Batman Beyond: The New Dynamic Duo

April Moon

At Gotham's Jewelry Plant, past the midnight hour, three young men dressed in different coloured jackets excited a car. The man in the green jacket, who was also the group leader, turned to see one of the men still sitting in the car. “Opening-night jitters?” He asked.

A guy dressed in yellow, called Kneejerk, interrupted, “He's scared, Harold. That's what it is,” he teased.

Harold shoved him away. “Shut up! We got no reason to be scared. We're not punk kids anymore. We're special. We're gonna own this city. And here are the keys.” He boasted, raising his metal wrist prosthetic.”

His strong speech made Knux, dressed in a blue jacket, confidently leaving the car. “Thanks, Harold.”

“You know, I never liked that name. I need something more appropriate now, like you all. I’m thinkin Bullwhip!” Bullwhip announced, proceeding to crack out his steel whip from his wrist to destroy the alarm.

“You're up,” he said to Terrapin, the hefty member of the group who was dressed in a red shirt. Terrapin smiled and took his shirt, flinging it at Kneejerk, to reveal multiple metal parts all over his body. Terrapin concentrated as a retractable suit of armor encased his body. He ran towards the jewelry plant’s steel door and smashed through it.

“You keep watch,” Bullwhip instructed Knux as the rest ran past towards the vault. Kneejerk took the lead next with chainsaws extending out of his knees and wrists. The chainsaws penetrated the vault and cut a giant hole for them to enter.

From his position at the front entrance, Knux heard a noise from behind and turned to see Batman and Nightwing gilding downwards towards him. He gasped, but it was too late for him to even attempt to dodge. The heroes crashed into the man, knocking him out cold. Running into the vault, Nightwing took out a bola from her utility belt and threw it at Kneejerk, wrapping his hands together.

The heroes ducked as Bullwhip cracked whip at their heads. The man tried his other whip only for Batman and Nightwing to catch it and use it to throw Bullwhip against the wall. Terrapin rushed at Batman while Kneejerk tried slashing Nightwing with his chainsaws.

Nigthwing skifully flipped out of the way of his strikes, pulled out an escrima stick, and launched one of the Kneejerks legs, causing him to trip and smash his chain saw knees into the ground destroying them. Leaving the man disabled on the floor in agony, Nightwing moved to help her partner, who was struggling with Terrapin only to be stopped by a whip strike.

She heard footsteps heading towards her and turned her head to see Knux, conscious again, charging at her with piston-covered fists. Nightwing cried out as he punched her hard, sending her crashing into a wall. Batman joined her seconds later, with Terrapin smashing him into the wall.

Police sirens blared in the distance, and the thieving group regrouped, grabbing what jewelry they’d collected “Cops! I don't want this to turn into a war, not tonight,” Bullwhip said. WIth Kneejerk draped over Terrapin’s back, the group escaped the vault

Both groaning from their impacts, the heroes lifted their heads from the ground just in time to see the group disappear.

“Argh, I’m so going to be sore in the morning,” Nightwing expressed with a grimace, accepting a hand from her partner.

“At least we won’t be leaving empty-handed,” Batman said, pointing to a metal part that was left behind.

“Must’ve come from the guy with the chainsaws,” Nightwing speculated as the two analyzed the part in Batman’s hand.  

“Well there’s only one way of finding out who made it,” Batman said before they left the jewelry plant as the cops finally arrived.

~8~