CHAPTER 2
"When is Helena getting here?" Dinah whined. "I'm starving and she's always late." No sooner did Dinah speak those words, the elevator door opened and Helena stepped in the room. "Well it's about time!" she complained, folding her arms across her chest.
Helena shot her a glare. She was prepared to deal with Barbara but the sound of Dinah's voice just grinded into her head, reminding her of just how bad her hangover was. "Don't start with me kid," Helena warned; her voice a near growl.
"Break it up you too!" Barbara interjected. She had been looking forward to a nice breakfast and bickering was not part of that. "Now come and sit down," she motioned to the dining table. Helena strutted over and as she passed Dinah, the younger Meta stuck out her tongue. Helena stopped dead in her tracks and glared at Dinah. Their faces only inches apart from one another.
"What are you going to do?" Dinah mocked, "Kiss me?" She gave Helena her best, smug grin. Helena returned the same smile.
"After you, Dinah," she motioned to the table. Dinah took a step and in a flash, Helena stuck out her foot and the blonde tripped and fell to the ground. "Kiss that, kid," Helena snorted and headed for the table.
"HELENA!"
Helena looked innocently. "What? She started it."
"Well I'm finishing it! Get your ass to the table and sit down. We're going to have a nice breakfast if I have to gag the two of you."
Helena snickered. "I always knew you were into the kinky stuff, Barbara."
Barbara rolled her eyes at the comment and shook her head in disappointment. "Is it too much to ask to have just ONE nice meal without the two of you going at each other's throats? I mean really, is it TOO MUCH to ask?" Helena slumped in her chair, feeling mildly guilty. Dinah picked herself up from the floor, brushed off her pants and chose a chair the furthest away from Helena that she could.
"Good morning, Miss Helena," Alfred greeted as he entered the room, carrying a platter of various breakfast foods. He placed them carefully at the table and then made a second trip with a variety of beverages. I see you were out drinking last night, as well, Alfred thought to himself, not daring to speak the words aloud.
"Morning, Alfred," Helena smiled, reaching for some pancakes. They ate in silence but the tension was thick in the air. Helena knew Barbara was just waiting for that lecture. She knew Barbara too well. They would sit there in peace and the moment the plates were cleared out, Barbara would begin. Helena knew it. She braced herself for it. Dinah on the other hand, didn't know what to expect as she was just getting to know her new family.
Helena decided the silence was too much for her to handle. She couldn't resist her torment on Dinah. "So Dinah… how's your hangover today?" Dinah gasped.
"I don't know Helena, how's yours?" Dinah squinted her eyes in anger.
"Mine? I don't know what you're talking about there, kid. But I can see it on you. Your face gives you away. Just look at your eyes." Dinah sucked in her breath, trying to maintain her composure as Barbara immediately turned to face her younger charge.
"In your dreams, Helena. You were boozing all night and I can prove it," Dinah challenged.
"Oh can you now?" Helena mocked but before she could react, Dinah stretched across the table and grabbed Helena's hand, her vision turning to a monochrome world and a momentary vision. Helena pulled away hard, but not soon enough.
"I knew it!" Dinah was excited.
"DINAH! What did I tell you before? What's the rule?!" Barbara was pissed.
Dinah sat back in her seat and shrugged her shoulders. "Never piss Barbara off during breakfast?" she sassed. Helena couldn't help but let a laugh echo in the air.
Barbara, however, was less than amused. "Go to your room, Dinah." The young girl stepped up from the table and looked at her watch.
"But I have to go to school soon," she reminded, not realizing her bad timing. Barbara's eyes were burning with fire as she peered at Dinah. "Uh, never mind," the kid mumbled, now heading for her room.
Barbara dropped her fork loudly and pushed her plate of food aside. "Why do you have to do that?" she asked, too frustrated to look Helena in the eye.
