Author's Notes:

Here's the first official chapter for the story! I know I usually post a story's first chap at about the same time as the prologue, but I didn't have this written at the time I posted the prologue, and I was too anxious to get the prologue up to wait until I was done with this. At the same time, I waited to post this chapter for a special reason made up of a couple of sub-reasons: Valentine's Day is tomorrow. On one hand, I waited because I wanted to give you guys a little something of a present. On the other, I waited because it also marks the sixth anniversary of my first pet rat (Timothy Rat)'s passing. I dedicate my work on this fic to his memory, as well as those of my previous rats and my other pets.

This chapter is pretty action-packed and contains more detail than I usually include in my fanfics. In fact, this will definitely be the most action-packed chap in this story for a while, though I honestly have no idea how much action each future chapter will contain.

Please R&R and enjoy...


A skinny, costumed figure dashed through the streets of Blüdhaven, looking over his shoulder with practically every other step he took. He carried a sturdy satchel—which contained a strange round object—with its long strap over his shoulder, holding it up. His pace was not affected by the heavied bag bouncing against his thigh. The only thing he cared about was getting out of Blüdhaven before—

"Freeze!"

Slag it. The man skidded to a halt just as he took notice of several police officers in front of the alley to his right. Each officer was pointing a pistol at him. "Get your hands up!" the commissioner shouted.

The costumed man grinned evilly beneath his mask. "As you wish," he said slyly, reaching into his satchel. He knew at least one of the officers would tense their fingers on the trigger, but that even if they fired their guns the bullets would never hit him. He pulled out the sphere and held it up in one hand, holding his other hand over his head as well.

Without warning, a brilliant white light flashed from the sphere, causing everyone except its owner to cover their eyes in surprise and pain. It was not until a few moments later that the police opened their eyes once more. To their shock and dismay, the man was no longer in the area.

The fools don't remember who they're dealing with! the man thought as he ran through the streets once more, made invisible by the effects of his ball. The bridge that led out of Blüdhaven stretched about a hundred yards away from where he was then. This is going to be easier than I thought.

A small, dark figure slammed into him right then, disabling the ball's camouflage effect without breaking it. "I think not, Spellbinder," the newcomer growled, standing up and giving the fugitive a dangerous Batglare.

Spellbinder stood up once more as well, towering over the fierce newcomer but not intimidating them. He was inwardly nervous about this particular runt, but hid it. He could not, however, hide his surprise. "Batgirl?! I thought Gotham was your city!"

"It's yours too, isn't it?" Batgirl retorted. "Not that it really matters right now anyway. You're going back to prison, even if we have to drag you there."

"Who's 'we?'"

Just then, a figure much bigger than Coba landed next to them. "Us we," the figure stated gruffly. "Give it up."

Billings seemed amused by this. "Not my style, Nightwing," he said slyly, picking up his sphere from the ground. "Let me show you what my style really is."

Coba's eyes went wide. "Look out!" she urgently shouted to her grandfather, jumping between him and Spellbinder.

Nightwing turned his face and covered his eyes with his left arm just in time before the sphere flashed. He opened his eyes the moment the light faded. To his dismay, he saw Coba lying still on the concrete of the sidewalk. "Batgirl!" he cried out in concern.

"She won't be waking up any time soon," Spellbinder said wickedly, obviously smiling with satisfaction beneath his black and orange-red swirled mask. "And neither will you." He charged at Grayson, prepared to throw a punch at him.

Dick quickly blocked the attack, then returned it, striking the villain in the face. Spellbinder stumbled back before throwing a forceful punch at him once more, this time catching him in the stomach. Being accustomed to these attacks, Dick did not double over in agony. He instead spin-kicked Spellbinder in the stomach. Spellbinder stumbled backward once more, and realized that he could not beat the tough vigilante by direct violence. He quickly bent down and grabbed Coba's limp form from the ground, then tightly held her up against his chest. "If you don't want to see me kill the runt, then I suggest you don't follow."

