Author's Notes:
Yay! I'm finally done with this prologue! Oh my gosh, this took a long time to write... Of course, this is my first BOTF story that's not based on a certain episode or story line. In other words, it's my first "original" story (OS) in this series that's not a one-shot! So yeah, getting it written will be a challenge, and very time consuming (despite already having a rough plot outline of my own to follow), but at least it'll provide you guys and girls something to read that you haven't really seen before. It will include a few references to the Batman Beyond episodes and graphic novels, but aside from that this is mostly original. It is based on a nightmare I had in late December of 2013, in which I was, in fact, Coba Brooklyn. It wasn't that knowledge that made it a nightmare, though: what made it a nightmare will be revealed later on.
To be honest, I'm probably more stoked about writing this story than I have been with other ones. It's going to have a really cool twist about in the middle or towards the end, and it is, as I stated earlier, based on a nightmare I had about a month and a half ago. I'm even considering making a "book cover" especially for it! YAY FOR EXCITEMENT! WOOT WOOT!
The idea for this story's title came to me when I got the song "In Waves" by Trivium stuck in my head, primarily the intro where he screams the title of the song. I thought about it some more, and I realized that it fit really well with what this story will be covering. Two villains in this are Shriek and Spellbinder, and the "waves" they represent are sound waves and brain waves respectively. Then there's another form of "wave" that is present in all of the BOTF stories: emotional waves, since, after all, Coba is a very emotional character. There will be a lot of emotion in this story. But no: none of the lyrics from the song are in this.
Wow, this is my eighth BOTF story but the sixth non-one-shot one? Wow, I must really have drive for these... more than I do my other stories, even...
Chronological order (stories you may need to read to fully understand references in this one are underlined):
1. Rebirth
2. Running Out of Inque
3. Remember
4. Eyewitness of the Past
5. Last Resort
6. Big Time
7. The Call
8. Truth Be Told
9. In Waves (which doesn't follow any episodes)
10. What Lies Within (Teen Titans crossover)
11. Betrayal (Part 2 of Big Time; upcoming)
So, without further ado, please R & R and enjoy...
Blüdhaven
"Keep your stance, kid. Mind your surroundings. Focus on your opponent's motions."
Coba Brooklyn strove to do as her grandfather, Richard Grayson, instructed as she blocked his attacks with a bo staff he had given to her from his earlier days as Robin, since it was more appropriate for her size than the one he was using. Though small, the staff was surprisingly sturdy and light, which allowed Coba to use it more efficiently. More than once, her feet slipped on the ground as she dodged some of his attacks but she managed to stay upright. She blocked an attack, then lunged forward to return it. Dick side-stepped and tripped her with his staff. Coba hit the floor hard, the fall knocking the wind out of her lungs. Despite the fact that her entire body was hurting from the blow, she managed to lift herself off of the ground, using her staff to aid her. "Easier said than done," she gasped.
"I know, kid." Dick said sympathetically. "Take a five minute break."
The girl shook her head stubbornly. "No, let's do more."
Dick looked at her concernedly. "Coba, this is the fourth time you've taken a fall like that in under five minutes. You're obviously worn out and pained from it."
"But I can do more!" Coba protested, a determined glow in her cobalt and red eyes.
"Stop arguing with me!" Grayson snapped suddenly, his only eye narrowed in a stern glare. "We're not continuing until you've had a break!"
Brooklyn was taken by surprise by his harsh response, but lowered her head in defeat. "Yes, sir," she said quietly, sitting down on a bench that was directly behind her. She looked up at him apologetically after a brief moment. "I'm sorry, Grandfather. I didn't mean to upset you."
The man immediately regretted his tone to his granddaughter. "No, I'm sorry," he apologized, sitting down next to her. "I know you're scared about Slade coming after you. To be honest, I am, too. But you need to take the training slow and steady, otherwise you'll have no control of your actions if and when you face him. It's not like homework from school where you only have to use your intellect: your body needs to be as ready as your mind when it comes to learning how to fight."
"I know," Coba murmured. Earlier she had told Dick about what Bruce and Damian had told her the previous night about her heritage and powers. "I just don't know how to accept all of this. I mean, I've had these powers since I was an infant, and there are some that I don't know if I have or not. How can I hope to survive an encounter with Deathstroke, who probably knows more about my powers than I do?"
"Give it time," Grayson said gently. "You'll get the hang of it." He noticed something else in her gaze, something he had noticed many times before on the faces of his former teammates and himself when he looked in the mirror many years ago. "You're worried about impressing Bruce, aren't you?"
Coba nodded grimly. "Yeah. I know I probably shouldn't be, but I noticed something about his behavior towards me after what we learned last night." She looked down sadly. "It's as if he's expecting more from me, and at the same time it seems that he's not too thrilled about me having super powers. Could it be that these truths symbolize the destruction of our relationship? That I have no chance of being like him?"
