Noticed a few formatting issues with the last chapter, so from now on:
*internal dialogue* (i.e. thoughts)
I still don't own this, in case anyone's wondering.
******************************************
It was a very sober group that left Dr. Tikkainen's office to meet a very angry Tim and Matt.
"Lady Millstone called the press," Tim snarled. Dr. Tikkainen's response was probably rude, but it was in Finnish and he didn't seem likely to offer a translation.
"Oh, God," Mary moaned.
"Let me and Bruce handle this," Barbara said. "We're old hands at giving the press a smackdown."
"Tim, you sneak Matt out the side door, get the car, and bring it around. We'll take them home and make plans to deal with this properly later. Barbara-"
"I'll have Dreyfus and Rosten start patrolling their neighborhood."
"That should help. I noticed Rosten had a certain rapport with the press."
Barbara's grin was pure malice; Tim's wasn't much better. Rosten's rapport with the press mostly involved seeing how rudely he could address them without having his remarks censored when and if they aired.
"You're an evil woman, Barbara," Tim said.
"And don't you forget it. Doctor, I think you'd better stay in your office. With any luck they won't have your name yet."
"Right. And if they do, I can 'no comment' with the best of them."
He disappeared into his office with a wave. Tim and Matt went in search of the side door. Bruce, Barbara, and Mary exchanged grim glances then headed for the lobby, Bruce in the lead with his best Bat-glare in place. Mary whispered something to Barbara, who choked back a laugh. Bruce didn't have a chance to ask before they were greeted by a tumult of cameras and questions. He fended off most of them with a glare and/or a "no comment"; the more persistent ones Barbara tackled. His equanimity faltered only once when a really pushy reporter broke through to Mary and she couldn't possibly have said what he heard.
Finally they made it through to the car. Mary was guided into the back beside Matt, Barbara made a break for her own car, and Bruce ducked in the front with Tim, who gunned the motor. The press, not sure they wanted to trust in the good will of the famously irascible Bruce Wayne, scattered and the car shot ahead. Before long they were regrouped at the McGinnis apartment, sitting in the living room and pretending they didn't notice Matt listening through his cracked-open bedroom door. Bruce couldn't restrain his curiosity any longer.
"Mrs. McGinnis, what did you say to Barbara back there?"
"I said it felt like the Charge of the Light Brigade."
"Ah. And did I really hear you tell that reporter to get her camera out of your face or you'd take it and-"
"-And shove it between the lips she never kissed with? Yes, you did."
Mary was blushing furiously but still looking proud of herself. Tim, seemingly awestruck, dropped to one knee before her.
"Marry me," he begged.
"Tempting, but I think your wife might object," she responded dryly.
"Yeah, you're probably right. Oh, well."
Bruce was about to put a stop to the fooling when the doorbell rang. Tim immediately sprang to his feet.
"My turn," he grinned. However, he returned with Max, Dana, and Dalrymple. "Guess I'll have to torment the press later. You guys sure moved fast."
"We tried calling," Dana said.
"We turned off the phone," Mary told her. Max nodded.
"Makes sense. Anyway, I set my computer to page me any time a new story about Terry popped up. I was with Dana when this one broke and we decided we'd have a better chance of talking to you if we waited 'til you got back here. We spotted Mr. D on the way over. So how is he and when do we give those dregs the smackdown they got coming?"
"The press or the Jokerz," Mary asked.
"Both."
"We were about to get to that," Bruce said resigned. In all honesty, he couldn't object to their presence no matter how much he hated having them involved. But they were involved whether he liked it or not; Terry's girlfriend, his best friend, and the only witness to his abduction would be considered prime targets by the press and while he suspected Dalrymple could easily handle them he wasn't so sure of Dana and the thought of Max in the hands of a skilled reporter made his blood run cold. Or was that the thought of a skilled reporter in the hands of Max? "Is there anyone else who you think should be here, Mrs. McGinnis?"
"I think at this point you can call me Mary, Mr. Wayne. And no, I can't think of anyone. So what should we do?"
"We'll all have to talk to them eventually, with or without a press conference- hopefully without. It's best to be open, honest, and completely uninformative. Right now there isn't anything we need to hide about his condition but that doesn't mean they need to know everything. At this point I'd say use your own best judgment. If something comes up we can reassess our strategy. If they get pushy, push back. Try not to get physical."
