Every morning, at 0700 hours he’d wake in preparation for his fight with his brother Damian at 0800 hours. The routine temporarily stopped the morning after their father was taken down by Bane. The two were too exhausted to even wake at their usual time. He expected the routine to resume the morning after when their father’s condition was tended to by doctor Shondra Kinsolving, but it didn’t.
0815 hours, still nothing.
It was unlike Damian to be late. Something must be wrong. At 0900 hours he decided to leave his room. He played with the idea that the older Wayne had finally decided to change tactics and trap him instead. He was cautious not to head towards the cave immediately to check on the cameras. Damian could have gone down first and planted traps. Instead, he went to the kitchen to gather his gear before he trekked up towards his brother’s room.
0915 hours, he wondered if the other was sick. He was not in his room. Something felt out of place. Terry hurried to their father’s room, maybe he went to visit dad instead of continuing their routine. Damian wasn’t there either. The only person there was their father, resting from his violent encounter. Terry stayed a moment longer to make sure nothing disturbed the man before he left in search for Damian again.
It was getting stranger and stranger. There was no sign of his brother anywhere. He stealthily entered the cave and checked for traps as he went. He was surprised when he found none. Terry frowned as he approached the bat-computer with caution. He checked and double-checked for possible ambush, but there was none. The security recordings flickered onto the screen with a few skillful strokes and vocal commands. He rewound the footages until he spotted something in Damian’s room.
“Zoom camera three and play recording in real time.” He ordered. The video on the bottom left corner enlarged and began to play.
He frowned in worry. Someone broke into Wayne Manor without setting off any of the alarms. The front door was repaired, but the rest of the manor would have to wait until Bruce was awake to make decisions. If he was still there, they might’ve been able to catch the intruder before Damian was taken. It was a woman, donned in black with long hair.
Damian had woken up to the intruder, but the woman was prepared and covered a cloth against his face. He struggled frantically before falling back to unconsciousness.
Chloroform. Terry noted as the woman hauled Damian under her arm. He could tell she was strong with the sinew rippling under the tight black fabric.
She paused and turned around to the camera with a smile. She knew it was there. Her mouth made elaborate movements for as if aiming for someone to lip read, she knew the cameras didn’t record sound.
Terry pulled out a notepad and pencil and scribbled down each word he made out. “… I… will… take… Da-mi-an… back… for… now… be-lov-ed…” He muttered and paused the footage. After zooming into the woman’s face he realized it was Talia al Ghul.
She came to take Damian back into her care, which meant his life is no longer in danger from his brother. But what is this indescribable feeling that was bothering him as he digested this information? It was unsettling, there was no danger, so why was there discomfort? He ignored the feeling and scoured the manor for bugs or hidden gifts the woman might’ve left. As much as he wanted to indulge in exploring these strange new feelings he was trained prioritized protocols. Safety before curiosity, it kept him alive in Cadmus, and it’ll keep him alive outside of it.
o.o.o.o.o
“Shondra!” His father’s desperate cry sent chills up Terry’s spine as he hurried to his voice.
His brother was gone, his father was recovering and Tim was away at the Titan’s Tower. They were defenseless against any further attacks. He stayed within the shadows as he watched the vehicle slam shut and speed away. His father was on the ground, knocked off his wheelchair and Dr. Kinsolving was gone, likely taken by the assailants.
“Dad!” He called out to him as he hurried to the older man’s side.
“Get me Damian.” He ordered immediately.
He felt a gnawing pain at his chest. “Damian’s gone.”
Bruce turned to him immediately. “Gone? Where?” He snapped as he grabbed Terry’s arm. “When?”
Terry held back a grimace of pain. His father was hurting him. “This morning.” He answered. “Talia al Ghul took him and left a message for you.”
His father’s eyes narrowed before releasing his arm. “Get the wheelchair.” He ordered and released his arm.
Terry moved to retrieve the item. His arm was red from the harsh grip, but he ignored the urge to rub it. “You’re not planning on going after them in your current state are you?” Terry asked as his father hauled himself back onto the wheelchair.
“Where’s Alfred?” He ignored his question.
“You can’t! Not in your current condition!” Terry started, but the man wheeled himself back towards the house. He tried running in front to stop the man, but his dad glared at him.
