Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
---------------------- A generation ago, in the streets of Gotham City, the most dangerous city in the world, a hero rose from the ashes. Batman, the Dark Knight, fought fearlessly against the organized powers of the Gotham City underworld. Until one night, when Catwoman, Batman's one true love, was murdered, and Batgirl, his protégé, paralyzed. Overcome with shame, Batman fled Gotham City.
A generation later, after the tremor that toppled Gotham City, and the ascent of New Gotham, the crime rate has soared due to the lack of the presence of the Caped Crusader. Now, Batgirl, confined to a wheelchair, which redefines herself as Oracle, Huntress, the daughter Batman never knew he had, and Dinah, a psychic teenager armed with telepathy and telekinesis, form a new generation of protectors for New Gotham, the Birds of Prey.
It was Helena Kyle's birthday. She woke up in her apartment at the usual twenty minutes after her alarm clock went off. She showered, dressed, and was off "work." She arrived at the Clocktower at 6 to 9. The elevator doors opened to the sound of the Delphi Protocol System alarm going off.
"Where were you?" asked Barbara, sitting in the Control Center.
Barbara Gordon had been Helena Kyle's legal guardian and trainer in the "superhero code" ever since her mother, Selina Kyle, known by night as Catwoman, a notorious thief, had passed.
"I've been trying to get a hold of you for hours!," she said.
"I was at the apartment, why?" Helena replied.
"Expect another alarm clock for your next birthday," said Barbara. "You really should start carrying a cell phone or something. Anyway, we've got another case on our hands, ten people we murdered last night, and from what the coroner's saying, all at the same time."
"I need tissue samples. Anything that would have nerve stems in it. The coroner's reports say that the cause of death is unknown as of now, and my hunch is that, a neurological impulse was used to kill those people," Barbara said.
"How the hell could you figure that out?" Helena questioned.
Barbara explained, "The only thing that could have killed those people at the same exact time without any wounds or signs of a murder is an electrical impulse designed to tap into the medulla oblongata, the part of the brain that regulates heart rate."
Helena gave her a blank look.
"Exactly what I was thinking!"
Barbara rolled her eyes.
"So.big bang, short circuited brain, heart stops," Barbara explained.
Helena smiled.
"I know. Sometimes I just do that to piss ya off."
Barbara was obviously not happy.
"Okay, back to work. I need the samples to prove the electrical impulse was given off."
Helena smiled.
"I hate my job. It's a good thing I get to kick ass."
She left the Clocktower to go the city morgue.
Dinah Redmond was sitting in third period Geometry at New Gotham High School. She had just recently become a part of a legacy generations old. No longer was she the plain small town girl from Missouri. She had a life and a mission.if only quadratics didn't get in the way. In the background, she heard the teacher drone on and on, while she dreamed of ruling the rooftops of New Gotham that night.
In her training, she learned to be totally aware of her surroundings; "focus" she heard her mentor say in her head. However, there was one thing she was not aware of that day in math class. From the back corner of the room, someone was watching.waiting.
Back in the Clocktower, in the afternoon, Helena and Barbara were sitting in the control center.
"All of the samples of nerve tissue you retrieved conclude the same thing: the proof of the electronic impulse. Now, I hacked into the Gotham Cellular base and traced all electronic signals received from the points where the victims died. They all lead to one spot: the corner of Garger Ave. and Kerney St., which so happens to be the address of the high school," explained Barbara.
"Do you think it could have been a teacher?" asked Helena.
"I hate to think that, but that is what it seems, doesn't it?" said Barbara.
"Dinah!" A voice shouted across the crowded C Hall of New Gotham High School. A lean, nerdy teenage boy with midnight black hair, dressed in a sweater vest had caught her attention. She turned around.
"Hey, Neil," she sighed.
Neil was in her third period geometry class two rows across in the back.
"What's up?" Dinah asked.
"Oh, nothing, I was just wondering if you wanted help with your math homework again today."
Dinah smiled.
"No, I think I'm fine for now."
"Are you sure? I have something to show you," Neil said.
"I'm sorry, I have to run. Thanks for the offer, though," Dinah remarked.
Night fell over New Gotham City. The lights of the hussle and bussle city below illuminated the Gotham skyline. Back at the Clocktower, Helena was suiting up to fight another battle against the crime of New Gotham.
