"The hell's wrong with you McGinnis?" - The voice on the other side of the line demanded, yearned to know. Though the voice was tough, there was just a hint of concern...a hint of worry in her voice, that made Terry stop what he was doing and consider it.

The heck was wrong with him? Terry McGinnis was NOT having a good set of days...or rather, nights, as a kid he had heard tales from his dad about how Arkham was not much more than a paper jail - and criminals escaped it anytime. - and now the new jails, since Arkham Asylum/jail/ whatever it had been, was closed, seemed to be just as ineffective at keeping prisoners there. Even common crooks like Willie - who Terry had to admit, was not osp bad, if he had psychic powers he would also probably throw a car at Nash's face. - And Jokerz escaped.

But it was Mad Stanley that was the issue, the mad bomber, who everyone decided to call "Mad Stan" for some reason, had decided that Batman, or rather neo Batman, the vigilante that Terry secretly was was "too much" and in their encounters he often tried to blow him out to smitheerens. And failed. Badly.

Still annoying though,

So he sighed into the mask, the side microphone hearing out the vibrations and converting them into audio. - It was supposed to be the old man watching, always in communication, but on those long trips, there wasn't much he could do or say to him. So he often switched the mask on to Max, the tech wiz who had figured it out. She was a lot more fun to shake his voice at, quavering, and also had a lot more curves.

Yes Max had a lot of curves, an african american beauty, many at the school at where they studied look at that fine shaped ass and those swaying breasts, and the curvaceous shapes of her body and thought they wanted her. Though she didn't give any of it to anyone.

And Terrry often had to remind himself he had a girlfriend, because as much of a complication as his girlfriend Dana Tang was - Dana who always fought him and didn't know his secret, Dana who didn't have those ass shapes. - She was still his girl.

So when the new Batman sighed. Whether in annoyance, whether in tiredness, he couldn't imagine that Max could have a feel for his emotions.

"C'mon Terr, you beat most crooks in 3 or 4 movements. Mad Stanley is dim as a rock." - By the silence that followed and the sound of typing, Terry could imagine her, smiling, and he too smiled at the thought of Mad stan. She was probably just in some short shorts and old worn shirt, typing in her pc about some issue or other….it was maddening to think about.

"Both you and I know that's not the problem…" - Terry was suddenly jolted back to the present, or rather, what he should be thinking, work, by her words. Though the Batmobile drove itself through the skies of Gotham city, the city he had sworn to protect both to his mentor and ot himself, automatically, it was still good to keep an eye on things.

"You're worried about your future!" - Max was half right, of course Terry was worried about his future, he planned to stay in Gotham, keeping up Batman, protecting the innocent, the rich and the poor, the young and old, from the common enemies, the evil bad guys, the petty crooks. There was a shade of gray to it all. And he didn't operate entirely within the law, but he was doing his part.

So...no college education? Even Bruce wayne who …. shockingly had been the original Batman, had gotten countless degrees, spent years training his body after. For justice, for responsability, for a better city...Terry had started this superhero biz...young, maybe too young. How could he leave any of that behind? What? He'd go to classes in day, help Bruce around in the afternoon, take 2 or 3 hours to study, and then spend the night patrolling? He'd die in a week! He wouldn't be able to sleep!

Not that it mattered, anyhow since he was almost failing , he was so tired. Bruce had worked him hard, and he fell asleep in class, once or twice, or, if he had to admit, countless times. Luckily he didn't snore.

So all he could say was…"Yes...I am." - Max was very perceptive. Another sigh - "I don't know if I'll ever get to decide...stay and help people, go out? Every night I'm not out here" - He made a sweeping gesture, though she couldn't see it, probably. - "Is a night some thief, or murderer, or rapist, or someone gets away and hurts another."

That was not the whole truth anyway, he had gripping tightly, his sweaty brow, even if the suit was designed to allow him to maintain his temperature comfortably. He was also nervous. His mom was secretly shagging someone.

Oh he wouldn't have seen the signs. No he wouldn't, after all, his mom had been very careful sneaking and out at night, and excusing herself with work when caught. The bags under her eyes, the smell that couldn't be from anything else (Terry had once or twice done something with Dana, and it had made his room reek for hours, no matter what he put in there), the ways her eyes glowed…

He was being trained by the world's greatest detective, after all. If he didn't notice (or smell) those signs, then what could he possibly have learned. She seemed fuller...happier somehow.

And Terry realised that his father was dead,, and before that his father and mother had split up for years, ever since his little brother had been born pretty much. And he was a young adult...he only wanted the best for her, and if whatever man (or woman!) made her happy, made her so, then so be it.