“Out of my way.” Bruce growled. “I’ll find Alfred myself.”
“You’re being irrational!” Terry tried again before the man swerved his wheelchair around him and sped into the manor. He gritted his teeth as he chased after him. Despite his injuries, his dad was still a strong man. His arms were more than enough to speed through the halls and towards the kitchen where Alfred could be found.
“Master Bruce, Master Terry are the two of you indulging yourselves in a round of tag?” The butler raised a brow when they rushed into the kitchen. “I doubt Dr. Kinsolving would approve of your choice in games in your current state.”
“She’s been kidnapped.” Bruce said bluntly. “Ready my things, I’m going after her.”
“Alfred, tell him he’s being irrational! He can’t be going out like this! It’s suicidal!” Terry argued adamantly for the first time during his stay at the manor. “You can’t go out as Batman in your current state, much less as Bruce Wayne!”
“It’s none of your business. I know what I’m doing!” Bruce growled.
“Your infatuation with this woman is not worth your life!” Terry snapped. “Call someone from the Justice league to save her if you have to! This is an unnecessary risk you’re taking! She’s nothing more than a civilian! She’s not worth it!”
Silence came between the two before Bruce spoke quietly. “Go to your room and stay there. My decision is final.” He wheeled himself out of the kitchen.
Terry found himself reciting the rules of engagement in reconnaissance work. One must not show true emotions, one must not allow the enemy to see weakness. One must not— He was furious! This man— his father, the most intelligent man in the world, the best of the best… he was the only person he truly respected. How could he let his emotions cloud his rationality? He was going on this pointless endeavor all to save a civilian woman. Not even anyone with value!
His dad leaving was bothered him to no ends. He let out a shaking breath as he raised a hand to his heart. It felt uncomfortable, the pressure felt like pain, but it wasn’t hurting. The steady rhythm pulsed under his hand as he wondered what caused this discomfort. His actions didn’t go unnoticed by the butler.
“Master Terry?” Alfred questioned before his young master turned to him. “Are you feeling well?”
“Just a discomfort at my chest, I’ll be fine in a moment.” He replied, glancing at the door his dad left through. “He shouldn’t be going.”
“You’re worried.” Alfred said quietly.
“…Worried?” Terry questioned as if the word was foreign to him. “Why would I be worried? I know what would happen if he goes as he is now. He will die. People only worry about things they’re uncertain of. I’m quite certain he will die if he goes.”
Alfred shook his head. “You’re worried and possibly even terrified because you know this.”
Terry was confused. “Why would I be?”
“You said you felt a discomfort at your chest. I’m willing to bet you had a similar feelings when you found Master Damian was missing this morning.”
“… How is that discomfort related to anything?” He asked. The old butler seemed to have a sixth sense for these things.
“Master Terry, you feel such because you have an attachment to Master Bruce and Master Damian.” Alfred explained.
“…Attachment?” Terry murmured in confusion. In Cadmus, he never came across these things. The closest he had to this feeling was when his time with Project Meta was coming to an end, but even then it wasn’t this strong.
“You are accustomed to having Master Damian and Master Bruce within your range, when Master Damian was taken, you felt a sense of lost. And with Master Bruce leaving so soon after, it’s natural for you to not want him to leave.”
Terry pushed the thoughts aside. “Aside from these pointless feelings…” They needed to deal with the matters on hand. “Has he even thought about Gotham? What does he think would happen to it if Batman was gone? He’s willing to risk his city for a civilian!”
“That’s just the way Master Bruce is,” Alfred sighed and placed an understanding hand on Terry’s shoulder. “I will try to speak some sense into him, but it’s probably best that you don’t cross him again for now.”
He tensed at the touch and stiffly walked out of the kitchen.
o.o.o.o.o
Alfred watched sadly as his young master left. The boy had no experience in physical affection. He was confused and discomforted by Alfred’s gesture. The old butler sighed as he placed away the polished silverware. There were matters he must speak with Bruce. He was not about to leave his young master alone in the manor, even if he shown that he is quite capable of taking care of himself time and time again. The boy needed more human interaction and stop secluding himself like Batman.
Naturally, he found Bruce in the cave preparing the jet. “Are my things ready, Alfred?” Bruce asked not tearing his eyes away from the screen.
