Story [Batman] Batman and Robin Beyond - Update 1/13

It's been a long time since I've done this, so please bare with me.

Prologue

Bruce was the last one to die. 81 was certainly more than he had ever expected. At least that's what Clark had told Terry at the funeral. Many, including Bruce, had long expected the old man to have died in his early 40s. Luck had been with him it seemed. Unfortunately for Terry McGinnis, luck wasn't with him lately.

The first tragedy in his life was the death of his father, adopted father as Terry now knew, Warren McGinnis. That event had, of course, led to Terry's rebirth and Bruce's as well, though he'd never admit it. Batman was reborn and Bruce had a new reason to live. Barbara Gordon had told Terry that much in private after the funeral. She too had suffered tragedy in her life recently. Her husband Sam had lost his battle with cancer 3 years ago. She was still Commissioner of the Gotham Police, but there was a sadness there that Terry shared: The loss of a significant other.

Dana had accepted his marriage proposal and they had had a beautiful wedding, paid for by Bruce of course. Nothing was too good for his "son". Max and the others were all there and it was the happiest day of Terry's life. Unfortunately, it was short lived. Only a year ago, Dana was killed. Barbara had delivered the news to their apartment on night after Terry had returned from patrol. It made newspaper headlines of course. Barbara personally investigated the case. Bruce dispatched the entire Justice League to investigate. But to this day, nothing had been found. And now with Bruce gone, Terry feared he would never learn who was responsible.

Tragedy struck again a few months later as Mary McGinnis was diagnosed with a rare disease. Once again, Bruce called in everyone. The Lantern corps spread throughout the galaxy looking for a cure. Dr.Fate and Zatanna tried every magical trick they had. It was to no avail. Matt was with her by her bedside when she died. Terry was dealing with Spellbinder and arrived only 5 minutes later. Matt hadn't spoken to him since. Bruce had urged Terry to tell his brother about Batman, but Terry refused. Deep down, he knew Dana had died because of him. He wouldn't put his brother, now his only remaining family, in danger.

It was pouring rain. Terry had forgotten his umbrella. The other mourners had already departed the cemetery. Clark and original League members had been one of the last to go. Because Batman had to remain a secret for Terry's sake, the League had dressed in civilian attire and several who couldn't were hidden by magic. Clark and Diana offered Terry any help he might require. Then they had left Terry alone with his thoughts.

He stared at the large imposing Wayne family tombstone for over an hour. Bruce's name was placed directly below his parents. Finally he was reunited with them. Terry had said his goodbyes when Bruce was on his deathbed but he still couldn't help feeling angry at the old man. It was cruel for anyone to lose so much so quickly. And part of it was his fault! If Bruce hadn't been so careless, Waller would never have gotten his DNA! If Bruce hadn't just given up, Powers would never have taken over Wayne Enterprises and his father would never have been murdered!

"I recognize that look. Bruce did it too. Like father like Son"

Terry spun around, startled from his thoughts and observed the speaker.

An older man in his late sixties to early seventies walked forward, clutching an umbrella. He had short, grey hair, piercing blue eyes and a kindly manner that held an inner darkness. He was dressed in a suit and he walked with ease. Clearly, he had taken advantage of modern medical science. As he came closer, Terry immediately recognized him from the photos in Wayne Manor.

"I wish I could have made the funeral, but you know how things are"

Terry nodded. "Yeah"

"I wish we were meeting on better terms."

The man stepped forward and held out his hand.

"Dick Grayson"

---

Hopefully this isn't riddled with Spelling and grammar errors and I've managed to get y

 

Hey guys, please remember to put the genre in brackets before the story!


Also, great start! I can't wait to read more of this!

 

You have my attention. I miss this show...

 

Apologies on that, I posted this while at work and had a phone call right as I was adding the brackets.

JadeSolo: Thanks. I miss it too.

 

So sad, but yet so good.

 

Work was dull. One more for tonight:

Chapter 1: The Will
Terry reached out and shook the old man?s hand.

?Terry McGinnis?

Dick smiled and looked around.

?I think you?ve stood in the rain long enough.?

