Batman Beyond: Return of the Bat
- Thread starter DhampyrX2
- Start date
"The doctors told you to rest, Wayne. This isn't good for you," Terry admonished his biological father and boss. "Even if he did somehow do this it's not like I can't handle him."
"Tell that to the sixteen people he killed just to talk to me," Bruce growled as he poured over the records he had about the Joker with the Batcomputer.
"Wayne... Bruce. I know it was terrible, but I'll stop him. I'm not some green kid trying to play at saving the city. I'm Batman now. I can handle the Joker. He's no different that someone like Shriek, or Inque, or Blight. He's bad, but he's still just a man," Terry replied calmly.
"So are you. So am I. Never assume, Terry. It's never easy with the Joker," Bruce growled with a deeper than normal scowl.
"Look, we have surveillance up all over the city and the Commissioner is on high alert. Even Tim is keeping an eye out. If the Clown so much as sneezes inside the City Limits we'll find him and catch him. Now try to rest before you end up in the ground for good," Terry responded with a reassuring smile.
Bruce's scowl only deepened as he replied, "I have files to sort. I'll see you later."
Terry couldn't help but smile fondly as he watched the man that trained him work. Truth be told, if Bruce had listened to him, THEN he would have worried. "I'll see you tomorrow. And Dana wants you to come over for dinner this weekend. She worries about you up here with nobody but Ace to keep you company."
"Your wife needs to get a hobby. Does she-" Bruce started to ask only to get cut off.
"I warned her, Mom, and Matt as soon as I knew what happened. They're as safe as they can be," Terry assured him.
"Then do your patrol, McGinnis. Gotham still needs to watched, Joker or no Joker," Bruce shot back.
"You're the boss, Old Man," Terry shot back with a jaunty wave before he climbed into the Batmobile.
Bruce waited until his successor was safely out of the cave before he switched on the video they had collected of the Joker's attack in the hospital before he had Terry and Maxine sanitize them to protect his and McGinnis' identities. The bone structure matched the missing leader of the Jokerz even if it was beginning to demonstrate the same facial restructuring that Tim developed as the chip took greater and greater control of his body. The nape of the neck was conspicuously clear, something the Joker seemed to take pride in displaying, which meant he had set this up to prevent the same weakness he had fallen to before. If Bruce were to guess the the small scar at the base of the hairline meant the maniac had taken no chances and had implanted the second ship in the kid's brain directly.
Bruce actually had to hold back a shiver as he realized that for a moment there had been for all intents and purposes TWO Jokers in the world.
The Dark Knight paused the video to look into the face of his old foe as he laced his fingers together and mulled over what the Clown had said. It always bothered him that for all he could predict the Joker's reactions, the Joker seemed to share a similar lucidity toward Bruce's actions that he lacked for almost anything else.
"I know you well enough to know you have at least half a dozen toys and tricks to escape the Reaper just like you can always escape me." he had said. It was scary how easily the Joker could see some things that others refused to.
Not that Bruce had gone out of his way to collect artifacts and methods to restore his youth or cheat death. Minus his... entertaining the idea of being with Talia (even if it was actually a trap concocted by Ra's in her body) Bruce had long since accepted his life for what it was and had no fear of the end when it came.
That didn't mean he was leaving things he had found exposed for the likes of a Lex Luthor or Derek Powers to exploit them when he had encountered them. And his scientific curiosity was piqued enough be the changes that Ra's had made to the Lazarus Pit Process that Bruce could replicate a serum that would do much the same thing even if it would only work for himself because he had been limited to studying the chemicals as they were fused to his own DNA. With the right chemical compounds and some creative splicing...
It would be all too easy to fall into that trap.
Still it wasn't the Joker's deranged insight that bothered Bruce the most, it was his warning. "You've got however much time to decide as it takes for me to get bored.
That was something Terry just didn't get. He was good and could handle just about anything modern Gotham threw at him but the Joker wasn't like the people Terry dealt with. The Joker wasn't looking for money or power. He just was. He did what he liked without any master plan or goal in mind beyond possibly trying to incite terror and get attention. You can't prepare for something when even the Joker himself had no idea what he would do next, although Bruce could easily wager that it would involve a body count and some kind of public spectacle.
"Where are you? What are you planning?" Bruce asked the picture, almost as if he expected a response. He just hoped Terry was ready for when he got his answer.
"Tell that to the sixteen people he killed just to talk to me," Bruce growled as he poured over the records he had about the Joker with the Batcomputer.
"Wayne... Bruce. I know it was terrible, but I'll stop him. I'm not some green kid trying to play at saving the city. I'm Batman now. I can handle the Joker. He's no different that someone like Shriek, or Inque, or Blight. He's bad, but he's still just a man," Terry replied calmly.
"So are you. So am I. Never assume, Terry. It's never easy with the Joker," Bruce growled with a deeper than normal scowl.
"Look, we have surveillance up all over the city and the Commissioner is on high alert. Even Tim is keeping an eye out. If the Clown so much as sneezes inside the City Limits we'll find him and catch him. Now try to rest before you end up in the ground for good," Terry responded with a reassuring smile.
