Life is as tedious as twice-told tale, vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man.
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Batman Beyond Season 4Episode 61: Darker Times
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 watches Melanie and her brother leave the restaurant. "She'd understand. She does understand. Heck she could help me." Bruce clears his throat.
"Terri you have some thing more important to be doing."
"Joker, both of them, went silent lately."
"Meaning they're busy planning some thing. Find them and stop them."
"And what about Blight?"
"If we get any thing on him I'll let you know."
"Fine." Terri leaves the roof of the building he had been sitting on.
In the Batcave Bruce Wayne has several screens up on the computer. "Max this is what I called you in for."
"Uh, who are they?"
"Did you ever hear about the Titans?"
"Yeah. They were the Teen Titans then when they got older they dropped the teen part. But didn't they get disbanded or some thing?"
"No. They were the next Justice League. We picked the best of them and inducted them to be our colleagues. And then one day they disappeared."
"All of them?" Bruce Wayne clicks on one screen and several pictures come up.
"Raven, Kid Flash, Cyborg, Jinx, Changeling, Aqualad, Bumblebee, and Starfire. They were in the Titans Tower near Jump City when they and the tower disappeared."
"Like aliens zapped it?"
"No. Demonic energy was detected by the members of our group who used magic."
"So a demon took them?"
"Again, no."
"Then what?" Bruce clicks on the picture of Raven.
"She was the half daughter of a powerful demon. She was one of the most powerful people on the planet until her disappearance."
"So you think she did it? Why?"
"On her sixteenth birthday she became a portal between our world and one her father controlled. The Titans closed it and sent Trigon back."
"But she isn't sixteen in the picture."
"No. This was taken about three months before her twenty first birthday."
"Ok stop with the cryptic mystic what happened?"
"We don't know. My theory is her father couldn't come in to our world so he pulled a small part of it in to his. On her twenty first birthday he used her again as a portal but this time sucked her and every thing around her in to his dimension."
"Ouch."
"Yes. In one night the future of the Justice League had been crippled. Speedy had been inducted just a few weeks earlier and became Red Arrow. Robin had felt slighted and left becoming Nightwing."
"Whoa really? Why didn't you guys choose him?"
"He was their leader. He was more qualified and more skilled than Red Arrow but he was the leader. I didn't feel like hurting the Titans by stealing their leader. In the end they still lost him. Cyborg took over but he never got a chance to gain the experience needed."
"And now what? This must have happened decades ago."
"Yes. And until two nights ago on another of Raven's birthday there was no activity there." He clicks on another screen and a window opens showing a video. "This was taken from the Watch Tower." Max watches as black energy appears over a small island. It swirls getting larger and larger and then shrinks before disappearing.
"Any thing there?"
"None of the Justice League has gone to investigate. Except for Superman the rest were not members when this happened. They've either retired or passed away."
"So they don't care. So Terri and I are going there and investigating?" He shakes his head. "Then who is going? You?"
"No. You are. He is needed for the Joker and Blight problem. I'm sending you out alone." He pulls away from the computer and grabs his cane. "You will take the Batmobile as soon as school is out." He walks over to the cases. "I finished a new device for your suit." He picks up a bracelet. "It will identify magic energies."
"Ok and? What am I looking for? Demons? The missing Titans? If this happened decades ago wouldn't they all be really old?"
"We don't know how time flows in the dimension they were in. If they were in one. And if they came back they may be psychologically damaged."
"So you want me to go alone? Didn't you say that Raven was one of the most powerful people on Earth?"
"Yes."
"To the first or second question?"
"Both." Max swallows her next comment when Bruce glares at her. "I'm not asking you to fight any one. Just go there and look for clues of what happened and if any one came through." She looks up at the picture of Raven.
"And if I cross her and she decides uh, I don't know, I look tasty?"
"She was half demon not a vampire. And she bucked her past and family and became a beacon of light. Dark does not mean evil just as light does not mean good."
"Doesn't make me feel any better." She checks the time. "I could go help Terri look for the Jokers."
"Do that. Barbara has the police searching for them but nothing has been found. I think they may have left the city limits."
"So I'll look outside the city." She leaves the cave.
Terri sees three Joker gang members on motorcycles. "This could be a good lead." He activates the stealth suit and follows them.
Max flies from the Bat Cave and starts near Wayne Manor. "There are probably more caves around here. Uh, can I access satellite information with this mask?" A screen appears in front of her right eye. "Oh, uh, Gotham geography. Caves, enclaves, and uh, sinkholes?" A new list appears.