"And if you do, remember that heads are hard, stomachs are soft."
"Thank you, Tim. Barbara?"
"I'll be arranging for a more obvious police presence in all of your neighborhoods, and not just to deter the press. It seems unlikely, but it is possible the Jokerz may come after you, especially if Terry wakes up soon."
"Wakes up?" Max and Dana chorused. Dalrymple frowned.
"My dear Commissioner, that is a rather ominous choice of words. Exactly what, may I ask, is the lad's condition?"
"I'm afraid he's in a coma. The Jokerz beat him very badly. He has... numerous injuries."
"Dear God," Dalrymple whispered, paling. Dana gasped, tears springing up in her eyes. Max, for once, was speechless.
"We've spoken to his doctor," Bruce said. "He has every expectation Terry will make a full recovery. He seems competent-"
"But you're going to investigate him anyway," Tim muttered.
"Of course. I'm also planning on calling in a few-" He broke off as his phone rang. Shrugging apologetically, he checked the caller id, then almost smiled as he recognized the number. "I think I'd better take this one; excuse me. -Hello Virgil. I wasn't expecting to hear from you quite so soon. -oh. Of course. - Yes. -No, unfortunately. He's in a coma and there are other complications. ....... -Yes, I know. -Why am I not surprised? -Yes. Yes, I will. Thank you, Virgil, and thank Richie for me."
He rang off to find Tim and Barbara grinning at each other.
"So," Tim said, "What's Foley built this time? Or should I ask?"
"Nothing yet.. He was working on a device that would locate Terry's DNA, but when he heard the news he converted it into an ultra-high-resolution vidcam with built-in Web access."
"Figures."
"I have got to meet this guy," Max breathed, impressed.
"You probably will" *and God help us all when you do* "Because they'll be here in a few days. Richie's already started work on something to pinpoint how soon Terry will wake up. He expects to have it ready by the time he and Virgil get here."
"Figures," Tim repeated. "Well, back to business, I guess."
"Yes. Barbara?"
"Right. Mr. Dalrymple, I'm particularly worried about you. I'd like to put you in a safe house."
"Safer than the Clarendon? My dear lady, the Jokerz haven't dared show their faces in that area since the Noodle Incident three years ago. Do you know on hot summer days you can still smell the oregano? I do thank you for your concern and I give you my word that I will be more cautious, but the Clarendon is my home and I do not wish to leave it. Besides," he concluded wryly, "where else would I find a community in which I was not considered eccentric or even completely mad?"
"Is Marleigh Dantriss still there?"
"As creative as ever."
"That's scary. Dahvi Sutherland?"
"Oh, yes."
"Seamus Caveny?"
"Alas, no. He is at present spending thirty days as your guest for contempt of court. I believe he called the judge a corrupt latte-swilling corporate lackey, which was as injudicious as it was accurate. However, Meg Jensen, Tess Miyazaki, and Alex Euresti are still in residence. Would they constitute an effective bodyguard?"
"They'll do. I don't generally approve of using civilians, but in this case... I'm still putting extra patrols in the area, though."
"I trust you will hear few complaints. I would say no complaints, but Miss Harrington is still in residence as well."
"Ouch."
"Indeed."
"Right. I'm also putting more men on the security wing. Noone gets in to see him unless they're with one of us or their name is on the list we're about to make. Shall we get to work?"
******************************************
"That was a lot more useful than I expected," Tim commented as he turned onto the road leading to the manor.
"I just hope we convinced Max- and Matt- not to do anything rash."
"Heh. But who were those people Babs and Dalrymple were talking about and do I even want to know about the noodle incident?"
"Ask Barbara. Or Dalrymple."
"Be good to see Virgil and Richie again."
"Yes."
"So, how badly are you wanting to throttle that Miller woman?"
"Very. I'd hoped to keep this quiet, but we never really had a chance. First the screwup with the police scanner and that reporter recognizing Terry's name, now this... It's frustrating. Mary doesn't need this. I don't need this. And Terry certainly doesn't. But we've got it, and now we're going to have to deal with the consequences."
****************************************
In a tiny two bedroom apartment at the Clarendon a slim, pretty blonde carefully smoothed her cowl over her pinned up hair. Checking her reflection in the mirror, she nodded, satisfied.
