Note: This story takes place after the last episodes of the Batman: Beyond TV series (a two parter called "The Call") and the recent Return of the Joker movie. I'll make an effort not to reveal any spoiler material from either for the benefit of those who havn't seen them. Hope you enjoy the ride!

"Wings- part 2"

Guest Written By Clay Arceneaux

He had been sitting before the massive computer screen deep within the Cave for hours. Over and over, he reviewed the recording of the encounter between a black clad hero and the combined forces of two of Gotham's most feared gangs. The scene itself wasn't unusual, but it wasn't Bruce Wayne sitting before the monitor but his protégé Terry McGinnis. And it wasn't the Batman that battled across the screen; it was a woman in a suit that was disturbingly similar to Terry's own Bat-suit. A woman calling herself Nightwing.

For the millionth time, Terry's gaze passed from the screen to the cases holding the costumes of the original Batman and his young partners. The sleek black costume of Nightwing stood between Bruce's caped Bat-suit and the brightly colored Robin costume. The blue bird symbols of both 'Nightwings' were identical. That bothered Terry, but not as much as what else he'd found out in the hours since his encounter. Bruce had left him with the impression that Dick Grayson, the first Nightwing, had died over forty years ago in a battle with Harvey Dent.* Dent had even returned recently, impossibly fit for a man his age, and threatened both Bruce and Terry. He, too, claimed to have killed Nightwing.** But statements Commissioner Barbara Gordon had made when she told Terry of the 'Bat-Family's' last battle with the Joker and Harley Quinn implied Grayson was still alive. She even invited Terry to look him up some time, a strange suggestion if Grayson was long dead.*** Terry was too distracted by Bruce having been savagely attacked by the returned Joker to have really noticed the inconsistency at the time, but now it was front and center in the young hero's mind. And there were other clues inside the Bat-computers files, but Bruce had placed blocks on the files, blocks Terry lacked the skill to circumvent. What little he had been able to learn hinted that Dick Grayson did indeed survive his encounter with Two-Face, but was different somehow, and in some way the Bat-suit Terry now wore as Batman was tied to that change.
(* Batman: Beyond #10)
(** Batman: Beyond #12)
(*** Batman: Beyond- the Return of the Joker video available where ever videos are sold)
Terry needed answers, and was very sure his mentor wasn't going to give them. Not willingly anyway. A year ago, Terry's temper would be getting the best of him right now. He'd have charged into the mansion, awakened the sleeping Wayne, and demanded an explanation. But he wasn't just Terry McGinnis anymore; he was Batman. Sure he'd been wearing the suit much longer, but it was within the last year that he had really assumed the mindset of the Dark Knight. He would get to the truth, without Wayne. But he would need help. His fingers danced across the computer keys. He prepped the Batmobile for launch, he checked his Bat-suit to make sure its systems were fully operable and charged, and he made a phone call.

"Hello?" A female voice answered shakily after the phone refused to stop ringing.

"Max. I need your help. Get dressed. I'll be there in ten minutes." Terry said flatly.

"Terry? Do you know what time it is? What's going…" Max's voice sounded immediately awake now.

"No time to explain. You wanted in. Now deal with the schedule." Terry interrupted his confidante, then hung up the line. He had scrambled his own line to keep Bruce from knowing who he called, it wouldn't cover his tracks from a detective like Bruce long, but it was a start. And he had a few ideas of his own to conceal his activities from his mentor. He needed to make one more quick call, but for this one he pulled his mask back over his head as he made the secure connection to a very private frequency.

"JLU headquarters. What do you want?" A gruff young man in a hawk-like helmet growls as he appeared on the screen.

"Warhawk." Batman nodded to his potential teammate. "I need a favor…"

---

"Tell me again where we're going?" Max stared at Batman in stunned disbelief at his first answer. "Because I know I didn't hear you right the first time."

"Metropolis, to the Justice League Watchtower." Batman replied as he piloted the Batmobile out of Gotham city.

"You won't bring me to the Cave, but I get to go to The Watchtower?" Max tried to contain her excitement, which was easy to do in the cramped confines of the Batmobile's cockpit. "For this I'll gladly wear this silly mask. Just call me Robin!"

"I intend to." Batman smiled. "But don't get used to it. I still work alone. I just need you help on this. I need you to use the JLA computers to dig up some information for me."

"No problem. Who are we looking for?"

---

"Good morning. Commissioner." Bruce Wayne smiled slightly as he opened the door for his former partner. "What brings you out here this early?"

