CHAPTER 6
Dinah awakened to find herself on the floor of the abandoned hospital. She struggled to remember what had happened. She remembered following Helena into this abandoned hospital and then…and then…What happened after that? Everything was very cloudy and her head was pounding.
"It's about time! You want to come and untie me now!" Helena said, still tied up between two posts by her wrists.
It all came flooding back to her when she heard Helena. She was tricked by a doppelganger of Helena. She stood up and walked up to Helena but then stepped back. What if this was another trap?
"Well, what are you waiting for? Are you going to untie me or what?"
"How do I know you are for real?" Dinah said cautiously.
"I am not Raven. Would she know that your mother is Black Canary?"
"Well, yes. In fact she called me the daughter of Black Canary," Dinah replied.
Helena was growing impatient "Then, how about the time we first met. I came to your rescue and you found us in the Clock tower because you had touched my wrist. Listen, if you still don't believe me, touch my wrist again."
She sounded like the real Helena, but how was she to be certain that it was not another trap. Logically, why would this be a set up for another trap? They've already tricked her once. Doing it a second time was pointless. She decided to give it another go. She cautiously stepped toward her right wrist, but facing toward her left to see if it was going to come at her. But it never did. She made contact with the skin on Helena's wrist and instantly, she could sense her memories. The memories of their first encounter and the times they had during her combat training.
Dinah let go of the wrist, convinced she was the real Helena. Dinah began untie her right wrist. "I'm sorry, Helena. Things have not been going very well."
"Forget about it. I just want to get out there and find Raven and pay her back in kind."
"Helena, I think there are two of them," Dinah said, helping her until her second wrist after finishing the first.
"What are you talking about?"
"The shape shifter who was here was not Raven. Raven was in the clock tower as I arrived here."
"What! Barbra?"
"I don't know. I heard a strange voice over my ear piece, and she called herself Raven."
"It's impossible for two meta-humans to have the same powers. Whoever you heard, must be under Raven's payroll or something."
"Whatever, but we have to do something. I hope Barbra isn't…"
"No, she's not. Stay calm and be positive," Helena nearly snapped at Dinah. "Let's just get over there and kick some tail!"
* * * *
Detective Reese returned to the precinct in time to see Commissioner O'Reiley concluding a meeting with most of the police men in the precinct. Did he miss something important? He walked between the waters of many police officers until he go to the other end and had clear passage to the commissioner. "Commissioner, what's going on."
Commissioner O'Reiley had an angry face which told Reese that something big has or is going to happen. "Just the man I wanted to see. I want to know the location of the Huntress' hide out, right now."
"I don't know where it is. They moved out of their old hide out. I have not seen or have been told where it is. Why?"
"Your huntress murdered a Gotham officer in cold blood."
"You must be mistaken, Commissioner, the Huntress is not a murderer."
"I've seen her murder my officer right in front of my face!" the Commissioner said angrily. "She is a menace to New Gotham, and I have the entire force on a manhunt for her."
"Commissioner, I think you should know that we have discovered someone who calls herself Raven. She is a meta-human who is a shape shifter. She can become anyone at anytime. It may be that it was her pretending to be Helena who murdered the officer."
"Do you have any evidence whatsoever to prove that theory?"
Reese cringed. "Not yet, we're working on it."
"Do you realize how crazy that sounds? You call yourself a detective?"
"Sir, since I came to New Gotham, I have seen some pretty weird stuff all the way from a man who can turn into water, to a man who can manipulate his face like clay."
"Listen up, Detective, and listen good. Until you can get me proof of what you said, the Huntress is wanted for the murder. I will not rest until I have arrested her and put her away for good. If you have any contact with her, you are to arrest her on the spot. If I find out that you have continued to keep in contact with her, and have not arrested her, I will fire you and face prison time yourself. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir," Reese said less than enthusiastically.
"I have my eyes on you. Get out of here," Commissioner O'Reiley said.
* * * *
The elevator door slid open and there was Barbra installing something near the entrance to the hide out. Dinah was relieved to see Barbra alive and well. When Barbra saw both Dinah and Helena all right, she stopped what she was doing and went to them, also very relieved to see them all right. "Dinah, thank God you're alright. How about you Helena?"
"I apologize for my absence, I was a little tied up. What are you doing?" The two of them walked out of the elevator. The doors slid shut and the elevator went back down to the bottom floor.
