Ahem. Oops. Gee, you couldn't tell that my last bio class was over 15 years ago, could you?
In other words, I goofed. Apparently a brown-eyed man and a hazel-eyed woman can have a blue-eyed child. I'll deal with this in the next chapter, since the issue doesn't come up in this one. Thanks, BEM. Glad to have the info before I dug myself in too deep.
skully1- Matt, Mary, and Warren were drawn with black dots for eyes. While it's most likely that they were all supposed to have brown eyes, it was never actually stated anywhere that this was the case. Because they haven't said otherwise, and because I felt like it, and because it suited the story, I made Mary's eyes hazel. They'd probably have drawn hazel eyes that way, anyway. (Or at least that's what I keep telling myself) As for the show itself, I don't know if anyone's still playing it. I do know they aren't making any more new episodes although Terry and Bruce did show up on Static Shock a few episodes back.
Gaeriel- Most of the scenes with Mad Stan have been away from his "job". In the second episode with Zeta (Countdown?), Stan was shown to be capable of acting sane and even friendly when he felt like it. When he's out fighting Jokerz (Which I've only shown briefly) he's in full Mad Stan glory, but when he's with Mary he keeps it in check because he doesn't want to scare her off. Of course, one has to wonder what would happen if Mary ever came upon him while he was fighting Jokerz...
BEM- Thanks again. I will fix this, I promise.
**************************************************
Coe looked around at the little group. He'd never seen some of these people without their Jokerz-gear on before and the difference was pretty mind-bending. Lula, for instance- she'd washed the green dye out of her hair and was wearing normal clothes; he'd never thought of her as being hot before. Ghoul looked like a geek. Watkins looked like a million other kids. It was just too freaky.
"We all here?" Ghoul checked the gathering nervously. "Okay, good. You probably figured why I got us together."
"The McGinnis kid." Coe didn't know the guy who spoke, but he'd come in with Lula so he was okay. "I wasn't in on that. Found out about it later. Didn't like it much."
"Hey, none of us here did, Davy," Lula assured him. "If J-Man had just killed the kid or had them rough him up a bit that'd be one thing but this just wasn't funny. We're being honest here, right? Well, between that and the mess with the Death Star and the real Joker I been thinking maybe it's time to get out of this."
"Me too," Watkins growled.
"Yeah, well, I think we all do. That's why I tracked you guys down," Ghoul admitted. They all stared at him. Coe started wondering if maybe this was a trap- Ghoul had been in on the whole Death Star thing, after all. He'd worked with the Real Thing.
"What do you mean?" Coe surprised himself by asking.
"I mean I'm getting out and if you guys are smart you'll join me. Look, Lula's right. The real Joker was something you guys don't even want to imagine. I don't mind killing and stealing- I don't even mind smacking people around- but I never tortured nobody. That's just too much." Ghoul reached into the tote he'd brought and hauled out his gear. Before anyone could guess what he was doing, he'd shoved it in the barrel he'd hauled into the middle of the lot earlier. Then he hauled out a can of lighter fluid and a box of matches. He looked around the group, silently daring them to join him.
Lula was first, followed by her friend, then Watkins, then a girl Coe felt like he should recognise, and suddenly he was standing by the barrel himself and his gear had joined the rest. When everbody had dumped their stuff in, Ghoul poured the lighter fluid all over it, lit a match and tossed it in.
They all jumped back as a tower of flame erupted from the barrel, but nobody ran. Coe knew he had to see it burn and wondered if the others felt the same. He hoped that watching the fire would maybe burn away the guilt. He hadn't been there that night, but he'd known J-man was plotting something. He should have warned the twip to watch his back. He'd always kind of liked No Fun Boy; he thought the kid would have made a great addition to the group if they could just get him to lighten up and despite what J-Man and the T's thought there was nothing embarrassing about getting your ass handed to you by someone who could fight like that. Even Batman would have had a hard time with that kid, he bet.
Suddenly he realised that the flames had died down to a muted glow. The gear in the barrel had been reduced to a pile of ashes, melted plastic, and twisted metal. Ghoul kicked the barrel over.
"The Jokerz are dead. Let's get outta here."
