Greetings! Hello. My name is Rika-chan (online of course) and thank you for reading my story. Incandessence is 31 chapters long and the reason for that is because I wanted to give a genuine tribute to the characters of Batman Beyond, but more specifically for Terry and Ten.

Basic Summary: In the Dawn of a New Age for the City of Gotham, Terry McGinnis has found out a Dark Secret ... A New Terrorist Organization known as the "Assassins Guild" has targeted Gotham City. And the only way to save the city is with the help of the two remaining Royal Flush Gang Members, namely Melanie/Ten and Jack, along with an old enemy, Terminal. With Max constantly by his side, along with his new found friendship, can Terry overcome these obstacles and save Gotham. Will love triumph over Evil. What will become of his family and Bruce Wayne? College, Love Triangles, Pillow Fights and Masquerade Parties are all just the beginning.

Commentary: As you well know by now, I first started working on this story in late 2003. Wow! That long ago huh? It started out with two chapters as I was just writing for fun, and also, because there weren't many Terry & Ten fan fictions out there. So I started writing about Terry and Ten and one thing led to another and now, here I am in February of 2007 and the story is finally coming to an end. I've decided to overcome this Writer's Block that I've had for quite some time and re-read, re-write, alter, edit, improve and finish this story. So please forgive me for this horrible delay, but I promise you, this story will come to an end and I really hope you've enjoyed reading it. Thank you for all the wonderful Comments. I really appreciate it.

1. Ace - Bruce Wayne's Great Dane ... This beast is quite intimidating from his physical appearance. He's jet black from head to foot and not to mention he weighs approximately 150 pounds. Audiences learn through the series that Ace was a pound puppy who was given to a trainer. This trainer, unfortunately Ace's journey for the next years would only be of pain and heartache. The trainer abused and beat Ace to become the perfect fighting machine. As cruel as life was though, during Ace's first dogfight, the police raided the entire building and during the commotion, Ace escaped. Life would soon get better as Ace encountered Bruce paying his annual visit to his parent's grave. There, a thug tries to attack Bruce from behind but Ace saves him. Realizing what the Great Dane had done, Bruce takes the dog with him to become his companion. Since then, it is assumed that Ace has lived with Bruce for a couple of years before they encountered Terry. There is a possibility that Ace is named after the Royal Flush Gang Member "Ace," who died in the Justice League Series with Bruce Wayne (as Batman) by her side. She was the only member of that Royal Flush Gang that Bruce sympathized and even looked hurt and saddened after her death.

2. Barbara Gordon - The Former Batgirl! Barbara Gordon may no longer be the costumed warrior fighting crime in Gotham's Streets, but she sure as hell is still fighting crime. Following in her father's footsteps, Barbara finally understands everything her father went through. As Police Commissioner of Gotham City, Barbara is the epitome of bravery, determination and conviction to defending the weak and fighting evil. Even in her sixties, Barbara is smart, tough, and cunning; she looks beautiful for her age with snow-white hair, sky blue eyes, maroon lipstick and a brown trench coat, she gives off an air of whimsical professionalism. When Barbara meets up Bruce and meet's his "apprentice" she automatically knows that he has been the new Batman that people have been sighting. She also advices him to give it up, knowing that a huge burden would be put on the boy. He refuses, and Barbara realizes that Bruce chose the perfect individual...someone just as stubborn as he was. Another fact about Barbara is that she is now married to the District Attorney of Gotham, Sam Young. A gentleman who seems to be completely oblivious to Barbara's former life.

3. Blade Sommer - She was the most popular girl in High School having gone out with all the popular boys there. Although one of her ex-boyfriends use to pick on Terry, little interaction was seen on the screen between Blade and Terry. However, Blade, or Bobbie as she is sometimes referred to, is very close friends with Chelsea. And as such, when she did appear on screen, Blade was most often seen with Dana as well. Superficial at first, Blade is a lot like Chelsea, a girl simply enjoying the life of high school without a care in the world. Blade was also one of the more beautiful girls of her High School; her blonde hair was almost crystal white with sky blue eyes and a love for the color pink complimented her lavender skin. Chelsea, Blade and Dana always seemed to get along great together and were practically inseparable. So even though in the series she seemed superficial, she really did love and take care of those she cared for ... namely Chelsea and Dana.