“Sir, there’s a matter I would like to speak to you about before we go.” Alfred spoke. Bruce didn’t turn around. “Surely you don’t expect me to allow you to venture alone on this matter, did you?”
“What is it Alfred? Can’t this wait for when we returned?” He murmured as he pressed for the lift to come down for him.
“It’s about Master Terry.” Alfred replied.
“Whatever it is, we can deal with it when we returned.” Bruce tried rolling towards the lift.
Alfred grabbed onto his chair and stopped him in his tracks. “I’m afraid sir, this cannot wait.” He grounded in a stern tone. “It concerns to his mental well-being.”
At the mention of his pseudo son’s health, Bruce stopped and glanced up. “I’m listening.”
“We already know the boy never had a chance at a normal upbringing in Cadmus, but it seems that he has grown attached to both you and Master Damian.”
“To Damian?” Bruce said in surprise.
“Yes.” Alfred continued. “He wasn’t aware of it himself, but the reason for his behavior earlier was due to his subconscious fear of losing you so soon after Master Damian was taken. You and Master Damian are likely the first he’s attached to.”
“He has Superboy from Cadmus.” Bruce reasoned.
“What I gathered from Master Tim, young Conner is more attached to Master Terry, than Master Terry to him.” Alfred countered. “There’s also Dr. Kinsolving’s kidnap to consider. No doubt he was near when that incident occurred?”
“He appeared as soon as they left. He was probably waiting for them to leave before coming out.” Bruce answered. Taking Terry’s tactical mind into consideration, the boy wouldn’t have approached him unless he was certain it was safe. Otherwise, he would be able to call for assistance if Bruce was taken as well.
“Master Bruce, think in his stand point for a moment. One of the attachments he’s grown accustomed to was taken away. Then not even hours later, someone else was taken in a similar manner. You cannot fault him for feeling the way he does.”
“I see.” The other man murmured.
“While young Master Terry is a child. He does not know how to express himself as one. He hadn’t the luxury to learn as one, considering his upbringing was more likely monitored by trained specialists rather than a nurturing caretaker.”
Bruce allowed Alfred’s words to sink in as he pondered over his actions. “Alfred, please get Terry and have him meet me at the study.”
Seeing Bruce wasn’t rushing off to leave, Alfred backed away from the chair. “That will take a moment. Master Terry has gone off on his own after you dismissed him to his room. I’m afraid he’s more than familiar with the camera placement within the manor to search him by those means.”
“You never had trouble with the other Robins in the past.” The man muttered as he rolled himself to the batcomputer.
“Very well sir.” Alfred said as he headed up the steps.
Bruce’s hands glided over the keys before he hit the speed dial. A feminine voice answered on the other end. “Yes Mr. Wayne?”
“Sasha, meet me in my study.” He ordered.
o.o.o.o.o
Not wanting to return to his room, Terry decided to wander the manor. He felt exposed as he slinked bout the shadows, resisting the urge to hide in one of the many rooms in the manor. He almost wished the old construct had vents that he could crawl into and hide until he felt it was safe again. His own room offered no such security with Damian attacking him daily. It was just another place to rest his eyes until the next day starts.
Even so, he eventually found himself wandering into Damian’s room. The security code was his own creation, it didn’t take him long to unlock the room. As he stepped in, he noted all the traps he placed up were disabled. Talia likely deactivated them when she came to retrieve Damian, as skilled as his brother was, he couldn’t disable everything without Terry knowing about it. With nothing better to do, he decided to restore all the traps.
It comforted him slightly as he rested his back against the foot of the bed in the middle of the room. Surrounded by active traps and weapons Damian left behind, he found it strange that Damian’s lingering presence had a calming effect.
Knock, knock
He glanced up as the door slowly opened and Alfred stepped into the room. He kept the doorway trap-free for Alfred’s convenience, but the door was kept heavily coded to keep the older Wayne from escaping the room.
“I thought you might be here.” Alfred spoke gently.
“Do you need me for something?” Terry asked.
“Master Bruce would like to speak with you in the study.”
Terry tilted his head aside curiously. “Did he reconsider?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know the answer.” The butler replied.
