Part One:
Terry McGinnis sat at his desk.
He was daydreaming again, and lately that seemed like it was all he did in
school. Twice now his teacher Ms. Hollis had sentenced him to detention. He
hated it. School had become some sort of necessary distraction. Bruce made sure
he kept up his grades. This week he just wasn't cutting it though. He hadn't
slept in three nights and even then it was only two hours. The Jokers were
causing more trouble in Gotham. Already they had broken into Mr. Wayne's
company down town. He started to wish he had some help, but before he could
think it through his beeper was vibrating like crazy under his belt. He was
late, Bruce was gonna kill him. Well at least work him till he dropped. What
was he going to tell him? He shook his head. "Oh Ms. Hollis" he said
laying on the charm.
He grabbed his books and sprinted past the double glass doors that were the entrance to Hamilton Hill High. He ran so fast thinking how lucky he was and how stupid his teacher was for believing his excuses. How many times did his grandfather die this week? Luckily all three teachers he used that on hadn't exactly spoken. As he rushed through the doors, a girl he had never seen before ran through them as well.
"Hey! Watch it!" the
girl screamed. She looked at him angrily pushing him aside. "Hey, yourself
" He said back to her hatefully. "I happen to go to this
school."
"You and me and about a
thousand others." She retorted hotly then turned to go. "Wait a
minute, you don't go here." Terry questioned. "Terry!" His brain
screamed at him.
“Shows what you know…” The girl
tossed her long brown hair over her right shoulder and Terry
stared for a second. He couldn’t
help it… she was pretty. She was an average height around 5’6, small
frame with medium brown hair
that touched the small of her back and dark eyes to match her hair.
She wore a simple green
sundress with purple flowers adorning the crepe material.
"I'm Terry." He said
trying to flirt with the girl.
"I'm late." She said
dryly picked up her book bag and started to race down the hall towards the gym.
"Good ugh bye? I'll never
understand girls." Terry shook his head arched his eyebrow and took off
towards the gym. Hell he was already late. Terry crouched low behind the
bleachers, sneaking around was certainly something he was getting good at. He
would just tell Bruce he had to check something out. Literally, boy did he ever
have to check something... someone out. He smiled to himself and pushed his
black hair out of his face. He hoped Bruce didn't make him cut it. All the guys
were wearing longer hair; it wasn't like he wanted an earring or goatee. He
placed his backpack on the floor so he could creep under the bleachers. Eureka,
~CHEERLEADERS! She
must be the new girl replacing Becky Majors on the varsity dance team. It's
good to be an athlete he thought. Wait. I quit the wrestling team. Wonder if
coach would. What am I? Crazy? I can't even keep up with my responsibilities
now. ~ Terry shook his head scolding himself.
You'd think being Batman would
be enough for anyone. No not Terry, he's never satisfied. However it wasn't
like all the girls were throwing themselves at him they don't even know that he
is Batman. "Batman gets all the glory and the girls." He whispered to
himself.
"Callista!" someone
screamed from the locker room. "Your mom needs you to call her after
practice." Mrs. Masters emerged from the girls' room. "Did you get
your uniform for tomorrow's game?" asked the teacher.
"Yes, Katie, I got it yesterday.
" The new girl replied.
"You're a god send to us Lis. We
couldn't do most of our routines without a full squad. Thank God you were
already on the dance team at you previous school. I don't think I could have
handled Jordan Phillips trying out again. She's probably cause the gym to cave
in with an 8.0 earthquake if she even tried to do a Russian or Ariel." The
teacher gushed. "In other words I don't have the nerves to hold try outs
in the middle of the year."
"Just glad I could join the team,
I was afraid with daddy's new job I wouldn't get to do anything at a new
school." Callista said, then muttered something under her breath about the
teacher being a snob and unfit to be a teacher. And don't call me Lis, either. She
wanted to scream. You're no friend of mine. Teachers aren't supposed to judge
their students. She wondered what Mrs. Masters would think of her if she knew
her real situation or the real her for that matter. For a second she felt like
kickboxing her teacher's face in but then realized it wasn't such a good idea.
