Part of being a hero and putting on the mask was that it came with sacrifices. Sacrifices that usually impacted the personal life of the hero wearing it. Unfortunately for Terry and Eliana, this meant not being fully involved with school life, or rather teen life. So they often missed out on school events and teen drama.

Max, thankfully, was always kind enough to keep them up to date with info. Which is exactly what she was doing as Terry and Eliana patrolled around the city.

“Let me see if I got all this. Jurgen is breaking up with Blade so he can see Chris. But Chris is interested in Eric, who doesn’t want to date anybody. Now wait a minute, that doesn’t sound like Eric to me,” Terry said. “It’s not. You’re thinking of the other Eric,” Max corrected. “Wait, there’s two of them now!?” Eliana exclaimed.

How much had they missed?!

“See how important these little updates are? Without them, people would start wondering why you both don’t know what’s going on at school anymore.”

Eliana snorted, “We should just tell them we’re busy chasing renegade synthoids and living heads.” She could only imagine the priceless looks and her peers’ faces if they did. But alas, they couldn’t. Not that any of them would believe them, Max responded as such.

“They wouldn’t believe it.”

“Neither do we,” Terry said with amused exasperation. Just then, a bunch of police cruisers flew past the batplane, sirens blaring. They seemed to be chasing a renegade truck. “Someone’s in a hurry,” Eliana commented before they entered the chase.

The truck managed to evade the police but not the heroes. When the batplane got close enough, Terry pushed a button that shot out a grappling line. “This’ll stop them,” he said. “Stop who?” “Well we’re about to find out,” Eliana answered.

It took some resistance, but the duo was finally able to gain control over the driver and stop the vehicle. Terry and Eliana watched as police cruisers caught up and surrounded the truck. The two watched intently, curious to see who the crazy driver was.

“Ter-I mean Batman, Nightwing, who was in such a big hurry?” Max asked eagerly. When the driver stepped out, his identity shocked all three of them. “It’s Sean Miller,” Eliana said breathlessly.

“Sean Miller!?”

“Yeah, from our history class,” Terry responded, not even believing his eyes. Sean sat next to him in history. It was strange to know someone right next to you was capable of doing something as reckless and insane as this.

~8~

Throughout the next couple of days, classrooms at Hamilton Hill began to shrink with more students not attending. It became very noticeable to Eliana and Terry when their business class had only six people in it.

“It’s getting to be a ghost town in here,” Dana commented. “Cold and flu season?” Terry inquired. Eliana disagreed. There was no way the flu season had taken out so many people all in a short period of time. Chelsea turned around in her seat to face them. “More like Dr. Wheeler and that ranch of his.”

It took a minute for Eliana and Terry to think, but then they remembered. After Sean Miller’s infamous stunt, a new commercial had been airing. Spearheaded by Dr. Wheeler was a ranch just outside of Gotham that specialized in therapy and rehabilitation for troubled adolescents.

Terry gestured to the empty class, “All this? Come on, Chels,” he responded skeptically. “Come on, yourself. The parents are scared. They’re sending their kids off to therapy by the busload. As if they needed it,” Chelsea said. “Sean needed it. Lots and lots of it,” Dana interjected.

“Yeah, but what about Alexa and Jamal? And Adam Stepnik?” Chelsea fired back. “Adam got sent away? But he makes those beautiful paintings,” Eliana said in disbelief. “Except sometimes he uses other people's walls,” Chelsea reminded. Yes, Adam was a bit misguided, but was being sent to a ranch for therapy? Even that seemed to be a bit drastic.

Dana sighed, “Well, I guess if a kid’s parents want him to get therapy, it's not like we can do anything.” Chelsea went back to her seat and cracked her knuckles. “Speak for yourself. I’m gonna email the principal. Rattle his cage.” “Careful, Chels,” Terry warned. Chelsea had the habit of acting before thinking, and that had led to her getting into trouble on multiple occasions.

“Hey, it's like a letter to the editor. My dad writes them all the time.”

What Chelsea didn’t expect was for the principal to call her father after school to tell him about the email and, more importantly, his concerns about her inappropriate behavior.