And one by one the others left until Coe was the only one still staring at the pile of debris. Could he really just walk away from the gang he'd spent ten years with? Was it that easy? And if he wasn't one of the Jokerz, then who was he?
Coe sighed and turned away. Maybe it wasn't that easy, but he'd do it anyway. And he'd do it somewhere else; Gotham just felt wrong to him now.
*Wonder if I could get a job with Uncle Al in Sacramento...*
************************************************
Normally when an investigation was frustrating him it took an act of God- or Alfred- to get Bruce out of the cave. A tearful phone call from an attractive woman didn't come close to gaining his attention. But when the woman in question was Mary McGinnis and the reason for her call was that Terry wouldn't wake up, Bruce was out the door in record time. He was at the hospital much more quickly than usual as well. When he reached Terry's room, Mary was waiting for him with Dr. Tikkainen; they adjourned to the doctor's office.
"There's no physical reason for this, " Dr. Tikkainen said bluntly, not even waiting for Bruce to ask. "This is definitely a psychological problem, most likely because of yesterday's events. Has he ever done anything like this before?"
"Not that I know of," Bruce replied, looking at Mary. She just nodded.
"Not this bad, but, yes, he has. You know about Charlie Bigelow?"
The two men nodded; Bruce wondered how much Tikkainen actually knew about Terry's younger days and how he'd found out. He got the answer to the last part fairly quickly.
"Well, I told you about how Terry worshipped Charlie when he was Matt's age- well, shortly after that Warren and I- our relationship started- well- it got pretty ugly at times. And Charlie was always there to cheer Terry up. At first I was glad that Terry had this big brother figure to look up to and by the time I knew what Charlie really wanted it was too late. Charlie managed to convince Terry that we didn't care about him and that only Charlie could help him. That we were ashamed of Terry because he wasn't smart enough for us. Between Charlie and That Woman, Terry was convinced that being a gang member was the best he could hope for. Then when they got arrested and Charlie took most of the blame on himself and went to jail- Terry blamed himself for everything. He withdrew inside himself for over a week. Barely ate, wouldn't speak- he scared us. We thought he might be suicidal, but he didn't do anything. He gradually came out of it though."
"Hm. Was that the only time?"
"....No. When his father was killed, That Woman blamed him for it." Mary gave a short, bitter laugh. "It's probably the only time they ever agreed on anything. It was the same thing though- he wouldn't eat, speak, or sleep. He snapped out of it much more quickly that time- I think because of whatever happened the night he moved back in with me. He found a disc among his things, took off, and was gone almost all night. He thinks I don't know that he crawled in around sunrise and just fell over. Then you showed up, Mr. Wayne, and I never got a chance to ask him. Not that he'd have told me. I know it had something to do with Warren's death, and I know you were involved. But Terry trusted you and after Juvy he didn't trust easily so I let it go."
Bruce nodded, although he thought Mary overestimated how much Terry had trusted him in the beginning. Then he frowned.
"Involved how?"
Mary blushed.
"Oh! I'm sorry- I didn't mean involved in Warren's death- I meant involved in whatever Terry got up to that night. And no, I haven't listened to what That Woman has said about you. She's just sour graping. Her sister told me she tried to catch you back before she settled for Stephen. After all, any man who turns her down has to be some kind of pervert..." Mary smirked, clearly not intending to say the comment that had come to mind.
"Are you sure that's not the other way around- oops." It was Dr. Tikkainen's turn to blush as he blurted out the exact thought that Bruce had. He cleared his throat. "Yes. Well. So apparently this is a reaction to extreme feelings of guilt, possibly-probably- mixed with grief, shame, anger, and all sorts of negative emotions. And my guess is since he's trapped in that bed for a few more weeks and can't avoid people directly he's found another way of doing it. Is there any way you can convince him he wasn't at fault in his father's death?"
Mary turned to Bruce, who suddenly wished Mary was a little less intelligent.
"All right. Yes, I do know happened. But there is no proof or we'd have gone to the police already."
An odd expression flitted across Mary's face, making Bruce wondered what else she'd figured out.
