Life is as tedious as twice-told tale, vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man.
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Batman Beyond Season 4
Episode 59: Triple Threat
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
Max puts on the updated suit. "So I can fly now?"
"Yes. And I used a new layer of some bullet proof textiles so you can absorb more punishment."
"Hey! How come I don't get that?" Terri looks over Max's new suit. It was a lot like Nightwing's except the symbol was smaller, almost more feminine, and the gloves had small pads on the knuckles. "What are those for?"
"I couldn't make her suit as powerful as yours. So I added some shock pads. Max press your fists together." She does and they spark. "They're now activated. Your strength, unlike Terri's, is only about three times more than normal. Another reason why I added the extra layer increasing the amount of damage you can take."
"Can I go invisible?"
"No. Not yet. I want Terri taking you out a few times and make sure you can handle this. If you do well I'll update your suit then Terri's."
"Why can't you just update it now? I want bulletproof."
"Because it takes a couple days. I don't want her out on her own before we know she can handle it."
"I can do it. I've beaten up a couple people with out all the cool gadgets and powered up armor." Max flexes her arms. "I do feel stronger though."
"Because you are. But it isn't just flying around and beating people up. It took Terri a few days before he could control his strength. Your strength isn't as enhanced but you can't be cracking skulls. Not every one is a super powered menace."
"Right." Terri pulls the cowl over his head. "Ready Batgirl?"
"Bat, woman. Repeat after me. Bat, WOMAN!" Terri flinches.
"Yeah, Batwoman."
"Good, Batboy." She sticks her tongue out then pulls the new updated mask on. "Whoa, nightvision?"
"Yes. There is a button on either side that changes the view." She pushes the one on the right and it goes to heat. She presses the one on the left and it goes back to nightvision. She presses the left button again and it switches to normal.
"Hey, live update and info." She looks at a soda can and the manufacture data appears in a small window to the right of the can. Then a new window appears to the left. "Terri's fingerprints? Oh, right, of course they're on record."
"I don't have that either! She gets all the cool stuff."
"She gets experimental and new toys before you do. You'll get it all eventually if it all works." Terri smirks as Max pushes the button again.
"So this is all being field tested by me? That makes me feel super confident."
"Yes, well, don't think being bulletproof makes you invincible. I've had bulletproof armor before and it still feels like being hit with a sledgehammer."
"Right. Well are we going?" Max looks over at the Batmobile.
"You'll be in the back."
"You need a second seat added if I'm coming along now." The two walk over and get in the Batmobile.
Terri parks the Batmobile on a roof. "Remember we're Batman and Batwoman. Never use our real names. All it takes is one slip up and your family is dead."
"I get it." Max looks over the edge of the building. "Think we're up high enough?"
"We haven't even gotten started. Click your heels and wish for Kansas."
"What Batman?"
"An old movie the old man showed me. Just get ready." He jumps and activates his rockets and flies low over the neighboring roofs.
"Wait for me!" She jumps and... "Help!" Her rockets finally activate and she slams in to the side of the building. She falls a few more feet on to a fire escape staircase. "Ow." She gets up as Terri makes it back.
"What are you doing?"
"The rockets didn't go off right."
"Activate then jump. You did it in the cave."
"I was just going from the floor not jumping off a building." She stretches a little. "Huh, that didn't hurt as much as I thought it would."
"The suit absorbs a lot. But you can still get hurt." He jumps off the fire escape and takes off again.
"Activate then jump." She does just that and takes off flawlessly.
They fly over the city looking for trouble. "Wow this is really cool but also really boring. Where are the muggers? The Ts? Any one?"
"Down there." Terri points and Max sees two large men carrying clubs walking towards a woman who was trying to get in to her car. "Take this one solo."
"Really? Ok." Max flies down and lands behind the two men. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" They turn around and see her.
"Who are you? Batgirl?"