"Almost ready, Jack?"
"I'm waiting for you, actually. Mel, are you sure about this?"
Melanie Walker strode into the kitchen/living room/everything else.
"I dumped Terry so I wouldn't ruin his life. I hoped maybe when when I finally straightened myself out... He cared, Jack. He risked his job, his relationship, even his freedom to help me. If I'd been caught there, he'd have been charged as an accessory, you know that. I owe him.. Even if I didn't, I still love him and I'm going to make those dregs pay for what they did to him."
Jack eyed his sister warily. She'd been obsessing over this boy the way their father had over Batman, and that worried him.
"How far are you planning on taking this?"
"We don't kill. I want them dead, but I'd never be able to face him if I'd killed somebody. Now let's go."
*******************************************
On a rooftop in Old Town Stalker kept an enhanced eye out for Jokerz. They had tried to take his prey- and without even a proper hunt. They were no better than the hyenas prized by the maniac they worshiped. They were not worth killing. Instead, he would do as the Bat would and leave them where the police could easily find them.. And if one or two were damaged on the way, so be it. Stalker smiled faintly as he caught sight of of a thatch of green hair. It was time to hunt.
*******************************************
On a houseboat on the Gotham river, Mad Stan replayed Mary McGinnis' comment for the 37th time. This was his kind of woman. Okay, she was with corporate deathlord Bruce Wayne and that tool of a corrupt system Commissioner Gordon, but he could live with that. She was under a lot of stress and probably not thinking clearly, that's all. Besides, despite them being enemies of the people, he kinda liked those two. The Commish was one tough broad and Wayne had given a public smackdown to the True Evil- Derek Powers- on more than one occasion. Also, he suspected if he'd had a chance to go against Wayne in his prime, Wayne would have kicked his butt even easier than Batman. He respected that.
Now what was this other idiot saying? This was the second time the Jokerz had hit that family? They'd killed the woman's ex-husband and now they put her kid in the hospital? That wasn't right. The Jokerz were a living symbol of everything wrong with this corrupt and degenerate city. Someone should do something. But what?
Blow 'em all up, of course.
"BLOW 'EM ALL UP!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"
*******************************************
Still continuing...
*internal dialogue* (i.e. thoughts)
I still don't own this, in case anyone's wondering.
******************************************
It was a very sober group that left Dr. Tikkainen's office to meet a very angry Tim and Matt.
"Lady Millstone called the press," Tim snarled. Dr. Tikkainen's response was probably rude, but it was in Finnish and he didn't seem likely to offer a translation.
"Oh, God," Mary moaned.
"Let me and Bruce handle this," Barbara said. "We're old hands at giving the press a smackdown."
"Tim, you sneak Matt out the side door, get the car, and bring it around. We'll take them home and make plans to deal with this properly later. Barbara-"
"I'll have Dreyfus and Rosten start patrolling their neighborhood."
"That should help. I noticed Rosten had a certain rapport with the press."
Barbara's grin was pure malice; Tim's wasn't much better. Rosten's rapport with the press mostly involved seeing how rudely he could address them without having his remarks censored when and if they aired.
"You're an evil woman, Barbara," Tim said.
"And don't you forget it. Doctor, I think you'd better stay in your office. With any luck they won't have your name yet."
"Right. And if they do, I can 'no comment' with the best of them."
He disappeared into his office with a wave. Tim and Matt went in search of the side door. Bruce, Barbara, and Mary exchanged grim glances then headed for the lobby, Bruce in the lead with his best Bat-glare in place. Mary whispered something to Barbara, who choked back a laugh. Bruce didn't have a chance to ask before they were greeted by a tumult of cameras and questions. He fended off most of them with a glare and/or a "no comment"; the more persistent ones Barbara tackled. His equanimity faltered only once when a really pushy reporter broke through to Mary and she couldn't possibly have said what he heard.
Finally they made it through to the car. Mary was guided into the back beside Matt, Barbara made a break for her own car, and Bruce ducked in the front with Tim, who gunned the motor. The press, not sure they wanted to trust in the good will of the famously irascible Bruce Wayne, scattered and the car shot ahead. Before long they were regrouped at the McGinnis apartment, sitting in the living room and pretending they didn't notice Matt listening through his cracked-open bedroom door. Bruce couldn't restrain his curiosity any longer.