~8~

When Chelsea didn’t show up to school the following day, Terry, Eliana, Max, and Dana were very worried. They looked at the empty seat at their lunch table.

“The email must’ve been the last straw,” Max spoke up. “I knew her dad had issues with her, but I didn’t think…” Eliana trailed off. “He probably figured the ranch would straighten her out,” Terry said grimly.

Dana blurted out, “Straighten her out!? How could anyone think Chelsea deserves to be in the same place as a kid like Sean?” Eliana agreed, Chelsea was rebellious but not in the criminal or harmful aspect like Sean.

“I got another one for you. What kind of place would admit a normal kid like Chelsea? Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” Dana said.

“Somebody should look into that ranch,” Dana suggested. Max gave Eliana and Terry a pointed look, “Yeah, somebody.”

~8~

That night, Batman and Nightwing started their investigation at the clinic. The facility was huge, and there was a metal wall surrounding it. To the heroes, it resembled a prison more than anything. Getting onto the roof, the duo eavesdropped through the wall using their fingertip mics. They heard Dr. Wheeler’s voice, but what he was saying was disturbing.

“Easiest thing in the world, being a teenager. You get up, you go to school, you come home and you do your homework. How do you mess that up? Yet all of you did, in one way or another. And now I have to clean up that mess!”

The duo thought the doctor’s speech would end in a few minutes, but it did not. In fact, Wheeler was still speaking after two hours. His speech continued to be full of insults and beratement. How was any of that therapeutic?

Eventually, they called Bruce.

“He’s been going on like this for hours. Telling them how worthless they are and how only he can help them. For God's sake, B, he won’t even let them go to the bathroom. It’s barbaric!” Eliana reported furiously.

“Sleep deprivation, endless harangues. It’s classic brainwashing. Some cults do it. It’s also occasionally used on prisoners of war,” Bruce said.

“And Wheeler’s doing it to kids,” Terry said gruffly. Just then, the heroes heard another voice speak. It was a male, but he sounded so weak. Tired. Eliana curled her fist at the conversation that followed.

“Dr. Wheeler, could I go back to my room? It’s so late, I can hardly keep my eyes open.”

“No! You need to listen to this, all of you! And I’ve got lots more to say. Hours more,” Wheeler replied sternly.

“Please,” the teen begged. The utter desperation in his voice was heartbreaking.

“Guards, take him to the ISO,” Wheeler ordered. What the duo heard next were the teens' desperate protests.

“The ISO? No, please! I’ll be good, I promise. Please, no!”

Having finally heard enough, Batman and Nightwing lifted from their crouched positions and turned to leave. However, they failed to see the red security beam below them.  They tripped it, and a loud alarm began blaring. The heroes pressed themselves against a wall as guards poured out from the facility. A spotlight shone around.

If they stayed in their position any longer, they'd be caught, so the duo had no choice but to make a run for it. They were almost successful until a guard caught sight of them on the wall and ordered his men to fire. Every single spotlight and gun was trained on Batman and Nightwing.

Two guards exited from a watchtower right in front of them but were easily taken down with some swift kicks. “We can lose them in the air!” Nightwing called out to her partner. The two then promptly opened their suits gliders and blasted into the sky. What they didn’t expect was for Wheeler’s security to have its own form of air defense.

The head of the guards was chasing after them in a mobile pod. As the chase went into the forest behind the facility, one of the guards shot a tree just as the duo passed it causing them to plummet to the ground.

Batman and Nightwing looked up at the guard, hovering above them. They quickly dodged the laser shot that followed. Batman pulled out a smoke pellet and threw it at the guard. It provided the distraction they needed to slip into camouflage mode. When the guard gained his bearings, he believed they had vanished and left.

“That was a close one,” Batman commented as he and Nightwing switched back to normal visibility. “What kind of ranch has advanced high-tech defense like that?” Nightwing said, narrowing her eyes in the direction of the ranch.