She reminded herself to take her nerve medication that night. She could feel
her hostility start to crawl back. "OK! From the top... 5-6- 7-8-
"Callista shouted to start their routine. She glanced at the bleachers and
swore she saw something move. "Katie, I need to make a trip to the girls'
room.
"By all means take you
time Lis."
"Oh I will." Callista said,
her eyes narrowing to slits as she proceeded to walk over to the locker room.
When the teacher turned her head Callista leaned against the wall and began to
sneak over to the bleacher where she had seen something move. "Getting an
eyeful?" she said disgusted. Terry jumped, surprised; he cracked his head
on the bleacher above him.
"OW!" He cried
wincing in pain. "I think I have a concussion." Terry rubbed the back
of his head.
"Terry? Was it?"
Callista asked.
"Yah, why?" He asked still in
pain and still rubbing his bruised skull.
"So that when I report you I can
place a name with your face." Callista said smartly.
"Hey now let's not get crazy here,
I'm going, I'm late for work as it is. Besides, you could have saved me all
this trouble if you would have just told me your name."
"I hope it was worth losing your
job." She said to him scratching her head. "Nah, Bruce won't fire me.
I do this sort of stuff all the time." "Bruce Wayne?" Callista
asked disbelievingly.
"Yah, I 've been working as his
assistant since my father died. He's a bit grumpy. "
Terry said as his pager went off again
this time not only did it vibrate it sounded an alarm. “I gotta go." He
said sharply. He grabbed his bag and scurried from behind the bleachers.
"Hey wait!" Callista called
after him. "You can't just spy on our practices. I wouldn't do it to
you!"
"Oh, please do!" He cried
back to her. " I'm on the wrestling team… At least I used to be on the
wrestling team." He corrected himself quickly.
"Don't hold your
breath." Callista said walking back towards her squad. She thought for a
brief second, deciding all to fast where she’d rather be and what she’d rather
be doing which was anywhere and anything but this… "Katie, I need to
leave, my mom needs me to watch my brother. My grandma's sick." Callista watched
as her teacher bought the whole line. She didn’t even have a brother, and she
wasn’t real sure about the grandma thing either. She never knew… she just never
knew anything about her family… not since she was very young.
"See you tomorrow." The
teacher said. Callista turned towards the locker room, her coach’s words barely
audible. She took off her shirt as she sat down on the bench. A mirror covered
most of the walls in front of her, in back of her too for that matter. Callista
cracked a smile. Terry McGinnis she thought. He seemed to have a good heart and
a nice ass. Callista could tell these things right off, about his heart that
is… as for the ass, she did have eyes.
She sighed as she sensed the same feeling from him that she hadn't felt in
a long time. This feeling was old, as old as she was. She looked in the mirror.
"Callista, girl you need to get it together." She turned away from
the mirror angry with herself. “GREAT… now you’re talking to yourself… what
next… up the Valium and add Zoloft?” She silently cursed her momentary lapse of
mental control. She wasn't the same after her accident. The explosion left her
with a real concussion, and real side effects. Callista knew things. Some
people would call her psychic, although she didn't know everything and it
wasn't like she could read your mind. There was something about this Terry guy
and she wanted to find out what it was. Callista tied her shoe then headed for
the door. She prayed that she wasn't too far behind.
Meanwhile Bruce
Wayne’s estate… Batcave.
Terry entered the bat cave
running. Out of breath, Terry threw his books on the floor near the computer
where Bruce Wayne sat, typing something up on it. "You are late." He
said gravely. "You need to take more responsibility."
"I had to check out
something." Terry said back to him.
"You do mean someone don't
you?" Wayne said still typing furiously on the computer.
