9:58 PM. Willie repeatedly pressed the emergency call button on his jail cell door. Soon, a guard showed up. He examined Willie and then screamed at him
"What the heck is your problem? You look fine!"
"But I'm not" Willie said
"You know the rules. If you dare give us a false alarm, we'll shut your call button off forever."
"But I told you I'm not" Willie insisted
"Then what's the emergency?"
"Look, my toilet completely broke down. It's not flushing right…"
Willie had sabotaged it earlier when no one was looking
The guard tried to look inside his cell
"You can come in and take a look if you want…" Willie said
"No. First of all, that's gross. Second of all, I'm not walking for a second with you behind my back."
"Then can you please take me to another one? I really gotta go! You can escort me and I'll only be a second"
The guard stared for a second. He swiped his key card on Willie's door and it opened.
"Get out."
Willie walked out. Immediately the guard pointed a gun at his back.
"I know your ways, Watt, so don't try anything stupid."
"Why would I?"
They were walking down the hall. Willie looked out of the corner of his eye. He was timing this perfectly. King's guard was about to finish locking him into his cell. Willie stopped walking.
"Move!" The guard shouted
"I need to say something!"
"What is it, then?"
"For a prison, your security really sucks"
It was a split second before Willie elbowed the guard in the chest, and then turned around and hit the guard in the face. He punched him one more time and knocked him unconscious. The other guard who had just locked King in was reaching for his gun. Willie dove straight for him and tackled him to the ground. He knocked him unconscious as well and ripped the key card off of his neck. The alarm sounded.
"Do you have it?" Willie said
King ran to the back of his room and pulled out a small, handmade screw that consisted of the springs from his bed and a couple other metals he found laying around. Willie took it and attached it to his earpiece. It hurt a lot to try and jam it out. He pulled it loose a little bit. Then he suddenly heard….
"Freeze!"
He looked around him. There had to be about ten armed guards on both of his sides ready to shoot him dead. Willie dropped the device and put his hands up.
"Get on your knees and put your hands behind your head"
Willie complied. One guard walked up to him with a pair of handcuffs.
"You're gonna pay big time for this, Watt. You'll get at least ten to twenty years added on your sentence."
Watt smiled
"That's funny. 'Cause I actually plan to get out of here in ten to twenty seconds"
"And how do you plan to do…"
The guard flew back and his head ran into the far wall.
Willie stood up and smiled.
"Fire! Now!"
They tried shooting him, but all the bullets stopped in mid air. He turned all the bullets back on the guards. Then, he made King's door explode open. Wilie smiled and spoke
"You let us leave, and you guys don't get shot by ten to twenty bullets."
The guards were so scared. They dropped their weapons.
"Good boys."
He flung them all to opposite sides of the room and knocked them all out. He dropped the bullets on the ground. King walked out.
"So you have psychokinetic powers?" King asked.
"Yeah, you could say that. Luckily I got the thing loose enough to get it to work. Come on, let's bail."
The top of the jail exploded. Willie floated out and King floated right behind him.
"We have to get back on the ground. I've already arranged a ride out of here" King said
"Arranged a ride? I can move you wherever you want. We don't need a ride!"
"If someone sees two guys flying over their home, I'm sure their first reaction would be to call the police."
"Fine." Willie spat, "So where?"
"Right here, actually" King said.
They made it to the ground and landed on a sidewalk. A black car's door opened. Willie got in the back and King got in the passenger's seat. In the driver's seat was a blonde female, and also, King's Mistress. Sable Thorpe.
"How are you darling?" He leaned over to kiss her. Willie grabbed his head in anger.
"Can we move the car?"
She stepped on the gas. It wasn't long before police were following them.
"Give me one second." Sable said. She reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a gun. She turned around and shot the cop car a couple times. One of the cars swerved off of the road.
"May I please?" Willie said annoyingly
"Do it" King said
Soon, the road behind them exploded, most of the cop cars fell right inside. One was able to stop in time, and Willie simply flung that one off of the road. He turned around
"That's one way to do it" King said.
Their car sped off
-x-
10:40 PM. In the corner of the street stood the second most expensive restaurant in all of Gotham City. It was going to close soon, so surely, now would be the time when a lot of people would be beginning to leave. Hiding in the shadows next to the building stood Melanie in the Ten suit. She held something that resembled a typical playing card. But this card, when released, would turn from a benign Ten of Hearts to a razor sharp blade. She had several more in her pockets. Ten slowly looked through the window of the restaurant. A well groomed man and overly flamboyant wife were about to walk out of the restaurant. Ten rushed to the front of the restaurant. She held the card in her hand, ready to throw it. However, she froze for a second and thought out loud.