~8~

Back in the Batcave, Terry and Eliana were annoyed to hear that Bruce disagreed with involving the police. “What do we need more evidence for? You tapped the feed from our fingertip mics, didn’t you? All you have to do is take it to the authorities,” Terry argued.

Bruce raised a brow, “And what do I say when they ask me where I got it? A little bat and bird left it on my front porch?”

Oh. Well, yes, that would pose a problem.

Eliana, who had been pacing throughout the entire conversation, exclaimed, “We have to do something Bruce, those kids are being practically tortured in there! Wheeler sent a kid to the ISO. Who knows what psychotic punishment that entails? ”

She thought of Chelsea and wondered how the poor girl was faring. She didn’t want her friend to mentally break from Wheeler. They couldn’t afford to wait any longer. Eliana was so engrossed in her thoughts that she missed her boyfriend’s face light up from an idea.

“You still got that plastic minivid cam? The one you can take through a metal detector?” Terry asked Bruce. “I’ve got it, but you’re not thinking of-” “Some jobs are just too tough for Batman. That’s when Terry Mcginnis swings into action. Along with his beautiful girlfriend,” Terry smiled at Eliana, who returned it halfheartedly.

He walked over and pulled her close. “Hey, we’re gonna expose Wheeler for the evil man he is and free those teens, including Chels. Everything’s gonna be okay,” Terry assured. To drive his point home, he bent down and kissed her.

Bruce politely looked away.

~8~

At Wheeler’s ranch the following day, Terry and Eliana walked up to the security check-in. The man at the front desk was none other than the man who chased them the night before. Eliana glanced at his name tag; Vincent. Wheeler sure knew how to pick them. With his shaved head and sharp blue eyes, Vincent was very intimidating.

“Mcginnis, Grayson, here to see Chelsea Cunningham,” Terry informed. The two-handed their ID’s over for Vincent to verify. Once he did, Donnie held up his hand, “Backpacks.” “What for?” Eliana questioned. Their suits were in their bags. If things went south they’d have no protection.

“Visitors aren’t allowed to bring anything in. Let me put it this way. You two don’t give me your backpacks. You don’t get in. What’s in there, anyway? Your security blanket and makeup?” Vincent teased the both of them.

Eliana narrowed her eyes. If she had already disliked him, she definitely hated him now. “Personal objects. Do I really need to educate you on things female? I don’t think you want to see a bag full of menstrual products now, do you, Vincent?”

Vincent flushed and silently took their bags into a locked storage room. Terry took a moment to send a smirk to his girlfriend. Vincent waved them through the security metal detectors, and once they cleared, Terry and Eliana walked through the main foyer.

To the side of the room, an inmate’s parents were trying to talk with him. “It's been tough on all of us too, but you gotta stick it out,” the dad said. “Your father’s right. Listen-” “I don’t want to listen!” The teen snapped.

Terry and Eliana looked sound, but Chelsea was nowhere, so they walked up to a guard. “Where’s Chelsea Cunningham?” Terry asked. “She canceled. Didn’t wanna see anyone today,” the guard replied.

“There’s gotta be a mistake. We just made the appointment,” Eliana rebutted. Something was going on. Chelsea would never turn down the chance to speak to her friends… unless she was forced to.

“No mistake,” the guard responded. Before either Eliana or Terry could continue the conversation, the teen talking with his parents lashed out further.

“I’m getting out here!” But the teen didn’t get far and was tackled by guards, including the one Terry and Eliana were talking with.

With all the guards distracted, the duo slipped into the entrance of the main facility. They couldn’t stay out in the open, so they had to hide and fast. Eliana spotted an open-air duct above them. “Up there, we should be able to move through the facility undetected,” she said. “Good idea,” Terry responded before the two quickly climbed up the wall and through the iron bars.

Eventually, they looked out another opening to see a line of inmates walking below, Chelsea among them. “Chels,” Terry called out quietly when the teen walked under the duct. Chelsea paused and looked up. Now, normally, one would be surprised at Chelsea's position, but the girl looked utterly exhausted and barely reacted. “Terry, Eliana?” Chelsea questioned.