"How?" Said Terry; "do
you do that?"
"Remember McGinnis I'm watching
you." Then Bruce smiled. It was strange to see the old man smile, but
after working for him for the last eighteen months, he’d seen him do it a time
or two and it still was unsettling.
"Hey! I work my butt off
for you. I've lost my father, girlfriend, and I can't even remember what my
little brother looks like. I actually found myself being nice to him this
morning. It totally freaked him out, me too for that matter. Mom doesn't know
what to think. I do need some kind of time for myself." Terry knocked over
some junk on a table nearby in anger. “If Mom thinks I’m doin slappers or some
other kind of drug again you won’t hafta worry about whether or not you’re
going to be able to live vicariously through me another night or not…” Terry
spat out hatefully.
"You work for me you give me 100%
then you give 100% more. "
"I know. I'm just tired and I miss
Dana." "1 thought she was dating some one else." "Guess you
were listening."
"Don't flatter yourself. I
need you in shape, mentally and physically." Bruce shrugged. “And… I ugh…
was listening.”
Terry smiled silently to
himself at that small victory as he pulled on his bat suit and buckled his
belt, leaving the mask off. He walked over to the computer. "So what's on
for tonight?”
"Watch over GothCorp. The Jokers
haven't hit it yet. I think we can wait till Barbara sends out the bat
signal."
"Bruce, how long have I
been working for you? A while now right? Everybody seems to be getting the
message… and those that aren’t are getting their tail kicked... Why do these
people still think they can win?" Terry said.
“You know as well as I do that
Paxton has his hands in all that is dirty in this town and he’s working with
his father… somehow." Bruce said and shook his head. "At least, we
still have Batman."
"You wouldn't have Batman if you
didn't have me." Terry said smugly.
"Shouldn't you be doing
something?"
"Yah yah, I know I'm
going." Terry walked over to the simulation chamber.
Once he was in he gave the thumbs up
sign. "Woo hoo… just like the flying dumbo ride at Universal Disney!"
He said as lasers started to shoot out of the wall.
“Oh brother…” Bruce commented
in a low voice, covering his face with his hand. Ace, the bat dog whimpered at
his feet and started to lick the inside of Bruce’s other hand hanging off the
chair. He looked at Ace. “You saved him from a spliced up super monster?”
Ace barked.
“You’re right… he is Batman.”
Bruce said in a tone that both represented pride and envy.
Just after
nightfall… outside Wayne Manor.
Callista walked up to the gate.
She read the inscription and shivered at the eerie feeling engulfing her. Never
had a name send chills down her back the way Wayne did inscribed in the iron of
the gates in front of her. Leaves blew around her head and storm clouds
threatened. She eyed the area as if she
knew something was wrong. She had just turned around as headlights caught her
dead in her eyes, like a deer on deserted road. But unlike a deer with its eyes caught in the bright lights of
the speeding craft, Callista easily managed to avoid the speeding car. Although
she wasn’t surprised when the car stopped, she didn’t really expect it either.
"What the he..." she started to say as a clown in a purple suit
leaped out of the car.
"Hey there pretty girl. What's
your sign?"
"How ‘bout I don’t have one."
Callista said sarcastically arching an eyebrow and placing her hand on her hip.
"You don't scare me. Any guy that has to dress up in a clown get up sure
as hell isn't anything to worry about." She said hotly.
"Well then I guess you have never
heard of the Jokers." The clown said sadistically.
"That must mean you're a joke
then." Callista said placing her hands in fists and preparing to fight.
"You have no idea what you're doing, do you?" she laughed. Callista
knew how to fight. She was kickboxing champ in her school in Metropolis were
she was from. "You wanna tussle… we’ll tussle." She cooed playfully.
"I'm too scared." The
clown said and pulled out a crowbar. Callista winced but didn't back down.
Suddenly she heard a buzz fly through the air.