Before the inwardly horrified Grayson could respond, Brooklyn opened her eyes and shoved her right elbow into her captor's stomach, causing him to release her with a pained grunt. Once her feet touched the ground, she spun around to face him. Ira stared at her in disbelief. "What? With that much stimulant you'd be asleep for weeks!"

Batgirl smirked, although she was glaring at him as she did. "Did you honestly think that I wouldn't learn from any of our previous encounters?" she inquired mockingly. And did he really think that I wasn't an inventor myself? she wondered humorously, thinking of the small mask she had on beneath her Batgirl mask that blocked any attacks from Spellbinder's ball. Aside from that, the smaller mask—which was just big enough to cover her lightning bolt-shaped scar that was across her right eye—provided back up for in case her main mask was removed in an enemy's presence, further protecting her identity. Or that I was asleep the entire time he fought Grandfather? I wasn't asleep at all!

With an angered growl, Spellbinder kicked his right foot at Coba's small stomach. Coba caught his foot and swiftly flipped him hard to the ground. Spellbinder swiped his legs at her in attempt to trip her, but the small warrior simply jumped up and out of the way. He could do nothing to stop her as she prepared to tackle him.

Luckily for him, though not so lucky for Coba, someone was there who could stop her.

Coba hesitated at the sound of a pained grunt coming from Grayson. She and Spellbinder turned in surprise to see a large, muscular man wearing armor and wielding several weapons standing over the vigilante, who had been thrown to the ground and grazed in the arm by the newcomer's sword. Blood trickled quickly from Dick's injury to the ground, despite his strong attempts to staunch it with his other hand. His attacker stepped down on his chest to hold him in place, then pointed the sword tip at his throat.

Completely forgetting about Spellbinder, Brooklyn slammed herself into the intruder, knocking him away from her relative. Using this distraction to his advantage, Spellbinder stood up and began running towards the bridge once more. Coba risked a glance back to see his fleeing form. Just as she prepared to catch him by throwing bolas, the intruder shoved himself into her, causing her to shoot the bolas at a pole instead of Spellbinder and fall to the ground with a pained gasp. The girl struggled defiantly and looked up at her attacker's face, only to freeze in surprise. The man was wearing a black and orange mask with only one eye-hole!

"Deathstroke," Coba breathed out.

"Clever girl," Deathstroke said in a sinister tone. "It appears that you have done your homework."

Without warning, Coba wrapped her right leg around Slade's left one, then managed to flip so she was on top of him. She immediately jumped off of him before he could grab her, and stood readily for an attack. Slade stood up as well, and then pulled out a metal bo staff. He swung one of its ends at her in the blink of an eye. Coba instinctively ducked backward, steadily yet quickly moving her feet to dodge Slade's quick attacks. She quickly somersaulted back before pulling out the bo staff Dick had given her, then extended it. Even though she knew that it was not as strong as Slade's staff, she knew that it could withstand his attacks.

Slade swung his staff down at Coba's head. The young warrior quickly and strongly raised her staff above her head to block the attack, nearly falling backward from the force as staff struck staff. She took a step back to regain her balance before swiping her staff at his legs, somehow managing to trip him. Wilson hit the ground hard, causing him to release his his staff, then turned his head to see Brooklyn leap at him with her weapon above her head, ready to swing it down at him. He quickly rolled to the side, allowing the staff to strike the concrete without breaking, then turned and sprang at Coba before her feet could have touched the ground. Thinking quickly, she released her right hand's grip on her staff, swung the staff behind Deathstroke's back while still keeping a tight hold of it with her left hand, then gripped it again with her right hand before launching off the ground once her feet touched it, spinning herself one-hundred-eighty degrees around him. She kicked off of his back after releasing one of her hands from the staff again, ensuring that she did not break his neck once it got close to it, and landed behind him with outstandingly good form that even made Slade forget that she had stumbled moments before.

