May 31st, 2019
Gotham City
11:30 pm

~"Big news in the financial world today. Once again, billionaire Bruce Wayne has averted an attempted takeover of his company by Derek Powers of Powers Technology. Powers vowed that he is not through yet. And speculation has seen stock in both men's companies hit all-time highs. Still no word from the kidnappers of debutante Bunny Vreeland following a ransom payment of $5 million without leads as to the girl's whereabouts," a report casted through the radio.

"Hey, kid, you're on TV," one of the kidnappers told Bunny Vreeland, who was tied up and gagged. "The money's all here, take her out!" Another guy called out. The kidnapper pulled out his gun and aimed it at her, but before he could pull the trigger, a batarang knocked the gun out of his hands.

Suddenly, Batman landed right in between them and immediately started punching the man. Others tried to take Batman down but were also punched or kicked away.

Out of nowhere, a pang in Batman's chest shot threw him. He determined he was having a heart attack! Full of pain, Batman clutched his heart and slumped over. Unfortunately, this weakness presented the opportunity for a kidnapper to hit him with a crowbar, sending Batman to the ground. "Ever since I was a kid, big bad Batman's always been making life hard for guys like me," the man said as he started to repeatedly whack Batman with the crowbar.

Through his pain, Batman managed to spot a gun next to him. As an instinct, he grabbed it and aimed right at the man. Before he could could even process

BANG!~

Present day 2039

With a startled gasp, Bruce Wayne shot out of his nightmare. Sweat trickled down his face as he tried to calm his strangled breaths. Suddenly, the doors of his bedroom flew open, and seventeen year old Eliana Grayson, accompanied by Ace the dog, ran right towards him. Without saying a word, the girl pulled out some medications for the man to take.

"Thank you," Bruce said as he handed back the glass of water he took his pills with. "I was worried sick. One minute, I was sleeping soundly, and then the next, I was woken up by Ace, who was barking like crazy. I knew it had to do with you, are you okay?" Eliana rambled. "I'm fine. It's been twenty years, and that memory still haunts my dreams," Bruce spoke softly.

Eliana knew the memory he was talking about, the night he retired as Batman, and she also knew what his nightmare showed him. "You didn't kill the man Bruce, he ran after you aimed the gun in his direction. As for the gun...it was a survival instinct. You saved Vreeland that night," she reassured.

Bruce looked straight into her eyes with distraught, "But at what cost? I broke the very rule I obeyed as Batman after decades of crime fighting, and I'll have to live with the guilt for the rest of my life."

There was nothing Eliana could do to make him think otherwise. "You should rest. If you need me, you know I'm here," Eliana stated softly as she pulled the covers over him. As she walked to the doors, a soft voice called out to her, "Thank you, Eliana." It broke Eliana's heart to see him suffer this way for the rest of his life. She wished she could make his nightmares disappear.

"You never need to thank me, Bruce," she whispered sternly before closing the door.

~8~

It was early next morning when seventeen year old Terry Mcginnis boarded his usual elevator in order to get to school. He turned to look at the tv displaying the news, "Making news today, as every day, Gotham's own financial zard, Derek Powers, rocked the stock market by acquiring several local industrial firms. In the third hostile Wayne-Powers takeover this year, Powers has retained his crown as Gotham's most dynamic corporate king.

"Insiders clear a downsizing was released today, as Powers personally announced over three hundred lay-offs. The handsome CEO may not be making many friends, but he's sure making money.

"In other news, last night a robbery at Kingsley Bank was stopped by Gotham's notorious hero Nightwing."

That last part caught Terry's ear and made him smile. He had admired the vigilante and her work ever since she appeared in Gotham. 'I wish I could make a difference like that,' Terry thought. While Terry was thinking, he didn't notice a gang of Jokerz enter the elevator until one of them started spray painting the tv.

That same joker then started to harass an elderly woman, and that's when Terry had enough. "Get lost clown!" Terry said as he pushed Jokerz into the tv screen, shattering it. "Big man," Jokerz commented while getting back up.

Before Terry could retaliate, a pair of arms wrapped around his body and 2 pairs of hands held his arms. 'Great didn't realise this clown had friends,' Terry thought as he gritted his teeth. "How about we teach this guy a lesson about respecting Jokerz huh fellas," the Jokerz said, readying his fist. Terry braced himself.

CRASH!

Everyone turned to see Nightwing land after bursting through the window. "It's Nightwing. Get her!"Jokerz said as they all rushed towards her. Quickly, she lifted one of the Jokerz and threw him into the other two, coming her way. Terry, in the meantime, headbutted Jokerz, keeping him in place. Terry looked back at Nightwing just as she told him to duck. Quickly, he did as she asked and saw her throw a batarang at one final Jokerz that was sneaking up behind him, successfully pinning him to the wall.

