Primal Instinct

A Birds of Prey Story

(TV-Verse; H/B)

By Enginerd


Chapter 11 - Girl Talk

At Oracle's suggestion, Dinah crawled her way through a ventilation system towards what appeared to be the source of the power fluctuations.

"Oracle?" Helena suddenly called on her com set, surprising the older woman, who sat at her usual place in front of the main computer console in the clock tower.

"Huntress, I'm kind of in the middle of something right now," Barbara said, eyeing the map and Dinah's GPS signal.

"Is D on sweeps?" Helena asked.

"Yes," Barbara said as she scanned the security cameras around the warehouse for unwanted guards. She unfortunately couldn't seem to find cameras within the building.

"Oh. Great," Helena said without enthusiasm. "Could I get that list of stolen lab equipment emailed to me?" She asked impatiently.

"Helllllooooo! I'm still crawling through a dark and icky vent!" Dinah called out with irritation, waving away a cobweb with a grimace.

"Hey, Kid." Helena greeted then asked "Why didn't you just go through a window or something?" She wasn't sure but she could have sworn she heard a low growl from the younger woman.

"Do you really need the list right now?" Barbara asked tersely, checking the police scanner for what turned out to be an unrelated disturbance across town.

"If I wanted to wait, I could have come home and picked it up myself. I think I have a lead and I'd really like to explore it now," Helena said impatiently.

"Where are you?" Barbara asked curiously, glancing at her map that she panned out. She noticed with surprise that Helena's GPS signal was only a few blocks from Dinah's.

"In the vent!"

"No . . . Huntress," Barbara clarified. Dinah exhaled loudly.

"Garrow Industries," Helena responded.

Dinah shook her head and carefully approached a vent duct opening and found a high-tech lab that was very out of place in the old warehouse.

"Why are you at Garrow Industries?" Barbara asked with surprise.

"Hellllooooo again. Just me, the junior crime fighter coming upon a reeeeally disgusting scene!" Dinah said as she glanced down from the vent into the room, spotting a big pile of bumpy goo. She was pretty sure the bumps were undissolved body parts.

"What do you see?" Helena asked with interest.

"Huntress, do you mind?" Barbara scolded. "What do you see, Dinah?

"Oh that's a much better question, Oracle," Helena said sarcastically.

"I'm getting a lot of static from your camera," Barbara said, trying to ignore Helena. Something that was never easy to do.

"It looks like someone was made into a pancake . . . I don't feel well," Dinah said with a grimace but still took the vent duct cover off and climbed down quietly.

"If you feel you're gonna hurl, find a trash can," Helena offered helpfully. "Should I go join her, Oracle?" Helena asked.

Barbara frowned. Helena was hardly in any condition to go on sweeps, especially after her latest "discussion" with her meta-side. "Not necessary, Huntress. Dinah, does it look like an energy weapon did it?" Barbara asked.

"We're talking pancake people, Oracle. I'm pretty sure there was massive, super unfriendly energy involved," Dinah said with a grimace, stepping around the remains.

Barbara rolled her eyes wondering if everyone was PMSing tonight.

"Why would someone just dissolve into a puddle and not fully separate like Hel . . . eh, Huntress?" Dinah asked.

"I'm not sure. Perhaps some meta powers are not separable," Oracle guessed.

"It's theoretically possible to isolate any part of the gene," Helena responded with great authority. "Therefore, all meta powers are separable."

"Theory and practice are two different things, Huntress," Barbara argued.

"Fine. Can I have the damn list?" Helena asked.

"Well I'm fine, thanks for asking. Yep. Just taking a leisurely Saturday night stroll in a lab of what I am pretty sure is a mad scientist, who really doesn't care about lab cleanliness," Dinah said, glancing back at the pancake person queasily. "Nope. No worries here."

"Mind on mission everyone," Barbara said authoritatively.

"Thank you," Dinah said tersely.

"Do you see any computers?" Barbara asked.

"Yep - lots of computers and what look like a couple of unfriendly energy weapons," Dinah said, taking inventory.

"Can you turn your camera light on and zoom in on the main server?"

"So I'm not getting the list?" Helena said with an irritated sigh.

Dinah walked over and focused her headset on the biggest computer. "Are you getting an image, Oracle."

"Yes and would you stop moving your head around so much? You're making me dizzy," Oracle complained.

"Sorry," Dinah said sheepishly. "I think this is it."

"Can you place the thumb drive in the USB port?" Oracle asked.

"I'm on it," Dinah said, pulling out the little device and quickly placing it into the port. "Done," Dinah said. The computer responded with a melodic sound acknowledging the addition of the drive as a window that popped up, identifying the addition of an unrecognized external drive which activated Oracle's spyware. As the spyware bypassed the firewall and initiated its downloading routine, Dinah heard some footsteps at the door. "Oracle, someone's coming," she said with alarm.

"Dinah, get out of there," Oracle ordered.

"But, we may not get another . . . ," Dinah argued, looking at the computer with regret.

"Don't worry about it - GO!"

"Oracle, the address!" Helena barked with concern.

"4th and Merchant," Barbara said quickly, cursing her decision to reject Helena's previous offer to go there.

Dinah didn't have to be told twice and darted to the vent duct opening. As she started to climb up, the door opened.

The teen's camera fell to the floor and tumbled until it rested facing the wall as an alarm sounded. "Dinah! What's going on?!" Barbara called out.

"Stop right there!"

The unnerving voice was followed by the chilling sound of shots being fired. Before Barbara could pray Dinah wasn't hit, she heard a crash and a pained "oof" followed by another voice.

"Get out of here. Now!"

"Huntress," Barbara exhaled with relief, recognizing the metabeing's voice, though never having heard it.

"But the computer . . . ," Dinah argued.

"NO. Too many guards are coming, get . . ." Huntress blurted harshly.

"Watch out!" Dinah said.

Barbara tensed when she heard the ensuing scuffle. A deep chill washed over her when she heard a low, feral growl that she knew did not mean good news for anyone daring to oppose the metabeing. Barbara's hands clenched into fists, the only thing she could do besides listen to bodies loudly crashing into lab gear with moan after new moan filling Dinah's coms.

Then there was a loud explosion.

Barbara's breath caught in her throat when she saw the discarded camera now showing only snow. "This can not be happening again!" she thought with a growing panic, calling up the GPS signals on her screen. Dinah's signal was still there, she considered with some relief.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to focus on the mission.

"Dinah? Dinah, do you copy?!" Barbara called out, frowning when she didn't get an immediate response.

"Oracle to Hun . . . Helena, do you copy?" Barbara called uneasily. Not hearing any response made her want to hit something. "Helena, do you copy?" Barbara called again, now looking for her GPS signal. She was rapidly closing in on Dinah's position at a surprising speed.

Minutes of silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity. Finally, a familiar voice, sounding out of breath, reached out to her like a lifeline in a stormy sea.

"Oracle, it's Helena. Dinah is all right. Huntress is down. You should contact Dr. Landry and have him meet us at the bat cave. We don't have much time."

Barbara blinked, trying to digest what Helena just said. But there was no time for questions, only action. "I understand. We'll meet you there."