"Because she bugs me and I don't like her constantly being forced on me. She may be your team, Barbara, but she's not on mine. Stop trying to turn us into one big, happy family." Helena went to push her own plate aside in protest but as her stomach suddenly growled, she though better of it and instead, reached for a few more pancakes. "It's getting to bee too much. I need my space."
"She may bug you, Helena, but she IS part of this family and you're going to have to accept that. She IS going to go out on sweeps and I want her to learn from the best. And that's YOU." Barbara wheeled away from the table but stopped as she was passing Helena. "And don't think I didn't know you were hung over the moment you walked in here. Or Dinah for that matter. I'm Oracle, remember? I know all and see all." Barbara resumed her wheelchair and made her way into the living room.
Being caught by Barbara irked Helena. She had to retaliate in the best way she knew; by being a smartass. "You know it all huh? Well you don't know what it's like to kiss me," she replied, passing by her former guardian. Barbara knew the game, and she, like Helena, hated to lose. She yanked Helena's arm and pulled her close and put her lips on Helena's for several moments, before pushing her away.
Barbara licked her lips. "Hmm, seductive, passionate, fiery. I think that sums it up." Helena shook her head, realizing she'd once again met her match. Barbara continued, "And," she simulated pulling a hair off of her tongue. "And, it looks like you are shedding your fur," she smirked. "I told you Hel, I AM Oracle."
Game, set, match. Barbara had won the round.
Annoyed completely, Helena flopped on the couch and braced herself for the rest of the lecture. It never came. She sat there in silence and watched Barbara enjoying her victory. Seeing Helena fuming was punishment enough. A lecture wasn't necessary, her point had been made. Barbara glanced at her watch and realizing the time, excused herself and finished getting ready for work. Once Barbara was out of the room, Helena moved her fingers and brought them to her lips, touching them carefully.
I can't believe she kissed me, Helena shook her head. When the hell did she become BETTER than me at being a smartass???
***
"… And then she sent me to my room," Dinah finished as she walked down the hallway, talking to her best friend Gabby.
"Man, that sucks, D. Can't you just talk it out with Helena? I mean, she's too hot to be fighting with," Gabby paused for a moment, lost in her thought until Dinah nudged her.
"Would you stop drooling over my… my… whatever she is!" Dinah was a bit annoyed but she couldn't blame Gabby. She knew Gabby had a thing for Helena and she couldn't blame her. Even Dinah has her own hero-worship, crush of sorts, on the Huntress. "Let's go to class."
They headed for their science class and sat at their usual lab table. After the break-up with Gina and Dinah's fiasco with Matt Kendel, when she read his PDA, the two girls felt it best that they partner up with one another for the rest of the year.
***
Barbara sat at her desk and was still upset over what had happened at breakfast. She slammed the text book shut a little too hard and as the sound echoed in the room, the students jumped. Barbara apologized to the class and instructed them to continue with their reading. She was in no mood to teach so having the students read on their own was her solution to the problem. One of the students sheepishly raised her hand.
"Are you okay, Miss Gordon?" she asked, concerned. Barbara perked up immediately. The last thing she wanted was for students to start catching on to her problems at home.
"I'm fine, Tanya, just didn't sleep very well last night," Barbara put on her best fake smile and decided to sport it for the rest of the day.
***
Helena could not understand it, but she felt out of place all day. She struggled to remember some of the previous night's events but the memories were too fuzzy. She contemplated getting Dinah to read her and fill in the missing pieces but then scoffed at the idea of turning to Dinah for help. I don't need that kid's help, she berated herself as she paced on the rooftop in the rapidly approaching, evening sky.
"I need someone to hit," she announced in the open air and without warning, Oracle's voice echoed over the comms.
{Huntress, I need you to go to the corner of Franklin and Ashby. It looks like something might be going down.} Barbara sat at the Delphi mainframe. She tapped into the city's surveillance system and a camera was trained on the intersection where she sent Helena. Barbara sat back and waited for the show.