"Didn't your mother ever explain that
it’s not nice to pick on pretty girls?" A voice behind Callista said. She
turned to see who it was. A figure as black as night moved through the air.
Callista immediately drew up her fists
preparing to fight. Distracted by the uninvited guest, the clown was thrown off
guard when Callista kicked him hard in the face knocking him flat on his back.
Terry smirked behind the cowl. “Not
bad…” He whispered then quickly realized she was fighting alone. "Leave
some for me?" He said landing perfectly on his feet and retracting his
wings.
"Who are you?" Callista said
bewildered.
Batman turned to speak to her. The
clown on the ground got to his knees. As Batman walked towards Callista, the
clown picked up his crowbar that he had landed next to. Callista could kick
hard. "I'm Batman." Said Terry behind the mask.
"You certainly do know how to make
an entrance…" She said. "Behind you Bats." Terry turned to look
behind him. He was too late. He took a direct hit upside the head. It didn't
faze him though. Terry shook it off, winked at Callista quickly and answered
her rhetorical question. “I’ve had a lot of practice.” His voice was low and throaty,
as Terry had come accustomed to as Batman to hide his own voice. As soon as he
shot off his words, he was flying towards the clown with his jet-powered shoes,
tackling him to the ground before Callista knew what to say next.
He was obviously flirting with her…
Batman. She smiled at herself before slowly sneaking past the fighting boys.
She crept over to where Batman had knocked the crowbar out of the clown's hand.
Picking it up, she raised it above her head and let it come crashing down at
the base of the clown’s skull. He rolled off of Batman, wailing in pain.
“You coulda killed him…” Batman’s voice
was a whisper but his true voice showed signs of surfacing. Callista eyed him
thoughtfully trying like hell to place the voice she had just heard. “From now
on, you need to leave the heavy stuff to the pros…” He looked at the clown
again and smirked. “I could have handled that." He added harshly.
"I saw that." Callista said
as she crossed her arms.
Terry looked at her. Wait a minute, he
knew this girl. "Callista?" he whispered.
"How'd yoo?" She started to
say.
Terry cut her off. " I said, what
are you doing out here so far out of town?”
"Err…” Callista lost all train of
thought. ~Think Lis… THINK! ~ “I’m… ugh I'm lost." Callista lied.
"Why were you out here?"
Batman asked. "You could have gotten hurt."
"Thanks for the heartfelt sorrow
and such but I can take care of myself Batboy."
Terry winced at the apparent insult. Shaking it off, he set his stance staring at Callista. "That doesn't explain what you're doing out here. Mr. Wayne doesn't like people snooping on his property." His tone took on an authorative nature.
"What are you doing here
then?" Callista said smartly.
"My job… "
"You're a regular saint aren't
you?" She said. “Beatin up bad guys and rescuing pretty girls in
distress.” Callista looked directly at Batman. "Do I know you?"
Terry changed the subject.
"You sure are sure of yourself aren’t you?" Terry rolled his eyes at
Callista’s obviously inflated ego. “No matter… None of that explains why you
are here.”
Again Callista was caught off guard. "I'm
looking for someone."
"Aren't we all?"
Terry replied.
"I mean a friend. Terry's his
name. I swore he came out this way. Have you seen him?"
"Terry?" He was thrown off
guard. She was looking for him. What for? He wondered. "Don't know
him."
"Oh, that's too bad. I just met
him today, but already I feel... I don't know. Have you ever heard of love at
first sight?" Callista laid it on thick.
Batman rubbed his head.” I think I have
a concussion." He said without thinking.
"I do know you from somewhere."
She shouted.
Terry fought to remain calm. Quick
thinking was not his strong point. "Maybe, I rescue a lot of pretty
girls."
"No, I'm new here. There's
something else.” Callista eyed Terry from head to toe, noting every inch of
him. “Oh my god! TERRY!"
To Be Continued:
Part Two: “Just A Little Crush…”