Batman Beyond #7

[Glippernip]

Batman Beyond #7

Brute Force Part 2:

Rage Against the Machine

Written by Daniel Dyer
Edited by Joel Sawyer


The grey-skinned behemoth dubbed Brute is tearing up the streets of Gotham City. Ex-Boy Wonder and the current Commissioner of Police stands his ground, a handgun his only defense against the monster. Unfortunately for the Commissioner, the bullets are having little effect.

“All units,” Tim says into his walkie. “I repeat, calling all units we have a situation in the business distra...” Commissioner Drake stops in mid-sentence as he sees Batman rocket pass. “Kid, I told you to stay put!”

“Kids today,” Terry quips, “always disobeying authority.” The new Batman then slams into Brute, hard. The attack didn’t faze Brute, though it did knock the air from our hero.

“Huh?” says Brute. The big monster then picks up Terry, holding him by the arm. “Little man go bye-bye,” Brute states as he throws Terry into a parked bus.

“Ugh,” mutters Terry as he tries to get up, his suit having taken the brunt of the crash. Lucky this bus was emptied, he thought, seeing the demolished bus. Terry then puts his hand to the ear of his mask. “Oracle, you there?”

An electronic voice comes over the communicator built into Terry’s mask. “Roger that, Batboy.”

“What can you tell me about a grey skinned monster?”

“I’ve got the visual,” Oracle says, seeing the action through Terry’s eyes.

Terry then sees Brute snatch up Commissioner Drake. “Oh, recyke!”

“Little man shoot at me?” Brute begins shaking Tim. “More bad men try to hurt me!”

Brute then launches the Commish into the air.

Terry then blasts into the air, catching Tim. “Gotcha. Glad I didn’t stay put?”

“Maybe you have some uses, Kid.”

Landing on the street, Terry looks around and finds that Brute has gone. “Where...?”

“I’m patching into all surrounding surveillance cameras,” comes Oracle’s electronic voice. “There’s no sign of him.”

“How could something that size hide in a city like Gotham?”

“Kid, ya might want to get.”

“Huh? Why?”

Tim points to some approaching cop cars. The cars hover foot from the road.

“Does this mean...?” questions Terry.

“I don’t know what it means,” Tim answers. “For now, you get a pass.”

Terry salutes and then blasts into the air.

***

[Glippernip]

A few hours later, Terry returns to his Batcave. Pulling off his mask to reveal his dark hair and blue eyes, he sits at his computer.

“Calling it a night already,” asked Oracle over the speakers of the computer.

“Got to. Tomorrow’s my first day at the academy.”

“So you’re letting ‘Brute’ go?”

“No,” Terry states, “I’ll find him, but tonight’s a flop. He’s found a way to hide. Tomorrow night, however...”

Silence is all that can be heard and then, “I’ll continue my search on the surveillance cameras. Oracle out.”

“And a good night to you, too,” is Terry’s response.

***

[Glippernip]

Kane Academy was founded decades ago, named after the Kane family, 2nd in wealth only to the Waynes. This is where Terry meets up with...

“Dana,” Terry calls out.

“Who?” she asks, looking around.

“Dana?”

“Do I know you?” Dana asks Terry.

Terry, clueless, turns to Max and Max shrugs.

“Oh, wait. I think I remember now. I use to date you, didn’t I?”

“Use to...?”

“Well, it has been nice seeing you again, Tom? Tony? Well, bye,” Dana says, leaving.

“Max, did I miss something?”

“What haven’t you missed? You’ve been MIA all summer.”

“I had responsibilities, Max,” Terry explains. “After my dad died...”

“Hold up. I’m not the one you need to explain to.”

“I guess I screwed up, huh?” asks Terry as he leans on a railing.

“Did you even call her at all?”

Terry only looks to the ground.

“Bleep, Terry, very bleep.”

***

[Glippernip]

Mike Stevens once had a wife, a good job, and a loving home. That was a long time ago. Once his wife died, Mike began to drink heavily. He ended up losing his job, then the house. The poor man ended up homeless, living on the streets of Gotham City, begging for change and scrounging for whatever food he could get.

Now Stevens stands at the base of Wayne-Powers, looking up at the skyscraper.

“Powers,” Mike mutters, fighting back his anger. His fist clenches and he tenses. “You took me and now...” he starts and then grips his chest, falling to his knees. The man’s muscle begins to grow, doubling, tripling in size. Mike’s skin begins to turn grey and his hair white. "BRUTE WANT PAYBACK!"

***

[Glippernip]

Elsewhere in the city, Terry McGinnis flies the Batmobile through the concrete canyons.

“Oracle,” Terry says, pressing a button on the vehicle’s dashboard, “any word on our Goliath?”

“Finally taking the car out of the garage,” the electronic voice asks, “Hot date?”

“Figure I could use some extra muscle against Brute. Well...?”

“No sightings since your encounter last...” Oracle stops and silence is all that’s heard for a solid minute.

“What is it?”

“Correction. Brute apparently came out of no where and is tearing up Wayne-Powers.”

“Wonderful,” and Terry turns the Batmobile around.

***

[Glippernip]

Wayne-Powers: Derek Powers watches the chaos on the street from his office window. “Mr. Fix,” Derek says, “send out the other subject to dispose of this failure.”

“Yes Sir,” Mr. Fix states, leaving the office.

Derek remains stationary, transfixed on the scene below. A smile forms on his face, until he sees a sleek black hover car fly by. “Batman...”

***

[Glippernip]

“The area’s too populated,” Terry says while trying to get Brute in his sights. “Can’t get a shot in.”

“So much for your extra muscle,” is Oracle’s response.

“Can you take control of the ‘mobile from... wherever you are?”

“Naturally, Kid.”

Without another word Terry ejects from the Batmobile. He kicks his boot thrusters and a black metallic spike shoots from his wrist. Once it’s in his hand, out comes two red blades on both sides of the spike in the shape of bat wings. Batarang in hand, Terry flies at Brute.

“Little flying man again,” Brute questions.The monster yells, “WHY WON’T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE?!”

“Can’t,” Terry says, throwing the Batarang, “Children need supervision.”

Brute swats away the Batarang. “POWERS MUST PAY,” he yells enraged.

“Terry,” comes Oracle’s voice over his cowl, “something’s wrong here.”

“What is it, Oracle?”

“The area just got hot,” Oracle answers.

“Hot?”

“Radioactive.”

“Brute?” questions Terry.

“I don’t think so,” Oracle explains. “There was nothing from your first encounter and the rads just went off the charts.”

As Oracle finishes, Terry sees the outer wall of Wayne-Powers seemingly begin to melt. “What the...?”

Then the wall explodes in a blast of yellow-greenish light.

“Terry, what is it?” Oracle asks, her screen in the cave suddenly filled with static.

Terry looks on and sees what used to be a man standing there, his skin translucent, with a yellow-greenish light shining through. “Trouble...”

Continued...