Date: Wed, 3 May 1995 23:11:04 -600 Reply-To: "Jason R. Tippitt" Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: "Jason R. Tippitt" Subject: "Gothic" ("In The End..." Pt.2) Ch.9 X-cc: Jonathan Haupt , Haydee Viardo , Lorene Buttram , Brandy Lumpkins , Pat Stubblefield , Elizabeth Donald ****************************************************************************** " I N T H E E N D . . . " ****************************************************************************** A Highlander/Batman Tale of the Future Jason R. Tippitt, 1994-95 http://www.utm.edu/~jtippitt/j.shtml Warning: Violence and Profanities Comments, suggestions, questions, back-chapter requests to JTippitt@Utm.Edu (I wear asbestos boxers, so don't bother flaming me.) Book 2: "Gothic" Chapter 9 ******* The Question rocketed Jason Todd's care down the freeway, away from New York City, heading south. "Jason, man, I know you're shaken up. What happened up there?" Jason looked over at him. Still wearing that damned spooky faceless mask. "She's dead." Sage sighed. "Yeah...you say Bane did it to her?" "He broke my neck...I couldn't move...I just overheard the whole thing. It's like a nightmare...I'm waiting to wake up..." "Don't we all wish we could?" Jason's attention turned to the windshield wipers. They sloshed back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Quite hypnotic, though he'd never thought of it that way before. "So Bane's an Immortal? Was he there by himself?" Jason nodded. "What was Dragon doing at my apartment?" "We figured one of us would be able to meet you, even if the other got killed. Tell me, Jason, do you buy into conspiracy theories?" "Do you always answer questions with questions?" Jason shook his head. "I can't believe I just asked you that." He leaned back, wincing a bit at the motion. "I can't believe any of this." "We die, Jason. Immortality doesn't mean we live forever, does it?" He looked at the younger Immortal, who said nothing. "I guess it just means we get a little longer. Maybe we ought to call ourselves, what, mostly invulnerable?" "Kill me, Vic. I just want to drop out of the Game." "Better not. You're probably going to out live me. I mean, you trained under Batman. He just chewed me out and told me I was going to get myself killed." A muffled laugh. "How little he knew. Speaking of Batman, your costume's in the back." "I'm not Batman. It was stupid to try to be." Jason looked out at the trees alongside the freeway. The wind was whipping them into a frenzy as the two Immortals drove through the thunderstorm. "The only Batman worthy of the name died a few months back. And the esteemed Senator Grayson didn't even call me." "Oh, he knew you were Robin? That must mean he--" "Like we're going to live long enough for you to write the story and get your Pullitzer. This is the end, Vic." The car hydroplaned; Vic pulled it back into control, and calmly said, "Just knowing I was right is good enough, I guess. You know me...I like to know things." "Where are we going?" "I thought *I* was supposed to be the one asking questions." "Stop making jokes." "I wasn't." "Where are we going?" "Washington, DC." "Why?" "Let's just say you're about to get your chance to black the esteemed Senator's eye, if that's what you want to do." "Why are we going there?" "Well, like I asked you...do you buy into conspiracy theories?" "No..." He cut the wheel hard to the left to avoid a falling tree. "Then I'll let him tell you; that will spare you the annoyance of having to hear it twice. Get some sleep." ******* To be continued... =========================================================================