"Mr. Wayne, you've done so much already and I hate to ask for more, but could you talk to him? He might listen to me, but then he might think I'm just trying to cover for him. I've done it before, even if I've given him hell for it later. If he's remembered any of those times he might not believe me. If he remembers some of them, he- he might not even want to see me right now."
Bruce frowned. He was the first to admit that dealing with traumatised young men wasn't his strong suit; at least, he'd be the first to admit it if Dick wasn't always beating him to it. Still, he was the only person who could tell Terry what he needed to hear.
"I'll talk to him. Now. Before things get even more messed up."
Mary's sigh of relief and Dr. Tikkainen's approving nod did little to persuade him that this was going to end well.
***********************************************
Barbara Gordon mentally reviewed every single curse, epithet, and rude word she'd ever learned as she followed her husband through the crowd. Sam was going to owe her for this. More to the point, Sam was going to pay for this. There was a reason she didn't go to malls the Saturday after Thanksgiving...
"Come on, honey, it's not much farther," Sam grinned.
*Oh, he is definitely going to pay for this!*
Sam didn't mind crowds. In fact, he loved them. It was one of the few things on which they couldn't agree.
*Still, he's pretty cute when he gets excited like this- just like a little boy. Do they ever grow up?*
Finally they broke into a clear space by a store window and stopped. It was a pet shop- not the old, now outlawed type of pet shop where the cute little animals came from puppy and kitten mills where their mothers were forced to breed until they died of it and god only knew what kind of defects were bred into the lines, but the type that had started springing up about ten years ago. It wasn't so much a pet shop as a combination walk-in clinic, adoption agency, and breeders' listing. There was a different animal or group of animals in the window every day, all obviously well-cared for. Barbara had heard that these were the pets of people who worked there, brought in to show what healthy animals should look and act like. She more or less approved; it certainly was an improvement over the old system where any idiot with a handful of cash could walk out with a pet they could neglect at will. What she didn't know was why Sam had dragged her there.
*Have to admit that pup in the window is a sweetie, though. Reminds me of- he wouldn't. Sam, if you're doing what I think you're doing, you're a dead man.*
Sure enough, Sam was dragging her into the store to the not-very-well-concealed amusement of the people inside.
"Sam, I told you- I'm not ready for another- OOMPH!!!"
A big bear of a dog suddenly stood on his hind legs and draped his front paws over her shoulders. Barbara staggered but didn't fall. She couldn't help the smile that turned into a grimace as the dog cheerfully washed her face for her before his handler could pull him away. The woman apologised profusely, but Barbara just waved it off.
"Well, now you know why we've had such a time placing this one- he's attack-friendly, " the woman admitted. "We can't seem to train that trick out of him; most people see him stand up and run the other way. It's really not fair, since Kuma doesn't have a mean bone in his body- surprising, since the last owner was one of those dogfight people- of course, he only had Kuma for a few days before we busted him. Now, normally we don't do an introduction until after we're sure that both parties actually want a dog, but Mr. Young said you needed to meet him before you could be sure you were ready for another one and we do make an exception in those cases because after all it never hurts to just have the intial meeting even if nothing comes of it and I never introduced myself, did I? I'm Sally Timberlake and welcome to Timberlake Animal Placement."
Barbara was more stunned by how much Ms. Timberlake could say without breathing than she had been by Kuma's greeting.
"Barbara Gordon."
"Yes, well, we've done the preliminary investigation- which really means we've talked to the people who sold you your last dog, in this case Gotham Animal Rescue, and your vet, and I have to say that Dr. Chase is one of the best vets in the city, I use him myself, and they both agree that any animal placed with you would be treated as well as we could wish so if you think you might be ready to have a dog again we can go ahead to the next phase, which is letting you get to know Kuma."
*Good lord, she's worse than Dick used to get when he'd had too much sugar!*
She looked at the dog, who sat panting happily up at her. He was a beautiful animal; mostly dark brown fur with shots of orange, white, and black giving him an almost tortoiseshell appearance. She had to admit it had been a bit quiet around the house since Jody had died of cancer two years ago. And Kuma did seem friendly, although she did wonder what would happen if he met Ace.
"What kind- kinds- of dog is he?"
