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Description
The monkey had me pinned.

I had been investigating a string of break-ins of research labs, a group with the idea of rescuing lab animals. That I didn't mind so much, I could even relate. Testing on animals never sat well with me.

It was the fact that these so called 'animal activists' also had a tendency to cause massive property damage by setting of bombs after getting the animals out. The humans who worked there weren't even given a second thought.

Thankfully, out of the three previous attacks, there had been no casualties, a small saving grace that msot illegal activity happened after dark, after the facilities were closed and most of the researchers and lab assistants went home. A few minor injuries from individuals who'd unwisely chosen to stay late. My priority was getting them out of harm sway and that had been the main reason I ahdn't caught up with the overzealous activists yet.

Until tonight.

There had been three of them. The first two had been taken out with relative ease, one knocked out, one trapped in a cage they'd just let an animal out of. The third was different, the leader, no doubt. Smarter, faster, and much much stronger.

And spliced. Did I mention that? The activists had gone so far as to spice their DNA with animal DNA, so when I said monkey, I mean half man, half howler.

Or... whatever.

I had chased him to the new building, still under construction. I had thought I had the advantage, I thought the splicer was a fool, a fool for thinking spilced genes made him better. A fool for thinking he could get away from me. From Batman.

Bastard had been waiting. The half constructed building was alike a jungle gym to him. He'd led me into his own little trap.

What kind of fool did that make me?

I was barely holding him off, holding onto his wrist with both hands so he wouldn't be cutting off my airways, but his choking me wasn't my only problem.

"Could you be any heavier?" I growled. One of his previous bombs had resulted ins ome shrapnel going into my leg and of course, the was sitting on it.

Apparently, weight was a sensitive subject and a howl later, he lifted me up a foot before slamming me back down onto the concrete. Pain exploded in my back and I renewed my efforts to reach for my last batarang, lying just beyond my grasp.

"Batman, you have a problem with being in the wrong place," came the rumbling grwol from above me.

"So I'm told," I replied. "Often."

"That ends now."

I watched the monkey man's other hand raise into a fist. If he had been human, I wouldn't have been worried, but I'd seen what those hands had done to metal animal cages. The batarang, my last hope, was still too far from my fingers.

So this would be how it ended? With some rookie mistake?

Figures.

Something small wizzed above and snapped against the splicer's hand. He howled in pain, releasing his hold on my neck to cradle his new injury. This is the chance I needed. I slid my legs out form under him, kicked him hard in the stomach and shoved him away. I scrambled back, grabbing my fallen batarang before spinning on one heel, ready to fight again.

My eye caught a glimpse of the small thing that had hit my attacker and for a moment, I thought I must be hallucinating.

It's another batarang.

I looked to the one in my hand, just to make sure that I was indeed holding my own batarang and not a fake. It was real. Then, where-

I didn't have time to ponder long before monkey man was back in the fight. He ran back towards the beams so he could regain his high-ground advantage, the trick he used to pin me down in the first place.

"You ain't going nowhere, hon," I heard, and before I can even think of giving pursuit, a bolas shoots past, the balls and rope entangling itself around monkey man's legs, tripping him. Within moments, he was tugging free and the owner of the voice streaked past me.

"I... what?" was all I could manage to say. The figure was costumed and masked, wearing a uniform not dissimilar from my own. The same second monkey man broke free, the figure was there, a swift kick to the face and a graceful dodge out of retaliation's way, and the figure began a swift dance around monkey man, keeping him off balance and effectively taking the advantage for herself.

Her. A girl. A girl with a gravely, sultry voice and trained moves. Voice and moves that I recognized.

It took me a moment for the familiarity to register.

"Awe, hell."

And just like that, I was joining th efight again. The batarang got thrown, hitting monkey man on the head and giving the woman a chan ce to score some critical hits. She darted back as he tried to grab her and I moved in, fists flying. Monkey man may have been strong, but his strength was no match for our speed. We traded off like that, the woman jumping in as I back off, and I can see monkey man start to waver. I looked to her and nodded and we both move in.

I aimed high, delivering a roundhouse. She aimed lower, swiping his legs out from under him. Monkey man went down hard and by the groan that escapes his lips and the sudden limpness in his limbs, I could tell that he's slipped from consciousness.

I turned to the girl.

And glare.

Over the years, I've learned to appreciate the subtle power of a good glare. It can bring a weak man to his knees and make a coward spill his guts.

"Don't be looking at me like that."

Unfortunately, the girl is immune.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I asked, fists clenching at my side. The previous fight hadn't eased my anger. It was quite possibly fueled by it.

