*-* denotes thoughts
**************************************************
Chelsea Cunningham paced as she waited for Dana to call. Getting news to her friend was getting harder and harder; Dana's Aunt Lucy was worse than her brother, Dana's father, and was trying to keep Dana's pure little ears from being sullied by talk of "that awful McGinnis boy."
*I can't believe she really said that- god, she's so twentieth century!* Chelsea threw a pillow at the wall. After this, she'd probably be forbidden to speak to Dana again just like Max was. All of Terry's closest friends had been banned by Aunt Lucy. Dana hadn't been happy about that, any more than she was happy about being shipped off like a baby, missing her classes, and not being able to visit Terry. If her family had realised that Chelsea not only didn't dislike Terry but had developed what she hoped was just a crush on him after he'd come for her at Wheeler's... What is their problem? Harshing on Terry and saying Dana could be dating a "nice" boy like Nelson? Please. Terry's worth ten of Nelson. He wouldn't have run off and left Blade to almost get stomped by a giant robot. And Nelson would never have risked his life going after those Jokerz who hurt Dana. Nelson wouldn't have used his connections to help me find a decent place to live away from my father, either.
"I owe you, McGinnis," she muttered. *Why won't that slagging phone ring?*
She continued pacing.
*****************************************************
"Where's His Royal Highness?"
Shriek yawned. Billings, in his opinion, talked too much. If he answered, the guy would take that as an invitation for a heart-to-heart. Shriek supposed it was because the guy had been a psychiatrist or whatever, but that didn't make him any less annoying.
"Solitary," Jim Tate responded. "I had to haul him off Splicerboy after the twip made some crack about his family going legit. He acted like it was a bad thing."
Shriek and Billings exchanged a look. Tate just didn't get it. He probably neverwould. But then, he'd only put on his costume to steal his own work back from the company that dumped him. So it got a bit out of hand, so what? Batman had no sense of humor. The law had even less. The result was they had to put up with a guy who was only there because he'd worn a suit to commit a few crimes. He wasn't One Of Them. Section F, to its residents, was the Elite section, a section that had Standards. Costumed criminals only, thank you. These people liked to think of themselves as the new Rogues Gallery; the fact that they were the only ones who called themselves that was irrelevant.
"Mind if I catch the news?" he asked. He didn't wait for an answer and turned the TV on.
"- the royalties were not paid to the proper parties, thereby rendering the contract void. Bailey-Barre Music is expected to contest the court's ruling. And in other news, Wayne-Powers Industries has announced that it is returning to its original name, Wayne Industries. In this statement by-"
"Trying to forget about Glowboy and Junior, huh?" Shriek grinned. "Can't say I blame them- if I had a chance to forget Derek Powers, I know I'd jump on it. Hell, he's the one who got me into this gig in the first place. If he wasn't radioactive goo on the ocean floor somewhere-"
"-you'd probably be radioactive ash on a floor somewhere," Spellbinder sniped.
"Hey, shut up, you two- this is what I was waiting for!"
"-the story of Mr. Wayne's young assistant has taken a more cheerful turn with the arrival on the scene of Richard Foley, the superinventor formerly known as Gear-"
"Ah, who cares?"
"Shut up," Tate and Spellbinder snapped, riveted to the set. Shriek rolled his eyes and turned off his hearing. So some kid got smacked around by the Jokerz. Big slagging deal. Happened every day. The only reason anyone cared about this kid is because he worked for Bruce Wayne. Well, whatever the news was, it sure was making Tate happy. For that matter, Spellbinder looked pretty pleased too. Maybe he should turn his hearing back on...
"-Jared's best friend, remember? You should remember, you used both of them and it was my wedding you broke up when you were starting out."
"Oh. Heh. It was, wasn't it. Sorry about that." Spellbinder sighed. "You know, if I'd thought about it, I probably wouldn't have used McGinnis. Would you believe I actually forgot about his record? Even I have my brainfarts, I guess."
"You could have got him sent back to Juvy," Tate growled. "He didn't deserve that. He's a good kid."
"If he's such a good kid, how'd he end up in Juvy?" Shriek asked. He didn't actually care, but it was better than hearing yet another rehash of last night's King-Cuvier fight.
"His parents were gearing up for a divorce, even if they hadn't figured it out yet, the kid got in with a bad crowd. Happens all the time," Spellbinder explained. "Came out of it with some anger-management issues that I got elected to deal with. Then his father got murdered, he went to work for Wayne, and I had my bright idea. In a wierd way, I'm glad Batman was there that night. Not that I'm glad I was caught, but I'd have felt pretty bad if the kid ended up in jail because of me."
"You should feel bad anyway- pulling that stunt on Chelsea Cunningham helped get her sent to Wheeler's, and you know what happened there. Hell, if it hadn't been for McGinnis-"
"Waitaminute." Shriek held up a hand. "Is this kid some sort of trouble magnet? He ends up in Juvy, his father gets murdered, Billings here uses him as an unwilling accomplice, he gets sent to Wheeler's- am I missing anything?"