Helena jumped from roof to roof and when she made it to the intersection, she looked down and took in the surroundings. Instantly, she knew why she was sent there. It was chaos, it was horrible, it was the thorn in her side. Helena stepped over the ledge and dropped the five stories, and landed right in front of her nightmare.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Helena snarled, grabbing the victim by the throat.
*choke*
A voice erupted over the comms. {Helena! Let her go! NOW!} she demanded. Helena released her grip and glared at the blonde before her.
"I told you, Dinah, I work alone. Go away." Helena turned her back but a strange force shoved her against the wall. She turned around in anger and saw Dinah staring in fear and amazement at what had just happened.
"What the hell was that?" Helena demanded. "Do you have a death wish or something?"
Dinah stood dumbfounded. "All I did was wave my hand and suddenly you were against the wall." She studied her own hand as if she had never seen it before. "Wow," she mumbled in disbelief.
Over the comms Dinah and Helena both heard Barbara's voice. {Dinah, it looks like your powers are starting to develop even stronger. We'll work on it later. Right now, what the both of you need to work on is becoming a team.} Helena rolled her eyes. Barbara caught her. {I mean it, Hel… Huntress.}
{Oracle, how do you know what just happened?} Dinah wanted to know as she paced on the sidewalk, still trying to figure out how she threw Helena against the wall by just a wave of her hand.
{Because I can see you on the surveillance camera on that intersection,} she stated proudly. Helena shook her head in frustration. She hated being spied on even more than she hated being set up with Dinah. {There isn't really anything going on right now so the best thing you two can do is learn to get along and how to work with one another. And I'll be watching,} she reminded. {Oracle out.} With that, their comms went silent.
Helena brushed off her leather coat which was covered in dust from when she hit the wall. Dinah looked over at her sheepishly. "I didn't know I could do that," Dinah made an attempt at an apology. "I mean, it worked that one time but I haven't really been able to control it since." She didn't want to appear weak to Helena, so the words 'I'm sorry' were not going to escape her lips. Helena glared at her.
"Well now you know and you'd better get a handle on that power before you hurt an innocent person." Helena turned her back and headed down the sidewalk. Dinah rushed to catch up to her.
"Where are we going?" Dinah asked and Helena stopped dead in her tracks, squared her shoulders and took in a deep, calming breath. It didn't work.
"I'm going to No Man's Land. You, on the other hand, are going far away from me. I told you, I don't want a crime-fighting partner. I work alone." Helena was getting tired of repeating herself. She jumped on the nearest fire escape and made her way to the bar.
Barbara sat angrily at her computer. Helena once again took off, leaving Dinah alone and refused to train her. Maybe I'm pushing her too hard, Barbara thought. But she knew that time was a factor and the sooner Dinah learned, the safer she would be. She had a great deal to learn and there was only so much Barbara could teach her. She needed someone in the field to show her the ropes, and that someone, like it or not, was Helena. There was no one else that Barbara would trust with Dinah's life.
***
Helena stepped into No Man's Land and within seconds, Gibson was at her side, once again welcoming her to his establishment. "Twice in one week!" he exclaimed. "To what do I deserve the honour to have the delectable Huntress in my establishment twice in one week?"
Helena pushed him away lightly. "A little breathing room Gibson, please," she rolled her eyes. He stepped back a foot. She continued. "Crime is light tonight so I thought I'd come in for a drink."
"I'll buy her one," a voice said from behind Helena. She turned around to see who was making the offer. A vision of blonde greeted her with a welcoming smile. "Nice to see you again, Huntress." Helena swallowed hard, then turned to Gibson.
"The usual," she told him, and sent him on his way. Then Helena turned back to face Karla. "Thanks for the drink," Helena tipped her head slightly. Karla's smile was huge, and still very hypnotic.
"You're welcome," she spoke, each word flowing softly, seductively. Karla parted her lips and Helena could see her running her tongue over her teeth slowly. "Did you come here to see me?" Karla asked, boldly. Helena smiled with guilt in her eyes.