"Well, his mother was half long-haired Akita which is technically a birth defect but they're not trying too hard to get rid of it because, really, how can you call something that's harmless and pretty a defect, and half Newfoundland, and his father was a real mixed-breed- some more Akita, some Malamute, Bernese Mountain Dog and we think some Mastiff."
"Whoa."
"That's a lot of big dogs," Sam said.
"Well, we do have a big fenced yard," Barbara heard herself saying and realised she'd just surrendered. "Okay, okay, you were right, Sam. Let's get to know our prospective new bear."
Ms. Timberlake laughed and gestured to someone across the room.
"Did you know that's what Kuma means or was that just a comment on his looks? Either way, Max will show you to a room where you can spend some time with him."
"Both," Barbara replied, not even considering an incipient case of Small World Syndrome until she heard a strangled squawk. She looked up to see a much paler than usual Max Gibson staring at her like she was Death come a-calling. Ms. Timberlake just lifted an eyebrow, obviously used to Max.
"Uh- Sal- I- oh! Animal! Needs me! Gotta go!"
And Max fled, leaving a highly suspicious Commissioner staring after her with narrowed eyes.
"I take it you know our Max," Ms Timberlake drawled, for the first time not sounding as if she had too much to say and too little time to say it. "I've learned not to ask. I just hoped whatever she's hacked into won't get her in too much trouble- she really is one of the best people we've got here. I'm just waiting for her to get her degree so I can hire her as full staff. Still, right now she looks like she's got a serious case of guilty conscience."
"Doesn't she though..." And Barbara Gordon smiled, suddenly knowing who to talk to next about the new Batman in town.
*After all, just because she didn't know the day before yesterday doesn't mean she doesn't know now. And if she figured it out before Bruce I for one am going to enjoy myself hugely for a while.*
**************************************************
Superman had floated over the city, searching for "Batman". It hadn't been easy because he kept getting distracted by crimes that needed stopping. Sheer dumb luck was what finally put him in the same alley as the impostor when both responded to the same scream. The would be rapist had passed out when he'd seen Batman and Superman coming at him from different sides, and the near-victim had nearly joined him. Luck had been on his side again when a pair of cops had shown up within seconds, enabling him to just grab the impostor and fly off without worrying about leaving the victim alone. Reaching an abandoned factory, he flew inside, set the impostor down and scanned him with his X-ray vision. What he saw was not what he had expected.
"You- you're a synthoid!"
"Yes. Batman helped me escape from people who wanted to turn me back into an assassin after I'd discarded that programming. When I heard he was in trouble I came to help him. I thought I could convince people that I was the real thing so that nobody would connect his disappearance to-" it cut off.
"To Terry's injuries," Superman finished.
"You know, then."
"Yes. And I also know that you must be Zeta. Look, I can understand why you did this, but there was something you didn't think about."
"What was that?"
"That the original might get a little annoyed that someone is running around using his name without asking."
"...Oh."
"Yeah."
"Oh, dear."
Superman couldn't help thinking that somebody had done a very good job programming this synthoid; he actually sounded worried. Either that, and equally likely, or facing Bruce in a temper was enough to unnerve even a computer.
"I should visit him and explain, shouldn't I?"
"Might be a good idea."
"Should I bring Ro and Max when I do?"
"Max knew?" *Oh, Lord, Bruce'll blow a gasket.*
"Not at first, but I needed a safe place for Ro to stay while I was busy and I reasoned that as she was already aware of Batman's identity she would make a good ally."
"That makes sense, but I think it might be better if you went alone."
"You're sure?"
"Oh, yeah. Definitely." *Because if Bruce sees them on top of everything else- yikes. In fact, maybe I should arrange for them to be out of the city. But if I do that and he finds out- and he would- maybe not.*
"All right. I will see him tonight, then."
"Good idea." *And thanks for the warning...*
As the synthoid walked away, Superman decided that he would have to tell Bruce that he would be having a visitor that evening. He also decided that an emergency in Metropolis was going to call him away well before the meeting. Because when it came right down to it, when it came to dealing with Bruce in a temper, discretion was definitely the better part of valor.
***********************************************
One final comment for this chapter- there are hundreds of Jokerz in Gotham. Ghoul's comment may have been a little premature...