Terri follows the three Joker gang members outside of the city. "This would explain why the police can't find any thing." The three pull up to a cave. "I guess there is more than one bat cave around here." Terri lands and goes inside still using the stealth mode.
Max is flying through the air when she sees three motorcycles outside of a cave. "That doesn't look suspicious at all." She lands just outside of the cave entrance. "Terri, I found a cave I'm going in." No response. "Bruce can you contact him?"
"No. I lost contact with him about two minutes ago."
"Great. And I still can't go invisible." She walks in to the cave.
Terri hears laughter before he can see who it came from. "Joker, one of them, is in here." He sees the three Joker gang members open a door. The light blinds him a little but he is able to stay close enough behind them to sneak in through the door.
"Boss, Mister Joker, we did it."
"What? What did you do?"
"We, we planted the bomb like you said we should."
"No that was the clone. I never said for any one to plant any bombs."
"But, it, we thought he was you."
"Well he's not!" The Joker grabs a knife and starts twirling it between his fingers. "And I have new orders."
"Ye, ye, yes?" The lead gang member starts sweating as the Joker stares at his forehead.
"Collect the bombs and bring them here. I'll have a little talk with the clone." He stabs the knife in to the arm on the chair he was sitting in. The three gang members flinch then hurry for the door.
Max sees the door open. "Slag." She throws herself again the wall and holds her breath.
The three Joker gang members are in such a hurry to get out of the cave they don't notice Max. She lets out a sigh of relief and goes to the door.
"Max?"
"Terri?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I saw some motorcycles and decided I should take a look."
"I followed them from the city."
"And?"
"Only one Joker is here. I want both."
"So we wait?"
"We have school tomorrow but I have an idea." He drops the stealth on his suit. "We wait a minute or so for them to leave and then we can leave." They watch the door as they wait for the sound of motorcycle engines.
The two set up a camera near the entrance. "And when both Joker's are in here we'll strike."
"How? They're the Joker times two. Batman, Bruce, could barely handle one of them. I'm not sure I'm ready. And if Bruce is still sending me to Jump City this weekend you won't have any help from me."
"What? Why are you going there?"
"Uh, well he didn't say it was a secret." Max pauses but Bruce was either not listening or didn't care if she told Terri. "You ever hear of the Titans?"
"Yeah, sure. They were disbanded decades ago weren't they?" She shakes her head.
"The old man thinks they were sucked in to another dimension because one of the Titans was a half demon."
"And now what? Did they come back?"
"We don't know. The Watch Tower has video of some thing going on there. He wants me to go there and investigate after school tomorrow."
"Jump City is on the other side of the country."
"Yeah. I'll be taking the Batmobile and staying the weekend."
"Alone? That doesn't sound safe. If it was any of the Titans coming back who knows what they might do."
"I know. Raven, the half demon, was like really powerful. If she just came back and is all demony I'm not sure what I can do but run."
"We have the Joker's hide out. Forget Jump City."
"If Bruce lets me."
"He isn't Batman any more. I am. I am Batman and you are Batwoman. We defend Gotham City." Max takes a step back.
"Terri? Are you ok?" He shakes his head a few times.
"Sorry, I, I don't know what came over me."
"The DNA Overwrite."
"Probably." Terri feels his heart race. "Go home. We have school tomorrow and if you do go then you have a long trip." Both take off going in different directions.
The next night Max is flying to Jump City. She was flying over the Grand Canyon and already feeling tired. "Get there, sleep, and investigate as soon as I wake up." She yawns. "I should have staid back at Gotham and helped Terri. Make the old man fly out here. Yeah, and..." She continues complaining as she gets closer to Jump City.
Terri watches the cave after checking the video recording and seeing no one come or go. "As soon as both Joker's are here I'm taking them down."
"Terri you should wait for Max to come back."
"And if they move from here before then? I won't miss out on this opportunity." He sees movement. "Shh." It was the Asylum Joker leaving.
Terri thinks about following him when he sees another Joker show up by a car. "That must be the clone. Why won't they go to the cave at the same time?" Terri sits and continues watching.
Max lands near Jump City. "I can't exactly get a hotel room."
"That is why you will be staying in a vacation home." She almost jumps when she hears Bruce Wayne's voice.
"I, you were listening the whole time?"