“Yeah, Chels, it’s us,” Eliana answered softly. The duo noticed the heavy bag under Chelsea’s eyes and how sickly she appeared, and their eyes widened at the state of their friend. It took a lot of effort for Eliana’s jaw not to drop.

“What happened to you?” Terry asked, aghast. “I haven't been sleeping much,” Chelsea confessed. “Is this why you didn’t want to see us?” Eliana questioned. It turned out that Chelsea had wanted to see them both but was told that they were the ones that canceled.

“Listen, there’s a lot of weird stuff going on here,” Chelsea warned. “We know, hold on a second,” Eliana said before nodding to Terry, who took out the minivid cam. He hit the record button, and Chelsea started her statement.

“The sleep thing’s just the beginning. He’s trying to break our will, turn us all into little robots. Wheeler’s got this thing they call “ISO”. Short for “isolation.” It’s total sensory deprivation. No light, no sound. He uses it on the kids who don’t get with the program. It.. you guys gotta get me out of here,” Chelsea begged.

She reached up to the iron bars separating them, and Terry and Eliana immediately placed their hands on hers. “That’s gonna happen, Chels,” Terry comforted. Eliana raised her hand to Chelsea's cheek, which the girl leaned into. “Just as soon as someone we know sees this video. In the meantime, just try to stay schway for another day or two, okay?”

With tears streaming down her face, Chelsea shakily nodded. “I’ll try,” she said, wiping them away.

~8~

Terry and Eliana peered through the window of the same door they slipped through and were glad to see the guards still talking to the lashed out inmate’s parents. Just as they were about to exit and successfully complete their mission, they heard Terry’s name called out. “Mcginnis!”

Terry and Elinana turned around to see none other than Sean Miller. “Oh and Grayson, too! You both come to see me?” Sean said, slapping Terry on the back. “Afraid not Sean,” Terry answered curtly before the couple tried to leave again.

Sean forcefully turned Terry back to face him. “Don’t you wanna talk about the old days? Like, say that fight we had back in seventh grade? Ah, I remember it real well, Terry. The way you and others were always laughing at me.”

Terry tugged his arm free from Sean’s grip. “I don’t have time for this right now, Sean.” Terry grabbed Eliana’s hand and walked to the door. But before they could reach it, Sean pulled Terry back and pushed him to the ground. Sean smiled, “I got the time.” The teen pounced on Terry, and the two battled it out.

Eliana wanted to intervene, but she acted too late. Guards had heard the commotion and walked into the hall they were occupying. Vincent being one of them. His eyes narrowed on Terry and Eliana. “What do you think you’re doing?” He then asked Sean.

“We were just talking, that’s all!” Sean lied. Vincent gazed at the blood from Sean’s split lip. “Just talking, huh?” Sean pointed an accusatory finger at Terry, “He started it!” “Liar,” Terry rebutted.

“I’m afraid I have to agree.”

Everyone looked to see Dr. Wheeler walked toward them, and he did not look happy. Specifically at Sean. Sean’s bravado fell at the sight of the doctor. “Dr. Wheeler, you know me. I don’t get into fights anymore.” Wheeler quirked a brow and smiled humorlessly. “Do I know you, Sean? I thought I did. But now I think you were just pretending to go along with the program.”

“No, I was into it. Really,” Sean said desperately. Wheeler stalked up to the teen and leaned his face near his. “ISO. First thing in the morning,” Wheeler told his guards, eyes not leaving Sean’s. “ISO? No, you can’t!” Sean protested, struggling in the guard's grip.

Wheeler didn’t bat an eye. “I’m sorry, Sean. It’s time you made some real progress.”

“You do this, I’ll get you. I swear! I swear!” Sean continued yelling until he was dragged from sight.

Wheeler gave his attention to Terry and Eliana. “Now, then. Mr. Mcginnis, Ms. Grayson, is it? What were you two doing back here?” “Just looking for a bathroom. That’s when he jumped me. We know each other from school. Weren’t exactly what you called “close” Terry replied. He hoped his innocent response would be enough.

It wasn’t.

