Batman Beyond: A Brother's Quarrel

[witness]

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part of the Batman franchise or any related materials. I'm just a guy writing a story about them.

NOTE: There is no way you can start reading this story without having read my previous Batman Beyond story. It is titled Legacys. It's located back in the archives. Just have them go back to the beginning, and you should find it easily. This story is a follow-up to Legacys. I do hope that you'll enjoy it.




Prologue:


THE LEGACY OF VENGANCE IS CARRIED ON BY THE NEW PHANTASM.


Ten Years Ago.....

"Why. Why did you kill him?" asked Batman.

"Why not? He deserves to be dead. He also deserves to stay dead. That won"t happen though, will it?" replied Phantasm.

"What do you mean?"

"I heard everything."

"So, what will you do now?"

"I suppose I should let you live. I think you've suffered enough. However, if your brother actually does live up to what the Joker said he would, I'll kill him. You had better hope that you get to him first."

He began to turn, but stopped mid-way.

"It's funny how much alike you two are. You can save the city and the world a hundred times over, but when it comes to your loved ones, you always seem to fail them miserably."



Present Day.....


Thomas Harper waited for the lady to return. He was sitting in an office, going through yet another interview. They certainly are thorough here.... he thought to himself. Just then, the lady returned.

"Well, Mr. Harper, it seems that everything is in order. You're officially now in the employment of Wayne-Powers enterprises. Congradulations," she said as she shook his hand.

"Thank you...." he looked at the nameplate on her desk. "Ms. Gibson," he replied.

"Please, call me Max. Everyone else does. Now, we'll be expecting you to start first thing Monday. Make sure that you're here. You'll probably be paid a visit by the CEO. He likes to check out everyone that's hired. Other then that, you should be fine."

"I'm looking forward to it. I'll see you Monday," said Thomas Harper as he walked out the door.






THE LEGACY OF MADNESS IS CARRIED ON BY THE NEW JOKER.



Ten Years Ago.....

Flashback #1

"DEEDEE!!! Let's go! I don't like waiting!" yelled the Joker.

The twins raced inside the building. They almost ran into the Joker before stopping.

"Finally! Let's go and pay her a visit, shall we? I'm sure she'll love her new family member. Heh, heh."

The Joker ushered Matt outside to a waiting vehicle. The girls were close behind. They all piled into the vehicle and raced off towards their destination. Within minutes, they had arrived. As they got to the door, the Joker pressed the buzzer. He left his finger on it until someone opened the door a crack.

"Who is it?" asked Nana Harley.

The Joker pushed the door wide open and strolled right on in. The old lady fell onto the floor. The girls quickly went to her and helped her up.

"Oh honey, I'm home!" said the Joker.

"Mister J, what an unpleasant surprise..." said Harley.

"Oh, come now. Be happy that I'm here. I have one more little favor to ask of you."

"Oh yeah? Well, I'll tell you where you can stick your favor!"

"Nana Harley!" the Deedee twins replied.

"Harl, has it really been that long? Have you actually forgotten just what I'm capable of? Perhaps I should refresh your memory."

"No! No, that won't be necessary..."

"Good! Now about that favor...I need you to look after something for me. All you have to do, is take care of it for me. Sound good?"

"Yeah, sure," Harley replied sarcastically.

"Hey kid! Come in here and meet your grandma!"

Matt timidly walked inside the house and into the room where they were talking. He stayed behind the Joker.

"Come on, don't be shy. She won't bite."

Matt slowly walked out from behind the Joker. As he stepped into the light of the room, Harley gasped.

"Oh my God," she said.

"God had nothing to do with it. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I can see that you two will get along just fine! I've got some unfinished business to take care of. See you around."


Flashback #2

"O.....k.....moving right along. I said that I thought it adds residence to a hero's mission to have some defining element of tragedy in his background. Now your father is dead, but I just didn't think that was enough. So, I took it upon myself to provide one for you, and help myself out at the same time!" said the Joker.

"So you kidnapped my family and tortured them. Where's my brother?" asked Batman.