Terry nodded. He followed the older man to the car: Bruce?s car. The car Terry had driven him around in for over ten years. Ace was perched in backseat, his head lowered in what Terry could only guess as mourning.

Dick opened the door and gave the dog a pat on the head.

?Hello Boy. Let?s go home?

The ride home was silent. Terry really didn?t feel much like speaking. Even though Barbara, Tim and the League had helped plan the funeral, Terry was still physically exhausted. Talking to Dick was the last thing he wanted, but he knew it had to be done. Dick Grayson seemed to be respecting Terry?s decision to stay quiet. The radio was off and the only sound were the wipers .

As always, Wayne Manor looked as eerie as possible. Lightning struck, temporarily bathing the whole house in a white glow. To Terry, it was just a reminder how empty this place was. He knew why Grayson was here. They had to destroy the Batcave. Terry had heard rumors that the suits at Wayne Enterprises wanted to turn the manor into a museum. Something Terry was certain would have Bruce rolling over in his freshly dug grave.

Dick pulled the car not into the cave?s entrance, but instead into the main garage. Still respecting Terry?s silence, he got out of the car, let Ace out and headed toward the kitchen. Terry followed silently, dreading the conversation to follow. Dick reached up into the cabinet and withdrew a bag of dog food. He poured a small bowl for Ace and then put it away. Turning to Terry, he motioned for the younger man to sit at the table. Terry pulled out the old dining chair and sat. Dick gently lowered himself into the other chair.

?You might have guessed it already, but Bruce appointed me executor of his will?

Terry?s raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn?t expected that.

Dick continued on. ?Bruce was always the planner. He wanted to make sure you were taken care of when he was gone.?

?Figures. He?s so obsessive compulsive of course he had to make plans for after he?s gone.?

Dick let out a small laugh. ?Yes he did.? He leaned in close to Terry. ?He left you everything?

This surprised Terry. ?Everything? How- What was he thinking??

?You are the last surviving member of the Wayne family. It made sense in Bruce?s mind to leave it to you.?

?What about you, Barbara or Tim?? Terry asked.

?He did leave us each something, but we have been taking care of ourselves just fine for the past 50 years.?

Terry was still reeling from the shock ?But what about Wayne Enterprises? They?ll want an investigation-?

?Bruce took care of everything. And you now own Wayne Enterprises.?

?Whoopie.? Terry replied. He had no use for those CEOs.

?There?s something else? Dick said. As he spoke, the doorbell rang.

?Who could be calling at this hour?? Terry asked , getting up from the table.

?Terry-? Dick started to say.

But Terry was already moving out of the kitchen and towards the front doors. He opened it, expecting Max,Barbara or Kent. Instead, he found a tiny old woman in a purple poncho clutching an umbrella in one hand and a cane in the other.

?Amanda Waller? Terry said. ?Never a pleasure?

 

Wow, he left Terry everything.....

 

Fascinating. Dick seems to be oddly okay with the idea of being practically left out of the Will. My only guess is that whatever that 'little something' is more than made up for it. An item of great importance, perhaps? Long lost artifact of his time as Robin? Or maybe something else..

The big question, of course, isn't what Bruce planned for his estate and fortune. It's what he planned for Batman.

 

Good work! I'm a big fan of the franchise, and am looking forward to where this goes.

 

Thanks for the replies so far.

1Yodimus_Prime: Dick hasn't been left out of the will. I think he's probably very honored to be entrusted with executing Bruce's will. As for what Bruce left him, that'll be explained in the coming chapters. You'll also soon find out the plans for Batman.

---

[b]Chapter 2: Unfinished Business[/b]

"Mr. McGinnis" Amanda Waller said, "I'm sorry for your loss, but if you don't let me inside, you'll have another funeral to attend."

Terry stepped away from the doorway, allowing the woman in.

"I take it this isn't a social call?" he remarked.

"Business as always kiddo." Amanda replied.

She placed her umbrella in the stand next to the door. Terry took her poncho. Dick emerged from the kitchen with Ace in tow.

"Amanda" Dick said, nodding in greeting.

"Richard" Amanda replied, moving towards the man with effort.

Having hung up her poncho, Terry returned to the main hall. Amanda bent down and patted Ace on the head. Terry had no patience for the doddering old woman routine. If she was here on business, he wanted to get it over with.