Reluctantly, Terry crawled to his feet and followed Alfred. He made certain to stay behind the man even as they entered the study. Terry noticed there was another person in the room, a young woman with a lean physique. With how she carried herself, he quickly crossed off any collared occupations. She was a fighter and unlike his father, she made no attempt to hide it.
“Terry, this is Sasha Bordeaux, she will be your bodyguard and caretaker while I’m gone.” Bruce started.
“I don’t need one.” He interrupted with a British accent in his voice. “I can take care of myself.”
“Like many other children claim.” Sasha cut in.
Terry glanced between the woman and his father before he turned his heel and left the room. There was no point in him trying to argue with the woman present. It was part of his father’s plan to keep him from interfering again. By having the study as the meeting ground, his father effectively blocked him from entering the bat-cave with the woman around. He would have to find ways around it once he was gone.
o.o.o.o.o
Terry’s accent didn’t go unnoticed by Bruce. It was understandable that the boy didn’t trust easily. He would give the boy some space until he returned from his trip.
“I’ll trust him in your care Sasha.” He said before opening the doorway to the cave.
“Don’t worry, I won’t allow anything to happen to him.” She assured him before he and Alfred gone below and the clock closed behind them.
“Master Bruce, are you certain it’s wise leaving Master Terry in Miss Sasha’s care?” Alfred asked as they descended.
“He’s not Damian, we won’t return to Sasha’s corpse.” Bruce said.
“That’s not what I meant sir.” Alfred frowned.
“I’m not the best role-model for human interaction. He needs to be around other people other than super heroes and meta-humans.”
“… You didn’t simply leave him in Miss Sasha’s care, did you?” Alfred said in revelation.
“He’ll be fine.” Bruce added before they boarded the jet.
o.o.o.o.o
Sasha Bordeaux wasn’t certain why she was called into the manor. Her duties normally involved the protection of Bruce Wayne off the Wayne Manor property. There was no need for her skills within the manor. That was to be dealt by Batman and his clan. Imagine her surprise when she saw the man in a wheelchair.
He injured himself as Batman that much she was able to grasp. What surprised her was the reassignment he given her. Her charge was no longer Bruce Wayne, but Terrance Wayne… his son. Unlike the previous children he adopted, this child was of his blood.
She felt a pang of pain well up at her chest. He had a child with another woman. While the relationship between them was nothing more than employer and employee, she had fallen for the man as many other women before her. Even so, he trusted her with his son, and she would do everything in her capability to protect the boy.
After Bruce and Alfred departed, she went in search of her new charge. She had little trouble navigating the huge manor, even if she rarely stepped into the building, she made it her priority early on to familiarize with the layout before she found Bruce’s double-life activities. She started with the west-wing where the living quarters situated. It didn’t take long, given the boy was blasting his speakers with the door open. He was occupied with a console game on a flat screen and splayed himself on top of the messy bed with snacks surrounding him.
… This is his child? She doubted, but Bruce assigned her to care for the child, she has no say in the matter. “I know you’re not happy with your father leaving like this, but you know he’s a busy man.” She tried to see if the boy knew Bruce was Batman.
“Busy chasing skirts I say.” He countered with an accent-laced voice.
Not likely. “Just because you’re angry at him doesn’t mean you can disrespect him. He’s still your father.” She scolded.
“And who are you? My mother?” Terry said snidely, not bothering to look at her as he cleared the stage on the game.
Sasha yanked the power off from the screen. “I would prefer that you’re paying attention to me when I’m speaking to you.” She crossed her arms. “Your tantrums might have worked with your mother, but it will not with me.”
“What will you do then? What can you do?” He taunted her with an arch of a brow.
“I can take away your privileges within this household, until your father returns.” She crossed her arms.
“You’re going to take away my bathroom privileges too? I wonder how badly I’ll smell after two days.” He snipped.
“I wouldn’t be cheeky if I were you. If you smell it won’t be my problem if the kids at school make fun of you.” She retorted.
“…School?” His voice dropped.
“Yes, school. Your father enrolled you in one. It’s about time you returned to school after this long period of transitioning from Britain.”
“You’re joking.” He said darkly.
“You’re going to school tomorrow.” She repeated.
“I’m not going.” He said firmly.
