-1

It's finished folks. The final three chapters. I'll post them as quickly as possible.

Thank you to Manzana for the 'spur' to get me going again. I'd been waiting and wishing for this darn thing to write itself, but it refused. So I had to do it myself and here it finally is in all its uninspired glory. I'll be the first to say this wasn't worth the long wait. The best I can hope for is that, like me, you're satisfied that it's finally done!

A huge THANK YOU to Bumpkin who edited this, added a few gems of her own to the textand put up with my whining and babbling.

Thank you to those who put this story on their favorites list. Many thanks for all who reviewed. I would NOT have finished without your words of praise and encouragement. Special regards to those who have been reading, reviewing and waiting from the beginning. Your patience is remarkable! I will never forget you--cause all I have to do is read your reviews again:D

I'm flying high--in more ways than one. And I don't mean the artificially induced kind.

Nope.

The reason for my feelings of loftiness is the schway piece of machinery that I'm sitting in--the legendary Batmobile. I'm soaring with effortless ease above and around the buildings of a Gotham night with a simple twitch here or a slight tug there, the powerful craft responding like an extension of my body.

It's a rush.

Not only for me either. I know for a fact, the chance of seeing the sight of me and or my machine slipping through the skyscrapers is a sight that attracts many tourists to Gotham in the first place. Heh. Maybe I should let Rodeo Boy have a spin before he goes home. Gotta be more exciting than taking down a cow.

Then there's the form fitting suit encasing my body which is armored to the nines and has more tricks up its' sleeves than any envious magician would think of conjuring. Stiff and confining to a degree, the suit is still comfortable to me because it, along with the Batmobile and my sense of purpose--which has returned full force--add up to one thing.

I am Batman.

I believe that. It's not a false attempt at mental empowerment or a feeling of conceit or bravado. It's what I believe.

I'm not THE Batman. Just A Batman. And hell---that's plenty enough for me to handle.

Why me?

Don't know.

Do I believe in destiny?

Am I a fatalist?

Does it really matter?

Nope.

Right now Batman's going to rescue Tamara's parents, then hunt down It and put him out of commission which should end the Blob's threat hanging over the city and return it to normal--- well, normal for Gotham.

Yep.

Gonna do all that as soon as I help stop that high speed chase that's going on just below me. Looks like the Gotham City Police force has their hands full with this one.

I activated the link, "Got a 'catch-me-if-you-can' parade in my scopes Max. Think I'll join up."

"Try not to get too caught up in the excitement. You've got more important things on your agenda."

My thoughts stopped for a moment to mull her terse reply.

Since when did Max start nagging? Maybe she's just nervous about resuming her old role, like I was. If I know her at all, she's probably regretting the words right about--.

"Um, that didn't come out the way it should have."

I smiled, "Understood. Batman out."

With a simple thought and the miniscule movement of each hand on the controls, I sent the craft diving through the traffic below.

The lights were dimmed in the cavern-like laboratory. All power to the equipment had been reduced to only essential processes to help keep the Demon's greedy energy-eater from being enticed by the artificial energy.

Ra's Al Ghul chafed at his inability to cope well with the increasing restlessness of his new 'pet'. He knew it was hungry because that was the way he wanted the creature to be. There needed to be a balance of its strength; not too hungry or too full, in order for him to keep it contained. He allowed it small amounts of energy on a regular basis, but since the creature's recovery from gluttonous behavior and near destruction over Wayne Manor it was no longer satisfied with the tidbits he was giving it.

He watched the pulsing mass within the containing cubicle while his ancient mind searched for solutions. His brows furrowed with antipathy as one of his technicians, walking past the cubicle, suddenly staggered then dropped in his tracks to the floor.

Ra's vision made a casual shift towards the cubicle and noted a subtle brightness inside that had not been present a minute ago. With subdued pride he realized his resourceful pet had pilfered another snack.

Another tech ran over to the still body and searched for a pulse. After a moment he came to stand before the expectant Ra's. Subduing his shaking hands by clasping onto his uniform, the balding tech bowed his head.

"He is dead my Master. He does not have his bracelet on."

"An idiot who has paid the price for his inferiority. Dispose of the carcass."

"Yes Master."

The bracelets had been developed after they realized the creature could slip tiny tendrils through the containment and suck the energy from anyone within its reach. Five had died before they discovered that fact and the way to stop it. Now everyone working in the area wore a bracelet that was designed to shield and mask a person's energy field from the creature's senses. Of course, if someone neglected to wear the bracelet and got too close to the cubicle, they would die, drained completely of their life energy.

A different nagging thought came to Ra's full attention. He brushed back the incessantly falling lock of hair from Talia's forehead and looked at his watch. Lips thinning in annoyance, he waved another technician to his presence. She hurried to him; her head bowed the whole way.

