Chapter 29

"You said your partner killed him?"

"No. She didn't kill him. She defended me and that caused the accident that killed Slade." Terry McGinnis replied to Amanda Waller's question.

They are currently in her office at ARGUS. Terry was reporting to her about Slade Wilson's death.

"Where's his body?"

"We buried him."

"Where?"

"Just trust me that he's dead. Would you like some pictures?" Terry sarcastically asked.

"Yes." Amanda Waller replied unironically.

It made Terry, who was maintaining a straight face all throughout, frown. It was a disgusting statement. Immoral even.

"It's nothing personal. We just want to keep records." Amanda Waller said. "Why protect the body of the man who murdered your father anyway?" She asked.

Terry wanted to burst right there and then. He wanted to finish this game of charades but he can't....yet.

"You're right, but I know he just followed orders and it was never personal for him and my father." Terry nonchalantly said this to fish for any reaction out of Waller.

"You're right. Even now, we can't determine whom he took the job from." Unphased, Waller replied.

His words were fruitless. This just confirms how heartless the woman in front of him is.

But his true objective wasn't to make her confess. He was just there to stall time and see how she reacts when the main players enter the fray. He had no power over her just by having evidence of her sins. So, they turned to someone with authority over her.

-Superman just called. He said the president told him that her termination and arrest for her crimes is to be effective immediately. (Barbara)

Terry faintly smiled at Amanda Waller in front of him as his reaction to the transmission he received in his ear. An odd thing happened. Amanda Waller started to be uncomfortable after he smiled at her even though his words earlier were fruitless.

"What is it?" Waller asked him.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just remembered I have a hot date later."

"..." she didn't know how to react to that. "Is that all you have to report to me, McGinnis?"

Terry figured it was time to reveal his cards.

"Other than deathstroke providing evidence of your secret projects unsanctioned by the government? No. Not at all, Ms. Waller." Terry said as he crossed his legs and rested his chin on his hand.

Amanda Waller immediately took out her gun and pointed it at him. She narrowed her eyes at him and asked "Where is it?".

"What? This old thing?" Terry nonchalantly took out a flash drive from his pocket.

Bang! Amanda Waller shot Terry directly on the head. Smoke rose from Terry's forehead but the bullet didn't go through him.

"That won't work on me." Terry said as he smiled at her.

Amanda Waller panicked. He shot Terry again and again and again.

"Can you please stop that? It won't work but it still doesn't feel right when you get shot."

"Wha-How-" Amanda Waller was dumbstruck.

"How am I still alive? Simple." Terry transformed into Batman in front of Amanda. "I'm wearing my suit." After he said that, the visibility of the suit disappeared again. It was a function of the suit that makes it invisible but not including the user.

"Give it to me" Amanda ordered.

"I'll give it to you when you answer my questions."

"....Go ahead and ask."

"Why?"

"Why what?" Amanda glared at Terry.

"Why am I here? Why did you need me to exist? Just to become Batman?!"

"Precisely, yes."

"Why?!"

"There should always be a Batman." Amanda said as she put her gun down on her desk and let her arms support her body. "Without Batman, earth would already have been conquered many times over. I did not like how the Justice League was taking over the power to protect our citizens, but with Bruce, his creation of the Batman persona, his existence was the only thing that I saw as a necessity."

Amanda closed her eyes to recollect. "Bruce and I often worked together when I was still an agent. We disagreed on many things. He probably would condemn me for what I did in ARGUS if he knew."

"He didn't know..." Terry said as he frowned.

"Of course he didn't. He would have stopped me if he knew."

"Then how-"

"How did I impregnate your mother with Bruce Wayne's seed?"

Terry furrowed his brows at her statement. It was a fact, but he deemed Waller's delivery as crude and insensitive.

"I told you, we often worked together before I became director." Amanda Waller faintly smiled.

"No..." Terry was dumbstruck.

"Yes. Despite our differences, we were in a relationship at the time. I wanted to bear his seed if I could, to continue his legacy, but unfortunately, my body was not gifted with reproduction." Amanda said with a wistful smile. "He used protection every time we did the deed. The only thing I had to do was to rummage through the trash and collect it." Amanda said with a cold expression.

Terry felt chills on his spine as he resisted the urge to regurgitate what he ate earlier from what he just heard. The sins of this woman in front of him could not have been any more repulsive.

Amanda continued her tale "Years later, a couple entered Argus as employees. A brilliant couple that were having trouble bearing a child. The man was intelligent, and headstrong, and the woman was someone who was also as intelligent and beautiful. Warren McGinnis, the father you grew up with had the same facial profile as Bruce Wayne. It made them the perfect couple to raise his offsprings without any suspicion."

Terry gritted his teeth at Amanda Waller. "Why did you have to bring them into your plans?!" He shouted. "Why didn't you just clone Bruce Wayne like you tried to do with Superman!"