“You have no choice in the matter.” She continued.
“Have it your way.” He dropped the controller and left the room.
Sasha pinched the bridge of her nose as she felt a migraine coming. “How is it possible that he would have a child like this rotten?” She muttered.
Still, she gave the boy ten minutes before she went after him, she didn’t want to deal with the walking migraine. Though, she quickly regretted letting him out of her sight, the only reason she found him in the first place was because he allowed it to happen.
o.o.o.o.o.o
After leaving the woman in Tim’s room, Terry quickly moved to the cave. He chose Tim’s room for the stage up because the games and console Tim’s room carried. Damian’s room was too dangerous to leave the woman in and he didn’t want her in there anyhow. From what he gathered, the woman was nothing more than a hired bodyguard. The chance of her knowing his father’s nightly activities was unlikely, but he would keep an eye out just in case.
Hooking up his drive to the bat-computer, he looked through the archives in search for the woman’s data. He wondered if he overlooked the woman during his previous searches, but after going through the bulk of the information he had on Bruce Wayne, the woman was never mentioned. She was hired while he was on the run from Cadmus. He went through the bat-computer’s system searching for the woman’s files. If he was certain of anything, he was certain his father was like him. They don’t like working with the unknown or having one in their presence.
The woman has a clean record. There was a full profile on what she was capable of performing. Saves him the trouble to taunt and aggravate the woman to test what she’s capable of. Imitating Damian’s speech pattern was very tiresome, even after he dumb down the vocabulary and violence. He aimed irritated the woman to lose her temper. He wanted to study her further. What level of discipline does this woman have? Can he trust his safety in the presence of this woman?
But that’ll have to wait. He has another matter to deal with all together.
School…
He wasn’t certain why his father wanted to place him in public view, but what he does know was that he needed to place up a façade that would support Bruce Wayne’s image. He was not anxious or excited to attend school. His peers were likely younger and the chances of he had with someone having an equal level of intelligence to converse with was unlikely.
He glanced at the security screens. The woman went through one room after another searching for him. She was persistent and devoted to her duties he’ll give her that. That persistence might become a nuisance later, but enough about the woman.
His hands glided across the keyboard as he pulled up files of the school his father placed him in, Gotham Preparatory Academy (GPA). A prestige school for the children of the upper class Gothamites, children from well named families in Gotham would be attending. Only a small percentage of the students were middleclass children of Wayne Tech employees. They were there through the benefits of Wayne Tech. In normal circumstances they would never be able to afford attending these schools.
Hacking into the school system was a joke, the security was child’s play compared to what he’s worked with in the past. The school’s blueprint, curriculum and even student attendance was at his grasp. He disliked going into anything blindly. This was an infiltration assignment and he will excel in it as he has in the past.
o.o.o.o.o
The next morning, Sasha tried rushing him through breakfast and later school, but Terry retaliated by taking his time. Dressing, eating, even strolling to the car, he annoyed the woman beyond belief with his lazed and relaxed demeanor.
Once he arrived as school, he waited until she was gone before placed up a charming smile greeting his teachers and peers. From past experiences smiling worked best, even if it was fake. The teachers remained unimpressed. They were long desensitized by the charm of the upper-class children. The students on the other hand were intrigued and more than willing to interact with him, even if just to show off their family assets.
The classes had no more than fifteen students at a time and no more than one or two classes per year. It was a school for the privileged, from what he remembered in the student roll there was only one middleclass student in his class.
It was dreadfully dull. Everything they taught Terry had already learned when he was in Project Meta. Compared to the statistic and crime reports he was given in Cadmus, basic arithmetic was nothing. Even so, he couldn’t let them know he was more than capable. He made a show of absentmindedness, staring off into space every so often that the teacher needed to reprimand him. He spent his time studying his peers experimenting for the best responses he needed from them.
It was a week before he could list various cliques among the students and the peculiar behavior they have around him. Children were strange... Unlike Rose’s group during No Man’s Land, they don’t have the maturity and independent mindset. Yet, they weren’t helpless like Cindy’s group near Nuva-Gen. They had an arrogance that reminded him of Project Meta, but unlike them, they didn’t have the ability to defy their superiors. If anything they acted docile when adults were around.