In other words, I goofed. Apparently a brown-eyed man and a hazel-eyed woman can have a blue-eyed child. I'll deal with this in the next chapter, since the issue doesn't come up in this one. Thanks, BEM. Glad to have the info before I dug myself in too deep.
skully1- Matt, Mary, and Warren were drawn with black dots for eyes. While it's most likely that they were all supposed to have brown eyes, it was never actually stated anywhere that this was the case. Because they haven't said otherwise, and because I felt like it, and because it suited the story, I made Mary's eyes hazel. They'd probably have drawn hazel eyes that way, anyway. (Or at least that's what I keep telling myself) As for the show itself, I don't know if anyone's still playing it. I do know they aren't making any more new episodes although Terry and Bruce did show up on Static Shock a few episodes back.
Gaeriel- Most of the scenes with Mad Stan have been away from his "job". In the second episode with Zeta (Countdown?), Stan was shown to be capable of acting sane and even friendly when he felt like it. When he's out fighting Jokerz (Which I've only shown briefly) he's in full Mad Stan glory, but when he's with Mary he keeps it in check because he doesn't want to scare her off. Of course, one has to wonder what would happen if Mary ever came upon him while he was fighting Jokerz...
BEM- Thanks again. I will fix this, I promise.
**************************************************
Coe looked around at the little group. He'd never seen some of these people without their Jokerz-gear on before and the difference was pretty mind-bending. Lula, for instance- she'd washed the green dye out of her hair and was wearing normal clothes; he'd never thought of her as being hot before. Ghoul looked like a geek. Watkins looked like a million other kids. It was just too freaky.
"We all here?" Ghoul checked the gathering nervously. "Okay, good. You probably figured why I got us together."
"The McGinnis kid." Coe didn't know the guy who spoke, but he'd come in with Lula so he was okay. "I wasn't in on that. Found out about it later. Didn't like it much."
"Hey, none of us here did, Davy," Lula assured him. "If J-Man had just killed the kid or had them rough him up a bit that'd be one thing but this just wasn't funny. We're being honest here, right? Well, between that and the mess with the Death Star and the real Joker I been thinking maybe it's time to get out of this."
"Me too," Watkins growled.
"Yeah, well, I think we all do. That's why I tracked you guys down," Ghoul admitted. They all stared at him. Coe started wondering if maybe this was a trap- Ghoul had been in on the whole Death Star thing, after all. He'd worked with the Real Thing.
"What do you mean?" Coe surprised himself by asking.
"I mean I'm getting out and if you guys are smart you'll join me. Look, Lula's right. The real Joker was something you guys don't even want to imagine. I don't mind killing and stealing- I don't even mind smacking people around- but I never tortured nobody. That's just too much." Ghoul reached into the tote he'd brought and hauled out his gear. Before anyone could guess what he was doing, he'd shoved it in the barrel he'd hauled into the middle of the lot earlier. Then he hauled out a can of lighter fluid and a box of matches. He looked around the group, silently daring them to join him.
Lula was first, followed by her friend, then Watkins, then a girl Coe felt like he should recognise, and suddenly he was standing by the barrel himself and his gear had joined the rest. When everbody had dumped their stuff in, Ghoul poured the lighter fluid all over it, lit a match and tossed it in.
They all jumped back as a tower of flame erupted from the barrel, but nobody ran. Coe knew he had to see it burn and wondered if the others felt the same. He hoped that watching the fire would maybe burn away the guilt. He hadn't been there that night, but he'd known J-man was plotting something. He should have warned the twip to watch his back. He'd always kind of liked No Fun Boy; he thought the kid would have made a great addition to the group if they could just get him to lighten up and despite what J-Man and the T's thought there was nothing embarrassing about getting your ass handed to you by someone who could fight like that. Even Batman would have had a hard time with that kid, he bet.
Suddenly he realised that the flames had died down to a muted glow. The gear in the barrel had been reduced to a pile of ashes, melted plastic, and twisted metal. Ghoul kicked the barrel over.
"The Jokerz are dead. Let's get outta here."
