Gotham's Story
Confident with your decision, you rise from the couch. There is an uneasiness in your gut and you aren't sure whether it is from last night's activities, or if it is from your decision. You decide to get an antiacid tblet from the kitchen, nonetheless.
As you walk down the hallway, you notice that the granfather clock that obscures the passageway to the Batcave is still ajar. Terry must have neglected to close it after he grabbed your medicine. When you grip the side of the clock, a flash of intuition tickles the back of your mind. Some instinct dating back to your first years as Batman tell you that something is amiss in the Cave. You slowly descend the steps and survey your surroundings, taking everything in. The computer screen is still locked and turned off. The medical table is still fully stocked. The suits are all in their cases: Jason's, Barbara's, Your-
Your suit is gone.
The previous iterations of the Batsuit are in their individual displays, but the most recent suit is gone. The black one with the red bat on it; comlete with camoflauge, boot jets, wrist launched batarangs. Missing.
Terry took it!
With aching, but alert muscles, you rush to the computer monitor. The Batsuit has a wireless connection to the cave so that Alfred can- would have been able to connect with you from the Cave. Now, you activate the controls and put on the headset so that the eyes of the suit display on the monitor. From the visual, you recognize the streets and the building he must be standing on. God, he's standing in one of your favorite spots.
"McGinnis, come back to the Cave now!"
"Mister Wayne?" The boyish voice seemed awkward in the Cave. It brought back too many memories. "This is amazing! How were you ever able to take this suit off?"
"The Cave, now."
"But-"
"The. Cave."
A deep sigh comes over the Cave's speakers. "Fine."
You watch the image on the screen change as Terry lifts off on the boot jets to turn back towards the mansion. You unconsciously admire his comfortable control of the jets. It took you almost a week to be able to fly like that. Suddenly a red flash dominates the screen followed by a cricket-like beep.
"What's that," Terry asks as he stops in midair.
"It's none of your business. The suit is hooked up to alarms and police radios in the nearby vicinity-"
"Its a break-in!" Terry almost instinctually blinks out the commands in his HUD. The screen begins to show city maps, and streams of data. Kids these days can handle that technology unbelievably well. "Its at the orphanage in the lower west end. I'm on it!"
The screen moves rapidly as Terry approaches the building at top speed.
"Terry, stop! This is none of your business!" The boy doesn't listen to you.
"I see them now! Its the same morons who cornered me at your house. Their kidnapping someone."
The truth of his claim becomes apparent to you as well when you see the Suit's video feeds. The Jokerz are anarchic delinquents, but you never thought they would go this far. Kidnapping an orphan? You can't get a ransom; it's just crime for the sake of crime. They are also armed, this time with guns. Terry doesn't stand a chance.
"McGinnis, get out of there, you don't know what you are doing!" Terry descends in the middle of the group. No stealth, no finesse, just standing right there in the open! "I will shut this suit down!" You yell to his unheeding ears.
On the keyboard in front of you is a lock-down switch that will render the suit immobile. It was designed in case the suit was stolen and this situation certainly applies. He's holding the Jokerz at bay with wide shots of the batarangs, but he isn't paying attention. The bigger ones are moving to flank him. If you shut the suit down now, maybe you can use the external defenses to scare off the Jokerz.
With a whip of the cameras, Terry lashes out at the largest Joker that was sneaking behind him. Blast, that was a good kick. He then jumps in the air so that two other fighters run into each other as rush towards him. With a sideways swing of his arms, he releases a pair of bolos towards the legs of the woman who is holding the kidnapped child. Terry rolls and catches the boy before he can hit the ground. Terry stands and places himself between the child and his opponents. Wow, he remembered to make sure the child was safe. You let the battle play on, but you are no lnger worried about Terry. You hit the key that will alert Commissioner Gordon in her office and you sit back.
When the Jokerz are bound and unconscious, and Terry is in the air again, you activate the communicator.
"Terry, come back to the Cave now."
"Yeah, Mister Wayne. I'll return the suit. I'm sorry, I just couldn't stand by and let that kid get taken. Shiz, he didn't even have parents, you know?"
"Oh, I understand, McGinnis. And don't think you're done with me yet. You will be wearing that suit much more in the near future."
"What?"
You smile, but you know he can't see you. "You've just been hired. We'll say that you're Bruce Wayne's personal assistant. You know, an aid for an ailing old man. But we both know the real work that you'll be doing."
"Are you serious? That is totally schway! I wil-"
You cut off the feeds to his microphone. That kid has no idea what he is getting into. He will exercise untill he passes out. He will patrol for days on end with no respite. You will make him study your databases until his brain groans from the capacity. He will train until he is worthy to be Batman.
But he will be Batman.
You know that you can never wear the cape again; it no longer fits in more ways than one. But you don't have to be Batman. You can train Terry until he is as good as you ever were- better, if you can help it- and make sure that he understands the role he is undertaking. Maybe you can convince Barbara to hook up the old spotlight again. With renewed vigor, you prepare the Batcave for the next Batman. There is weeks, months of work to do, but you have time. More importantly, Gotham will have its Batman.