Bruce's scowl only deepened as he replied, "I have files to sort. I'll see you later."
Terry couldn't help but smile fondly as he watched the man that trained him work. Truth be told, if Bruce had listened to him, THEN he would have worried. "I'll see you tomorrow. And Dana wants you to come over for dinner this weekend. She worries about you up here with nobody but Ace to keep you company."
"Your wife needs to get a hobby. Does she-" Bruce started to ask only to get cut off.
"I warned her, Mom, and Matt as soon as I knew what happened. They're as safe as they can be," Terry assured him.
"Then do your patrol, McGinnis. Gotham still needs to watched, Joker or no Joker," Bruce shot back.
"You're the boss, Old Man," Terry shot back with a jaunty wave before he climbed into the Batmobile.
Bruce waited until his successor was safely out of the cave before he switched on the video they had collected of the Joker's attack in the hospital before he had Terry and Maxine sanitize them to protect his and McGinnis' identities. The bone structure matched the missing leader of the Jokerz even if it was beginning to demonstrate the same facial restructuring that Tim developed as the chip took greater and greater control of his body. The nape of the neck was conspicuously clear, something the Joker seemed to take pride in displaying, which meant he had set this up to prevent the same weakness he had fallen to before. If Bruce were to guess the the small scar at the base of the hairline meant the maniac had taken no chances and had implanted the second ship in the kid's brain directly.
Bruce actually had to hold back a shiver as he realized that for a moment there had been for all intents and purposes TWO Jokers in the world.
The Dark Knight paused the video to look into the face of his old foe as he laced his fingers together and mulled over what the Clown had said. It always bothered him that for all he could predict the Joker's reactions, the Joker seemed to share a similar lucidity toward Bruce's actions that he lacked for almost anything else.
"I know you well enough to know you have at least half a dozen toys and tricks to escape the Reaper just like you can always escape me." he had said. It was scary how easily the Joker could see some things that others refused to.
Not that Bruce had gone out of his way to collect artifacts and methods to restore his youth or cheat death. Minus his... entertaining the idea of being with Talia (even if it was actually a trap concocted by Ra's in her body) Bruce had long since accepted his life for what it was and had no fear of the end when it came.
That didn't mean he was leaving things he had found exposed for the likes of a Lex Luthor or Derek Powers to exploit them when he had encountered them. And his scientific curiosity was piqued enough be the changes that Ra's had made to the Lazarus Pit Process that Bruce could replicate a serum that would do much the same thing even if it would only work for himself because he had been limited to studying the chemicals as they were fused to his own DNA. With the right chemical compounds and some creative splicing...
It would be all too easy to fall into that trap.
Still it wasn't the Joker's deranged insight that bothered Bruce the most, it was his warning. "You've got however much time to decide as it takes for me to get bored.
That was something Terry just didn't get. He was good and could handle just about anything modern Gotham threw at him but the Joker wasn't like the people Terry dealt with. The Joker wasn't looking for money or power. He just was. He did what he liked without any master plan or goal in mind beyond possibly trying to incite terror and get attention. You can't prepare for something when even the Joker himself had no idea what he would do next, although Bruce could easily wager that it would involve a body count and some kind of public spectacle.
"Where are you? What are you planning?" Bruce asked the picture, almost as if he expected a response. He just hoped Terry was ready for when he got his answer.
A few thoughts...
one Jason and Etrigan should still be around and might be fun as a Cameo... perhaps Joker tries to convince Jason to youthen Bruce magically....
hmmm... I always prefered Bruce/Selina (At least 1st season purple costume BTAS catwoman.. not that god awful black flat chested remake >_<) although I Possibily blame Cat Tales a bit for this...
1. Bruce knowing Joker is back calls in Catwoman as pretty much the only Rogue he can trust to help keep a eye on Joker and somewhat follow his mentality.. (Again borrowing from Chris Dee's Cat Tales verse...)
2. well there was taht one episode with the catman where Selina was temporarily transformed into a catgirl.... perhaps she went back to him and was youthend in the process.... or we could have Catgirl descendents invading metropolis to give Terry HEadaches (Possibly cause dby the joker who see's a grand joke about pairing up the bat-fake with Catwoman fakes...) because Catgirls make everything better
Lets see Bane is obviously out....
Riddler might be a possibility. Borrowing Cat Tale's explanation of Riddler's goals particularly chapter 5 of riddle me tropolis
Taking that I can easily see Riddler retireing as soon as it became obvious BAtman had retired.. his favored mental opponent was gone.. what was the point?
New Batman shows up... Nigma shows some interest, but notes he is more akin to pummeling than detectiving and Nigma's old... interesting but not quite worth the trouble..
Suddenly here comes old Joker witha plan to bring back the original bats... wouldn't nigma be interested in being youthened and matching wits again???
As for Riddler his goals here would be two fold...
1. having fun matching wits against Bruce again... a true mettle of th eminds.
2. Examining to see if Terry ahs POTENTIAL to be similar in intellect and perhaps train him up (Nigma not truly expecting Joker's plan to 'live forever fighting the bats' to work out fully, so a backup opponent might be worht investing in.)