"No. I came for my nightly dose of torture from Gibson. I'm a very self-destructive girl, don't you know," she responded, trying to regain the upper hand despite wanting to melt to the ground.
Karla nodded her head with a sly grin. "Oh, I see," she lowered her eyebrows and whispered, "We'll have to break that habit of yours."
"Good luck with that!" a voice piped up, piercing Helena's nerves and the fury once again returned. She turned around violently.
"What the hell are you doing, Dinah?! I told you that I work alone. Stop following me!" Helena was ready to strangle Dinah. She stepped towards Dinah but a hand quickly reached out and grabbed Helena's. Helena stopped and the fury diminished somewhat. Karla stepped in between them, never letting go of Helena's hand, but extending the other.
"And who are you, sweetie?" Karla asked, her smile warm and friendly. Dinah reached out and shook Karla's hand.
"Dinah. Dinah Red… uh, Lance," she spoke, almost forgetting her own name as they made contact. Dinah smiled at Helena's friend and noticed that she didn't let go of her hand either.
"Well Dinah, it's very nice to meet you. Lance…" Karla made a mental note. Black Canary's daughter? It must be. "So ladies, what do you say we all play nice and go sit on the couch?" Karla suggested. Neither had the willpower to disagree. Karla escorted them both as she held their hands. She motioned for a spot for Helena to sit which was on the chair, facing the couch. She then sat down on the couch and pulled Dinah down with her, very close. Dinah gulped, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. Helena could feel her feline instincts wanting to attack. Had she had fur, it would have been standing on end.
Gibson delivered Helena's drink and she drank it all in one shot. "Thanks," she grumbled, and handed him back the glass. "I'll take a refill." Gibson knew better than to say a word to her. Instead, he turned to the others.
"It would be my pleasure to bring you two lovely ladies a drink. What will it be?" he asked.
Karla placed the order. "Bring us three of the raspberry vodka coolers that I left in the back with Michael, please." He looked over at Dinah.
"But she's underage. I can't bring her one."
Karla winked at him. "Fine then, bring one for Huntress and two for me. And you can bring Dinah some Cranberry juice." Gibson knew what she was doing, but since she said the drinks were for her, legally, he was in the clear. He was technically not serving Dinah alcohol.
Helena slumped back in her chair and Karla stared at her intently. Helena could feel her eyes on her, and she felt exposed. It was like Karla could see all that she was trying to hide from the world, and from Dinah. And now here they were, all together and Helena worried that all her secrets were soon to be spilled to her new sister. This is not good, Helena thought to herself. Karla sat up and placed her hand on Helena's knee, snapping her from her thoughts.
"What's on your mind, Huntress?" she leaned closer, willing Helena to look her in the eyes. Helena obliged.
"Nothing," Helena lied. "Nothing at all." She glared at Dinah. Barbara and her little ideas… Barbara! Helena realized that her comm. system was still turned on. She reached up to her necklace and switched it so that Barbara could not be privy to the conversation. Dinah watched what she did and followed suit. She didn't want Helena to think that she was going to let Barbara spy on their evening.
Karla removed her hand and sat back on the couch again, with Dinah close by. Gibson delivered the drinks and once his back was turned, Karla dumped out the cranberry juice, filled the glass with the Vodka Cooler and handed it over to Dinah with a sensuous smile. Then she turned to Huntress. "Well since nothing is wrong, then you won't mind leaving Dinah and I to talk for a while. Why don't you go over and talk to the guys. They are playing pool in the back." Karla finished her words and then turned her full attention to Dinah, her back slightly turned to Helena.
Helena's face dropped. A rash of mixed emotions engulfed her. She just dismissed me. NO ONE dismisses me! She fumed. She sat quietly for several moments while words screamed in her mind. Yell at them… Throw Dinah out on her ass… Don't let Karla talk to you this way, she argued in her mind. In reality, she slowly got up from the chair, grabbed her drink and in a huff, left the area.