"I know you're not staying up nights with Terry right now, so I thought you'd best hear this from me." Barbara stepped out of the brisk pre-dawn air into the manor. "We had company last night. Nightwing was in town."

"Really…" Bruce's face darkened. "That is… unexpected."

"Did you really expect to keep them from meeting indefinitely?"

"No, but I'd hoped to introduce them under more… controlled circumstances." Bruce wobbled unsteadily on his cane. Barbara stepped in to try and catch him, but he waved her away. "I'm all right. I just need to sit down. You caught me as I was just getting up." Bruce gestured to the silk pajamas and heavily monogrammed bathrobe he was wrapped in. "Let me take my medicine and I'll be fine."

"Tell you what," Barbara looked at the old man warily. "You get your meds, I'll make us some coffee, and I'll meet you in the Cave. I'll finish briefing you there."

"Fair enough." Bruce replied.

---

"Batman?" An authoritative voice drifted into the room behind the two masked teenagers. "Warhawk told me you were here. What's going on?"

"Superman. Hi." Batman turned to face the living legend. His temples were gray now and his black costume reflected more of his Kryptoian heritage than his more famous red and blue suit, but the Man of Steel was no less awe inspiring. "I needed to use the League's mainframe. We'll be gone soon. You can call her Robin for now," Pointing to the pink haired girl wearing Tim Drake's Robin mask who was hacking away at the computer station. "She's a friend. She's helping while my usual partner recovers."

"I heard about that. I'm glad it worked out okay." Superman's eyes went from Batman to Max to the screen in front of her. "Looking into Nightwing I see. Why here?"

"I need answers. My predecessor won't give them," Batman replied, a hint of anger in his voice. "This is the only machine I knew of that could get me the information I wanted without leaving our fingerprints all over the grid."

"He hasn't changed one bit has he?" Superman chuckled. "He still loves his little head games, even with his teammates."

---

"You told him WHAT?" Barbara Gordon spun on her heel.

"I told him the story of Dick's last case in Gotham. He assumed Dick died when the overpass collapsed. I chose not to correct him," Bruce replied without looking up from the computer screen.

"What were you thinking, that he wouldn't find out what happened?" Barbara shakes her head in disbelief. "It's all there in your computer files if nowhere else."

"No, after our conversation, I placed a lock on any and all files pertaining to Project: Nightwing, and anything else related to Dick's surviving Harvey's bomb."

"Bruce, this is crazy even for you. Why on earth would you do something like this?"

"I have my reasons."

"Oh No, don't try that one with me, old man." Barbara marched over to Bruce's chair and spun the aged crime fighter around to face her. "I'm not some infatuated kid anymore, Bruce. Stop treating me like one. I'm also not my father, who let you run roughshod over him and this whole city. Talk."

For a long minute their eyes locked, neither one looking away. Memories of who they once were to each other flooded both of their minds. But then, past had long since given way to the present, and with a heavy sigh Bruce looked away first. But before he could answer his old friend, a buzzing alarm from the computer caught both other their attention.

"Someone is trying to hack into your system," Barbara surprised herself remembering what that alarm used to mean.

"No exactly," Bruce can't help but smile a bit as he spun in his chair to face the monitor again. "It looks like 'they' have been in the system for a while now, but they couldn't quite hack into some of the file locks I erected so they're just copying the whole directory the information was in."

"Who could have gotten that far in without tripping an alarm?" Barbara started to ask, then notices the empty landing platform where the Batmobile should be. "Terry."

"More specifically, his friend Max," Bruce responded. "Terry has many strengths, but computer hacking isn't one of them. Their using the old backdoor into the system I set up years ago between my main frame and the League's."

"So why do you look so pleased with yourself?" Barbara can't help but ask, noting the almost serene expression on Bruce's face.

"I never told him it existed. He deduced it on his own." Bruce closed his eyes to regain his usual dour demeanor and began typing. The message was a simple one…

---

"Enough. Come Home Now." Max winced at the message as she read it aloud. "Frak. I was so sure we hadn't tripped anything."

"You did fine." Batman showed no emotion as he stared at the screen. "We have enough information. Get out of there, we're heading home."

"Batman… Terry," Superman lowered his voice. It still felt strange to call anyone but Bruce Batman. He placed his hand on the young Bat's shoulder. "You realize he trusts you? That in all likelihood, this is one of his twisted little tests? I know him, he wouldn't have tried to deceive you without what he thinks is a good reason."