And Joker gains a semi-ally who could occupy Terry as just a little more incentive to bring Bruce back into the game...
Actually you could have this a bit of dueling banjo's..
Bruce recruit Selina or ehr protege to help contain joker with Terry so he doesn't have to get youthened... Joker counters with the Riddler.... etc...etc...
one Jason and Etrigan should still be around and might be fun as a Cameo... perhaps Joker tries to convince Jason to youthen Bruce magically....
hmmm... I always prefered Bruce/Selina (At least 1st season purple costume BTAS catwoman.. not that god awful black flat chested remake >_<) although I Possibily blame Cat Tales a bit for this...
1. Bruce knowing Joker is back calls in Catwoman as pretty much the only Rogue he can trust to help keep a eye on Joker and somewhat follow his mentality.. (Again borrowing from Chris Dee's Cat Tales verse...)
2. well there was taht one episode with the catman where Selina was temporarily transformed into a catgirl.... perhaps she went back to him and was youthend in the process.... or we could have Catgirl descendents invading metropolis to give Terry HEadaches (Possibly cause dby the joker who see's a grand joke about pairing up the bat-fake with Catwoman fakes...) because Catgirls make everything better
Lets see Bane is obviously out....
Riddler might be a possibility. Borrowing Cat Tale's explanation of Riddler's goals particularly chapter 5 of riddle me tropolis
Taking that I can easily see Riddler retireing as soon as it became obvious BAtman had retired.. his favored mental opponent was gone.. what was the point?
New Batman shows up... Nigma shows some interest, but notes he is more akin to pummeling than detectiving and Nigma's old... interesting but not quite worth the trouble..
Suddenly here comes old Joker witha plan to bring back the original bats... wouldn't nigma be interested in being youthened and matching wits again???
As for Riddler his goals here would be two fold...
1. having fun matching wits against Bruce again... a true mettle of th eminds.
2. Examining to see if Terry ahs POTENTIAL to be similar in intellect and perhaps train him up (Nigma not truly expecting Joker's plan to 'live forever fighting the bats' to work out fully, so a backup opponent might be worht investing in.)
And Joker gains a semi-ally who could occupy Terry as just a little more incentive to bring Bruce back into the game...
Actually you could have this a bit of dueling banjo's..
Bruce recruit Selina or ehr protege to help contain joker with Terry so he doesn't have to get youthened... Joker counters with the Riddler.... etc...etc...
Maybe my memory is fuzzy, but I remember the original animated Catwoman suit as black and gray, before they tried to make it look more like a comic version and Selina lost most of her curves and sex appeal. (I think they were trying to make the animated verse a little faster to produce and make it more kid-friendly at the same time. Quality of animation dipped off noticeably for almost every episode.)
I could see Melanie, who was Ten from the new Royal Flush gang, being a new Catwoman. It seemed almost like they were setting that up for a later episode of Batman Beyond. Or maybe Bruce and Selina made their own version of Helena to mess with her half-brother's head.
Jason and Etrigan are ageless and thus still around. I could see a cameo here, but not the Joker trying to solicit help. He won't hand things to Bruce like that. He wants Bruce to find his own way out of the trap like always. It's not fun otherwise.
As for the Riddler, even if he was alive and wanted in on the game the Joker isn't inclined to share. He doesn't want to relive the old days exactly, he just wants the right bat back in the game. He could give shit all about what Riddler, Freeze, Selina, or anyone else from the old Rogues Gallery wants. The Joker cares about the Joker and what goes on in his own mind. Nobody else. If Eddie is still in the game and lucid enough to try to cheat death, he's doing it solo.
I could see the Joker killing Eddie as another message to Bruce to motivate him, though.
I could see Melanie, who was Ten from the new Royal Flush gang, being a new Catwoman. It seemed almost like they were setting that up for a later episode of Batman Beyond. Or maybe Bruce and Selina made their own version of Helena to mess with her half-brother's head.
Jason and Etrigan are ageless and thus still around. I could see a cameo here, but not the Joker trying to solicit help. He won't hand things to Bruce like that. He wants Bruce to find his own way out of the trap like always. It's not fun otherwise.
As for the Riddler, even if he was alive and wanted in on the game the Joker isn't inclined to share. He doesn't want to relive the old days exactly, he just wants the right bat back in the game. He could give shit all about what Riddler, Freeze, Selina, or anyone else from the old Rogues Gallery wants. The Joker cares about the Joker and what goes on in his own mind. Nobody else. If Eddie is still in the game and lucid enough to try to cheat death, he's doing it solo.
I could see the Joker killing Eddie as another message to Bruce to motivate him, though.
mm.. maybe it was grey...
A thought tho... there was taht two parter BTAS episode with that genetic Catman... ended with the Catman hybrid still alive... now assuming said hybrid had offspring one could intrdouce real catgirls (Perhaps raised by Granny Selina)... perhaps catgirls who steal and have a grudge against Splicers that they view as 'poor imitations/cheap knockoffs'....
Alsoa thought on other Rogues that might still be around.
