Batman Beyond - Burning Passion of Love

King's Ransom

"Hi, Melanie. Batman and I are here to talk to you."

"Hi, Gwen, I see you have your boss." she said. "I have nothing to do with my family, I swear." She swears she doesn't know where her family might be and is sure she won't hear from them – she doesn't exist to them anymore.

"We know." said Batman. "We're just wondering if you do here anything..."

"But I won't. As far as a I'm consider, I don't think of my as family or their daughter anymore."

Yep, she was clean the last time they met here to mean that Melanie as the old Ten was long gone.

"I'm sorry." Batman said.

"Look, I'll get him and Batwoman to deal with the other thing. Thanks for answering the question. I'll be seeing you, Melanie, please take care."

As Batman turns to leave with Gwen, Melanie asks whether he delivered the note she gave him to Terry McGinnis.

"Wait!" she stops Batman. "The note I gave you to give to a boy name Terry McGinnis...Did he get it?"

Batman says Terry got it for Gwen leaves that part be.

"He got it."

"And now Terry and me..." Gwen tries telling Melanie.

"I know, you and Terry were meant to be more, Gwen. I'm happy for you both. And I guess he doesn't think I'm real to him anymore." Melanie sadly concludes that he must have read it and discarded it, meaning she doesn't exist to him either. "Gwen, never become someone you're not. Remember that."

Batman doesn't reply, and flies away with Gwen does with her fire powers.

"(I won't, Melanie, I'm glad you chosen the right path for yourself.)" she said.

Good to know that one ex-villain can change. Paxton swears that he doesn't have enough money for the ransom, it is all tied up in investments, and his swanky lifestyle is maintained solely on company perks. Flabbergasted, King calls Bruce and demands that he tap the company assets for the ransom.

"Megan..."

She gets to work for Bruce with Gwen backing Megan up to hack into the phone.

"I got it." she tells her husband. "Go."

Bruce coolly informs him that Wayne-Powers's corporate policy doesn't allow him to withdraw money to pay kidnappers.

"Bruce, you're not really going to-!"

"I know." he tells Terry. "It's not over yet."

It's all part of Bruce's plan...A furious Queen tells King her father had him pegged when he told her he was nothing but empty bluff.

"Brilliant!" Queen was upset. "Another plan that can't fail! Father was right about you! Oh, he had you pegged!"

This made King get angry.

"Shut up!"

"You're nothing but empty bluff!" she snaps back.

"You think I'm bluffing? YOU THINK I'M BLUFFING?!" King raises his sword at Paxton's face.

"No! Wait!" Paxton begs for his life. "I do have some valuables! Gold and jewels!" Paxton cracks and offers them a piece from his collection of stolen art: the Crown of Tikal, easily worth twice the ransom.

This allows King to spare him for now.

"Ah, the pustule pops."

King suggests that Miss Thorpe retrieve the piece, but Queen refuses to trust Paxton's associates, so King calls Bruce, giving him the security codes and telling him to rendezvous with the Gang with the crown.