Willoffire123: I'm back!
Terry: And just when I thought I would never have to see you again.
Willoffire123: Oh hush, you know you missed me. This, I can most likely assure you, will be the last chapter of this story.
Terry: I'm not sure I believe you, but fine. Willoffire123 doesn't own Batman Beyond.
Willoffire123: Fantastic! On with the chapter!
Terry
The first things Terry noticed when he woke were the bright lights. That didn't seem right. Wasn't he in the Bat Cave?
'Obviously not, genius,' he told himself. 'They must have moved you while you were sleeping.'
Bruce had said that he was to go to the JLU headquarters in Metropolis to recuperate. Was he there now?
Terry struggled to sit up, but found it much harder than he'd hoped. Every inch of his body was still covered in a dull ache that left his limbs feeling like lead.
However, someone seemed to notice Terry's struggles, as the next thing he knew, a man in a JLU-emblazoned uniform peering over him blocked out his bright light.
"Mister Batman, sir?" he asked hesitantly. "Are you awake?"
"What does it look like?" Terry grumbled in his Batman voice, attempting to flex his stiff and bandaged fingers.
"I'll call the Womb at once," said the medical ward worker. "I think Aquagirl's on duty. By the way, the beds here now have that facial camouflage feature you installed last year. I can't see your face, in case you were wondering."
"That's good," said Terry, already thoroughly fed up with this man. Why was he still there? "Now, you were leaving?"
The man jumped, startled, and scurried away, leaving Terry to contemplate the celling and wonder how he hadn't noticed ever leaving the Bat Cave, much less travelling all the way to Metropolis.
"Yo Bats! How ya feeling?" quipped a loud voice that Terry REALLY didn't want to hear right now.
"How do you think, Flash?" he asked, gritting his teeth to grind out the pulsing pain in his head.
The red-clad speedster claimed the seat next to his bed, giving Terry a grin.
"Glad to see you haven't changed," said Flash, never breaking his stride. "Anyway, don't you want to hear about my big mission on Themyscara?"
"The Amazon Island?" asked Terry, suddenly curious. "Did you see Wonder Woman?"
Flash grinned even harder. "That was my mission. And get this: she came back with me! She's here now. Said she wants to meet you. You know, meet 'the new man behind the mask' or something. Are you just about the luckiest guy ever, or what?"
Terry allowed himself a small smile. "You're telling the guy who had a building fall on top of him and broke everything humanly possibly to break, the luckiest guy ever."
Flash flicked him for his sass. "You're still alive, aren't you? But Ter, you're missing the point. This is Diana we're talking about. You know, the immortal Amazonian Queen Diana? She's gotta be the biggest babe there is, and she wants to meet you, oh lowly bat scum."
"I'd whop your ass if I had the strength to do it," Terry joked, then seeing Flash's imploring looks, added "Wally, I have a girlfriend, you know."
"You mean you're not interested in Diana?" Flash asked hopefully.
Terry made a face. "Dude, Bruce had a thing for Diana. Even thinking about being interested in her is too messed up to handle."
"So she's fair game?" Flash prodded.
"Keep dreaming, Wally," said a new voice. Terry heard, rather than saw, as he was still lying down, two more sets of feet enter the room.
"You know, your grandpa tried hitting on me several times," said Queen Diana of Themyscara. "I threw him through a wall when it became unbearable."
"Whupped," snorted Cyborg. "Anyway, how are you feeling, Batman? Have you regained any more movement in your torn muscles?"
"If you mean can I wiggle my fingers, then sort of," said Terry. "How long have I been here?"
"Couple of days," said Flash.
"Bruce says to not do anything that might upset your recovery," said Diana. "He wants you back on your feet in Gotham again soon."
"You'll start your physical therapy this afternoon, if that's okay," said Cyborg.
"Fine by me," said Terry. By now, he was done with beds. He wanted to be back on his feet again. If he needed someone else's help to do that, then so be it.
But he was so tired. He felt as if he were floating away from his body, like a balloon. His head spun in circles, causing the three superheroes to run laps around his field of vision until they were a blur.
"Let's let him rest; he needs it," said Cyborg, heading for the door.
"But what about the school group…" was the last thing Terry heard Flash say before his world once again went dark.
Max
"Isn't it exciting?" said Chelsea Cunningham to her two best friends, Maxine Gibson and Dana Tan.
"You mean the field trip to the JLU headquarters, missing school for a day, or Derek Powers taking us there?" asked Max, glaring at the white head sitting by the driver's seat.