"Impressive, little cripple," Slade grunted, slightly out of breath from the girl's stunt, as he grabbed his staff from the ground. "It appears old granddad and older daddy have taught you well."

Batgirl's eyes grew wide with horror. He knows my relations, she thought. But I didn't think he'd know about any of that! Then again, he may have done some research on me to see exactly what and whom he was dealing with.

"Batgirl, move!"

Grayson's urgent warning brought Coba back to reality, causing her to realize that Slade was coming at her again. She raised her staff to block his attack, but her delay cost her greatly. The villain bluntly hit his heavy staff on her head, then swiftly swiped a leg beneath hers. Coba painfully hit the ground with a grunt. She had no time to react before he pinned her down, holding his staff down on her neck, strangling her with it.

Deathstroke grinned malignantly at his prisoner, who was choking for air and struggling vainly beneath his weight. "It appears the fight is over before it even begins," he sneered. "Know that you die with honor, which is more than what can be said by most." He pressed the staff harder against Coba's throat, about to crush her windpipe with it.

Nightwing suddenly slammed himself into Slade, knocking him off of Coba. Both men hit the sidewalk, then rolled apart. "Leave her alone," Dick growled to the villain, preparing to fight him.

Instead of lunging at Dick, Slade stood up straight. "Will do," he said sinisterly. "At least for now." He glowered at Coba, who was successfully hiding her shock and was weakly trying to sit up. Next time, runt, he thought darkly, you won't be so lucky. And neither will your father. He threw a smoke pellet down, then fled before the smoke thinned, leaving the two heroes unable to track him.

Dick concernedly knelt down beside his granddaughter, helping her sit up. "You okay?"

Coba painfully rubbed her bruised neck, staring at the ground forlornly. "He got away," she murmured. "Both of them. If I hadn't been distracted either time—"

"—they still would have gotten away," Grayson calmly cut her off. "Believe me: I know Slade too well to not expect him to get away if he wanted to." He gestured to his wounded arm. "Mind getting this bleeding stopped for me? I can't really reach it."

"Okay." Brooklyn pulled out a bandage from a pouch on her belt before tightly wrapping it around her grandfather's arm, staunching the still rapid bleeding and almost instantly slowing it. Despite being in control of her arms' movements, her mind was elsewhere. Slade meant what he said. He'll never rest until I'm dead. When he said "neither will your father," did he mean that he was going to kill Bruce, too? Or—she barely managed to suppress a shiver—did he mean that he was going to torture Bruce, starting with having him live with the knowledge of my death?

Once Coba was finished dressing his arm, Dick aided her in standing up, knowing that she would still have a rough time doing so after nearly being strangled to death. Coba shortened her bo staff before hooking it back onto her utility belt, then gingerly took a step forward. She almost immediately fell towards the ground due to lack of balance. Using his uninjured arm, Dick quickly caught her by the back of her suit. He got her to stand back up, then allowed her to lean against him for support until she could walk on her own once more. They returned to Grayson's loft after a few minutes, then put on their regular clothing before leaving once more with their things, going to one particular destination neither one of them was excited about. Each of them were thinking the same thing, though it was Coba who grimly muttered it aloud:

"Bruce is not going to like this."


Yep, Deathstroke's in this story! Forgive me for not exactly getting his character right: I'm still fairly new to this character and am still learning about him. Changes may be made as I learn more about him. And Spellbinder is definitely out of character. He doesn't usually opt for fist fights: he instead goes to mess with his opponents' psyches. When he's unable to, he's usually rather helpless. I thought it would be interesting to have him be more confrontational in this one—especially when it comes to Batgirl, who pretty much humiliated him at the end of "Eyewitness of the Past." What do you think of this characterization of him? Or of Slade, for that matter?

Please, and if you want to, leave a review in the box below (I love reading those!). It can be of what you think of the story thus far, any questions you have, and or any theories you have concerning the story. Have a nice day! See you next time!