Disclaimer: I do not own Batman Beyond or any of the referenced story lines or characters therein.
Author's Note: Two chapters, for your reading pleasure. :)
Warp Element
Contemplation
Future-side
Max watched her carefully as the day wore on.
The usually flamboyant and energetic young woman had been completely silent so far, staring at the floor, dark eyes mysteriously troubled. She clutched her books to her chest as if she were a shy, socially inept human being instead of one of the hottest girls on campus, dating one of the best looking – albeit flaky – guys.
It was an odd mood to see her in. She blatantly ignored all talk of fashion, men and movies initiated by the easily excitable Blade and Chelsea, shrinking into the darkest corners and staring off into space like a little hermit child. More often than not, Dana could be caught staring out the window at the pregnant clouds above, watching the rain pour down in torrents, lightning strike intermittently across the ever-darkening sky. One could only wonder what she was thinking of – but every dark crevice she saw, she swore she envisioned a flash of red, a glint of blazing white eyes…
Max alone knew where she had gone after school yesterday, and could guess why the girl was in such a mood. At first, she left Dana alone, but around third period, she was finally fed up with the sulky, anti-social attitude. When the bell to lunch rang, the pink-haired young woman rose to the challenge, and confronted her friend.
As Dana began to gather her things, a shadow engulfed her, and she looked up to find her dark-skinned friend hovering over the desk. She stared up at the pink haired girl for a moment, searching those chocolaty brown eyes with a level of intensity Max had never imagined the somewhat superficial girl to possess. "You knew all along, didn't you?" Dana finally concluded, almost saying it more as a statement than a question.
Max smiled somewhat lopsidedly, feeling as if she should've made some excuse in Terry's defense, covering his skinny little butt, making up some story to deny what Dana was questioning… but she didn't. She simply nodded, her breath caught in her throat. It almost felt like she was betraying Terry, even thought that wasn't even close to the truth. Dana had figured out by herself, and honestly, it was about time.
"Yeah." Max finally admitted quietly. "I figured it out during the whole Jokerz ordeal with Terminal."
Dana looked away, eyes flickering to the window and the ravaging storm outside, imagining he was still out there. It was almost surreal, with the weather matching her volatile mood so perfectly. The swirling winds whipped the rain onto the windows, pounding against the glass, and she looked towards Max again, sighing. "How long?"
"About a year." Max confessed.
"Why did you never tell me?" Dana questioned timidly. "Why did he never tell me? Wasn't I trustworthy?"
Max pursed her lips, thin eyebrows knitting together. "It's not a matter of trust, Dana."
"Then what is it, Max?" Dana stood, her soft, wandering, contemplative gaze suddenly narrow and harsh. She brought herself up to her full height, still an inch or two shorter than the African American girl before her. "Why were you allowed to know while I had to be kept in the dark? Why was it that he ran to you to cover for his every move, make excuses, and help him with his homework? Why did…?"
"Dana…" Max took a step back, slightly taken by the ferocity and jealousy that plagued the girl's voice. Her dark, almond eyes flashed with fury in regard to Max, but she bit her lip, reigning in her emotions, and looking to the window for escape. Lightning danced off in the distance, and thunder rolled over them, quiet and smooth, building to a slight tremor under their feet.
The teacher glanced up at the last two students that stood facing each other, and cleared his throat, looking over the rim of his thin spectacles at them. The girls looked in his direction, clueless. "I can't go to my lunch until both of you go to yours." He annunciated with an air of irritation.
Both girls scowled lightly, but Dana gathered her things without a word, standing and sauntering out of the room without a second glance at Max. The latter rolled her eyes, sighing at the open defiance and hatred she was being shown. But then, Max Gibson wasn't one to quit, so she doggedly followed Dana out of the room, calling after her as the blue-clad young woman began to strut away down the hall. "Dana!" Her voice was exasperated. "Dana Tan!"
The olive skinned young woman halted, spinning on her heels to face her so-called friend. They were a few feet away from each other, separated by the students milling around them. "What, Max? What? What could you possibly have to say to me now, after I figured everything out? What could you possibly add…?"