Terry stood back up and gave her a shocked look. He heard her grumble the word "Jokerz" under her breath. "Nice work, you okay?" Nightwing asked, snapping him out of reality. Terry nodded his head and answered, "I'm fine, thank you."

"All in the day's work, anyway duty calls," she said, saluting him before jumping out the crashed window. Terry ran to the window just in time to see her use her suit wings to fly away.

'Wow.' Terry stared in awe as he watched her figure fade away in the distance.

~8~

Meanwhile, Warren Mcginnis, Terry's father, found himself sitting down in Derek Powers' office after his coworker Harry came to him distraught. Warren had noticed red and black splotches on his friend's body and tried to ask about it, but all Harry did was give him a disk to keep safe.

"I asked you here, Warren, to clear up any misconception you might have gotten from that incident with Mr. Telly. Harry simply suffered an allergic reaction to a chemical compound in the lab. Shook 'em up a bit, but he's under the best of care," Mr. Powers told him. "That's great. So when can I see him?" Warren asked, relieved. "Monday morning first thing," Powers replied with a big fake smile.

Warren thanked him, but as he made his way to leave, Powers called out to him, "Oh Warren, before I forget, there seems to be a file missing from Harry's records. Would you know where it is?" Powers asked him. "I'm afraid I don't," Warren lied. Harry entrusted him in keeping his files safe, even from the hands of his own boss.

But as soon as Warren put the file in his computer at home, he figured out why Harry wanted to keep this a secret. Powers had developed something that could kill thousands! If only Warren knew the consequences of having that file.....

~8~

Eliana spent the rest of her day in the gym training, and around 9 o'clock, Bruce interrupted her, practising on the uneven bars to tell her that there was a disturbance at the front gate.

Figuring Bruce might've needed some help, not that he couldn't take care of himself, she went with him. Traveling around the outside of the manor, Eliana was shocked to see a teenager her age surrounded by a gang of Jokerz.

She became even more surprised when she recognized the teen. He was the same guy she saved on the elevator that morning. 'That boy has a knack for pissing off Jokerz.' Eliana thought. "Leave him alone. And get off my property, you're trespassing," Bruce said, catching all their attention by walking into the light. "Go, before we make you leave," Eliana warned, joining Bruce in the light.

The boy called out to them, "Don't worry, I can handle this." Eliana didn't doubt that she'd seen him this morning take down a Jokerz. She knew he had fight in him. "Who do you think you're talkin' to? We're the Jokerz!" The Jokerz leader said as he stood in front of Bruce. "Ohh, is that right?" Bruce asked with a smile, which made Eliana smirk as well.

The Joker didn't like Bruce's belittling tone, so he pulled back his fist to punch him but was surprised when Bruce punched him so hard he flew back. That gave the boy a chance to run over to Bruce and Eliana, and he got his fists ready as well. Unsurprisingly, the gang started to run at them with different weapons in hand.

Without wasting any time Eliana ran towards a female Jokerz and flipped over her, she kicked her legs from under her, making the girl fall over. Eliana even caught a glimpse of the boy's shocked face before she punched another Jokerz creeping up behind her.

Throughout the fight, Eliana saw Bruce and the boy take down many jokerz. "Hey!" Eliana called out to the boy. When he turned to look at her, she continued, "Duck!" He listened, and Eliana leaped over him to kick down a Jokerz about to stab him.

The Jokerz leader tried to sneak up on Bruce but was met with a cane to the face. Knowing they lost the fight, Jokerz retreated.

The boy turned to Eliana with a big smile. "That was so schway! Man, you're somethin', I've never seen anyone do the things you just did." Eliana felt a blush on her cheeks, and she was about to answer until she heard a cough from behind her. Eliana turned to see Bruce clutching his chest and having trouble staying up.

With a gasp, Eliana ran over to Bruce and steadied him. "Is he okay? Do you need some help?"
The boy asked, concerned. Eliana turned to him, "He needs his medicine. It's in the house. Do you mind helping me support him there?" Without hesitation, the boy went on the other side of Bruce and lifted Bruce's arm over his shoulder.

As they walked through the gate and up to Wayne Manor, Ace jumped out and started barking at the boy. "Ace, down boy, he's okay," Eliana calmly told the dog, but it didn't stop his growling. "Nice dog," the teen remarked. "Not really," Eliana responded, giving him a smile, to which he returned.

~8~

As soon as they got Bruce to a chair, Eliana quickly went to grab his pills while the boy stayed with Bruce. Almost instantly, Bruce fell asleep after taking his pills. "Thank you so much for helping out......," Eliana trailed off. She actually hadn't asked for his name till now.

"Terry, Terry Mcginnis," the boy replied, holding out his hand to shake. "Eliana, Eliana Grayson," Eliana replied, shaking his hand. Eliana felt almost like a spark between them while they were just shaking hands.