The peculiar children didn’t plague his thoughts. Rather, it was the fact that he had to hide his proficiency irked him the most. The Bordeaux woman was a nuisance, after the initial slip he gave her. She tailed him endlessly, suffocating him. There wasn’t a moment where he could pull off his masks and relax. He did his best to endure through another week.
By the thirteenth day, Terry reached his limits and escaped from the woman’s careful watch. He slinked into the comforting darkness of the cave. She would be looking for him for hours, but he could care less. He was preoccupied with basking in the solitary silence of the cave. He had limited his visits to the cave to keep from her rousing suspicion to why he lingered at the study so often. He didn’t want to risk her finding the cave.
He melted in the seat in front of the computer in delight. The solitary silence was comforting after being in the woman’s presence for so long. But he wasn’t one to sit still; he needed to talk to someone before he went mad. Reaching for the keys, he dialed a number he long remembered since he came to Wayne Manor.
“Hello, Kent residence.” A sweet woman answered on the other line.
“Hi Mrs. Kent.” Terry greeted with a sugarcoated voice. “Is Conner in? He said I could call him.”
“He’s out in the barn now, but I’ll go get him for you.” She said before he heard the sound of the receiver rested on a surface.
Terry sank into his seat as he waited. For some reason, he felt giddy to be able to talk to the super-clone soon.
o.o.o.o.o
Martha Kent made a quick trip to the barn in seconds for her boy’s genetic son. Ever since that phone call several weeks ago, Conner acted strange and paranoid. He even pushed away Clark’s attempt to help him when he normally would be more than ecstatic to have Clark around. She shook her head as she stepped into the barn, Conner was nowhere in sight, but she knew better. She made a few quick strides to the wooden shed that stored Clark’s spaceship before knocking it gently.
“Conner, there’s a phone call for you.” She said gently, trying to urge the boy to come out. The only time he ever comes out was to relieve himself and grab a bite to eat.
“If it’s Cassie or Garfield, tell them I’m not here!” His muffled voice came through.
“It’s not Cassie or Garfield. It sounded like a little boy, he said you let him call you.” She said.
“…Little… boy?” The shed shook and rattled as if Conner was trembling inside of it.
“Do you want me to tell him to call back later?”
“NO!” The shed popped open as Conner jumped out in a frantic in place jogging. “D-don’t hang up!” He waved his hands erratically.
She titled her head aside curiously, who can this little boy possibly be? “Are you sure? If you don’t feel well—”
“I’ll take it now!” He shouted before dashing back to the house.
Martha shook her head with a smile as she moved to the ship to close the hatch. The boy would always hide in that small ship whenever he was bothered. Though, normally he’d prefer running away until Clark came back to find him. He always enjoyed the open space. Whatever bothered him must’ve been serious for him to stay in the ship for so long.
o.o.o.o.o
Terry waited fifteen minutes before he heard a slight change in sound. With the grandness of the cave, every little sound echoed tenfold. He sat up when he heard a shuddering breath.
“I can hear you breathing XIII.” He said wryly.
“H-hey Beyond, what’s up?” Conner said with a weak laugh.
“Are you still anticipating punishment?” Terry asked, highly amused by the obvious stress levels he’s inducing on the other.
“I said I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!” He wailed pathetically.
“You can stop your groveling. I won’t punish you.” Terry answered calmly.
“Really? You’re not going to punish me in any form whatsoever?” He asked again, almost hesitantly.
“I won’t.” Terry replied with a small twitch at the corner of his lips.
A moment of silence passed between the two before Conner decided to speak again. “… That’s it? Just like that?”
Terry raised a brow at this question. “Would you have preferred I dealt out a proper punishment for you?” He asked dryly before the other squeaked nervously.
“No, no!” He sounded frantic. “It’s just that… This is sorta how things turn out with pa, ya know.”
“It’ll be a warning this time, next time I won’t be as lenient.” Terry added.
“I won’t speak of it again! I promise!” He continued before Terry could change his mind. “But you’re still sadistic.”
“Only in efficiency.” The other responded.
“Sadist.” Conner muttered under his breath, but his fellow project could clearly hear him. “So why’d you call? It can’t be because you’re feeling generous to tell me I’m off the hook.”