"He did it to protect you!" Max shouted angrily, cutting into Dana's rant. A few students glanced in their direction, so Max pursed her lips, pulling a stunned Dana aside into a small corner between the lockers and the stairs to the lower floors. The shorter girl blinked, eyes gone wide with surprise. Max put her hands on her hips, finally satisfied that she'd achieved catching the girl's attention.
"He did what…?" Dana looked absolutely clueless now, so Max willingly stepped in to fill the gaps.
"It was only shortly after his father died that he became what he is today." She whispered. Despite the fact that they were relatively alone in this section of the stairwell, you never really knew who was listening from behind the corner.
"Well I figured that." Dana looked down at her calf-hugging boots, still looking slightly sullen and irritated. "I took him up to Wayne's house that one night, reluctant to leave him alone. He seemed so lost, so distraught. He was practically begging the old man for help with some sort of computer disk, and then all of a sudden, he's the guy's errand boy a week later." Dana shook her head. "Back then, it didn't make any sense. But now...?" She averted her gaze, studying the floor tiles rather intently.
"It was a conspiracy against Wayne." Max explained. "Powers was operating CEO at the time, and he'd been hiding some rather dangerous projects from the older guy – Chemical Warfare sort of stuff. Mr. McGinnis was basically caught in the crossfire. He knew too much, so they…"
Dana's sorrowful eyes met Max's. "They… killed him?" Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. "Terry discovered this, and didn't tell anyone?"
"That's the thing. He told Wayne." Max sighed. "The kid figured out the old man was the original you-know-what only hours before his father died. He'd let himself out of grounding to go clubbing with you, and then disappeared during that street fight with the Jokerz, remember?"
Dana nodded. "Of course."
"Well… That's when he discovered it. Going home after that, he discovered the crime scene. He's never really forgiven himself."
Dana nodded, mouth slightly open, entranced by even this choppy, half-hearted review of her boyfriend's tale. She'd never heard this side of the story before. All she had initially known was that Terry's father was killed by a gang of Jokerz – not that the murder had been masterminded by the operating CEO of the company the original Batman had owned. Her eyes widened. The connections were unreal. Was this even possible? Really, Max must've been trying to play her. How could Terry have walked through these halls every day, so nonchalant and carefree after all of this happened, fighting crime every night, enduring fear and guilt over his father's death…?
"The first time he played hero, he stole the suit." Max continued, smirking a little at this, unaware of Dana's inner turmoil. "Rather ironic in my opinion, considering the fact that he was using skills learned from his days running with a gang to become the new… you know." She shook her head, and Dana became re-engaged with the explanation. In this public place, they were careful to avoid mentioning names, just in case.
"So he became… and that was it? He's been doing that ever since? Almost a year… and I never guessed…" Dana's voice faded into depression. "I suppose it all makes so much more sense now, though. I gave it so much thought outside of Mr. Wayne's mansion last night. It took me forever to even make it out those front gates. But it still doesn't' explain why I was never allowed to know. Why did I have to be left out of half of his life? We've been dating for such a long time, and yet I feel as if I barely know him anymore. All it takes is five seconds to destroy your preconceptions of a person..."
"Like I said before, it was for you protection."
Dana looked skeptical, so Max expounded upon the statement.
"Consider it, Dana – he didn't want you to know because he didn't want to put you in jeopardy. If villains discovered that Batman was fond of you, or that you knew who Batman was, they'd be all over you in an instant, using you as bait. As long as you were kept in the dark, he had a better chance of keeping you safe. He was trying to protect you from a world where you could get hurt. He only had your best interests in mind."
"And yet I still managed to be kidnapped by a boy with his giant rats…" Dana shivered.
"I know." Max smiled a little. "I've had a couple run-ins with villains as well. And even when I figured out Terry's identity on my own, they barely tolerated my inclusion. I'm not allowed near the cave by a long shot, and I can't be involved in any of the cases. I've nosed my way in on one or two, but that takes force. And once, the old man tricked me into getting arrested…" her eyes narrowed in disdain as she remembered the incident in the old subways the first time Terry had turned up missing. "That jerk."