1. depending on how Croc like he is.. Killer Croc may age slower and still be around and fighting fit.... actually one could argue that since Bruce trains Terry with a robot Croc Doppelganger is a argument for this theory, since it would have Terry familerized with Croc's fighting style in case Croc returned.
2. Baby Doll- wait hear me out. Baby Doll is apparantly middle aged in BTAS, yet in her intro episode she looks toe veryone else like a little kid till Batman leads her to a funhouse mirror and she revert to her middle aged true form that is average adult sized. Yet when she shows up later in the series she once again is in the form of a little kid.
This could be a unrealized Meta-gene ability that de-ages her based on her current mentality and if so its plausible said ability has kept her young in the current BB timeline.
3. Ivy as mentioned above might still be around due to ehr altered physilogy as well. Although I suspect she's probably somewhere deep in the rainforests in a private retreat. At least until word reaches her about Joker returning... keeping in mind Ivy DESPIESES the Joker... and returns to deal with him once and for all... (And perhaps rejuvanate Harley...)
hmm perhaps Stalker decides to track Ivy down as a training attempt before facing Terry again, and when Ivy questions him he says he go tthe idea of facing the original batmans foes still around by Joker's reappearance....
I still want to see Riddler and Selina (Sexy selina!) rejuvanted.... Although if Joker attempted to kill Riddler, and Riddler decided to get in on the action and rejuvante himself rather than stay a old man target for Joker... could Drag in Selina and other Rogues as well... perhaps for mutual protection to convince joker to go from 'full on kill us' to his normal 'only part-time psychotic trying to kill us' from the old days by makeing a argument of assembling the old Rogues Gallery... (JOker's crazy... but might follow some of the old unwritten rules if the old Rogues were young and causing trouble again... rather than trying to kill them all flat.. or so riddler reasons.)
or those still alive that is. And of course as rejuvanted Rogues gallery they have to commit crimes, even if they don't care to anymore. If only to keep Joker from decideing that trying to kill them all the time is the best bet to bring back Bruce. And its just one more pressure on Bruce to youthen himself.
As to the Terry vs Joker argument... well in a physical head to head contest I'd say Terry has a better than even chance of beating the Joker if he doesn't get cocky. Trouble is Joker isn't the type for a head to head contest.. he's more the type to say
"Oh sure brat fight me after you break out of my death trap... but what about that buss full of girlscouts and SMilex across town?..... I'm sure they'd love the joke of a fake bat distracted by a joybuzzer... why they'll be rolling int he aisles! AH_HAHAHAHAHAH!"
the catch is Joker doesn't play fair... and Terry probably isn't quite up to BRuces level of multi-tasking and detecteving in order to anticpate and/or handle what ever mass mayhem Joker has AND apprhend him at the same time....
I think Joker might have SOME grudging respect for Terry, after all he did come close by Jokers own words. But its more akin to viewing him on par with Robin and NIghtwing than the Real Batman....
A thought tho... there was taht two parter BTAS episode with that genetic Catman... ended with the Catman hybrid still alive... now assuming said hybrid had offspring one could intrdouce real catgirls (Perhaps raised by Granny Selina)... perhaps catgirls who steal and have a grudge against Splicers that they view as 'poor imitations/cheap knockoffs'....
Alsoa thought on other Rogues that might still be around.
1. depending on how Croc like he is.. Killer Croc may age slower and still be around and fighting fit.... actually one could argue that since Bruce trains Terry with a robot Croc Doppelganger is a argument for this theory, since it would have Terry familerized with Croc's fighting style in case Croc returned.
2. Baby Doll- wait hear me out. Baby Doll is apparantly middle aged in BTAS, yet in her intro episode she looks toe veryone else like a little kid till Batman leads her to a funhouse mirror and she revert to her middle aged true form that is average adult sized. Yet when she shows up later in the series she once again is in the form of a little kid.
This could be a unrealized Meta-gene ability that de-ages her based on her current mentality and if so its plausible said ability has kept her young in the current BB timeline.
3. Ivy as mentioned above might still be around due to ehr altered physilogy as well. Although I suspect she's probably somewhere deep in the rainforests in a private retreat. At least until word reaches her about Joker returning... keeping in mind Ivy DESPIESES the Joker... and returns to deal with him once and for all... (And perhaps rejuvanate Harley...)
hmm perhaps Stalker decides to track Ivy down as a training attempt before facing Terry again, and when Ivy questions him he says he go tthe idea of facing the original batmans foes still around by Joker's reappearance....
I still want to see Riddler and Selina (Sexy selina!) rejuvanted.... Although if Joker attempted to kill Riddler, and Riddler decided to get in on the action and rejuvante himself rather than stay a old man target for Joker... could Drag in Selina and other Rogues as well... perhaps for mutual protection to convince joker to go from 'full on kill us' to his normal 'only part-time psychotic trying to kill us' from the old days by makeing a argument of assembling the old Rogues Gallery... (JOker's crazy... but might follow some of the old unwritten rules if the old Rogues were young and causing trouble again... rather than trying to kill them all flat.. or so riddler reasons.)
or those still alive that is. And of course as rejuvanted Rogues gallery they have to commit crimes, even if they don't care to anymore. If only to keep Joker from decideing that trying to kill them all the time is the best bet to bring back Bruce. And its just one more pressure on Bruce to youthen himself.
