Life is as tedious as twice-told tale, vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man.
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Batman Beyond Season 4Episode 58: No Batgirl
Author James the Lesser
I do no own the Characters, names, villains, so forth
A/N This takes place after Batman Beyond Return of the Joker so yes that movie happens in this timeline/series
Terri and Nightwing watch over the parade. "You know Batman your little family of villains have been quiet."
"Maybe they just like being free and decided prison life sucked." Terri flies to another rooftop keeping up with the front of the parade.
At the Bat Cave the mansion entrance opens and Max storms down the stairs. "What is this?" She throws some thing at Bruce Wayne.
"A tracker. Why?"
"This was on the shirt I was wearing the other day. Don't trust me? Keeping track of me?"
"No. I did not put that on you." Bruce sets the tracker down then hits a couple buttons on the computer. "This came from the Batsuit."
"Terri? Why would he put that on me? Oh, crap. He was tracking me." Bruce gets up from the chair and walks over to Max.
"He was hassling you about where you wee going. So he decided he would find out with out you telling him."
"So he knows? But he didn't say any thing."
"He's keeping it hidden like I would have. Use the information you have only when you need it. But it means there is no point in keeping your training a secret. When they return we'll act like we don't know he knows and make him think we are telling him because it is time."
"Why?"
"Why let him know we know unless it has some other purpose? Being Batman is about having secrets and using them if or when the time comes." He goes back to the computer.
The parade is almost over when the lead balloon explodes. Glass shatters from the shock wave as people watching scream and panic. "Whoa! I didn't know helium blew up like that." Terri dives towards the parade hoping to help people escape.
Nightwing flies over and sees the next balloon explode. "Batman that isn't Helium."
"What?" Terri grabs two children and uses his rockets to boost them out of the way of falling debris.
"Helium doesn't burn. Some one replaced the Helium with a different gas. I'm guessing," Nightwing is cut off when another balloon explodes.
The streets are packed with people running and screaming as fast as they can from the exploding balloons. Every time one explodes more windows shatter making glass rain down from the sky.
Sirens blare as fire fighters rush to areas that had caught on fire. EMT workers pulled injured people out of harms way. Police tried keeping people from trampling others but have little success.
As the last balloon explodes sending another shock wave through the streets all television signals are disrupted. All radio stations go to static.
Soon a distinctive laugh is heard. "Hello boy and girls I hope you like my gift to the city! Chaos, fire, fun!" More laughter.
"Terri it's the Joker." Bruce plugs Terri in to a local radio station.
"I know it seems like forever for me but I guess Gotham got a fake Joker just a few weeks ago. Well I'm here to prove I'm the real deal and I'll make sure every one knows it! Batman I've placed some Joker Venom around the city. Find all five and check the clues then come find me! I know you're not the real deal but I wanna see if the new Bats is as good as the old!" The laughter starts again then slowly fades out as the radio and television stations come back.
"Terri I'll inform Barbara in case she missed the broadcast but we should start with looking for any construction sites he could have used as cover."
"No."
"What Terri?"
"Place important to him. Five of them. Old bases, homes, biggest hits. Places that would mean the most to him."
"And why do you think that?"
"I, I don't know. A gut feeling? My mind is telling me he's using places important to him. Know of any?"
"Yes. I'll send you and Nightwing several places he may be choosing."
"Until then we'll help here." Terri goes back down and looks for more injured.
Bruce leans back in his chair. "They would be near populated areas so old Arkham is out. And no place outside of the city."
"Uh did he ever choose the same base twice? Or would that just be stupid and make it easier for him to find you?"
"No but I know one he liked. Ever read about the project Arkham City?"
"Yeah Mayor Sharp and Hugo Strange walled off part of the city. You can still see some parts of the wall in places."
"Back then he used the Steel Mill as a base. Can you upload it for Terri and Nightwing?"
"Uh, I think so. You said I just," She types some things in to the computer. "Where else?"
"The main bridge. He had an, incident, there with Black Mask and a few others." She types some more.
Terri goes to the bridge first. "He'd want it to spray down on any one on the bridge." He lands on top of one of the supports.
Bruce taps his cane on the floor. "Crime alley."
"A little more specific?" He gives an address. "What happened there?"
"None of your business. Just give them the address." She types it in the computer.
Terri is under the arch of the second support when he finds the canister. He pulls it off and finds three letters. "RED. Bruce does RED stand for any thing?"
"It is a color or it might be a street name. Find the other canisters."
"What about a persons name? Some one who went by Red?"
"No."
"But it,"
"No. It is either the color or a street name of some sorts."
Nightwing lands at the Steel Mill. "He gets a bridge I get a giant building with plenty of place to hide stuff. I should have flipped a quarter." He goes in.
Terri is at the Crime Alley address. "Are you sure it isn't that old theater you wanted to save?"