And one by one the others left until Coe was the only one still staring at the pile of debris. Could he really just walk away from the gang he'd spent ten years with? Was it that easy? And if he wasn't one of the Jokerz, then who was he?
Coe sighed and turned away. Maybe it wasn't that easy, but he'd do it anyway. And he'd do it somewhere else; Gotham just felt wrong to him now.
*Wonder if I could get a job with Uncle Al in Sacramento...*
************************************************
Normally when an investigation was frustrating him it took an act of God- or Alfred- to get Bruce out of the cave. A tearful phone call from an attractive woman didn't come close to gaining his attention. But when the woman in question was Mary McGinnis and the reason for her call was that Terry wouldn't wake up, Bruce was out the door in record time. He was at the hospital much more quickly than usual as well. When he reached Terry's room, Mary was waiting for him with Dr. Tikkainen; they adjourned to the doctor's office.
"There's no physical reason for this, " Dr. Tikkainen said bluntly, not even waiting for Bruce to ask. "This is definitely a psychological problem, most likely because of yesterday's events. Has he ever done anything like this before?"
"Not that I know of," Bruce replied, looking at Mary. She just nodded.
"Not this bad, but, yes, he has. You know about Charlie Bigelow?"
The two men nodded; Bruce wondered how much Tikkainen actually knew about Terry's younger days and how he'd found out. He got the answer to the last part fairly quickly.
"Well, I told you about how Terry worshipped Charlie when he was Matt's age- well, shortly after that Warren and I- our relationship started- well- it got pretty ugly at times. And Charlie was always there to cheer Terry up. At first I was glad that Terry had this big brother figure to look up to and by the time I knew what Charlie really wanted it was too late. Charlie managed to convince Terry that we didn't care about him and that only Charlie could help him. That we were ashamed of Terry because he wasn't smart enough for us. Between Charlie and That Woman, Terry was convinced that being a gang member was the best he could hope for. Then when they got arrested and Charlie took most of the blame on himself and went to jail- Terry blamed himself for everything. He withdrew inside himself for over a week. Barely ate, wouldn't speak- he scared us. We thought he might be suicidal, but he didn't do anything. He gradually came out of it though."
"Hm. Was that the only time?"
"....No. When his father was killed, That Woman blamed him for it." Mary gave a short, bitter laugh. "It's probably the only time they ever agreed on anything. It was the same thing though- he wouldn't eat, speak, or sleep. He snapped out of it much more quickly that time- I think because of whatever happened the night he moved back in with me. He found a disc among his things, took off, and was gone almost all night. He thinks I don't know that he crawled in around sunrise and just fell over. Then you showed up, Mr. Wayne, and I never got a chance to ask him. Not that he'd have told me. I know it had something to do with Warren's death, and I know you were involved. But Terry trusted you and after Juvy he didn't trust easily so I let it go."
Bruce nodded, although he thought Mary overestimated how much Terry had trusted him in the beginning. Then he frowned.
"Involved how?"
Mary blushed.
"Oh! I'm sorry- I didn't mean involved in Warren's death- I meant involved in whatever Terry got up to that night. And no, I haven't listened to what That Woman has said about you. She's just sour graping. Her sister told me she tried to catch you back before she settled for Stephen. After all, any man who turns her down has to be some kind of pervert..." Mary smirked, clearly not intending to say the comment that had come to mind.
"Are you sure that's not the other way around- oops." It was Dr. Tikkainen's turn to blush as he blurted out the exact thought that Bruce had. He cleared his throat. "Yes. Well. So apparently this is a reaction to extreme feelings of guilt, possibly-probably- mixed with grief, shame, anger, and all sorts of negative emotions. And my guess is since he's trapped in that bed for a few more weeks and can't avoid people directly he's found another way of doing it. Is there any way you can convince him he wasn't at fault in his father's death?"
Mary turned to Bruce, who suddenly wished Mary was a little less intelligent.
"All right. Yes, I do know happened. But there is no proof or we'd have gone to the police already."
An odd expression flitted across Mary's face, making Bruce wondered what else she'd figured out.