"My Master?" she murmured breathlessly.

"Has Mr. Wardo called in with his daily report?"

"No Master."

"He knows the punishment for lack of obedience. Send a team to check up on him and his charges."

"Yes my Master."

He sighed in exasperation and murmured to himself, "They are all morons. None of them are worth saving."

"Okay Max," Terry said wearily while noting the narrow strand of light widening in the eastern horizon. Dawn already? Where did the night go?

The thought brought a smile to his face.

The night had been very productive. After the high-speed chase there was the fiery five-car accident on the Commerce Street highway where Batman was able to help remove victims and put out the fire. That led to an overheard radio call from an arrived police vehicle alerting available units to a gang altercation at the edge of the Fashion District near Miller Harbor.

That particular situation had gotten a little hairy for him, making it clear his rusty skills were in need of polishing. His ears were still ringing a little from a hit to the head he had taken when both gangs realized it was Batman that was interfering with their business and ganged up on him together. He finally got them all packaged up for Gotham's Finest and was dusting his suit off when Max informed him of a hostage situation at a convenience store near the corner of Dillon and Verne Avenues.

That one was time-consuming and tricky, but he ended it neatly, with the three suspects captured and no injury to any of the hostages. The police surrounding the building didn't know it was over until one of the freed hostages alerted them to the fact along with the news that Batman had done the deed.

The rest of the night had unfolded like one of those ancient film reels-frame after frame-one thing after another. It was just like his old routine patrols of ordinary-type criminal activities, only doubled in number. Terry knew why. Batman had been gone a long time. Long enough for the criminal element to think it was for good, a big reason why they didn't feel they needed to skulk around anymore.

Unfortunately for them, Batman was back. As they unknowingly went about their blatant business, he easily caught them in the act and took them out before they had a chance to get over their surprise.

Terry wished he could always be this efficient and effective, but knew how quickly word would spread in the city. If he happened to be out patrolling tomorrow at this time the pickings would be much slimmer for Batman.

His feelings of accomplishment and excitement were tempered by practicality and a sense of urgency. Sure it was great catching all these dregs and making Gotham safer, but the whole city was going to fall apart if he didn't stop It. And stopping It meant getting to Tamara's parents which he kept letting himself get sidetracked from. Maybe Stalker's "thrill of the hunt" was more addictive than he realized. And maybe Max had the right idea when she nagged him.

"Is there any chance I can make it all the way to Lane Avenue this time without a new distraction?"

He heard her tired snort, "Guess that depends on how bad you're looking for one."

"Okay, maybe I deserved that."

"Maybe? Terr, you're acting like a cat in an alley--pouncing on every rat you see, when the biggest, baddest rat of all is standing right in front of--." Max clamped down on her anger and blew out a tense breath. "Sorry. How about if you just drive faster?"

"Good advice," he replied quietly and increased his speed through the city. After this was all over they'd have to talk a few things through. He wasn't sure he liked this changed relationship with his 'back-up'.

It took only minutes to reach his destination.

In stealth mode he slipped into the apartment building and assessed the situation. Out of the four apartments; two were empty, one was furnished although no dwellers were inside and the fourth was occupied with two men in the outside hallway playing cards on a portable table and chairs. He made a hushed call to Max before taking action, "Looks like a simple rescue. Contact the Commish. Let her know what's happening and ask her if she wouldn't mind joining me here."

"Understood."

Batman easily disarmed the not-very-alert guards and bound them securely. Learning to appreciate the skill of finesse in whatever simple way possible, he took the key card from one of the guards and simply unlocked the door instead of breaking it down.

Tamara's parents, having awoken from hearing the strange noises outside, were standing near the doorway when Batman entered. Terry stared at the pajama-clad couple, matching them with the memory he had of them years ago and affirming they were the same people, only older looking. He said the first thing that came to mind, "Your daughter wanted me to tell you that she loves you."

Their haggard faces broke into relieved smiles. Mr. Caulder's happiness faded for a moment. He stared fearfully at Batman, "She is alive?"

Batman nodded.

The couple looked at each other then fell into each other's arms. Mr. Caulder murmured raggedly in his crying wife's ear, "She's all right. Thank God she's all right."

Batman gave them a few seconds before interrupting, "The police are coming to pick you up and take you somewhere safe. I'll be watching outside until they get here."

Mrs. Caulder, wiping at her eyes, took an anxious step towards him, "What about Tamara? When can we see her?"

"We'll get you too her as soon as we can. Just sit tight."

It was a few fleeting minutes before Batman, hidden in the shadows outside, witnessed three squad cars pull up quietly before the building. He saw Barbara Gordon's familiar trench coated figure get out of the second vehicle. Unlike the others with her, Terry noted she was immediately scanning the area for information before her foot touched the concrete. Probably the ingrained 'bat' training that had been pounded into her from her younger days. Out of curiosity he moved out of the shadows for a split second, his gaze watching her intently. He grinned when she suddenly looked up in his direction. Still pretty sharp after all those years. He wasn't surprised when she sent the other officers inside and discreetly made her way towards him.