Spellbinder and Tate blinked.
"He's right," Tate admitted. "Except he didn't get sent to Wheeler's; he was snooping around because he had a bad feeling about it. Wheeler caught him and was planning on sticking him in a sensory-deprivation tank and then killing him, but Terry and this other kid started a riot that brought the house down. Batman showed up eventually, but it was really Terry and the other kid who did the hard work. But, yeah, he does get in a lot of trouble. It's not his fault, from what Jared says- trouble just seems to find him."
Spellbinder laughed.
"Maybe he should try being Batman- at least then he'd have a good excuse!"
They all laughed at that, then one by one sobered.
"Hey, you don't think...'" Shriek started, then shook his head.
"Nah," Spellbinder replied. "He wouldn't have had time, not with school, work, and his family. He is a good enough fighter, though..."
"He's a kid." Tate rolled his eyes. "Okay, so he routinely took out Jokerz in groups of five or six- that doesn't make him Batman! Besides, Batman was still out patrolling after Terry was attacked."
"Oh."
"Right."
There was a brief silence.
"It was a dumb idea, anyway," Shriek grumbled.
****************************************************
Dana swore at her luggage as its wheels caught in a crack for the thousandth time. She didn't dare take a taxi because her father would be able to track her if she did, which meant sticking to public transportation. It also meant doing a lot of walking because of course there was no direct route from the train station to Chelsea's place. She just hoped Chelsea would let her stay for a while. Only until she could get a room on-campus, of course, but Gotham University acted pretty slowly on housing matters, she'd heard.
*But I don't care. Dad said as long as I lived under his roof I had to obey his rules. Well, if that means I have to give up on Terry while he needs all the help he can get, then screw him. And if I can't stay with Chelsea, then maybe I can stay with Max- or even get a room at the Clarendon. It wouldn't be what I'm used to, but Mr. Dalrymple says it's clean and that they keep things fixed, so I can deal. Daddy is just going to have to get used to the fact that I'm not five years old anymore and will just do whatever I'm told. And I am not going to be shipped off to Aunt Lucy like I was being sent to my room for not eating my beets! One more day of her nagging and I would have been the next costumed terror to hit Metropolis! Dana Ming-Wei Tan, that scourge of dimwit aunts, bane of overbearing fathers, and general all-around defier of adult authority- The Runaway!* Dana giggled. *God, I need sleep. Or caffeine. Or both. Both would be good. Those train seats just aren't made for sleeping.*
She looked up, surprised to find herself at Chelsea's door. Taking a deep breath, she rang the bell.
***************************************************
**************************************************
Chelsea Cunningham paced as she waited for Dana to call. Getting news to her friend was getting harder and harder; Dana's Aunt Lucy was worse than her brother, Dana's father, and was trying to keep Dana's pure little ears from being sullied by talk of "that awful McGinnis boy."
*I can't believe she really said that- god, she's so twentieth century!* Chelsea threw a pillow at the wall. After this, she'd probably be forbidden to speak to Dana again just like Max was. All of Terry's closest friends had been banned by Aunt Lucy. Dana hadn't been happy about that, any more than she was happy about being shipped off like a baby, missing her classes, and not being able to visit Terry. If her family had realised that Chelsea not only didn't dislike Terry but had developed what she hoped was just a crush on him after he'd come for her at Wheeler's... What is their problem? Harshing on Terry and saying Dana could be dating a "nice" boy like Nelson? Please. Terry's worth ten of Nelson. He wouldn't have run off and left Blade to almost get stomped by a giant robot. And Nelson would never have risked his life going after those Jokerz who hurt Dana. Nelson wouldn't have used his connections to help me find a decent place to live away from my father, either.
"I owe you, McGinnis," she muttered. *Why won't that slagging phone ring?*
She continued pacing.
*****************************************************
"Where's His Royal Highness?"
Shriek yawned. Billings, in his opinion, talked too much. If he answered, the guy would take that as an invitation for a heart-to-heart. Shriek supposed it was because the guy had been a psychiatrist or whatever, but that didn't make him any less annoying.
"Solitary," Jim Tate responded. "I had to haul him off Splicerboy after the twip made some crack about his family going legit. He acted like it was a bad thing."
Shriek and Billings exchanged a look. Tate just didn't get it. He probably neverwould. But then, he'd only put on his costume to steal his own work back from the company that dumped him. So it got a bit out of hand, so what? Batman had no sense of humor. The law had even less. The result was they had to put up with a guy who was only there because he'd worn a suit to commit a few crimes. He wasn't One Of Them. Section F, to its residents, was the Elite section, a section that had Standards. Costumed criminals only, thank you. These people liked to think of themselves as the new Rogues Gallery; the fact that they were the only ones who called themselves that was irrelevant.
"Mind if I catch the news?" he asked. He didn't wait for an answer and turned the TV on.
