Chapter 5

Time: Twenty-Four hours ago...

Before the events of chapter 4...

Place: Gotham City...

Helena's apartment

above the Dark Horse Saloon...

            A dark figure silently made it's way through

the apartment, the figure took in the apartment's

ragged décor as well as the fact there were clothes

thrown carelessly around the apartment. The figure

shook his head in disbelief, and then looked at the

device within his hand...slowly he made his way to

the portrait of one Selina Kyle...he stopped

momentarily as he gazed longingly at the portrait

and then with resolved he searched for the secret

mechanism that the device informed him was near

the portrait, finally he found it!

            As the wall swung open and the lights came on

automatically within the secret room, the figure

gasped in astonishment as he gazed at the room's

contents. He was expecting equipment that one found

when discovering a vigilante's lair...he was not

expecting an artist's studio! As he gazed around his

eyes came into contact with several pictures, awards,

as well as diplomas that hung from the wall...

            Pictures of a young Helena Kyle with her

mother or godfather, sometimes both of them...

diplomas from the University of Paris awarding

one Helena Kyle with a bachelor's, master's, and

finally a doctor's degree in the fine arts,

specifically historical arts and animation...

the awards were for one 'Tabby Knight'

alongside the awards were samples of her

award-winning comic strip "Heroes and Villains"...

            However, a certain framed article

interested the figure the most...the

article was dated fifteen years ago and

it stated: "An Interview with Tabby Knight

by Clark Kent...alongside this article,

a legal document signed by one Clark Kent

stating that he would not revel to anyone

in public or private who Tabby Knight truly

was...the figure growled in anger as he took

this particular frame from the wall and

stormed from the mysterious room in a fury...

                        *********************************************

Later at the Watchtower...

            The Justice League, (consisting of Superman,

Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash, Plastic Man, Green

Lantern, and the Martin Manhunter), were in a middle

of a meeting when the Batman stormed in...

            "Batman!" yelled a furious Wonder Woman,

"How dare you come in here! You know very well

that we kicked you out..."

            But she never finished her statement as

the Batman threw at the Man of Steel the frame

that he had 'borrowed' from his daughter's

apartment; Superman caught the frame before it

could break into his face, "Batman, what..."

but he trailed off as he glanced what was in

the frame, "Oh, no," he softly said as he

became very pale.

            Everyone remained silent as the stared

between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel;

everyone could sense the tension in the room,

finally J'onn asked, "Is something wrong?"

            But neither Superman nor Batman

answered the Martian, instead Batman

growled out, "Where is she?"

            Superman remained silent, but the

other heroes glanced at each other in

confusion, "Where's who Bats?"

questioned Plastic Man.

            Again no one answered, Superman

finally stood up, "I'll be back...I need

to think this through..." he said as he

left the room, he could hear the Batman

shout out, "Why do you need to think this

through? Where in h*** is my daughter?"

                        ***********************************************

A few minutes later...

At the Fortress of Solitude...

            Superman sighed as he rubbed his face

in weariness; he was currently seating in the

'living room' of the great fortress waiting

for one of his robot companions to bring back

a piece of Martha Kent's apple pie that he

had stored here along with other food items.

Finally the robot came into the room with a

small tray, "Here is your pie as well as the

 glass of buttermilk you order Master Kal-el."

            "Thanks, Ra-1," he told the robot as

he took the tray, "Ra-1, how many times have

I told you not to call me 'Master?'

            "Numerous times, master," replied the

robot, "But it is in my programming to do so.

Will there be anything else?"

            "No," he sighed as he made a mental

note to change the robot's programming just

a tad, right now he had bigger problems to

tell with, "However, I do not wish to be

disturb for a time, if anyone calls and it

is not a world-ending type of emergency,

tell them I need some privacy."

            "Even Lady Kal-el?" questioned Ra-1,

"Or Master and Mistress Kent?"

            Wincing as he thought of Lois's

reaction of being called 'Lady Kal-el,'

he muttered to himself, "I'll definitely

will have to tweak that programming,"

and then out loud he said, "No one, Ra-1.

If my family calls just tell them I'm

having a bat problem at the moment."

            "Very well, Master," said the robot

and then left the room.

            Sighing, the Man of Steel reached

for his buttermilk as he pondered his bat

problem, 'I should have never taken that

assignment,' he thought to himself, 'If I

knew then, what I know now...I would not

be in this mess! On the other hand, I would

most likely be in this mess anyway...Lord...

even after all this time...I still can not

believe what Catwoman and the Riddler have

managed to hide right underneath Bruce's

nose!'