"Patience, I'm not through with my speech. Now where was I? Oh yes! While you were out chasing the ghosts of Bruce's past, I did kidnap your little brother. He'll make a fine addition to the gang. Why, someday, he may just become the leader! Then we'll have both McGinnis boys carrying on both legacies! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"I know my brother. He wouldn't even think of joining your gang, let alone lead it!"

"I know, believe me, I know. But when I said that he would carry on my legacy, what I REALLY meant was that he would BECOME my legacy! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"No," Batman said barely above a whisper.

"Oh yes indeedy-do! I've already encoded my DNA into his brain. What took me weeks the last time, only took me days to complete! You see, it was never about the city! The virus was just an elaborate rouse to distract you long enough for me to complete my dirty work! This time you can't stop me! And you won't want to either, because the next time you see me, we'll be family! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"


Flashback #3

"Hey, Nana! We're home!!!" Yelled Dee #1. She was still carrying her sister along, even though she had woken up.

Nana walked out of the kitchen. She had been trying to keep herself busy. She looked worried. "Girls, I don't like this one bit. The boy seems strange to me. He hasn't moved from where he was when you left. He's just been standing there in the living room," said Nana Harley.

Suddenly, they heard the unmistakable voice of the Joker.

"Deedee! Get your butts in here now!"

All three of them raced into the living room. There was no one there, except the little boy. He turned to them and smiled.

"Just practicing," said Matt.



Present Day.....


A young woman was walking down an alley late at night. She thought she heard something. She clutched her purse close to her body and started walking at a faster pace. Suddenly a cat ran across her path. She shrieked, and turned to run away. She bumped into someone though. She shrieked again at what she saw.

A young teenaged boy stood in front of her. He had scared her. Not only by his presence, but by his appearance as well. His skin was pale, almost to the point of the color of chalk. His hair was mainly jet black, but had streaks of green laced about. His mouth was twisted in a maniacal grin. He was dressed in some clownish get-up. Much like his cohorts that were now appearing from what seemed to be everywhere.

"Yeah, I get that reaction a lot lady. And that's just my mother," said the young man.

She was an unfortunate girl. For she had just met a gang of Jokerz. Not just any gang, however. This gang had a leader that wasn't interested in having anyone, including innocent bystanders, hanging around their hideout. Needless to say, the poor girl would not be going home.



THE LEGACY OF JUSTICE IS CARRIED ON BY THE NEW BATMAN.



Ten Years Ago.....

Batman was a little surprised that he was there. He found comfort here though. He arrived at the playground next to his apartment. He and Matt both enjoyed the times they spent there. He sat down on the swing and began to rock himself back and forth slowly. He was thinking of how his life had turned out.

"Room for one more?" asked his mother.

"Sure," Batman said trying to smile.

"I'm guessing that you don't have any good news?" his mother said weakly.

"No, I don't. We....I....He's....he's gone mom. Matt's gone."

Tears streamed down Mary's face.

"I couldn't save him. All of the power I had, and I couldn't save him."

"At....at least you tried....."

"It wasn't good enough."

Batman stood up and flew away, leaving Mary behind. She began to cry uncontrollably, for losing one of her sons was her greatest fear. Sadly, it had finally come true.

::Wayne Manor::

"So, that's what happened," said Terry now out of the Batman costume.

Bruce was silent. A tear began to form in his eye. He sat down, unable to take the news standing up. He finally spoke. "You do realize now that you have a brother to save."

"I know. As long as I live, I'll never give up the search. I'll find him Bruce. I owe it to my mother and myself that much. I just have one request."

"Yes?"

"It's Dana. I think she needs to know. She has the right to know what's going on now. She has been kept in the dark for too long. I don't want her to suffer the same way that my family has."

"Alright. If you feel that it's important, then tell her."

Terry smiled. He began to walk out of the cave when Bruce called him again.

"Terry! Just remember, if you do decide to tell her, you run the risk of becoming an easier target!"

"I'll keep that in mind!"

As he straddled his motorcycle, he thought long and hard about telling Dana. After all, if she knew, that would put her at an even greater risk. He put on his helmet and dialed the number. He waited.

