Kapitel 4: Chapter Four: Lineage

Terry found himself in the dark Bat cave once again as the old man analyzed the data, he had brought with him. Terry had already seen the data so he wasn't really overly concerned about what Bruce's reaction was. He was actually a lot more interested in the suits the old man had on display. Particularly the last one.

Much like the others, it was all black with the familiar symbol of the bat on the chest, but what set it apart was the fact it didn't have a cape, the mask covered even the mouth and the bat symbol was red.

Terry had secretly been a fan of Batman when he was a kid, but even at that time, it had been several years since he had last been seen. Rumors had started then about his death, and the world mourned him.

As it turned out, Batman was very much alive but had been crippled with age and a bad heart. He understood the skill it must have took to fight the criminal's in this town, from his own escapades when he was younger. Which told him one thing he couldn't hold a candle to the legendary tails he heard the man behind him lived through.

Suddenly something caught his eye and he bent forward to feel the fabric of the last suit.

"It's worse than I thought. The chemical compound Powers has created is a type of hyper nerve gas. Breaking down the molecular system within just a few hours." Bruce clenched his teeth and barely managed to get out the words, "He's using my company to make nerve gas."

"Stay away from that," Bruce said catching Terry holding one of his bat suits in hand.

"Synaptic controls, neuromuscular amplification, flight ability. Hmm, I bet it enhances your strength ten to one. This thing might be old but it's still cutting edge." Terry admired as he started to take it down from the display.

"I said don't touch it!"

"But aren't you going to…"

"No"

Feeling frustrated Terry lashed out, "You built that company! Now Powers is making nerve gas there, you got to do something… You're Batman!"

"I… was Batman." Not letting the hurt seep into his voice, getting those words out Bruce continued. "Bring this to Commissioner Gordon they…"

Taken aback Terry took a step away from the older man in front of him, "The cops? They will never…"

"Do it."

The silence between them was deafening.

Drawing his conclusion from the way the old man acted he took the data stick from his hands. "I'm not sure what happened to you. It wasn't just that you had gotten old, either."

Skagit, Terry guessed he would have to do this himself, without help. 'No problem. I will seek justice regardless of what stands in my way.' Terry internally decided.

Storming out of the Wayne Manor Terry didn't pay attention as Bruce walked over to the display case Terry was just standing at and with a pained look on his face closed the glass. Today had cost him a lot saying the words he knew were true. After his mistakes with Dick and Barbara, there was no one trained enough to take on the mantel. In more ways than just one, he destroyed Batman and all he stood for...

Terry was right when he said 'Something happened to him…' He had ruined his relationship with his adopted son and lost a child because he was too busy with Dick to be there.

Batman was dead, and just because he felt guilty for a young man didn't mean anything.

---

Terry had missed the last bus leaving the station. Meaning he had to hoof it all the way downtown. Terry was a big boy; he had walked from one end of Gotham to the other when he was much younger than he is now.

Walking underneath an overpass Terry noticed how quiet this part of the city was at this time of night.

This wasn't uncommon. The best description of Gotham City Terry had ever heard was "Gotham City is Manhattan below Fourteenth Street at eleven minutes past midnight on the coldest night in November."

Of course, when Batman retired, not much changed in that regard. Soon technology advanced in what was called the second information age. Hover cars, VR clubs, genetic engineering were all real, Gotham was rich and prospering. But Batman could never snuff out all that was rotten in this city, and with his absence, it has only spread.

Turn of the nineteenth-century philanthropist W. Clement Stone once said, "We are a product of our own environment…" Terry might not have lost his parents as Bruce had, but he was still affected by the environment he was raised in.

Terry ran the streets, got into fistfights, and nearly joined a gang of Jokerz. Of Course, once he realized what those Jokerz stood for, he fought against them. It was one of the reasons he was so good at fighting. Yeah, it was just street brawling style but the point was he was self-taught and he wasn't a pushover.

Lost in his thoughts Terry didn't see the car that nearly hit him from behind. The lights were blinding as the vehicle got closer, diving out of the way at the last moment Terry managed to keep his life. Suddenly the car stopped in the middle of the road and blocked the direction Terry was going.

It was new. Terry could tell by the newly finished paint job. It was expensive. He could also easily understand this by the type of car, a limo. It was made to resemble a classic forties model. It all seemed to point to one person… Powers.

As the car door lowered down Terry felt a presence behind him. He might have gotten the drop on him if he hadn't deduced who it was inside the car. Rolling to the side Terry stood up to fight only to feel something round pressed to his back. A gun…Slaggit.