"Helping you," she replies coolly. "You're welcome. You know, for saving your life. Oh, it was nothing, I-"

"We've talked about this, Max!" I growl.

"Actually, you talked about it. I just failed to argue."

"You can't be doing this."

"I can. And do you know why?" I could tell she was upset now. The finger she jabbed into my chest only furthered the point. "Because ever since the old man died, you've been acting like an idiot!" This cuased my chest to constrict a bit. The last thing I wanted to talk about was Bruce's death.

"You're becoming reckless, running into situations without thinking, putting yourself and others in danger!"

Make that second to last. The first thing I didn't want to discuss was how Max was right on this very matter.

"I know you miss him and I know you've convinced yourself that you can do this on your own," she continued, her anger shifting into some form of compassion. "But you can't. You need someone to watch your back."

I crossed my arms defiantly. "And who decided that that gets to be you?"

Max smirked at me, but even with the mask still on I can see the seriousness in her eyes. "I've been watching your back for years. Only now I get to look extra good while doing it."

And thus, I lost the argument. I remained silent for a while, arms still crossed, mind surprisingly clear. The silence was comfortable, the kind of silence that only exists between those people who have a connection of shared experience.

Just like me and Max.

Truth be told, I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather have at my side than her.

"So where'd you get the suit?" I asked.

"Genius like me? Didn't take me long to find the secs and make my own." She shrugged as if this was something just about anyone could do.

"No luck finding it at the mall?"

"They didn't have my size."

Sometimes, it surprised me how quickly a fight between us fades.

The distant sound of sirens made me somber once again. I should say something...

"Max... I-"

"Nuh-uh," she said with a disapproving wag of her finger. "The name's 'Robin', now." A memory that I swore I'd almost forgotten came to mind and I felt my lips twitch in amusement.

"I thought you didn't want to be called that."

"What can I say, it grows on a girl."

And off we ran, leaving the crooks tied up, ready to be brought in and locked up by the police. My words went unspoken, but I figured that was okay.

Genius like her, she probably knew what I was going to say anyway.

___

So is anyone besides me upset that Max never got to take part in the fighting aspect of Batman's world? I mean, I know she got the shakes during the episodes she did fight, but MAN, she had moves. I think with time and training, she would have rocked the superhero gig.

So anyway. Yes. Batman Beyond stuffs. I had so much fun drawing these.

Description
The monkey had me pinned.

I had been investigating a string of break-ins of research labs, a group with the idea of rescuing lab animals. That I didn't mind so much, I could even relate. Testing on animals never sat well with me.

It was the fact that these so called 'animal activists' also had a tendency to cause massive property damage by setting of bombs after getting the animals out. The humans who worked there weren't even given a second thought.

Thankfully, out of the three previous attacks, there had been no casualties, a small saving grace that msot illegal activity happened after dark, after the facilities were closed and most of the researchers and lab assistants went home. A few minor injuries from individuals who'd unwisely chosen to stay late. My priority was getting them out of harm sway and that had been the main reason I ahdn't caught up with the overzealous activists yet.

Until tonight.

There had been three of them. The first two had been taken out with relative ease, one knocked out, one trapped in a cage they'd just let an animal out of. The third was different, the leader, no doubt. Smarter, faster, and much much stronger.

And spliced. Did I mention that? The activists had gone so far as to spice their DNA with animal DNA, so when I said monkey, I mean half man, half howler.

Or... whatever.

I had chased him to the new building, still under construction. I had thought I had the advantage, I thought the splicer was a fool, a fool for thinking spilced genes made him better. A fool for thinking he could get away from me. From Batman.

Bastard had been waiting. The half constructed building was alike a jungle gym to him. He'd led me into his own little trap.

What kind of fool did that make me?

I was barely holding him off, holding onto his wrist with both hands so he wouldn't be cutting off my airways, but his choking me wasn't my only problem.

"Could you be any heavier?" I growled. One of his previous bombs had resulted ins ome shrapnel going into my leg and of course, the was sitting on it.

Apparently, weight was a sensitive subject and a howl later, he lifted me up a foot before slamming me back down onto the concrete. Pain exploded in my back and I renewed my efforts to reach for my last batarang, lying just beyond my grasp.

"Batman, you have a problem with being in the wrong place," came the rumbling grwol from above me.

"So I'm told," I replied. "Often."

"That ends now."

I watched the monkey man's other hand raise into a fist. If he had been human, I wouldn't have been worried, but I'd seen what those hands had done to metal animal cages. The batarang, my last hope, was still too far from my fingers.

So this would be how it ended? With some rookie mistake?

Figures.

