Life is as tedious as twice-told tale, vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man.
Read more: . #ixzz1ggyVQJBS
Batman Beyond Season 4Episode 65: Shocker
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
Batman and Batwoman are flying over Gotham following two T gang members. "Three of their own were killed lately."
"I know." Terri fights back a yawn. Exams were over and now he just had to wait to see if he would graduate on time. "What makes you think Redhood will be looking to take out their boss? Isn't he a bigger deal than the guys he usually targets?"
"Are you really that out of it Terri? Redhood is targeting the T's for some reason and the end game would be the boss."
"It makes sense. Just tell me that a few more times and it might sink in." They continue following the two T's.
Flash is watching Melanie and several Joker gang members. "She's in."
"Keep an eye on her. She has to keep her cover but we can't let her commit crimes."
"Got it big guy. I'll stop her like I was just that good a crime fighter. Almost like I was s super hero with super powers." Bruce does not appreciate Flash's sarcasm.
Batman and Batwoman land on the roof of a building and see the T's enter it. "I guess now we sit and wait for Redhood."
"I hope we don't have to wait long. Both of us have had maybe five hours of sleep this whole week." Terri yawns loudly.
The two are fighting sleep as a fuel truck turns the corner. Neither one think anything of it until the driver leaps out landing gracefully on his feet.
The truck barrels towards the building the T's had gone in to. "Get him I got the truck!" Batwoman leaps off the roof activating her rockets flying for the truck.
Batman leaps off and flies for Redhood. Redhood was waiting and pulls out a stun gun. When Batman is close he fires it and hits Batman in the chest. "Come on Terri even the old man is faster than that."
"He gets more sleep." The suit had protected Terri, mostly, and he gets back up quickly.
"Well you better be faster if you want to save your lady friend." Terri turns and sees Max smashing the window of the fuel truck so she can get inside. When he turns back around Redhood is gone.
Max hits the brakes and... Nothing happens. "He cut the brake lines? He thought of every thing." The seatbelt snaps around her waist. "Every thing." She pulls out a batarang and cuts the belt.
Terri is flying after the truck when two flashbang grenades on the back explode blinding him. "Aaaa!" He grabs at his eyes and crashes in to the street.
Max is climbing back out through the window trying to think of what to do. She leaps on top of the truck and climbs to the hood. "I hope it is strong enough." She attaches one end of the batclaw to the hood and fires it at the street.
She goes to leap off when two wires shoot out and wrap around her ankles. "What the hell is he doing?" She looks up and sees the building getting closer and closer. "I have to stop this truck." She feels the truck shake as the line from the batclaw catches. The hood is ripped from the truck. "Whoa!" She has to quickly fall back on to the windshield as to not fall in to the engine.
Terri feels a foot press against his back. "I was going to disappear but I wanted to watch this." Redhood stomps on Terri's back. "Can you hear me Bruce? This boy doesn't have your touch."
"You're not Jason."
"What was that Bruce? I thought I had your signal locked on but it is still fuzzy."
"You're not Jason. I don't know who you are but you're not him."
"Silly Bruce death is for kids. You should know that by now. I died before but I came back." Redhood laughs as Bruce saves his voice print.
Max throws two batarangs in to the engine. They snap belts, break fans, and soon the engine turns off but the trucks momentum keeps it barreling towards the building. "Batman!" She activates her rockets and tries to take off but the wires are short and she falls on the roof of the truck. "Help!" She struggles as the building comes closer and closer.
"Save her! You kill criminals not heroes."
"The real Batgirl could get herself out of this." Redhood leans down and pulls a knife. "The real Batman could get himself out of this."
"I am the real Batman!" Terri pushes himself off the ground using the suits extra strength.
"Very nice but can you hit what you can't see?"
"I can hear you." Terri swings but Redhood dodges.
"But you can't see making this almost too easy." Redhood gets behind Batman and kicks him hard sending him in to a post box.
Max is desperate as she pulls out four small bombs. "Don't set off the fuel!" She throws them and they explode taking out the first two rows of tires.
The truck sends sparks flying as the rims touch the road. The truck slows and finally stops a few feet from the building.
"Oh well." Redhood pulls out a remote and presses a green button.
The wires around Max's ankles loosen. She leaps to the fuel tank and sees Redhood. She also sees Terri recovering from Redhood's last attack.
Redhood walks over to Batman and pulls him up by his cowl. "Max stopped the truck in a pretty ingenious way." He looks up to see Max jump off the back of the truck and start running towards Redhood. "And she was smart enough to not activate her rockets while standing on hundreds of gallons of fuel." Redhood tosses Terri to the road.
"Stop!" Max is about to throw a batarang when Redhood holds up the remote.
