Chapter 1 - From the Dark
A prostitute walks drunkenly down an alley. She lights a cigarette while mumbling. She laughs and throws the lighter into her bag. She stumbles along the alley making her way to her apartment.
She is unaware of the evil creeping up behind her. A shadow slowly follows her, streaking over the ground like a sleek cat in the night. It closes in on her. She stops and turns around, feeling the hairs on her neck stand on end. She watches the shadow slowly creep towards her. She squints at it with the cigarette hanging limply on her lips. "Wha the f.?" she mumbled. Suddenly the shadow lurches at her and envelopes her. She screams as she disappears in the shadow. Slowly the shadow swallows her and her screams grow distant. Once the screaming had grown away the shadow takes on a human form. Slowly the features grow sharper until a man stands in the alley. He roles his head from right to left and flexes his hands.
His eyes are as black as coal. His face the persona of evil. He wears a black cotton trench coat and boots that look like military boots.
A smile forms on his lips. He turns around and walks off.
Barbara frowns as she types on the computer console. She doesn't notice the elevator doors open.
Huntress, leaning backwards against the back of the elevator, kicks herself upwards and walks out. She walks up to the computer station.
"Anything?" she asks.
Barbara looks up. "The images are downloading, we'll have the clip in a moment," she wheels herself around, "What do you have?"
"Zip," Helena replies following her to the kitchen. One of the lights fuses out casting a shadow in the corner of the kitchen. Barbara sighs, "Great." She grabs two mugs and moves over to the coffee machine. "And the voyeur guy?" she asks pouring coffee into the mugs. "He wasn't there. What guy would set up voyeur camera's up in an alley?" Helena asks accepting the mug form Barbara. "All the prostitutes use that alley as a short cut to 5th street, he was probably just scoring out the women," Barbara replied sipping her coffee. "Perv," Helena said just as Dinah entered the kitchen.
"Okay I totally don't get History. I mean how should I know what the colors of the French flag are for," she said grabbing a cola from the fridge, "um. what do they stand for?"
Before Barbara could answer a voice from the dark corner of the kitchen answered, "Liberty, equality and fraternity." All three spun around a looked bewildered into the corner. A woman dressed in a brown leather jacket, black polo neck jersey, black leather pants and a beret cap emerged from the shadow. "Emanating from the French revolution," she said grinning.
Huntress took on a defensive stance as her pupils altered to cat's eyes, but before she could take a step Barbara gripped her elbow.
"Cris?" Barbara asked smiling. The other woman nodded slightly, "Delphi still doesn't detect me," Cris replied as she moved even more forward.
"I'll have to see to that," Barbara replied, she had a huge smile on her face.
I'm glad someone finds this okay. Helena thought as she watched the two of them. The stranger still made her wary. "Uh, I hate to break up the reunion, but who are you?" she asked Cris.
"Where's my manners, Cris Stone, or rather Shadow Walker, take your pick," she answered smiling at Huntress.
Helena nodded slowly, absorbing the info.
"Uh, Cris this is Helena and Dinah," Barbara said pointing to the other two. Cris nodded at the both of them. "It's so great to see you here, it has been a long time," she turns to face Helena, "Cris is a friend of mine, we went to high school and varsity together. She also helped me out on a few cases. She's also a half meta, but." she faced Cris again, "I thought you hated New Gotham, what brings you here?"
Cris' smile dropped as she looked at all three of them. "Um. you know what? I'm starving, has Alfred left any leftovers?" she said turning away from them and opening the fridge. Just then Delphi beeped. The info had been downloaded. "Excuse me," Barbara said slipping back towards the computers. On the way back, Barbara felt uneasy.
Seeing this Helena asked, "What's wrong?" "She always changes the subject when something's wrong," Barbara replied hitting enter on the keypad. A video clip of the prostitute and the stranger plays. Once finished Barbara continues to stare at the computer screen a barley audible, "Oh no," escapes her lips.
