A/N: Thanks for the awesome reviews! Really, I can't tell you how much I
love it. So keep it up!
**Disclaimer: I own a Discman, a shelf full of books, and this laptop. I don't own anything related to this show. And even if you did sue me, all you're getting is the Discman and the books because there's no way in hell you're getting my laptop.**
The Black Shadow
by Angel Monroe
Chapter 3: Out of the Fog
Helena's head bobbed to the side, pulling her a little further into consciousness. 'What the hell did I smoke before I went to bed?' she asked herself, fighting her way into the waking world. Then the events of her last conscious moments came back to her.
Jerked awake, she tried to move her arms, but they were held fast behind her by some sort of metal wire. Her legs were tied in a similar fashion to the legs of the heavy wooden chair she was sitting in. She tugged at her restraints several times to find a weak point, but it resulted only in shallow cuts circling her wrists. She looked around the room to get a feel for her options.
The room itself was well-furnished and very upscale. From the view she could see through the balcony window, she could guess that she was in a penthouse. She could see the back of the clock tower so she must be on the east part of town, probably upper class district.
"Oracle," she whispered, listening for her voice through the communicator. "Oracle," she repeated. Still, there was no answer. "Dammit," she muttered under her breath, "Reese is going to kill me for not listening to him."
'He was trying to protect me,' she thought, 'and now he'll probably blame himself for me getting captured.' That last thought came with a twinge of remorse. She knew what it was to feel guilty when someone else gets hurt. She knew it all too well from Reese's partner's accident. Now Reese was probably feeling the same way.
'Snap out of it Helena,' she told herself. 'You're the one who's strapped to a chair in an assassin's penthouse. You need to concentrate.'
"Hello pretty kitty," came a deep voice from the corner behind her.
She turned her head, but all she saw was shadow in the corner.
"Over here," came the voice again, this time from in front of her.
"Dammit! Where are you?" she demanded looking all around her, but seeing shadow everywhere: under tables, chairs, behind curtains. There was no way to track his movement.
Suddenly, she felt strong hands around her throat. "I'm going to have so much fun with you," he laughed, tightening his grip slightly before removing his hands. It wasn't so much a threat as it was a plan forming in his head.
He walked around in front of her, and she saw her assailant clearly for the first time. His black hair and dark skin made it seem as if he had walked straight out of midnight. His complexion was unblemished and smooth except one curved scar stretching across his left eyebrow. His eyes were beautiful, but too hard to hold any warmth.
"Not as much fun as I'm going to have kicking your ass," she replied recovering her wits.
"Says the one tied to the chair," he countered. "Tell me, Huntress, how are you going to help the brave officer from that vantage point?"
"What do you have against Reese anyway?" she asked as she inconspicuously work at her bindings behind her back. "I mean, it's not like you haven't been investigated before. What makes Reese special?"
Lunden smiled slyly. "Why do you think it's Reese I'm after?" he asked vaguely.
This caught Helena off guard. "You're not after Reese?" she asked dumbfounded. "Then why'd you put the bomb in his car?"
He didn't say a word, just smiled mysteriously.
Helena looked down at nothing, the wheels spinning in her head. "Unless you're trying to get to someone through him," she said as the realization popped into her head. "His partner is already in the hospital, so if you wanted to get him, you wouldn't have to go through anyone," she said to herself just above a whisper. "I haven't seen him with any friends, besides me of course, and you wouldn't need him for that because I'm already here. He doesn't have any family that I know of-"
The look on Lunden's face stopped her. It was a mix between confusion and disbelief, but the expression was instantly wiped clean in an attempt to hide the inadvertent clue.
"Family," Helena inferred. "You're trying to get to someone in his family." Then to herself again, "I didn't even know he had one."
"It doesn't even matter that you know," he said, obviously upset with himself. "You won't tell anyone." At that he smiled, advancing toward her. "Reese only needs to think I'm holding you for my plans to work."
"Oh, you think so," Helena said, a small smile spreading across her lips as she finished untying the wire binding her hands.
As he neared her, his strong hands reaching for her throat, she swung her arm around, her closed fist connecting with his square jaw. As stumbled back, surprised by her opposition, she untied her feet. With very little effort, she picked the chair up by its back and swung it at his head. Unfortunately, he was ready and melted into a shadow on the floor before it connected.
Before Helena could react, he was behind her, pulling the discarded metal wire around her throat. As he pulled it tighter to her skin, cutting into her flesh, she could feel the air slipping from her lungs. She tried to throw her head back, throw him off balance, but he was ready and it caused no effect.
As her nails dug at the wire, she could feel her life slipping away. The lights in the room seemed to dim and blur as she struggled to stay conscious, fighting the urge to give in to the darkness, the stillness, the peace. It would be so easy to just go to sleep, leave this world and its problems for the next life. She could forget about love and crime and the endless fight against chaos. If only she could just go to sleep...
Then, a crash broke through the darkness she hadn't even realized she had sunken into. She opened her eyes just a slit, and saw her ever-faithful little protégé standing just inside the busted-in door with throwing discus in her hand.
'Dinah,' Helena thought, and her mind got the tiniest bit clearer. 'She's just a kid. She won't be able to face The Black Shadow by herself. She needs me.'
With every bit of strength in her, she pushed off the ground, launching into a back flip and twisting away from her captor. As she landed just behind him, she turned to wire on him, twisting to wire around his neck.
Seeing that he was not going to win this battle, Lunden melted into shadow and slipped away.