Batman jumped down from his darkened perch, deliberately making noise as he landed. Barbara honed in quickly on the sound and joined him where the shadowed side of the building would hide them both. Like the old man, she wasted no time on pleasantries.

"What else have you got for me?"

"Rasy's head on a platter when I get to him."

"Where is he?"

"I stuck a tracer on his ship when the Blob was visiting the mansion."

"Blob?"

"That's what we're calling the thing that sucks energy. "

"Cute. So where is he?"

"I don't know. We couldn't find the signal. The tracer could be broke, out of range or he might have found and disabled it. I've been wanting to--"

Batman suddenly turned his head to the left. Barbara followed his gaze, seeing only the deeper darkness further inside the alley. Maybe he was seeing something through the specialized lenses in his cowl that her unaided eyes couldn't. She tensed, readying herself for action and waited for some kind of signal from him. What he said moments later made little sense to her. She had the strong feeling he wasn't talking to her.

"They're safe," he said breaking into a big smile and turning it towards her for a moment before facing the darkness again.

Puzzled by his behavior she asked, "You all right?"

"Yeah," he was still grinning and looking towards the darkness. "I just got reminded that something good happened for a change."

"What are you--?"

Batman silenced her with a raised hand while intently looking over at nothing Barbara could see or hear.

"Where?" he said to the nothingness again, went quiet and struck a listening pose for a minute before shaking his head and saying with annoyance. "You've got to be more specific. It'd take me days to cover that--- Wait. Tamara!"

Batman lunged, an arm reaching out to grab in the direction he had been staring. He stopped abruptly, a frustrated noise accompanying cessation of the action.

And then Barb understood. "You're talking to that psychic girl."

Batman's fists clenched and released. Barbara heard new tension in his voice.

"She was trying to tell me where she was."

"And where she is-- is where Ra's is?"

He nodded. "From what she was describing, it must be his base of operations. It's underground and somewhere outside the city limits."

"Well that narrows it down." Barb didn't mean to sound so acerbic, but sometimes frustration got the best of her.

"That and that there's a herd of cows near the place. She had to stop before she could tell me more."

"Cows. Well that's a little more helpful. The agricultural district in Gotham County."

"Which covers a mere thirty square miles or so? Nothing that can't be thoroughly searched in a matter of days."

Barb understood the reason for his sarcastic tone, "And in that amount of time he could easily move on. Especially if he realized we were looking."

"Which he'll likely assume when he finds out we've taken a pair of ace-in-the-holes away from him."

"The girl's parents. You know--you could have told me about this before now. I might have been able to help."

"Well, I--haven't been in a very good frame of mind lately." There was humor in his self-mocking tone. "Not thinking clearly for some reason."

"So I've heard," she replied dryly. "How are you now?"

"You probably don't want to hear this, but--" Terry's voice lowered dramatically. "Batman is back."

Barbara the Commissioner of Gotham kept the stern look on her face, but Barbara the friend of Terry McGinnis was percolating with a renewed sense of hope. She smirked, "I'll let the press know."

"I've got to get her away from him before he realizes her parents are gone. I'm worried about what he might do. Did Max fill you in about Wardo?"

She nodded, "He was in the intensive care unit at Gotham General. The doctors said he was stable enough to move, so that's what we did--as unobtrusively as possible--to another hospital. A couple of plainclothes detectives are in place acting as relatives." Barb tipped her head towards the apartment building. "We've got a better place for those two."

"Thanks."

"I'll do a little checking on the amount of traffic around the agricultural district; see if there's anything noteworthy that might give us a clue where he might be holed up."

Batman nodded, and then put two fingers near the right ear of the cowl, "I need to go. The Jokerz are trashing a business not far from here."

"How about letting us handle that one?"

"Thanks, but this is personal. And it shouldn't take long. I'm on a roll tonight." He flashed a quick grin before snapping his wings open and rocketing skyward.

As Barbara walked to the building entrance to join her officers, she heard a distinctive whine and looked up to glimpse the shadow of the batmobile passing overhead. She allowed herself a small smile and murmured, "Hate to admit it, but I'm glad you're back kid."

Howard's Place was obviously a magnet for disasters. Terry wondered if he'd made the right investment choice, but quickly ceased that train of thought. He had invested in his belief of the man, not the business.

With the last of the Jokerz either unconscious or having fled, Batman looked worriedly around the jumble of wrecked furniture for a sign of Howard. The place looked bad, but not near as bad as before it had to be remodeled. At least he knew the insurance was paid up this time. Where was--? A soft awe-struck voice spoke shakily from behind him.