"Can I really do this?"
She took a look at the card
"Maybe I….no. I can't leave. If I don't do this for myself, no one else will care enough to help. Then again, if Terry's ever gonna care about me again, then I can't do this…maybe there's another way…"
Her train of thought was interrupted by a scream. She looked up. The couple had walked out of the restaurant and seen her. They both took off running.
"There is no other way. I have to chase them."
She ran after them. Her athletic skills greatly outdid theirs. Every time they would try to knock over a garbage can or something else to obstruct her, she would somersault over it and run faster. She was already catching up to them.
Terry McGinnis in the Batman suit was flying the batmobile. He was talking to Mr. Wayne on the intercom.
"Looks like the night's pretty slow. I think the criminals are finally beginning to fear you too much to come out at night." Bruce Wayne said
"Yeah…" Batman moaned back
"Alright McGinnis, what's your problem?"
"What? It's nothing. I don't have a problem."
Bruce didn't respond. Batman sighed.
"It's just that…"
"Yes?"
"Melanie showed up today"
"You mean Ten. Terry, don't even think about getting back together with her. She's not good company."
"That's what I told her, but still, I felt kinda bad for the way I put it."
"explain…"
"I basically told her to get out of my life"
"Good. Now you're starting to talk like Batman."
"But I feel bad about it. She didn't seem like she wanted to hurt anyone anymore. In fact, the reason she came was because she and her brother were in a lot of financial trouble because they're trying to live honestly now."
Bruce was sitting in front of the giant computer. He was talking to Batman through it.
"Like I said McGinnis, you did the right thing by ignoring her. Take it from me, kid. This is a ride that's not worth going on. "
"Wayne, look in my backpack."
Bruce looked under the table. Terry's backpack was right there.
"Look in the second lowest pouch on the left. It's under all the CDs." Terry instructed.
Bruce did as he said. He pulled out a small, folded photograph.
"You got it?"
"Yeah…"
"Now open it up."
He did so. It was a picture of Terry and Melanie. It was the same one that she kept under her pillow.
"It's a picture of you two…"Bruce said
"So you see why I can't just ignore her? She was there for me when I broke up with Dana, and I thought that my world was going to end. This isn't a ride for her, Mr. Wayne, it's her life. Maybe she really has changed. Maybe she…"
He suddenly stopped talking. Bruce Wayne spoke
"McGinnis? McGinnis!"
The scene went back to Terry flying the batmobile.
"Hey Bruce, remember all those nice things I just said about Melanie?"
"Um, yeah."
"I take it all back"
He could see Ten chasing a couple through the streets. She threw several razor sharp cards to try and stop them, and was catching up.
The two people were growing tired. The man accidently tripped and landed on the ground. The woman had stopped in his tracks. Ten finally caught up to them both.
"I can keep this up all night if I have to. So let's just see the creds."
"Okay, look. Here they are." The woman held out her purse.
Ten wound back to throw a card and break the strap. She threw it, but it never made it to the bag. A batarang caught it in mid course and deflected it.
"Oh no…" Ten whispered
Batman jumped down and tackled Ten to the ground.
"You two, get out now!"
The couple got up and ran one last time. Batman held Ten to the ground.
"Batman, listen…"
Batman let go of her
"No!" Batman yelled. "I'm done listening to you."
"I know how bad this looks right now, but I…I promise I won't do this again. I wasn't even going to do it again, this would have been the last time! It's just…it's just"
"Save it for the police!" Batman yelled "I'm taking you in!"
"No! Please, you can't do that!"
"Why not?"
"Because I'm one of the good guys now! I promise!"
"The good guys don't steal from innocent people"
"I know, but, it's just in my blood to steal, and I guess I didn't think it through"
"I don't need to be listening to this. I should take you to jail right now where crooks like you belong"
"Well what about you!" Ten finally yelled. "You don't follow every law either, do you?"
"That's because I AM one of the good guys. And you're nothing more than a common criminal."
Batman turned around
"I can't believe I ever thought anything different." He said quieter
"Batman, please…" Ten pleaded. "I need you to understand. I'm not the same person that you met in the royal flush gang."
Batman turned back around and faced her
"I've changed now. I'm a different girl…"
Batman paused for a second, and slowly said one last thing.
"No you're not."
He flew off. He went back into his Batmobile and it flew away.
Ten was holding back tears. She turned around began to run back home.
-x-
Batman angrily pounded his fist down on the Batmobile's dashboard.
"Rough night?"
"I don't wanna hear it Wayne."
"Well then hear this. There's a distress call just a couple kilometers north of you. It looks to me like someone took a hostage. That should take your mind off of your little friend."
