Author's Notes:
Hey, everyone! Sorry this one took so long: it was hard. Heck, it was hard enough to write without suddenly changing direction every five minutes and without the stresses of life! *Sighs in frustration* Well, I'm still here and doing well, so here's the chapter at last. But first, I'd like to make some acknowledgements:
TRON0602: To answer your "question," Slade did have his mask on when he was killed. I still haven't really decided if he really is dead yet, but as far as the characters and everyone else knows, he's dead.
To everyone who has reviewed and followed so far: I would like to thank you all for your continued support. This story may not have become what it is without your reviews and follows.
I actually uploaded the first part of it on May 16, 2014 in honor of heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who died of stomach cancer that day four years ago. I dedicate my hard work on this chapter to his memory.
However: the second part just got done so I decided to repost the chapter as a whole. TRON0602's birthday was yesterday (May 23) and I tried to get it up then, but it wound up taking longer than I anticipated. I dedicate my hard work on this to him as well.
Yeah, the top part of the chap is to honor someone who passed away while the other is to celebrate a friend of mine's birthday. And I haven't met either of them in person. O.o Oh well, please read and enjoy...
Bruce immediately turned on the communicator. "Dick! Do you copy?" he urgently asked.
Silence.
"Selina, Dana, Herbst! Do any of you read me?"
Silence.
"The suits' communicators are down," Terry said grimly. "If mine is, so are theirs. They were changed at the same time last time."
Coba looked up at the men, her eyes wide with horror. "They'll need help," she said tensely. "They won't be able to fight off Hush on their own."
"It's four against one, Coba," Terry stated reassuringly. "It's pretty bad odds."
"Not bad for Hush, though," Bruce said grimly. "He always was a powerful adversary, but after training with Deathstroke..." He paused, suppressing a shudder. "He may be able to take on ten people all at once. Deathstroke was an enemy I could rarely handle without help, and Hush I could just barely manage."
For the first time that night, Coba grinned competitively with fierce knowledge. "But how well can Hush stand against someone with powers?"
Wayne shook his head. "You're in no condition to face him, kid," he said solemnly.
Coba's expression only intensified. "I wasn't exactly in good shape when I took on Superman either, now was I?" she countered.
"She's got a point there," Terry atoned hesitantly. I don't want her going back out there, he thought. Although he didn't say it, Bruce may be right: going back out may kill her in her current state of health.
Bruce looked at Coba and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I can't let you go out and endanger your life again," he said sagely. "Hush and Deathstroke were always bigger challenges than Superman, even by themselves."
"But everyone in the city will die if I don't," Coba protested desperately, her competitive attitude gone but her wisdom of the subject still painfully visible. "I've felt the full power of that machine. Although I can hear it sooner than anyone else without powers can, it can kill them faster than it can me." She felt her entire body begin to quake at the thought of the device that had nearly killed her killing everyone in the city, including her grandparents, friends, half-brothers, animals... and her only surviving biological parent. Taking a shuddering breath, she forced herself to calm down. "I'm the only one who can track it down," she said in a quieter voice.
"Coba, listen to him," Terry said a bit impatiently. "You could get yourself killed if you go out there like this."
"Hold on," Damian interrupted his half-brother. "Coba has a point."
McGinnis glared at him. "What are you talking about?"
"Even with the technology I have from CADMUS, I am at a disadvantage of locating the machine. I assure you that it pains me to say this, but," Damian gravely looked at Coba, "she is our only hope in finding it."
"And we know what building it's in," Coba added: "the telecommunications building. It's just a matter of where in it."
Terry now realized at this point that there was no way to talk his stubborn half-sister out of going. "So where do we go first? Grayson and them will need help out of their situation, but Hush might turn on the machine if we spend the time helping them."
"Then we split up," Coba said suddenly. She could tell just by the look on her relatives' faces what they were thinking. "It's risky, since there's only three of us," she admitted, "but I somehow know it'll work."
"I know too well what you're thinking, sis," Terry said gravely. "You're planning to stop the machine—possibly even face Hush—on your own. I can't allow that."
Bruce fixed his three children with a grim gaze. "That's why I'm going, too."