"Try not to worry about it, Coba," Dick said calmly. "You are not completely like Bruce, nor were you meant to be. That's something you should both learn to be proud of, even if it does cause some stress between you two." As I am. He pulled her into a hug. "You know I've got your back, no matter what happens." Even if I die, he thought, although he knew she would hear it anyway.
"Yes, I do know," Coba confirmed, returning the hug. Despite sometimes having arguments with her grandfather due to their own stubbornness issues, she always felt safe with him around, and knew she could talk to him whenever she needed advice. "And I've got yours." Even if I die.
"Dick, Coba, do you copy?" a voice crackled on a radio nearby after a brief moment.
Grayson and Brooklyn released each other before the man stood up and pushed a button on the radio. "We copy, old man," he said gruffly. "What's going on?"
"There's been report of a prison break in Blüdhaven," came Bruce's grim response. "There was another one reported in Gotham at about the same time."
"Did you happen to get an I.D. of who all got away?" Coba inquired.
"Yes: Shriek from Gotham, Spellbinder from Blüdhaven. There's no evidence of any more escaped convicts."
"But what's—" another voice began.
"—Spellbinder doing in Blüdhaven?" Coba finished. "He was arrested a couple of months ago, Terry. He had escaped from Arkham and came to Blüdhaven to escape from you. Grandfather and I caught him shortly after."
"Oh." Terry paused for a split-second. "Want me to come over there and help get Spellbinder?"
Nightwing narrowed his one eye. Coba could clearly tell that he was a bit peeved about the situation and the new Batman's offer. After all, Grayson had left Gotham to get out of Batman's shadow over forty years ago. It was evident to the small teen that he did not care who was wearing the mantle of the Dark Knight: there was no way Richard Grayson was going to accept being in Batman's shadow again if he could take care of a situation without him. That did not, however, mean that he would refuse the help of anyone who worked with Batman, which was proven by him allowing Coba to help as Batgirl whenever she visited and there was a problem in the city. "Coba and I will take care of Spellbinder," he said flatly. "You worry about Shriek."
Terry paused uncomfortably. "Well, uh—"
"Shriek got away about half an hour ago," Bruce stated, cutting off his apprentice.
"What?!" Dick roared in shock and rage, causing Coba and Terry to flinch in surprise. "Why didn't you notify us?!"
"For one thing, you were training Coba," Wayne answered gravely. "For another, Ditto and Batwoman went after him as well, but—"
Bruce's sudden sad pause caused Coba to jolt in alarm. This is not good, she noted. "What happened?" she asked concernedly. "Are they alright?"
"They're both still alive, but Herbst is just barely," came Terry's heart-wrenching reply. "Shriek used sound waves to blow Herbst into separate pieces and weaken him greatly. Dana managed to shove a serum into Herbst before he could have died while I chased Shreeve, but he got away. We brought Herbst back to the cave, and now we're treating him. Dana's pretty shaken up about it."
"Will—"
"—Herbst be alright? It will take a while, but he'll make a full recovery," Bruce replied somberly. "For the sake of his safety and his best chance of survival, we're keeping him in the cave."
Coba nodded and gave a small grunt in understanding. She remembered bitterly why Bruce had started keeping and caring for all of the members, even Dana and Coba, in the cave whenever they got injured. Blight, Derek Powers' alter ego, had somehow found out about Dana being hospitalized after breaking her arm while on duty as Batwoman, and walked in to kill her after correctly deducing who she was. If Terry, Bruce and an even more crippled Coba—with her already crippled right foot and her recently broken left foot—had not already been there to stop him, there was no doubt that Dana would not have survived. The event had shaken all of them so badly that Bruce decided to care for each of them when they needed it—even if it meant being somewhat invasive.
"I gathered evidence from Arkham concerning Shreeve's escape," Terry stated, changing the subject. "Would you like help looking for Spellbinder?" he asked again.
"No," came Dick's blunt response. "We can handle it. It's not our first time taking him on."
"Yeah, but he's got a strong grudge against Coba," Terry pointed out.
"She'll be fine," Bruce reassured him. "Spellbinder isn't that strong of a fighter, and Coba's smart enough to figure out his motives and block his mind tricks."
"If you say so," McGinnis stated somewhat hesitantly. "Take care."
"You too, bro," Brooklyn said, not realizing how distant her voice was until after she spoke. Does Bruce doubt my abilities as a fighter? And as a thinker? The abilities of Grandfather as well, maybe?
Bruce and Terry shut off their end of the radio receiver. Dick turned to Coba. "Aren't you going to suit up?" he inquired a bit sternly.
Coba looked at him and grinned roguishly, feeling a little better after getting her mind off of the upsetting news and Bruce's strange statement. "Aren't you?" she teased.
Dick narrowed his eye again with mock annoyance, but suppressed a chuckle. Yep, she's my granddaughter all right, he thought with amusement. As he turned and entered a dressing room, he realized with a frown how distant the girl had seemed before mocking him. What's going through her head right now? Whatever it is, I just hope she can push it aside and focus well enough to take on Spellbinder—and whoever may try to intervene.