As to the Terry vs Joker argument... well in a physical head to head contest I'd say Terry has a better than even chance of beating the Joker if he doesn't get cocky. Trouble is Joker isn't the type for a head to head contest.. he's more the type to say
"Oh sure brat fight me after you break out of my death trap... but what about that buss full of girlscouts and SMilex across town?..... I'm sure they'd love the joke of a fake bat distracted by a joybuzzer... why they'll be rolling int he aisles! AH_HAHAHAHAHAH!"
the catch is Joker doesn't play fair... and Terry probably isn't quite up to BRuces level of multi-tasking and detecteving in order to anticpate and/or handle what ever mass mayhem Joker has AND apprhend him at the same time....
I think Joker might have SOME grudging respect for Terry, after all he did come close by Jokers own words. But its more akin to viewing him on par with Robin and NIghtwing than the Real Batman....
I think rejuvenating too many of the Rogues would jump the shark on this. It's not like people like Riddler or Croc ever bother with anything supernatural and Ra's would kill anyone that got near the pits other than himself with the possible exception of Bruce. Frankly, it seems like something bordering on a miracle that the Joker managed to steal and cobble together the right mix of technology to download himself into the chip. Lightning striking like that again would be extremely rare.
As for Selina, I'm inclined to think she either created an big cat sanctuary of her own somewhere away from people, possibly with Tigris there with her, she's living a leisurely life in Paris, or she has shuffled off the mortal coil. I just don't see her rejuvenating herself for Bruce. If she were that devoted to him, she would still be there in Gotham at least, most likely long since moved into the manor and his life. I like the BTAS Catwoman a lot, but I just can't work her into this story easily.
Diana, as much as it may bother some people, fits better with Bruce in this scenario. Noth that it would be roses, hearts, and twu wuv. Just that her ageless nature will fit better with Bruce in this set up.
As for Selina, I'm inclined to think she either created an big cat sanctuary of her own somewhere away from people, possibly with Tigris there with her, she's living a leisurely life in Paris, or she has shuffled off the mortal coil. I just don't see her rejuvenating herself for Bruce. If she were that devoted to him, she would still be there in Gotham at least, most likely long since moved into the manor and his life. I like the BTAS Catwoman a lot, but I just can't work her into this story easily.
Diana, as much as it may bother some people, fits better with Bruce in this scenario. Noth that it would be roses, hearts, and twu wuv. Just that her ageless nature will fit better with Bruce in this set up.
Bruce never reacted as an aged voice other than his own filled the Batcave to interrupt his work at the computer as it asked, "Is it true? Is... he really back this time?"
The first Batman closed his eyes and sighed as he replied, "Hello, Harley."
"Is it true?" the grandmother of the Dee Dee twins asked again as she knelt down to pet Ace. She had always been good with canines, and the "bat-dog" reminded her a great deal of her old hyenas Stan and Ollie.
Bruce was many things, but a person that hid uncomfortable truths for no reason wasn't among them. The only secrets he kept needed to be kept, and Harleen Quinzel had a right to know what was going on.
"It's him" Bruce responded grimly. "Has he tried to contact you?"
Harley looked as if she were a puppet with her strings cut as she moved to sit down near a lab table and chuckled hollowly. "No. As if he would. I think I'd make people laugh the wrong way if I tried to squeeze into the old costume these days. Not all of us kept our girlish figures the way you did, Bats," the moderately plump grandmother replied with a wan attempt at a smile.
"How could he be back Bruce? That mess with the chip on Tim should have been the end of it," Harley asked in frustration.
"It looks like he had a more advanced chip worked out that he implanted on the former leader of the Jokerz. The one that dressed as the Joker himself," Bruce answered grimly. "If I know the Joker, I doubt there's anything left of the kid but a host body for the Clown."
Harley sniffed as she remembered the boy that had dressed like her Puddin and recruited her granddaughters into his gang. She couldn't prove itf, but she was pretty sure the punk was taking liberties with the twins that would have got him introduced to Harley bazooka if she ever had definitive proof. About the only thing that little creep had in common with the real Joker was that he had had a talent for using people.
"Does he know that the girls are his grandchildren?" Bruce asked after a moment to let her absorb what she had learned.
Harley shook her head as she responded, "It was so rare to get him to even touch me in any way that wasn't a smack to the face, but he liked the idea of playing the happy family to the fullest. He never would have dreamed that he had knocked me up before you came and finally put a stop to things. Even when they were working for Tim, they never knew who their grandfather was. I wanted to keep them from making the kinds of mistakes I did. Fat lot of good I've done at that."
"You did what you could. Nobody would ask more than that from you," Bruce replied as he gave the elderly woman a comforting half-grin.
"Still a nice guy after all this time, and all the problems I put you through. I should have pushed for more than a kiss that night in Arkham after the mess with Ronnie," Harley replied with a small smile of her own.