"All of them!" said Chelsea. "But the JLU thing, definitely. This is, like, the schwayest field trip ever!"
"And probably a once in a life time thing," Max added. "The Justice League aren't exactly tourist friendly."
"Too bad Terry had to miss it," Dana sighed. "I hope he's okay."
Max rubbed Dana's shoulder comfortingly. "Hey, you know it's for the best. It isn't everyday someone survives a terrorist attack. He'll be back on his feet before you know it."
Dana allowed herself a small smile, but Max knew she wouldn't stop worrying about her boyfriend; it was just in her nature.
"Trust a dreg like McGinnis to miss something as schuay as meeting the Justice League," said Nelson Nash, one of the most annoying jocks Max had ever had the displeasure of knowing.
"Leave him alone, Nelson," said Max. "He isn't even here to hear you."
"Whatever," said Nelson, rolling his eyes and turning in his seat. "He's still a dreg."
"Who do you want to see, Dana?" asked Chelsea excitedly, completely ignoring Nelson.
"Seeing anyone in the Justice League would be cool," said Dana, allowing herself to cheer up just a little bit. "I don't know. Maybe Superman?"
"I heard Wonder Woman will be there," said Max. "She left Themyscara for the first time in decades."
"I wonder why," said Dana. "Surely it can't be for us."
"Maybe she wanted to meet the new Batman," said Chelsea. "You know, she and the old one had a thing back in the day of the original seven."
"Wow, Chelsea, I didn't know you knew so much about this stuff," said Dana.
Chelsea winked. "I did my homework."
"So then, you think Batman will be there too?" Max asked hesitantly.
"Maybe," said Chelsea. "We'll find out in a minute. Look, we're here!"
Sure enough, the bus pulled up right in front of the JLU Metro Tower as Chelsea spoke.
"Quiet down, students!" called the teacher. "Mr. Powers would like to say a few words before we go inside."
"Thank you," said Derek Powers. "Kids, we are about to experience a once in a life time opportunity. The Justice League doesn't allow just any old visitors to grace their halls. That's to be expected, though; they are extraordinary people, doing extraordinary things every day. Throughout your tour today, I'd like you to remember that you don't have to be extraordinary to do extraordinary things. In fact, quite ordinary people, like you and I, are the ones destined to do extraordinary things to shape our futures. Thank you, and go have fun."
"Ugh, gag," said Max as she, Dana and Chelsea left the bus.
"What do you mean, Max?" said Chelsea, puzzled. "That was a pretty schuay speech."
"But it came from Derek Powers," said Max. "The guy's a total creep."
"Don't worry about it now," said Dana. "We have more important things to think about."
As she and her classmates entered the doors of the ever-intimidating JLU Metro Tower, Max had to admit that Dana was right. Whatever Powers was planning, at least the Justice League would be there to stop him.
"Look!" said Howard Groote, tugging on her arm. "Isn't that Aquagirl?"
Max followed Howard's finger, and low and behold, it was indeed Aquagirl striding down the stairs to meet them in the waiting room.
"Welcome, students of Hamilton High!" she said in a pleasant, smooth voice. "By now, I'm sure you know where you are."
"JLU METRO TOWER!" the students shouted excitedly.
"A+!" said Aquagirl. "We're a little new at this tourism thing, so you'll have to forgive us if this isn't like any tour you've ever experienced. If you'll follow me, please, we'll make our way to the Monitor Womb, where we'll split into smaller groups for the tour."
While Nelson, Chelsea, Howard and many others attempted to walk with Aquagirl, Max lagged in the back of the pack, instead choosing to gaze around at the building of heroes. Sometimes, well, most of the time, actually, Max could hardly believe that Terry worked there, with superheros like Superman, or Green Lantern.
'Of course he does, idiot,' Max scolded herself. 'Why wouldn't he? Batman's just as much a superhero as the rest of them.'
That made it easier to believe, she decided. Batman was a part of the Justice League. Terry was still plain old Terry.
"What a headache," she mumbled.
"If you have a headache, miss, I'm sure we'll pass by the medical wing soon enough," said Derek Powers, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Max shrugged him off, feeling very uncomfortable. "Oh, I'll be fine, Mr. Powers. Maybe you should visit the medical wing though; your abnormally high body heat suggests a fever."
Mr. Powers' smooth smile fell flat, and he pursed his lips into a thin line. "As you wish, miss…?"
"Gibson, Max Gibson," she prompted.
"Right. Well, as you wish, Miss Gibson," said Mr. Powers. "I will visit the medical wing at the nearest convenience. Now I suggest you catch up with your friends; I believe Aquagirl's about to split you up into groups."