"Batwoman!" She activates the shock pads on her gloves. "I'll make sure you don't forget that." She lunges at the man closest to her and hits him hard in the chest.
"Aaaa!" He collapses as his muscles are affected by the electricity.
"Hey!" The second man swings and hits Max on the arm. "One bat freak isn't enough? Are you crazy?" She swings at him but misses.
"No. I'm pissed at guys like you walking around making this city look like garbage." She swings at him and he backs away.
"Batwoman behind you!" She turns and sees the second man had recovered and was swinging at her.
He hits her on the side of the head. "Take that bi-" He is hit with a batarang thrown by Terri.
"Now Batman shows up? Tonight is not our night let's get out of here!" The first man turns and starts running.
"Not so fast!" Max had recovered and punches the man barely grazing him but it was enough for the shock pads.
Terri comes down and helps her cuff the two. "Not bad."
"Not bad? I almost got my head taken off."
"You let your suit makes you too confident. I did that but after a few whacks from a bat or fist I stopped relying on my suit."
"What? She's a rookie? We got ourselves beat by a rookie?"
"Shut up." Terri hits a button on his suit.
"What's that?"
"It alerts the Gotham police. They'll be here in a few minutes."
"So we just leave them here?"
"Those cuffs can't be broken so they can't escape." Terri activates his rockets and takes off.
"Wait!" Max activates her rockets and chases after him.
Across the city the two Jokers finally meet. One was carrying an uzi he stole from the museum while the other held a rubber chicken. "I like my joke better." He slaps the rubber chicken on the table.
"Mine's bigger." The other Joker sets the uzi on the table.
"Size isn't every thing." The Joker with the rubber chicken pulls on the legs and a knife comes out of the chicken.
"I would have done the same thing." The Uzi Joker reveals a knife he had taped under the table. "Maybe you really are me."
"No, your are me. I was dead and buried at Arkham Asylum. The magics seeped in to my bones and well long story short I'm back I'm pale and I'm ready to jump, jive, and wail!" Both start laughing filling the room with their insane evil.
Blight puts on the new radiation blocking suit. "It will keep any one from detecting my radiation signal correct?"
"Yes Mr. Powers."
"Good, good. I was thinking of killing you but you've actually proved useful. Once I'm back I think I'll make sure you get plenty of funding."
"Thank you Mr. Powers."
"But until then if you speak a word of any of this to anyone I will kill you, your family, and any pets I find. Understood?"
"Yes Mr. Powers."
Max and Terri land outside of a club where a fight had broken out. "Shouldn't we stop it?"
"Right now it looks like a couple of idiots beating each other up. Unless some one draws a weapon this is a bouncer's problem." Max switches the view on her mask to the one that showed information.
"So if the guy in the blue shirt is known for stabbing people and spent three months in juvie for stabbing a teacher we might want to go and stop him from stabbing the guy wearing the red shirt?"
"That sucks I want that. Do you have any idea how easy it would be for me to spot the bad guy if I could do that?" They fly down and stop the fight.
The Jokers walk out of the building hand in hand. "So brother where should we go?"
"Brother? Joker, I am your father." Both laugh maniacally. "Burn down an orphanage?"
"That was so 20th century! How about we hack the money machines so they shoot out money? Let the rats scramble for it."
"Brilliant idea, brother."
"Mother?" Both laugh some more.
Near morning Max and Terri fly back to the Batmobile. "Not a bad night. A mugging and a club fight is pretty tame for Gotham."
"What if the guys who broke out of Gotham are just waiting for the right moment?"
"Or they left Gotham. I have enough on my plate with Joker and Blight."
"I? I'm here now Terri make that we."
"Yeah, sorry, I usually work alone." They land and get in the Batmobile.
At school both can barely stay awake. At lunch they meet up outside of the cafeteria. "How have you done it this long?"
"Batman doesn't work during the day. And I have you for help with my homework."
"Except now I'm coming with you on missions."
"Oh, right." He leans back against a locker. "Well we aren't worried about college and we only have a few more weeks until we graduate."