"I am installing a security clearance device. This will scan you hand prints, recognize you, and allow you in. This should keep any unwanted guest and Raven out of here. I had a little encounter with Raven earlier as you can probably see from my forehead."
There was a butterfly bandage over her gash on her forehead. "We may have a problem if who saw was Raven. I had fought with Raven and lost, and she had me tied up in her hideout. Dinah came and she was ambushed by a shape shifter about the same time Raven was with you."
"The person who was here was Detective Reese, or who I thought was Detective Reese, until he crashed my forehead into the computer screen."
"How can it be possible for there two be two shape shifting meta-humans. I thought it was impossible for two meta-humans to have the same exact powers?" Dinah said.
"I have no answers for you, Dinah. We don't know what is going on here?"
"Perhaps we do…" Reese said, coming out of the elevator. He was out of breath and gasping for air. He turned and saw Helena standing besides Dinah. He went over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Helena, are you alright?"
"I fine, Jesse," Helena told him.
"You know something?" Barbra asked.
"Yes, I believe Raven has struck again. She confronted Commissioner O'Reiley and killed a police officer right in front of him. Now the Commissioner is on a city wide man hunt for you," Reese said, looking concerned for her.
"This whole thing was just to get us out of the way so they can frame Helena for murder, and have her thrown into Arkum," Barbra said, starting to put the puzzle together. "If Helena is sent to prison, New Gotham is going to be taken over quickly by evil villains."
"Things are getting to complicated," Dinah whined.
"How about you," Helena said, looking into Reese's eyes. "You work for the commissioner."
"There is no way in hell I'm going to hand you in. I know you are innocent." Reese and Helena held each other in their arms.
"You can loose you job for aiding us, and perhaps even be sent to jail yourself. We can't ask you to put yourself in that kind of risk."
"You don't have to ask. I already am taking that risk. I am going to have to be careful not to be seen with you three in public. I will not give them any information about your ware bouts, but I am going to everything in my power to clear your name," Reese said, still staring down into Helena's eyes.
"Well, we've got a lot of work ahead of us. Helena, it appears you are back to living your secret stealth like lifestyle. We will not let this stop us from protecting Gotham, and right now, we have one or maybe two villains out there, probably two of our greatest foes we have ever faced, roaming Gotham."
"Sounds great!" Helena said with a grin. "Let's get crackin'."
Dinah awakened to find herself on the floor of the abandoned hospital. She struggled to remember what had happened. She remembered following Helena into this abandoned hospital and then…and then…What happened after that? Everything was very cloudy and her head was pounding.
"It's about time! You want to come and untie me now!" Helena said, still tied up between two posts by her wrists.
It all came flooding back to her when she heard Helena. She was tricked by a doppelganger of Helena. She stood up and walked up to Helena but then stepped back. What if this was another trap?
"Well, what are you waiting for? Are you going to untie me or what?"
"How do I know you are for real?" Dinah said cautiously.
"I am not Raven. Would she know that your mother is Black Canary?"
"Well, yes. In fact she called me the daughter of Black Canary," Dinah replied.
Helena was growing impatient "Then, how about the time we first met. I came to your rescue and you found us in the Clock tower because you had touched my wrist. Listen, if you still don't believe me, touch my wrist again."
She sounded like the real Helena, but how was she to be certain that it was not another trap. Logically, why would this be a set up for another trap? They've already tricked her once. Doing it a second time was pointless. She decided to give it another go. She cautiously stepped toward her right wrist, but facing toward her left to see if it was going to come at her. But it never did. She made contact with the skin on Helena's wrist and instantly, she could sense her memories. The memories of their first encounter and the times they had during her combat training.
Dinah let go of the wrist, convinced she was the real Helena. Dinah began untie her right wrist. "I'm sorry, Helena. Things have not been going very well."
"Forget about it. I just want to get out there and find Raven and pay her back in kind."
"Helena, I think there are two of them," Dinah said, helping her until her second wrist after finishing the first.
"What are you talking about?"
"The shape shifter who was here was not Raven. Raven was in the clock tower as I arrived here."
"What! Barbra?"
"I don't know. I heard a strange voice over my ear piece, and she called herself Raven."
"It's impossible for two meta-humans to have the same powers. Whoever you heard, must be under Raven's payroll or something."
"Whatever, but we have to do something. I hope Barbra isn't…"
"No, she's not. Stay calm and be positive," Helena nearly snapped at Dinah. "Let's just get over there and kick some tail!"