                        **********************************************

Flashback

Time: Fifteen Years Ago...

Place: Central City Airport...

            Clark Kent sighed with relief as he

stepped into the busy airport; he hated to

fly...in planes! If he had to fly, it would

be under his own power...thank you very much!

            As he attempted to recover from his

flight, he heard a voice shout out, "Mr.

Kent! Mr. Kent!"

            Clark Kent looked up and gasped at

the sight before him, there was Edward

Nigma alias the Riddler, standing before

him in a business suit. The Riddler had

once been a great adversary of the Batman,

but for the past few years he seemed to be

in a semi-retirement after he moved his

operations to Central City.

            Noticing his shock appearance, the

Riddler said, "Ah...so you recognize me? I

just hope you remember your confidentiality

agreement you signed before we agreed for

you to do this interview?"

            Coming out of his shock, Mr. Kent

replied, "Yes, I remember, Mr. Nigma.

Tell me are you Tabby Knight, the one

I am suppose to interview?"

            "Oh, no! My dear man!" stated

Mr. Nigma as he led the reporter to

his car in the parking lot, "I'm Tabby's

godfather and one of the CEO's of

Labyrinth Publishing!"

            "Oh...then why?" questioned

Mr. Kent as he entered the car, but

was interrupted by the Riddler.

            "Why do I continue to do what I

usually do?" asked Mr. Nigma as they

drove off, "Well...partially to stay in

touch in the game in order to give Tabby

information for her comic strip, and

partially out of boredom. I just love

driving the Flash crazy with my riddles!

(Laugh) That boy is nothing like his

Uncle Barry!"

            "Hey!" protested the reporter,

"His not that bad!"

            "Oh, of course his not! His not

bad in catching my...er...colleges whom

use more muscle than brains...but he is

just so young! And very impatient! I do

realize he has has some brains in that

thick skull of his, but he rarely uses

them! Someone needs to teach him that

as well as some patience! And since his

elders are too busy or they think he is

a carbon copy of his late uncle...well...

I suppose it might as well be me!

Otherwise if he runs into someone who is

not as merciful as I am...well...you

get the picture."

            "I suppose," Clark Kent grudgely

replied as he made a mental note to spend

more time with the young Flash.

            They remained silent to one another

for the rest of the drive, finally they

stopped in front of a secluded cabin within

the Rocky Mountains, "Here we are," stated

Mr. Nigma, "Now before we go in, you must

know that Tabby's real name is..." he was

cut off as a young voice shouted out,

"Uncle Eddie!"

            Looking toward the roof, the men

gasped, one in amazement, one in concern

at the sight that was before them...a

fifteen-year old girl sat cross-legged

on the rook with ease. As Clark Kent used

his unique vision, he observed that the

young girl had long dark hair wrapped in

a pony tale and dark blue eyes; she was

wearing a baggy black shirt with blue jeans

and a pair of sandals. As she gave a

brilliant smile to the men below, she

yelled out, "Hey, is that the reporter

from the Daily Planet? He's early, and Mom

has gone to the market to get dinner!"

            "Helena Louise Kyle!" bellowed

Edward Nigma; "You get your butt off that

roof right now!"

            "Ahh," whined Helena, "But, I like

it up here! You and Mom used to do it all

the time!"

            "That was then, this is now!"

yelled Edward, "Get down!"

            Rolling her eyes in disgust,

only Clark Kent could hear her mutter,

"Adults!"

            Concerned, he asked Nigma, "Won't

she need a ladder to get down?"

            "No," he replied, "She's a half

meta human, her mother is Selina Kyle...

you may know her as Catwoman."

            "Oh," muttered Clark as he watched

the young girl jumped down from the roof

with ease.

            As she made her toward the men, she

introduced herself, "Hey, as Uncle Eddie...

er...told you, I'm Helena Kyle...I am also

known as 'Tabby Knight', the genius behind

'Heroes and Villains,' star of Labyrinth

Publishing, and possible the only person next

to Superman that old Lexy Boy would love to

discover my secret identity and thus cut me

to pieces...literally."

            "Helena!" yelled her godfather in

protest as they went into the cabin.

            "Well, it true!" protested Helena.

            "Of course, it's true," Edward told her,

"But he's the least of our worries if..."