A prostitute walks drunkenly down an alley. She lights a cigarette while mumbling. She laughs and throws the lighter into her bag. She stumbles along the alley making her way to her apartment.
She is unaware of the evil creeping up behind her. A shadow slowly follows her, streaking over the ground like a sleek cat in the night. It closes in on her. She stops and turns around, feeling the hairs on her neck stand on end. She watches the shadow slowly creep towards her. She squints at it with the cigarette hanging limply on her lips. "Wha the f.?" she mumbled. Suddenly the shadow lurches at her and envelopes her. She screams as she disappears in the shadow. Slowly the shadow swallows her and her screams grow distant. Once the screaming had grown away the shadow takes on a human form. Slowly the features grow sharper until a man stands in the alley. He roles his head from right to left and flexes his hands.
His eyes are as black as coal. His face the persona of evil. He wears a black cotton trench coat and boots that look like military boots.
A smile forms on his lips. He turns around and walks off.
Barbara frowns as she types on the computer console. She doesn't notice the elevator doors open.
Huntress, leaning backwards against the back of the elevator, kicks herself upwards and walks out. She walks up to the computer station.
"Anything?" she asks.
Barbara looks up. "The images are downloading, we'll have the clip in a moment," she wheels herself around, "What do you have?"
"Zip," Helena replies following her to the kitchen. One of the lights fuses out casting a shadow in the corner of the kitchen. Barbara sighs, "Great." She grabs two mugs and moves over to the coffee machine. "And the voyeur guy?" she asks pouring coffee into the mugs. "He wasn't there. What guy would set up voyeur camera's up in an alley?" Helena asks accepting the mug form Barbara. "All the prostitutes use that alley as a short cut to 5th street, he was probably just scoring out the women," Barbara replied sipping her coffee. "Perv," Helena said just as Dinah entered the kitchen.
"Okay I totally don't get History. I mean how should I know what the colors of the French flag are for," she said grabbing a cola from the fridge, "um. what do they stand for?"
Before Barbara could answer a voice from the dark corner of the kitchen answered, "Liberty, equality and fraternity." All three spun around a looked bewildered into the corner. A woman dressed in a brown leather jacket, black polo neck jersey, black leather pants and a beret cap emerged from the shadow. "Emanating from the French revolution," she said grinning.
Huntress took on a defensive stance as her pupils altered to cat's eyes, but before she could take a step Barbara gripped her elbow.
"Cris?" Barbara asked smiling. The other woman nodded slightly, "Delphi still doesn't detect me," Cris replied as she moved even more forward.
"I'll have to see to that," Barbara replied, she had a huge smile on her face.
I'm glad someone finds this okay. Helena thought as she watched the two of them. The stranger still made her wary. "Uh, I hate to break up the reunion, but who are you?" she asked Cris.
"Where's my manners, Cris Stone, or rather Shadow Walker, take your pick," she answered smiling at Huntress.
Helena nodded slowly, absorbing the info.
"Uh, Cris this is Helena and Dinah," Barbara said pointing to the other two. Cris nodded at the both of them. "It's so great to see you here, it has been a long time," she turns to face Helena, "Cris is a friend of mine, we went to high school and varsity together. She also helped me out on a few cases. She's also a half meta, but." she faced Cris again, "I thought you hated New Gotham, what brings you here?"
Cris' smile dropped as she looked at all three of them. "Um. you know what? I'm starving, has Alfred left any leftovers?" she said turning away from them and opening the fridge. Just then Delphi beeped. The info had been downloaded. "Excuse me," Barbara said slipping back towards the computers. On the way back, Barbara felt uneasy.
Seeing this Helena asked, "What's wrong?" "She always changes the subject when something's wrong," Barbara replied hitting enter on the keypad. A video clip of the prostitute and the stranger plays. Once finished Barbara continues to stare at the computer screen a barley audible, "Oh no," escapes her lips.