"Mrs. McGinnis, what did you say to Barbara back there?"
"I said it felt like the Charge of the Light Brigade."
"Ah. And did I really hear you tell that reporter to get her camera out of your face or you'd take it and-"
"-And shove it between the lips she never kissed with? Yes, you did."
Mary was blushing furiously but still looking proud of herself. Tim, seemingly awestruck, dropped to one knee before her.
"Marry me," he begged.
"Tempting, but I think your wife might object," she responded dryly.
"Yeah, you're probably right. Oh, well."
Bruce was about to put a stop to the fooling when the doorbell rang. Tim immediately sprang to his feet.
"My turn," he grinned. However, he returned with Max, Dana, and Dalrymple. "Guess I'll have to torment the press later. You guys sure moved fast."
"We tried calling," Dana said.
"We turned off the phone," Mary told her. Max nodded.
"Makes sense. Anyway, I set my computer to page me any time a new story about Terry popped up. I was with Dana when this one broke and we decided we'd have a better chance of talking to you if we waited 'til you got back here. We spotted Mr. D on the way over. So how is he and when do we give those dregs the smackdown they got coming?"
"The press or the Jokerz," Mary asked.
"Both."
"We were about to get to that," Bruce said resigned. In all honesty, he couldn't object to their presence no matter how much he hated having them involved. But they were involved whether he liked it or not; Terry's girlfriend, his best friend, and the only witness to his abduction would be considered prime targets by the press and while he suspected Dalrymple could easily handle them he wasn't so sure of Dana and the thought of Max in the hands of a skilled reporter made his blood run cold. Or was that the thought of a skilled reporter in the hands of Max? "Is there anyone else who you think should be here, Mrs. McGinnis?"
"I think at this point you can call me Mary, Mr. Wayne. And no, I can't think of anyone. So what should we do?"
"We'll all have to talk to them eventually, with or without a press conference- hopefully without. It's best to be open, honest, and completely uninformative. Right now there isn't anything we need to hide about his condition but that doesn't mean they need to know everything. At this point I'd say use your own best judgment. If something comes up we can reassess our strategy. If they get pushy, push back. Try not to get physical."
"And if you do, remember that heads are hard, stomachs are soft."
"Thank you, Tim. Barbara?"
"I'll be arranging for a more obvious police presence in all of your neighborhoods, and not just to deter the press. It seems unlikely, but it is possible the Jokerz may come after you, especially if Terry wakes up soon."
"Wakes up?" Max and Dana chorused. Dalrymple frowned.
"My dear Commissioner, that is a rather ominous choice of words. Exactly what, may I ask, is the lad's condition?"
"I'm afraid he's in a coma. The Jokerz beat him very badly. He has... numerous injuries."
"Dear God," Dalrymple whispered, paling. Dana gasped, tears springing up in her eyes. Max, for once, was speechless.
"We've spoken to his doctor," Bruce said. "He has every expectation Terry will make a full recovery. He seems competent-"
"But you're going to investigate him anyway," Tim muttered.
"Of course. I'm also planning on calling in a few-" He broke off as his phone rang. Shrugging apologetically, he checked the caller id, then almost smiled as he recognized the number. "I think I'd better take this one; excuse me. -Hello Virgil. I wasn't expecting to hear from you quite so soon. -oh. Of course. - Yes. -No, unfortunately. He's in a coma and there are other complications. ....... -Yes, I know. -Why am I not surprised? -Yes. Yes, I will. Thank you, Virgil, and thank Richie for me."
He rang off to find Tim and Barbara grinning at each other.
"So," Tim said, "What's Foley built this time? Or should I ask?"
"Nothing yet.. He was working on a device that would locate Terry's DNA, but when he heard the news he converted it into an ultra-high-resolution vidcam with built-in Web access."
"Figures."
"I have got to meet this guy," Max breathed, impressed.
"You probably will" *and God help us all when you do* "Because they'll be here in a few days. Richie's already started work on something to pinpoint how soon Terry will wake up. He expects to have it ready by the time he and Virgil get here."
"Figures," Tim repeated. "Well, back to business, I guess."
"Yes. Barbara?"
"Right. Mr. Dalrymple, I'm particularly worried about you. I'd like to put you in a safe house."