Max was so busy speaking to Mr. Powers that she failed to notice entering the Monitor Womb. The first thing that really hit her was the beautiful view. The entire left wall was made of glass, allowing her and her classmates to see out over all of Metropolis. TVs practically lined the upper levels of the room, broadcasting news from all over the world. People in blue JLU worker uniforms were everywhere, checking the monitors, running messages between the upper and lower levels, and typing away on computers.
"It's like the Enterprise," Howard whispered, ever the Star Trek nerd.
"Almost," said a voice from above. Max clamped her ears shut to block out the excited shouts and squeals as the Man of Steel himself descended from an upper level of the Womb, landing lightly next to Aquagirl.
"It hasn't been able to fly in decades," said Superman.
"You should meet Micron and Flash though," added Aquagirl. "Star Trek is their favorite movie."
As soon as Aquagirl said the words 'Star' and 'Trek', a red blur zipped through their pack, scattering the Hamilton High students.
"Did someone say Star Trek?" said the Flash.
Howard raised his hand shakily.
Flash gave a cry of joy, vigorously shaking Howard's hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir. The Flash's my name; speed is my game. Nobody else here appreciates good cinematography. Well, maybe Micron. Where is he, anyway?"
"We'll see him later on the tour," said Superman, noticing the group's stunned silence.
"What tour?" demanded Flash. "Look, I know I'm fairly new here, but I've seen every inch of the place already."
"Not your tour, dumbass," said Aquagirl. "Their tour."
Flash turned slowly to stare at the students. "So they're…?"
"The students from Hamilton High," Superman said patiently.
"I knew that!" Flash grinned sheepishly. "I was just testing you. So you guys are from Gotham, right?"
The students in the front took a step back, too scared to go any closer to the hyped up speedster.
"Relax," Flash snorted. "Anyone from Bats' town's either cool, or a psycho. And you guys don't look like psychos, so there's nothing to worry about!"
Max was about to point out the real reason her classmates were scared, but Superman started assigning groups.
"Mr. Powers, which group would you like to go with?" asked Superman.
"Miss Gibson and I would like to go with whoever will be visiting the medical wing," said Mr. Powers. "Both of us are feeling a little under the weather."
Max felt like she could melt through the floor. Why did she have to be near this creep? Of all the people on this trip, why her?
"The medical wing is unfortunately-," started Superman. Aquagirl pulled him down to her height, and whispered something in his ear.
"It appears I'm mistaken," said Superman. "Flash's group will be going there first."
"We are?" asked Flash, looking alarmed.
"You are," said Aquagirl, pulling Flash down this time, and whispering something in his ear.
Whatever Aquagirl said must have put Flash at ease, because he then popped up, announced "To the medical wing we go!"
"Flash's group will consist of Mr. Powers, Maxine Gibson, Chelsea Cunningham, Howard Groote, Dana Tam, Blade Summers, Nelson Nash, Peter Savoy, and Conner Thurple," said Aquagirl, reading off a clipboard.
"Follow me, guys!" said Flash, taking a hold of Howard's chubby arm, and steering him out of the Monitor Womb, the rest of the group following suit.
Flash led the group briskly through the halls, only stopping once they'd reached a panel of sturdy glass separating them from a wide, dome-like room.
"So this is one of our training rooms," he said awkwardly, still not quite sure what he was doing. "We go here to train."
"No shit, Sherlock," said Nelson, Peter and Conner snickering behind him.
Flash rubbed his nose, embarrassed.
Max, feeling sorry for the guy, intervened. "What kind of training?"
Flash perked up instantly. "Well, most of the time it's hand-to-hand combat. Sometimes Green Arrow, or Barda, or Cyborg, or even Bats comes in here for shooting practice."
He pointed at drones coming up from the floor. "Look, there's Barda now."
Sure enough, Big Barda herself had stepped into the training room.
Max watched as metal drones rose from the floor and dropped from the celling.
"Let's keep moving," said Flash. Max just got a glimpse of Barda decapitating a drone before she rounded the corner, and the training room disappeared from sight.
Terry
"WHAT?" demanded Terry in the most frightening voice he could muster.
Cyborg winced. "I just said that your school's here on a field trip. You'll be fine; the tour group shouldn't go by here at all."
"Do you have any idea what kind of risk finding out about me puts them in?" he said frantically. Ignoring how loud his heart sounded in his ears, he leaned against the weight-press in order to force air back into his panicked lungs.