Something small wizzed above and snapped against the splicer's hand. He howled in pain, releasing his hold on my neck to cradle his new injury. This is the chance I needed. I slid my legs out form under him, kicked him hard in the stomach and shoved him away. I scrambled back, grabbing my fallen batarang before spinning on one heel, ready to fight again.

My eye caught a glimpse of the small thing that had hit my attacker and for a moment, I thought I must be hallucinating.

It's another batarang.

I looked to the one in my hand, just to make sure that I was indeed holding my own batarang and not a fake. It was real. Then, where-

I didn't have time to ponder long before monkey man was back in the fight. He ran back towards the beams so he could regain his high-ground advantage, the trick he used to pin me down in the first place.

"You ain't going nowhere, hon," I heard, and before I can even think of giving pursuit, a bolas shoots past, the balls and rope entangling itself around monkey man's legs, tripping him. Within moments, he was tugging free and the owner of the voice streaked past me.

"I... what?" was all I could manage to say. The figure was costumed and masked, wearing a uniform not dissimilar from my own. The same second monkey man broke free, the figure was there, a swift kick to the face and a graceful dodge out of retaliation's way, and the figure began a swift dance around monkey man, keeping him off balance and effectively taking the advantage for herself.

Her. A girl. A girl with a gravely, sultry voice and trained moves. Voice and moves that I recognized.

It took me a moment for the familiarity to register.

"Awe, hell."

And just like that, I was joining th efight again. The batarang got thrown, hitting monkey man on the head and giving the woman a chan ce to score some critical hits. She darted back as he tried to grab her and I moved in, fists flying. Monkey man may have been strong, but his strength was no match for our speed. We traded off like that, the woman jumping in as I back off, and I can see monkey man start to waver. I looked to her and nodded and we both move in.

I aimed high, delivering a roundhouse. She aimed lower, swiping his legs out from under him. Monkey man went down hard and by the groan that escapes his lips and the sudden limpness in his limbs, I could tell that he's slipped from consciousness.

I turned to the girl.

And glare.

Over the years, I've learned to appreciate the subtle power of a good glare. It can bring a weak man to his knees and make a coward spill his guts.

"Don't be looking at me like that."

Unfortunately, the girl is immune.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I asked, fists clenching at my side. The previous fight hadn't eased my anger. It was quite possibly fueled by it.

"Helping you," she replies coolly. "You're welcome. You know, for saving your life. Oh, it was nothing, I-"

"We've talked about this, Max!" I growl.

"Actually, you talked about it. I just failed to argue."

"You can't be doing this."

"I can. And do you know why?" I could tell she was upset now. The finger she jabbed into my chest only furthered the point. "Because ever since the old man died, you've been acting like an idiot!" This cuased my chest to constrict a bit. The last thing I wanted to talk about was Bruce's death.

"You're becoming reckless, running into situations without thinking, putting yourself and others in danger!"

Make that second to last. The first thing I didn't want to discuss was how Max was right on this very matter.

"I know you miss him and I know you've convinced yourself that you can do this on your own," she continued, her anger shifting into some form of compassion. "But you can't. You need someone to watch your back."

I crossed my arms defiantly. "And who decided that that gets to be you?"

Max smirked at me, but even with the mask still on I can see the seriousness in her eyes. "I've been watching your back for years. Only now I get to look extra good while doing it."

And thus, I lost the argument. I remained silent for a while, arms still crossed, mind surprisingly clear. The silence was comfortable, the kind of silence that only exists between those people who have a connection of shared experience.

Just like me and Max.

Truth be told, I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather have at my side than her.

"So where'd you get the suit?" I asked.

"Genius like me? Didn't take me long to find the secs and make my own." She shrugged as if this was something just about anyone could do.

"No luck finding it at the mall?"

"They didn't have my size."

Sometimes, it surprised me how quickly a fight between us fades.

The distant sound of sirens made me somber once again. I should say something...

"Max... I-"

"Nuh-uh," she said with a disapproving wag of her finger. "The name's 'Robin', now." A memory that I swore I'd almost forgotten came to mind and I felt my lips twitch in amusement.

"I thought you didn't want to be called that."

"What can I say, it grows on a girl."

And off we ran, leaving the crooks tied up, ready to be brought in and locked up by the police. My words went unspoken, but I figured that was okay.

Genius like her, she probably knew what I was going to say anyway.

___

So is anyone besides me upset that Max never got to take part in the fighting aspect of Batman's world? I mean, I know she got the shakes during the episodes she did fight, but MAN, she had moves. I think with time and training, she would have rocked the superhero gig.

So anyway. Yes. Batman Beyond stuffs. I had so much fun drawing these.