"Safer than the Clarendon? My dear lady, the Jokerz haven't dared show their faces in that area since the Noodle Incident three years ago. Do you know on hot summer days you can still smell the oregano? I do thank you for your concern and I give you my word that I will be more cautious, but the Clarendon is my home and I do not wish to leave it. Besides," he concluded wryly, "where else would I find a community in which I was not considered eccentric or even completely mad?"
"Is Marleigh Dantriss still there?"
"As creative as ever."
"That's scary. Dahvi Sutherland?"
"Oh, yes."
"Seamus Caveny?"
"Alas, no. He is at present spending thirty days as your guest for contempt of court. I believe he called the judge a corrupt latte-swilling corporate lackey, which was as injudicious as it was accurate. However, Meg Jensen, Tess Miyazaki, and Alex Euresti are still in residence. Would they constitute an effective bodyguard?"
"They'll do. I don't generally approve of using civilians, but in this case... I'm still putting extra patrols in the area, though."
"I trust you will hear few complaints. I would say no complaints, but Miss Harrington is still in residence as well."
"Ouch."
"Indeed."
"Right. I'm also putting more men on the security wing. Noone gets in to see him unless they're with one of us or their name is on the list we're about to make. Shall we get to work?"
******************************************
"That was a lot more useful than I expected," Tim commented as he turned onto the road leading to the manor.
"I just hope we convinced Max- and Matt- not to do anything rash."
"Heh. But who were those people Babs and Dalrymple were talking about and do I even want to know about the noodle incident?"
"Ask Barbara. Or Dalrymple."
"Be good to see Virgil and Richie again."
"Yes."
"So, how badly are you wanting to throttle that Miller woman?"
"Very. I'd hoped to keep this quiet, but we never really had a chance. First the screwup with the police scanner and that reporter recognizing Terry's name, now this... It's frustrating. Mary doesn't need this. I don't need this. And Terry certainly doesn't. But we've got it, and now we're going to have to deal with the consequences."
****************************************
In a tiny two bedroom apartment at the Clarendon a slim, pretty blonde carefully smoothed her cowl over her pinned up hair. Checking her reflection in the mirror, she nodded, satisfied.
"Almost ready, Jack?"
"I'm waiting for you, actually. Mel, are you sure about this?"
Melanie Walker strode into the kitchen/living room/everything else.
"I dumped Terry so I wouldn't ruin his life. I hoped maybe when when I finally straightened myself out... He cared, Jack. He risked his job, his relationship, even his freedom to help me. If I'd been caught there, he'd have been charged as an accessory, you know that. I owe him.. Even if I didn't, I still love him and I'm going to make those dregs pay for what they did to him."
Jack eyed his sister warily. She'd been obsessing over this boy the way their father had over Batman, and that worried him.
"How far are you planning on taking this?"
"We don't kill. I want them dead, but I'd never be able to face him if I'd killed somebody. Now let's go."
*******************************************
On a rooftop in Old Town Stalker kept an enhanced eye out for Jokerz. They had tried to take his prey- and without even a proper hunt. They were no better than the hyenas prized by the maniac they worshiped. They were not worth killing. Instead, he would do as the Bat would and leave them where the police could easily find them.. And if one or two were damaged on the way, so be it. Stalker smiled faintly as he caught sight of of a thatch of green hair. It was time to hunt.
*******************************************
On a houseboat on the Gotham river, Mad Stan replayed Mary McGinnis' comment for the 37th time. This was his kind of woman. Okay, she was with corporate deathlord Bruce Wayne and that tool of a corrupt system Commissioner Gordon, but he could live with that. She was under a lot of stress and probably not thinking clearly, that's all. Besides, despite them being enemies of the people, he kinda liked those two. The Commish was one tough broad and Wayne had given a public smackdown to the True Evil- Derek Powers- on more than one occasion. Also, he suspected if he'd had a chance to go against Wayne in his prime, Wayne would have kicked his butt even easier than Batman. He respected that.
Now what was this other idiot saying? This was the second time the Jokerz had hit that family? They'd killed the woman's ex-husband and now they put her kid in the hospital? That wasn't right. The Jokerz were a living symbol of everything wrong with this corrupt and degenerate city. Someone should do something. But what?
Blow 'em all up, of course.
"BLOW 'EM ALL UP!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"
*******************************************
Still continuing...