"A clone can never be Batman." Amanda Waller said calmly to the furious Terry. "As you know, based on the information you have in your hands," She pointed at Terry's flash drive. "Project Cadmus is a project we did to make clones of superman and other superpowered beings to make an army out of them that the government controls. Batman isn't a being to be controlled and someone you can make artificially. We could try and clone Bruce Wayne but he would never amount to the real one. Batman was born out of genetics and fate. Every Wayne in history has accomplished great things. Some were good, some were evil, but still great. But Batman was born from Bruce Wayne's tragic fate."

"His parent's death." Terry said calmly as he narrowed his eyes.

"Yes. We almost did the same thing to you, but the person I assigned to assassinate them refused. Colonel Flag. Do you know him?"

"I have heard of him from the data I have on task force x. The suicide squad."

"Well, he convinced me that the mission he has been given defeats the purpose of Batman. The whole idea of being Batman was to prevent unreasonable deaths from happening."

"So, you sent Deathstroke instead..." Terry furrowed his brows.

"No. I had given up on the project because of that. It was unfortunate, but your father's death was caused by him discovering the truth about his sons." Amanda Waller said.

"...You had him killed because he wanted to expose your secrets."

"Yes."

"Then, me giving this to you would be considered as me betraying him." Terry said as he waved the flash drive.

"I never imagined you to go back on an agreement, McGinnis."

"I don't." Terry glared at her because he can't stand an insult especially from her. He threw the flash drive at her and Amanda caught it.

Waller picked up her phone and quickly called someone. "Hello, Commander. Please arrest this man in my office and kill him if he resists." She said.

Terry was unphased as he continue to lounge on his chair. "I thought you said Batman was necessary? That's what you said anyway." He shrugged

Waller glared at him. "Your brother can take your place."

-I'm sorry, we can't do that right now.

Waller widened her eyes at what she was hearing. "What do you mean you can't? Are you deliberately disobeying me?"

-Beeeeeep

The commander hang up on her.

Amanda tried to call again but it didn't connect this time.

She plopped on her chair and looked at Terry with frantic eyes.

"What happened?" Terry knew what happened but he wanted to add salt to injury.

"What did you do?" Amanda glared at Terry feigning ignorance to insult her.

"I gave a copy to Big blue. He gave it to the president."

"You little shit! Everything that I did was necessary!"

"You're not neccessary."

Boom! The door to her office bursted.

Armed men marched in and the last people to come inside was the secretary of defense.

"Mr. Secretary." She narrowed her eyes at him then, she got off the table and fixed her clothes.

"The president has approved your termination as the director of ARGUS and hereby arrested for your crimes against humanity and the country."

Accepting defeat, she held up her hands to be cuffed with her chin up high. She was an eyesore for the Secretary who never liked her self-righteous attitude.

Amanda locked eyes with Terry as she got dragged out of her own office.

The white house has given permission for Waller to proceed with Project Cadmus, but a lot of information was withheld from them. The failed clones. The monsters they produced from combining human DNA with alien DNA. The murders to keep silent about the project, and that includes Warren McGinnis.

Warren McGinnis' death was finally solved. The information about his death being ordered by Amanda Waller to silence him from blowing the whistle has been given to his family. It was a bittersweet conclusion to his case.

Terry decided to not include the truth about his existence in the data he gave away. It was a secret kept by Barbara, Alfred, Rose, and him. The truth about him and his brother, Matt McGinnis, being illegitimate sons of Bruce Wayne. It was his decision to protect his family and his identity as the Batman. And also to not disturb the peace that Mary McGinnis finally got in her heart when the perpetrator of his husband's death finally got arrested. He vowed to carry that secret to his grave.

As he drew closer towards Wayne Manor as he rode his motorcycle, Terry thought about his father. He now understood what his last words meant.

----

"Dad..." tears were flowing down the twelve-year old's face. Every bit of him was shaking.

He felt sadness, pain, regret, and anger.

In front of him was his father, covered in a puddle of blood.

"I'm sorry Terry." Warren McGinnis said as he lied down on the ground.

"No. No. No. Please don't leave." Little Terry pleaded to his dying father.

"I will never leave you, Terry." Warren said as he caressed his son's cheek. "Because I love you. Because you are my son. No one can ever change that. Both you and your brother are my sons and I love you boys very much." He said in tears. "Remember that, Terry."

----

Terry heaved out a sigh and made a wistful smile as he took a good look at the mansion.

He walked towards the door and put in the passcode.

"Terry!" Rose hugged him as soon as he got in the mansion. Terry received the warm welcome back to work after finishing his business with Amanda Waller and then his family. Specifically his mother who he comforted along with his brother.

"Terry." Alfred greeted him.

"Alfred." Terry greeted him back.

"After you finish your reunion with your girlfriend, get started with your work immediately. You may be Master Wayne's son, but I am his heir." Alfred said in a smug smile. It was obviously just a joke to make him comfortable with the situation.

Terry made a wry smile while Rose chuckled in his arms.