CHAPTER 4
Detective Reese was walking to his apartment with his right arm in a sling. He hated being off work but he had no choice. What he hated more was being away from Helena.
He was in front of his apartment where a woman with long brown hair stood their waiting for someone. "May I help you?"
"Yes, I am looking for a tall, dark, and hansom man named Detective Jesse Reese."
He looked at her, trying to place her face, but he could not remember her for his life. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"
The woman walked seductively towards him. "Maybe this will spark your memory." The woman walked up to him, tilted her head and kissed him. His eyes closed without realizing it. When he opened his eyes as the woman broke off the kiss, the woman that was once there was replaced with Helena Kyle.
Detective Reese stumbled backwards. "Whoa!"
Helena laughed. "Relax, it's me Jesse!"
"Yea, I've fallen for that before!"
"Come on, Jesse, you mean you don't recognize the way I kiss?"
Jesse looked at her with a puzzled look on his face. The truth was, he did recognize the kiss, and if that was any indication, that the woman before him was Helena Kyle. "How can you change shapes like that?"
"It's a long story. Let's just saw we know what Raven is planning and how there can be multiple shape shifting meta-humans?"
"Care to fill me in? Wait, never mind, I know where I can find theat info out." Reese looked around the area and then back at Helena. "It's not a good idea that we be seen together out here in the public. Want to join me in my apartment?"
Helena looked at his apartment, and she was tempted; more so than she had let on, but she was a little uncomfortable about this stage of the relationship. She didn't want Reese to know about this struggle, so she came up with an excuse as fast as she could. "I would love to, but this formula only lasts temporarily. I have to take this time and track down Raven. You take it easy and rest up."
"Talking about which, I just learned that the robber that was arrested for the bank robbery, was murdered in his cell just hours ago."
"He's the one that one that I found that morphing formula from." Helena said. "Apparently, Raven punished him for allowing the formula to fall into our hands."
"Just be careful. Raven is very dangerous. She almost killed you several times."
Helena smiled. "I just love it when you worry about me." She morphed into her disguise. Watching her do so astonished Reese. "See you around!"
* * * *
Alfred walked up the ramp with his silver antique tray. On the tray was two coffee plates with sandwiches that were cut in half on both plates. "I thought you two could use a snack. You have not eaten a single bite since breakfast!"
"Thank you, Alfred," Barbra said taking a plate on putting it in front of her. Dinah, who was standing next to Barbra, took the other plate.
"It is my pleasure," Alfred replied with a nod. "May I inquire what are you working on?"
"Helena just reported back that the robber that she had confronted earlier tonight was murdered in his cell. I am trying to pull of a police record of his past criminal activities, and see if I can find out a little about his past."
Alfred nodded. "If you'll excuse me, I think I shall retire for the night."
"Good night, Alfred!" Dinah said for both herself and Barbra.
Alfred turned and made his way to the kitchen where he put his tray away and then went up the stairs to where his bedroom is. He walked into his room and closed the door behind him. Fatigue washed over him the moment he entered his bedroom. He was ready for a good night sleep. He was heading towards his dresser when Raven came crashing through the window and landing on top of his bed and bouncing off the bed to land in front of him. Alfred staggered backwards. "I have a message for Huntress!" With a swift kick across his face, Alfred crashed into the dresser and hit the ground unconscious.
The door was thrown open and Dinah ran into Alfred's room, hearing the shattering of the window. When she saw Raven in the room, she immediately posed ready for a fight. Instead of waiting for Raven to attack first, she went in first, but it left her wide open with a kick arcos her gut. Raven pulled out one of the wooden draws from the dresser and slapped her in the face with the drawer. Dinha was violently sent flying across the room and crashed into the far well, leaving a dent in the wall as she collapsed on the ground.
Raven laughed. "Children, no respect."
* * * *
Alfred opened his eyes to find Helena kneeling above him. "Dear me, what happened?"
"We had an uninvited guess to our hideout." Helena said, helping him up. As she helped Alfred to his feet, there came a blood curdling scream from the outside the room, down on the first level. Helena grimaced at the scream and nearly shuttered. "What was that?" Alfred asked.
"That was Dinah. Her nose is broken."
Alfred shook his head. "That Raven, is a very frightening woman. She said that this was a message for you."
Huntress clearly was outraged by this attack. The news only outraged her all the more. "Yes, this message is loud and clear." This was the most aggressive attack by Raven. Even this seemed out of characteristic for her. Even so, they are getting close to uncovering her plans, and now this was serving as a warning to proceed at risk of their own peril.
The two of them walked out of the door to see Dinah laid out on the floor on the platform. There were bloody towels by her head and a towel over her nose, which was quickly soaking up blood. Barbra turned her wheel chair and looked up at Helena. "Fixing a broken nose is beyond my medical knowledge. Dinah will need to be taken to the hospital."
"Well, obviously I can't take her, because I'm being targeted by Raven. You can't go, because you are needed here, and Jesse can't do it without risking revealing his knowledge of where the hideout is. Who else is there?" Helena asked.
"I will take young Dinah to the hospital," Alfred said.
"Are you sure you are feeling up to taking her after what happened to you?" Barbra asked.
"I will be fine, Master Barbra. I will be happy to do it."
"You are a life save, Alfred!"
"Of course. It's something I have learned to become after serving under Master Bruce."