"Hey, Dana? Yeah, it's me......I need to talk to you alone. How soon can you meet me?"



Present Day.....



Terry and Dana McGinnis walked through the cemetary together. Dana clung to Terry's side as they walked. She looked up at him. He was deep in thought.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Ten years. It's been ten long years. I haven't found one single clue as to where he could be," he replied.

"You'll find him, Ter. Someday...."

"How long? How much longer must this go on? I can hardly stand it anymore."

They stopped in front of a large tombstone. It felt so strange to be here. Terry thought in the back of his mind that it would never happen. But one day it did. This tombstone is pretty much one of the few lasting memories the city had left of him.

The tombstone read: Bruce Wayne - The city's greatest asset.

They dropped a single white rose in front of the stone. They dropped two more on the one next to it. For that tombstone was of Thomas and Martha Wayne. They stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity, but was only for a few minutes.

"Come on, Ter. Let's go home."

The two walked back towards the hoverlimo. Their driver opened the door for them. After they got in, he closed the door. He walked to his side, got in, and drove the hoverlimo away from the cemetary.

[The Guitar Slayer]

Wow...that is an intriguing story. I'm hooked. I'm not sure what the hell is going on, but I'm very much interested. Please post more soon.

[Coran]

Great job Witness. I am deffinately going to enjoy reading this story. I really liked how you did the flashbacks to refresh your previous "Legacy" story in the minds of those who have read it before. Great job! Keep up the good work.

[BatKid]

This is a very nice opening to your sequel for Legacys. About Legacys, I decided to read the whole story straight through, from beginning to end, just so I wouldn't forget a thing about it when I read this story. In fact, I just finished reading the whole story about 2 min. ago.

Anyway, I LOVED the flashbacks, especially how you introduced the now grown-up characters from Batman Beyond. Hope to see more soon!

[Blight]

Great start Witness!!! This one looks to be just as intriguing and exciting as Legacys, if not more so! Keep up the good work (Or else!)!

See ya!
Blight

[The Guitar Slayer]

Silly me, I read without reading your first story. Well, now I have, and so please post more.

[Ms. Kitty]

EXCELLENT!!

[Batgirl_2005]

Originally posted by Ms. Kitty
EXCELLENT!!

that is SUCH an understatement! This is going to be sooo great!

[witness]

(Why, thank you! Thank you all! Guitar Slayer, glad to see I hooked you even without reading my first story! I hope that you did enjoy reading Legacies. Coran, heh, though you know pretty much what's going on, I do hope to surprise even you along the way. Batkid, Thank you for reading Legacies as well. Glad to hear that you and Coran enjoyed the flashbacks. They were put there of course to make sure that people knew what was going on even if they hadn't read Legacies yet. There will be more flashbacks to come, as well as more BB characters all grown up. Blight, it's great to see you respond again! I think you'll really enjoy this story. There are a couple of other BB stories going on, maybe you should check them out as well sometime. Don't worry, I'll keep it interesting. I wouldn't want to be hit with raidiation! Ms. Kitty, thanks for the enthusiastic response! Hope you'll enjoy the story. Speaking of...)



Thomas Harper entered his home. He was greeted by his son, now almost ten years old.

"Hey there, Jacob! How are you doing?" said Thomas.

"I'm alright. So, did ya' get it?" replied his son.

"Now, you know I won't say anything until your mom shows up. Where is she anyways?"

"Mom went to the store. She said she was gonna hurry."

Just then the door opened, with Katherine holding two large grocery bags.

"A little help here?" she gasped.

"Sure thing hon," replied Thomas.

"Good! You're home! Tell me, did you get the job?"

"I got the job!" he said, smiling.

"Yes! I knew it! Here's a little something to celebrate!"

She pulled out a bottle of wine. It was 2002 white chardonnay. A very good year indeed. Next, she pulled out a small liter of root beer for little Jacob so he could celebrate too.

"Come on, let's finish unpacking the groceries so we can celebrate," said Katherine.