"Thanks, Superman," Batman responded in the detached tone he'd learned from his mentor, while inside he wanted to gush like a fanboy. "But I realized that before we reached Metropolis. The only thing left to do was see if we passed. Come on, 'Robin'."

"It was… um… like, a complete honor to meet you sir." Max tried not to stumble as she rose from her chair and looked the Metropolis Marvel in the face for the first time.

"Likewise, Robin." Superman smiled broadly as he shook the young girl's hand. He didn't know which he found more amusing, the girl's fawning enthusiasm or Terry's irritation at it. He watched as the two made their way out of the Watchtower's central data center, then as they reached the door… "Batman. Have you made a decision yet? We're still holding a chair open for you."

Batman paused for a moment, then turned back to face Superman. "I'm in. But only part time for now. We'll see how it goes."

Max's eyes widened beneath her mask and she fairly shook with excitement. Batman placed a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her. Superman floated over to one of the consoles. He hit a few switches and panel opened. Taking two small objects from inside, he tosses them toward Batman, who nimbly caught them in one hand.

"Your JLU signal devices." Superman crossed his arms across his chest as he hovered there. "Good to have you back, Batman."

Batman simply nodded as he and his companion disappeared from view into the corridor.

---

Max babbled and gushed all the way back to Gotham. For a little while Terry succumbed to her excitement, he did, after all, just agree to become a member of the world's foremost group of heroes. But as the noonday Gotham skyline loomed before them, Batman's thoughts returned to the task at hand. Max, too, became very quiet as she realized Terry was not flying into the city to drop her off, but out toward Wayne Manor and the fabled Batcave she had heard some much about.

"You sure this is okay?" Max asked sheepishly, suddenly very conscious of the mask on her face.

"Yeah. Hang on. This part get is a little rough." With that, the Batmobile dropped over the side of the cliffs to just above the water, then spiraled into the hidden entrance to the Batcave. "Sorry, had to use the backdoor, the sun being out and all."

If Terry was surprised to see Barbara waiting with Bruce as he landed the craft, he showed no sign. Both stood by the main computer, waiting for them. Max stared in awe of her surroundings. The Watchtower was one thing, but this, the original Batcave, this was the stuff of legends. But catching a look at the scowl on Bruce's face, she removed the Robin mask, and sheepishly followed Terry up the stairs.

The tension in the room became almost palatable. Stripping away his mask, Terry stood nose to nose with his aged mentor. How long they stood facing each other in silence, no one could be sure. It was Terry who spoke first.

"You know something, Wayne?" Terry's voice dripped with disgust. "You are a jerk."

"I am who I am." Bruce didn't bat an eye. "The question is, who are you?"

"Me?" Terry responded coolly. "I'm Batman."

"Yes, you are." Bruce turned and walked back to his seat. "I needed to be sure of that. I needed to be sure you could do this without me. So when you assumed Dick died all those years ago, I created a puzzle that you would have to work against me to solve. You did your part well. You left me no evidence here in the Cave that you'd been back last night. If Barbara hadn't come by this morning to tell me what happened, I never would have known where you went."

"Glad we passed." Terry pointed out. "But you still caught us."

"I know. That will change." Bruce turned his chair around to face the group before him. "Max, you're one of the most talented young women I've come across. And like it or not, you've become a part of this. I might as well make it official. Consider yourself hired as an intern at Wayne Enterprises. We'll start training you to support Terry's operations behind the scenes, sharpen the skills you've already got. When we're done, know you'll never be caught again."

"Bruce," Barbara starts to interject.

"What would you have me do, Barbara? The city needs protecting, you and I both know that, and I'm not immortal." Bruce shook his head. "And I need your help too, to keep this going."

"Um… Mr. Wayne?" Max asked, "Does this mean I have to be 'Robin'?"

"You could always be 'Batgirl'." Terry shot a smile at the Commissioner.

"We'll discuss that when and if I decide you're ever ready for field work, Max." Bruce stared the pink haired girl straight in the eyes. "Which, quite frankly, you have a terrible record at so far. No, you'll stay behind the scenes for now."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Max could feel herself wilting under Bruce's gaze.

"So Terry," Bruce turned his attention back to his protégé. "What happened to Nightwing?"

Before Terry could answer, a voice spoke up from the shadows.

"Maybe I can help." The female Nightwing seemed to materialize out of nowhere as she shut off her suit's stealth field and stepped from her hiding place. She pulled off her mask as she approached the group, revealing a beautiful face framed by shoulder length black hair. "My name is Donna Grayson, and my father needs your help."

---

To be continued…