Damian, Terry and Coba stared at Bruce in surprise. "Are you insane?!" Terry exclaimed after a moment of shocked silence. "You'll get killed!"
"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Wayne said gravely. "I know why Coba planned to go alone, Terry: you and Damian are strong enough to deal with whatever Hush has in store for Dick, Selina, Aaron and Dana, but not strong enough for only one of you to do it; and Coba needs to find the weapon no matter what. But Hush has held a grudge against me since we were children, and now he knows how to get to me: by killing off Gotham with one swipe. I won't let that happen as long as I'm still breathing."
"Then I recommend that you two take this," Damian said as he handed Bruce and Coba each a vial of green liquid. "It's water from the Lazarus Pit mixed with other liquids to remove the negative effects of it, yet still give you strength and boost your healing."
The first Batman hesitated at first, but obliged when Coba accepted a vial without any sign of doubt. Of course, Bruce remembered, Damian did give her chemo with those powers, and she's still alive because of it. "Thanks," he awkwardly said to his oldest son.
Al Ghul nodded in acknowledgment, understanding his father's reluctance.
"But who will stay and man the cave?" Terry inquired.
Before Bruce or Coba could respond, Ed grabbed the communicator from Coba's right glove. "The cave doesn't need to be 'manned,'" he said into it with a smirk. "Ace and I can take care of it." Ace let out a bark of atonement. "We both wish we could go out in our suits, though," the rat added in his own language, Ace nodding in agreement.
Coba smirked a bit at Ed's last statement, recalling his and Ace's little episode earlier that night. "Nah," she stated, "I think we can all agree that neither of you would want your suits to get wrecked. Besides," she added on a grimmer note, "Hush's device would kill you both immediately if you were anywhere near it. We'll need you in here for that reason, and to keep everything going. Keep the communicator next to the mic in case either of you need to warn us."
Despite their disappointment, Ace and Ed were glad that they could help the girl and her companions for once. Even if it's not the way we wanted, Ace thought. The dog suddenly realized something. "But I thought you said the communicators were down?" he said to Coba.
"Relax, Ace," Ed reassured his canine friend: "I know how to get those things working again manually. Coba taught me how."
Ace rolled his eyes in despair. "Great: the lives of our people and the city are in the paws of an immature rat."
Ed glared at Ace. "A smart immature rat!"he corrected indignantly.
Brooklyn winced as she removed the cord hooked from the heart monitor to her arm, put the top of her suit back on and pulled her gloves over her hands and forearms. She placed her secondary mask over her eyes, then gingerly got down from the operating table. Coba felt Bruce place a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to face him, surprised to see that he was holding her Batgirl mask towards her with his other hand. Wordlessly, she accepted it from him with a small smile, which he returned. Coba pulled the cowl over her head and face, surprised that her scratches did not even sting upon feeling the cool material sliding across them. It was then that she realized Bruce's gesture. You've already proven yourself worthy of the cowl, she heard him think to her. If anyone is capable of this, it's you.
Coba looked up into her father's eyes and gave him a bigger smile of thanks. Bruce gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, his eyes glinting with acknowledgment and determination. "Let's put Hush back in his place," he stated.
His three offspring nodded in agreement. Bruce activated the Exo-suit, then strode alongside them as they split into groups: Terry and Damian in the Batmobile to go to CADMUS, Bruce and Coba in the other car to the telecommunications building. Please let us be on time, Bruce silently begged, not knowing that Terry, Damian and Coba were praying for the same thing as well.
~!~
Nightwing, Batwoman, Ditto and Catwoman cautiously entered the CADMUS building less than half an hour after leaving the Batcave. They silently stalked through the darkened, quiet halls, listening and watching intently for any signs of other movement from around them. Grayson stopped and held up a hand to bring them to a halt once they had done a full sweep of the main floor. "We split up from here," he said quietly. "Batwoman, you and Ditto will check the upper levels. Catwoman and I will check the lower levels."