"So what business do you have that couldn't wait until after Bruce was in the ground for 24 hours?" he asked.

Amanda turned to Dick and he said "Let's go back to the kitchen. I just put a kettle of tea on."

Years of Bruce's training told him that whatever Grayson and Waller were hiding, it wasn't good. But the day couldn't get much worse, so Terry followed the two into the kitchen. Ace trotted after them, letting out a small whine. It was clear that he knew Bruce was gone.
When Terry entered, Amanda had seated herself at the table and pulled out a large folder. Dick was pouring tea. He sat a cup in front of Amanda and offered one to Terry.

"No thanks."

Dick left the cup on the counter and took another one. He settled down in the seat next to Amanda while Terry sat on the opposite side of her.

"So..." Terry said.

Amanda took a sip of her tea and then said "You remember our last meeting Terry."

"Hard to forget" he replied.

"I explained to you that I used nanotechnology to override your father's DNA with Bruce's-" she continued.

"-Making Bruce my father. Yeah I remember"

She paused for a moment, choosing her next words carefully. "The nanotechnology had unforeseen results. I wasn't made aware of them until just recently."

Terry's eyes narrowed. "What sort of results?" he replied coolly.

"Apparently, the nanobots permanently overwrote your father's DNA. You aren't Bruce's only son."

"Matt..." Terry muttered

Dick nodded. "Your brother is also Bruce's son."

Terry jumped out of his chair. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Terry demanded.

Amanda and Dick fell silent for a moment.

"Bruce was the one who discovered it." Amanda replied.

Terry collapsed back into his chair, overwhelmed with the day's events.

Dick continued. "He found out when he was researching the illness that killed your mother."

"What does my mother's illness have to do with-"

"-Terry" Amanda interrupted, "Bruce Wayne's DNA is immune to the disease that affected your mother."

It was nearly midnight and Terry hadn't slept well the night before. He had to be hearing things. Waller wasn't making any sense.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"We're not sure either" Amanda said. "I called up my contacts after Bruce learned about this. It gets worse"

"How much worse could it possibly be?" Terry replied.

"Your mother wasn't the only victim. Others have started to contract the disease. If a cure isn't found, we could have an epidemic on our hands."

The room was silent for a few moments. Then Dick spoke. "Bruce was working on a cure. It's not finished and when he became bedridden, he knew he had to make contingency plans." Dick paused. "That's why he called me"

Terry let out breath. "Look, it's late. I'm exhausted. Can you just spit it out?"

"Terry, someone from Bruc's- [i]Batman's[/i] past is responsible." Dick replied.

"And that's why Bruce is immune?" Terry asked, confused.

"Yes. He developed th

 

OUCH! Poor Terry.

So Harly and Poison Ivy are about to team up again huh?

 

I'm afraid I'm being rather cruel to Terry for a bit. But it'll get better soon.
As for Ivy and Harley, it may be a while before you see just what they are up to.

---

[b]Chapter 3: Moving On[/b]

Terry had slept later than he had wanted. The conversation last night had gone on very late into the night and his head was still spinning as he lay in bed. He had taken Tim Drake's old room. Dick had gone to his own after Amanda left. No one had touched Bruce's room. It was just too soon.

For the first time since Bruce had died, Terry was no longer angry. He was scared. He wasn't the detective Bruce had been. As Amanda had told him before, he just didn?t have Bruce?s magnificent brain. No one did. With the world's greatest detective gone, how were they going to stop Poison Ivy?

Dick Grayson was started to bother Terry. He could tell the man was hiding something from him. More of Bruce's marching orders no doubt. After he recounted the information on Ivy and her supposed demise, he had sent Amanda home and gone to bed. Terry wasn't exactly happy with that of course. Lives were at stake and no one was telling him the full truth. Wasn?t he Batman? Didn't he deserve to know? He had thought he was through with these games when he was a teenager. He wasn't a kid anymore.

Finally deciding to get up, Terry put on a bathrobe and slippers and headed downstairs. Ace was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. Terry walked down and gave him a pat on the head.

"Where's the old man?" Terry asked.

