Chapter 60

Eight years has passed since the events that led to the demise of the mutant gang, Sons of Batman and the Jokerz. Crime rates in Gotham has diminished, close to nil, thanks to Batman and his associates, the outsiders. The outsiders are a band of vigilantes that Batman formed during the time when the Jokerz and the Sons of Batman were in war.

This has ushered Gotham into a new era, with the help of Luke Fox, CEO of Wayne Enterprises, the city began to rebuild from the ground up. A way to accomodate more space for businesses to flourish and end poverty that was the main cause of crimes in the first place.

The project was so successful that other cities began to copy Gotham's innovative structure.

But as the environment evolves, so do the beings that live in it.

"Why did you do it?"

"Detective...how many time do I have to tell you, because I can and I wanted to."

The detective laid his back on the backrest of the chair as she massaged her temple.

"That's your motive? That's the story you came up with? You don't have any family to feed? Bills?"

"Nope." The criminal smiled.

The detective sighed one last time before getting up and walking out of the interrogation room.

"Same thing?" Commissioner Barbara Gordon was waiting outside the room.

"Same story. Like everyone else that we arrested. Because they wanted to."

"Hmmm...." Barbara made a thinking pose.

Her hair was now cut short, and she always wore glasses now. Wrinkles started to develop too, but she still looked younger than her age.

"I guess crime will continue to exist despite the increase of job opportunities because of these kind of people."

"They're crazy, that's what it is."

"You can leave now, Carrie. Shift's over."

"What about you? You're still staying, commish?"

"For a while..."

"Trying to escape from your husband and kid again?"

"Get off my back, will you?"

"Bye~" Carrie waved as she walked away.

"Say hi to Max for me!"

"I will!"

During the eight years that passed, Carrie became a police officer. She got inspired by Barbara Gordon to be a police officer during her time with the outsiders as Robin. When she became a detective, she officially quit being Robin.

Barbara Gordon walked through the halls of the building and examined the police. "They've gotten lax." She muttered as she saw police officers not doing anything important.

Because of the low crime rate, the police have gotten used to this easy lifestyle, but Barbara stayed sharp all these years.

'It's making me more paranoid that nothing is going on.'

She was like war veteran growing anxious as she experienced peace after a long period of fighting.

Barbara's eyes rested on a statue near the elevators. It was no ordinary statue because it is a remembrance of the last time the public was in danger from a real threat. It was when Derek Powers escaped from Blackgate prison. It was no easy feat to escape from Blackgate because of the toughness of the security ever since Bane became the Warden.

Derek Powers developed a power due to the reaction of the nerve gas that was killing him and the nuclear-radiotherapy that he underwent. It gave powers that can replicate the power of nuclear energy.

He busted out of prison causing an explosion with his powers.

It wasn't long until Batman came to face him. They ended up fighting in a steel mill and he ended up being encased in molten steel due to his own actions. Scientists have studied what he has become and confirmed that he is nothing more than a statue now. The nuclear energy he emitted also died with him.

Having nowhere to go, Barbara decided to keep it as a remembrance of some sort just like how Bruce kept memorabilia in the batcave.

Barbara made a faint smile as she stared at the statue that was also Derek Powers remains.

A symbol of how humans can choose to keep falling after falling down once, or they can rise and be better.

Derek Powers chose the former.

Batman chose the latter.

Terry, as Batman, has a career that can almost be compared to Bruce Wayne's even for a shorter amount of time. It was a testament of his conviction after the events that caused two of his friends' death and a member of the batfamily.

He took out the last crime families that were left and made sure that no small gangs would attempt to follow their footsteps by scaring them into rehabilitation.

Barbara came to her senses after she found herself on the rooftop without knowing it. She was mindlessly walking and ended up there near the batsignal that was turned off.

"Maybe I'm just being too paranoid...maybe this is the time where we all get to finally have peace." She said as she touched the bat symbol on the batsignal.

Weeeee!! woooo!!

"Or maybe not..." Barbara looked into the distance where red and blue lights flashed as the sirens went off.

She walked to the switch of the batsignal and pulled on it.

In the distance, in the direction where the police cars were going, a small figure with wings and fire coming out of the back was following.

Barbara made a wry smile as she turned around and walked to the exit.

As she was about to grasp on the door handle, she furrowed her brows. She remembered a random memory that happened eight years ago.

She doesn't know why, but she has a bad feeling in her gut.

"Well..." Barbara stepped into the doorway and proceeded to go back downstairs. "It's no use preparing for something we don't know."

In her mind, she knows she has already done everything she can to keep Terry's child a secret even from the father himself.

A secret that distanced herself from Terry.

Terry just thought that she was awkward because of their past relationship.