"I stopped when you started complaining about how the old man was a slave driver." Bruce laughs a little. "The address should be coming to you now." A screen appears in her mask with the address and directions.
"Uh, thanks."
"Get some sleep Max. I don't expect trouble but if there is you should be at full potential."
"Why don't you expect trouble? If they're coming out of some hell dimension what if they're crazy or some thing?"
"There have been no attacks reported in the city that sound like it would come from any of the Titans. If any thing did come through it is either very weak and scared or it died soon after."
"Good night Max. Investigate as soon as you can even though I may not be here. I have an early business meeting trying to set up some new accounts for new employees."
"Who?"
"Who do you think?" He cuts the connection before Max can respond.
The next morning Terri sneaks in through his window and passes out on his bed. "Terri! Get up I won't let you sleep all day."
"Mom, please, five minutes."
"No. You've been ignoring your chores lately. I know you work for Mr. Wayne but you also live in this home and will be responsible for your chores."
"Fine." Terri stretches and yawns and mumbles under his breath his hatred for Joker.
Max comes out of the vacation home bright and early. "I haven't adjusted to the time change yet." She looks at the moon that was still setting and then east to see just the tip of the Sun start to rise. "I guess I might as well head over and start investigating." She takes off in to the air for the small island near the harbor.
When she lands she sees footprints. She activates the Detail Program of her mask. "Size ten the same size as Cyborg. Size seven which was Changeling's size. Various other sizes matching that of other Titan members." She keeps scanning. "But none matching Raven's size. Does she wear shoes? Or does she fly?" She keeps scanning for clues.
Terri falls asleep standing up at the sink while he does the dishes. The faucet is still running and soon the water starts overflowing on to the floor. "Terri!" He shakes his head and almost falls over. "Terri what are you doing?"
"I, oh, slag it." He turns the faucet off. "Uh, I, I fell asleep."
"While standing up? Terri, go to bed."
"I'll clean this up."
"You fell asleep standing up and doing the dishes. I get this job is important for you and the rest of us but if it is doing this to you what will you do if you move out? Will Dana feel like doing all the chores?"
"Dana? I, uh, I don't know."
"Have you even had time for seeing her? She's a nice girl and her father and I have talked but if you can't find time for her or your friends what will you do?"
"I don't know." Terri simply walks away to his room and passes out on his bed.
Max follows a set of footprints to the edge of the water. "And then they stop. Several members could fly maybe they were carried away? Bruce, no, he's probably at the business meeting right now." She flies to the nearest beach hoping she could find more footprints.
Clone Joker has three Joker gang members in front of him. "So the other one came here and told you to remove them?"
"Yes."
"And you did?"
"Yes Joker."
"Well then." He grabs one by their hair and lifts them up to his face. He leans in until his forehead touches theirs. "Put them back. And no matter what do NOT remove them. If he says to remove them act like you are but don't." He pulls out a knife and holds it to the gang members neck. "Because if you do remove them again you'll never laugh again." Clone Joker throws the person on the floor and starts laughing.
Max finally contacts Bruce. "I found all kinds of footprints. They disappear at the edge of the island and then don't reappear any where else." She waits for a response. "Bruce?"
"They were here for the few seconds the the portal was open and when it closed they were taken back."
"You think? Could a lot of them fly? So they just carried the others and stuff."
"And then what? No attempts at contacting the Justice League."
"Well they've been gone for decades in some Hell dimension. Maybe they're crazy? I'll keep looking for any signs of them."
"Max this may have just been a hope of some old man you don't need too stay. Come back."
"No way. Some could fly and that means they could have carried the others." Max continues searching for clues.
Terri wakes up when his mom violently shakes him. "Terri!"
"Huh?"
"Don't scare me like that."
"Huh?" He tries looking at the clock but his eye sight is too fuzzy.
"Terri It is Saturday night." He tries sitting up but his whole body aches. "I was a little worried."
"Did Bruce call?"
"No. Are you sure you're ok? Terri are you sick?"
"No, I'm fine. I just needed to crash."
"And you did. Honey I made dinner and kept it in the oven so it would stay warm."
"Thanks mom."
In Jump City Max flies late at night. "Wow this place is clean. No trash on the streets the windows are all clean. Even the cars are almost all brand new." She lands on a roof. "Nothing like Gotham."
She flies back to the vacation home and changes in to her street clothes. "Bruce is right they're gone. But I can enjoy a little vacation." She heads back out.
