Batman: The Animated Series - A Bounty Hunter's Love

The Clock King

Batman: The Animated Series 'Fan Fiction Love Story'

By Tayla Drago

Episode #21 – The Clock King

On a Gotham City subway, attorney-at-law Hamilton Hill sits next to Temple Fugate, a businessman typing intently on a laptop computer.

"Good morning, Hill." said Fugate.

"Oh!" Hill notice Fugate to sit on the same train he goes on. "Good morning, um..."

Fugate knows from every timeline every day to tell the soon to be mayor of Gotham all about it. He was that good, a bit too good at it of a type of timing OCD of his.

"Fugate. Temple Fugate." he said. "I should think you remember the name by now, councilor. We've only been taking the same train every day for one year, seven months and thirteen days."

"Oh right! The efficiency expert."

Hill notices how tense he is, and Fugate stiffly informs him that he is preparing to appear in court to appeal against a multi-million-dollar verdict against his company. Hill asks if Fugate at least takes a coffee break. When Fugate says that he does, at precisely 3:00, Hill suggests that he shake up his routine a bit and 'take it at three-fifteen', the better to appear more relaxed in court. So picky to his own co-workers.

"I needed those five minutes ago." Fugate takes the files.

"I'm sorry, sir, but..."

At least go easy on the boy, dude...

"Thirty-seven pages? That would take a copier exactly one minute and forty-nine seconds. One more delay like this and you're fired!"

Yeah...Again, very picky through his daily time thing. After returning to his office, Fugate considers this advice, and, to the utter astonishment of his secretary, asks her to put his coffee in a thermos. Fugate takes his coffee to a park, but just when he begins to relax, disaster strikes he is hit by a stray ball from some children, and his papers are scattered everywhere by the wind. In his scramble to pick them up again, a dog barks and startles him, making him fall into a fountain. He arrives late to the courthouse, and the judge rules that since Fugate failed to appear, the verdict will stand in default. When Fugate protests that his company will be ruined, the judge advises 'then perhaps this will teach you to be on time for a change'.

"Due to his failure to appear, this court finds your client in default. Judgement stands at twenty-million dollars."

Now the judge tells Fugate that.

"No! You can't!" Fugate begged the judge. "I'll be ruined!"

"Then perhaps this will teach you to be on time for a change."

As his lawyer shrugs, apologetically and leaves, Fugate screams like a madman at the financial ruin of his career...

"Aaaahhhhhh!" he screams.

Seven years later at 8:57 AM, Hill is mayor of Gotham, running for re-election. Yet again for Megan to hang around to see Mayor Hill is well protected to be paid for it.

"(Sometimes I wonder why I get stuck in this mess while still getting paid.)" Megan asks herself. "(Whatever...The sooner this day's done, the better.) Re-election this mayor to run Gotham once again, people. Yeah, yeah..." she was being silly to be saying it in those words with the flag up.

On his way to a fundraiser, his limousine is stopped when traffic lights begin malfunctioning, creating several crashes and a major gridlock. Seems that both Bruce and Alfred know of Megan's little helping job to see what was going on. For the others go crazy from here to there.