:: Wayne Manor ::


A hoverlimo pulled up from the drive. The chauffer got out and opened the door for his master. Out came Terry and Dana McGinnis. Dana was wearing a brown jacket that Terry had since they were in high school. They went inside their lavish home.

"Welcome Master Terrence, Miss Dana. Dinner will be ready in about an hour. Ms. Gibson called to say that she would be running late. Something about processing a new employee," said the butler.

"Thanks, Charles. I don't know what we'd do without you," replied Terry.

"That's something I would shudder to think about, sir," replied Charles Pennyworth. He was the grand-nephew to Alfred Pennyworth. He, like Alfred, knew everything that there was to know about his master. Everything.

Terry went into the study and turned on the vidscreen. He hoped he hadn't missed anything of interest to Batman. Dana followed close behind, not wanting to be alone right now. There was a report coming on the screen about a killing. What was so interesting about it, was the fact that a grin was painted onto her face.

"...There is no word on how this could have happened. The Jokerz, a gang long to have thought been disbanded, have apparently resurfaced. They were usually only pulling pranks or robberies, but murder is a new crime to be put on their list. Commisioner Barbara Gordon had this to say..." said the reporter.



Ten Yeras Ago.....


The Batmobile raced through the night towards the commissioner's house. When Batman arrived, he could see the one Bruce called Phantasm standing over someone. That someone was an unconscious Barbara! Batman saw the Phantasm raising his right arm, the one with the sickle on it. As Batman jumped out of the Batmobile he screamed....

"NOOOOOO!"

Phantasm turned to see Batman flying towards him. Phantasm was frozen like a deer in the headlights as Batman tackled him to the ground.

"No! It wasn't supposed to happen like this! You've ruined everything!" bellowed Phantasm as he kicked Batman off of him.

"You will never hurt anyone again!" Batman growled as he stood back up.

"On the contrary, I intend to destroy your entire legacy Batman! You got lucky this time, showing up before I had the chance to kill her. Next time, it will be different!"

That said, Phantasm once again began to disappear beneath a cloud of smoke. Batman lunged into the cloud hoping to catch Phantasm, but there was no trace of him left.

Only after the smoke cleared did Batman turn his attention to Barbara. He knelt next to her and took her hand in his. She had just returned to a conscious state when Batman spoke.

"It's going to be ok, Barbara. He's gone now. I'll make sure that you stay safe."

"Trying to get on my....**cough**...good side McGinnis?"

Batman smiled. "Come on, I'll take you to a hospital."

Batman carefully picked her up and placed her in the Batmobile. He went to Gotham General Hospital and placed her in the care of the finest doctors in the city.


Present Day.....

After the accident, she wasn't able to walk on her own two feet ever again. She had tried the rehabilitation for a couple of years, but to no avail. Then a gift had been given to her. Wayne-Powers, under their new CEO, had created an exo-suit that would fit over her legs. She was also given a hoverchair, just in case it became too much for her to stand.

"I don't know who these people are, but they will NOT get away with it. We've done an excellent job at keeping the gangs down to a minimum and I will not allow them to control our streets once again!" said Gordon.

"And now to other news...."

Click.

"Dana, I won't be home for dinner."

"You can't be serious. They've already taken care of the situation. Let them handle it for a couple more hours," she replied.

"No. Like it or not, I have to check this one out. I have a really bad feeling about this one..." he said as he went into the Batcave.

Dana scowled at Terry's backside. She then went towards the kitchen to make sure that Charles only set two places for tonight.



( Sorry so short, other things to do. By the way, thank you Batgirl 2005! I hope you continue to enjoy this as well! )

[witness]

(Yeah, yeah, I know. The last chapter wasn't much. I was kicked off for being on so long already. I hope this one goes better. Anyway, next one's up. Enjoy!)


:: Wayne-Powers Enterprises ::


"Almost done Ms. Gibson?" asked the security guard.

"Yeah, just give me a couple minutes. I'll be out of here soon," she replied.

The guard went to finish his rounds. He would come back later to check and see if she left or not.

