stupid play on words. Supposed to be impressive. Strike fear into people. They say it in awe. As if it really means something.
Stronger than the craving for water was the desire to prove to himself that he was Batman. That his doubts were unfounded and all her taunting of his abilities were based on some personal dislike, not on any real truth. Why was the feeling so strong? Why did anything she say matter to him?
He tried to keep track of the intervals between her visits, between the taunts and beatings.
She was not the one who actually beat him. It was her four emotionless minions that were turning his body into spineless mush. No. Three minions. There was the tall, husky one who had never hit him. The other three took turns. Mentally he had put names to each. Weasel was the one who hit the hardest, though not very often. Beaver was the busiest, hitting the most, but pulling most of his punches. Otter had the lightest touch, but always managed to impact the most tender parts of his body.
This was some kind of game to her, but he was refusing to play it any longer. He no longer responded to her questions or statements. Nothing he said seemed to get to her, but she sure knew how to get to him. It was like she knew what he was thinking even before he said it. Humoring her had only delayed the inevitable hits, not prevented them. His goal now was to completely ignore her, keep his mind empty of any thought and to respond to the physical blows as little as possible. If she got her jollies from watching him squirm he hoped to disappoint her. Be nice if he could make her show some anger even if he'd have to pay a price for it.
****
For the first time since his imprisonment Terry did not notice her arrival. He had been drifting in a blissful semi-conscious haze that let him forget he was sagging against restraints for so long that he could no longer feel his legs, hands or arms. His bruised body had gone beyond feeling pain to a dull, thick numbness and thirst was only a distant memory. At this endless moment he felt absolutely nothing.... until something cold and liquid was splashed forcefully into his face.
He sputtered and coughed as the water worked into his nostrils and down a throat that could not remember how to swallow. Reality came crashing back with such intensity he wanted to whimper like a frustrated child, especially when he saw her in his face, that self-satisfied aura around her that never changed. He was sick to death at witnessing it.
"Come now boy," her tone mocked. "Surely your stamina has not given out already."
A rush of impotent anger rose inside. Exhausted and galled beyond belief, Terry finally let his emotion explode.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" he roared through parched throat, binding tethers twanging as he lunged at her in helpless frustration.
She flinched backwards at the unexpected outburst, giving Terry a measure of satisfaction at finally getting a reaction out of her. But she recovered quickly, looking even more amused than usual. Terry admonished himself bitterly for his weakness as she smiled in delight and chirped.
"How nice. I was hoping you would still provide some entertainment for me."
{"Master please.. don't do this."}
She kept smiling and Terry let his head hang in dejection, water dripping from his face.
"You asked a question and I will tell you what I want from you." Her soft fingers dug into his chin and lifted his face to get his attention. "Speak the truth boy." She instructed languidly, as if asking whether he would rather have 'regular or decaf?' "Say you are no Batman and never will be."
Terry's body was beginning to shake so hard with anger and physical shock that he could hear his teeth clacking together. Never mind his personal doubts, he could be damned to hell before he would admit them to her. He tried to get the voice out. Batman's voice-- low and ominous. But it too shook.
"I.. am.. Batman."
She was umimpressed and a subtle wave of her hand let him know how much.
The expected blow came and he thought he could not possibly feel any worse for it, but he was wrong. Tall and husky finally got his turn. She saved the best for last. Had to be the last, because he would never survive another.
{"Stop! You're killing him!"}
Her cool smile was still in place as she watched him writhe against his restraints.
Agony took Terry's breath away, brought tears to his eyes. His body cringed, wanting to curl into a ball to escape the hurt. Fire burned in his guts, pulsing and subsiding in ever increasing waves.
"Batman." He muttered indistinctly. " I'm Batman. Batma... " He moaned, body going rigid with intense pain, mind crying out to the essence of the word. To the one who had given the name meaning. He needed Batman's strength now. He needed the help of the one who had taught him, sustained his need for purpose. God!...it hurt... Bruce!!
{"Help him... "}
**
At his post in the cave Bruce's thoughts blanked for a moment before an onslaught of pain tore through his mind and body. He gasped, leaning forward in the chair. Just as suddenly it was gone, but it had left an imprint of Terry in his mind, calling out desperately for help.
"Bruce?" Tim was squatting beside him, concern strong. "Is it your heart? Should I -- "
"No." His voice quavered slightly. "I'm all right." He gazed questioning at Tim and Maxine poised worridly behind him. "I just... " Mind struggling to find the words to describe what had happened left Bruce speechless for a long moment. "I received a strong, sudden feeling of... Terry in pain. We need to find him... help him." The echo of Terry's distress kept ringing in his mind, keeping him off-balance and unable to concentrate fully.
***
Released from all four bindings at once he felt himself falling to the floor, numbed limbs unable to stiffen in time. The flat surface felt cold against his hands and face, but there was relief in being able to lay here. That relief was short-lived when rough hands gripped his arms and jerked him to his feet. He could feel her eyes watching him, weighing him, measuring his reactions as if he was some kind of experiment.