Eliana took the chance to admire the boy in front of her. He had short black hair with light blue eyes and a sharp jawline. Meanwhile, Terry was also admiring the girl in front of him.

She had what looked like long black wavy hair pulled into a braid, but her eyes were what Terry was attracted to. Big beautiful blue eyes that Terry got lost in just looking at, and he could tell the girl was admiring his features as well.

"So is he your dad?" Terry asked, breaking off their staring. "Oh no, I'm just his ward. We're not related. And his name is Bruce Wayne," Eliana answered. "So this is the famous Wayne Manor, thought it would be less....depressing," Terry joked as he looked around. Eliana chuckled, "That's the first thing I thought when I began to live here, but you grow into it."

"Say Terry, I gotta ask. How did you become a target to that Jokerz gang?" Eliana asked curiously. "They started causing trouble at a club where I was at, then one of them grabbed my friend. So I ended up taking a few down, and that led to a whole chase," Terry answered with a shrug. "Protective and courageous, aren't ya," Eliana said, making a light blush form on Terry's face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, your parents must be worried sick, and here I am keeping you. Would you like a ride home?" Eliana offered. "No, it's okay, although do you mind if I use your phone to call my dad. I can let myself out," Terry said.

Eliana pointed to the living room, "The phone's in there. Feel free to use it. Well, I got to get a few more things for the old man.....it was nice meeting you, Mcginnis," Eliana said before turning around and heading up the stairs. "You too....Grayson," Terry called out, making Eliana look over her shoulder and smile.

'Wow, she sure is something'. Terry thought before going to find the phone.

~8~

Trusting that Terry could leave on his own was a bad idea. While Eliana was upstairs doing some chores, she heard Ace barking loudly downstairs and later on outside. Figuring something was going on, she ran downstairs and saw Bruce coming out of the living room.

"What are you doing awake in the living room, and why's Ace barking so crazily?" Eliana was so confused. "I caught that boy sneaking around in the Batcave and kicked him out. Ace is just finishing the job," Bruce said angrily.

She didn't blame him. If anyone found out about the Batcave, they would both be hunted down. "Hold on, how did Terry find the Batcave? It's hidden behind a clock. No one would ever think to touch it," Eliana questioned.

"Well, this "Terry" did. He's by now figured out that I was Batman, and it will be easy to connect the dots that you're Nightwing. I'm going to do a background check on him, see if he poses a threat," Bruce stated, going back down into the cave.

Eliana shook her head frustratedly. This was bad. If Terry told anyone about what he saw, then she and Bruce would be in danger. But somehow, her heart disagreed with that thought. She hadn't known Terry for long, but there was something about him that made her trust him.

She was just hoping that her heart was right.....

~8~

5 days later

"Breaking news: WaynePowers employee Warren Mcginnis was found dead in his home after a robbery attack from a gang of Jokerz. Mcginnis leaves behind his 2 sons, seen here with his former wife Mary. Among the mourners was McGinnis's employer, Derek Powers, who gave a statement, "I pledge to use whatever influence I have, to see, that these creatures pay for their horrible act"

Eliana shut off the tv, and she couldn't hear anymore. She didn't know why she was so distraught. She didn't even know Terry all that well. Maybe she sympathized with him because she lost her parents the same way he lost his father, but Eliana knew it was so much more than that. "Everything alright?" Eliana looked to see Bruce gazing at her with a worried look.

"Terry Mcginnis....his father was murdered by a gang of Jokerz who robbed his home. I can't even imagine how Terry feels right now," Eliana mumbled the last part. There was nothing Bruce could say, although he understood why Eliana was so deeply affected by the news. He also may or may not have eavesdropped on Terry and Eliana's conversation while he was "asleep", he knew she cared about the teen.

Hours later, just as Eliana was about to go to the Batcave and suit up for her usual patrol, Bruce had called her over. She went to Bruce and saw him looking at the surveillance video. She was about to question why he asked her here until she saw a familiar face approach the Manor buzzer.

They stood quiet as they listened to Terry's voice, "Come on, I know you're in there! Listen to me! Something stinks in your company! I think it cost my old man his life!"

Eliana looked at Bruce with concern. "The answer's on this file! I'd take it to the cops, but you know how cozy they are with Powers! How about you taking a look?" After a brief moment of silence, Terry continued, "Yeah, I should've known, you wouldn't care! You're no Batman. You wacked out old fraud! I thought you would care, Eliana, please... I know your Nightwing. Just hear me out. You're the only person who can help me, please Eliana just give me a chance."

Hearing his broken voice plead to her for help, he made Eliana push the button to open up the entrance gate immediately.

As Bruce and Eliana watched Terry make his way to the Manor, Eliana had a gut feeling that whatever Terry was about to show them was something huge.

And boy, was she right.......