"Which means exams and graduation and parties and stuff we won't have time for if the old man is as strict with us as you always make him out to be."
"He's worse." Both groan.
While Terri and Max are in class ATM's all over the city start shooting money out. At first only a few realize what is going on. But soon the city is filled with people fighting each other over free money. A few bills wasn't enough every one wanted more.
Asylum Joker watches on a security camera Clone Joker hacked. "Every one thinks we're the animals but look at them! Beating up little ol ladies for a few bucks."
"Did we ever beat up little ol ladies? I know I killed Harley but she didn't count. My memory is still a little fuzzy"
"So is mine. Those last couple of months of my life are still gone. I still wonder who killed me. I know the Batman couldn't do it. Maybe it was the third Robin. I remember kidnapping him and torturing him but I can't remember details."
"Maybe you should go see a shrink?" Asylum Joker looks over at Clone Joker and both starts laughing so hard the fall out of their chairs and roll on the floor with laughter.
Max goes home and goes to bed almost immediately. Her parents were missing as always. Work, work, work, each other, work, then Max was pretty much their priority list. But the life they lived required the work style they lived.
She woke up when her cell rang. "What?"
"Max we're waiting." She looks at the clock.
"Oh slag. Sorry I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Don't. I'll send Terri near your home once he's suited up."
"I'm sorry I forgot to reset my alarm."
"Don't be sorry for that."
"Wow, uh, tha-" Bruce cuts her off.
"Be sorry if some one was killed while you slept."
"Oh, ok." She rolls out of bed and gets ready.
Both Jokers are outside of a rundown house. "We need better digs for our gang."
"Our gang. How come we couldn't get this kind of following when we were younger? We had to offer gold and jewelry."
"Kids today they love some chaos!" Both laugh as they go in.
Blight places his hands on the wall of a mansion and increases his power. "The McGuff's always had more than they needed." The wall catches on fire.
As the McGruff's run out Blight goes in. "If I was money so old it had mold on it where would I keep it?" He ignores the fire and walks through the house.
The two Jokers leave the house with over a dozen Joker gang members. "The night is young and if that Batfake shows up we'll deal with him." Asylum Joker plays with a switchblade.
"Killer man! One Joker would be cool but we got two! The T's and the other gangs got jack on us!"
"Now kiddies," Clone Joker pulls out a syringe. "Back in my day a man named Bane made a little some thing called venom. It made you big and strong. Who wants first crack?" Several raise their hands. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a Joker by his toe. If he hollers let him go, eeny, meeny, miny, moe!" He sticks the needle in the neck of a Joker gang member.
"Stand back every one. He's gonna get big." The other gang members take a few steps back as the venom takes over.
The Joker gang member with venom running through his veins gets bigger and stronger. "I have the power!"
"And a little extra kick." The Asylum Joker injects him with some thing else. "Now go forth and destroy! While Batty takes care of you we're getting ourselves some new digs." The Joker gang member who had been injected leaps nearly thirty feet smashing through the wall of an apartment building.
Max and Terri fly over the city when Bruce contacts them. "Reports of a monster demolishing a couple buildings are coming in."
"Where at?"
"South, near old crime alley."
"We'll be there." Terri turns and Max follows.
"Monster? Who do you think it is?"
"No idea. Some one who broke out from the Asylum probably. I'll let you take lead."
"Whoa wait what? Terri I got my butt kicked by two normal thugs."
"If Bruce gets my suit upgraded you'll be out there alone. I'll only help if you need it." They fly lower and see a fire.
"That's probably not good." Max zooms her view in. "Whoa I think some one is using those slapper drugs."
"Venom? I guess Jackson Chappell needs money now that he is out." They dive towards the fire.
The Venom Joker smashes a car. "Aaaa! Make it stop!" He crushes a drop off mail box. "Why won't it go away!" He grabs a street sign and rips it out of the ground.
