The blond youth arrived rapidly at the Clock Tower, she ascended to the
dining room and she hurtled her sack furiously over one of the seats. She
sat down next to Barbara who observed her, surprised, as Dinah was not one
much for tantrums. She sipped a bit of coffee, it was already late and
Barbara only waited for her to go to bed.
"What happened?" she asked her.
"It's Helena..." she crossed her arms angrily.
"What did she do now?"
"Barbara, Helena is not ok and she doesn't want to tell us what is happening... Her headaches are not normal. I believe that she had a very strong one today while we fought," Dinah sighed "they hit her very strong and they hurt her."
"How strong did they hit her?" Barbara left the cup of coffee on the table "Why you didn't say something? Why didn't she come here?"
"She didn't want to, she got angry, she said that nothing happened. She didn't want you to know this, I accompanied her to her apartment in spite of her protests. I couldn't let her be alone!"
"And how is she?"
"Quite battered." Dinah explained " Barbara, I insisted that she come here but she didn't want to, she knows that you want to examine her and she doesn't want to accept that it isn't ok."
Barbara sighed deeply. She was more comfortable when she listened to Huntress protesting and complaining, but when she kept silent, it was a sign that something bad really happened to her and she became very stubborn.
"Tomorrow I will check her, whether she wants it or not."
"Why is she this way?" Dinah was frustrated by not being able to help her more.
"It's not you" Barbara tried to explain to her "she hates to look weak, she doesn't like to depend on anybody, nor to accept that she sometimes needs help, she is too proud, always has been one of her faults."
"Yes, besides the bad mood, her sarcasm, not knowing how to be controlled, to be violent and to not trust nobody."
"Come on Dinah, Helena's life has not been easy, I know that yours hasn't either, but your character is very different, you are calmer and more controlled, I am happy of it. If you had Helena's mentality you would put the whole city at risk and I would be in big trouble" Barbara smiled. "It would be the Apocalypse..."
Dinah could not avoid a laugh. Barbara took another sip of her coffee "I battled a lot with Helena when she was younger, she put up all possible barriers for not showing me her inside- lying, rebellion, disobedience..." Barbara kept silent a moment and she raised her brow "well, she still has some of those issues. It was too difficult to get her to sit down and talk with me about her feelings, it's hard to get her to open her heart to others. She is afraid."
"I know it... but she can't expect that we pretend everthing is ok when we know perfectly that it isn't."
"Ok, don't talk about the topic with her, let me to do it. I'll convince her that I need to check her."
"Ok.."
* * *
Helena put a cream in her abdomen and under her ribs, they had hit her very hard, she covered it with a bandage and she opened the cabinet in the bathroom to take out two aspirins. The headache had intensified. Every time was worse. She walked to her bedroom, maybe the next morning she would be better, that was an advantage of being meta, she recovered quickly.
She felt the headache increas instead of diminish, she took her hands to her head leaning on her shoulder on the wall, the pain was unbearable, she began to listen to a strong buzzing in her ears and she groaned. She tried to walk to her bed but before she could get there, she fell uncounscious to the floor.
* * *
Reese was seated in his chair, he was lost in his mind, the rumors in the streets are every time most strongers. His fingers were playing around his ring, he hesitated triying to know if will be a good idea call Helena or not and talk to her about all the things that he knew. He stood up and walked toward the window. Was a cold night.
* * *
It was already four o'colck in the afternoon when the doors of the elevator opened up and Helena appeared. Dinah was still in school and Barbara was working at her desk reviewing homework.
"Hello!" Helena came closer with her hands in her pockets.
"You didn't come to breakfast, nor to lunch" Barbara said "Where have you been?"
"I was very tired and I slept late."
"... I imagine that you didn't hear that there was an assault at the jeweler's in front of Leonard's Bar." Barbara looked at her, she noticed that she had a bruise on her cheekbone and a cut next to her lip.
"An robbery?" Helena was upset, she had not heard anything indeed because she had fainted the previous night and she had she opened her eyes at twelve o'clock on the floor, but she couldn't she say that to Barbara because she would surely put her in quarantine. "... No.. I didn't hear."