"Make sure to check out the school while you're out," Oracle remarked.
"I'm on it," said Huntress through her comset.
She missed her sidekick, Dinah, that night. Dinah was over at Gabby's house for the week, trying to lead a "normal life." Helena cared for her, although at sometimes she did not show it.
Dinah stayed after school longer than she expected that night. Her biology teacher offered his room for her to study later into the afternoon. It had been three days since she had seen Barbara and Helena. She brought her comset with her just to keep in touch. As she rummaged through her backpack to find it, she realized her comset was gone. She remembered she took it off for the metal detectors at the concert she and Gabby went to, but put it in her backpack. Confused, she then went into the dark hallway to her locker to look for the necklace and pair of earrings that keep her in constant contact with the Clocktower. She emptied her locker in search for her comset, but found nothing.
"Missing something?" A voice came from behind her locker door.
"Yes, how did you--," Dinah closed her locker door and jumped. "Neil. What are you doing here?"
"I should ask you the same thing," said Neil.
"Mr. Yeoman let me stay late to study for our huge test tomorrow. Why? What time is it?" Dinah asked feverishly, knowing this was not going to turn out well.
"Time to call Huntress?" exclaimed Neil. "Too late, she's already gone." "I've been watching you, watching for quite some time now. You seem to have some interesting abilities about you, eh?" said Neil.
Dinah was scared out of her mind.
"How did you know, and what have you done to Helena?" Dinah yelled.
"You'll find out.all in good time. Just like all the others."
As soon as Neil finished talking, he kicked Dinah in the face. He went for another, but Dinah knew better this time. She ducked, and as the leg of her enemy slammed down, she sent waves of telekinetic power through the air, flipping him into the lockers across the hall.
"You bitch," exclaimed Neil, "you shouldn't have done that.."
Dinah then ran up the side of the lockers ready to kick the shit out of him and while in mid-air, out of sight, Neil pulled out a black box. He pushed a red button on the top of it, and instantly, Dinah slammed on the ground, unconscious. Through the high-pitched cackling of Neil, in the distance, the faint sound of Oracle coming in on the comset could be heard. "Dinah. Dinah. Dinah!"
At the Clocktower, Oracle was frantically working around the clock. Both of her counterparts were missing and she still had not made significant progress. Alfred Pennyworth, the trio's butler, walked into the tower through the elevator.
"As I was retrieving the post from the Manor, and I found this," said Alfred, as he walked up into the control center.
He was talking about an envelope colored mint green, and he set it on the command desk.
"Alfred, I don't have time for this. I can't get a hold of Helena or Dinah," said Barbara.
"Do you have any idea where they could be?" asked Alfred.
"Yes, Helena was out patrolling and she told me she would check things out at the school. That's where she last talked to me, that's where her GPS says she is. Plus, when I talked to Dinah last night, she mentioned a big test in Mr. Yeoman's class. Maybe she's still studying at school, but I can't be sure."
"Maybe this could help," said Alfred.
He slid the envelope towards Barbara, and it read: "Oracle, Re: Helena and Dinah." Barbara had a blank look on her face.
"How could they know the name Oracle?"
She opened the envelope, and a blue light cast upon her and her body slumped in the wheelchair and she lay silent.
Consciousness seeped back into Barbara's mind. Alfred was the first thing she saw as he appeared over her.
"Are you alright, Miss Barbara?" asked Alfred.
"Yeah, I'm fine. How long was I out?" questioned Barbara, while wheeling to another computer.
"About five minutes, why?" said Alfred.
"I'm thinking the same person who sent that envelope is the one that has Helena and Dinah. Whatever technique they're using to knock people out was designed for metahumans."
"How do you figure that?" asked Alfred.
Barbara, while searching on one of her many computers, explained, "I'm guessing this guy thought that since Helena and Dinah are both metahuman, I would be too. You see, this electronic impulse obviously recognizes the nerve activity in metahumans, and goes after it. All regular humans get from the impulse is they get knocked out and a severe headache. I know what I have to do. If this guy's holding them hostage at the school, there's only one thing I can do. I owe my lives to those two. I have to save them."
