In this episode of Batman Beyond, after taking on the mantle of Batman, Terry soon finds it difficult to adjust to leading a double life fighting crime and also making time for school and his girlfriend. However, the circumstances force him to adapt faster than expected: Wayne-Powers is competing with Foxteca for a government-funded project and Derek Powers has hired a dangerous mercenary named Inque to help him sabotage the rival corporation. Bruce then gives Terry his first mission: to defend Foxteca from Inque's attacks.
Tropes:
- 1-Dimensional Thinking: Terry and Bruce escaping Two-Face's falling giant coin. Terry never thought to just fly to the side.
- Achilles' Heel: While Inque is seemingly Nigh-Invulnerable to nearly all of Batman's other attacks, she has an extreme weakness to water and ice.
- Armor-Piercing Question:Barbara: I hear you wrangled yourself a new errand boy.
Bruce: I never wrangled anyone. You all came to me.
Barbara: Maybe for once you should try to talk someone out of it.
Bruce: Would it have worked for you?
[Barbara smiles] - Break Out the Museum Piece: The Grey Ghost mask and Mr. Freeze's old freeze gun.
- The Cameo: Which doubles as Five-Second Foreshadowing: one of the first things shown on the Police Commissioner's office was a desk picture of Jim Gordon, right before Barbara Gordon reveals herself to the camera.
- Continuity Nod:
- Bruce mentions the fact that Foxteca was founded by the son of Lucius Fox, who was revealed to have been fired by Derek Powers.
- This episode also re-introduces Barbara Gordon, who has succeeded her father as police commissioner.
- When Inque breaks into the Batcave, Bruce hastily disguises himself with the goggles and hat of the Grey Ghost.
- The Batcave noticeably also contains various other paraphernalia of the original Batman's Rogues Gallery, including Harley Quinn and Firefly's costumes, the Ventriloquist's Scarface puppet, and Mr. Freeze's freeze gun.
- Cool Car: The new Batmobile, which Terry test-drives for the first time in this episode.Terry: This is unbearably cool!
- Crazy-Prepared: Bruce, of course. Terry hangs a lampshade on it after watching Inque get repeatedly thwarted by the Batcave's various built-in security systems.Terry: She's heading upstairs! (Bruce pushes a button, doors close.)
Bruce: Pays to be prepared.
Terry: She's getting through! (Bruce pushes another button, door becomes electrified) Man. You are prepared.
Bruce: (Cue Inque slithering up to the ceiling) She won't get through that way either. There's a layer of solid steel. - Create Your Own Hero: A corporate variation. During the interim between the "Rebirth" prologue and the Present Day, Derek Powers ousted the Fox Family from Wayne Enterprises. Lucius Fox, Jr. went on to form Foxteca, which has become one of Wayne-Powers' biggest competitors (a rivalry which serves as the catalyst for this episode).
- Crippling the Competition: Derek Powers hires Inque to sabotage competitor Foxteca, by oozing herself into computers and machines to damage them.
- Hazmat Suit: Powers reveals to Inque that he has managed to disguise his accident and resulting radioactivity from the last episode by wearing a specially-designed artificial skin that makes him appear normal in public. Unfortunately, the suits are only temporarily effective and they break down whenever he loses his temper...
- Human Popsicle: How Inque is ultimately defeated.
- Kryptonite Is Everywhere: This is how Batman discovers Inque's weakness, when they are literally surrounded by water.
- Literally Shattered Lives: Inque after getting frozen with Mr. Freeze's gun, is shattered into pieces.
- Nobody Here but Us Statues: On his visit to Powers' office, Bruce examines some "modern art" sculptures. Only when he and Terry are gone did Inque reveal herself to give her report.
- Orifice Invasion: At one point, Inque attempts to kill Terry by forcing herself down his throat and choking him to death. It is not a pleasant experience for him.
- Outside-Context Problem: Inque is this for Terry, who understandably is still getting used to being Batman and has no experience fighting monsters or enhanced individuals at this point in the series.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Inque, who has no evil ambitions of her own but merely works as a mercenary for whomever is paying her.
- Start My Own: Foxteca was started by the former Wayne-Powers employee, Lucius Fox, who Powers fired after the merger.
- Trash the Set: The Batcave gets wrecked by Inque's incursion in the climax. It's repaired by the next episode.
- Vomit Discretion Shot: After Inque nearly chokes Batman to death by forcing herself down his throat, Batman throws up, with his head off-screen.