Gotham will always have Batman.
As you walk down the hallway, you notice that the granfather clock that obscures the passageway to the Batcave is still ajar. Terry must have neglected to close it after he grabbed your medicine. When you grip the side of the clock, a flash of intuition tickles the back of your mind. Some instinct dating back to your first years as Batman tell you that something is amiss in the Cave. You slowly descend the steps and survey your surroundings, taking everything in. The computer screen is still locked and turned off. The medical table is still fully stocked. The suits are all in their cases: Jason's, Barbara's, Your-
Your suit is gone.
The previous iterations of the Batsuit are in their individual displays, but the most recent suit is gone. The black one with the red bat on it; comlete with camoflauge, boot jets, wrist launched batarangs. Missing.
Terry took it!
With aching, but alert muscles, you rush to the computer monitor. The Batsuit has a wireless connection to the cave so that Alfred can- would have been able to connect with you from the Cave. Now, you activate the controls and put on the headset so that the eyes of the suit display on the monitor. From the visual, you recognize the streets and the building he must be standing on. God, he's standing in one of your favorite spots.
"McGinnis, come back to the Cave now!"
"Mister Wayne?" The boyish voice seemed awkward in the Cave. It brought back too many memories. "This is amazing! How were you ever able to take this suit off?"
"The Cave, now."
"But-"
"The. Cave."
A deep sigh comes over the Cave's speakers. "Fine."
You watch the image on the screen change as Terry lifts off on the boot jets to turn back towards the mansion. You unconsciously admire his comfortable control of the jets. It took you almost a week to be able to fly like that. Suddenly a red flash dominates the screen followed by a cricket-like beep.
"What's that," Terry asks as he stops in midair.
"It's none of your business. The suit is hooked up to alarms and police radios in the nearby vicinity-"
"Its a break-in!" Terry almost instinctually blinks out the commands in his HUD. The screen begins to show city maps, and streams of data. Kids these days can handle that technology unbelievably well. "Its at the orphanage in the lower west end. I'm on it!"
The screen moves rapidly as Terry approaches the building at top speed.
"Terry, stop! This is none of your business!" The boy doesn't listen to you.
"I see them now! Its the same morons who cornered me at your house. Their kidnapping someone."
The truth of his claim becomes apparent to you as well when you see the Suit's video feeds. The Jokerz are anarchic delinquents, but you never thought they would go this far. Kidnapping an orphan? You can't get a ransom; it's just crime for the sake of crime. They are also armed, this time with guns. Terry doesn't stand a chance.
"McGinnis, get out of there, you don't know what you are doing!" Terry descends in the middle of the group. No stealth, no finesse, just standing right there in the open! "I will shut this suit down!" You yell to his unheeding ears.
On the keyboard in front of you is a lock-down switch that will render the suit immobile. It was designed in case the suit was stolen and this situation certainly applies. He's holding the Jokerz at bay with wide shots of the batarangs, but he isn't paying attention. The bigger ones are moving to flank him. If you shut the suit down now, maybe you can use the external defenses to scare off the Jokerz.
With a whip of the cameras, Terry lashes out at the largest Joker that was sneaking behind him. Blast, that was a good kick. He then jumps in the air so that two other fighters run into each other as rush towards him. With a sideways swing of his arms, he releases a pair of bolos towards the legs of the woman who is holding the kidnapped child. Terry rolls and catches the boy before he can hit the ground. Terry stands and places himself between the child and his opponents. Wow, he remembered to make sure the child was safe. You let the battle play on, but you are no lnger worried about Terry. You hit the key that will alert Commissioner Gordon in her office and you sit back.
When the Jokerz are bound and unconscious, and Terry is in the air again, you activate the communicator.
"Terry, come back to the Cave now."
"Yeah, Mister Wayne. I'll return the suit. I'm sorry, I just couldn't stand by and let that kid get taken. Shiz, he didn't even have parents, you know?"
"Oh, I understand, McGinnis. And don't think you're done with me yet. You will be wearing that suit much more in the near future."
"What?"
You smile, but you know he can't see you. "You've just been hired. We'll say that you're Bruce Wayne's personal assistant. You know, an aid for an ailing old man. But we both know the real work that you'll be doing."
"Are you serious? That is totally schway! I wil-"
You cut off the feeds to his microphone. That kid has no idea what he is getting into. He will exercise untill he passes out. He will patrol for days on end with no respite. You will make him study your databases until his brain groans from the capacity. He will train until he is worthy to be Batman.
But he will be Batman.
You know that you can never wear the cape again; it no longer fits in more ways than one. But you don't have to be Batman. You can train Terry until he is as good as you ever were- better, if you can help it- and make sure that he understands the role he is undertaking. Maybe you can convince Barbara to hook up the old spotlight again. With renewed vigor, you prepare the Batcave for the next Batman. There is weeks, months of work to do, but you have time. More importantly, Gotham will have its Batman.
Gotham will always have Batman.