Aaron and Dana nodded before heading up a flight of stairs to the level directly above them, each trying hard to suppress looks of bewilderment at the knowledge of Dick working with Selina. Although the two older vigilantes had come to terms with the one main thing they had in common (their devotion and grandfatherly and grandmotherly love towards Coba), they still had a rough time working together due to their past experiences with each other. Once Aaron and Dana were gone, Selina and Dick headed down the staircase leading to the lower levels. All of the heroes knew better than to use the elevators, lest they be discovered by using them. Not even Grayson could deactivate these elevators' security systems: they were too complicated for the gadgets the vigilantes had to do so.
Selina slipped stealthily across the room, keeping her trained eyes alert for anything that may have been of interest to her and her former flame. Grayson checked around as well, using a heat sensor to detect where any signs of life—namely Hush—may have gone. It was not long into their search that the sensor picked up a large heat signature that was lying behind a closet door. Dick wordlessly signalled for Selina to be on guard. Kyle obliged to this command with a curt nod, tensing her muscles in case of an attack as he silently yet quickly worked at unlocking the closet with a small device from his pouch.
Both Nightwing and Catwoman were unprepared for what—or rather who—they saw in the closet.
There, in the corner of the small space, sat Amanda Waller. She was restrained by handcuffs tightly secured around her wrists and ankles, making it painful and impossible for her to move. Her eyes did not betray any signs of fear, just discomfort.
Serves her right for allowing Damian to ruin Coba's life, Dick thought angrily. They had Hush join CADMUS, trained him, then gave Coba powers so she'd be a target of his and Slade's, and tonight Hush almost killed her and my adoptive father. Then it hit him. No, Coba's life wasn't ruined. She's still alive, and still has family and friends by her side. Nonetheless, I still don't like Waller or al Ghul for what they did.
Grayson knelt down and ripped the duct tape off from Waller's mouth. "What happened?" he inquired gruffly.
The old woman stared at him levelly despite her position, not even wincing when he had removed the painfully secure tape. "Hush happened," she replied hoarsely. "He was looking for a CADMUS agent."
"Damian Wayne," Selina snarled.
Waller looked at Catwoman. "He told you," she said, though not surprised.
"More or less," Dick stated, freeing Waller from her restraints. "Where's Batman?"
"Batman never came here," Amanda answered, rubbing the circulation back into her wrists.
Selina looked at her poisonously. "He wouldn't lie and send us here," she growled.
Nightwing held up a hand for his enemy-turned-ally to stop. "Hold on. Something isn't right." He looked at Waller once more. "Then can you tell us what we did hear?"
"It was Elliot impersonating Batman," came Waller's response. "This was a trap set up for Damian."
"Except Damian didn't come," Kyle noted. "We had him stay behind."
The CADMUS operative was about to speak again when ten figures broke through the walls of the room. Grayson's sensor did not pick up any traces of heat from the invaders, which only meant one thing to them that made the one-eyed man scowl:
"Robots."
Amanda rose to her feet, pulling out a pistol from the closet. "The most advanced kind CADMUS has. Only Damian could take one down on his own, let alone three, but these numbers are too much, even for him."
Grayson quickly touched the radio in his ear. "Batwoman, Ditto! Come in!" he barked into it. He was alarmed to hear nothing but silence from it instead of a small staticky sound that usually came from it. Dick turned to Selina and Amanda. "Looks like we're on our own."
No sooner had he said those words did Dana and Aaron come in beside the trio. They each stood readily as the robots advanced towards the five people. Dick was not relieved by the two younger heroes' appearance for long, realizing that this was a fight they could not win. However, he was not ready to go down without a fight. I'm sorry I won't make it home tonight, Coba. He felt hot tears of guilt spring to his only eye upon feeling the gravity of his words and situation, but he successfully held them back to conceal them from his companions. I love you, Granddaughter.
OMG, another cliffhanger!
Random guys in a helicopter: Cliffhanger, hanging from a cliiiiiiiiiiff... and that's why he's called Cliffhanger!
Thank you, random helicopter guys who never helped the poor guy. Yes, that was a Between the Lions reference.
Ed: Wow, Nightwing got emotional! Well, okay, I would too if I were in that situation thinking the same thing...
Yep.
Well, Chapter 11 is in the works, but will take a while longer to get done, since I need to put it off as a secondary priority so I can focus on my main priority: graduating high school. So don't panic! This story will get finished eventually!
Please leave a review in the box below and have a great rest of your day! :D