This earned a twitch of the lips from Dana – the closest semblance to a smile Max figured she'd get at the moment. It wasn't quite fair if the girl was trying to stay mad at her, but she was slowly wearing down.
"I suppose…" Dana sighed. "I supposed its better to discover all of this now than never. Even after he's… gone…"
"He's not gone forever." Max stated adamantly. "It's not like he's dead. He's still out there… somewhere. Bruce is guessing time travel."
Dana's eyes widened again. This whole having a superhero as a boyfriend thing was going to take some getting used to. There were concepts involved that the normal world usually didn't deal or have contact with. "Are you sure…? Time travel? Really?"
"Yeah." Max responded, slightly surprised that Dana was taking all of this so well. "The problem is, we don't know to where – or rather, to when. The old man claims he doesn't remember ever meeting Ter back in the day, so we're guessing the future, but we have no real facts to prove anything. It's difficult to tell, considering the logistics of it all. Time travel is supposedly theoretical… so no one really knows entirely how it works." Max stared off into space a moment, consumed with worry for her lost friend.
Dana was contemplative, when suddenly, her eyes lit with revelation. "Because it never happened."
"What…?" Max looked up, staring at her friend with a bewildered expression.
"Consider it – Bruce doesn't remember Terry being in the past because it never happened. Or at least… it wasn't supposed to. Or maybe we prevented it already, so…" Dana's eyes darkened with confusion as she continued, her eyebrows knitting together. She brushed a loose strand of hair back from her face, tucking it securely behind her ear and frowning.
Max squinted. "Ouch, Girl, now you're making my head hurt. We can't have already prevented it, because we wouldn't remember it happening in the first place… since… he never would have disappeared if we'd prevented the problem."
Dana opened her mouth, and then shut it again, contemplative for a second before continuing. "Or maybe we prevent the situation in the future… so it never happens and Bruce never ends up remembering it anyway…?"
Max shook her head. This was all getting a little too far-fetched. "I think this is only the beginning, really. It has nothing to do with fixing the problem, but everything to do with the fact that the timeline is totally out of whack with a small piece of now – namely Terry – flying around elsewhere. Things will probably start changing around here, and then…"
"Unless Terry's in the future." Dana pointed out with a sigh, bringing up the very subject that had spawned their entire migraine inducing conversation.
The pink-haired girl groaned, rubbing her temples. "I hate time travel, I really do. How are we supposed to find out where he it at all?"
Working on a brave whim, Dana grabbed her friend's wrist, and dragged her down the stairs to a side exit. "Hey!" Max shouted in surprise, slightly indignant. She pulled back again, but Dana seemed to be on a warpath, and wouldn't be dissuaded. She was acting so unlike herself. It wasn't that Max didn't enjoy the change; it was just… different. "Where do you think you're taking me?"
"Wayne Manor. This is way more important than school Max. This is a job for Batman."
Max smiled, catching her drift as they charged out through the parking to her car, taking refuge from the rain under the soft top of Dana's white convertible. They were both silently thankful for Dana's insight upon seeing the storm clouds earlier this morning, and raising the roof over the car. "The original one, you mean?" Max smiled lightly, sliding into the passenger seat.
"Whatever." Dana smirked, putting the key in the ignition, bringing the hover car to life. Really, this wasn't her first time to skip school – it was just her first time to skip school for anything other than shopping with Blade and Chelsea.
"Why are you here again?" Bruce's voice was as bitter and cold as the biting wind that whipped Dana's hair around behind her, the rain swirling about the girls' already soaked bodies. The man's eyes were vicious. Part of him was amused at the fact that he hadn't had this many beautiful women on his doorstep since he'd been in his twenties, but the majority of his persona was irritated beyond measure.
This was a completely different situation than those he'd faced in his younger years, and these women were associated with the new Batman, and not him. Both girls stared at him with wide, clueless eyes, as if were obvious to why they stood dripping at his door. Of course, it was, and he'd anticipated this, but that didn't mean he liked it – especially since this meant they were skipping the latter part of school. Delinquents.