"- the royalties were not paid to the proper parties, thereby rendering the contract void. Bailey-Barre Music is expected to contest the court's ruling. And in other news, Wayne-Powers Industries has announced that it is returning to its original name, Wayne Industries. In this statement by-"
"Trying to forget about Glowboy and Junior, huh?" Shriek grinned. "Can't say I blame them- if I had a chance to forget Derek Powers, I know I'd jump on it. Hell, he's the one who got me into this gig in the first place. If he wasn't radioactive goo on the ocean floor somewhere-"
"-you'd probably be radioactive ash on a floor somewhere," Spellbinder sniped.
"Hey, shut up, you two- this is what I was waiting for!"
"-the story of Mr. Wayne's young assistant has taken a more cheerful turn with the arrival on the scene of Richard Foley, the superinventor formerly known as Gear-"
"Ah, who cares?"
"Shut up," Tate and Spellbinder snapped, riveted to the set. Shriek rolled his eyes and turned off his hearing. So some kid got smacked around by the Jokerz. Big slagging deal. Happened every day. The only reason anyone cared about this kid is because he worked for Bruce Wayne. Well, whatever the news was, it sure was making Tate happy. For that matter, Spellbinder looked pretty pleased too. Maybe he should turn his hearing back on...
"-Jared's best friend, remember? You should remember, you used both of them and it was my wedding you broke up when you were starting out."
"Oh. Heh. It was, wasn't it. Sorry about that." Spellbinder sighed. "You know, if I'd thought about it, I probably wouldn't have used McGinnis. Would you believe I actually forgot about his record? Even I have my brainfarts, I guess."
"You could have got him sent back to Juvy," Tate growled. "He didn't deserve that. He's a good kid."
"If he's such a good kid, how'd he end up in Juvy?" Shriek asked. He didn't actually care, but it was better than hearing yet another rehash of last night's King-Cuvier fight.
"His parents were gearing up for a divorce, even if they hadn't figured it out yet, the kid got in with a bad crowd. Happens all the time," Spellbinder explained. "Came out of it with some anger-management issues that I got elected to deal with. Then his father got murdered, he went to work for Wayne, and I had my bright idea. In a wierd way, I'm glad Batman was there that night. Not that I'm glad I was caught, but I'd have felt pretty bad if the kid ended up in jail because of me."
"You should feel bad anyway- pulling that stunt on Chelsea Cunningham helped get her sent to Wheeler's, and you know what happened there. Hell, if it hadn't been for McGinnis-"
"Waitaminute." Shriek held up a hand. "Is this kid some sort of trouble magnet? He ends up in Juvy, his father gets murdered, Billings here uses him as an unwilling accomplice, he gets sent to Wheeler's- am I missing anything?"
Spellbinder and Tate blinked.
"He's right," Tate admitted. "Except he didn't get sent to Wheeler's; he was snooping around because he had a bad feeling about it. Wheeler caught him and was planning on sticking him in a sensory-deprivation tank and then killing him, but Terry and this other kid started a riot that brought the house down. Batman showed up eventually, but it was really Terry and the other kid who did the hard work. But, yeah, he does get in a lot of trouble. It's not his fault, from what Jared says- trouble just seems to find him."
Spellbinder laughed.
"Maybe he should try being Batman- at least then he'd have a good excuse!"
They all laughed at that, then one by one sobered.
"Hey, you don't think...'" Shriek started, then shook his head.
"Nah," Spellbinder replied. "He wouldn't have had time, not with school, work, and his family. He is a good enough fighter, though..."
"He's a kid." Tate rolled his eyes. "Okay, so he routinely took out Jokerz in groups of five or six- that doesn't make him Batman! Besides, Batman was still out patrolling after Terry was attacked."
"Oh."
"Right."
There was a brief silence.
"It was a dumb idea, anyway," Shriek grumbled.
****************************************************
Dana swore at her luggage as its wheels caught in a crack for the thousandth time. She didn't dare take a taxi because her father would be able to track her if she did, which meant sticking to public transportation. It also meant doing a lot of walking because of course there was no direct route from the train station to Chelsea's place. She just hoped Chelsea would let her stay for a while. Only until she could get a room on-campus, of course, but Gotham University acted pretty slowly on housing matters, she'd heard.
*But I don't care. Dad said as long as I lived under his roof I had to obey his rules. Well, if that means I have to give up on Terry while he needs all the help he can get, then screw him. And if I can't stay with Chelsea, then maybe I can stay with Max- or even get a room at the Clarendon. It wouldn't be what I'm used to, but Mr. Dalrymple says it's clean and that they keep things fixed, so I can deal. Daddy is just going to have to get used to the fact that I'm not five years old anymore and will just do whatever I'm told. And I am not going to be shipped off to Aunt Lucy like I was being sent to my room for not eating my beets! One more day of her nagging and I would have been the next costumed terror to hit Metropolis! Dana Ming-Wei Tan, that scourge of dimwit aunts, bane of overbearing fathers, and general all-around defier of adult authority- The Runaway!* Dana giggled. *God, I need sleep. Or caffeine. Or both. Both would be good. Those train seats just aren't made for sleeping.*
She looked up, surprised to find herself at Chelsea's door. Taking a deep breath, she rang the bell.
***************************************************