Disclaimer: I do not own Batman Beyond or any of the referenced story lines or characters therein.

Author's Note: A story that I removed long ago without being finished. Perhaps this time I'll make it all the way through. I have made changes to the story line in preparing to re-post, so if you remember the tale from before, things will be slightly different this time around. Enjoy. :)

Batman's latest escapade has taken him way in over his head, and cost him his memory, as well as his life as he knows it. To the people who know him well, it simply looks like he's disappeared into thin air, but to Terry – who can't even recall his own name – life seems to have backtracked about sixty years. The young man finds refuge with Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl and Robin, while trying to sort out his own past. At the same time, though, the future is in jeopardy without him, as a man named Connor vows to put his master plan in to action, despite the problems his time-space warp drive has already caused. Time is becoming fluid, and it seems Terry's very existence is threatened. The young man must regain his memory and avoid causing any rifts, while in the future Bruce and Max struggle to stop the mastermind behind McGinnis' disappearance, and bring the boy back. But will Terry have enough time to save the past before they bring him back to a future where he doesn't exist?

Warp Element

Departure

Connor pulled another slide switch into place, plugging the last red wire into its thin socket, and stepping back, quite satisfied with himself.

"Um…boss…?" Jack, a large muscle-bound man, entered the back room of the mansion tentatively. "Shouldn't we be getting going? The police will be here any moment…"

Connor stood, wiping his grease-covered hands over his wiry frame, smiling comfortingly at the large guard. "No, we're fine." He nodded. "We have time on our side." He winked at his protector, who nodded, still feeling slightly on edge.

"Oh, stop it." A woman, about as grease covered as her boyfriend, stepped out from behind the large machine they were adjusting, wiping her dirty face on her apron and combing her oil-darkened fingers through her mussed brown hair. "Connor, that's totally enough with the time jokes." She rolled her bright green eyes, a smile resting lightly on her lips. "We all know what you've designed, now lets get it done before time decides to be fickle and change sides, shall we?"

Jack nodded heartily, crossing his arms over his bulky chest.

Connor chuckled, tossing a lock of golden hair from his own brown eyes, and kissing her gently on that flickering smile. She blinked, giggling.

"Too late." A voice from overhead growled, and the lovers looked up, Connor's easy-going smile devolving into an evil scowl. He was here. "Batman." He hissed. "Eva, finish the interior cybernetics. Jack and I will deal with this pest." Those beautiful green eyes sparked with anticipation, but she nodded calmly, grabbing a wrench and doing as she was told.

Connor scanned the ceiling, noting Jack's rigid posture. "You okay, Jack?" He asked.

"Just fine, Boss." Came the confident reply. "Droves of police may be a little tough, but one Bat, I can handle."

"A little overconfident, now, don't you think?" The voice from overhead snickered. "I've taken down guys way bigger than you."

Connor and Jack exchanged a knowing glance. "Perhaps." Connor smiled, speaking to the ceiling. "But its not always size that matters, is it?"

With that, Batman struck, moving for Connor first. The black clad demon fell upon the mechanic like a blood-crazed vampire, but suddenly found himself flung across the room to slam painfully into a wall. He groaned, slumping down onto the plush carpet beneath him, resisting the urge to sneeze as the drywall rained down upon him. Rising from the floor on his hands and knees, he peered suspiciously at the man referred to as Connor. "What the hell?" He coughed, spitting blood. That had HURT. The little wiry dude had done that?

Connor clucked in admonishment with his tongue. "Tsk, tsk, Batman. You really should know a little bit more about your opponents before you dive in like that. I'm the strong man here." He looked over to Jack, who was smiling. "A little bit cliche. But Jack, on the other hand… has a very unique talent."

As if on cue from his boss, the large man stepped forward, his dark eyes flared a flaming violet color. A strange energy began to gather around him. Batman barely had time to swear before the strange force enveloped him. "Oh, s-" The vigilante found himself crying out in pain, encased in a suffocating bonfire of amethyst rage, the tongues of flame burning and tearing at his costume as if they were vengeful spirits out to kill him. The fire reached in through his suit, lancing up his skin, pricking in through his pores and searing through his veins. Slowly, the blaze spread throughout his entire body, leaving him screaming, convulsing as it tore with invisible claws at the very essence of his being, digging painfully into corners of his consciousness he didn't even know he had. As Jack withdrew, it was almost as painful as the invasion, as the tendrils of energy ripped themselves free without a thought to Batman's comfort, leaving him in a shuddering heap on the floor. He had only endured a few seconds of the searing pain, but it felt as if he had been lying there for hours, agonizing beneath the bodyguard's sway.

Jack chuckled openly, delighting in the freedom to use his inimitable skill. As he smiled, he revealed fangs where normal incisors would be. Batman shuddered, curling in on himself, trying to get his mind and body functioning again, with little success. Jack could now feel Batman's life energy pulsing through his own veins, the very core of who the boy was, now empowering the large man. He could feel his strength swelling slightly, his confidence rising. Whoever the Batman was had quite a spirit. This would be a meal to relish. He flexed his bulky arms, and cracked the bones in his neck with some satisfaction. He was slightly rusty. He hadn't devoured a good soul in quite some time. Most these days were shriveled with greed and self-centered ideals, but Batman was actually a worthwhile delicacy.

Jack's powers came quite in handy a lot of the time, easily being able to immobilize attackers of the trio within seconds, but the problem was that he could only drain one life at a time. It didn't matter how much he trained to expand his strength and finesse, he could never stretch the amount of people he could immobilize at once – only the amount of time it took. It used to be that he'd need five hours to completely kill a person, but over the years, he'd beat that time down to an extremely efficient three minutes. But maybe with Batman he'd savor the life force a little longer… cause a little more agony. Back when it had taken him five hours to drain elan vital, every moment for his victim had become agonizing, and they died of the pain and mental strain long before he'd even completely sucked them dry. Now, though, he could enjoy watching every moment of their lives slip from their clutches like water. Yes, this existence he'd save, toy with a little more. It was rich and wholesome, a noble one. Jack sneered. Noble or not, its end was near. Batman was a worthless bug in the long run after all, slated for termination. They had no reason to keep him around.

His eyes flickered violet again, but before he could go back to work on Batman's spirit, Connor laid a gentle hand on his bodyguard's shoulder. "It's all right, Jack, I have different plans for him. He's going to help us test our machine, here."

Batman wheezed a painful breath, rolling over and coughing, spluttering crimson blood all over the designer flooring. Connor rolled his eyes. "Pitiful."

Jack nodded, turning away from his prey with some disappointment, but honoring Connor's wishes. "That's fine with me, Boss." The man backed down, tame as a puppy dog again, looking as demure and innocent as a five-year-old with an ice cream cone in the park. His fangs were hidden behind a kind smile, and his eyes were again dark, dull and blank.

Connor smiled. "Thank you, Jack. I'll find you another meal later, okay?"

Jack nodded again, an angelic expression of elation claiming his features. Even though he wasn't that hungry, the thought of having another plaything was rather enjoyable. Batman moaned, attempting to get up, but his limbs still felt like jelly underneath him. Stiffness refused to relent its hold on him, and he was still feeling the lingering aftertaste of whatever it was the large guy had done to him. He saw Jack's visage turn sour again, and stopped moving as the man's eyes flashed purple. He really didn't want whatever he had done to happen again. It hurt, like his soul was being ripped out of him, like he was dying ten times over as he laid there, helpless and paralyzed, unable to defend himself. Fire flickered in his limbs, and he let himself back down to the floor, nausea swirling in his stomach, a pounding headache causing unrelenting pressure in his skull.

"Terry? Terry, are you alright?" Bruce's voice cut in over the com-link, a tinge of what Batman supposed was worry and care laced with an irritated rushed feeling.

"Peachy." The teenager hissed between clenched teeth, in a voice so low only Bruce could hear it. "I'm only half dead."

"Which means you're half alive. You'll be fine." If Wayne was trying to be comforting, he was failing miserably.

"I always thought you were a glass half empty kind of guy, Bruce." Batman replied sullenly. At this point, he almost wanted a little bit of pity from the old man, but knew he wouldn't receive it. He positioned his palms beneath his chest in preparation to push himself back into action against these creeps. He wasn't exactly sure what they were up to, but anyone who opposed Batman wasn't doing any good.

"Only when it suits me."

Batman grumbled under his breath. Of course, Bruce would have no optimism on anything until his protege was lying on the floor 'half alive'. Then we'd be optimistic. Right.

"Have any clue what that machine is?" He whispered, stalling as much as possible to regain his strength. Jack kept a keen eye trained on him, though, and he shivered under the guard's sharp gaze.

"I haven't figured that out yet, but Idon't really want to wait and find out. Just unplug it and ask questions later."

That was rather uncharacteristic of his mentor, but Terry decided there were all kinds of situations – the kind you stepped into knowing what you were up against, and the kind you bungled into and hoped you made it out alive and destroyed the right things. This one was the latter. Taking a deep breath, Batman gathered all of his remaining strength, and relying heavily on the suit's physical amplifiers, whirled back into action faster than Jack had expected. The big man received two heels to the jaw, his neck snapping backward as he stumbled, falling over in a dazed heap. Batman landed back on his feet, hoping that would be enough to keep the life-leech down for now.

Connor turned to face the rodent, sighing in irritation, but not looking the least bit threatened. "Eva, darling, are you almost done?"

"Just another minute more, Connor…" A voice could be heard from somewhere behind the machine, and Batman's gaze flicked there, trying to find the source.

"Alright. I can hold our flying rat off until then." The mastermind heard the howl of police sirens in the distance. So perhaps breaking into the Powers' abandoned homestead hadn't been the best idea in the world, but then, it was the mansion with the second largest supply of power in the entire city, and unlike the Wayne Mansion, didn't have people living in it. So between largest power supply and second…he'd had to go with second. The 'abandoned' part was simply too enticing. But then, even abandoned things seemed to have alarms, as had become apparent when they'd broke in and whistles had begun screaming at them. But if one wanted to change the world, one had to take risks. So here he was, with his girlfriend and their strange bodyguard, fending off the Batman and anticipating the incoming police while they attempted to hook their machine up to the power grid. They'd be ready when the police came, though. They'd be safe by then if the machine were online.

Batman stood, breathing heavily, still extremely worn out from Jack's onslaught of violet hell. Connor smirked at him. "Alright, Batman, now you face me. Less original, perhaps, but just as deadly."

"Joy." Batman grumbled, and then sprinted at the man – the last blockade between him and the mysterious machine. If he could get rid of Connor, he'd be home free. But then, that was easier said than done. Connor raised a single, wiry arm, swatting the vigilante aside like a fly. He'd struck the Tomorrow Knight firmly in the gut, and the vigilante leaned forward, clutching at his stomach as he skidded backward on the balls of his feet, regaining his balance with the fingertips of his free hand sliding along the flooring. A set scowl morphed his mask as he realized that Connor was impassible. This man was simply too quick and too strong to be defeated by head-on tactics. Instead, he'd just have to work around him. The black-clad hero moved into a painful sprint again, but faked his opponent out, running straight for him, and then twisting into position, with his batarang launchers aimed skillfully at a clump of rather important looking multicolored wires.

Connor cried out in dismay, and Batman's suspicions were confirmed. "NO!" The man shouted, caught off guard. His fingers brushed a lamp on an end table nearby, and he gripped the smooth porcelain, hurling the heavy appliance at Batman, who flinched, missing his target as the lamp shattered against his skull. The batarangs, stray of their target, settled deeply into the thick, plush carpeting.

"I hope you're done, Eva!" Connor called, swirling around to a position at the control panel, determined to get rid of the Bat before he caused any more trouble. If Jack's few seconds of leeching hadn't kept the Dark Knight down that long, than nothing other than killing him would. They needed to act NOW. They needed a live subject to track.

"READY!" The woman confirmed shakily, an out of sight panel slamming shut. "All set!"

Batman shook his head, dazed from his cranium being jarred with a heavy lamp, but stumbled back into action anyway, trying to focus his vision on the seeming mastermind of this strange plot. Connor noticed the swaying movement, and took advantage of the stunned vigilante. The strength-endowed meta-human pulled a syringe from his pocket, slamming the Batman into a wall and quickly injecting the concoction into the do-gooder's blood. The dark hero shoved Connor away with a powerful kick, pulling the empty needle from his arm, but the mutant moved away despite him, sprinting back to the control panel and flipping one final switch. Batman stepped away from the wall, bleary eyes searching for Connor. What had the freak just put in his blood stream? What switch had he just flipped? Would dinner taste as good the second time around? Yeah, he liked his mom's cooking, but not that much.

Batman groaned, falling down on one knee as a strange hum of power overtook him, and nausea washed over him like an ocean. Vigilante and villain turned to face each other as the entire house sparked to life at the surge of power the machine began to pull in. The white eyes of the mask widened in horror as the humming lights began to roar, and filaments exploded under the unexpected high voltage. The entire house shuddered as a shock-wave vibrated through the air, throwing Batman off balance and careening across the floor, skidding on his shoulder. He collided rather painfully with a wall, his head slamming into the concrete with a sickening crack. Vaguely in the distance, he heard a voice calling his name…

"Terry? TERRY!"

...And then everything went black.

Connor coughed, waving a hand in front of his face, trying to get the dust out of his mouth and nose. That had been particularly disastrous. He hadn't expected feedback like that from the power surge it took to run the machine. "Eva?" He wheezed, and he heard coughing to match his own. The room was pitch dark, and he couldn't see a thing.

"Connor, I'm here…" She moaned. "I think I broke something, though."

"Where are you, Darling? I can't see."

"Um…over here? I'm not exactly sure. What happened to Batman?"

Connor sighed. "Jack, if you're conscious and don't mind too terribly, do you mind lending some…" Before he was even able to finish his sentence, a glowing violet light flared to life off to his left, and the large, luminescent man rose, separating himself from a small pile of rubble. Connor smiled appreciatively. "Batman's life force is conveniently bright." He commented.

Jack nodded. "He's young, healthy. He has a lot of energy, and is fueled by very honorable intentions. He's a rare pure soul."

Connor nodded thoughtfully, committing Jack's examination of the vigilante to memory. Batman was a determined one, then. Depending on exactly what had happened when he hastily activated his project, the Bat may still be a threat.

"Eva, baby, can you move at all? Show us where you are."

"Here." A small movement of a slender arm off beyond the machine brought Jack and Connor rushing, and they found her under part of the collapsed ceiling, her legs trapped and out of sight. "It hurts." She complained, supporting her upper body with her elbows. "Can you get this off of me?" Connor easily cleared the rubble from his girlfriend's pained form, and ran his hands gently along her leg. "Yes." He nodded, pursing his lips into a thin, straight line. "There is a break. We'll have to get you a splint. Just this one, or does the other hurt as well?"

Eva shook her head. "No, just that one."

"Will you be able to shift at all?" Connor asked worriedly.

"No…" Eva confessed. "Our little power trio may be a duo for now. I don't know what shifting would do to the broken bone – it's most likely unhealthy, and I'd rather not test it."

Connor's eyebrows knit together. "Perfectly understandable. But no matter." He stood, glancing around, scanning their dusty surroundings under the dull glow of Jack's projected life force. "Batman is taken care of, it seems."

"Where did you send him?" Eva asked.

A worried look crossed Connor's face. "That's the problem." He explained. "I didn't have time to accurately set the controls…" The thin man stepped cautiously over some of the debris; glad the air was clearing a bit. Particles like that weren't great for his asthma. He coughed quietly and scanned over the machine, checking the controls and sighing. The serum he'd injected Batman with was a rather special nanite concoction he'd designed not only to help his invention focus on the individual, as to make sure the correct specimen was being transferred, but to track them wherever they went. At least… 'wherever' had been the plan. But then, plans have the tendency to go awry… "Oh, no." He admonished himself.

"What?" Jack and Eva chorused, worry claiming their expressions as well. They were messing with dangerous elements here, and if Connor had said 'oh no' it could mean something to the effect of 'in an hour, the earth will no longer exist'. "What's 'oh no'?" Eva repeated as the silence stretched on.

"The controls." Connor whined. "Batman's still HERE within our vicinity, technically, but he's also sixty years or so into our past. This could be disastrous. If he's back there…that means he no longer exists here."

"But that's a good thing…right?" Eva asked.

"In the short term, yes. He disappears from our time line now, and never comes back. BUT…"

"But?" Jack asked, a thick eyebrow raised.

"But if he messes anything up BACK THERE… then none of this could exist NOW. If the space element had been properly activated, then we simply could have sent him elsewhere CURRENTLY and managed an escape ourselves…"

Eva's green eyes widened in horror, "But since all that affected him was the time warp, then he's liable to destroy the entire future – in essence, our present."

"It's a possibility." Connor swallowed, trying to relieve his dry throat. Nervousness crept in on him like a disease. "This really isn't good."

Police sirens cut into his thoughts again, and suddenly he realized that Batman was no longer his only problem. "Oh no." He said again. "This really isn't going the way I planned."