"We want to help find Terry." Dana spoke firmly.
"When I told you to endure and trust that he'd come home to you, I didn't mean for you to come knocking on my door offering your help. What the hell do you think you'll be able to accomplish anyway?" Bruce looked the young woman up and down rather pointedly, making her rather self-conscious of her thin, fragile figure. Her eyes narrowed. "Me? I suppose I can't do much of anything but sit behind a computer. It's Max that's going to do most of the fieldwork. But don't you think, working together, we have a much better chance of getting him back?"
Bruce looked between the girls, his blue eyes colder than ice, harder than stone. True to his eloquent vocabulary, he replied justly. "No." He spoke with an air of finality amplified by his deep gravelly voice. With that, he slammed the door in their faces. Thunder reverberated through the door handle, and he let go, turning to look down at Ace. The elderly man's frown deepened, if that was physically possible, and he sighed. Blue eyes met black ones, and the dark Great Dane whined reluctantly.
"I know." Bruce sighed. "If I leave them out there, they're going to try and find another way in. But I can't be a pushover."
Ace sneezed, shaking his head vigorously.
"I am not getting soft in my old age." Bruce growled, gripping his cane tightly. "And who are you to talk? You're a dog, for heaven's sake."
Ace barked, shattering the otherwise silent atmosphere. Bruce stared at the animal through narrow eyes, taking in the situation carefully, deeply considering every option. "I suppose it's inevitable." He finally concluded. "They're not going to leave me alone until I let them in, are they? I swear. These children are going to be the death of me. Terry, and now Dana and Max…"
Ace opened his maw, letting his long, pink tongue loll out as he panted in agreement. Bruce stared at him a moment longer, and then turned back to the door with an exasperated sigh. Like he said. It seemed inevitable. There'd be no getting rid of them anyway. He reopened the door, displaying more than ample disdain. Dana and Max were both smiling, arms crossed, as if they'd expected this all along, and Bruce had to fight the urge to slam the door in their smug little faces again, resentful to the choice he was about to make. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to be any real help to Terry without a young body out in the field doing some version of recon, which was something Bruce wasn't exactly capable of anymore. He'd considered the mech-suit option, but killing himself was no help to Terry. So here he was, in a bind, stepping aside to let two young women into his mansion.
He glared acidly at Max first as she passed through the threshold, and then Dana. Neither flinched – outwardly at least.
"Fine." He consented. "But I make the rules."
"Of course." Max smirked, turning to face him as he quietly closed the thick, wood paneled doors. Dana stood happily by her side, determined to leave her spot on the sidelines. No more letting Terry save the city alone – it was time to save Terry.
"So, old man…"
Bruce glared at Max as she began to speak again. Apparently, she'd picked up her nicknames from Terry. It wasn't one that he was extremely fond of, but then, like the girls, he supposed it was something he couldn't escape. Perhaps old age was making him soft. He grumbled slightly under his breath, leaning heavily on his cane. "Young woman." He spat the comment back at her more like a reprimand than a simple acknowledgment.
Max took it all in stride. "So. Bruce." She corrected, still playing with the words though, speaking slowly, deliberately. The elderly owner of Wayne Enterprises was already regretting his decision to let the girls in. "When do we start, and what do we start with?"
Sighing, Mr. Wayne began to shuffle back through his private study to the clock, while the girls followed calmly, stowing their excitement as best as possible. Dana clutched her small white purse with her manicured fingernails, biting her bottom lip to restrain an immensely excited smile. Max was hugging herself tightly, eyes wide with anticipation as the clock slid to one side.
"I suppose we start at the beginning, and I brief you on what I already know." Ace yipped, bounding down the stairs and back, waiting for the slower humans. Bruce started down the stairs, and with apprehensive excitement, the girls followed. "I've been doing more than just sitting around. There's a lot to do still, though, you should both be prepared."
No reply was heard at Dana and Max stared about them with mouths agape, taking in all that was the cave. Bruce, with his back to them as he continued to lead down the cut stone stairs, allowed himself a small smile, whispering the same thing he'd told McGinnis when he'd first hired him. "Welcome to my world."