"That place has meaning for me not the Joker. Those apartment buildings have an importance for him." Terri goes in.
He hears movement on the floor above. He uses the stealth mode on his suit and sneaks up the stairs.
He hears the laughter. "What is Joker doing here?" He sneaks through the door and sees the Joker with the canister.
"Who does this hack think he is? How did he figure out the formula for my Joker Venom?" He lifts the canister and Terri sees the bottom of the canister.
"Bruce, the second canister has BLUE on the bottom."
"Keep quiet." Bruce watches through the cowl.
The joker tosses the canister on the floor. "What a kook. I would have at least added some trip mechanism so you couldn't just rip it off the wall. But where is he? I'll teach him what it means to be the real Joker!" He laughs loudly as he walks through the exit.
Terri goes in and picks up the canister. "Red and blue. Colors. Did Nightwing find his yet?"
"No. But if he is doing colors I have an idea of what they mean."
"And that would be what Bruce?"
"Arkham City was divided in to six color sections on maps of it. Blue, Red, Yellow, Green, Orange, and Purple."
"So the five we find will have the colors of the area he isn't in."
"Yes. You concluded that fast."
"Just makes sense. Any other ideas where they might be hidden?"
"An old fish cannery. He tried patenting his smiling fish there once."
"Then I'm going there." Terri leaves through a window.
Nightwing is still searching through the office area of the mill when he hears a door open. He ducks down behind a desk. Two Joker gang members are shoved through. "What the hell is wrong with you? We did as you asked!"
"I didn't ask! Some fake asked. Now where is it!" He points a gun at one.
"Vincent Van Goh Slag yourself." Joker shoots him.
"Now where is it?" He points at the other gang member.
"Wall safe. When, when the dude opens it the canister goes off infecting every one in the office." Joker goes over to a picture and takes it down.
"Just like old times." He turns back to the gang member and shoots him.
"Stop!" Nightwing throws a batarang and knocks the gun from Joker's hand. "What are you doing? Why would you plant it then come back for it?"
"I didn't plant it who ever you are. Some fake is stealing my formula." Joker puts a hand on the safe.
"Don't open it."
"Why not? You're not immune to it? Well too bad." Joker grabs the handle and pulls it opening the safe.
"Crap!" Nightwing throws a putty like substance on the ceiling then presses a button making it explode. He leaps through the new hole escaping the gas.
Terri is at the cannery. "Any place I should look in first?"
"Try the office area. The canning floor would be too spacious and the employees could escape." Terri looks for the offices.
Nightwing waits for the gas to clear then goes back in. "Green. Huh." He gets a communicator out. "Bruce I have a canister and it says green on it."
"We have found red and blue."
"Well that's great but you'll believe what I saw."
"The Joker."
"I, wait, how did you know?"
"Terri met him earlier. He seems to think another Joker did this."
"Yeah I caught that. Is he really that insane?"
"The cloning process may have made him even worse. Be careful."
"I was going to go in with both hands tied behind my back and blindfolded but now that you tell me to be careful I guess I will."
Terri opens a desk and gas explodes. "Ack!" He hacks and coughs and stumbles towards a large window that overlooked one of the factory floors.
He crashes through the window and falls nearly thirty feet to the floor below. He reaches for his belt as he starts smiling. He pulls out an injector as the laughter starts. He tries injecting himself in the wrist but the laughter makes his hand shake too much. He moves the injector up to his neck and shoves the needle in to the artery.
Bruce shakes his head. "I don't know the fifth location. There could be several places. But none more likely than the next."
"What about where he was killed?"
"No Max. The clone was made from DNA from before he died he wouldn't know where that was. And it needs people nearby. No point in unleashing it in an area where it won't affect some one."
"Uh, well, I don't know. Did he ever spend time at the new Arkham?"
"No."
"Where did he spend the most time?"
"Original Arkham. After that probably..." Bruce drops his cane. "The police station. They were packed with Joker gang members. They may not have had time to search all of them or if they did find it just threw it in the evidence locker not knowing what it was."
"So dozens of cops could be hit."
"Yes." Bruce uses the communicator. "Nightwing get to the police station now. I'm calling Barbara and making sure she evacuates it before the canister goes off."
"On it."
Max goes to enter the information for Terri when Bruce stops her. "He's still at the cannery and with only two colors left I have a feeling I know which one it is. I'll send him there first."
"If you say so."
Terri recovers slowly. "My lungs. Ow." He shakes his head trying to clear the fog in his brain. "That was close." He coughs and a little blood comes up. "Great, internal bleeding. I hope it isn't permanent." He uses the wall for support as he stands up.
"Terri did you find it yet?"
"Yeah and got gassed by it. I didn't see what color was on it." He coughs again. "I'll check it as soon as I can."
"Did you use the antidote?"