In response, Ace trotted toward the clock.

"Why am I not surprised" Terry muttered.

He slid the clock to the side, letting Ace go down first. Then he descended the stairs of the batcave.

"- not sure what to do Barb. I?m not him."

"He trusted you more than anyone Dick. That?s why he entrusted the job to you"

Terry paused at the bottom of the stairs as Barbara and Dick broke off their conversation and turned to him.

"Good Morning" Dick greeted.

"Morning" Terry replied. He turned to Barbara. "What are you doing here Commish? Here to tell me you?re really my mother?"

Barbara flashed him a glare. Dick took an involuntary step back as if he'd been punched.

"I'm sorry you had to find out like that" Dick said. "But it was necessary."

"Forget about it."

"Unfortunately, we can't. You have to tell your brother. Today." Dick replied.

"Why?" Terry demanded. "Why should I cause him that pain? Mom?s gone and now Bruce! He never even knew Bruce. It'll destroy his memory of our father and he'll regret not knowing his real father. Why should I make his life any more miserable?"

Both Dick and Barbara fell silent. Neither wanted to explain that it was Bruce's order that Matt be told. It would only further upset Terry. Barbara broke the tension.

"The reason I'm here is we received a report this morning. Harleen Quinzel was abducted from her home late last night."

Terry shrugged. "Who?"

"Harley Quinn. The Jokers former henchgirl. The one we thought had died" she replied.

"So she's not dead. Big deal. She's got to be as old as you guys. She probably just wandered out somewhere."

Barbara shook her head. "You don?t get it McGinnis. Harley Quinn wasn't just the Joker's henchgirl. She was also Poison Ivy?s partner in several crimes."

Terry was quiet for a moment. Finally he said, "You think Ivy took her?"

Barbara nodded. "Her granddaughters reported it this morning. There was no sign of a struggle."

Dick turned to Terry. "This is the only lead we have. Barb?s got the place taped off. You can get in tonight when the cops leave."

"That's not for several hours."

"In the meantime, you can go talk to your brother." Dick replied.

He turned and sat down at the batcomputer. On the screen were numerous articles on Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Barbara walked over to Terry.

"Use camouflage. I'll try to pull all the cops away, but once it got out that this was Harley Quinn, the mayor got involved."

With that, she turned around and said "Goodbye Dick" and headed out of the cave.

 

Great job! I'm enjoying this story quite a bit, looking forward to more.

 

Unfortunately, this will be my last update for two weeks. I'll be on vacation during that time and last I checked, will not have internet access. If that changes, I'll post some more chapters as I write them. Otherwise, I hope to get back to this on the 9th or 10th.

I can't edit the first post so if someone wants to know when I have updated the story, feel free to let me know here and I'll send you a pm.

Until then, here's chapter 4

---

[b]Chapter 4: Trouble [/b]


Barbara had done her part: the house was clear. Making one last sweep with the scans, Terry turned on his camouflage and leapt down from the roof of the opposite house. He glided down to the stoop and quickly entered, closing the door behind him.

The place was caution taped off. Barbara was right: there didn?t seem to be any sign of a struggle. But there didn?t appear to be any sign of Ivy?s involvement either.

?Talk to me McGinnis? Dick Grayson said through Terry?s suit.

Terry paused for a moment, once again realizing that the voice was not Bruce?s.

?Nothing. It looks like she just went for a walk?

There was a short laugh on the other line.

?Hard to believe that McGinnis. She walks with a cane.?

Indeed she did. Terry could see the soft imprint on the carpet right up toward the door. He opened the front door carefully and examined the stoop.
?I may have something. Could just be the cops though.? Terry said.

?What is it??

Terry bent down into the doorway and ran his finger scanner over the frame.

?Pollen.? Terry sighed. ?It?s not much. It could be anyone.?

?Don?t be too sure. That?s pollen from an extinct plant. According to Bruce?s files, only one person had a sample of it.

?Let me guess. Ivy.?

?Yes. It was used in an attempted assassination of the District Attorney.?

Terry let out a breath. That confirmed it then. Poison Ivy was back. And she?d taken Quinn.with her. What was her game? Quinn was too old to be any use. Then again, Wayne, Gordon and Grayson weren?t exactly slouches.