* * * *
Detective Reese returned to the precinct in time to see Commissioner O'Reiley concluding a meeting with most of the police men in the precinct. Did he miss something important? He walked between the waters of many police officers until he go to the other end and had clear passage to the commissioner. "Commissioner, what's going on."
Commissioner O'Reiley had an angry face which told Reese that something big has or is going to happen. "Just the man I wanted to see. I want to know the location of the Huntress' hide out, right now."
"I don't know where it is. They moved out of their old hide out. I have not seen or have been told where it is. Why?"
"Your huntress murdered a Gotham officer in cold blood."
"You must be mistaken, Commissioner, the Huntress is not a murderer."
"I've seen her murder my officer right in front of my face!" the Commissioner said angrily. "She is a menace to New Gotham, and I have the entire force on a manhunt for her."
"Commissioner, I think you should know that we have discovered someone who calls herself Raven. She is a meta-human who is a shape shifter. She can become anyone at anytime. It may be that it was her pretending to be Helena who murdered the officer."
"Do you have any evidence whatsoever to prove that theory?"
Reese cringed. "Not yet, we're working on it."
"Do you realize how crazy that sounds? You call yourself a detective?"
"Sir, since I came to New Gotham, I have seen some pretty weird stuff all the way from a man who can turn into water, to a man who can manipulate his face like clay."
"Listen up, Detective, and listen good. Until you can get me proof of what you said, the Huntress is wanted for the murder. I will not rest until I have arrested her and put her away for good. If you have any contact with her, you are to arrest her on the spot. If I find out that you have continued to keep in contact with her, and have not arrested her, I will fire you and face prison time yourself. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir," Reese said less than enthusiastically.
"I have my eyes on you. Get out of here," Commissioner O'Reiley said.
* * * *
The elevator door slid open and there was Barbra installing something near the entrance to the hide out. Dinah was relieved to see Barbra alive and well. When Barbra saw both Dinah and Helena all right, she stopped what she was doing and went to them, also very relieved to see them all right. "Dinah, thank God you're alright. How about you Helena?"
"I apologize for my absence, I was a little tied up. What are you doing?" The two of them walked out of the elevator. The doors slid shut and the elevator went back down to the bottom floor.
"I am installing a security clearance device. This will scan you hand prints, recognize you, and allow you in. This should keep any unwanted guest and Raven out of here. I had a little encounter with Raven earlier as you can probably see from my forehead."
There was a butterfly bandage over her gash on her forehead. "We may have a problem if who saw was Raven. I had fought with Raven and lost, and she had me tied up in her hideout. Dinah came and she was ambushed by a shape shifter about the same time Raven was with you."
"The person who was here was Detective Reese, or who I thought was Detective Reese, until he crashed my forehead into the computer screen."
"How can it be possible for there two be two shape shifting meta-humans. I thought it was impossible for two meta-humans to have the same exact powers?" Dinah said.
"I have no answers for you, Dinah. We don't know what is going on here?"
"Perhaps we do…" Reese said, coming out of the elevator. He was out of breath and gasping for air. He turned and saw Helena standing besides Dinah. He went over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Helena, are you alright?"
"I fine, Jesse," Helena told him.
"You know something?" Barbra asked.
"Yes, I believe Raven has struck again. She confronted Commissioner O'Reiley and killed a police officer right in front of him. Now the Commissioner is on a city wide man hunt for you," Reese said, looking concerned for her.
"This whole thing was just to get us out of the way so they can frame Helena for murder, and have her thrown into Arkum," Barbra said, starting to put the puzzle together. "If Helena is sent to prison, New Gotham is going to be taken over quickly by evil villains."
"Things are getting to complicated," Dinah whined.
"How about you," Helena said, looking into Reese's eyes. "You work for the commissioner."
"There is no way in hell I'm going to hand you in. I know you are innocent." Reese and Helena held each other in their arms.
"You can loose you job for aiding us, and perhaps even be sent to jail yourself. We can't ask you to put yourself in that kind of risk."
"You don't have to ask. I already am taking that risk. I am going to have to be careful not to be seen with you three in public. I will not give them any information about your ware bouts, but I am going to everything in my power to clear your name," Reese said, still staring down into Helena's eyes.
"Well, we've got a lot of work ahead of us. Helena, it appears you are back to living your secret stealth like lifestyle. We will not let this stop us from protecting Gotham, and right now, we have one or maybe two villains out there, probably two of our greatest foes we have ever faced, roaming Gotham."
"Sounds great!" Helena said with a grin. "Let's get crackin'."