"Yes. The only reason I'm not smiling and laughing right now." Terri walks towards the stairs not trusting the use of the rockets on his feet just yet.
"When you find out tell me. I have an idea of where he would be hiding based on his history. If you don't find the color I think it is I'm sending you to the area."
"Yeah, great." Terri coughs again. "Give me a minute." He stumbles and coughs some more as he nears the stairs.
At the police station Nightwing is in the evidence locker. "It isn't in here. It must be on one of the prisoners."
"We have a couple dozen and we evacuated all non essential employees so it is just you and a couple of us officers."
"I don't carry latex gloves in my belt got any I can borrow?"
"I hope we won't be needing them." Nightwing and the few detectives left go towards the holding cells.
Terri finds the canister and checks the bottom. "Orange."
"Red, Blue, Green, and Orange. I'm betting the last canister says yellow."
"Joker like purple. I'd bet it too Bruce. So where is purple?"
"The old Gotham Bank that was part of Arkham City. He could be using the vaults as a base. Nightwing is at the police station looking for the last canister to confirm the last color but I'm sure it is purple."
"So off to old Gotham." Terri coughs. "In a couple more minutes."
At the police department Nightwing slams a Joker member in to the floor. "Where is it? What did you do with it?"
"I won't tell you."
"A human has a few hundred bones." He breaks a finger on the gang member. "I can break most of them with out killing you."
"You won't the Joker will. We don't fear you masked freaks." Nightwing breaks another finger. "Break them all I don't care! You can only hurt me the Joker can kill me!" He starts laughing.
"This is hopeless." Nightwing throws the man back down. "He must have dropped it when he was brought in. What path would he have taken?"
"Depends on where he was brought in. We were packed and had them coming in left and right. Through the garage maybe?"
"Check the path for trash cans or any thing else he could have dropped it in. Where else would he have been brought in?"
"The main area. But some one would have noticed it one would think."
"Unless they were so busy they didn't have time for noticing. I'll check the front you three look for it from the garage path." Nightwing closes the gate behind him.
Terri makes it to the old Gotham Bank building. "Old, run down, perfect for him." He goes in through the dilapidated door.
Terri goes down to the basement. "If he was here he is doing a good job of hiding it." He keeps looking around.
Nightwing turns over trashcans looking for the last canister. "Where else would he have put it?" He looks around and doesn't see any place to hide it. "The garage route." He runs back the way he came.
Terri kicks a brick. "He's not here. Bruce do you hear me?" No response. "Interference. Maybe this is his base." He keeps looking.
An officer finds the canister. "I found it!" He backs away from it. "I found it now what?"
"Get out of the area." Nightwing reaches down and pulls the canister out of the trash can. "Purple." He gets the communicator out. "The last canister says purple."
"What? I, I sent Terri to purple."
"Before you had the last color?"
"His favorite color is purple. It made sense."
"But he's at yellow. Where is that?"
"The old museum."
"Then I'm going to the museum."
Terri pulls at a handle. "Open!" He uses all the strength the suit allowed and breaks the handle off. "That's not good. But if it is that rusted no way the Joker opened it lately. This isn't the base." He heads up to the surface hoping he could connect with Bruce again.
Nightwing lands on the roof of the museum and sees an access through a skylight. He opens it and lands on the floor below. "Looks like no one is," The lights flash on.
"Hello Batman!" A screen lowers and Joker appears on it. "Wait, you're not the Batman. The old or new Batman."
"No I'm not. Now this is the point where I bring you to Arkham Asylum."
"No. This is the part where you die. I was going to kill the Batman but I guess you'll do if you're helping him." The Joker on the screen holds up a little black box. He opens the glass case. "Any last words?"
"Uh, give me a few minutes and I'll come up with some good ones."
"You'll try escaping." Joker presses the button.
"Oh f," The bombs go off.
Terri makes it to street level. "Bruce he's not here that means yellow," He feels the ground shake. "And bombs just went off."
"I sent Nightwing to the old museum. That was section yellow." Terri sees the fire.
"South east of here isn't it."
"Yes how did you know?"
"The bombs went off there and now the place is burning."
"Get there and make sure Nightwing is ok."
"On it." Terri takes off for the museum.
He finds the ceiling caved in. The fire rages through out the building. "Nightwing!" No response. "Nightwing!" He tries using heat scan on his cowl but the fire blocks it. "Nightwing answer me!" He tries getting closer but the flames are too hot. "What would be burning like that?"
"He is using fuel. Better than gasoline. With out a sample I can only guess but your suit is showing heat that is far hotter then gasoline could produce."
"Rocket fuel from the science exhibit." Max looks at the readings. "Yeah that is rocket fuel. He set up a trap for Terri."
"And Nightwing got caught in it." Bruce grasps his hands in to fists. "Terri if Nightwing was in the building then there is no chance he made it."