?Come on back McGinnis? Grayson said.

?Not yet? Terry replied. ?I have a city to patrol?

****

Matt had left the club early. The encounter earlier with Terry had left him upset. He didn?t want to hurt his brother like that. But he just couldn?t look at him without thinking of his mother waiting on her deathbed for Terry so she could say goodbye.

He hurried along the back alleyway toward the subway. By cutting through he could make the next one which was leaving in 15 minutes. It wasn?t exactly ideal and actually was pretty stupid to be going through the alleys. But thanks to Batman, most gangs stopped hanging out in the alley.

Matt kept his head down and his hands in his pockets. Thankfully it was a hot day so he only had a t-shirt and long pants. He wore nothing that would really attract any attention like a nice coat or jacket and he was smart enough not to carry his bag. He?d dropped that off at home before heading out.

He couldn?t stop thinking about Terry. He could have been nicer. And just what had Terry thought so important? Did old Mr. Wayne?s death finally make his brother realize he was ignoring his family? Matt wasn?t sure what it was, but Terry had seemed odd. It seemed like; to him at least, it was urgent. Matt would call him when he got home.

Matt was so engulfed in his thoughts that he failed to notice the person he bumped into.
He immediately uttered ?Sorry? without looking up.

?Oh you?ll be sorry alright?

Matt looked up and realized his mistake. He had stumbled onto a gang of Jokerz.

?It was an accident. I?ll be more careful? Matt said. He really didn?t want a fight.

Unfortunately, the Jokerz member was not satisfied. He immediately swung his right fist at Matt?s face. Matt ducked and the gang member went fell to the ground.

By this point, all the Jokerz in the alley had noticed Matt. Some wielded chains. Another had a rubber chicken with spikes on the end. One of the jokerz wielding the rubber chicken, a female, spoke up. ?I recognize you!?

Matt had start

 

Your not going easy on Terry at all...

 

Harley! If only Mr. J could see her back in action. I loved the rubber chickens - funny and useful.

And if you need the first post edited, PM me and I can take care of it.

 

Juliet: After this Chapter, it'll get better. Probably.
JadeSolo: Thanks. Glad you are enjoying Harley. I always loved the team of her and Ivy.

---

[b]Chapter 5: Healing[/b]

It took Matt a while to realize he was not dying. The first realization came when he noticed he was still in a tremendous amount of pain. The second realization came when he heard voices. At first, he wondered if these voices weren't ghosts or angels and he was indeed dead. This was because he had no idea what they were saying. The third realization came when feeling started to return. He felt like he was floating on air. He could feel a cooling breeze on his skin. He wondered briefly if this is what floating on a cloud was like.

"Laeh SenoB!"

Finally, Matt was able to will his eyes to open. Images swam in his vision at first. He immediately noticed the bright lights, which only made him further consider the idea that he was dead. When his vision started to clear, he could make out people.

The first person he saw was an older woman wearing a dark suit. Her gray hair was pulled into a tight bun which was visible beneath her large top hat. In her hand was a wand which was currently positioned over Matt's stomach. Her eyes were closed and she was muttering "Laeh SenoB!" over and over.

Matt's attention then moved to another man who was sitting in a chair on his left. He had poured powder over Matt's arms and was muttering a strange tongue very quietly. This man was younger looking. He had black hair for the most part, except one part was blood red and there was a white streak through part of it.

But it was the other two in the room that Matt recognized. The first stood at the edge of his bed, moving his hands back and forth and chanting. His face was covered by a solid gold helmet. A large, floor length, yellow cape enveloped him and only a part of a dark blue-black costume was visible beneath it. This was Doctor Fate, a long time member of the Justice League. He realized then that the woman he saw was Zatanna. But he had no idea who the other man with the powder was.

Matt noticed why he had felt like he was floating. He was, in fact, floating on what looked like a giant green pillow. The source of this pillow was the small being hovering cross legged over him-the Green Lantern. Matt let out a groan. Here he was in the presence of some of the greatest superheroes in the world, clad only in his underwear. It didn't get much more embarrassing.