"I can't miss out on Charlie's cooking," she muttered to herself. She thought about how good his home-cooked meals were. She wondered why the old man never had a butler in his final years. "Sure would have saved us all from Terry's cooking."

A few seconds later, she finished processing the file for Thomas Harper. She then got ready to leave. She walked up to the door and swiped her I.D. Nothing. She swiped it again. The door remained closed. The light showed red, indicating that the door was still locked.

She began to get aggravated. She swiped it for a third time. Not only did the door remain closed, but this time the lights went off in that room. She looked outside the window. The lights in the hall were still on.

"Ok, this is now officially creepy," she said. "There's gotta be a reason for this..."

She returned to the computer. When she went online, she brought up the security measures for the room that she was in. As she began to override the system, the lights suddenly turned on. The door now showed a green light. She went to it, swiped her card, and opened the door.

"Totally weird!" she exclaimed. She headed out of there as fast as she could.

The computer, still on, showed a single word. In bold, red letters the word was continuously written until it filled up the entire screen. Once the screen was filled, the monitor shut itself off. As did the computer.

Something was happening at Wayne-Powers. And it wouldn't be a good thing.



:: Across Town ::


Batman showed up at the crime scene where the young girl was killed by the Jokerz. The place was swarming with cops. He pressed the button for his camoflauge option. As he dissappeared to the naked eye, he gave the crime scene a once over. There was nothing of importance that the cops hadn't already taken care of.

He saw Commisioner Barbara Gordon coming towards the scene. He turned off the camo and prepared to get any information that she would be willing to provide. She wasn't willing to cooperate.

"What are you doing here, Batman?" she asked.

"Checking up on you. It looks like things aren't going so well. Can you tell me anything about this?"

"No. This is police buisness. You're not jumping on this case Batman. I'm going to personally take care of this one myself. Go polish your car or something."

Batman just stared at her. He brought out his wings and jetted off. As he left, he saw someone out of the corner of his eye. There was someone in the condemned building across the street. He suddenly made a sharp left turn. The commisioner saw this and motioned for two officers to follow Batman.

Batman checked the entire building out. Nothing could be found
though. If there was anybody, he could find no proof that they were there. He jetted off back to the Batcave. Looks like I'll be hearing about this in the news just like everyone else, he thought.

After combing the place out themselves, the police headed back out as well. Confident that everything was now safe, the guy that was watching Batman motioned for his gang to come out of hiding.

"Ten years. Ten very long years of waiting for my perfect opportunity. Now it has finally arrived. Your life as you know it will come crumbling down all around you. And no one will be alive to pick up the pieces, Batfake. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!"

[Coran]

*smiles* This is deffinately going to be an interesting story. I can't wait to read more. I am interested to see exactly how you twist Phantasm, Joker, Batman, and a flickering computer screen all together. Post again soon!

[BatKid]

That was an awesome chapter Coran! Sorry about not answering on the other one, I was a but busy. Anyways, keep up th enice work! And knowing who that laughing character was, I'll definitely be looking forward for the next chapter!

[Panther]

An /excellant/ story - and I have a feeling its barely begun. I liked how you handled jumping back and forth in time. And its so sweet Ter and Dana got mariied! I'm very curious about what's happening at Wayne-Powers - what word was it???

later,

[witness]

(Ack! I'm so sorry that it's taken so long to write the next chapter! Please accept my apologies!!! Coran, thanks. Glad to see you're enjoying it so far. I'll do my best to keep it up. Batkid, guess what? My name is Witness! Try to not get us two writers mixed up please. Anyways, yeah things should get real interesting with that specific character running around town like a loose cannon. Panther, ***shameless plug*** Did you read Legacys? I can't remember if you posted a reply to that story or not. Oh well. Indeed, it has just barely begun. I'll be "time traveling" a lot. Mainly just to set things up for the present day. Once I'm satisfied with that, I'll keep it on present day time. Yeah, had to throw in the Dana/Terry thing. It just feels right. I'll try to work on Dana's character development. Hopefully, by the end of this story, people will see that she could have been a more important character if she had been let in on the secret in the first place. That's one thing I didn't care too much for in the show. As for the word... You'll just have to wait and see, won't you? Enjoy the next installment.)