**So, what'd you think? I won't know if you don't tell me. Hint hint, wink wink. Next chapter coming as soon as I think of it.**
**Disclaimer: I own a Discman, a shelf full of books, and this laptop. I don't own anything related to this show. And even if you did sue me, all you're getting is the Discman and the books because there's no way in hell you're getting my laptop.**
The Black Shadow
by Angel Monroe
Chapter 3: Out of the Fog
Helena's head bobbed to the side, pulling her a little further into consciousness. 'What the hell did I smoke before I went to bed?' she asked herself, fighting her way into the waking world. Then the events of her last conscious moments came back to her.
Jerked awake, she tried to move her arms, but they were held fast behind her by some sort of metal wire. Her legs were tied in a similar fashion to the legs of the heavy wooden chair she was sitting in. She tugged at her restraints several times to find a weak point, but it resulted only in shallow cuts circling her wrists. She looked around the room to get a feel for her options.
The room itself was well-furnished and very upscale. From the view she could see through the balcony window, she could guess that she was in a penthouse. She could see the back of the clock tower so she must be on the east part of town, probably upper class district.
"Oracle," she whispered, listening for her voice through the communicator. "Oracle," she repeated. Still, there was no answer. "Dammit," she muttered under her breath, "Reese is going to kill me for not listening to him."
'He was trying to protect me,' she thought, 'and now he'll probably blame himself for me getting captured.' That last thought came with a twinge of remorse. She knew what it was to feel guilty when someone else gets hurt. She knew it all too well from Reese's partner's accident. Now Reese was probably feeling the same way.
'Snap out of it Helena,' she told herself. 'You're the one who's strapped to a chair in an assassin's penthouse. You need to concentrate.'
"Hello pretty kitty," came a deep voice from the corner behind her.
She turned her head, but all she saw was shadow in the corner.
"Over here," came the voice again, this time from in front of her.
"Dammit! Where are you?" she demanded looking all around her, but seeing shadow everywhere: under tables, chairs, behind curtains. There was no way to track his movement.
Suddenly, she felt strong hands around her throat. "I'm going to have so much fun with you," he laughed, tightening his grip slightly before removing his hands. It wasn't so much a threat as it was a plan forming in his head.
He walked around in front of her, and she saw her assailant clearly for the first time. His black hair and dark skin made it seem as if he had walked straight out of midnight. His complexion was unblemished and smooth except one curved scar stretching across his left eyebrow. His eyes were beautiful, but too hard to hold any warmth.
"Not as much fun as I'm going to have kicking your ass," she replied recovering her wits.
"Says the one tied to the chair," he countered. "Tell me, Huntress, how are you going to help the brave officer from that vantage point?"
"What do you have against Reese anyway?" she asked as she inconspicuously work at her bindings behind her back. "I mean, it's not like you haven't been investigated before. What makes Reese special?"
Lunden smiled slyly. "Why do you think it's Reese I'm after?" he asked vaguely.
This caught Helena off guard. "You're not after Reese?" she asked dumbfounded. "Then why'd you put the bomb in his car?"
He didn't say a word, just smiled mysteriously.
Helena looked down at nothing, the wheels spinning in her head. "Unless you're trying to get to someone through him," she said as the realization popped into her head. "His partner is already in the hospital, so if you wanted to get him, you wouldn't have to go through anyone," she said to herself just above a whisper. "I haven't seen him with any friends, besides me of course, and you wouldn't need him for that because I'm already here. He doesn't have any family that I know of-"
The look on Lunden's face stopped her. It was a mix between confusion and disbelief, but the expression was instantly wiped clean in an attempt to hide the inadvertent clue.
"Family," Helena inferred. "You're trying to get to someone in his family." Then to herself again, "I didn't even know he had one."
"It doesn't even matter that you know," he said, obviously upset with himself. "You won't tell anyone." At that he smiled, advancing toward her. "Reese only needs to think I'm holding you for my plans to work."
"Oh, you think so," Helena said, a small smile spreading across her lips as she finished untying the wire binding her hands.
As he neared her, his strong hands reaching for her throat, she swung her arm around, her closed fist connecting with his square jaw. As stumbled back, surprised by her opposition, she untied her feet. With very little effort, she picked the chair up by its back and swung it at his head. Unfortunately, he was ready and melted into a shadow on the floor before it connected.
Before Helena could react, he was behind her, pulling the discarded metal wire around her throat. As he pulled it tighter to her skin, cutting into her flesh, she could feel the air slipping from her lungs. She tried to throw her head back, throw him off balance, but he was ready and it caused no effect.
As her nails dug at the wire, she could feel her life slipping away. The lights in the room seemed to dim and blur as she struggled to stay conscious, fighting the urge to give in to the darkness, the stillness, the peace. It would be so easy to just go to sleep, leave this world and its problems for the next life. She could forget about love and crime and the endless fight against chaos. If only she could just go to sleep...
Then, a crash broke through the darkness she hadn't even realized she had sunken into. She opened her eyes just a slit, and saw her ever-faithful little protégé standing just inside the busted-in door with throwing discus in her hand.
'Dinah,' Helena thought, and her mind got the tiniest bit clearer. 'She's just a kid. She won't be able to face The Black Shadow by herself. She needs me.'
With every bit of strength in her, she pushed off the ground, launching into a back flip and twisting away from her captor. As she landed just behind him, she turned to wire on him, twisting to wire around his neck.
Seeing that he was not going to win this battle, Lunden melted into shadow and slipped away.
**So, what'd you think? I won't know if you don't tell me. Hint hint, wink wink. Next chapter coming as soon as I think of it.**