"Don't press your luck," Bruce replied in an echo to what he had told her after her impulsive kiss all those years ago.
After falling to her "death" it had been one of Bruce's childhood friends, heiress Veronica Vreeland, that Harley had gone to after learning of the supposed death of her Puddin'. And through her, Harley had been able to get the help she needed to rehabilitate as she had meant to so many times before. She had even managed to be civil with Bruce himself, although they usually kept their distance from one another. So much so Barbara Gordon didn't even know Harley was alive.
"Ya know, Ronnie wanted ta set us up after I got my head on straight and it looked like you were going the route of staying single forever. I always felt bad I couldn't tell her why we wouldn't work. She thought of you like a big brother. She worried," Harley commented after a moment to reminisce.
"She was a good friend," Bruce agreed.
"She was the best," Harley affirmed.
"If he does try to contact you?" Bruce asked after a pause.
"Assuming I survive? I'll call you. I'm too old for that kind of stuff even if I wanted back in the game. And I don't. But I don't think Puddin' will be all the gentle on my aching joints of he comes calling," Harley warned.
"I could arrange for protection," Bruce offered.
"Ha! From Mistah J? I don't need a babysitter, Bats. Not at my age. Besides, I don't think he'll even think twice about me. He never did before. Why start now?" Harley shot back. And with that she fought to stand again before looking at the Dark Knight and asking, "Now what does a lady have to do to get a gentleman to offer her a cup of tea in this place?"
Bruce gave the former Harley Quinn an even gaze and thought of refusing before imagining the Look Alfred would have given ho, for even thinking about being so rude. "I think I can scrounge up a good green team blend upstairs. as he rose and moved to help her up the stairs to the manor proper.
"Aww, I wanted to see you make it with a gadget in your belt. Red and I had a bet going for years that you'd have something in there to do it. I want to tell her she owes me 100 bucks the next time we call each other to talk about the grandkids," Harley mock whined in protest as the two octogenarians made their way upstairs.
The first Batman closed his eyes and sighed as he replied, "Hello, Harley."
"Is it true?" the grandmother of the Dee Dee twins asked again as she knelt down to pet Ace. She had always been good with canines, and the "bat-dog" reminded her a great deal of her old hyenas Stan and Ollie.
Bruce was many things, but a person that hid uncomfortable truths for no reason wasn't among them. The only secrets he kept needed to be kept, and Harleen Quinzel had a right to know what was going on.
"It's him" Bruce responded grimly. "Has he tried to contact you?"
Harley looked as if she were a puppet with her strings cut as she moved to sit down near a lab table and chuckled hollowly. "No. As if he would. I think I'd make people laugh the wrong way if I tried to squeeze into the old costume these days. Not all of us kept our girlish figures the way you did, Bats," the moderately plump grandmother replied with a wan attempt at a smile.
"How could he be back Bruce? That mess with the chip on Tim should have been the end of it," Harley asked in frustration.
"It looks like he had a more advanced chip worked out that he implanted on the former leader of the Jokerz. The one that dressed as the Joker himself," Bruce answered grimly. "If I know the Joker, I doubt there's anything left of the kid but a host body for the Clown."
Harley sniffed as she remembered the boy that had dressed like her Puddin and recruited her granddaughters into his gang. She couldn't prove itf, but she was pretty sure the punk was taking liberties with the twins that would have got him introduced to Harley bazooka if she ever had definitive proof. About the only thing that little creep had in common with the real Joker was that he had had a talent for using people.
"Does he know that the girls are his grandchildren?" Bruce asked after a moment to let her absorb what she had learned.
Harley shook her head as she responded, "It was so rare to get him to even touch me in any way that wasn't a smack to the face, but he liked the idea of playing the happy family to the fullest. He never would have dreamed that he had knocked me up before you came and finally put a stop to things. Even when they were working for Tim, they never knew who their grandfather was. I wanted to keep them from making the kinds of mistakes I did. Fat lot of good I've done at that."
"You did what you could. Nobody would ask more than that from you," Bruce replied as he gave the elderly woman a comforting half-grin.
"Still a nice guy after all this time, and all the problems I put you through. I should have pushed for more than a kiss that night in Arkham after the mess with Ronnie," Harley replied with a small smile of her own.
"Don't press your luck," Bruce replied in an echo to what he had told her after her impulsive kiss all those years ago.
After falling to her "death" it had been one of Bruce's childhood friends, heiress Veronica Vreeland, that Harley had gone to after learning of the supposed death of her Puddin'. And through her, Harley had been able to get the help she needed to rehabilitate as she had meant to so many times before. She had even managed to be civil with Bruce himself, although they usually kept their distance from one another. So much so Barbara Gordon didn't even know Harley was alive.
"Ya know, Ronnie wanted ta set us up after I got my head on straight and it looked like you were going the route of staying single forever. I always felt bad I couldn't tell her why we wouldn't work. She thought of you like a big brother. She worried," Harley commented after a moment to reminisce.
"She was a good friend," Bruce agreed.
"She was the best," Harley affirmed.
"If he does try to contact you?" Bruce asked after a pause.