:: Harper house ::


"So, you're really going to go through with this?" asked Katherine.

"Yes, I am. It's not like I have a choice. Someone has to keep an eye on that freak. He'll probably run that company into the ground," replied Thomas as he straightened his tie.

"Well, it has been almost three years since he was named the new CEO. They seem to be doing a pretty good job of maintaining the place. At least after the buisness world got over the initial shock..."

"I bet he's just trying to concoct some scheme to take over this enitre city. Just like that Luthor guy did about a century ago."

"Just keep as low of a profile as you can. We don't want him to find out who you really are. That would cause some problems."

"Katherine, I don't even know who I really am. Now that those papers were given to me of my adoption...."

"Don't worry about that, honey. We'll get through this together. Just like we always have anytime we've come across such obstacles."

"Just keep me in your thoughts today. Say goodbye to Jacob for me."

"Thomas...I love you," said Katherine before she passionately kissed him full on the lips. "Now go out there and make us proud," she smiled.

"Thanks."



:: Wayne Manor ::


Terry tossed and turned in his sleep. He was having a horrible night. All of the memories came flooding back to him....


Ten Years Ago.....



Terry raced through the traffic to get to his destination. As he pulled up to the park, he saw a young female sitting on a bench. Her raven colored hair was blowing from the gentle breeze. She had her arms wrapped tightly around her, for she was cold. Terry smiled. He just knew that somehow, after tonight, things would change for the better.

Things did change. He wasn't happy when he saw them. He balled up his fists and began to charge at them himself. Then he realized that Terry wasn't right for this job. Someone else would have to step in.

"Baby, it's cold outside..." sang a Jokerz off key. "Might I offer you some heat, sweet thing?"

Dana Tan looked up at him. First, a look of anger spread across her face. It was quickly replaced by fear when she saw that there were five Jokerz standing around the park bench. She immediately tried to run, but one of the Jokerz grabbed her by the arms and held her tight.

"Hoo-boy! It looks like she has some fire in her after all! Perhaps she has a little spending money too, what with being out here late at night. Just how many favors do you do for our fair city?"

The Jokerz laughed. They started to push her back and forth from one Jokerz to another. Then the Jokerz that spoke caught her. He forced a kiss onto her lips. She screamed and then slapped him.

"I really don't think she likes that," spat out Batman through gritted teeth.

"I really don't care, Bat," replied the Jokerz that was still holding her. "Get him!"

One by one, they tried to fight Batman. One by one, they fell. After tying the rest of them up, he turned his attention to the final Jokerz. He had since pulled out a knife on her and was going to slice her throat.

"I'm only going to tell you once. Put the knife away," said Batman.

"Let me go or she dies Bat!"

Batman just stood there, waiting for the guy to make his move. Dana had enough. She took the guy's hand and bit it. He yelped, letting go of the knife. Batman sprang into action. A couple of punches, and the last of that gang was down for the count. He walked up to Dana.

"This certainly isn't how I had planned it," he muttered.

"What did you say?" asked Dana.

"Come with me. Unless you want to stay and hope these thugs get loose from their bonds," stated Batman.

Reluctantly, she agreed and off they went. Batman flew her to the top of a low rise building. He let her go.

"What are we doing here? What do you want from me?"

"I wanted to tell you something. Or perhaps, it's better that I show you..."

With that, he pulled off his mask in front of Dana. There before her, stood her boyfriend. Terry McGinnis. In the Batman suit. Her shock was beyond anything you could imagine. He stepped closer to her. Her only reaction was a slap in his face. Now Terry looked shocked. Dana couldn't stand anymore. She slumped against a wall of an air conditioning duct. She then hung her head into her lap.

"How...."

"It all started with my father. He was killed for finding secrets of Derek Powers. I found what my father had on Powers. I took it to Bruce Wayne, as you well know. You dropped me off that night..."

"I remember Terry," she spat.

"Instead of him helping, he said to take the information to the police. I decided to take matters into my own hands."