At New Gotham High School, Neil dragged the two heroines into a dark classroom. Both Huntress and Dinah, sprawled on the floor, unconscious. Neil walked over to where Dinah was on the floor and squatted down.
"Oh, it was only too easy, Dinah. If you just had used your brain, it would have been so simple. But I guess you were to thick to not see through me. Me, Neil Lezniwk. I mean, sweetie, all you had to do was spell my last name backwards. It's not that hard. It's the oldest thing in the book."
At that moment, Neil heard footsteps in the hall.
It was two in the morning, who would be here?
He began to sweat profusely. The steps crept closer with each second. The door handle began to turn. It stopped, and the door opened. A very familiar figure stood in the doorway. It was the infamous Harley Quinn.
"Good job, Lienus.shall we?"
Back at the Clocktower, Barbara was at her workbench, constructing, what seemed to be a metal box. Alfred came in to offer a disguise, one of her original Batgirl costumes.
"No. I have to be true to myself. I am no longer Batgirl anymore," said Barbara.
"Very well, Miss Barbara," obeyed Alfred.
"I figured out a way to stop him. I've created a counter impulse wave that will restore all of the petrified people, including Helena and Dinah, and will knock him and anyone else he has out."
"Mom," said Lienus. "I didn't know you'd be here.how'd you get out?" asked Lienus.
In an instant, Harley slapped him across the face as hard as she could.
"Don't question me, boy! You're dealing with Harley Quinn.. Let's just say news travels fast. I knew I couldn't miss this. An open chance at Helena," she said.
She walked towards Helena and crouched down. She bent over and licked Helena's face.
"So beautiful. So tender. Too bad she's going to die."
Just that second, Harley and Lienus heard a slam. It was the C Hall door. In the distance, a faint whirring sound could be heard. At first, they disregarded it as the janitors and got ready to kill them. However, the whirring sound grew louder. Harley and Lienus stepped into the hall. The noise grew louder. A dark shadowy figure appeared in the darkness. As it moved into the light, Harley realized the whirring was the sound of the wheelchair that seated her mortal enemy: Oracle.
In disbelief, Barbara managed to say, "Game's up Harley. I'm not going to let a bitch like you fuck up my life again."
"Awww, why not? It sounds like fun."
Just then, Harley flipped through the air at Barbara. Fearlessly, Oracle pulled out the black box, pushed the button, and threw it. The box exploded and blue flaming waves and beams of light came from the remains. Instantly, Harley and Lienus slammed to the ground. "Okay, five minutes." Barbara muttered to herself. She wheeled her way into the classroom, where she found Helena and Dinah regaining consciousness.
"What happened?" asked the two, simultaneously.
"It's a really long story, and we don't have time right now. We gotta get out of here, the cops will be here any minute," said Barbara.
The trio walked out of the classroom into the hallway, where Barbara wheeled past Harley and Lienus. Helena and Dinah gave each other mixed looks as they walked by. As they were going through the back exit, the sound of police helicopters flooded the air. The Birds got into their black Hummer and sped away.
At the crime scene, Detective Jesse Reese of the New Gotham Police Department hand-cuffed Harley Quinn, better known as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, and shoved her into the cop car.
Once home, the trio walked out of the elevator. Dinah went up the spiral staircase to get changed. She would be staying at home for the rest of the week. In the control center, Barbara began to cry. Helena walked up and knelt next to her chair.
"It's ok. It's alright," she said. "What am I saying? It's not alright. I know Wade still hurts. But, you know, I'm always here for you."
The two stood in silence.
"You had to have been so strong. No one was there to stop you, and you still let her live.. I never told you this, but the whole reason I got into this business was. because I wanted to be exactly like you.
The two walked onto the roof, looking out on the skyline of New Gotham. Their counterpart, Dinah, soon joined them.
Looking at Barbara, her mentor, Helena said, "You gave me the greatest birthday present I could ever ask for-life."
With a tear running down her cheek, Barbara smiled at Helena.
"Don't mention it. Just another day in the life of a crime fighter."
The three gazed off into the stars and the skyline of the city they fight every night.
The next morning, Helena gave Barbara a day off and was controlling the command center. She rolled on her wheelie-chair over to the computer and began looking at the computer screen at the police report that came in that morning. She thought of the two bodies on the floor the night before.
Helena read in disbelief: "Arrests: 1."