----

Terry walked into the door of his house. He was able to afford it with his savings from when he was working as Alfred's attendant during his college years.

He has already graduated and was properly employed in Wayne Enterprises. Because he was efficient and worked hard on the job, he got to rise up to be the second highest position in Wayne Industries, the research and development division of Wayne Enterprises, in just two years without the help of Luke Fox and Alfred.

This invited unwanted attention and many came to hate Terry because of their jealousy. They dug up information on him and discovered that he is close to the top people. They assumed that he used his connections to get promoted to the top.

It was somewhat true because the division manager knew of this earlier and wanted to get closer to Terry and by doing so, gain favor with Luke Fox.

Despite knowing all this, Terry decided to just focus on working hard day and night. In his day job, and at night, being Batman.

"Hey..." The woman on his bed said in a sleepy manner.

It was Dana, his girlfriend, who lives with him.

"I told you, you don't have to wake up when I come back home. Go back to sleep." Terry said with a wry smile.

"Okay..." Dana closed her eyes again.

Terry sighed as he sat down on his bed and took off his clothes.

He glanced back at Dana. He has always wondered why she trusts him when he comes back late at night. He didn't even get questioned as to why. She just always says that she trusts him.

Sometimes, he goes out as Batman and stalk Dana if she was cheating because there had to be a reason why she doesn't get jealous. But everytime he does, Dana just goes straight home after work, doing normal stuff as she waited for him to come back.

"Why..." Terry muttered as he doesn't feel that he deserves this level of trust. Especially with all the secrets that he keeps along with his identity as Batman.

Terry lied down and fell asleep immediately because he was tired.

"Idiot..." Dana whispered while wearing a melancholic expression "I already know... I'm just waiting for you to tell me yourself..."

----

"Huuuuup!!!"

Terry McGinnis just did a roundhouse kick on the trunk of a full grown tree. His leg brutally passed through the trunk, breaking it from where he hit it.

Snap! Fwooo... Thud!

The tree fell.

"You have to find another way to test your strength or we'll run out of trees soon." The old man watching him said. It was Alfred.

They were outside Wayne Manor. He always comes there to train.

"I'm sorry." Terry awkwardly smiled. "Did my- Did Bruce ever felt like his strength was lacking?"

Alfred noticed Terry hesitating but didn't pay it any mind and just answered his question. "Of course."

"What did he do?"

"Is this about your previous stint with the justice league?"

Terry couldn't answer but his silence was more than enough to know that it is.

Now officialy part of the Justice League, he just had a mission with other members of the league to handle an invasion by otherworlders. They had to prevent them from opening a portal to their world.

It was when Terry felt that his strength was lacking. They succeeded the mission but there were moments that one of them could have really died. He felt that if he had more strength, they would have done a better job without any close calls.

Alfred looked at him with concern. "Everyone has limits. I believe even Superman has his... That's why him, Bruce and the others, created the Justice League. To help each other with their individual strengths..."

Terry looked at his hand and created a fist. "Maybe I should practice using the hellbat suit now..."

"No!" Alfred immediately objected. "You are aware of the consequences it has... why? Master Bruce only used it when he already lived a significantly long life. You are still very young..."

Terry made a wry smile. "Thank you for your concern, Alfred. I won't use it now, but... I'm not completely dismissing the idea either. That suit was created for a purpose. You also know that, don't you?"

"And I hope it doesn't come to that..." Alfred, still making a worried expression, said.

----

"Don!"

"!!" Don tensed up before turning his head. "You scared me..."

"There's going to be a gala at the museum. I'm assigning you there."

Don sighed "I bet it's going to be boring." He said as he typed away on his keyboard.

"Then, liven it up." His superior said.

Don is now working for the Gotham Gazette as a journalist.

"Who's going to be there..." He muttered as he checked the guest list of the event.

The usual ones were there. The big-wigs of Gotham, so to speak.

Wayne Enterprises.

PowersTech.

Visitors from other cities like LexCorp and Queen Industries.

There were a lot of big names in the list, but the only ones he was interested in were two names. One from Wayne Enterprises and the other from the police department. Terrence McGinnis and Caroline Kelley. His friends. He met Barbara before but he hasn't bonded with her like the other two.

Don made a faint smile. The vigilante group that they formed as a retaliation for the chaos that the Red Hood and the Joker, the Outsiders, was disbanded after the crime rate became low and each one of them decided to make a livelihood. Terry was the only one left because his responsibility as Batman is greater than theirs.

Because of this, they haven't had much time talking to each other. They don't want to use social media to talk because of the secrets they might divulge.

"Hmmm..." Don continued to scroll on the guest list.

One certain name was also included in the list.

Diana Prince. Archaeologist.