His head started to clear and he remembered what had happened. He'd been attacked by the Jokerz. Batman had come. After that, Matt guessed he must have been in such bad shape that Batman had to bring him to the Justice League. Looking at his wounds, Matt thought he had to be right. What else would cause some of the most powerful sorcerers in the League to be working on him?

Finally the group seemed to have noticed that he'd awakened. Zatanna was the first to speak.

"I see you're awake. You were attacked. Batman brought you to us because he felt a normal hospital could not help you."

The man with the powder spoke next.

"My name is Jason Blood. That is Zatanna and Doctor Fate. I imagine you already know of Green Lantern."

Matt nodded. Doctor Fate finished his chanting and inclined his head toward Matt.

"Your injuries were very severe young man. We have used magic to rapidly speed your recovery. Without our assistance, you could have been in a hospital bed for over a year."

"Now", Zatanna said "You need to rest. We've done all we can and you will make a full recovery if you rest."

Matt started to speak and let out a groan instead. It hurt to breathe.

"There will be plenty of time later for explanations. For now however", she tapped his forehead with her wand, "Tser!"
***

Terry paced outside the hallway of the Watch tower. It had been over a day since he'd brought Matt up to the tower. He had been greeted by J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, who had taken Matt and rushed him to the League's medical ward. That had been the last time Terry had seen his

 

So Chapter 5 didn't garner much attention? Well hopefully Chapter 6 will:

---

[b]Chapter 6: The Last Will and Testament of Bruce Wayne[/b]

Terry paused for a moment, a bit surprised that his brother had woken up so quickly. He had hoped to have delayed this revelation a bit longer. But Matt was clearly alert and undoubtedly had questions.

?So this was your real job for Mr. Wayne then? Matt said.

?Yeah. He was the original? Terry replied.

?Huh? Matt replied, ?I never would have thought of him as Batman?

?Yeah. He was a great actor.? Terry replied. ?Listen Matt, there?s a lot I want to tell you, a lot I need to tell you. And some of it really won?t be easy to hear.?
Matt looked at his brother puzzled, unsure of what could be so bad. His brother was Batman. His childhood hero was actually his older brother and he had never figured it out!

?Several years ago, Mr. Wayne had been sick and needed a kidney cloned.?

?I remember? Matt said. ?You got tested?

?I was a perfect match.?

?So??

?It means I had to have had his DNA.?

?You mean mom and he?? Matt asked, surprised

?No!? Terry exclaimed, ?He never knew her until I met him?

Matt furrowed his brow, confused at what his brother was saying. ?Then how??

?A woman named Amanda Waller took Bruce Wayne?s DNA and combined it with nanotechnology. They injected dad with it, overriding his DNA with Bruce Wayne?s.?

?So then, dad?s not really your father?? he asked.

?Technically, no he?s not. And? he?s not yours either?

Matt?s opened his mouth to say something and paused.

?Oh?

?I?m sorry for dropping this on you Matt. But it was important that you know??

Before Terry could finish, the door hissed open and Dick, Barbara, Tim and Clark entered.

Terry turned to greet them. Clark walked over to Matt and shook his hand.

?How are you feeling son?? he asked.

Matt looked up at Clark Kent, unable to speak for a moment. He couldn?t believe he was having a casual conversation with Superman!

?Uh? better? he managed.

Clark smiled and turned to the others.

Dick walked forward and shook Matt?s hand.

?My name?s Dick Grayson. I take it your brother gave you the news??

Matt nodded.

?Alright then? he replied. He looked at Clark, who went over to the door and punched in a code on the keypad.

?The room?s secure? he told Dick.

Dick took a seat next to Matt and Terry. Barbara took a chair on the opposite side. Tim stood against a wall behind her and Clark remained by the door as a guard.

?What I?m about to tell you is top secret? Dick said to Matt. ?Your brother knows most of it already. I am the executor of Bruce?s will. And he left very specific instructions for me.?

?How did you know Mr. Wayne?? Matt asked.

Dick smiled. ?Because I was Robin. And then Nightwing.?

Matt?s eyes widened at this revelation. This was too much for him in one day.

Dick stood up and walked over to the front wall. It slid aside, revealing a large screen. Dick opened a drive and inserted a disc.