"I'll make it stop." He turns just as Max lands on his face with her knee. He falls back in to another car as the sound of bone and cartilage breaking fills the air.
"I'll kill you!" He reaches for her but she gets back just in time.
Max presses her fists together activating the shock pads. "You want some? Come get some!" She dodges the Venom Joker's lunge and punches him in the kidney. He is shocked but doesn't go down.
He grabs the street sign he had ripped out earlier and swings it like a club. "Where's Batman? Who are you? Make it stop!" He swings at Max who ducks under it.
"I could use a little help here." She leaps over the next strike. "I don't have all the cool tools you do." Terri doesn't respond.
Max activates her rockets and takes off. "Get back here!" The Venom Joker throws the sign at her.
She sees it coming and barely misses it. "Ok no more nice Batwoman." She charges the shock pads again.
Terris sits on the edge of a building watching Max. "Bruce what do you think?" Bruce was watching through the visor of Terri's cowl.
"She's doing well for her first time. Some one on venom may seem insane but the venom makes the brain work faster. Don't let them catch you off guard."
"What is he screaming about? Make what stop? Are you sure he isn't insane?"
"Max didn't use the information view with her mask so I couldn't get any ID on him. He may be from Arkham." Bruce freezes a frame and puts it on a program and starts searching through Arkham and Blackgate inmates.
Max shocks the Venom Joker again. "He's not slowing down."
"I've fought people on slappers before you just keep going until the stuff wears off. He's done enough damage as it is."
"Well don't you have any thing?"
"Maybe." He pulls some thing out of his utility belt. "The old man is making you a belt but until then you can borrow this." He throws it down and Max catches it.
"What is it?"
"A tranq. Might not work fast but it could slow him down."
"Great." Max ducks under a swing from the Venom Joker then sticks him with the tranq.
"Now what are you injecting me with? Joker injected me twice and now you're injecting me why is every one injecting me!"
"Joker? Crap. Bruce he's probably one of the Joker gang."
"No hit but I didn't check juvenile records. I heard him say two injections. It may be more than regular Venom."
"Maybe I should help Max." Terri watches her as she mostly keeps dodging and ducking attacks. "A guy on Venom might be a little more than she can handle."
"If she needs help then help. But if she does it alone then she will have learned a valuable lesson."
"Is that how you taught your Robin's and Batgirl?"
"Yes."
"Then I'm not doing that." Terri jumps off the roof and uses his rockets and wings for added momentum and lands a powerful punch upside the head of the Venom Joker.
He stumbles backwards and trips over the curb falling hard. "Well that was easy." The Venom Joker starts getting back up.
"Wanna say that again?" Max recharges her shock pads.
"For the two of us this should be easy. Even if Joker gave him some thing new."
Clone and Asylum Joker watch the mansion burn. "Interesting. The fire department sure showed up quick."
"Rich neighborhood means faster service. Isn't America great?" Both laugh.
"Every one is equal but the rich are more equal. But I doubt any of these places are empty. We need a better place." Clone Joker pats Asylum Joker on the back.
"I heard of a house outside of the city. Big, spacious, and only one man lives there."
"Oh really? Well we should go and see if it is up for sale." Asylum Joker walks over to the gang. "Any one know the way to the highway? All these new roads I swear back in my day there were only a couple roads in and out."
"Uh, yeah boss. Where are we going?"
"Wayne Manor."
Max and Terri lead the Venom Joker towards an old subway tunnel. "Subways? How did you even know about them?"
"Part of being Batman."
"Underground trains don't make any sense. What if there was a flood? The lav trains we use are so much better."
"I don't think they had cold fusion or a way to produce the metals used for making the rails."
"It isn't cold fusion it is actually a simple process," Terri cuts her off.
"Batwoman we have some thing a little more important than a science lesson." Terri and Max leap backwards down in to the subway.
The Venom Joker follows them down. "I'll crush you both!" He rips through the old turnstyle. "Then hunt the Joker down and make him make it all stop!"