Detective Reese was walking to his apartment with his right arm in a sling. He hated being off work but he had no choice. What he hated more was being away from Helena.
He was in front of his apartment where a woman with long brown hair stood their waiting for someone. "May I help you?"
"Yes, I am looking for a tall, dark, and hansom man named Detective Jesse Reese."
He looked at her, trying to place her face, but he could not remember her for his life. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"
The woman walked seductively towards him. "Maybe this will spark your memory." The woman walked up to him, tilted her head and kissed him. His eyes closed without realizing it. When he opened his eyes as the woman broke off the kiss, the woman that was once there was replaced with Helena Kyle.
Detective Reese stumbled backwards. "Whoa!"
Helena laughed. "Relax, it's me Jesse!"
"Yea, I've fallen for that before!"
"Come on, Jesse, you mean you don't recognize the way I kiss?"
Jesse looked at her with a puzzled look on his face. The truth was, he did recognize the kiss, and if that was any indication, that the woman before him was Helena Kyle. "How can you change shapes like that?"
"It's a long story. Let's just saw we know what Raven is planning and how there can be multiple shape shifting meta-humans?"
"Care to fill me in? Wait, never mind, I know where I can find theat info out." Reese looked around the area and then back at Helena. "It's not a good idea that we be seen together out here in the public. Want to join me in my apartment?"
Helena looked at his apartment, and she was tempted; more so than she had let on, but she was a little uncomfortable about this stage of the relationship. She didn't want Reese to know about this struggle, so she came up with an excuse as fast as she could. "I would love to, but this formula only lasts temporarily. I have to take this time and track down Raven. You take it easy and rest up."
"Talking about which, I just learned that the robber that was arrested for the bank robbery, was murdered in his cell just hours ago."
"He's the one that one that I found that morphing formula from." Helena said. "Apparently, Raven punished him for allowing the formula to fall into our hands."
"Just be careful. Raven is very dangerous. She almost killed you several times."
Helena smiled. "I just love it when you worry about me." She morphed into her disguise. Watching her do so astonished Reese. "See you around!"
* * * *
Alfred walked up the ramp with his silver antique tray. On the tray was two coffee plates with sandwiches that were cut in half on both plates. "I thought you two could use a snack. You have not eaten a single bite since breakfast!"
"Thank you, Alfred," Barbra said taking a plate on putting it in front of her. Dinah, who was standing next to Barbra, took the other plate.
"It is my pleasure," Alfred replied with a nod. "May I inquire what are you working on?"
"Helena just reported back that the robber that she had confronted earlier tonight was murdered in his cell. I am trying to pull of a police record of his past criminal activities, and see if I can find out a little about his past."
Alfred nodded. "If you'll excuse me, I think I shall retire for the night."
"Good night, Alfred!" Dinah said for both herself and Barbra.
Alfred turned and made his way to the kitchen where he put his tray away and then went up the stairs to where his bedroom is. He walked into his room and closed the door behind him. Fatigue washed over him the moment he entered his bedroom. He was ready for a good night sleep. He was heading towards his dresser when Raven came crashing through the window and landing on top of his bed and bouncing off the bed to land in front of him. Alfred staggered backwards. "I have a message for Huntress!" With a swift kick across his face, Alfred crashed into the dresser and hit the ground unconscious.
The door was thrown open and Dinah ran into Alfred's room, hearing the shattering of the window. When she saw Raven in the room, she immediately posed ready for a fight. Instead of waiting for Raven to attack first, she went in first, but it left her wide open with a kick arcos her gut. Raven pulled out one of the wooden draws from the dresser and slapped her in the face with the drawer. Dinha was violently sent flying across the room and crashed into the far well, leaving a dent in the wall as she collapsed on the ground.
Raven laughed. "Children, no respect."
* * * *
Alfred opened his eyes to find Helena kneeling above him. "Dear me, what happened?"
"We had an uninvited guess to our hideout." Helena said, helping him up. As she helped Alfred to his feet, there came a blood curdling scream from the outside the room, down on the first level. Helena grimaced at the scream and nearly shuttered. "What was that?" Alfred asked.
"That was Dinah. Her nose is broken."
Alfred shook his head. "That Raven, is a very frightening woman. She said that this was a message for you."
Huntress clearly was outraged by this attack. The news only outraged her all the more. "Yes, this message is loud and clear." This was the most aggressive attack by Raven. Even this seemed out of characteristic for her. Even so, they are getting close to uncovering her plans, and now this was serving as a warning to proceed at risk of their own peril.
The two of them walked out of the door to see Dinah laid out on the floor on the platform. There were bloody towels by her head and a towel over her nose, which was quickly soaking up blood. Barbra turned her wheel chair and looked up at Helena. "Fixing a broken nose is beyond my medical knowledge. Dinah will need to be taken to the hospital."
"Well, obviously I can't take her, because I'm being targeted by Raven. You can't go, because you are needed here, and Jesse can't do it without risking revealing his knowledge of where the hideout is. Who else is there?" Helena asked.
"I will take young Dinah to the hospital," Alfred said.
"Are you sure you are feeling up to taking her after what happened to you?" Barbra asked.
"I will be fine, Master Barbra. I will be happy to do it."
"You are a life save, Alfred!"
"Of course. It's something I have learned to become after serving under Master Bruce."