"So that means..."

"Yes. Bruce Wayne was the original Batman. He's taught me well. I've taken on the role ever since the night you dropped me off."

"So, that's why you've never had time for me," she said sadly. Her mood changed quickly. "Why did you keep this a secret from me for so long? Does anyone else know?" she asked angrily.

"Well, only a couple of people know.... Commissioner Gordon, but only because she was the original Batgirl. Then there's Max..."

"MAX KNOWS????" she screamed. "You had the decency to tell Max, but NOT your girlfriend???"

"No! It's not like that! I didn't tell her! She found out on her own. Remember when she was doing that project to find out who Batman could be?"

"Yes," she seethed.

"Well, that's how she found out. Believe me, I would have never told her. She gotten herself into a lot of trouble after she knew about me. Then there's my mother. She just found out a couple of nights ago. Again, it was not my choice. The Joker took my mother and brother hostage. When I tried to rescue her, it was a trap. I was unmasked in front of her. She's fine now, but my brother is still missing. I don't know if he knows I'm Batman."

"Terry, I didn't know..." she went towards him and hugged him. Even though she was really mad, it seemed like he had already been through a lot.

"Dana, you are the first person I've willingly told my secret. That in itself should be special, right?"

"Yeah....I guess so..."

"I wanted you to know everything. I couldn't let another day go by without telling you about this."

"Thank you Terry," replied Dana. "Just don't think you're in the clear yet. You've got a lot of catching up for past broken dates," she said as she playfully jabbed him in the side with her elbow.

"I think I can live with that," smiled Terry. "But for now, I think I'll just take you home."

He put on his mask again, picked her up, and glided in the direction of Dana's home.

[Panther]

I can't tell you how glad I am to see someone taking Dana seriously as a character. I really liked the flashback of Terry telling her and how she handled it. Took it pretty well to, all things considered.

Can't wait for more,

[Blight]

Excellent work, Witness! That flashback/dream sequence was was very well done.

Keep it coming!

See ya!
Blight

[Coran]

I was wondering if we would ever find out exactly how Terry told Dana he was Batman. At the end of Legacys you left us wondering whether he would actually go through it or not, but now we know how. Thanks for all the clarification, and keep up the great work.

[witness]

(Panther, thanks. I hope to do a great job with Dana. Blight, thanks for reading! Glad you enjoyed the flashback. Coran, thanks. I'm going to keep up the clarification. Things need to be wrapped up from the last story in order to continue with this one. Last chapter was a little blah in my opinion. Hopefully this one will turn out better. Onto the next chapter!)


"Ter? Terry, wake up," said Dana as she nudged him out of his nightmarish slumber.

"Huh....?" He awoke in a cold sweat. He wiped his brow and sat up.

"What's wrong Terry?" asked Dana.

"Nothing. Just old memories. I have to get ready. See you tonight," he replied as he got out of bed.

"Just make sure that you show up this time."

"Don't worry, I will," he said to her smiling.


:: Wayne-Powers ::


Thomas Harper had finally arrived. His first day on the job, and he had to run through another security check. As he finished, a woman walked up to him.

"Ready for your first day, Mr. Harper?" she asked.

"Yes, I believe I am," he replied.

He just stood there staring at the woman. It was completely fascinating. Why anyone would want to do that, he would never understand. Perhaps he was a little old fashioned in that aspect.

"Is something bothering you, Mr. Harper?" she asked, snapping him out of his train of thought.

"Well, it's just....that...."

"My hair? Yes, it's pink."

"Why, if I may ask..."

"It suits me, don't you think? I mean, who else do you know that has pink hair?"

"No one."

"Well, there you go! You'll never wonder who Maxine Gibson is for the rest of your life! Now let's move onto more important things. I'll be showing you where you'll be working."

She turned to walk down the hallway, expecting him to follow. They both walked down to the research and development labs. As she escorted him in, he could hear the sounds of many things working. A whirring noise here, a buzzing noise coming from the far corner, a screehing noise that made everyone cover their ears.

"Sorry," apologized the scientist.