“I need research materials.” Terry said bluntly.
“Research materials? You’re with your family aren’t you? Can’t they get it for you?” Conner said in confusion.
“They’re away at the moment.” Terry said.
“You can always call Tim.” Conner added.
“I could ask him, but I prefer to have your Cadmus trained perspective in this matter.”
“On what?” Conner was baffled.
“School.” The younger boy droned. “I’m currently assigned with reconnaissance duty in school with children within my age range.”
“Ah… can’t help you there, it’s likely yours is a prep school, my poor farmer family can’t afford it like yours.” Conner said after a short second of pondering.
“It’s still school.” Terry said bluntly.
“It’s like saying you and I have the same job.” The clone muttered before brushing it off. “But fine, go on, I’ll see what I can do.”
“I’m not sure why he decided I need to be in public view, but it’s likely for infiltration practice or at least something in the manner. I haven’t had much experience with those under the age of twenty outside of Cadmus.”
“Hey!” Conner snapped almost offensively. “What about Tim and me? Pawns?”
“You’re half-alien and Tim is Batman’s ward. Neither of you can be considered normal, let alone children.”
“… I pity whoever that manages to push your buttons.” Conner said flatly.
“I need material on how children act without supervision. Anyone below the age of twenty should have a similar mindset or view of adults.”
“… Shouldn’t you know already? The titans mentioned about a few years ago, everyone below the age of fourteen disappeared for a whole day. Even if you weren’t outside, you should’ve been able to monitor the cameras from Cadmus.” The other reasoned.
“The information I gathered from them differs from the two sets of information I gathered from Gotham. They don’t compute with one another.”
“How so?” Conner asked again.
“The behaviors don’t match up. The ones I encountered earlier were dependent and nearly useless, while the later ones I encounter varied from independent and a mixture of the two.”
“Of course not!” The clone said exasperatedly.
“Elaborate,” Terry said, relishing the Cadmus pattern the two shared.
“Well… they’re humans, they’re not all predictable. Sure there are those who fall into categories and whatever, but for the most part, you can’t just group them off that easily…” He paused for a second. “So… Beyond, are they treating you differently that you need more research materials?”
“You said I shouldn’t and couldn’t simply class them off into categories, but they shared a similar trait that made it classable.”
“Let’s hear it then.” Conner said brightly.
Terry wasn’t exactly sure why the other was so cheery, but he wouldn’t bother with it now. “Three groups, upper-class, middleclass and girls,” he started. “The upper-class students seem to be irritated with me at first, but then later attempted to befriend me. Then later returned to loathing me by name calling and destroying my property. The middleclass students were mostly employee students from Wayne Tech. They mostly stare and keep to themselves… I can’t place what expression that is on their faces though.”
“And the girls?” Conner asked almost in amusement.
“While the upper class students never gone beyond destroying my property, the girls been attempting to tackle me in the halls every so often.” He concluded.
“… Beyond, do you know what’s your standing in that school?” Conner asked.
“I’ve calculated the mistakes and corrections I made in the placement testing. My grade standings should be in the C average.”
“No, I meant your social standings.” Conner interrupted.
“… Social rankings?” Terry said in confusion.
“… Who are you and what did you do to Beyond?” He asked bluntly.
“Don’t be daft XIII.”
“Well, you’re acting too stupid to be the Beyond I know.”
“Are you asking me to respond to that insult?” Terry asked dryly.
“Your identity Beyond!” Conner sighed exasperatedly. “Do you know what it projects to these people?”
“… I was never given a long-term project. The most I ever had to do it pass off as an innocent bystander.”
Conner clicked his tongue. Terry could almost imagine the other shaking his head. “You’re the son of one of the richest man on earth!”
“And?” Terry drawled.
“You’re a little rich boy!”
“And what does wealth have to do with anything?”
“Beyond, Beyond.” Conner drawled almost playfully. “Money is everything to this world. Even Cadmus and the Justice League require money to run it.”
“Money is nothing more than the passing of digits.”
“And here is why those benefit students act the way they do with you.” He gave a brief pause. “Tell me again, how do they treat you?”
“They’re just staring.” Terry replied.
“What about the intent they have while staring at you? Surely you picked that up at least.”
