Batman Beyond: The New Dynamic Duo

Hooked Up

A giant arena was filled with thousands of fans. The lights were blinding, and the music being produced was almost deafening. In the center performing was rockstar Danny Grosso.

The crows cried out his name and sang along with the lyrics. Flipping his bright blue hair and passionately playing his electric guitar, the rockstar basked in the spotlight.

After the show was over, Danny walked backstage to his dressing room. Girls being held back by security watched him, begging for photos and autographs.

One blonde girl managed to bypass the guards and get close to Danny. "Donny, please give me your autograph. You can sign me anywhere you want!" The girl begged and began to lift up her top before security pulled her away.

Danny ignored the fans and the staff. He approached his manager, who held out a tablet for his signature.

"Killer show, Donny. You hear that crowd? They love you. Here, sign these contracts. The two label execs were literally fighting over who got to sign you." His manager said happily. Donny signed wordlessly.

When he finally entered his dressing room, his 3 girlfriends were waiting eagerly. Donny smiled flirtatiously and went to kiss one of them.

All of a sudden, the girls disappeared as well as his surroundings. Donny gasped as he fell from a green force bubble. He looked to his side and saw other people floating unconsciously in their own green force bubbles.

A spotlight turned on sharply, making Donny flinch away. "Rise and shine, Donny. Time to pay the Piper." A male voice called out in the dark room. "Please, put me back in. It hurts out here. Please!" Donny whimpered.

The cruel reality of life was too hard for him to bear, especially after living out his dream life. He craved escapism. It made him feel whole.

"Now, now. Love like that doesn't come cheap. You want more, you know what you have to do."

Donny gritted his teeth in determination. He was out of money, but that wouldn't stand in his way. He'd do whatever it took to get back to his true life.

~8~

Eliana could not stop yawning.

She and Terry had a very late night in which they only gained 3 hours of sleep. Not to mention, they had to get up early to attend school. Max's words flowed through one ear and out the other.

Terry was currently sitting against his locker, resting his eyes. He, too, yawned non-stop. He opened his eyes to see Max crouching to his level. "Rough night," she teased.

"Aren't they all." Terry mumbled back, closing his eyes. Max sat beside him, "Maybe you two need someone out there with you. You could do worse, you know."

Eliana frowned and became more alert. "Forget it," she told Max. There was no chance she was going to endanger her friend by having her help in their nightly job. Eliana tried being gentle in her responses, but no more. If being more stern and threatening would work to get Max to drop the subject, then so be it.

Max looked up at her. "Why should you two get all the fun?" Eliana's blood boiled. Was Max really this naive? "Max, it's not fun," Eliana cut in tersely. Her tone made Terry awake in concern.

Max waved her hand, oblivious to her friend's growing anger. "What? Flying, intrigue, power?" Eliana slammed her locker shut, startling Terry and Max.

"You think fighting homicidal maniacs is "fun"? News flash Max, it's not. Every time I put on that suit, I'm not only risking my life, but the countless innocents that could potentially be impacted should I fail. You have no idea what it feels like to carry a burden like this. And I'm certainly not going to let you kill yourself, just because you think what we do is a game."