"Batman?"

He turned around to see Howie standing in a far corner. The pudgy man was staring at him wide-eyed through bent-up glasses. The torn flowered shirt he wore hung crookedly on his shoulders. Trickles of blood striped his face, tousled hair matted with some of the red. He was slightly bent over with both arms folded across his middle. Terry had no doubt his friend was in pain. He hurried over.

"You all right?"

Howie kept staring while answering with the bobbing of his head. To ward off shock, Terry tried to get him talking.

"Do you work here or are you a customer or--?"

"I…I'm the owner."

"Nice place."

"Th-thanks."

"Was there anyone else in here when those clowns came?"

Howie shook his head, "N-no. I had just closed up when they showed. I couldn't believe it. They--they just smashed the door in--laughing the whole time. I tried to stop them."

"Yeah, I can see you did. Too bad the odds were stacked against you."

"Ye--yeah. I think I actually bruised one of them though."

"Good for you," Batman grinned. "You going to be okay? Do you think you might need a hospital?"

"Umm," Howie winced as he straightened. "I--I'm good for now."

"I promise the Jokerz won't be bothering you in the future."

"They won't?"

"Not as long as I'm around."

Howie squinted at him, "A-are you really--for real?"

Batman laughed, "Sometimes I wonder myself. Here--" He held out a gloved right hand to Howie who slowly grasped it with his trembling own. "Does it feel real?"

A gradual smile built on Howie's face. He nodded, "Th-thanks."

The distant howl of sirens came louder and Batman felt it was all right to leave. The police would handle the rest. He doubted Howie would resist if they suggested he take a ride to the hospital to be checked over. And as wobbly as his friend appeared, that would be a good thing.

"See you around," Batman said, stepping away. In between one of Howard's slow blinks he was gone.

Howie looked around in wonder for a few seconds and then fainted just as the police walked in through the broken doorway.

"They are in police custody my Master. Witnesses say that Batman was involved."

"Fools! Is there no one who can follow simple commands!" Ra's flung out his arms in anger making everyone (excluding the four emotionless bodyguards) in the area flinch in fear for their lives.

He calmed immediately, chiding himself for the loss of control. So the boy had survived. He felt the echo of Talia's delight at his upset. Her 'beloved' was still able to thwart him through his inept protégé. She was correct in that observation. It was time he stopped dallying with this so-called Batman and ended his interfering ways permanently.

"What is the news on Mr. Wardo?"

"We have been unable to locate him Master."

"Find him. Bring him to me within the hour or you will be punished in his place."

"Yes Master."

"Where is the child?"

"In her quarters Master."

"Have her escorted here at once."

"Yes Master."

Ra's strolled to his observation dais and settled gracefully onto the throne-like chair. He studiously reminded himself of Tamara's unusual capabilities. Once she found out her parents were no longer in his grasp she may very well turn on him. He would keep that news from her as long as possible, but he also knew there were too many variables for him to have complete control of this situation. The girl was resilient and very good at not revealing more of herself than he would demand of her. In time he would understand her completely. For now he would handle her with careful deliberation.

A flurry of movement at the technical stations below caught his attention. He heard the rise of heated voices and then a sudden shout and a single technician diving towards the control station that operated the containment equipment. A strident alarm suddenly blared to all corners of the building.

Ra's watched in fascination as the creature rose above its cage. It was a thing of beauty to him and for long seconds he couldn't pull his gaze away. Faster than he thought it capable, the creature vanished through the thick ceiling. Ra's could picture it hovering over the compound, waiting for its senses to tell it where it would find food.

"Master, what should we do!"

"We must raise the hovercraft and follow immediately. If we cannot contain it quickly all will be lost. When we return I will know who is responsible for this--mistake."

The tech, realizing that more than one of his fellow workers would soon die a painful death, bowed his head as the Master stepped down from the dais and headed to the ship.

The specialized hovercraft was aboveground in less than five minutes, but there was no visible sign of the creature. Tracking equipment, designed specifically to detect the creature's energy signs, indicated it was heading into the heart of Gotham City.

At Ra's command the technicians scanned for heavy concentrations of living energy that the creature might be closing in on. The target quickly became clear. Massive energy signs near the Upper West Side Someone informed their Master that the Convention Center was hosting an ecology conference there. It had started this morning. Ra's nodded that he had heard, but said nothing. They were already pressing the craft to its limits. Verbal prodding from him would be useless.

Tamara, who had been hustled aboard seconds before the craft lifted, was standing silently beside Ra's. She could barely contain her elation at the knowledge her parents were now safe from the Master's threats. She was free to go. There was nothing he could do to hold her by his side anymore, yet she was still afraid and unsure of how to do it. Could she really just--walk away?