Walking the streets she sees people walking around. None look dangerous or scared. No gang members ran around, no women of the night, just normal people enjoying the cool night air. "This is so much better than Gotham." She takes a deep breath and smells the ocean, the air, not the dirt and grime of a city she normally breathed.
She walks near a park and hears a band playing. She walks in to the park and sees five people playing for any one who passed by. "Amazing." Some one bumps in to her and she reaches for her wallet making sure it was still there. It was.
"Sorry little lady." She sees the man who bumped in to her. He wasn't some criminal picking her pocket just some one distracted by the band.
"No problem." He keeps walking paying a little more attention to where he was going as she continues listening to the band.
Terri flies out through his window and goes straight for the Bat Cave. "If he didn't call nothing happened but I must check the video."
At the Bat Cave he fast forwards through the video. "Nothing, nothing, and more," He hears a sound. "Bruce?"
"Dick?" Some one comes out of the shadows. He was a red headed man, maybe early twenties.
"Who are you?" Terri pulls out two batarangs. "And how did you get in here?"
"Dick, it's me, Wally. Dude it took Raven a few minutes but she got the portal open. I got out but I don't think any one else was fast enough."
"Wally?" Terri turns to the computer and puts the name in.
Wally West, AKA Kid Flash, Nephew of Barry West, Flash. Member of Titans. Powers include... Terri stops the computer.
"Dude nice Nightwing costume." Wally walks over and puts a hand on Terri's arm. Terri shakes it off.
"I'm not Dick, or Nightwing."
"Then who are you? Batman doesn't wear that."
"He does now." Wally takes a step back.
"You're not Dick. Who are you?"
"Batman."
"No you're not. Bruce Wayne is Batman."
"He retired years ago."
"No he didn't!" Wally is a blur as he strikes Terri. Terri starts recovering from the blow but Wally, Kid Flash, strikes him from behind dropping him to his knees. Before Terri can get up Kid Flash wraps his arms around Terri's neck. "Who are you?"
"Batman. He is Batman." Bruce starts walking down the stairs slowly.
"Who are you? Where's Bruce Wayne?"
"I am Bruce Wayne, Wally. You've been gone for decades."
"What? We were gone for maybe an hour at most."
"Time moves differently in other dimensions. Did you not notice the changes? Did you not see the cars, the buildings, the technology?"
"I, it, it is a trick."
"By who? For what?"
"Then she sent us to the wrong dimension." Bruce reaches the bottom of the stairs.
"Let him go Wally."
"Why should I? I want answers!"
"Because if you don't you'll regret it." Kid Flash looks down when he feels some thing on his leg. Terri had a batarang pressed against it.
"Fine." Wally backs away. "But I want answers."
"We'll give you what we can."
In Jump City Max relaxes under the moon listening to the band. Her moment of peace and quiet is broken when people start screaming. "What? That sounds more like Gotham." She sees people running away from dark energy sparking over a building.
She runs towards the energy and sees energy tendrils snaking down. One of the energy tendrils touches a tree and the leaves fall off immediately as the tree dies. "That's not good. And with out the suit I'm screwed. I should have brought it with me in a back pack like Terri does." She turns and runs from the dark energy.
Back at the Bat Cave Wally sits on the floor hugging his knees. "Decades? My uncle was killed by an Amazo? Dick is old and retired, had a kid, lost his kid to Joker who came back from the dead more than once? This kid is the new Batman? This is a nightmare this can't be reality."
"It is." Bruce puts a hand on Wally's shoulder. "And I'll help you get accustomed to this reality. You do have a niece who I'm sure would love too meet her uncle."
"What? But my little sister was only two." He shakes his head and sighs. "But it has been decades." Tears well up in his eyes. "A niece huh? She's probably older than I am." He wipes his eyes.
"But she is family." Bruce looks in to Terri's eyes.
Max and every one else in Jump City are relived when the demonic energy dissipates. "Just like before. Maybe others came through this time." She runs back towards where the energy had come from.
She sees trees, grass, bushes, and flowers had died but no humans. "What happened?" Every one was stunned and asking the same question. Unfortunately no one was there to give an answer.
A/N Abrupt end. Sorry uh... Well, I have some thing planned but not sure how to get it down or where exactly it is going. Titans? Kid Flash is back but who else if any one else? And what happened back then? How will this play with Jokers and Blights and all those who escaped? We'll wait and find out!