Wanting to deflect her smothering presence, Terry dredged up his last reserves of strength and indignation. It was not enough to straighten his pain-bent position or end the need of the guards' support to keep him upright, but it did let him bore a scathing, cold look into her eyes. An erg of satisfaction bouyed him when she lowered her lids for a moment before addressing him with a haughty dissmissal.
"Now I will send you home so that you may grovel at his feet like you should have been doing all along and shame his name no more."
The emotion Terry felt building inside him at hearing her words and seeing the egoistic expression she constantly flaunted was something new. It was not hatred. It was something deeper. Bitch!! His thought screamed the simple word in a way his mouth never could. What he would not give to reshape that smug look she wore. Maybe there was something he could do to change it a little...
A gob of blood-stained spit from Terry's mouth landed on her face. The guards readied to punish him when she commanded them to stop. A slender hand came up to wipe away the offending mucus. She cast a patient look to where he visibly trembled between the two guards who were the only reason he was still standing. The mouth on his marred face turned stiffly upwards into a semblance of a smile. His low, strained words held defiance.
"What you did to me is against the law. Be best if you kill me now. If you don't... I will hunt you down and justice will be served."
The threat coming from such a pathetic source was almost laughable yet the conviction behind the words held unshakable promise.
"We shall see boy." she replied quietly. "We shall see."
"We may have early access to new technology, but new technology gets old fast these days." Bruce sighed, looking very much his age and then some. "I'm getting old too Max. I'm neither as fast or as sharp as I used to be. Truth is ... I do have the latest security codes downloaded into the computer, but haven't taken the time to transfer them. I take full responsibility for what's happened. There's no--"
"I'm the one who used to do that." Max murmured, her gaze taking in the familiar sights of the underground cavern. Memories of the many things she had done in this place to insure Batman's success on his nightly rounds protecting Gotham came to her minds eye. "This is my fault. Even when both of us were here for backup there was more than enough work to do to keep him on the cutting edge. I should never have left. I should have known that-- "
"Whoa!" Tim stepped out from where he stood in the background. "If you guys need to assign blame save it for another time. Right now let's just concentrate on finding the kid, okay?" Old man and young woman glanced at him then at each other. Maxine nodded and Bruce growled with finality at her.
"We'll find him."
******************
His mental time clock had lost track of the time. How long had he been hanging here? Hours? Days?
No. Not days. That was just the pain playing games with his head. Pain and thirst. Mouth so parched he could not work up any amount of spit. Lips so dry they cracked when he moved them. Got a little moisture from blood though. Where exactly it came from he did not know or care. It sure was no substitute for water. Thought of the cold, clear liquid had his throat constricting in anticipation. He had asked for water once. Had tried to keep his request irreverent.
"Don't suppose you belong to some kind of torturer's guild, where they have rules to follow like... allowing the torturee a cup of water every few hours or something." Her apathetic reply was about what he expected.
"If you are able to ask again in twenty-four hours I will consider the request."
There was no moisture in the air either. No humidity. They kept it as hot and dry as a desert in this room. And almost as bright. The constant glare was unsettling to him. He had become adapted to the darkness. That's where he found comfort and felt most at ease. There was a certain peace in the absence of light- in the dark of night. Dark Knight. Funny how that name never really meant anything to him until this moment. Stupid play on words. Supposed to be impressive. Strike fear into people. They say it in awe. As if it really means something.
Stronger than the craving for water was the desire to prove to himself that he was Batman. That his doubts were unfounded and all her taunting of his abilities were based on some personal dislike, not on any real truth. Why was the feeling so strong? Why did anything she say matter to him?
He tried to keep track of the intervals between her visits, between the taunts and beatings.
She was not the one who actually beat him. It was her four emotionless minions that were turning his body into spineless mush. No. Three minions. There was the tall, husky one who had never hit him. The other three took turns. Mentally he had put names to each. Weasel was the one who hit the hardest, though not very often. Beaver was the busiest, hitting the most, but pulling most of his punches. Otter had the lightest touch, but always managed to impact the most tender parts of his body.
This was some kind of game to her, but he was refusing to play it any longer. He no longer responded to her questions or statements. Nothing he said seemed to get to her, but she sure knew how to get to him. It was like she knew what he was thinking even before he said it. Humoring her had only delayed the inevitable hits, not prevented them. His goal now was to completely ignore her, keep his mind empty of any thought and to respond to the physical blows as little as possible. If she got her jollies from watching him squirm he hoped to disappoint her. Be nice if he could make her show some anger even if he'd have to pay a price for it.
