Batman Beyond - Burning Passion of Love

Babel

Inside, Shriek battled with Batman, making use of several sound effects. He blasted him with vibrations, and then suppressed the sound of the contiguous area, and turned up his suit's volume to hear Batman's footsteps. Batman destroyed his sound masker with a batarang, canceling its muting effect. Consequently, Shriek was overwhelmed by the surrounding sound amplified by his helmet, leaving him permanently deaf. Shreeve was arrested but refused to testify against Powers.

Elsewhere, Shriek shuts off his equipment and explains to his new assistant, Ollie, that his test was a success. Ollie believes Shriek's plan is to hold Gotham for ransom, but Shriek says that he wants revenge on Batman and Batwoman, who Shriek blames for his hearing loss. He'll force Batman to surrender his life rather than let the city be destroyed – and if Batman doesn't, his reputation as a hero will be destroyed. As opposed to money, Shriek awards Ollie with use of 'the Fork', an electronic device that uses sound to directly stimulate the human brain's pleasure center.

"Much better." said Ollie to be loving it.

Later, Terry, Gwen, and Bruce try to figure out how Shriek is doing this.

"It turns out that Shriek got out for being cured, Uncle Bruce, that's what his record shows." Gwen shows on what she could find.

Seems like it, but knowing Bruce it was far from over.

"And you believe that?"

"Said the guy who lost his hearing, I say no." said Terry.

"I told Megan about it so we can get some leads to stop Shriek before he hurts anyone else or animal again."

Good thinking, Gwen, for Megan to get right to it on her end. However, in the middle of their conversation their speech becomes incomprehensible to each other. All but Gwen to be affected by it. For Megan to call, she tries telling one of them who could understand the problem to respond.

"Ah, hey, you guys...In case anyone can understand me in this message...Do something! Hearing other people talk is like being in a backwards world!"

"We're on it, Megan!" Gwen tries telling Terry on what he and she had to do next. "Terry. We. Have. To. Go. Find. Shriek. Before. He. Messes. With. Our. Words. To. Get. Words. Come. On."

He gets that part as Terry immediately heads out as Batman. And Gwen to transform as Batwoman.

"The. Let's. Go." he said.

"Right." she transforms first. "Burning Passion. Batwoman!"

Through typing, Bruce and Terry communicate over the Batmobile's computer, and Bruce theorizes that Shriek has altered the vibration frequency of air molecules carrying human speech.

"Well, looks at this...Gweny and I are not affected to understand me, even as myself to become Batwoman. Still, it's quite annoying on what Shriek's doing. We better put a stop to it right away, Bats."

The interference is happening all around the city and people are getting violent with one another. Worse, a lift operator can no longer understand the spoken instructions of a landing director and crashes into a crane. Batman only barely manages to avert disaster.

"(Terry!)" Gwen panics.

"I. Got. It."

After a time, Shriek turns off the interference and then calls Commissioner Gordon. He demands that Batman and Batwoman to surrender themselves to him. Barbara protests that she can't deliver Batman, but Shriek refuses to listen.

"You're out of your mind!" said Barbara.

"Duh!" Shriek said back.

She contacts Bruce, who refuses to give up Terry and Gwen or offer them as a bargaining chip, angry that some are talking about using Terry in such a manner and Gwen to be human type of weapon and related to Barbara and Dick to be created.