Chapter 6: Chapter Six: New Beginning
"Mr. Fixx! Any word on the kid?" Powers asked with a relaxed appearance.
"Not yet, but they're looking." Fixx was a large man with a light skin tone and a scar on his right eye. Standing at six feet nine he towered over most men, while he seemed to be loyal to Powers Terry could tell he wasn't a man to be trifled with.
"I don't have to tell you; how important this deal is to Wayne-Powers. It's going to open the entire eastern block for us, so I don't need it spoiled by a snot-nose punk." He said with thinly-veiled frustration prevalent on his face.
"I took care of his old man, didn't I?" Fixx said nonchalantly while remaining seemingly proud of his accomplishment.
Terry had to take his fingers away from the window. He was losing control of his emotions, and he knew if his fingers remained on the glass, he would have to reveal his location.
Even still, his other hand had broken the brick to dust beneath his grip and he was still shaking from the rage that was building inside of him. He had to get his mind straight or he might turn out to be as much of a monster as powers and his goons were, he just wanted to bring them to justice.
Terry had a clear view of who he wanted to be. The casual words of his father's murderers made him want to deal out justice by his own hand. Terry refused to become like them, and he stood to his full height of six three still deep in thought
"Little early for Halloween." A voice said bringing Terry out of his thoughts with the cruel reality of several people standing on both sides of him with guns ready to take his life at any moment.
He couldn't help the smile that graced his face, as he leaned his tall figure backward towards the building's edge. "But it's just in time for fall." Terry laughed at the surprised guards as he fell into the empty space between the buildings.
It had almost been worth the laser fire that nearly singed his shoulder as he wove between the blasts. Landing on his feet he then swept himself into the shadows of another large building hiding from his pursuers view.
"Hit the alarms!" One of the guards shouted out in a near panic.
Soon a blaring siren penetrated the quiet of the night, while men dressed like storm troopers scattered around getting into teams to search the area.
Terry wasn't sure if it was luck, but this had turned out to be the base where the nerve gas was being prepared for transport. Though the base was still very large, so he realized he was spending too much time searching through what seemed like a maze of buildings.
---
Powers was sitting in a transport vehicle when he tapped the side of his ear receiving a call from the implant that had been installed cybernetically. "Powers, here! What's going on?" He responded.
"It's Batman. Or some guy, dressed like 'em" The voice said from the other end of the line. The head guard he was speaking with sounded frazzled and out of breath. "We're cutting him off. Shouldn't be a problem."
"Batman?" Powers said surprised for a second then dismissed the call with a crinkle in his brow. 'Why did it have to be a loon in a suit?' Powers wondered as he let a light smile grace his face.
---
"McGinnis? Can you hear me?" Terry's voice spoke out seemingly directly beside him. He had been keeping to the shadows while avoiding the numerous patrols. He hated that he'd gotten caught before he found the gas, but he couldn't do anything about that now.
"Who... Who's that?" Terry asked hoping it wasn't another random voice inside his head.
"It's Wayne." The voice said simply. Immediately Terry's began to look around his surroundings.
"Mr. Wayne? Where are you?" he asked but soon he realized how stupid the question actually was.
"On the radio receiver in your mask. Now, listen to me, McGinnis. I want that suit back and I want it now!" Bruce said steadily.
"Now is not a good time," Terry said, feeling like the statement should be pretty obvious at that moment.
"That suit is not yours! You had no right!" Diana noticed that Bruce was sulking, she knew Bruce didn't expect to have something stolen directly underneath his nose. The fact that Terry manages to do such a feat, seem to hurt his pride and if she knew anything about Bruce Wayne, he did pride himself in his own defenses.
"Somebody had to do something. You sure weren't about to."
"I'm warning you." Bruce's voice was all but a growl as he spoke these words.
"He's over there! Over there!" Suddenly noise on from Terry's side was interrupted, a guard was yelling when he spotted Terry as his thin form jumped between shadows.
'This suit works even better than I thought it would.' Terry thought as he was suddenly surrounded again, but with the suit, he felt stronger and faster than ever.
"This is your last chance. Better take it." Bruce warned Terry, feeling like his patience was being tested.
"No, thanks. Havin' too much fun." It was kind of true Terry light zooming around and punching a guy here and kicking a guy there. But it was all really for one purpose to get justice for his father he didn't really think that Bruce Wayne had any actual method of stopping him. So, why not tease the old man?
"Fun, huh?" Smiling lightly Bruce Wayne decided to play this game. If Terry wanted to have fun, then he'd show him how much fun they can have.
"He's mine!" Shouted another guard as he approached Terry with a boxing stance.
Sitting down in front of his massive computer in the Batcave Bruce opened a little clear plastic covering with a large red button inside. When Bruce pressed down, immediately Terry felt the suit around him freeze and tighten.