?This is Bruce?s will? he said, pressing play.

The screen showed Bruce Wayne sitting at the batcomputer. Terry could tell this had been a recent video. Bruce was mostly bald and his breathing was labored. He was coughing for several minutes. Finally, it subsided and he turned to the camera.

?Hello Terry. Hello Matt. If you are viewing this tape, I am no longer with you.?

He paused for a moment and Terry swore he saw sadness in the old man?s eyes.

?I have made many mistakes in my life and perhaps the greatest one was not telling you about Amanda Waller?s project: Batman Beyond. I wanted you both to be your own person and not feel like you were clones. You had a loving and wonderful father and I didn?t want to tarnish his memory.

?But that is just an excuse. Something I convinced myself of so I wouldn?t get involved. The truth is that I love you both. I loved all my sons. And I am very proud of all of you. While I may have been unable to say it while I was alive, please know it is the truth.
?I have left all my possess

 

The Villians are uniting. That's not good especially given Terry's emotional state right now.

 

Finally overcame Writer's Block after 4 months:

---

[b]Chapter 7[/b]

Terry and Tim had barely left the room when Barbara?s phone rang.

?Gordon? She answered.

After several minutes, she stood up, exclaiming ?What do you mean ?escaped?? I?m on my way?

As soon as she hung up the phone, an alarm rang out through the Watchtower. J?onn?s voice boomed throughout the station.

?This is a Priority 1 call. All league members to the pads for emergency teleportation.?

Confused, Matt looked from Dick to Barbara. ?What?s happening?? he asked.

Dick seemed to be wondering the same. ?Barb??

Barbara had her gun out and was checking to make sure it was loaded.

?There?s been a massive breakout at Arkham.?

***
Terry and Tim were halfway to the telepads when the alarm blared. Bart Allen zipped past, Terry grabbed him by the arm, yanking him to stop.

?What?s going on?? He demanded.

?Mass breakout at Arkham. All available league members are being asked to go?

Terry looked at Tim. ?Ivy??

?I can?t think of anyone else. Go with the league. I?ll see you tomorrow? Tim replied.

The older man moved to a side corridor, avoiding the dozen league members running or flying past.

Terry ignited his thrusters and flew toward the main chamber. When he got there, the founders were standing on the main dias giving orders.

?The escaped prisoners are some of the most dangerous criminals alive. That is why each team will be under command of a senior League member.? J?onn was saying.

?Green Lantern Kai-Ro, Warkhawk and Batman will be under Wonder Woman?s command. J-Superman? J?onn corrected, ?Flash, Barda and Aquagirl will be under Static?s command. Your teams will be the first down there.?

Clark turned to the rest of the league members assembled. ?The rest of you will be going down in various groups led by myself, The Flash, Hawkgirl, John, Dr.Fate, Zatanna and J?onn. Let?s move people!?

Terry hurried to the pad along with Lantern and Barda. Diana leapt down from her spot on the dias and turned to J?onn.

?Let?s go!?

?Not without me you don?t!? Barbara shouted, muscling her way through the other League members assembled and stepping on a free pad. ?This is my city and my operation.? She added to the founders.

Diana nodded. ?Of course Commissioner,? she said, ?We?ll follow your orders.?

Barbara nodded and turned to Terry, giving him a wink.

Within minutes, the group found themselves teleported behind a police barricade.
A stunned officer turned around.

?Commissioner? he said.

Barbara wasted no time and turned to the officer. ?What?s the situation in there?? she demanded.

?It?s chaos m?am. The high security criminals are already gone. But they freed everyone. All the guards are either hostages or injured. A few fled and raised the alarm.?

Barbara went up to the nearest car and took out the radio.

?Attention! This is Commissioner Gordon! You have 5 minutes to release the guards inside and return to your cells.?

?Or what!? an inmate yelled back.

In answer, Barbara turned to Diana and winked.

Diana touched her hand to her ear.

?J?onn, send in the next batch?

In answer, a small flash of light appeared and Static Shock emerged with Jon Kent, Bart Allen, Big Barda and Aquagirl.

Diana turned to the new arrivals.

?Static, you, Flash and Lantern are in charge of disarming them.?