"Go." He presses a red button.
The fuel truck explodes. Flames shoot out in all directions. Max is caught in the fireball and screams in pain.
The front wall of the building crumbles and cracks as the force from the explosion hits it. It creaks a few times before collapsing on top of the T's inside.
Terri hears the explosion and feels the shockwave and heat but can't see it.
Ace and the Joker gang members are trying to break in to the safe of a jewelry store when the Flash shows up. "Silent alarms any one?"
"Go! I'll keep him busy."
"What about the safe? Joker said we needed the diamonds."
"We'll get them another way unless you feel like going to prison." The gang members decide to listen to Ace and take off.
"Good job Melanie."
"Great job you mean?" She walks over to Flash. "But we do need to fight so Mister J doesn't think you just let me walk away."
"So escape, get to the roof of the building across the street from here, and then I'll chase after you. We shout a few things and throw a few punches then you fly off."
"Got it F-" The building shakes.
"Did you bring explosives?!"
"That wasn't the Joker thugs!" The two go out the back way and get to the roof of the jewelry store where they see the smoke and flames rising in to the sky.
Terri's vision starts recovering as sirens get closer and closer. He clamors to the nearest alley and activates his stealth mode as firetrucks and police show up. "Bruce where's Max?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? Did she go after Redhood?"
"Her last transmission ended with her screams."
"No, no." Terri catches his breath as more police drive up.
Flash and Melanie show up and see the police and firemen. "Bruce where are Max and Terri?"
"Terri is in an alley south of you and I lost Max's signal."
"He must have his stealth activated."
Over an hour later the fire is under control and the three heroes are in the Batcave. "So she was picked up by the police or fire fighters and sent to a hospital." Bruce shakes his head.
"I already checked. No news of Batwoman, or girl, being brought in to the hospital." Everyone feels sick. "There have been eight bodies pulled from the building. All male."
"So there's a chance she survived? But we didn't see her." Flash and the others had looked as best they could with police around.
"She could be hurt and have crawled some where you didn't look. In any case there is nothing showing she is dead."
"What about her suit? Can't you track it?"
"I tried that but this new Redhood thought of that and jammed my signal once he was able to lock in to it." Bruce plays back what Redhood had told him. "He contacted me directly to taunt me. Either he really believes he is Jason Todd or he may be a clone." Terri catches Bruce's implications immediately.
"Cadmus." Terri starts walking to the Batwing when Bruce holds up his cane.
"Not tonight. We don't know how long this clone has been around. It may have been made years ago and no one who worked on it may be with the company. It may have broken out and killed them or they may have released it to cause chaos in Gotham."
"Or they may have nothing to do with it. He said he came back once before. Didn't you say the Lazarus Pits could bring back the dead?"
"You dug the body up yourself Billy."
"Yes and it stunk." Bruce gives him a strange look. "What?"
"It still smelled?"
"What do you mean still? It was a dead body that had been in the ground for years."
"Exactly. The woman he married was Jewish. They don't embalm their dead. After almost six years the body should have been mostly bone and hair and no rotten flesh left to smell."
"There was plenty of rotten flesh." Bruce sighs and leans back in the chair.
"Go back there and get me a sample of the flesh. Not hair."
"What? Ew. I dug it up once already."
"So do it again."
"Why? You already ran the DNA test it is Jason Todd's body." Terri starts hearing a voice that wasn't his or any one else's in the room. You haven't lost your touch Bruce. "He taunted you about your touch, my touch. How I don't have your touch. Who else would know he taunted you with that before?"
"Only myself and Dick. How you know I'm not sure."
"Cadmus." Bruce looks away still feeling guilty about what had been done to Terri.
"So only four people know about it?" Melanie was making a connection. "And it clearly isn't you or Terri doing this."
"It isn't Dick!" Terri walks over and puts a hand on Bruce's shoulder.
"Of course not he isn't as young as this Redhood guy is." Melanie shakes her head.
"But he didn't appear until recently. What if Dick is behind this? Terri said his son was killed by the Joker while helping you. What if he decided your way wasn't the right way after all?"
"You've been spending too much time with the Joker."
"It can't be Dick. We fought together for years." Flash and the others turn on Melanie.
"I'm just saying! Who else would know? Even if Cadmus raised the dead or made a clone how would he have Jason Todd's memories?"
"The same way I have Bruce's. A DNA overwrite with Jason Todd's DNA could be what is happening here."
"Except my father didn't become Bruce."
"But you are. You told me yourself Terri you keep having his memories and you keep talking like him."
"Enough!" Bruce slams the tip of his cane on the floor. "It is late and you three need to be getting some sleep."
"What about Max?" Terri was tired and nearly dead on his feet but he couldn't go to bed with out knowing what had happened to Max.