"yeah, okay."
Soon he arrived at an empty, six story building.
"This place looks okay to me…" Batman said. As if on demand, Batman heard a scream.
"Nevermind."
He got out of the batmobile and flew up in the direction of the scream. He eventually landed on the top of the building. There was a girl who was blindfolded and tied up by the hands. She was facing away from Batman. She was still screaming for help. Batman ran over there. Bruce, who was watching through Batman's suit, noticed something.
"Wait a minute." He said. "The knot on her hands looks too loose. No one would be tied up with… TERRY!"
Batman flipped the woman over.
"Calm down. You're safe now…"
To his surprise, it was Sable Thorpe. Inside her mouth was a small device. She spat it out at Batman, who tried to block with his arm. But that's what she was hoping he would do. It quickly clinged onto his suit and sent a shock through his entire body. Batman screamed.
"Terry!"
He lost all connection. All Bruce could see was static.
Sable stood up and let go of the rope around her hands, and took off the blindfold. Soon the shocking stopped, and Batman tried to fight her. He tried to throw a punch, and Sable simply grabbed onto his arm. Batman tried to break free, but couldn't. Sable punched him in the face, spun him around and then kicked him in the jaw.
"We've figured something out about you Batman…" Sable said. Batman was grabbed from behind, and then thrown across the roof. It hurt a lot. He turned around and, to his surprise, could see King in full armor next to Sable. King walked up to him.
"You're not what makes the suit…"
Batman tried to get up and turn invisible. He pressed the switch on his belt, but nothing happened. He even tried to fly towards them, and that didn't work either. While he was distracted, King knocked him over again, and then kicked him in the stomach.
"The suit is what makes you. Without its power…you're no stronger or faster than your average teenage punk."
Batman had never felt so weak. King grabbed him by the suit and held him over the top of the building.
"Time to scratch one bat…"
Luckily, Batman managed to get a batarang into his hand. He threw it at King's armor for a distraction, and then kneed him in the spleen. For a second King let go of him and Batman ran away. He tried to pry the device off of his arm, but an extremely fast Sable soon punched him once again. Batman was able to dodge a second punch, and pushed Sable to the ground. He turned around and hit King in the face, but he barely flinched. Batman used all of his strength to try and take him down, but it was no good. Batman felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, and to his complete shock, he saw Willie Watt.
"Sweet dreams Batman."
Willie ducked, and a small tree hit Batman square in the face. He was completely knocked out. Willie, King and Sable surrounded an unconscious Batman.
"Déjà vu much?" Willie said sarcastically
"So what are we going to do with him?" Sable asked. King pointed his sword at Batman's neck.
"We could kill him now…" King said
"We SHOULD kill him now" Willie insisted. "If we hesitate, then there will be room for mistakes."
"Like what? It's not like anyone can help him now" King said
"What exactly do you want to do with him" Willy said. It was obvious that he was growing very annoyed
"In a game of cards, you never give up your strongest card first. You have to see how much you can get with your weaker cards before you trump everyone with your strong suit"
"What the heck are you blabbering about, old man?" Wilile said
"If we kill him now, it will be over. But I'm thinking, what if we held him for ransom. This city isn't much without its hero. To them, he could be very valuable. Do you know how many people would bid to get him back?"
"So what are we gonna do? Let him go when someone pays us enough? That's stupid! We'll be right back at square one"
"No. We kill him anyway. In the end. First, we can see how much we can get off of him, and then we off him anyway. We'll keep him in this building." King insisted.
"What if he breaks free?" Willie asked
"Don't worry" Sable interjected. "The device I put on him won't come off easily. It fried his suit entirely. No one, not even he, can pry it off with his own strength. And even if he did, it wouldn't do him much good. His suit's mere fabric now. All electronic features are forever dead." Sable explained. Willie cocked his eyebrow.
"She thinks of everything." King said "Much more efficient than my old, useless wife."
"Well if there's no crazy security feature on this…why not take a look at who's really behind the mask." Willie said.
"Allow me." King insisted
He leaned over to pull the mask off. Suddenly, gas sprayed out of it. King quickly stepped back as his eyes began to burn. He began to yell.
"My guess is that's not an electronic feature." Sable said
"Forget it! Just get him inside!"
Willie and Sable picked him up and dragged him to the door on top of the roof. King looked the unconscious Batman in the eye.
"Today, you're finally going to pay for what you did to me and my family Batman. And soon, my daughter will be able to look up to me once again as a leader without having to live in fear of you…Let's take him in."
The three of them opened the door and dragged Batman in. They locked the door behind them.