“It varies, from curiosity to jealousy. They make up only a small percentage of the school.”
Conner cracked up laughing. “Compared to them, you’re a prince while they’re nothing more than lucky peasants.”
“Don’t make me laugh, I’m not a prince.” Terry said bluntly.
“Beyond, you’re the modern equivalent of a prince. The only reason they’re even in that school is because of your father’s generosity. That’s probably why they don’t bother you, so they can continue attending the school.”
“I already know they’re not a threat to me, I have looked through all the student records before attending.” Terry grounded.
“Then why are you talking to me at all? You’re in a position where billions would die to be in. Heck, your dad could easily screw over my pa and half of the Justice League as Bruce Wayne with the economy alone. Probably secretly buying out the companies they work at just in case he needs blackmail or leverage.”
“Would that be including your mother as well?” Terry commented dryly.
“Mother?” Conner said in confusion. “I don’t have a— Oh…” Conner started laughing. “Bart mentioned about his uncle Wally saying something about you calling Lex Luthor a Superman fan boy. Of course, neither of them knows it’s you, but I got the story from Tim too. Man, I wish I was there to hear it.” He took a moment longer to finish up his laughter before starting up again. “So why exactly are you looking into this at all? It doesn’t seem like you have any trouble dealing with any of them.”
“The issue does not concern the students themselves. I could easily expel them if I wanted to. What I’m interested is how to act believable around them. I don’t want Cadmus on my tail again.”
He could hear Conner attempting to hold back another laugh. “I suggest acting like your dad when he’s not on duty or learn by watching lots and lots of mindless TV. It’s how most of the students act in my area anyhow.”
“…Hmm… That would provide a good cover for that troublesome woman…” Terry muttered.
“So the other students didn’t do much to you, did they?”
“Nothing that’s remotely dangerous. I have a higher chance choking on lunch.”
“Lucky you, they wouldn’t dare doing anything to you because of your pa. They’d risk screwing their lives over. I didn’t have as easy of a time. I was considered fresh meat to the locals.”
“Oh?” He could image the pout on Conner’s face as he said this.
“They’re like Galatea under the RSS, but still retaining that I’m going to kick your ass vibe. I was tempted to accidentally have them fall into my fist.” The super clone muttered.
“And break your cover for something as simple as this? Galatea probably done worse to you.” Terry felt the corners of his lips twitching up again.
“Hence why I just up and ditched school. I already learned what they’re teaching anyway.” Conner sighed.
“I’m guessing this is where your father went after you?” Terry asked.
“Yep, I was thinking he’d punish me since I disobeyed his orders to attend school and try to fit in with the locals, but you’d never guess what he did!” He chirped.
“He gave you a heart-felt speech and said you’re forgiven.” Terry drawled.
“Close! He forgave me and then gave me a dog!”
“… A dog…” Terry’s brows knitted together. “Are you sure he wasn’t exposed to red Kryptonite prior to giving you that?”
Conner laughed. “How come I didn’t think of that when that happened?”
“Because you’re his son.” Terry said bluntly.
“As if your father is as loving as mine.” He could imagine the other rolling his eyes. “When that happened, pa pulled me aside and gave me a recount of his time growing up with powers and of course he gave me Krypto… HOLY SHIT! KRYPTO! I’ve been neglecting him, where did he run off to?”
“… He must’ve been on red kryptonite. You can barely take care of yourself, much less a dog.”
“Krypto is a Kryptonian dog. He can take care of himself.” Conner said between laughing.
“What exactly is so funny?” Terry said in confusion.
“What you said about my pa is equivalent to asking if he was stoned with drugs.” Conner giggled. “Kryptonite, stoned? Get it?”
“And how is that hilarious?” He asked again.
“Ha-ha! I take back what I said about your other half of the genetics. There’s no way you could be related to the Joker this way.”
“… I’ll call you again when you’re a little more intelligible.” Terry said.
“Hehe, it’s nice talking to you again! You should call more often!” Conner chirped.
“And heard you went into your fits of insanity?” Terry said as a smile crept onto his face. “I’ll see about that.”
“I better go check on Krypto and make sure I didn’t scare him too much. Bye!” Conner said before they both hung up.
Terry sighed as he sunk back into his seat… Civilian life was exhausting…
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