"No female bodies were found. She's fine go to bed Terri you have work to do tomorrow." A phone starts ringing. "Mine is about to begin."
"The Commissioner?" Bruce simply nods and picks up the phone.
That afternoon the Billy, Flash, is in Bludhaven. He is in civilian clothing as to not draw suspicion. "It can't be him. I should have seen him before now it can't be him." He runs up to a house and knocks three times. "Dick." He knocks three times again. "Dick." He continues doing this until the door opens.
"What?!" Dick sees Flash, Billy. "Oh, hey. Long time my friend."
"Not as long for me."
"So I heard. Come in I can get you some coffee."
"Like I need coffee." He goes inside and Dick closes the door behind him.
Terri hears the phone ringing and answers it. "Hello?"
"Terri? Have you seen Max?"
"Oh, Dana, no. I uh, think Bruce sent her off to do some work for him."
"And she didn't tell her parents? They have no idea where she is and she isn't answering her phone." Terri doesn't respond. "Some thing happened to her didn't it? In the news they said there was a large explosion in south Gotham." He stays silent. "She's dead? You can't hide her forever."
"She's not dead. We don't know where she is but she isn't dead. All the bodies found were male." Terri looks at the time. "I'll ask the Big Man if he has any news on her."
"You have to tell her parents something."
"We will. I need to go see Bruce."
Later that day Billy is leaving Dick Grayson's house. "I have to go do some thing for Bruce."
"Any thing to do with that guy running around as Redhood?" Billy nods. "Watch out for that guy he sounds unstable."
"You think?"
"I know."
Melanie is with Joker. "I went to see what happened and it was a mess."
"The T's are done for. But this psycho is still out there and I've only found a couple." Joker motions to two criminals tied up and gagged. "How can I lure this guy in if I don't have the whole set?"
"Well I could try and lure him in Mister J. I'm a criminal." She gives him a sly smile. "What do you say?"
"My trap isn't ready yet." Joker taps a finger on the arm of his chair. "But I do have another lead. Some one said they heard from some one who saw some one say they saw Inque."
"How would you keep her? You can't exactly tie her up." Joker laughs.
"Of course not. I'll pay her she's a mercenary. I'll pay her to stick around until the time is right." Joker tells Melanie where the person who heard from some one who saw some one some one say they saw Inque was.
Flash is back at the Batcave with a tissue sample. "Can I go wash my hands a thousand times? It should only take a few minutes."
"You wore gloves." Bruce cuts the sample in to three pieces and puts them in separate petri dishes.
"Still." Flash is a blur as he runs to the nearest sink to wash his hands.
Ace sees Inque through the window of a late night coffee shop. "What is she doing? She's a wanted criminal." She flies down and changes in to street clothes.
Inque turns as the door opens. Melanie walks over and sits down next to her. "You could have chosen any seat why the one next to me?"
"Because Mister J sent me." Melanie hands Inque a card. "You do work for money and he has money."
"Yeah? What does he want?"
"To kill the Batman. Or one of his friends."
"How about I get you in to the Batcave?" Melanie's shocked expression makes Inque smile. "I was there once. It was dark and the Batmobile was going fast but I still remember the area."
"I, I'm sure that would help Mister J a lot." Melanie feels Inque's finger press in to her hand. "What are you doing?"
"Who are you and how did you find me? A little girl like you just walks in to my coffee shop?" Inque presses harder and cuts Melanie.
"I'm Ace. Former member of the Royal Flush Gang." Melanie can't pull her hand away and grits her teeth to try and not show pain. "And Mister J has connections."
"Very well." Inque pulls her finger away. She flips the card between her fingers. "I'll think about it."
"Right." Melanie walks away holding her hand as blood drips down her arm.
Bruce leans back in his seat as the test results come up. "No sign of radiation. He had cancer and went through chemotherapy. There should be left over traces of the chemicals and radiation. This body has none." He looks at a picture of Jason Todd with out a hood or mask. "What have they done with you?"
Terri looks at the picture. "So what the hell is going on Bruce?"
"I don't know."
"Cadmus. It has to be them." Terri pulls the cowl on. "I'll go have a chat with them."
"No. I'll do that." Bruce stands up using the cane for support. "Look for Max. No one has reported a young black woman being brought in to any hospital and Barbara says no officers found her."
"Where do I look where we haven't already?"
"Start in the sewers. If we can't find her I'll make sure her parents are notified and taken care of."
"How do you explain it? Bruce we must find her." Terri walks away.
A/N So who is this guy? Jason Todd? DNA overwrite by Cadmus? Some thing else? And where is Max? And did Redhood get his message across to the others? Stop trying to stop him from killing criminals? We must wait and see!