Max smiled. She then led Thomas to the guy who created such a ruckus in the first place. She talked to the scientist briefly before coming back to Thomas. The scientist followed, taking off one of his gloves.

"Thomas, allow me to introduce you to your boss. This is Howard Groote, head of the R & D labs for Wayne-Powers."

"A pleasure," said Howard as he brought his hand out to greet Thomas.

"Likewise," Thomas replied as he shook his hand.

"I'm sure that you two have lots to discuss. I'll return when the CEO has arrived. He'll be wanting to meet you. See you guys later!" she said, waving as she turned to leave the lab.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet another fine mind working for this company! Let me show you around the lab, and maybe you'll see something that you'd like to get started on," said Howard.

"Sounds good to me," replied Thomas.



:: an old warehouse in Gotham City ::


"I'm bored...." whined a Jokerz.

"Me too," replied another one.

"Quiet, all of you! I need a moment to think," replied their leader.

He was sitting at a desk, mulling over some paperwork. There were files of certain people strewn about on the desk. He was looking over the photos of every potential victim. He was wondering which one would he strike at first.

"Hey Joker, what are you doing?"

"I'm busy trying to figure out a way to get back at Batman. One that will require him to take notice. I think I have the perfect way of doing it too," he said with an evil grin.

"What's your plan boss?"

"I'm gonna make Batman suffer in the worst way possible. I'm gonna take out all of his loved ones. All of his friends, his family, his allies. One by one, I'll kill them. Then he'll pay for what he did to me. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"



:: Wayne-Powers ::


Max entered her office for the third time today. She went over some files at her desk. Little did she know, she was being watched. The security camera had positioned itself onto her, watching her every move.

At the same time, in the break room, an employee was getting coffee. She reached over to grab the pot. She poured herself a cup. When she put it back, she screamed. The coffee machine had turned itself on and was going through the process of making another pot.

Hot water had poured onto the employee's hand. As she wiped off the scalding hot water, her skin turned red. A security officer had entered. He helped bandage her up and labeled the machine as broken.

In an office two doors down, a computer turned itself on. A message was displayed on it. This is what it said:


You have given me nothing but trouble. Now I will repay you with the same kindness. Expect the death toll to escalate around here. I will return very soon.
Someday...
Someday...
Someday...


The message disappeared and was replaced by one word. In bold, red letters the word repeated itself until it filled the entire screen. Then it shut itself off.



:: Max's office ::

Max was buzzed. She jumped out of her chair at the sudden sound. She hit the intercom.

"Yes?"

"Is everything going well Max?"

"Everything's fine, boss. You have a new employee to meet. Or did you forget?"

"I do? Well, where is the newbie?"

"He's in R & D. Wait until I get there. I don't want to miss out on the fun."

"Alright," whined the person on the other end. "Hurry it up. I'll meet you there."

Max neatly stacked her files. She proceeded to leave. The sceurity camera stayed on her until she left the room. She literally speed walked to the R & D lab. As she got there, she peered through the glass window. The CEO was already in action.

"Hello Howard," said the new person. "Who's this?"

"This is Thomas. He's the new guy."

"Hello," said the person as he offered his hand.

"Hey boss, like the tie."

"How'd you know?" wondered Howard.

"Simple. All the scientists should have been here by now. You've introduced me to everyone. Any self-respecting scientist wouldn't be arriving at....almost ten in the morning. You must be the CEO," said Thomas.

"Well, spoil my fun," he said in a joking tone. "Yes, I am the CEO for Wayne-Powers. I'd like to personally welcome you to my company. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Terry McGinnis."

[Panther]

I'm trying very hard to imagine Terry as a grown up and failing compltely.

Mystery abounds! Although I'm sure we can all guess the source. What is that word???

[Coran]

To begin with, I appologize for being tardy with my response. I thought I had responded and then I got caught up with some things IRL that just made me totally forget. Anyways, once again you are leading your audience down a path of intrigue and mystery. Keep up the great work. I wonder... with Terry find out that his newest employee is also the Phantasm since Mr. Harper already knows that Terry is Batman... I wonder...