Batman Beyond The End of Batman
Chapter 7
After an hour of watching Terry being hurt and tortured by the villains of Gotham, Bruce looked at Terry's family and then at Barbara.
"Barbara, maybe we should send the boy to school, he does not need to be watching this after all," Bruce said calmly.
Barbara looked over to where young Mat McGinnis sat crying in Max's arms, but not taking his eyes off the screen where his older brother, his hero, was being hurt and tortured and Barbara winced. She remembered what her father had said about looking at the pictures Joker had taken of her, how that torture had been, watching Joker shoot her and then being dragged off, not knowing if she were alive or dead. Her father had been so relieved when the doctors had done a risky surgery and saved her legs, allowing her to walk again, he had tortured himself every day about what had happened to her. Now she was the Commissioner, and she was watching poor young Mat McGinnis watch his big brother being tortured when he could be elsewhere, not having to watch this. Barbara nodded at Bruce.
"I can have McAlister take him to his school and guard him there and keep him safe…I agree that he doesn't need to see all this, it will only torture him more," she sighed and walked over to Mat, "Come on kid, lets get you to school."
Mat pulled away from her, keeping his eyes on the screen, on Terry's face, the whole time, "No, I'm not leaving, my brother needs me, I can't leave!" Mat wanted his voice to sound strong, his brother had always been his hero, but now he knew his brother was Batman and he idolized him all the more. He had to be here, he had to be with his brother, he had to do something, but Barbara put her hand on his shoulder.
"Your brother would not want you here watching this, he would want you in school, come on kid, you'll be safe there, I'll have my best man there protecting you, and we will be here working to find him, I promise," Barbara had bent down to his level and smiled warmly at him. Mat shook his head again, tears filling his eyes, and that was when Mary came to his side.
"Mat, the Commissioner is right, you need to be in school, it's what Terry would want…I'll be by after school to pick you up, but she's right, you need to be strong for your brother, you need to go to school," Mary smiled warmly at him, showing her motherly love and hiding all her pain. She would not show pain to Mat, she would be strong.
Mat sighed and then nodded, "Alright, but I am coming right back here after school, Terry needs me!"
Barbara escorted Mat out and Officer McAlister drove Mat to school and stood guard at his classroom door. When Barbara returned, she saw Bruce still staring at the screen. She sighed and walked up to him, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Bruce, none of this is your fault…You didn't know Powers was really Blight, and you know McGinnis would have rushed in on this anyways, he was obsessed with taking Powers down and he thinks of you as a father figure of sorts, he would have done anything to protect you, or haven't you already learned that," Barbara asked with a raised eyebrow. Bruce grunted and turned back to the screen, trying to find a way to help Terry, there had to be something he was overlooking.
"Max, have you found him yet," Bruce growled at her.
"No Mr. Wayne, I am still trying to track him, but it's not an easy job," she replied.
"What's taking so long," he growled in anger.
"I'm sorry, but the signal is bouncing all over the place, as soon as I pinpoint it, it moves to another point and then another and then another, I can't keep it down!"
"Well try harder," He growled.
"Mr. Wayne," Max said turning to him, "I know you are worried about Terry, I am too, but yelling at me will not find him any faster." Max sighed and turned back to the computer, "I will find him, but it's going to take time."
"Time is not something we have," Bruce replied, wishing he had told Terry no that morning, he should have never let him come to that meeting as Batman, he should have had him there as his personal assistant.
"Mr. Wayne, Terry is strong, he'll make it through this…" Max turned back to her computer and turned her back on the screen with Terry on it. In truth, Terry was her best friend and she could not make herself watch this broadcast, it was tearing her apart. Her computer had a small screen showing just Terry's face, and even that hurt her to look at. She wanted to find Terry just as much as everyone else so she began typing even faster, determined to find him. Bruce took his eyes off Terry and looked at Max. He saw the hurt in her eyes and the determination on her face and sighed. He walked over to her slowly and put a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped slightly.
"I know you are doing your best, and you are right, we will find him…" He gave her a small smile, a rare thing for him to show, and she smiled back.
Page Break
A couple of hours had passed when a new development came on screen. Terry's face had hung low for the most part other then when he was forced to look up, but now he was looking up with frantic eyes, staring directly at the camera.
"NO! No! You can't have him! Powers, you have me, just let him go," Terry's voice sounded frantic, and when Powers entered the screen, Max and Bruce knew why. Barbara had taken Mrs. McGinnis upstairs for some tea, peppermint tea to calm the nerves, and it was a good thing too. On the screen came Blight, and in his hand he held a struggling Mat. Max gasped in surprise and Bruce's eyes narrowed.
"Now why would I do that McGinnis? We are here to break you, and what better way then to bring this little youngster," Blight said ruffling Mat's hair, "into the story. Frankly McGinnis, you had given up the fight, you were just accepting the defeat and that takes the fun away from our little game," Blight said with a smirk.
"Leave my little brother ALONE," Terry thundered, straining aginst his restraints, trying his hardest to get to Blight.
"Ah, now see, that is the fight we were looking for in you, maybe if we just played around with this little one a bit…"
"NO! You leave him ALONE Blight, or so help me I'll…"
"You'll what McGinnis, face it, you can't do anything," Blight said with a smirk as he stroked Mat's cheek. Mat gave a little yelp as a bit of Blight's power rubbed on his cheek and burned him and Terry lost it.
"BLIGHT! YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE OR SO HELP ME I'LL KILL YOU," Terry thundered and Blight laughed, and that was when Bruce heard the sound of a cup smashing to the floor in the cave and he knew Mrs. McGinnis had entered the cave again.
"NO! NOT MY BABY BOY TOO," she cried out in pain and Barbara was once again there to catch her before she fell.
Bruce was about to say something when he saw Ten, Melanie Walker, walk onto the screen. Bruce had known about Terry's little fling with her when he and Dania had a fight, but he didn't know what to think of the girl now. She had betrayed Terry once and led him right into the hands of the Jokers, so he didn't really know if she was a trustworthy ally right now.
"Blight, sir, let me take the kid…McGinnis won't know what is happening to the kid that way, and I will keep a tight grip on him so he won't be able to get away…If the kid gives me any trouble, I will punish him," She smirked and Terry frowned, or scowled was a better word for it.
Blight got a nasty grin on his face as he looked at Terry and then his little brother and then at Ten, and then he shoved Mat into Ten's arms, "I think that's a great idea Ten, be sure to keep the kid in line, and don't be afraid to hurt him, even if it is just for fun…"
"Oh I won't sir," she said dragging a struggling Mat off.
"NO! NO! You can't DO this to me! I HAVE to be with my brother, I HAVE to PROTECT him," Mat billowed as he was dragged off.
Bruce watched the screen with a scowl and then his scowl deepened when the intercom at the gate buzzed and he saw Dania and her friend Chelsea Cuttingham at the gate. He frowned at the screen but pressed the comm. link, "What do you want, we're busy," he growled!
"Mr. Wayne, I am Dania, Terry's girlfriend, and this is Chelsea, a friend of Terry's and mine and…"
"I know who you are," he growled again, "and I don't have time for this, we're busy!"
"I KNOW," Dania replied, sounding annoyed, "but Chelsea knows where Terry is being held…"
Max, Barbara, Mrs. McGinnis, and Bruce all looked up at the screen where Chelsea and Dania now stood at the gate. "Come in," Bruce replied slowly and pressed a button opening the gate.