            "I know, I know," muttered Helena and

then started reciting a lecture she had heard

a thousand times before, " 'Don't joke about

such things Helena! If anyone in the criminal

underworld, particular the Joker finds you and

knows whose daughter you are...you're as good

as dead!' Sheesh! I get the point! Besides why

are you so worried you and Mom both taught me

to defend myself? No...wait let me answer myself...

'there are worse criminals than either of us

were Helena, do not underestimate them...

especially the Joker!' Gads...anyway...what's

your name Mr. Reporter-from-the Daily Planet?"

            "Helena, manners..." reprimanded her

godfather as he sank into the lounge chair

in the living room, while Helena jumped on to

the sofa, "And don't jump on the furniture."

            Clark Kent tried not to laugh as he

went to the rocking chair, he could not

decide which was funnier the sarcastic young

teenager or a famous criminal lecturing the

said teenager, finally he answered Helena's

question, "My name is Clark Kent."

            "Ohh," squealed Helena in excitement,

"You do nearly all of those Superman stories,

can you tell me any good gossip relating to

him? Every since we got back from Paris,

I haven't had any good material! It's a real

shame too...the JLE gave me such great

material, and in huge amounts as well!"

            Mentally wincing at her idea, Clark

Kent replied, "I'll see what I can do..."

            ****************************************************

Later that evening...

During dinner...

            Clark Kent sighed as he put down his fork,

the interview was nearly finish and the dinner he

had was magnificent, "That was terrific," he told

Selina Kyle, "I never realize..."

            "That a former criminal such as myself

could cook so well?" Selina finished his

sentence for him, (Laugh) "Well, I had lots of

practice...even before Helena was born."

            Noticing the look in her mother's eye,

Helena immediately pounced, "Your thinking

about Dad...I know you are! Who is he?"

            Selina sighed as she put down her fork,

"Helena, your godfather and I both told

you that..."

            " 'It was too dangerous!' quoted Helena,

"What is so dangerous about knowing who my

father is?"

            "Helena," sighed Selina wearily, "This

is neither the time nor the place to have

this discussion."

            "It is never the time or place!" yelled

Helena, and then she stormed up to her room.

            As the adults stared after her, Clark Kent

stated, "Maybe I should leave, I have that flight

to catch back tonight..."

            "That's perhaps for the best," agreed Edward

Nigma, "Selina will you be all right?"

            "I'll be fine," cracked Selina as tears came

down her face, "I'm sorry that the evening ended on

such a bad note...if you'll excuse me..." Then she

raced up the stairs in tears.

                        ******************************************

Later ...

            As they toward Central City, Clark Kent

asked the former criminal, "May I ask a favor

Mr. Nigma? I know this is none of my business

and you will most likely not answer my question...

but...who is Helena Kyle's father? I promise

on my word of honor that I will never tell a

another soul."

            The Riddler, however remained silent,

but just before the reporter left the car to

go into the airport, he said, "Tell me Mr.

Kent, do you think you can share the burden

that Selina and I share? The secret that we

dare not tell due to its great burden? Or

the danger if the Joker or any other Gotham

criminal ever found out our secret? Then

riddle me this my dear Mr. Kent, what happens

when a bat meets a cat under the blue moon?

That is the answer to your boon, if you tell

it...it shall be your doom." Then he drove

off into the night...

            Clark Kent stood there silently for

a few minutes, pondering the riddle, finally

the answer came to him, "Oh, dear Lord,"

he muttered in disbelief, "Bruce..."

End Flashback

                        ******************************************

Place: The Watchtower

            'That was one of the few time that I ever

wished I could get drunk,' mused Superman to

himself as he entered the monitor room of the

Watchtower, the Green Lantern was on duty, "

Where is 'he'?" he questioned the young man.

            "In the meeting room where we left him,"

replied the Green Lantern, "Supes, what is going

on? Does Bats really have a daughter? He would

not show us that frame he threw at you no matter

how hard we tried."

            Superman smiled sadly as he answered the

questions in the order that they were given,

"I'll explain later, and yes he does." Then he

left the room, he found the Batman in the darkened

meeting room staring out the window that overlooked

the planet and the rest of the cosmos. "Batman,"

he stated simply.

            "Superman, where is she? Please tell me...

she's not in Gotham," pleaded the Dark Knight

softly.

            "She may be at her childhood home with

her godfather and his family," Superman told

his friend, "I'll take you there, if your ready,

old friend."

            "I've been ready since the Black Canary

sent me that package," the Batman replied sadly,

"Take me to her, old friend. Its past time that

I met my daughter."