****
For the first time since his imprisonment Terry did not notice her arrival. He had been drifting in a blissful semi-conscious haze that let him forget he was sagging against restraints for so long that he could no longer feel his legs, hands or arms. His bruised body had gone beyond feeling pain to a dull, thick numbness and thirst was only a distant memory. At this endless moment he felt absolutely nothing.... until something cold and liquid was splashed forcefully into his face.
He sputtered and coughed as the water worked into his nostrils and down a throat that could not remember how to swallow. Reality came crashing back with such intensity he wanted to whimper like a frustrated child, especially when he saw her in his face, that self-satisfied aura around her that never changed. He was sick to death at witnessing it.
"Come now boy," her tone mocked. "Surely your stamina has not given out already."
A rush of impotent anger rose inside. Exhausted and galled beyond belief, Terry finally let his emotion explode.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" he roared through parched throat, binding tethers twanging as he lunged at her in helpless frustration.
She flinched backwards at the unexpected outburst, giving Terry a measure of satisfaction at finally getting a reaction out of her. But she recovered quickly, looking even more amused than usual. Terry admonished himself bitterly for his weakness as she smiled in delight and chirped.
"How nice. I was hoping you would still provide some entertainment for me."
{"Master please.. don't do this."}
She kept smiling and Terry let his head hang in dejection, water dripping from his face.
"You asked a question and I will tell you what I want from you." Her soft fingers dug into his chin and lifted his face to get his attention. "Speak the truth boy." She instructed languidly, as if asking whether he would rather have 'regular or decaf?' "Say you are no Batman and never will be."
Terry's body was beginning to shake so hard with anger and physical shock that he could hear his teeth clacking together. Never mind his personal doubts, he could be damned to hell before he would admit them to her. He tried to get the voice out. Batman's voice-- low and ominous. But it too shook.
"I.. am.. Batman."
She was umimpressed and a subtle wave of her hand let him know how much.
The expected blow came and he thought he could not possibly feel any worse for it, but he was wrong. Tall and husky finally got his turn. She saved the best for last. Had to be the last, because he would never survive another.
{"Stop! You're killing him!"}
Her cool smile was still in place as she watched him writhe against his restraints.
Agony took Terry's breath away, brought tears to his eyes. His body cringed, wanting to curl into a ball to escape the hurt. Fire burned in his guts, pulsing and subsiding in ever increasing waves.
"Batman." He muttered indistinctly. " I'm Batman. Batma... " He moaned, body going rigid with intense pain, mind crying out to the essence of the word. To the one who had given the name meaning. He needed Batman's strength now. He needed the help of the one who had taught him, sustained his need for purpose. God!...it hurt... Bruce!!
{"Help him... "}
**
At his post in the cave Bruce's thoughts blanked for a moment before an onslaught of pain tore through his mind and body. He gasped, leaning forward in the chair. Just as suddenly it was gone, but it had left an imprint of Terry in his mind, calling out desperately for help.
"Bruce?" Tim was squatting beside him, concern strong. "Is it your heart? Should I -- "
"No." His voice quavered slightly. "I'm all right." He gazed questioning at Tim and Maxine poised worridly behind him. "I just... " Mind struggling to find the words to describe what had happened left Bruce speechless for a long moment. "I received a strong, sudden feeling of... Terry in pain. We need to find him... help him." The echo of Terry's distress kept ringing in his mind, keeping him off-balance and unable to concentrate fully.
***
Released from all four bindings at once he felt himself falling to the floor, numbed limbs unable to stiffen in time. The flat surface felt cold against his hands and face, but there was relief in being able to lay here. That relief was short-lived when rough hands gripped his arms and jerked him to his feet. He could feel her eyes watching him, weighing him, measuring his reactions as if he was some kind of experiment.
Wanting to deflect her smothering presence, Terry dredged up his last reserves of strength and indignation. It was not enough to straighten his pain-bent position or end the need of the guards' support to keep him upright, but it did let him bore a scathing, cold look into her eyes. An erg of satisfaction bouyed him when she lowered her lids for a moment before addressing him with a haughty dissmissal.
"Now I will send you home so that you may grovel at his feet like you should have been doing all along and shame his name no more."
The emotion Terry felt building inside him at hearing her words and seeing the egoistic expression she constantly flaunted was something new. It was not hatred. It was something deeper. Bitch!! His thought screamed the simple word in a way his mouth never could. What he would not give to reshape that smug look she wore. Maybe there was something he could do to change it a little...
A gob of blood-stained spit from Terry's mouth landed on her face. The guards readied to punish him when she commanded them to stop. A slender hand came up to wipe away the offending mucus. She cast a patient look to where he visibly trembled between the two guards who were the only reason he was still standing. The mouth on his marred face turned stiffly upwards into a semblance of a smile. His low, strained words held defiance.
"What you did to me is against the law. Be best if you kill me now. If you don't... I will hunt you down and justice will be served."
The threat coming from such a pathetic source was almost laughable yet the conviction behind the words held unshakable promise.
"We shall see boy." she replied quietly. "We shall see."