4. Bruce Wayne – The Former and Legendary Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne, now in his eighties, has lost everything important to him. This millionaire still owns the Wayne Corporation, but because of his health and age, he is forced to remain taking care of business in his mansion. As such, little is known or seen of him in public. Because of his weakened state and loneliness (he'll never admit to it though) he has become a depressed and irritable individual until Terry came along. After that, he was just irritable Bruce needed Terry as much as Terry needed to avenge his father's death. And as such, the alliance was formed and while their relationship gets volatile at times, they do value their friendship and the respectable differences as the old and new Dark Knight. Bruce realizes that his successor isn't as experienced and equipped with the knowledge of fighting crime and this also helps Bruce realize his life's mission. Fighting Crime was always Bruce's passion and now, he can continue that passion even behind his desk at the bat-cave, and he can do so because now he has Terry. Bruce's relationship with Terry also borders on the fatherly type. He's always guiding and explaining to him patiently, teaching him the tricks of the trade. He also shared many personal stories, one as personal as Celina Kyle.

5. Carter Wilson – Although very famous at his High School, Carter had difficulties fitting in. He constantly put on an act of being perfect and enjoying life, yet he was a suffering individual. He was brought up really badly by his family. Perfection was key and if he messed up as a young boy, he was harassed and treated like dirt from his parents. It got so bad that he mentally started to hate people who were better than him and his obsession became lethal when he joined a gang. The Jokerz Gang offered him an escape that he welcomed with open arms. He soon became the leader of a smaller gang, dying his hair jet-black, black eye makeup to emphasize his eyes, painting his face white with maroon scars doing down his mouth, wrapped up in a mummified long sleeved shirt with dark black pants ... Terminal was Born. As such, when Maxine won the title as the smartest girl in school, with him coming in second, his mind went crazy. Terminal tried to kill Maxine and he nearly succeeded, had it not been for Batman. Both Batman and Maxine were able to bring him down and send him off to Juvenile Hall. There, he remained for the rest of his high school years, completing high school through distance education, and serving his time, with lots of counseling.

6. Chelsea Cunningham – An Old friend of Terry's from Hamilton High School, Chelsea was best friends with Dana. She use to be a trouble maker and loved to party. Chelsea was never really a modest student, often focusing on becoming more popular at school than caring for anything else. However, she did cherish the friendship she had with both Dana and Blade. She would often get upset, watching as Terry stood Dana up or left her waiting for hours on end. She would often talk to both Dana and Terry, trying to get Dana to realize that she deserved better, and trying to get Terry to get his act together. The most memorable moment from the series was when Batman/Terry went to the New Development Center that was curing troubled teens of their problems...it turned out to practically be an asylum where they mentally abused the students. Chelsea was one of those students and Terry, as Batman, promised to save her, caressing her face and holding her hand, trying to convey just how hurt he was in seeing her suffer.

7. Curaré - One of the most deadly of the League of Assassins. The mysterious Curaré is dispatched to Gotham City to kill the District Attorney Sam Young in order to prevent his testimony in an important case. Armed with incredible fighting skills and a sword that can cut through anything, Curaré is an unstoppable force without a name or face. She's a professional in Martial Arts with a vast array of killer tactics and deadly skill. She has never failed to complete a job, but then again, she has never faced Batman or Barbara Gordon. When she was assigned to assassinate Sam Young, little did she know of how powerful the combined forces would be of the once-upon-a-time Batgirl and the new Dark Knight. The both of them successfully managed to defeat and capture Curaré. Unfortunately, she escaped from her prison but must now face the consequences of failure...she was then targeted and the entire League of Assassins wanted her dead. As such, Curaré decided it was better to live a life of honor instead of fleeing, so she returned to the league and killed every individual from that group, thus ensuring her safety. Her blue painted skin helps her hide in the dark, as she brandishes a sword on her back, white Egyptian clothes, a golden necklace and a golden belt that help carry her poisons and smaller gadgets. She has a very sour score to settle with Batman.