"Where did they go?"
"Looking for new digs. Gotta get a better place. A place where they can make this stop!" He smashes a support column.
The Jokers pull up to Wayne Manor. "Big creepy place." Asylum Joker walks up to the door. "Bruce Wayne doesn't need such a big place." Memories flash in his mind.
"What's the problem?" Clone Joker walks up to the door and kicks it in.
"I know him. I don't know how I know him but I know him." Asylum Joker walks in after Clone Joker.
Bruce Wayne checks his cameras. "He remembers. Terri, Max, Both Jokers are here. They know who I am."
"We're miles away and dealing with this guy."
"Forget him." Bruce walks away from the computer.
"Bruce, get out of there don't try fighting them." He doesn't respond.
"What do we do?"
"Get to the Batmobile." Terri throws a couple bombs up on the ceiling. They explode and the roof collapses in on the Venom Joker. "That should keep him down for a few minutes." Both activate their rockets and take off for the Batmobile.
Bruce Wayne looks at the power suit. "It nearly killed me last time but those two will kill me." He walks away. "I can't fight. Ace, get out of here." Ace looks up at him and whines. "Now! I'll get out of here soon." Bruce Wayne walks over to the computer and activates the security lock down.
The Jokers and their gang tear the house apart. "Looks like the old man is out of town." Clone Joker smashes a table.
"All this stuff is old. I don't want antiques. I want those big televisions with surround sound that you stole before."
"We can get them in here as soon as you want boss, boss, bosses."
"Get to it! We'll throw him a big surprise as soon as he gets back!" Asylum Joker pulls a book off of the wall. "First edition? Could probably sell it." He tosses it to the floor.
Terri and Max are flying low just above the trees when they see Ace coming out of the exit. They land and get out of the Batmobile. "What are you doing here Ace? Where's the old man?" Ace turns around and barks. Terri and Max look and Bruce comes out of the cave.
"Bruce are you ok? Terri and I got here as fast as we could. Where are they?"
"Calm down Max. I think this is just a coincidence." Both are confused. "They didn't try coming in to the Bat Cave. And the cameras show them trashing my house not going to the entrance." Terri sighs with relief.
"So they're just being Jokers and not coming after you. We can handle that." Bruce grabs Terri's arm.
"They're still two Jokers and about a dozen gang members. It is just a house I could always rebuild it but I can't rebuild you or Max. If Gotham loses you it loses any chance of safety it has." Terri's mind starts spinning.
"Burn it Alfred I'll make a new one. One that will be my home." Bruce pulls away from Terri like he had been shocked.
"Terri we can't burn it down. And who is Alfred? That's the second time you've said his name." Terri ignores both as he flies in to the cave. "Batman!" Max rushes in after him.
Asylum Joker stares at the grandfather clock. "Why am I drawn to this?" He touches the side and brushes his fingers across the glass. "I know Bruce Wayne. I threatened him? No, this is more." He smashes the glass. "Who needs these clocks any ways? Every thing is digital today." He walks away from the clock.
Terri opens the clock. "Terri, what are you doing?"
"I'm getting them out of here. With out them ever knowing we were here." He takes some thing out of his belt.
"Terri don't do any thing rash."
"I've done it before." Terri pushes a button and a flame shoots out.
"Stop." Max grabs it away from him. "What's wrong with you?" Terri shakes his head.
"What happened? How did we get in the house?"
"Terri you were going to burn the house down. And we came in through the cave. What's wrong with you?"
"I don't know. No, I do know. The DNA Overwrite. It keeps doing some thing to me. I have memories that aren't mine and some times I black out and wake up with no idea what I did." Terri sees the device in her hands. "That would have done the job."
"I bet. We need a plan that doesn't involve arson."
"Arson is a good plan. Just not full scale. I, he, the initial plan is good just scale it down. Where are they?"