---------------------- A generation ago, in the streets of Gotham City, the most dangerous city in the world, a hero rose from the ashes. Batman, the Dark Knight, fought fearlessly against the organized powers of the Gotham City underworld. Until one night, when Catwoman, Batman's one true love, was murdered, and Batgirl, his protégé, paralyzed. Overcome with shame, Batman fled Gotham City.
A generation later, after the tremor that toppled Gotham City, and the ascent of New Gotham, the crime rate has soared due to the lack of the presence of the Caped Crusader. Now, Batgirl, confined to a wheelchair, which redefines herself as Oracle, Huntress, the daughter Batman never knew he had, and Dinah, a psychic teenager armed with telepathy and telekinesis, form a new generation of protectors for New Gotham, the Birds of Prey.
It was Helena Kyle's birthday. She woke up in her apartment at the usual twenty minutes after her alarm clock went off. She showered, dressed, and was off "work." She arrived at the Clocktower at 6 to 9. The elevator doors opened to the sound of the Delphi Protocol System alarm going off.
"Where were you?" asked Barbara, sitting in the Control Center.
Barbara Gordon had been Helena Kyle's legal guardian and trainer in the "superhero code" ever since her mother, Selina Kyle, known by night as Catwoman, a notorious thief, had passed.
"I've been trying to get a hold of you for hours!," she said.
"I was at the apartment, why?" Helena replied.
"Expect another alarm clock for your next birthday," said Barbara. "You really should start carrying a cell phone or something. Anyway, we've got another case on our hands, ten people we murdered last night, and from what the coroner's saying, all at the same time."
"I need tissue samples. Anything that would have nerve stems in it. The coroner's reports say that the cause of death is unknown as of now, and my hunch is that, a neurological impulse was used to kill those people," Barbara said.
"How the hell could you figure that out?" Helena questioned.
Barbara explained, "The only thing that could have killed those people at the same exact time without any wounds or signs of a murder is an electrical impulse designed to tap into the medulla oblongata, the part of the brain that regulates heart rate."
Helena gave her a blank look.
"Exactly what I was thinking!"
Barbara rolled her eyes.
"So.big bang, short circuited brain, heart stops," Barbara explained.
Helena smiled.
"I know. Sometimes I just do that to piss ya off."
Barbara was obviously not happy.
"Okay, back to work. I need the samples to prove the electrical impulse was given off."
Helena smiled.
"I hate my job. It's a good thing I get to kick ass."
She left the Clocktower to go the city morgue.
Dinah Redmond was sitting in third period Geometry at New Gotham High School. She had just recently become a part of a legacy generations old. No longer was she the plain small town girl from Missouri. She had a life and a mission.if only quadratics didn't get in the way. In the background, she heard the teacher drone on and on, while she dreamed of ruling the rooftops of New Gotham that night.
In her training, she learned to be totally aware of her surroundings; "focus" she heard her mentor say in her head. However, there was one thing she was not aware of that day in math class. From the back corner of the room, someone was watching.waiting.
Back in the Clocktower, in the afternoon, Helena and Barbara were sitting in the control center.
"All of the samples of nerve tissue you retrieved conclude the same thing: the proof of the electronic impulse. Now, I hacked into the Gotham Cellular base and traced all electronic signals received from the points where the victims died. They all lead to one spot: the corner of Garger Ave. and Kerney St., which so happens to be the address of the high school," explained Barbara.
"Do you think it could have been a teacher?" asked Helena.
"I hate to think that, but that is what it seems, doesn't it?" said Barbara.
"Dinah!" A voice shouted across the crowded C Hall of New Gotham High School. A lean, nerdy teenage boy with midnight black hair, dressed in a sweater vest had caught her attention. She turned around.
"Hey, Neil," she sighed.
Neil was in her third period geometry class two rows across in the back.
"What's up?" Dinah asked.
"Oh, nothing, I was just wondering if you wanted help with your math homework again today."
Dinah smiled.
"No, I think I'm fine for now."
"Are you sure? I have something to show you," Neil said.
"I'm sorry, I have to run. Thanks for the offer, though," Dinah remarked.
Night fell over New Gotham City. The lights of the hussle and bussle city below illuminated the Gotham skyline. Back at the Clocktower, Helena was suiting up to fight another battle against the crime of New Gotham.