"Assuming I survive? I'll call you. I'm too old for that kind of stuff even if I wanted back in the game. And I don't. But I don't think Puddin' will be all the gentle on my aching joints of he comes calling," Harley warned.
"I could arrange for protection," Bruce offered.
"Ha! From Mistah J? I don't need a babysitter, Bats. Not at my age. Besides, I don't think he'll even think twice about me. He never did before. Why start now?" Harley shot back. And with that she fought to stand again before looking at the Dark Knight and asking, "Now what does a lady have to do to get a gentleman to offer her a cup of tea in this place?"
Bruce gave the former Harley Quinn an even gaze and thought of refusing before imagining the Look Alfred would have given ho, for even thinking about being so rude. "I think I can scrounge up a good green team blend upstairs. as he rose and moved to help her up the stairs to the manor proper.
"Aww, I wanted to see you make it with a gadget in your belt. Red and I had a bet going for years that you'd have something in there to do it. I want to tell her she owes me 100 bucks the next time we call each other to talk about the grandkids," Harley mock whined in protest as the two octogenarians made their way upstairs.
If you go by the comic they added to expand the animated canon, then Ivy actually faked "going bad" after her marriage to the guy who becomes Swamp Thing (or that Swamp Thing imprinted on in regular DC canon) and stayed married to him without anyone knowing to look for her.
That's how they explained why she suddenly turned white skinned and seemed more plantlike in the later episodes. That was one of her advanced plant clones impersonating her. After the last caper in canon she came home before dissolving back into plant matter. Ivy, who was there with her husband living peacefully commented that she hoped it didn't cause too much trouble.
That's how they explained why she suddenly turned white skinned and seemed more plantlike in the later episodes. That was one of her advanced plant clones impersonating her. After the last caper in canon she came home before dissolving back into plant matter. Ivy, who was there with her husband living peacefully commented that she hoped it didn't cause too much trouble.
Wait. The guy Ivy married and had 'kids' with in B:TAS was the Swamp Thing? No shit?
Damn, it's been a long time since I've seen the show...
Still, interesting story premise. And truth be told, I could care less about the immortals of the DCAU, because I see this as a Batman story.
Too many cooks spoil the broth, yeah?
Not dismissing some of them - Diana would be an interesting addition, seeing how ... not naive, but uninformed about man's world in JL/JLU. Here, she's had decades to learn - will she be closer to her comic counterpart here? (I liked the interaction between her and Bats in the previous JLA series.)
Still, my curiousity has been peaked, and I wish to see more.
Keep up the good work.
Damn, it's been a long time since I've seen the show...
Still, interesting story premise. And truth be told, I could care less about the immortals of the DCAU, because I see this as a Batman story.
Too many cooks spoil the broth, yeah?
Not dismissing some of them - Diana would be an interesting addition, seeing how ... not naive, but uninformed about man's world in JL/JLU. Here, she's had decades to learn - will she be closer to her comic counterpart here? (I liked the interaction between her and Bats in the previous JLA series.)
Still, my curiousity has been peaked, and I wish to see more.
Keep up the good work.
Interesting Harley is still in contact with Pamela. Of course if they figure out Terry is Bruce's son..... Both women may try to play matchmaker with their own grandkids. This also means that Harley may have been helping the plant clone , helping because Pam asked her too, also the plant clone actually started up a life of its own.
Of course it has been hinyed that Harley and Pam may have been 'special' friends.
Of course it has been hinyed that Harley and Pam may have been 'special' friends.
Slight problem in that Terry is already married to Dana here, Typhonis. Although, technically, his younger brother Matt is also Bruce's son and still single. Of course I don't see Bruce or Terry liking the idea of Matt in a Dee Dee sandwich. Too much bad blood between the families.
And honestly, the twins are a little rougher and more directly homicidal than Harley was. Without Ivy or Joker to goad her on Harley was mostly harmless. Dee Dee chose to live this life without the prompting.
Although if Pam's grandkids were girls (children of adopted kids since her immunity to poisons left her sterile) I could see her trying to set one of them up with Matt for comic relief.
"Wait a second, Harl. You're telling me that the current Bat is the Old Bat's son?" Ivy asked with a look of shock. More than once she had thought of going to Gotham to see the new talent old Brucie has tossed into the cape and cowl, but she had never imagined that he would use his own flesh and blood like that. Who knew the Bat was still spry enough to have a son that young?
"Eh, it was one of those weird JLA related things we avoided like the plague, Red. Government cloning and stuff. They rewrote the balls of the guy the kid thought was his old man with something like splicing to make sure there'd always be a spare Bat. The real Bats wasn't even in on it," Harley replied with a shrug.
Pam scowled as she heard that. She could only imagine how violated SHE would feel if someone did that to her without her consent. Although, this did offer an opportunity, now that she thought about it. "He'd be what, in his mid-to-late twenties now you said? I wonder if he'd be interested in meeting Rose?"
"Forget it, Red. Kid's happily married to his high school sweetie. She even likes the old B-Man as her father-in-law. If he don't scare he off nothing will," Harley responded with a roll of her eyes. After all she had similar hopes for Delia and Deidre back in the day, so she knew where Red was coming from.