"The cameras showed they were in the master bedroom and the, I don't know, the parlor?"
"Big, stuffy, a couple of really old tables?" She nods. "Parlor. Ok so we set those rooms on fire then put them out once the Jokers leave."
"But the Jokers will still be on the loose."
"Yes but we aren't catching them today. They have too much help. We can't even take them on two at a time. We gotta get them separated." He pulls another device out of his belt. "And find out where they go."
"A tracer? You think they won't notice it?"
"One of the real Jokers would but not the gang members." Terri and Max discuss the plan.
Across town Blight walks out with a small safe in his hands. "Getting hot even for me. I can't risk losing this suit." He takes off across the backyard as the firefighters work in the front to put out the fire.
Terri tosses a smoke bomb in to the master bedroom. "Fire!" He activates the cloaking on his suit and leaps to the ceiling.
"Fire? Fire!" The Joker gang members run out of the room.
Max has another smoke bomb and throws it in to the Parlor. Asylum Joker sees the smoke. "Did some one light a fire? Who lit a fire in our new place?" Clone Joker sees the smoke.
"Those idiots! Well might as well add fuel to the fire!" He lights a cigar. He tosses it on a chair and it explodes setting the chair on fire. "I see a burning, burning, burning ring of fire!" Both laugh as they leave the room.
Max waits a few seconds then goes in and tries putting out the fire Clone Joker set. "Crap, crap, I need a utility belt." She grabs a couch cushion and tries using it to smother the fire but it doesn't work. "Batman, get to the Parlor one of the Jokers set a chair on fire."
Terri rushes to the parlor and sees smoke billowing. "That's more than the smoke bomb could make." He takes a deep breath then rushes in.
Max coughs as smoke fills the room. Terri sees her. "Get out of here I got this!" He throws two orange orbs. When they hit the chair they explode with foam.
The foam spreads over the chair suffocating the fire. But smoke still fills the room. "Good job Max but I can't breath in here either." He grabs her hand and helps her out of the room.
Bruce sees the two walking out of the cave. "I saw several cars and motorcycles leave. So you made them leave?"
"We faked the house being on fire. No way we could tackle two Jokers and what ever gang they had at the same time." Terri walks past Bruce with out saying another word. Bruce looks at Max as she mouths We need to talk.
"No, you couldn't. Good thinking Terri." Terri ignores him and keeps walking.
A minute later Max and Bruce are back in the cave. "What the hell did you do to him? He was going to burn your house down and didn't even know it."
"I did it before. When I was first becoming Batman. I wanted a new start. He must have been reliving that."
"Because of the DNA Overwrite. How is that even possible? It should have just changed his father's DNA right?"
"Yes, should have. I'm thinking the company who I worked with, Cadmus, did a lot more. The few scientists I could find and talk with have stated they had no idea it would do this. But I know some one is lying."
"He's dangerous. Terri could end up doing some thing and not even know it." Max gets in Bruce's face. "Do more. We can't lose him. Gotham needs him. Unless you think I'm ready to take over." Bruce holds back a laugh.
"Of course not. You handled yourself well for the first night out but there are things far worse than a thug on Venom. We have two Jokers, Blight, and the escaped Arkham Asylum inmates. The last have laid low but I think it is part of a plan. Lay low, gain power, then strike. Terri must be at his best and if this DNA Overwrite is having strange side effects we must fix it sooner rather than later."
"Then fix him."
"I'm working on it Max. He's your friend but he is my, my, not son. More. He is my legacy. All the charities I've funded and the strides my company have made are nothing. They didn't make the city safer. He can and will."
"If he doesn't lose it first." Max turns and walks away.
"Don't forget to bring the Batmobile back. I don't know where you two parked it."
"Fine I'll do that then I'm done for the night."
Terri follows the tracer he set on one of the gang members. "Not very fancy for the great Joker." He takes out the fire starter he had almost used on Wayne Manor. "A fire would do it good." He throws it on the roof then takes off.