"Hey, I can't move. What did you do?" Terry asked as he could barely even move his mouth to get out the question.
"It's a failsafe device. Paralyzes the suit. In case the wrong person gets into it." Bruce told him as a smug and satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"But, you can't." Terry didn't understand this Bruce Wayne character, he was once the greatest hero this city had ever known and now, he's literally letting people pummel him?
"I just did." he was getting too much satisfaction out of this. Cutting his eyes to the left he spotted Diana giving him a sour look. She didn't like seeing this side of the man she once loved. He was acting petty. Yes, could understand, but there was also something about the voice on the other end something... familiar.
"Hey!..." Terry started to say but a fist caught him in the jaw cutting off his words.
"Hey! Come on...." Another kick was sent to his torso knocking the breath out of him.
"You gotta help me..." He was on the ground and a few more guards had joined the first and started kicking him. While the suit protected his vital organs, it didn't keep him from actually feeling the pain.
"Out of this." It had started to dawn on him what was going to happen if Wayne didn't release the suit.
"Way... AH! ...Wayne, they're gonna kill me." Terry pleaded and finally, he felt the suit release its hold.
Diana had had enough of this game. Halfway through the boy's pleading she had marched over and press the button that released the hold on Bruce's suit. Then she had given Bruce a challenging glare in the process.
Bruce didn't really mind though; he was getting ready to press the button himself. The kid had something about him, Bruce didn't want to see Terry dead just because he had gotten in over his head.
"McGinnis, I gave you a break. Now, bring that suit back." Bruce ordered.
"Love to, but I got these guards all over me." Disentangling himself from the crowd had taken too much effort and he still felt the pain from his recent beating.
Pausing for a moment Bruce considered the floor plans of that building. Then finally he decided to guide him a little, "There's a broom closet on the north wall. Can you get to it?"
"A broom closet?" Terry asked incredulously.
"Do it!" Bruce demanded again.
Not really wanting to argue with the older man, he ran towards the north wall. He found a non-script door and slipped inside. Luckily, none of the guards noticed him.
"Did you see 'em? Where is he?" he heard the guards say as they pass by searching for him.
"Now, I'm a sitting duck. Hope you're happy." Terry said frustratedly.
He couldn't believe that Bruce would bring him to a place he couldn't escape from. Now Fixx could be on the other side of the base already loading up the transport! With all his hopes of justice leaving along with him.
"Go to the far wall. Put your hand against it. Then press... hard." seemingly guessing what Terry was thinking Bruce gave him some advice on how to get out of the room. This was against his better judgment but guiding him to a safer place was best.
"Cool." Terry complimented, he always loved those older movies where there were trap doors and rotating walls. Seeing one in real life made him want to geek out a little bit.
"I built the place, remember?" Another smug smile graced Bruce's lips in an oddly familiar comparison to someone she recognized. Diana watched as the older man went from a crotchety old badger to someone reminiscent of the person she once knew. it was endearing really; she was glad to know that he was still that same person... Even thirty years later.
"Then you'd know, where they'll be loading the hover transport, wouldn't you?" Terry probed.
"Forget it. You're coming back here." Bruce was getting tired of this game the boy was just so damn persistent.
"Powers is shipping out the virus tonight! It's got to be stopped!" Terry pleaded once more he needed to be the one bringing these guys down! It wasn't in his nature to give up halfway.
"I'll call the police. Let them handle it." at Bruce's statement Diana looked at him deeply.
'What's happened to you, Bruce?' She wondered internally.
"I can do it," Terry said the epitome of determination and his voice he needed to do this.
"I'll shut down the suit again. And this time, it'll be for good." when he finished his words, he stared at Diana fiercely. He wasn't backing down on this, not this time.
'Fine, if he did shut the suit down, she'd go there herself. If anything happened to this boy Bruce would have hell to pay when she was done.' but Terry's next words caught even her by surprise.
"I've read up on you, Mr. Wayne. I know, how you lost your folks. The guy who murdered my dad is on that transport. This is my one chance, to nail him." Something in Terry's voice broke through to the crotchety old man Bruce had let himself become. It has been a very long time since Bruce had even considered letting anyone wear his symbol... But this boy made him want to believe, he decided to trust in the idea one more time.
"The hover pads are in the north-east sector." Bruce reluctantly stated.
Terry wanted to jump for joy at his admission. "Wish me luck?" Terry didn't expect the old Man to allow it but he wasn't going to focus on that for now.
"Good luck. You're going to need it." Bruce said in a grim voice.
A hand lightly patted his shoulder, as he looked up into the kind eyes of one of his oldest friends, he realized something. With this one action, a world had opened up for the young man on the other end of the line. Which meant only one thing... This was a new beginning.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Lonefrog
Lonefrog I plan on switch to Kara for a few chapters and when we come back to Terry he will have some experience beneath his belt
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone