[♪]
Beginning stage one countdown.
T-minus-5 minutes and counting.
It should be a picture launch, Mr. Winchell.
It better be, Mr. Fong.
That's a billion-dollar satellite out there.
Ahh.
Feels like a steam bath.
[ALARM BEEPING]
Interior temp's just spiked.
Shut down the launch sequence.
It's not responding. Something's gone wrong with the relays.
Four minutes left.
And I'm right on schedule.
MAX [OVER RADIO]: So where does the old man go to unwind?
Tibet.
He's visiting some old guru mentor friend.
He's got 'em all over the place.
Perfect. You could take Dana out to that restaurant on the beach.
Can't. Gotta work.
You're skating on thin ice with her already.
He expects me to work even harder while he's gone.
Why? He always thinks
something bad's gonna happen the minute he leaves town.
And somehow he's always right.
[♪]
BATMAN: Inque.
Last time I saw you, you were washed away in a storm.
And now I'm rainwater fresh, Batman.
Soon to be ice water.
Oh!
What the heck was that?
A new technique, Batman.
Did you think I'd learned nothing
from our previous encounters?
[GRUNTS]
[GRUNTING]
You should have minded your own b...
[SCREAMING]
New circuitry, Inque.
Did you think I'd learned nothing
from our previous encounters?
I really don't have time for this, Batman.
[GRUNTS]
No!
Blast-off.
[♪]
[BOTH SHOUTING]
[ROCKET GROANING]
Ahh!
Ah! Oof!
TERRY: Inque's a mercenary. If I'm going to find her,
I gotta figure out who hired her.
You gonna contact the old man?
No. Inque's mine.
Sounds like you two have some kind of history.
She was in the Batcave once.
That's more than I can say.
Heh. Sorry. Go on.
It was my fault. Wayne had to capture her.
When she escaped, I went after her,
and Wayne had to rescue me again.
Almost got himself killed.
That's not gonna happen this time.
I'll take care of Inque myself.
Of course, if someone else wanted to help me,
say by digging up some information
about Shimano's competitors?
If I do, do I get to see the Batcave?
We have no choice but to scrap the whole satellite project.
Yes, we're all disappointed.
It's a great loss for our company.
It's only a loss until your insurance company pays up.
Then it'll be more like a profit.
And speaking of profit, I assume you're here
for the remainder of your own substantial fee?
Here are the routing numbers for my offshore account.
This shouldn't take long.
All I have to do is hit this one key
and half my assets become yours.
Or I could keep it all for myself.
[GASPS]
Aahh! Ugh!
Yes. I prefer the second option.
INQUE: Aahh!
Your resilience is remarkable.
But this is no ordinary laser.
It's a particle de-stabilizer.
No substance is impervious.
Aahh!
Not even you.
[GROANS]
[VEHICLE BEEPING]
My car. What are you doing to my car?
You're six months behind on the payments. We're repossessing.
Wait, this is just some kind of oversight.
I can pay. Really.
Over limit.
Try this one.
Sorry.
Over limit. Over limit. Over limit.
Here, this one's brand new.
Oh, poor little Repoman. Don't look so sad.
I'm sure you'll find other cars.
What's this?
REPOMAN: You got a problem, lady.
Credit counselor? I don't need a credit counselor.
What I need is more credit.
[RINGING]
Hello?
Oh, it's you.
Listen, I know I promised to make a payment this week,
but something came up.
But what if we transfer the balance to the new card,
then use the old card to cover the overdraft?
See? I told you we could work it out.
[GASPS]
Aahh!
INQUE: No. Wait.
Aahh!
Let me go.
I need your help.
What are you?
I'm your mother.
[♪]
INQUE: I was young.
Younger than you are now. The police were after me.
I had to run.
Why didn't you take me with you?
I couldn't.
You were only a baby.
But I made sure I always sent money to your guardians.
They told me my trust fund was an inheritance.
I never thought I was living on stolen money.
That money put a roof over your head.
You had new clothes, enough to eat.
That's more than I ever had as a child.
Is that why you let them turn you into a biohazard?
For money?
Yes.
For money.
More money than you can imagine.
[SCHOOL BELL RINGS]
Do you have some time after school?
Some of us are going over to Rhino's
and I thought it would be nice to hang for a change.
I...
I'll make time.
Great.
I didn't know Max was in this class.
Max?
I borrowed the new Ditto Boys disk from her yesterday.
Guess she wants it back.
What you got? Not much.
No one was really competing with Shimano on this project.
If the competition didn't hire Inque, then who did?
Maybe someone should have a closer look at Shimano's books.
I guess I could hack into their...
I'm talking about the kind of looking
that has to be done up close and personal.
Ah, slag.
I told Dana I'd go with you guys to Rhino's.
Don't worry about it. I'll explain to Dana.
Let me guess.
He's been summoned by the great Mr. Wayne again?
Poor guy.
You're not mad?
Not since I figured out
what's really going on.
[GROANING]
I'm back. Thought I'd pick something up for dinner.
You know, if you're planning on staying for a while,
I could use some help with the grocery bill.
I've been a little over-extended lately and...
[GROANING]
You don't look so good.
It's getting worse.
There must be some cellular damage.
The only thing that'll help me heal is more mutagen.
You'll have to get it for me.
You mean steal it? I'm not a thief.
I'll talk you through it.
We'll do it together.
I don't know.
I've never done anything like this before.
I need this, Deanna.
I need you.
[SIGHS]
Okay.
The lab is in the Montrose district.
You'll have to drive there,
though I wouldn't park too close.
Maybe I should rent a car. Mine's kind of conspicuous.
Smart girl. Thinking ahead.
I'll transfer some creds into your account...
[MOANS]
It's all right.
I'll do it for you, Mother.
I just need the transfer codes and a PIN number.
You know, that's the first time you've called me "Mother."
Inque. WINCHELL: Call the adjuster.
This time, tell him if there's any more delay
settling our claim,
he can expect to hear from our lawyer.
BATMAN: Your lawyer might be too busy
with your criminal case.
Where's the rest of her?
If I tell you, then what? You'll give me the sample?
BATMAN: I'll still turn you in to the cops for insurance fraud.
But I'll be nice about it.
Not a very compelling choice.
[BEEPS]
[MACHINERY WHIRS] [GUNS COCK]
Get him!
[SCREAMS, GRUNTS]
[GRUNTS]
We'll handle this.
WINCHELL: You saw the splatters on the wall.
If it did that to Inque, imagine what it will do to you.
I know you're in here.
Show yourself.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[GRUNTS]
[GASPS]
[SCREAMS]
Now, where is Inque?
I don't know!
Wrong answer.
[WHIMPERS]
[SCREAMS]
Uh, no, really, I... I... I don't know!
Sh... She was hurt, badly.
Sh... She got away.
How do you contact her?
I don't. She always contacts me.
Her payment's done by e-transfers.
[WHIMPERS]
[SCREAMS]
Then you would have her account numbers, wouldn't you?
Uh-huh.
BATMAN: I'm on my way to the mutagenics lab.
If Inque's that badly injured, she'll need more mutagen.
You track down the account yet?
Genius can't be rushed, you know.
So how mad was Dana that I blew off our date?
Actually, she wasn't mad at all.
Said she understands the special nature of your job.
What? She found out?
Relax. She was talking about your relationship
with Mr. Wayne.
She says with your dad being gone,
it was important for you to have a positive father figure.
Bruce Wayne. Some father figure.
Maybe she's not so far off.
Hold on.
Here it is.
Traced it to a European bank.
Lots of big electronic deposits. Her fees, I guess.
And monthly transfers to an account in Gotham.
Whose? Checking.
Genius or not, you'd better hurry.
Looks like someone just broke into the lab.
[SIRENS BLARING] [INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]
Never fear. I got the transfer info.
MAX: It's a trust account
for someone named Deanna Clay.
[SIGHS]
[MOANS]
Oh.
Deanna?
Not looking too healthy, Inque.
Healthy enough to take care of you.
[SCREAMS]
[SCREAMS, MOANS]
[DEANNA GRUNTS]
It's all ready, Mother.
Catch.
No!
[GASPS]
Ah! That's more like it.
Feels like a tickle now.
[GROANS]
Ah!
[BATMAN'S SMOTHERED SCREAMS]
[INQUE SCREAMS]
INQUE: You never learn, do you?
[GRUNTS]
Is he dead?
Close enough.
[RUMBLING]
[GRUNTING]
Ew!
You just don't know when to give up, do you, Batman?
[GROANS]
[SCREAMS]
Ah! Oh!
[GROANS]
What did you do?
What was in that mutagen?
[SCREAMS]
Penteral. It's a solvent.
DEANNA: You're dissolving, Mother.
Why?
Why would you do this to me?
[GROANS] For the money.
I have your accounts.
And you're right.
It is more money than I could ever imagine.
[GRUNTS]
[SCREAMS]
[INQUE GROANS]
After all I gave you,
how could you have turned out like this?
You never gave me anything except money, Mother.
How did you expect me to turn out?
Thank you, Simmons.
That will be all for now.
I said that will be all for...
Oh, it's you.
You're a bigger pest than the cops.
They'll get you soon enough.
You're blocking my sun. What do you want?
When Inque dissolved away,
the police collected her residue.
Now that seems to have mysteriously disappeared.
Why should I care? She's dead.
She's been dead before.
[RUSTLING]
[♪]