"You can give up Bruce I'm not."
"Your suit is only good up to certain temperatures. You'll be hurt badly if you go in."
"Then I'll be hurt as bad as I can stand." Terri goes down in to the flames.
Terri hears laughter. "Joker! Why? Why did you kill him? I'm the one you want!"
"Oh cheer up I didn't do this the imposter did this." The laughter gets louder.
"Shut up! You did this you insane freak!"
"Oh if only I had! Who was that any ways I didn't recognize the tights."
"Nightwing."
"Huh, sounds familiar. My memory is still fuzzy from my resurrection."
"Your resurrection? You were cloned."
"I was? Could have fooled me! I was buried at Arkham and the magic of the place soaked in to my bones."
"Bruce are you hearing this?" Terri ignores the pain from the heat.
"Yes." Bruce's whole body trembles.
"I must have been killed because I was buried. But not a proper burial no I was buried at Arkham and I can't tell you how or why."
"You were cloned a few weeks ago from DNA you left behind."
"Nope. The imposter..." Joker starts laughing. "Now that I remember! I remember that! Jack, just Jack. So my back up plan is still around? But you said only a few weeks ago. What took Harley so long?"
"I don't know. But you are that clone just insane."
"I don't think so Batman. I remember the magic seeping in to my corpse. I don't know how long it took for me to realize what had happened. That I was bone and rotted flesh. I watches the moon and knew a few more years passed as I slowly gained more and more strength."
"And then what? How did you come back?"
"Some one dug me up. I couldn't see who. He put me back though. But some one saw him do it and they dug me up. Next thing I know I'm in a dark room and they're putting up spells sealing me good and tight."
"Where?"
'The new Arkham Asylum. I was pulled away from the magic at Arkham. But then a green guy broke the seals and the Arkham magic mixed with the magic that was sealing me and bing bang boom I was flesh again! Missing a couple parts sure but I went back to Arkham and the magic fixed the rest. Do you have any idea what it is like waking up decades in the future? I had no idea what was going on! There was an entire gang named after me! They adored me! But there was an imposter."
"No, this isn't possible."
"Not possible? You must be new! The old Bats would know nothing is impossible! And hell here it turns out the imposter is me! I wonder if my other back up plan worked. Do you know what happened with the third Robin? I have memories of torturing him but it is like I'm watching them while hocked up on some Titan. Maybe it was the second one I beat to death with a crowbar. Or did I do that to both? No, third one I tortured I know that."
"He's fine."
"So I didn't kill him? Too bad! I wonder what I did do then."
"Nothing. Batman saved him." Terri starts looking for a place he could fly to. The heat was too much and soon he wouldn't be able to escape. "And I'll stop you." He activates his rockets and takes off.
"Fly away Batsy! I love me a good cookout!" Joker's laugh is the last thing Terri hears as he flies away.
Terri lands the Batmobile in the cave. "Bruce he's nuts right? He can't be what he said he is. That's impossible."
"Nothing is impossible. I've dealt with ghosts, vampires, demons, the undead, and worse. Magic is an element I've tried avoiding but I was, friends, with some who could perform incredible magic."
"But that means we have two Joker's running around Gotham. And Blight is still out there and Nightwing is dead! Now who do you call on?"
"Me." Max comes over wearing the old Nightwing suit Bruce had stored.
"What? Max, no way. Just because he roped you in to doing this..." Terri stops as he realizes what was going on. "You know I found out."
"Yes. And I told her no but I will leave it up to you. She is your friend and you are Batman now. I am just Bruce Wayne."
"You're a lot more than that. But he needs help and your friend is dead. Unless you call the Justice League in I'm all he has."
"Max are you sure? I know you can fight but you've never dealt with the people I have." She nods.
"I'm sure. I won't let my city burn with out stopping them."
"If you get hurt it is your own fault. I won't leave flowers on your grave."
"I'm choosing this. My family and friends are in danger. If there are two Joker's in Gotham you'll need twice the Bat folk."
"So you're the new Bat Girl?"
"Oh hell no I'm not a girl. I'm Batwoman."
A/N Ooo, Nightwing was killed? Of course in DC Universe no body no death. And even when there is a body they can still come back as proven by Joker and Jason and several others. Why am I bringing the dead Joker back? Joker Immunity. Also Arkhman Asylum folklore. That the place was build on cursed soil and that was why every one who went there got worse and the escapes were so easy. And showed what the Jokers were doing last episode when they switched out the HE tanks with H tanks. Helium doesn't burn but Hydrogen does. And I threw a little bait and switch starting with RED being the first color and Terri asking if it was the name of a person and Bruce clearly stating no. For my Lyoko Fans, Season 0 starts next week! And my Animorphs should be updated soon, like tonight or tomorrow if I can find the time.