He'd still act surprised when she told them and introduced the person, mailman, milkman, whatever clichê.

But it was like that.

Only a small infim part of him couldn't help but worry, he had seen so many cases of domestic disputes, that….well, it was ridiculous, she seemed happy, but he had that nagging worry that refused to leave. This was Gotham, where even district attorneys can be bad people. (Though not at that time)

"Thinking about your mom?" - Max was very perceptive, indeed, how did she….he hadn't shared any of those thoughts or feelings or suspicions with her. Did she even….how the fu….He let out a shocked gasp. It seemed Max had been doing a little digging of her own. Darn that Gibson!

"How did you?" - And as he set the Batplane computer to search for threats to the city, major ones, which was selfish of him, but he needed to have this conversation with Max, and someone getting mugged would only distract him from it. His eye slits in the suit narrowed. - "How did you even? What?" - He tried to laugh, to sound well, but she knew him too well to know that he was well.

"You're a terrible liar, Terr. And I do understand why you're upset. As for how I know about your mother? Feminine intuition. But your mother can handle herself. She grew to raise you for some years and I have a feeling you were a wild child! " - Terry laughed along with Max, it was true, from what he had heard from his mother, he had been one of those kids that didn't keep quiet for a minute. - "Now stop being an idiot savant and focus on your job, I don't want you getting killed."

"But…"

"No buts...why do you men always have to be so macho, so...women are not dandy flowers that can't handle themselves, geez!" - Max was talking through her headset, which was not as high quality as the headset put inside the Batman's suit, that converted waves into sound, and transmitted them over long distances, but he could tell she was annoyed.

"Max, I protect everybody, male, female, in between, it's my job,it's what I do, I don't care for gender." - He thought back to her body, to how close she had been when he carried her. And then he had to think of Dana. His brain seemed to lose focus sometimes when he thought of Max for some reason. But he had made a promise to Dana, and he would keep it.

She sighed.

"I'm sorry I jumped at you." - She relaxed, and it was audibly perceptible. - "Ya know those Kobra after gangs that have been left?"

Kobra had been the major threat that Terry had had to face as a super hero, they were terrorists and a whole book could be said about them, in fact, whole books were being written about them! Most of them speculative fanfiction. Since nobody wanted to come forward and admit to being Batman...endanger themselves and become a target...and of course nobody wanted to admit to have been a member of Kobra, those propped up everywhere. Not one got the full story right.

Some sub-sections still tried, trying to reorganise and restart the organization, even if the messiah of the organization was dead. It was a case to say "Some people just don't know when to quit"

Well, seeing as Max had been pretty closely affected by the ordeal she had volunteered to do the eletronic part and destroy their websites and forums. She had been caught reading them, despite Terry's warning.

:"They...don't treat women very well...and they had women members how did they agree to those hateful things"

Terry sighed, Max was pretty smart, if she wanted to discuss feminist ideas with him, well...he wouldn't be capable of fololwing.

"I don't know, some people just want comfort, even in the most unlikeliest of places"

She guessed that was true.

"Like you and Dana?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah...it's clear you and Dana are not meant for one another...you keep fighting and breaking up and getting back together, but what is it that the bats said to me, some people just want comfort!"

Terry was left without words.

"You know I can't break up with her...I've promised her I'd try seriously"

"As you do….for the 6th time...and then your Job" - She put air quotes over the last word. - "Gets in the way."

"Well I guess I'd need to find a girl who I could trust with my secret...a girl to fight alongside me, right?"

Max smiled.

"I guess you'd need to."

Terry was too cowardly to do anything about it, to say those simple words, even if he felt set up. He could fight and defeat 20 thugs in a battle, or a super villain, join the justice league unlimited or travel through time, but not utter those words.

"I gotta go."

He heard a gulp….he didn't know if it was disappointment or what...but he was afraid to take the next step.

"See you at school."

Max choked up.

"Y...yeah Terr, see you tomorrow."

Author's note:

According to google docs this chapter is 1881 words long.

Yeah...I've got some...cobwebs that I need to clear from my head, so first of all my way to cope with things is writing….maybe I'll look back at this in a couple and months, look at all I wrote and say "this is silly"

But, right now, I'm going through a real hard time in life, where I've considered some real terrible things to myself, including...well it's too awful to say. I'm not here to gain pity, so I won't go into detail. It's why there were so many stories the last week (well that and the prompt challenge), misery breeds creativity. Merry has always been sort of my...safespace...but even then, I couldn't get myself to make 'em happy, not like this.

But there is a chapter 2 to this story, maybe a chapter 3 as well depending on how things go, it's not a very long story and Terry has to deal with Mad Stan, Dana, and, of course face his mother.

Nice little start though