Granted Rose Isley-Holland didn't need to be straightened out the way the Dee Dee's did. The girl was a straight and narrow as they came, working as a botanist for Metropolis University. Still, a grandmother could dream.
"Pity, for all she has going for her, Rose is still such as wallflower. It would be nice to see her perk up and meet a nice man. Or a nice woman. Whatever she prefers," Ivy commented as she brushed a lock of her still vibrant red hair back.
Anyone else but Harley might have beed jealous that Ivy didn't look a day over 35 between her natural mutations and her own experiments. Frankly, Harley was just glad to find out Red had still been alive when her old friend had contacted her after Harley's own reform.
In the back of her mind, Harley was pretty sure she had Bruce to thank for Pam even knowing Harley was alive and living the quiet life. Honestly, why couldn't she have seen and fixated on Batman while he was delivering someone to Arkham? As gruff as he was, he was still the nicest guy she had ever met.
"I don't suppose the new Bat has any brothers or sisters?" Pam asked a moment later, breaking Harley out of her reverie.
"Yeah, one little brother a few years younger than him. Nice kid from what I hear. Stays out of either side of the business, although he's finishing his last year of school for a degree in genetics. From what Bats says the kid has been interested in splicing since it went public," Harley replied distractedly only to stop short at the look in Poison Ivy's eyes.
"Oh no, Red. Don't even think about it. It's bad enough we gossip about the B-Man and his family like the old ladies we are, but that's too far. You're not even supposed to know who he is. That's why we agreed to never use their names," Harley protested.
"I don't know what you mean Harl. I was just making conversation," Ivy replied with false innocense before smirking devilishly as she sipped her tea.
And honestly, the twins are a little rougher and more directly homicidal than Harley was. Without Ivy or Joker to goad her on Harley was mostly harmless. Dee Dee chose to live this life without the prompting.
Although if Pam's grandkids were girls (children of adopted kids since her immunity to poisons left her sterile) I could see her trying to set one of them up with Matt for comic relief.
"Wait a second, Harl. You're telling me that the current Bat is the Old Bat's son?" Ivy asked with a look of shock. More than once she had thought of going to Gotham to see the new talent old Brucie has tossed into the cape and cowl, but she had never imagined that he would use his own flesh and blood like that. Who knew the Bat was still spry enough to have a son that young?
"Eh, it was one of those weird JLA related things we avoided like the plague, Red. Government cloning and stuff. They rewrote the balls of the guy the kid thought was his old man with something like splicing to make sure there'd always be a spare Bat. The real Bats wasn't even in on it," Harley replied with a shrug.
Pam scowled as she heard that. She could only imagine how violated SHE would feel if someone did that to her without her consent. Although, this did offer an opportunity, now that she thought about it. "He'd be what, in his mid-to-late twenties now you said? I wonder if he'd be interested in meeting Rose?"
"Forget it, Red. Kid's happily married to his high school sweetie. She even likes the old B-Man as her father-in-law. If he don't scare he off nothing will," Harley responded with a roll of her eyes. After all she had similar hopes for Delia and Deidre back in the day, so she knew where Red was coming from.
Granted Rose Isley-Holland didn't need to be straightened out the way the Dee Dee's did. The girl was a straight and narrow as they came, working as a botanist for Metropolis University. Still, a grandmother could dream.
"Pity, for all she has going for her, Rose is still such as wallflower. It would be nice to see her perk up and meet a nice man. Or a nice woman. Whatever she prefers," Ivy commented as she brushed a lock of her still vibrant red hair back.
Anyone else but Harley might have beed jealous that Ivy didn't look a day over 35 between her natural mutations and her own experiments. Frankly, Harley was just glad to find out Red had still been alive when her old friend had contacted her after Harley's own reform.
In the back of her mind, Harley was pretty sure she had Bruce to thank for Pam even knowing Harley was alive and living the quiet life. Honestly, why couldn't she have seen and fixated on Batman while he was delivering someone to Arkham? As gruff as he was, he was still the nicest guy she had ever met.
"I don't suppose the new Bat has any brothers or sisters?" Pam asked a moment later, breaking Harley out of her reverie.
"Yeah, one little brother a few years younger than him. Nice kid from what I hear. Stays out of either side of the business, although he's finishing his last year of school for a degree in genetics. From what Bats says the kid has been interested in splicing since it went public," Harley replied distractedly only to stop short at the look in Poison Ivy's eyes.
"Oh no, Red. Don't even think about it. It's bad enough we gossip about the B-Man and his family like the old ladies we are, but that's too far. You're not even supposed to know who he is. That's why we agreed to never use their names," Harley protested.
"I don't know what you mean Harl. I was just making conversation," Ivy replied with false innocense before smirking devilishly as she sipped her tea.
Well, there was one time in the comics when Alfred wasn't at the manor for a few weeks and Bruce and Tim managed to flood the laundry room while trying to figure out how to use the washing machine - twice. So I wouldn't be surprised to learn that domestic skills are one of the few weaknesses of the Batman.