CHAPTER 10

Raven laughed. "How do you think you can stop me?" Raven approached Barbara. "You think you can beat me up in your wheelchair? What a joke!"

Barbara grabbed her cane, and pushed herself up out of the chair onto her feet. She was using her device to be able to stand and walk on her own two feet. Raven saw her stand to her feet and laughed. "So, you have your little contraption on, I see. No matter, you are no match for me." Raven went for a punch to Barbara, but she used her cane to block the punch. Barbara kicked Raven square in the chest, sending her stumbling backwards. Raven was about to attack, but then everyone began to gather next to Barbara. Dinah, Danielle and Nightwing stood by her as Barbara sat back in her chair. Helena was the last to join the group with smile on her face. Her lower lip was still bleeding and swollen. "So you think you can take all five of us now?" Helena smiled. "It looks like your plan has backfired back into your face."

Raven looked at the group of heroes standing in front of her for a second before taking a flying leap backwards up onto the second floor. "You have lucked out this time, Huntress, but make no mistake, I will be back to kill you!" Raven ran back into Helena's and Dinah's room where she jumped out the window and disappeared.

* * * *

Dr. Maxwell was there alone with Barbara at the balancing beams. It was time for her to do more exercise. "It's time for you to take your first baby steps on your own strength. You have the strength to be able to stand completely on you won, but now it's time we begin to get you walking again. Are you ready?"

Barbara smiled. She had been ready for this for a long time, and now it was finally time to take her fist steps. "I'm ready. Let's do it." Barbara said as she grabbed hold of the two poles for support as she stood up.

"Now, nice as easy. Take small, baby steps."

The strain on Barbara's face showed the amount of strength she was putting into this. Her right foot moved forward a few inches, before she slowly put her weight on it. She then was able to move her left foot a few inches. She had put so much strength into this, her strength was zapped, and she nearly collapsed. Dr. Maxwell caught her.

"You took two steps today! That's very good! You've worked very hard and you are now starting to see results from your hard work. It won't be much longer before you will be able to do this without collapsing. That's our next goal."

* * * *

Commissioner O'Reiley had come to visit Harley in Arkham Asylum. Harley was always pleased to be paid a visit from Bane. Bane had a serious look on his face on this visit. "What's wrong, love?"

"As I had feared, Raven has become uncontrollable. Her rage has take control over her. She had tried to kill Helena and almost found herself captured. She has become too reckless to keep alive."

"I don't think that is necessary as of yet. I think we can use her attitude for our benefit. Besides, we need her to continue to make her morphing formula."

"Which she will not be able to do if she is apprehended," Bane reminded her.

"I don't think we have to worry about that. Yes, she is the daughter of Clay Face, whom he disowned when she nearly murdered him. Her fighting skills are beyond anything I have ever seen. It is rumored that her fighting techniques were learned under the training to become an assassin. I think she can take care of herself."

"She better," Bane replied. "If she is caught, I'll kill her myself."

* * * *

Reese was walking home after getting off of work. He was not in the best of moods, and he wanted to walk home to give him more time to think. He had walked past an alleyway when Helena slowly stepped out of the alley. "Helena? What are you doing out here? If you're seen out here with me…" Reese cut himself off in mid-sentence. "Wait a minute, you're eyes? You're not blind anymore."

"I can see again," Helena replied. "Reese, I owe you a very big apology. I was being so selfish, when I was blind. I'm over that, now. Please forgive me for what I said to you."

Reese closed his eyes tightly and turned his back on her. There was a moment of painful silence between the two of them before Reese finally responded. "You questioned my loyalty and my love for you, Helena. That hurt more than you will ever realize."

"I am so sorry," Helena replied with watery eyes. She took a step forwards and put a hand on his shoulder. Instantly, he shrugged her hand off his shoulder. "Reese…"

"I understand and am sympathetic for what you were going through. I wanted to be there for you and help you, but you shrugged me off. I thought we had a stronger relationship than that. If something goes wrong, are you going to shrug me off every time something happens to you?"

Helena looked down at her feet, giving no reply. "That's not a relationship, Helena. It's not a relationship I can live with. I think, right now, the best thing for the both of us is spend some apart from each other and figure out what we do want."

Reese walked away without looking back. Helena stood there, heartbroken as tears streamed down from her eyes. Just like that, their relationship had been put on hold.

* * * *

Helena stood on the ledge outside the clock, looking down at the city of New Gotham. She had been weeping all day since her and Reese's separation. Her solitude was interrupted by Barbara, Dinah, and Danielle who joined her on the ledge. "How are you doing?" Danielle asked. The three of them heard about the separation and were concerned about Helena.

"I miss him. My life feels empty without him," Helena said mournfully.

Barbara pushed herself out of the wheelchair to stand up and reach out to Helena. Barbara hugged Helena tightly. "It will be alright, between the two of you. Just give it some time."

"I hope you're right," Helena sniffled as the two of them let go and Barbara sat back down into her wheelchair.

"One thing I am confused about. What happened to give you your sight back?" Danielle asked.

"I touched Helena and she just seemed to get her sight back," Dinah answered for Helena. "That must be what Jeff did to me? He must have somehow transferred his powers to me."

Barbara knew that had to be the only explanation. From what Dinah had told Barbara, Jeff said that she had so much potential. Did he sense that she has the telepathic powers which Raven has claimed she did? If what Reese said to her was true, her telepathic powers are now starting to emerge. Of course, at the time, Reese and Helena thought nothing of it. Only Barbara and Richard knew about Dinah's hidden powers, and now she has come to aquire another. Indeed, Dinah was on her way to become one of the most meta-humans that Barbara has ever seen, but maybe that was why Jeff gave her his powers, so she would remember him and help her keep on the straight path. "Well, whatever it was, we're happy for you Helena that you have your sight back. Things can get back to normal around here once again, and it couldn't have happened at a better time."

"I can't believe Raven was able to take on four of us at one time. If she's that strong, how can we ever stop her?" Dinah asked.

"There is a very deep mystery surrounding Raven right now. How she became so good fighting is something we may need to know. We may want to check in on her history. You two will need to be very careful. She is going to try to find a time that you two are alone before attacking again. You two will need to keep your eyes open at all times. She is more dangerous now than ever before now that she is bent on revenge for the death of her husband."

THE END

THE COUNTDOWN CONTINUES…3 MORE STORIES BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE 3 PART SERIES FINALLY.

COMING SOON…

BARBARA'S GREATEST FEAR IS ABOUT TO BECOME A REALITY, AS DINAH'S NEW POWERS EMERGE IN FULL FORCE, WHILE A VOODOO WITCH PLANS TO USE DINAH AND HER NEW POWERS TO DESTROY HELENA AND BARBARA

EPISODE 6: THINK NO EVIL, DO NO EVIL