"Somebody disabled the electrical system and left it completely useless, destroyed it. The most incredible thing was that the internal connections were destroyed too." Barbara showed her some images that Reese had sent her "I called you but you didn't answer."
"I didn't hear you... I slept like a log" Huntress began to play with her fingers, Bárbara was facing her.
"Dinah told me that last night was bad for you." Barbara stopped working and she turned to look at her.
"Dinah exaggerated," Helena explained feeling the weight of her look "Nothing happened, it was a mistake."
"Mistake? How about stupid mistake?" Barbara nodded her head, she didn't believe a single word "I imagined that too... Would you let me look at you?"
"Pardon?" Helena was nervous.
"Will you allow me to check you?"
Helena looked away without knowing that to say. She knew that was a trap, she pressed her lips and pulled her blouse a little, Barbara saw that the skin under her thorax was almost black.
"Damn, this is an exaggeration?" Barbara said touching her skin with her hand. As she pressed it, Helena jumped. Barbara looked her worriedly, Helena avoided looking at her face. "They hit you hard, you could have a broken rib. Come on, let's go to the infirmary."
Helena knew that it was useless to protest, so she followed her in silence. After scanning Helena's body, Barbara checked the data on the computer.
"Thank God you don't have anything broken. You only have bruises from the blows, I'll inject you with something to alleviate the pain" she told her and she wheeled toward Helena "But first I want you to tell me what is happening to you."
"Barbara..." Helena sat down on the bed.
"And forget the excuse that you neglected yourself young lady, we know that it is not true. About those headaches -- How often do you have them?"
"It is only migraine."
"Migraine? You've never had migraines!!" Barbara exclaimed. "Nor do you believe that story! I want to help you, but I can't do it if you don't help me first."
"Ok, ok... " Helena was caught "..I always have it at night, when we leave to patrol...."
"How strong are they?"
"Well.. usually they're not too bad, but sometimes it becomes intolerable... and..." Huntress debated whether or not to tell her that she passed out last night, but on the other hand she was worried too.
"And?"
"Well." Helena played with her fingers.
"How strong are they?" Barbara knew that something was wrong and shot her an icy glare.
"... Last night I fainted."
"What?" Bárbara was really furious. "That was the reason you didn't answer?"
"... Yes... I didn't wake up until today. at mid day..." Helena felt like a little girl and she avoided looking her mentor.
"Why is it so difficult for you to accept that you need help? They gave you a very hard beating! We could have avoided it! Now sit down there and don't argue!" Bárbara pointed out the seat where she had examined Dinah the first time that she had arrived at the Clock Tower. Barbara tried to control her anger, Helena was so infantile sometimes.
Helena avoided to arguing with her, she had never seen Barbara so annoyed, she sat down in the armchair and Barbara put the glass capsule over her head. Then she went to the computer and she scanned it, Helena saw her typing quickly on the keyboard.
After a few minutes Barbara wheeled toward Helena and took off the capsule.
"Ok, you can get up" she indicated to her and wheeled again to her monitor.
".And?" Helena asked getting up of the seat. She came closer to Barbara, she only saw a three-dimensional image of her brain, graphics, points and lines. "That mess is my head?"
"Yes, that mess is your head, I hope now you understand why you are a really difficult and stubborn person."
"Are you joking?"
A "beep" announced that the results were complete, Barbara read them. Helena did also but she didn't understand anything. Barbara took off her eyeglasses and scratched her head.
"You are overstimulated" she said finally.
"Over what?"
"Overstimulated... your sense of perception of danger is most powerful, something happened to you after the experience with Bastet, and the headache, how can I explain it to you? It's an indicator of danger. You felt the danger before, but now you're hypersensitive. that's the reason for the headhaches while you patrol at nights."
"My intuition is killing me. But last night and in the bar with Gibson, and yesterday."
"You could perceive the assault last night."
"But why did I pass out?"