"Make sure to check out the school while you're out," Oracle remarked.
"I'm on it," said Huntress through her comset.
She missed her sidekick, Dinah, that night. Dinah was over at Gabby's house for the week, trying to lead a "normal life." Helena cared for her, although at sometimes she did not show it.
Dinah stayed after school longer than she expected that night. Her biology teacher offered his room for her to study later into the afternoon. It had been three days since she had seen Barbara and Helena. She brought her comset with her just to keep in touch. As she rummaged through her backpack to find it, she realized her comset was gone. She remembered she took it off for the metal detectors at the concert she and Gabby went to, but put it in her backpack. Confused, she then went into the dark hallway to her locker to look for the necklace and pair of earrings that keep her in constant contact with the Clocktower. She emptied her locker in search for her comset, but found nothing.
"Missing something?" A voice came from behind her locker door.
"Yes, how did you--," Dinah closed her locker door and jumped. "Neil. What are you doing here?"
"I should ask you the same thing," said Neil.
"Mr. Yeoman let me stay late to study for our huge test tomorrow. Why? What time is it?" Dinah asked feverishly, knowing this was not going to turn out well.
"Time to call Huntress?" exclaimed Neil. "Too late, she's already gone." "I've been watching you, watching for quite some time now. You seem to have some interesting abilities about you, eh?" said Neil.
Dinah was scared out of her mind.
"How did you know, and what have you done to Helena?" Dinah yelled.
"You'll find out.all in good time. Just like all the others."
As soon as Neil finished talking, he kicked Dinah in the face. He went for another, but Dinah knew better this time. She ducked, and as the leg of her enemy slammed down, she sent waves of telekinetic power through the air, flipping him into the lockers across the hall.
"You bitch," exclaimed Neil, "you shouldn't have done that.."
Dinah then ran up the side of the lockers ready to kick the shit out of him and while in mid-air, out of sight, Neil pulled out a black box. He pushed a red button on the top of it, and instantly, Dinah slammed on the ground, unconscious. Through the high-pitched cackling of Neil, in the distance, the faint sound of Oracle coming in on the comset could be heard. "Dinah. Dinah. Dinah!"
At the Clocktower, Oracle was frantically working around the clock. Both of her counterparts were missing and she still had not made significant progress. Alfred Pennyworth, the trio's butler, walked into the tower through the elevator.
"As I was retrieving the post from the Manor, and I found this," said Alfred, as he walked up into the control center.
He was talking about an envelope colored mint green, and he set it on the command desk.
"Alfred, I don't have time for this. I can't get a hold of Helena or Dinah," said Barbara.
"Do you have any idea where they could be?" asked Alfred.
"Yes, Helena was out patrolling and she told me she would check things out at the school. That's where she last talked to me, that's where her GPS says she is. Plus, when I talked to Dinah last night, she mentioned a big test in Mr. Yeoman's class. Maybe she's still studying at school, but I can't be sure."
"Maybe this could help," said Alfred.
He slid the envelope towards Barbara, and it read: "Oracle, Re: Helena and Dinah." Barbara had a blank look on her face.
"How could they know the name Oracle?"
She opened the envelope, and a blue light cast upon her and her body slumped in the wheelchair and she lay silent.
Consciousness seeped back into Barbara's mind. Alfred was the first thing she saw as he appeared over her.
"Are you alright, Miss Barbara?" asked Alfred.
"Yeah, I'm fine. How long was I out?" questioned Barbara, while wheeling to another computer.
"About five minutes, why?" said Alfred.
"I'm thinking the same person who sent that envelope is the one that has Helena and Dinah. Whatever technique they're using to knock people out was designed for metahumans."
"How do you figure that?" asked Alfred.
Barbara, while searching on one of her many computers, explained, "I'm guessing this guy thought that since Helena and Dinah are both metahuman, I would be too. You see, this electronic impulse obviously recognizes the nerve activity in metahumans, and goes after it. All regular humans get from the impulse is they get knocked out and a severe headache. I know what I have to do. If this guy's holding them hostage at the school, there's only one thing I can do. I owe my lives to those two. I have to save them."