Karla simply stared at Dinah and smiled. Dinah was amazed. "Wow! I can't believe you talked to her like that… and she let you live!" Dinah giggled. "The last time someone…"
"Dinah, stop." Karla spoke softly, but with conviction. She touched Dinah's hand that held the glass and motioned for her to drink up. She smiled the entire time, and Dinah felt light. Like all the pressures were lifted off of her and she didn't have a care in the world. Karla turned to watch Huntress walking away and heading for the pool tables but she willed Huntress to turn around. Helena could feel something nagging at her but she couldn't place it. She turned back to look at Karla and to her surprise, she was watching her walk away. They locked eyes, Helena smiled but Karla remained stone-faced, almost… angry.
Helena's control was slipping away. She couldn't understand it. They had gotten along so well the night before but now she was cast aside like a used toy that no one wanted. Helena's anxiety rose and her heart began to race. Why is she sending me away? What is Dinah telling her?! I swear I will strangle that kid if she gets in my way again, Helena's thoughts ran wild. She had never been treated like this before. She would not allow anyone to have that sort of control over her mind. NO ONE! Yet she willingly walked away without a fight. And now she was allowing Karla to truly have the control.
Karla knew what she was doing. She was a master at her game and no one could come close to matching her. It was her unique ability to draw people to her and have them desire her, no matter who they were. Karla had Helena right where she wanted her. She left the intangible Huntress feeling anxious, confused and willing to abandon all strength of mind and body just to have Karla call her back, to sit on the couch with her. To be allowed to sit in Karla's presence.
Helena hated what she was feeling but she was unable to stop it. Even if she could, deep down, she wondered if she really wanted to. The pull was magnetic but Helena could see that it was one-sided. She was repelling Karla or else she wouldn't have been dismissed. Replaced. Replaced with Dinah. Helena wanted to scream, to pick Dinah up by the throat and throw her against the nearest wall... hard. But she didn't. She just stood there, watching Karla, who had now turned to watch Dinah.
Damn you, Barbara. This is all your fault.
Dinah finished her drink and put it down on the table clumsily. "Helena looks jealous," she blurted, and then giggled by the words that came out of her mouth. Helena's jealous that I'm getting the attention and she's not! She laughed to herself, feeling the alcohol starting to hit her. Karla watched her intently.
"Would you like another drink, Dinah," she oozed breathlessly as Dinah slumped back on the couch. A tiny hiccup escaped and the young girl giggled some more. "I thinks I've had enough," she slurred. Obviously it didn't take much to get Dinah buzzed. Karla couldn't resist grinning. It was all going according to plan. She glanced between Dinah and Helena; who was standing at the edge of the pool table, but refusing to play.
Karla cocked her head at Helena, curious. Helena caught the look and thought to herself, I don't play well with others. Another grin raced across Karla's face as if she found something amusing. Helena's brows lowered in confusion. Did she just hear me? She asked herself, and continued to stare at Karla. Michael interrupted her thoughts.
"Excuse me, you're in the way," Michael said, preparing his pool cue. He motioned to the table and then nodded his head, motioning for Helena to move. This enraged the Huntress.
There's no way in hell that he's going dismiss me! She inwardly snarled and with a violent turn, she swept her arm across the table and knocked the balls out of play. Some landed on the floor with a loud crack, along with the bottle that Michael had resting on the edge of the table. Everyone's focus shifted to Helena as the loud crash sounded over the music. Her feline eyes glared at Michael and silently they dared him to dismiss her again. He knew better… and complied.
Karla watched silently, Dinah still close at hand, who appeared to have passed out on Karla's lap. She gently stroked Dinah's hair and when Helena caught the deliberate act, her territorial nature wanted to pounce on the threat that entered her domain. But what really confused Helena is that she wasn't being territorial over Dinah. She wanted Karla all to herself. When she realized that Karla was not giving her what she wanted, Helena went in a blind rage and stormed out of the bar, breaking a few chairs and throwing the few patrons that got in her way, against the wall.