“Pat them down,” Wheeler ordered his men. Two grabbed Terry and Eliana respectfully and slammed them up against the wall. “Hey! Let go!” Eliana exclaimed, wiggling in the guard's grip. The guard searching Terry found the minivid and handed it to Wheeler. “What’s this for? Home movies?” Wheeler asked rhetorically. 

He pushed the rewind button and found the video of Chelsea’s omission. “Whose idea was this?” Wheeler interrogated. Terry and Eliana glared at the doctor, not saying a word.

“Lock them in a room,” Wheeler ordered his guards.

“Hey! You can’t do this! This whole place is gonna crash when parents find out about you,” Terry yelled as they were being led away. “I’m Bruce Wayne’s ward. Do you really think he won’t notice me missing? I’m sure he’ll love to hear about how you're holding his beloved ward hostage,” Eliana cried out. She’d hoped to intimate Wheeler with the threat.

Wheeler’s expression hardened even further, “Leave her here.” “Terry!” Eliana cried out, struggling to break from the guard's grip to get to her boyfriend. She almost succeeded until more guards came to handle her.

As Terry continued to be separated from his girlfriend, he shouted, “No! Eliana! If you touch her wheeler , help me God, you will regret it!” Then he was out of sight and hearing.

“What do you want, Wheeler?” Eliana spits out. “You’re going to contact Bryce Wayne and tell him everything is fine,” Wheeler said. “And if I don’t?” Eliana challenged.

“Then that boy of yours will be sent to ISO first thing in the morning, along with Ms. Cunningham,” Wheeler threatened, making Eliana’s eyes widen in horror.

~8~

“So how do you want to get rid of Mcginnis and Grayson?” Vincent asked his boss as they walked through the hall. “The road through the forest winds pretty badly. Sometimes trees come at you from out of nowhere. And you know how little protection those cycles give,” Wheeler answered.

“It won't be easy. They’re both fighters, especially the boy,” Vincent reminded. Wheeler smiled, “Then we just have to take the fight out of him. Give him ISO in the morning, and be discreet. I wouldn’t want Ms. Grayson to find out.”

~8~

That night, Terry couldn't fall asleep. His mind was too restless as he thought about Eliana. Her frantic scream echoes his head. What had Wheeler done to her? Was she safe? Was she even still alive? Terry shook his head. He couldn’t go down that path. Eliana was strong. She could handle herself. Besides, he had to focus. He had to figure out a plan to get to his Batman suit. With it, he would have the power to stop Wheeler and free the other imprisoned teens.

Maniacal laughter interrupted his planning. There was another reason Terry was being kept awake. It was just his luck that his room was right next to Sean’s. “Will you shut up!” Terry exclaimed, his patience running thin.

Sean’s response traveled through the air vent, connecting their room. “Got some news for you, Mcginnis. Word is, I’m not going to ISO alone.” Terry remained silent, taking the information in. “No comment, huh?”

Terry got up from his bed and approached the wall separating them, an idea forming in his brain. “Maybe neither of us will have to go.” “Sorry, fool, Wheeler doesn’t change his mind,” Sean chuckled.

“He won’t have to,” Terry implied.

“What are you talking about?”

“Something neither of us has ever been good at. Cooperation.”

“Cooperate? With you?” Sean laughed.

Terry frowned. He couldn’t overpower the guards on his own. He needed help. More importantly, it seemed he needed to make amends for past actions. “If I get out of here, there are people I can go to. People who’ll shut this place down. But I can’t get out unless you help me,” he tried to persuade. But Sean was still unconvinced.

“What do I care if they close the ranch? They’ll just put me in some other place.”

“No. This is your chance to prove they’re wrong about you. Maybe your last chance,” Terry reasoned. There was a moment of silence before Sean finally agreed.
They spent the rest of the night formulating their plan, and when the guards came to fetch them in the morning, they were ready.

As Terry was being led to the ISO room, he passed by Adam Stepnik. He was distressed to see the teen staring blankly at a canvas stroking Adam’s face was blank, and Terry noticed that he was painting a blank canvas using a brush with no paint.