At New Gotham High School, Neil dragged the two heroines into a dark classroom. Both Huntress and Dinah, sprawled on the floor, unconscious. Neil walked over to where Dinah was on the floor and squatted down.
"Oh, it was only too easy, Dinah. If you just had used your brain, it would have been so simple. But I guess you were to thick to not see through me. Me, Neil Lezniwk. I mean, sweetie, all you had to do was spell my last name backwards. It's not that hard. It's the oldest thing in the book."
At that moment, Neil heard footsteps in the hall.
It was two in the morning, who would be here?
He began to sweat profusely. The steps crept closer with each second. The door handle began to turn. It stopped, and the door opened. A very familiar figure stood in the doorway. It was the infamous Harley Quinn.
"Good job, Lienus.shall we?"
Back at the Clocktower, Barbara was at her workbench, constructing, what seemed to be a metal box. Alfred came in to offer a disguise, one of her original Batgirl costumes.
"No. I have to be true to myself. I am no longer Batgirl anymore," said Barbara.
"Very well, Miss Barbara," obeyed Alfred.
"I figured out a way to stop him. I've created a counter impulse wave that will restore all of the petrified people, including Helena and Dinah, and will knock him and anyone else he has out."
"Mom," said Lienus. "I didn't know you'd be here.how'd you get out?" asked Lienus.
In an instant, Harley slapped him across the face as hard as she could.
"Don't question me, boy! You're dealing with Harley Quinn.. Let's just say news travels fast. I knew I couldn't miss this. An open chance at Helena," she said.
She walked towards Helena and crouched down. She bent over and licked Helena's face.
"So beautiful. So tender. Too bad she's going to die."
Just that second, Harley and Lienus heard a slam. It was the C Hall door. In the distance, a faint whirring sound could be heard. At first, they disregarded it as the janitors and got ready to kill them. However, the whirring sound grew louder. Harley and Lienus stepped into the hall. The noise grew louder. A dark shadowy figure appeared in the darkness. As it moved into the light, Harley realized the whirring was the sound of the wheelchair that seated her mortal enemy: Oracle.
In disbelief, Barbara managed to say, "Game's up Harley. I'm not going to let a bitch like you fuck up my life again."
"Awww, why not? It sounds like fun."
Just then, Harley flipped through the air at Barbara. Fearlessly, Oracle pulled out the black box, pushed the button, and threw it. The box exploded and blue flaming waves and beams of light came from the remains. Instantly, Harley and Lienus slammed to the ground. "Okay, five minutes." Barbara muttered to herself. She wheeled her way into the classroom, where she found Helena and Dinah regaining consciousness.
"What happened?" asked the two, simultaneously.
"It's a really long story, and we don't have time right now. We gotta get out of here, the cops will be here any minute," said Barbara.
The trio walked out of the classroom into the hallway, where Barbara wheeled past Harley and Lienus. Helena and Dinah gave each other mixed looks as they walked by. As they were going through the back exit, the sound of police helicopters flooded the air. The Birds got into their black Hummer and sped away.
At the crime scene, Detective Jesse Reese of the New Gotham Police Department hand-cuffed Harley Quinn, better known as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, and shoved her into the cop car.
Once home, the trio walked out of the elevator. Dinah went up the spiral staircase to get changed. She would be staying at home for the rest of the week. In the control center, Barbara began to cry. Helena walked up and knelt next to her chair.
"It's ok. It's alright," she said. "What am I saying? It's not alright. I know Wade still hurts. But, you know, I'm always here for you."
The two stood in silence.
"You had to have been so strong. No one was there to stop you, and you still let her live.. I never told you this, but the whole reason I got into this business was. because I wanted to be exactly like you.
The two walked onto the roof, looking out on the skyline of New Gotham. Their counterpart, Dinah, soon joined them.
Looking at Barbara, her mentor, Helena said, "You gave me the greatest birthday present I could ever ask for-life."
With a tear running down her cheek, Barbara smiled at Helena.
"Don't mention it. Just another day in the life of a crime fighter."
The three gazed off into the stars and the skyline of the city they fight every night.
The next morning, Helena gave Barbara a day off and was controlling the command center. She rolled on her wheelie-chair over to the computer and began looking at the computer screen at the police report that came in that morning. She thought of the two bodies on the floor the night before.
Helena read in disbelief: "Arrests: 1."