She turned to the others ?Aquagirl , Barda and I will rescue the hostages.?

She looked over at Terry. ?Batman, Superman and Warhawk will take care of the prisoners.?

The teams did not need to be told twice. Bart immediately took off through the corridors of Arkham. Static jumped onto his disc and headed to the top of the prison, drawing fire from the prisoners. After several moments of concentration, Static emitted a large pulse that caused all the prisoners to hold tightly onto their weapons as they were forcibly ripped from their grasp and pulled toward Static. He then dropped the guns into a very large green garbage bag generated by Kai-Ro. After several grunts from the prisoners, Bart emerged from the front of Arkham, carrying several dozen weapons. He

 

Chapter 8

Terry arose early the next morning to find that Tim had already left. Dick had prepared breakfast and sat at the table reading the paper.

?Morning? Terry said, sitting down as he finished putting on his tie.

Dick seemed to be reading an article on the breakout. He didn?t bother looking up from it as he responded ?Good Morning. Tim?s already down there. The car is out front with a full tank of gas.?

Terry took a bite out of his toast and muttered ?Thanks?

Dick put the paper down and looked over at the younger man. ?I?m going to your friend Maxine?s in an hour to explain Bruce?s will and get her started on tracking down Ivy and the rest. I?ll be heading up to the Watchtower around noon to resume your brother?s detective training.?

?Busy day? Terry observed.

?A normal day for our line of work.? Dick replied. He sipped his coffee and then added ?Barbara and the League are still investigating the breakout. She?ll be over later.?

Terry nodded and, finished with his breakfast, got up and headed for the door.

?Wish me luck. I?ll need it?

Dick gave him a stern look. ?You won?t. You are the owner of Wayne Enterprises. They work for you. Not the other way around. You are the son of Bruce Wayne and the grandson of Thomas and Martha Wayne. This is your birthright and damn anyone who gets in the way.?

Terry looked at the old man, caught off guard at the harsh response. ?Right.? He said.

He headed toward the front doors and grabbed his coat. It was a bright, sunny day outside. It was the first sunny day in a week. It seemed as though the wet and cloudy weather were almost occurring to mourn Bruce. But now that the old man was laid to rest, things seemed to be moving on.

Terry rounded the front of the car and settled himself into the driver?s seat. He immediately headed down the twisted road of Wayne Manor and got onto the highway. He had driven Bruce this way so many times. The old man remarked that, except for the batmobile, he would rarely drive himself. That had been the job of his butler Alfred. But after Alfred had passed away, Bruce did not hire another butler or a chauffer. And as a result, the manor had suffered. Much of it was covered in sheets which were in turn covered in dust. It was time to change that if Terry and Matt were going to live there. And it seemed as though Dick and Tim were going to be staying around for a while as well.

The massive form of Wayne Enterprises became visible in the distance and Terry drove the car toward Bruce?s old parking spot. He parked the car in the ?Reserved for Wayne Enterprises Owner? spot and got out of the car. The security guards nodded at him. No one seemed to question his right to park in that space.

Years ago after retiring as Batman, Bruce was unable to fend off a merge between his company and Derek Powers. But with Terry?s help, Bruce had successfully cleansed his family?s company of the Powers taint. The Company was once again Wayne Enterprises. Derek Powers was believed dead and his son Paxton was rotting away in jail.

Terry headed into the building, showing his security pass to the guard and passing through the scanner. Once again, no one questioned anything. A few people even said ?Hello Mr. McGinnis? in the same way they used to greet Bruce. Of course, Bruce knew all their names and would know to ask about family members and other small talk. Terry didn?t have that ability. It always amazed him how Bruce would remember the smallest detail.

Terry entered the elevator and headed up to the board room. Tim was waiting for him outside. The rest of the board members seemed to just start filing in. Tim nodded to a few members who greeted him and walked over to Terry.

?Ready for this??

?No? he replied.

?You?ll be fine. Let?s head in and take our seats.?

Tim headed toward the door which parted before him and motioned Terry ahead. Terry proceeded to Bruce?s old chair. Tim took the chair at the head of the table. He waited a few moments for everyone to be settled and then he began.

?Good Morning ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming.?

He