8. Dana Tan - Terry's Ex-Girl Friend. Dana Tan is your normal high school senior. The Asian-American is a very sweet and understanding girl, but is also quite independent. Little is known about her life prior to dating Terry. However, beautiful and intelligent, Dana grows more annoyed with the passing of the series as she sees little of her supposed boyfriend. If she only knew the difficult life he leads. While she is very understanding of Terry's job with Bruce Wayne, and she is constantly supportive of his new job, she has very little patience and even in the series, she seems to want to move on. Although they do seem like they are more friends than anything else, Dana shows a genuine affection for her on-and-off boyfriend.

9. Dick Grayson - The Original Robin before he became Nightwing. Dick Grayson is the all too famous Robin from the comic books, the animated series as well as Teen Titans. He was also in love with Barbara until he found out that Bruce knew that she was Batgirl and had been keeping that information from him. Having realized that Bruce would never see him as an equal, they shared a very painfully brutal verbal exchange followed by Robin punching Batman in the face. Just after that, he resigned his title as Robin and left the group. Although he remained in Gotham, he had now developed a new alias...Nightwing. Nightwing was very much a lone wolf until the end. Dick remained a loner in the series and it is assumed in the Batman Beyond saga that he either already passed away, or like Barbara, is married and living his own life. But, the animated series did give audiences a chance to see Nightwing interact with the New Robin, Tim Drake. Tim Drake is the Robin we have all come to know and love as the young boy fighting crime, until his unfortunate accident with the Joker that drove Bruce over the edge ... resulting in Batman killing the Joker once and for all for torturing and poisoning Tim.

10. Havoc/James Hewitt - An Original Character. One of the youngest promising leaders of the Assassins Guild. He had an attraction to Ten when she was only fifteen but Jack saved her before Havoc could hurt her. Now, he wants nothing more than to claim what was, in his opinion, rightfully his and destroy Terry's life because Ten chose him instead. Also, Havoc is incredibly smart and has many allies, including Curaré and Xander Kobra. His ultimate vision is to transform Gotham to a autocracy and eliminate the obstacle standing in his way of accomplishing that goal, namely Batman.

11. Jack Walker - Jack is Ten's older brother from the Royal Flush Gang. Although we saw little of him in the series, I for one was very happy to see the relationship between Jack and Ten. When she bailed him out of prison, trying to lead a normal life, it was pretty obvious that these two grew up very close and that they could not live without the other. Being the older brother, Jack grew up very protective of his sister, usually giving her the space she needed, when she needed it. He was also very much involved in the lifestyle of Royalty. Undoubtedly, the transition from living in wealth to the average person is going to be difficult ... he is more than happy to face that challenge as long as Ten is by his side.

12. Marry McGinnis - Terry's Mom. Mary McGinnis is the mother of Terry and Matt McGinnis. When Terry's father was murdered, Terry and his brother came to live with her. Marry was very troubled by the events, even after the separation with her former husband, but what made her stress out even more was the fact that she would be raising two sons all alone. Marry knows nothing about Terry's alter ego and that is largely thanks to Bruce Wayne. Terry has always lived with his dad, so living with his mom was a whole different ball game and it only got worse with their tense relationship. However, despite the fact that they are not very close, Marry continues to love and support her son.

13. Mathew/Matt McGinnis - Matt is Terry's adorably annoying eight-year-old brother. He lives for excitement, adventure, and getting his older brother into trouble. He is incredibly smart and very inquisitive, manipulative and cunning, we could only wonder what he would do if he were to find out his brother is the super-hero he admires. Ever since the appearance of the New Batman, Mat has gone crazy over this mysterious crime-fighter and he even fantasizes about fighting villains at his hero's side. Ironically, Matt has no idea that the man he so admires, and the brother he lives to annoy, are one and the same. Matt is an exact replica of his older brother; black hair and deep eyes, he was hurting a lot when his father passed away, and now looks up to Terry as an older brother and fatherly type. However, don't expect Matt to ever admit he cares for Terry, that would be his undoing.