***
In the night sky, Helena jumped from rooftop to rooftop, trying to exert all the excess energy that she had but with no success. With each new rooftop she reached, the higher her adrenalin rose. I need to hit someone! She decided. She scanned the nearby area but there was no one in sight. And then she spotted it. There was a leather store across the street. Helena widened her pupils to see better in the dark, and to get a better glimpse of the dark shadow she saw sneaking around the store. Her first reaction was to contact Barbara, as training had taught her. As she reached up instinctively to turn on her comms, she realized what she was doing and decided to abandon Barbara's number one rule of maintaining contact. Screw Barbara! She thought. She's the reason why I'm so pissed in the first place! No, she wasn't going to contact Barbara. And she certainly wasn't going to contact Dinah. She was going to do what she did best, go at it alone.
Huntress jumped off the fourth story building and landed on the ground with barely a sound. She glided in the darkness, her eyes focussed on the stranger in the store. She peered a little closer and her catlike senses went into overload. A security guard entered the picture. Huntress watched silently as he approached the stranger, with gun in hand. When he was several feet away from the stranger, it was obvious that he spoke. Helena could not hear him, but the stranger turned around, hearing the guard. He held up his gun and fired two shots. A flash of the barrel and the stranger rushed for the guard, knocking him with a roundhouse kick, followed by a well-crafted right hook, which dropped him instantly. The stranger moved closer to the guard and stood over him. Helena could not see if the stranger had the gun or not. She figured it was time to intervene, now was her time to hit someone.
***
The Delphi alarm rang loudly in the Clocktower and Barbara clicked away on her keyboard, gathering all the information that she could. Someone reported hearing gunshots and witnessing someone knock out a security guard at Little B's Leather Ranch. Barbara brought up the map on her monitor and pinpointed the exact location. {Huntress, it's Oracle, do you copy?} No response. {Huntress? Do you copy? Someone attacked a security guard, I need you to check it out.} Again, no response. A heavy sigh of frustration escaped her lungs. Why does she keep turning her comms off! Barbara was upset and fed up. First fighting with Dinah and now this. It was unacceptable for a superhero.
Barbara pulled up the programming sequence for the comms and typed in a few keystrokes. Within a moment, a screen displaying the words 'manual override' came up. Barbara smiled, pleased with herself. Now all she needed to do was hack into Helena's frequency and automatically turn it on. Helena was not going to get out of it this time.
***
Huntress entered the store without a sound and snuck up on the stranger. She tapped the person on the shoulder. "Isn't it a little late to be shopping?" she asked, excited for the fight. The stranger turned around and took a swing but Huntress was too quick. She ducked and manoeuvred behind the person and gave a swift side kick, knocking her opponent into the display of leather shoes. For a moment, Helena was disappointed that the fight was over but to her surprise, her opponent stood up, readying for a fight. Helena smiled.
The stranger took a series of punches, all of which Huntress blocked. Huntress backed away from the punches but found herself off-balance when she stepped on one of the fallen shoes. In her moment of weakness, her opponent displayed a perfect front kick, sending Helena into a rack of coats, but she did not fall. She quickly regained her form and made a run for her attacker, pissed that they had got in a shot. This was her game. She was supposed to do the hitting. Helena was quick to show that she was in charge. The jab, punch and uppercut all connected with her victim. But her next combination was defended with several arm blocks. Helena then turned to her long, lean legs to finish off the fight. A front kick collided with her victim's stomach and a roundhouse sent them flying again, into a wall. The stranger sank to the ground, clutching their stomach and writhing in pain.
Helena moved closer, ripped off the mask, grabbed the stranger's hair and tilted their head back. "Let's see who you are," she said, but was shocked by what she saw.