"My theory is that the pain will be more intense depending on the level of danger that is near you. Perhaps it was not just a thief that assaulted the jeweler's last night, and possibly in the bar some inadvertent hoodlum entered, someone very dangerous."
"What happened?" she asked her.
"It's Helena..." she crossed her arms angrily.
"What did she do now?"
"Barbara, Helena is not ok and she doesn't want to tell us what is happening... Her headaches are not normal. I believe that she had a very strong one today while we fought," Dinah sighed "they hit her very strong and they hurt her."
"How strong did they hit her?" Barbara left the cup of coffee on the table "Why you didn't say something? Why didn't she come here?"
"She didn't want to, she got angry, she said that nothing happened. She didn't want you to know this, I accompanied her to her apartment in spite of her protests. I couldn't let her be alone!"
"And how is she?"
"Quite battered." Dinah explained " Barbara, I insisted that she come here but she didn't want to, she knows that you want to examine her and she doesn't want to accept that it isn't ok."
Barbara sighed deeply. She was more comfortable when she listened to Huntress protesting and complaining, but when she kept silent, it was a sign that something bad really happened to her and she became very stubborn.
"Tomorrow I will check her, whether she wants it or not."
"Why is she this way?" Dinah was frustrated by not being able to help her more.
"It's not you" Barbara tried to explain to her "she hates to look weak, she doesn't like to depend on anybody, nor to accept that she sometimes needs help, she is too proud, always has been one of her faults."
"Yes, besides the bad mood, her sarcasm, not knowing how to be controlled, to be violent and to not trust nobody."
"Come on Dinah, Helena's life has not been easy, I know that yours hasn't either, but your character is very different, you are calmer and more controlled, I am happy of it. If you had Helena's mentality you would put the whole city at risk and I would be in big trouble" Barbara smiled. "It would be the Apocalypse..."
Dinah could not avoid a laugh. Barbara took another sip of her coffee "I battled a lot with Helena when she was younger, she put up all possible barriers for not showing me her inside- lying, rebellion, disobedience..." Barbara kept silent a moment and she raised her brow "well, she still has some of those issues. It was too difficult to get her to sit down and talk with me about her feelings, it's hard to get her to open her heart to others. She is afraid."
"I know it... but she can't expect that we pretend everthing is ok when we know perfectly that it isn't."
"Ok, don't talk about the topic with her, let me to do it. I'll convince her that I need to check her."
"Ok.."
* * *
Helena put a cream in her abdomen and under her ribs, they had hit her very hard, she covered it with a bandage and she opened the cabinet in the bathroom to take out two aspirins. The headache had intensified. Every time was worse. She walked to her bedroom, maybe the next morning she would be better, that was an advantage of being meta, she recovered quickly.
She felt the headache increas instead of diminish, she took her hands to her head leaning on her shoulder on the wall, the pain was unbearable, she began to listen to a strong buzzing in her ears and she groaned. She tried to walk to her bed but before she could get there, she fell uncounscious to the floor.
* * *
Reese was seated in his chair, he was lost in his mind, the rumors in the streets are every time most strongers. His fingers were playing around his ring, he hesitated triying to know if will be a good idea call Helena or not and talk to her about all the things that he knew. He stood up and walked toward the window. Was a cold night.
* * *
It was already four o'colck in the afternoon when the doors of the elevator opened up and Helena appeared. Dinah was still in school and Barbara was working at her desk reviewing homework.
"Hello!" Helena came closer with her hands in her pockets.
"You didn't come to breakfast, nor to lunch" Barbara said "Where have you been?"
"I was very tired and I slept late."
"... I imagine that you didn't hear that there was an assault at the jeweler's in front of Leonard's Bar." Barbara looked at her, she noticed that she had a bruise on her cheekbone and a cut next to her lip.
"An robbery?" Helena was upset, she had not heard anything indeed because she had fainted the previous night and she had she opened her eyes at twelve o'clock on the floor, but she couldn't she say that to Barbara because she would surely put her in quarantine. "... No.. I didn't hear."