Putting his hands up he faced the person inside the car. His hair completely white, face unnaturally smooth. As if he has had many youth-ionizing surgeries to make him seem much younger than he actually was, and his clothes were expensive. Terry was never one to recognize 'fashion', but he could guess that it was all top of the line items.

"Hello, Terry. Ever had a ride in a limo?"

Ok, that was creepy as hell. He didn't want to play this sicko's games, and he wasn't getting into this guy's car! Regardless of what happens.

"Yeah, no. My dad taught me at a young age not to take rides from strangers."

"Who's a stranger? Besides…" Powers grinned taking pleasure in his next words. "Your Dad's not around anymore."

Terry met the eyes of the bastard who was responsible for his father's death smile smugly at his face and wanted to wipe it off the face of this earth. The gun in his back made him hesitate and his mind went into overdrive to find a way to escape.

"Be smart Terry." Powers' soothing voice called out. Then in a more commanding one, he said, "Get in."

"I'll pass."

The man that tried to grab him earlier came up and searched his coat pockets for a few minutes then raised his eyes to meet powers. A slight shake of his head told powers what he needed to know.

"Why don't you make it easy on yourself and… give me back my data!"

Terry was about to protest he had no clue what Powers was talking about, but Powers seemed to already see through the lie.

Terry understood what he had to do to escape, but it meant giving up the only information that could put Powers away. He wasn't stupid enough to think he wouldn't be dead once he gave away the stick, though.

Bending down to his shoe Terry felt the guy with the gun step a few feet away. Now he only needed a distraction and a place to escape.

Slag! If he was wrong, he would be meat paste before the day was through anyway.

Taking out the small black stick Terry held it in front of Powers showing him the proverbial 'carrot' and tossed it into the air.

When everyone's eyes were on the data stick Terry ran to the bridge's edge and jumped off.

Regretting his actions immediately Terry realized there wasn't another bridge below him. If he had decided to jump on the other side of the bridge there would have been a light pole and an underpass to catch him, but this side had a hundred-foot drop to old Gotham below. Terry was going to die.

Smirking down at the disappearing pest that once was Terry McGinnis, Powers looked at the data stick in his hands and realizes there is nothing keeping him from making the deal now.

---

Bruce Wayne was sitting in a large back chair looking at the drizzling weather outside. He couldn't stop himself from remembering the look of disappointment in Terry's eyes, it seemed…familiar. Bruce took another sip of the tea that was still steaming on the table. It wasn't Alfred's, but it was pleasant enough. Sometimes he still wished he had the old butler to confide, he always seemed to already understand what he would do before he made the action. It made hard decisions, easier. Like he was doing the right thing because that was exactly what he was always going to do.

Terry was a good kid, no less than Dick or Jason was. He could tell, Terry wasn't going to let this go, just like him with his own parent's killer.

Bruce didn't want to take the mission up again, but maybe… a security alarm notified him of a break-in in the Batcave. With a sigh, Bruce grabbed his cane and walked to the Victorian clock and pushing down the lever to open the entrance to the cave.

---

People say when you are about to die, your life passes before your eyes. But as Terry fell something quite different seemed to happen. Terry began to feel the difference between the currents of air.

Yeah, Terry knew it sounded insane but as he got ever closer to his own demise, he felt that he could slip inside the next current of air, ride it away like the ocean surf.

Terry didn't have anything to lose at this point, and when he felt the airflow again, he called out to it and he was swept away. He was confused. Things stopped making sense, maybe this was all a dream. Meeting Batman, fighting the Jokerz, getting mugged by Powers, and…

No, he couldn't fool himself about his father's death. If it was just the other things, yes. He could pass the entire thing off as some weird and crazy dream. But not that. No matter how much he wished it was a dream, he knew it wasn't.

Which also means that he was currently… Flying? No, more like wave surfing. Regardless of what it was, Terry was thankful, maybe he was a Metahuman his entire life and he didn't know it…

'No, you are wrong Terry.'

Falling out of the sky Terry barely managed to grab hold of a nearby rail to an access port. Managing to get to his feet Terry looked around attempting to find where the voice was coming from.

'You will not find me, Terry. I'm not actually there.'

"Great! Now I'm going crazy!"

Giggle, 'You're not crazy, either. I'm just speaking with you telepathically.' The voice said sounding distinctly female.

If he was judging just by her voice, she was young, no older than twenty, "What do you want?"

As far as voices in his head go, he guessed a young females' voice wasn't too bad. Even if he was going crazy it wasn't unpleasant.

'Your life was in jeopardy; your lineage has been locked due to the method of your birth. But you are a good man Terry McGinnis. I couldn't watch you perish by evil hands.'

"Wait, what do you mean my…lineage?"