14. Maxine/Max Gibson - Terry's Best Friend who also discovered his secret. Max, a friend of Terry's from Hamilton High School, she is a brilliant student, in position for valedictorian. After Terry saved her from Terminal, Maxine finally realized who Batman was. At first, Terry was uncomfortable with Max knowing his secret, but like she pointed out, it would help to have someone you could talk to about it. Max also tries to cover his back whenever he can't make it to spend time with Dana. Max provides the friendship he needs in everyday life at school, as well as the support he needs in fighting crime. She's Terry's closest friend in the sense of the word and she's there to help him lead this double life. Although she wants to help fight crime with him, Terry insists, along with Bruce, that she should always remain safe from harm, and that her best attribute would be to work along side Bruce, instead of out in the streets with Terry.

15. Melanie Walker - Ten from the Royal Flush Gang. The Royal Flush Gang is a sophisticated and ruthless gang whose crimes all center around playing cards. There are five members to this group, King, Queen, Ace, Jack and Ten. Although all the other members were okay with their crime-lifestyle, Melanie/Ten was the only one who ever suffered from her double-life. Her own personality is very tranquil and gentle, yet her training as a member demanded that she be ruthless and strong. Things only get more complicated for her when she meets Terry and falls in love with him. Terry found her very attractive and refused to break up with her when she called it off, due to her family. He went so far as to sneak into her apartment to find out why she would leave. Melanie/Ten is constantly struggling with her identity as does Terry. In the series, it is Batman and Ten who face off, not Terry and Melanie. After meeting Terry, and after Terry met Melanie, both of them take a closer look at who they really are. The parallels between the two are reminiscent of similarities between Celina Kyle/Catwoman and Bruce Wayne/Batman. Melanie longs for a normal life and in the series, she convinces her brother to follow her example. In the end, Terry watches as Melanie bails her brother Jack from prison and the two leave to live normal lives together.

16. Terence/Terry McGinnis - Terry was a normal 17-year-old high school student who lived with his father and had a wonderful girlfriend. Despite living a decent life with his dad, they always seemed to be constantly fighting. One night, after being chased by Jokerz, Terry encountered Bruce Wayne and soon discovered that he was the legendary vigilante. Unfortunately, things only got worse after that as Terry's dad was murdered. Desperately wanting to avenge his father's death, Terry stole the New Batsuit and went off to defend the city and restore honor to his father's name. As Batman, or the Tomorrow Knight, Terry is fearless and he lives his life devout to bringing justice to the people of Gotham. Throughout the series, he struggles with his identity and questions Bruce's way of life. Not wanting to end up alone, Terry is constantly trying to juggle life as Batman and life as Terence McGinnis. Bruce understands his protégé's dilemma and so in order to facilitate things, Bruce not only pays Terry extra income for his family, but the mentor goes so far as to share precious memories and stories with Terry to help the boy understand the cruelties and small joys in life. Terry's overall character is very deep, having been a troubled kid, he understands what a lot of his rivals are going through and sometimes lets his feelings get the better of him. Thankfully, he's got Bruce backing him up and guiding him throughout his adventures.

17. Xander Kobra – If you remember the series well you know this guy and Max have a score to settle. He kidnapped her and wanted to make her his queen and rule the world. He had found her exceptionally attractive because she was free spirited and also because she beat him at video games. He also wanted to turn into a human-reptile. The teacher who trained him took him down and they both perished in a fire. At least, that’s what was in the series; in my story, he was in his reptile form when he died, so he reverted back to his human form and it was Havoc who found and helped him recover.

Legal Disclaimer: I do not claim any of the character nor do I claim Batman Beyond as my own; they belong to their respectable owners. This story is entirely fictional and was written in honor of the amazing relationship that we audiences saw on television. It's such a shame that the series ended and even more so that they never gave Terry and Ten more screen time.