"Somebody disabled the electrical system and left it completely useless, destroyed it. The most incredible thing was that the internal connections were destroyed too." Barbara showed her some images that Reese had sent her "I called you but you didn't answer."
"I didn't hear you... I slept like a log" Huntress began to play with her fingers, Bárbara was facing her.
"Dinah told me that last night was bad for you." Barbara stopped working and she turned to look at her.
"Dinah exaggerated," Helena explained feeling the weight of her look "Nothing happened, it was a mistake."
"Mistake? How about stupid mistake?" Barbara nodded her head, she didn't believe a single word "I imagined that too... Would you let me look at you?"
"Pardon?" Helena was nervous.
"Will you allow me to check you?"
Helena looked away without knowing that to say. She knew that was a trap, she pressed her lips and pulled her blouse a little, Barbara saw that the skin under her thorax was almost black.
"Damn, this is an exaggeration?" Barbara said touching her skin with her hand. As she pressed it, Helena jumped. Barbara looked her worriedly, Helena avoided looking at her face. "They hit you hard, you could have a broken rib. Come on, let's go to the infirmary."
Helena knew that it was useless to protest, so she followed her in silence. After scanning Helena's body, Barbara checked the data on the computer.
"Thank God you don't have anything broken. You only have bruises from the blows, I'll inject you with something to alleviate the pain" she told her and she wheeled toward Helena "But first I want you to tell me what is happening to you."
"Barbara..." Helena sat down on the bed.
"And forget the excuse that you neglected yourself young lady, we know that it is not true. About those headaches -- How often do you have them?"
"It is only migraine."
"Migraine? You've never had migraines!!" Barbara exclaimed. "Nor do you believe that story! I want to help you, but I can't do it if you don't help me first."
"Ok, ok... " Helena was caught "..I always have it at night, when we leave to patrol...."
"How strong are they?"
"Well.. usually they're not too bad, but sometimes it becomes intolerable... and..." Huntress debated whether or not to tell her that she passed out last night, but on the other hand she was worried too.
"And?"
"Well." Helena played with her fingers.
"How strong are they?" Barbara knew that something was wrong and shot her an icy glare.
"... Last night I fainted."
"What?" Bárbara was really furious. "That was the reason you didn't answer?"
"... Yes... I didn't wake up until today. at mid day..." Helena felt like a little girl and she avoided looking her mentor.
"Why is it so difficult for you to accept that you need help? They gave you a very hard beating! We could have avoided it! Now sit down there and don't argue!" Bárbara pointed out the seat where she had examined Dinah the first time that she had arrived at the Clock Tower. Barbara tried to control her anger, Helena was so infantile sometimes.
Helena avoided to arguing with her, she had never seen Barbara so annoyed, she sat down in the armchair and Barbara put the glass capsule over her head. Then she went to the computer and she scanned it, Helena saw her typing quickly on the keyboard.
After a few minutes Barbara wheeled toward Helena and took off the capsule.
"Ok, you can get up" she indicated to her and wheeled again to her monitor.
".And?" Helena asked getting up of the seat. She came closer to Barbara, she only saw a three-dimensional image of her brain, graphics, points and lines. "That mess is my head?"
"Yes, that mess is your head, I hope now you understand why you are a really difficult and stubborn person."
"Are you joking?"
A "beep" announced that the results were complete, Barbara read them. Helena did also but she didn't understand anything. Barbara took off her eyeglasses and scratched her head.
"You are overstimulated" she said finally.
"Over what?"
"Overstimulated... your sense of perception of danger is most powerful, something happened to you after the experience with Bastet, and the headache, how can I explain it to you? It's an indicator of danger. You felt the danger before, but now you're hypersensitive. that's the reason for the headhaches while you patrol at nights."
"My intuition is killing me. But last night and in the bar with Gibson, and yesterday."
"You could perceive the assault last night."
"But why did I pass out?"
"My theory is that the pain will be more intense depending on the level of danger that is near you. Perhaps it was not just a thief that assaulted the jeweler's last night, and possibly in the bar some inadvertent hoodlum entered, someone very dangerous."