***
Almost there, Barbara said as she frantically hacked her way into the manual override. It would only be another moment before she was in Helena's ear.
***
"Dinah? What in the hell are you doing here?" Helena demanded an answer, picking up the young trainee with one hand until she was standing.
Dinah smiled and raised her eyebrows slyly. "Um, shopping for your birthday present?" she winked.
Helena was not amused. "And since when do you go around ripping off the shopping district and knocking the security unconscious?" She glanced over at the guard and remembering the gun, she had to ask. "Did you shoot him?
"No, I didn't. Although I should have. Bastard ripped my coat." She gripped the material and showed Helena the huge tear before an idea came over her. She removed her jacket, dropped it to the ground and grabbed a new one off the rack. Helena looked at her with blazing eyes. "What?" Dinah asked, annoyed at the judgemental look that Helena was displaying.
"What? Being a superhero not enough for you? Now you have to be the criminal as well?" Helena snarled.
Dinah shrugged with a snotty look. "Worked for your mother, didn't it?" Her words sent Helena in a blinding rage. She slammed Dinah against the wall and placed her hand against Dinah's throat and began to squeeze.
"Huntress!" a voice called out in the darkness. It took Helena a moment to realize that the voice was in coming from two different directions. In the entranceway, stood a familiar face, and in her ear, rang an unwanted voice. {Huntress, it's Oracle, do you copy?} Barbara could hear Helena sigh heavily. {I told you to stop turning your comms off!} she scolded. {There was a robbery at Little B's Leather Ranch. I need you and Dinah to get there right away. A witness heard two shots so there's a good chance the guard is hurt and the thief armed.}
Helena shook her head in momentary confusion and reached up to her necklace. I know I turned this thing off, she remembered. How the hell did Barbara just contact me? Dinah coughed as Helena still had a grip on her throat but then a voice told her to let go. Helena did so at once and realized the Karla was standing in front of the two of them. She smiled and looked at the security guard. "Nice work, Dinah," she winked and reached out and squeezed her shoulder. Helena once again remembered just why she was so angry.
She attempted to walk away but Karla grabbed her hand, now stepping further from Dinah. The contact startled Helena, but she didn't pull away. Karla's hand burned like ice in her own. Their eyes made contact and Karla reached over and switched Helena's comm. off yet again. "What's going on?" Helena wanted to know. Karla simply smiled and helped Helena remove her jacket. Helena didn't stop her.
"I think it's time you and Dinah got a bit of a reward for your hard work that you do in this city," Karla explained. "The city owes you." Helena thought for a moment, her gut telling her that Barbara would not like this, that they were there to protect the city and the reward was not in the merchandise they were awarded but in the lives and property they saved. Karla rolled her eyes and within an instant, Helena felt embarrassed over her thoughts of morality. "Helena, believe me," Karla's voice soothed, "You deserve this. You and Dinah work hard, now get yourself the jacket of your dreams."
Huntress picked out a long coat, almost a replica of the one she was wearing, but without the rips and scratches that crime-fighting had done damage to. She was pleased with her choice, as was Dinah with her own. "Now Huntress," Karla continued, "I want you to empty out the register and make it quick, the police are on the way."
"No," Helena spoke. "It's enough that we are ripping off the coats, we aren't stealing the cash as well." She folded her arms in defiance. Karla turned to face Dinah.
"Dinah," she instructed, "I want you to take off and meet us in front of No Man's Land. Go, now," she motioned to the door. With that, Dinah tore out of the store, leaving her old coat behind in the rubble, and proudly wearing a new one. Karla then turned back to Helena, her eyes growing softer as she stared at the stubborn Huntress.
Huntress remained stoic, arms crossed, determined to not give in. Karla circled her slowly, observing her prey and looking for a weak spot. Helena felt like she was looking deep in her soul and felt her breath catch in her throat. Karla heard the almost inaudible sound of Helena's breathing; it had changed. Her heart started to pound faster and Karla knew this as well. She was well in tune with the human and meta human mind and she took every opportunity to use her knowledge.