"Mr. Wayne, you've done so much already and I hate to ask for more, but could you talk to him? He might listen to me, but then he might think I'm just trying to cover for him. I've done it before, even if I've given him hell for it later. If he's remembered any of those times he might not believe me. If he remembers some of them, he- he might not even want to see me right now."
Bruce frowned. He was the first to admit that dealing with traumatised young men wasn't his strong suit; at least, he'd be the first to admit it if Dick wasn't always beating him to it. Still, he was the only person who could tell Terry what he needed to hear.
"I'll talk to him. Now. Before things get even more messed up."
Mary's sigh of relief and Dr. Tikkainen's approving nod did little to persuade him that this was going to end well.
***********************************************
Barbara Gordon mentally reviewed every single curse, epithet, and rude word she'd ever learned as she followed her husband through the crowd. Sam was going to owe her for this. More to the point, Sam was going to pay for this. There was a reason she didn't go to malls the Saturday after Thanksgiving...
"Come on, honey, it's not much farther," Sam grinned.
*Oh, he is definitely going to pay for this!*
Sam didn't mind crowds. In fact, he loved them. It was one of the few things on which they couldn't agree.
*Still, he's pretty cute when he gets excited like this- just like a little boy. Do they ever grow up?*
Finally they broke into a clear space by a store window and stopped. It was a pet shop- not the old, now outlawed type of pet shop where the cute little animals came from puppy and kitten mills where their mothers were forced to breed until they died of it and god only knew what kind of defects were bred into the lines, but the type that had started springing up about ten years ago. It wasn't so much a pet shop as a combination walk-in clinic, adoption agency, and breeders' listing. There was a different animal or group of animals in the window every day, all obviously well-cared for. Barbara had heard that these were the pets of people who worked there, brought in to show what healthy animals should look and act like. She more or less approved; it certainly was an improvement over the old system where any idiot with a handful of cash could walk out with a pet they could neglect at will. What she didn't know was why Sam had dragged her there.
*Have to admit that pup in the window is a sweetie, though. Reminds me of- he wouldn't. Sam, if you're doing what I think you're doing, you're a dead man.*
Sure enough, Sam was dragging her into the store to the not-very-well-concealed amusement of the people inside.
"Sam, I told you- I'm not ready for another- OOMPH!!!"
A big bear of a dog suddenly stood on his hind legs and draped his front paws over her shoulders. Barbara staggered but didn't fall. She couldn't help the smile that turned into a grimace as the dog cheerfully washed her face for her before his handler could pull him away. The woman apologised profusely, but Barbara just waved it off.
"Well, now you know why we've had such a time placing this one- he's attack-friendly, " the woman admitted. "We can't seem to train that trick out of him; most people see him stand up and run the other way. It's really not fair, since Kuma doesn't have a mean bone in his body- surprising, since the last owner was one of those dogfight people- of course, he only had Kuma for a few days before we busted him. Now, normally we don't do an introduction until after we're sure that both parties actually want a dog, but Mr. Young said you needed to meet him before you could be sure you were ready for another one and we do make an exception in those cases because after all it never hurts to just have the intial meeting even if nothing comes of it and I never introduced myself, did I? I'm Sally Timberlake and welcome to Timberlake Animal Placement."
Barbara was more stunned by how much Ms. Timberlake could say without breathing than she had been by Kuma's greeting.
"Barbara Gordon."
"Yes, well, we've done the preliminary investigation- which really means we've talked to the people who sold you your last dog, in this case Gotham Animal Rescue, and your vet, and I have to say that Dr. Chase is one of the best vets in the city, I use him myself, and they both agree that any animal placed with you would be treated as well as we could wish so if you think you might be ready to have a dog again we can go ahead to the next phase, which is letting you get to know Kuma."
*Good lord, she's worse than Dick used to get when he'd had too much sugar!*
She looked at the dog, who sat panting happily up at her. He was a beautiful animal; mostly dark brown fur with shots of orange, white, and black giving him an almost tortoiseshell appearance. She had to admit it had been a bit quiet around the house since Jody had died of cancer two years ago. And Kuma did seem friendly, although she did wonder what would happen if he met Ace.
"What kind- kinds- of dog is he?"