"Terry, breathe," ordered Cyborg. Terry obeyed, allowing his head to de-fog itself.
"We'll figure this out, okay?" said Cyborg. "You just focus on resting."
"Like hell," Terry snorted. "Cyborg, get me in that wheelchair."
Cyborg gulped. Terry may have been significantly younger than him, and significantly lower on super powers than him, but the demon aura of the Batman fit him perfectly. Cyborg helped the young superhero into the wheel chair.
"I need to get into my suit," said Terry. "That'll quell any suspicions of where the Batman might be."
"If you say so," grumbled Cyborg, handing him his facial camouflage glasses.
"There'll be no need for that, Mr. McGinnis," said a voice that made Terry's heart creep into his throat.
Derek Powers pointed his gun at Terry's head.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Mr. Powers," Cyborg said coolly, pointing his blast cannon at the man's heart. "Now, calmly put the gun down, and we can discuss what you've seen here today."
"Cyborg," said Terry, staring down the barrel of Powers' gun, "He's Blight."
Powers smiled sinisterly. "The boy's correct. You should know that, shouldn't you, Mr. McGinnis? After all, you made me who I am today."
Apart from a raised eyebrow, Cyborg remained unfazed.
"What do you want, Powers?" Terry spat. "If you're here, in the heart of the JLU, for a fight then you're stupider than I thought."
Terry eyed the steam coming off Powers in coils, very aware of the fact that he couldn't stand on his own, let alone fight. He knew that once Powers turned into Blight, he wouldn't be able to do much of anything. They needed to end this before Powers shed his skin.
"Cyborg," said Terry. "Call Superman-,"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, young man," warned Powers. "Come on out, children."
As if this situation couldn't sink any lower, Dana, Max, Chelsea, Howard, Nelson Nash, Blade Summers, Connor Thurple and Peter Savoy inched out from behind the door, huddling together in a pack.
"Terry?" Dana gasped.
"Mister Powers, what are you doing?" demanded Max. Terry could see her hand slowly reaching behind her for the weight rack and shot her his best 'stand down' glare. She ignored him, of course.
"Why, I'm apprehending Batman, Miss Gibson," Powers said calmly.
"But Mister Powers," Chelsea pipped up. "That's not Batman; that's our friend Terry."
"Who still hasn't explained why he's here," Blade said pointedly.
"Babe, Mister Powers is smoking and pointing a gun at his head. I'm pretty sure explanations aren't his problem right now," said Nelson.
"Never thought I'd say this, but thanks, Nelson," said Terry. Now that Powers had made his claim, the best Terry could do was play the part of the scared student until the Womb picked up the radiation spikes in the weight room and came to investigate.
"Mister Powers, you are a guest here," said Cyborg. "If what Mr. McGinnis says is true, and you really are Blight, I'm afraid we'll have to detain you and notify Neo-Arkham Asylum."
At that point, Derek Powers' skin peeled off completely. Throwing aside his now melted gun, Powers grabbed Terry and pulled him into a chokehold.
"Terry!" cried Dana. "Let him go!'
Terry could feel the radiation sinking into his skin. He squirmed in pain against the new burns searing down his back and arms.
"Trust me, children," Blight snarled, choking Terry harder. "The world will be a better place once Batman isn't in it."
Terry could feel his consciousness failing him, but still he managed to struggle, shouting "Lemme go! I'm not Batman!" in a terrified voice.
He should have gotten an Oscar.
Instead, he was getting radiation poisoning while his classmates watched Blight attempt to unmask him.
"And Cyborg," said Blight in a singsong voice. "If you even try and shoot me or call for help, I'll snap Batman's neck."
"I'm not Batman, you psycho!" Terry hollered. "Let go! You're hurting me!"
"And," said Blight, squeezing harder to silence Terry, "I'll kill all the students."
Terry's vision was blackening. He heard Howard Groote, of all people, whimper out a protest to Terry's manhandling.
Then, he descended into oblivion.
Terry: It's over?
Max: Of course not, that didn't make any sense.
Willoffire123: You're both right! Which is why everyone must stay tuned for a part 2!
Terry: Why not write this all in one chapter?
Willoffire123: Hello? Do you not see how long the chapter is already?
Max: It is pretty long.
Willoffire123: Exactly! Now if you'll excuse me, I have a part 2 to start working on!
Terry: And how long is that going to take?
Willoffire123: Who knows? This took a ridiculously long time to finish, so you just need to BE PATIENT.
Terry: *gulp* yes mam!
Max: Until next time then!