Vincent was waiting for them as they entered the room. He smiled and pushed the buttons that opened two ISo chambers. He walked over to Terry and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Just think of it as a whole lot of peace and quiet, all at once,” he sneered.

“You two go quietly. We might let you out a little early,” Sean’s guard said.

Terry and Sean made eye contact and nodded. They both took steps toward their chambers before they roundhouse kicked their guards. Terry barreled into Vincent, but the guard was a tougher opponent than he expected. Terry struggled to breathe as Vincent put him in a tight headlock.

All of a sudden, Vincent released his hold and collapsed to the ground unconscious. Terry looked up to see Adam with a broom. He then ran over to Sean, who pickpocketed the master key card off his guard. The two ran through the facility’s halls, but when they turned the corner, there was a group of guards. “They’re cut off. Get them!”

Eventually, the teens reached a dead end. “There’s no way out!” Terry exclaimed. Sean held up the master card, “Sure there is.” He inserted it into a system on the wall, and all the facility's rooms opened. Teens poured out of their rooms in anger and rushed at the guards. A fight broke out between the guards and the teens. “All we needed was a little distraction,” Sean commented. Terry gave him a small smile,” Thanks for helping Sean, now find your way out.”

Sean caught Terry’s shirt before he could run off, “Wait, I thought you wanted to get out?” “I have to find Eliana. You go,” Terry answered. Sean shrugged and ran in the direction of the exit.

Terry ran in the opposite direction to the storage room. When he burst through the door, he was relieved to see that Eliana was already inside.

They embraced instantly. Terry pulled them apart and inspected his girlfriend from head to toe. “Did he hurt you?” He asked urgently. Eliana shook her head, “No, he made me send a message to Bruce to tell him I was fine so he wouldn't suspect.” Terry sighed, “Thank God.”

“Was this all you're doing?” Eliana questioned as they began to suit up. “Not just mine. I had a little help from Sean,” Terry answered, and he chuckled at the surprise on Eliana’s face. “Really? He agreed to help you?”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you about it later. Right now, we need to help those teens.”

And they helped just in time. The guards were overwhelming the teens fast and began to throw tear gas bombs to prevent them from escaping. The guards were about to set off another, but Batman and Nightwing appeared and defeated the guards with the students cheering them on.

However, Vincent suddenly appeared and zapped Batman with an electric staff. “Big mistake, buddy,” Nightwing growled and punched Vincent in the gut before disarming him. Batman recovered and finished off the guard with a hard punch to the face.

With all the guards taken out and students freed, the only thing left was to find Wheeler. The duo found the doctor pleading for mercy on the edge of the facility’s roof, with Sean holding him by his jacket. “You were gonna give me ISO,” Sean snarled.

“NO!” Batman yelled out. “Stay out of this!” Sean yelled back. “You made your point. This place has crashed, and Wheeler’s going to jail,” Nightwing reasoned. Sean smiled sadistically, “I don’t care. The only reason I went along with it was ‘cause I was hoping I’d get a chance for this.”

“Don’t you get it? You helped save everybody. You’re a hero now!” Batman pleaded. “A hero?” Sean laughed at the title and released Wheeler. Batman blasted into the air and caught the falling doctor. When the heroes spotted the police they handed the evil doctor over and watched the happy sight of teens reuniting with their parents. From the crowd, they saw Chelsea hug her father.

~8~

When everyone had cleared out, Terry and Eliana changed back into their civics and stared at the ranch from a distant hill. They heard the crunching of grass behind them but didn’t need to turn around to figure out who it was.

“Despite Eliana’s message, I got worried when you two didn’t come back,” Bruce said. Eliana turned her head to the old man and teased, “Bet you brought one of your old bat suits with you.” There was a trace of a smile on Bruce’s face, “You’ll never know.”

“I hope you two don’t think this place was typical,” Bruce said. “No, but I sure wish we didn’t need them,” Terry replied as the trio sadly watched Sean being taken into custody.

Even if the ranch was a hoax, it didn't change the fact that there were still troubled children in the world.