"Well, his mother was half long-haired Akita which is technically a birth defect but they're not trying too hard to get rid of it because, really, how can you call something that's harmless and pretty a defect, and half Newfoundland, and his father was a real mixed-breed- some more Akita, some Malamute, Bernese Mountain Dog and we think some Mastiff."
"Whoa."
"That's a lot of big dogs," Sam said.
"Well, we do have a big fenced yard," Barbara heard herself saying and realised she'd just surrendered. "Okay, okay, you were right, Sam. Let's get to know our prospective new bear."
Ms. Timberlake laughed and gestured to someone across the room.
"Did you know that's what Kuma means or was that just a comment on his looks? Either way, Max will show you to a room where you can spend some time with him."
"Both," Barbara replied, not even considering an incipient case of Small World Syndrome until she heard a strangled squawk. She looked up to see a much paler than usual Max Gibson staring at her like she was Death come a-calling. Ms. Timberlake just lifted an eyebrow, obviously used to Max.
"Uh- Sal- I- oh! Animal! Needs me! Gotta go!"
And Max fled, leaving a highly suspicious Commissioner staring after her with narrowed eyes.
"I take it you know our Max," Ms Timberlake drawled, for the first time not sounding as if she had too much to say and too little time to say it. "I've learned not to ask. I just hoped whatever she's hacked into won't get her in too much trouble- she really is one of the best people we've got here. I'm just waiting for her to get her degree so I can hire her as full staff. Still, right now she looks like she's got a serious case of guilty conscience."
"Doesn't she though..." And Barbara Gordon smiled, suddenly knowing who to talk to next about the new Batman in town.
*After all, just because she didn't know the day before yesterday doesn't mean she doesn't know now. And if she figured it out before Bruce I for one am going to enjoy myself hugely for a while.*
**************************************************
Superman had floated over the city, searching for "Batman". It hadn't been easy because he kept getting distracted by crimes that needed stopping. Sheer dumb luck was what finally put him in the same alley as the impostor when both responded to the same scream. The would be rapist had passed out when he'd seen Batman and Superman coming at him from different sides, and the near-victim had nearly joined him. Luck had been on his side again when a pair of cops had shown up within seconds, enabling him to just grab the impostor and fly off without worrying about leaving the victim alone. Reaching an abandoned factory, he flew inside, set the impostor down and scanned him with his X-ray vision. What he saw was not what he had expected.
"You- you're a synthoid!"
"Yes. Batman helped me escape from people who wanted to turn me back into an assassin after I'd discarded that programming. When I heard he was in trouble I came to help him. I thought I could convince people that I was the real thing so that nobody would connect his disappearance to-" it cut off.
"To Terry's injuries," Superman finished.
"You know, then."
"Yes. And I also know that you must be Zeta. Look, I can understand why you did this, but there was something you didn't think about."
"What was that?"
"That the original might get a little annoyed that someone is running around using his name without asking."
"...Oh."
"Yeah."
"Oh, dear."
Superman couldn't help thinking that somebody had done a very good job programming this synthoid; he actually sounded worried. Either that, and equally likely, or facing Bruce in a temper was enough to unnerve even a computer.
"I should visit him and explain, shouldn't I?"
"Might be a good idea."
"Should I bring Ro and Max when I do?"
"Max knew?" *Oh, Lord, Bruce'll blow a gasket.*
"Not at first, but I needed a safe place for Ro to stay while I was busy and I reasoned that as she was already aware of Batman's identity she would make a good ally."
"That makes sense, but I think it might be better if you went alone."
"You're sure?"
"Oh, yeah. Definitely." *Because if Bruce sees them on top of everything else- yikes. In fact, maybe I should arrange for them to be out of the city. But if I do that and he finds out- and he would- maybe not.*
"All right. I will see him tonight, then."
"Good idea." *And thanks for the warning...*
As the synthoid walked away, Superman decided that he would have to tell Bruce that he would be having a visitor that evening. He also decided that an emergency in Metropolis was going to call him away well before the meeting. Because when it came right down to it, when it came to dealing with Bruce in a temper, discretion was definitely the better part of valor.
***********************************************
One final comment for this chapter- there are hundreds of Jokerz in Gotham. Ghoul's comment may have been a little premature...