She trailed her fingers over Helena's shoulder and ran them over her crossed arms. Then Karla stopped directly in front of Helena. The stoic Huntress was beginning to crumble. Karla found what she was looking for and moved in to play with her prey. "Tell me Huntress, are you going to let Dinah have all the fun? I thought you were supposed to be the exciting one of the partnership."
"We are NOT partners!" Helena stressed. Karla smiled at her annoyance.
"Hmm," she murmured, "That's too bad, she seems like a great kid to have around, doing your bidding," she winked. Her comment took the edge off of Helena's annoyance. "She could come in handy.
Helena smirked at Karla's words. "Wouldn't Barbara love that," she blurted. Karla cocked her head.
"Barbara?" she asked, curious for more information.
"She's Dinah's guardian. She took me in when my mom was killed and…" Helena stopped, realizing she was giving more information than she had intended. Karla took note of it all. Damn it! Helena cursed at herself.
"And what, Helena?" Karla asked, almost teasing, letting Helena know that she had broken through her defences.
Helena stepped further back from Karla, trying to reclaim her composure. "And nothing," she snarled. "Look, I'm not stealing the cash so stop trying to manipulate me. It's not going to work." Karla grinned. We'll see about that Huntress, we'll see.
With a spin on her heels, Huntress turned and exited the building. In the faint distance, they heard the distinct sound of police sirens. She met up with Dinah and grabbed her arm forcefully. "Come on, we're leaving," she demanded, but Dinah pulled away hard, breaking free. "Dinah!"
"No, Huntress, I have to finish a job you were too chicken to complete. Guess I should get used to cleaning up after your messes, huh?" Dinah smugly replied, standing tall and proud. Karla stood in the building entrance and watched the two arguing.
Dinah ran inside the building as the sirens got louder. "Dinah!" Helena snapped. "Get the hell out of there! You are going to get busted!" Just wait until Barbara hears about this. Karla made her way to Helena's side once again. Helena turned to her. "She's going to get caught," she stated.
"Then maybe you shouldn't have been afraid and left her to finish off your job… Helena," Karla drawled, sweetly smiling the entire time. It was the first time she had called her Helena. Huntress was unprepared for it. Hearing her name on Karla's lips made her want to crumble all over again. She felt weak, she couldn't explain why, but she hated it. Two nights in a row, Helena lost her control. More troublesome yet was that she appeared to be doing it willingly.
Helena wanted to argue back, to tell Karla that they shouldn't be ripping off the store but the more she tried to reason with herself, the more blurred the lines between right and wrong got. She ran her hand over her lapel, appreciating her new jacket for a moment, before reality hit her from behind. The sirens were closer, very close. Helena debated on running in the store to grab Dinah but just then, Dinah exited, bag in hand. She ran over to Karla and gave her the contents.
Karla leaned over and kissed Dinah on the cheek. "Great job, Dinah," she said, proudly. Dinah beamed with glee, happy that she impressed her new friend. Karla reached in the bag and pulled out some of the cash and quickly put it in Dinah's pocket. "You earned this," she winked.
Huntress watched the interaction and was full of anxiety because Dinah was taking too long. "Screw this!" she grumbled and made her way up the nearest fire escape. You're on your own, Dinah.
Karla and Dinah watched as Helena disappeared in the darkness. "Guess we should go out and celebrate," Karla stated. "No Man's Land?"
Dinah was proud of the invitation and her grin said yes for her. Karla put her arm around Dinah's shoulder and guided her down the streets in the opposite direction of the sirens. A moment longer and they would have been caught. Dinah felt energized from the adrenaline rush. And she loved the feeling. Too much. Guess this is what it's like for Helena to fly on the rooftops, she imagined to herself, silently wishing that she had that capability as well.