CHAPTER 2

Danielle was in her bed, laying flatly on her belly, fast asleep. That quickly changed when she felt two hands push down on her back and shaking her gently. "Come on, sleepy head, get out of bed and get dressed. Let's go do something!"

"Helena, what are you doing here?" Danielle moaned groggily.

"I'm sick and tired of being locked away. I want to go out and have some fun and enjoy life a little!"

"Helena," Danielle said as she looked up at Helena. "Helena, I love you, I really do, but Gibson and I run a bar and We don't get home till four or five in the morning. This is my time to sleep. Besides, you should not be out and about during the daylight, all of New Gotham police force is looking for you. Going out at this time of a day is reckless."

"That's easy for you to say," Helena said softly, sitting besides her on her bed. "You have a normal life. Mine was stolen from me the day my mother was murdered."

"Helena, I'm sorry." Danielle sat up in her bed, using the sheets to cover herself.

"It was the anger of that event that made me turn into the Huntress. As of late, I've come to grips about all that now. The anger that had been built up in me is gone, and now all I want is to live normally." Helena stood up and pranced around the room. "I'm tired of being New Gotham's superhero."

"Have you talked to Barbara this?" Danielle asked.

"No, how can I tell her that I don't want to be a superhero anymore? Besides, if I just can't give it up when I can't even step outside that clock tower. I damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't."

"Things will get better for you, Helena. Don't give up now."

"I don't know what to do anymore. Perhaps it'd be better if I was dead, then I would be out of my misery."

"Helena, that is not even funny. Don't even dare joke about something like that."

"Who's joking?" Helena said looking down at her feet. "I'm too tired to keep on fighting. I don't know what I'm fighting for anymore." Helena walked towards the window.

"Helena, wait!" She turned but Helena was no longer in the room. Danielle had been unraveled by this conversation. She knew she had to tell Barbara right away.

* * * *

Commissioner O'Reiley was sitting at a booth inside the Gotham Cafe drinking a mug of coffee. Today, he was in high spirits, because tonight was the night that he would finally capture the Huntress. Tonight, phase one of his master plan will finally be launched. After a year of conspiring and planning his conquest of New Gotham along side with Harley Quinn, phase one was finally ready to be launched.

A man dressed in jeans and a raggedy black T-shirt sat down across from the commissioner. "Mr. Bane?"

"Shut up you idiot, don't use that name out in the public like this!" Commissioner O'Reiley said angrily.

"Whatever. What did you want me to do?" the man asked.

"Simple. Rob the bank on Main Street. That's all."

"That's it? What makes you think the Huntress will respond to a minor robbery like this?"

"I know that they are listening in, somehow, to our police frequencies. They know everything that's going on. We're going to exaggerate the situation just a bit. That will draw her out. The moment she makes a move and tries to stop you, we will move in and catch her. We will arrest both of you, but me being the police commissioner; I will see you are set free, and with every single dollar that you have stolen from the bank."

"How do I know that you will not just leave me there to rot?" the man looked at him suspiciously.

"Even if I did, my next phase of my plan includes ever last inmate of Arkham Asylum. If I decided to keep you in that prison, it means I have decided that you are of further use to me, and have decided to cut you into our plan. It's a no lose situation for you."

"Very well, I'll do it. What time?"

"Ten tonight. The Huntress enjoys the cover of night." The commissioner smiled as he took a sip of his coffee.

* * * *

"I was afraid of this," Barbara said. "Richard had warned me that if the anger inside of her was gone while she is still wanted by the police, she will become more reckless."

"The moment Helena left; I immediately got dressed and came right here. I did not like how that conversation ended, but I can't help but feel guilty about this."

"Don't be sorry. You did exactly right. I am glad you are telling me this. Maybe I can get her to come here and talk to her before she does something dangerous."

"I'm afraid that she might commit suicide with the way she was talking."

"She won't throw herself off the cliff, but in this present state of mine, she can get herself killed." Barbara saw the nervous look on Danielle's face. "Relax, everything will be okay," Barbara said putting a hand on Danielle's upper arm.

* * * *



Helena sat on the ledge of a random building that she just happened to be by. She didn't know where to go, or what to do. She did not want to go back to the clock tower, but then again she was not enjoying her day away from the clock tower either. This only further depressed her. She could not escape from the feeling of being smothered to death.

"Helena, are you there?" Barbara's voice came over the ear piece.

Helena sighed. "Yes, I'm here."

"You've been gone all day. I've tried to contact you, but you haven't replied. Dinah, Alfred, and I are getting concerned."

"Yea, well I just didn't feel like coming home, and I didn't feel like being bothered today."

"Danielle told me about what happened this morning. Why didn't you tell me what you were feeling?"

"What good would it have done? I would still be as screwed as I am now? No matter how desperate I am to just be normal, that's just never going to happen. I'm always going to be the Huntress, daughter of the Batman. There is no escape from it, no matter how much I hate it."

"Helena, I think you should come back home now. I think you should relax a few days, and you and I need to spend some time together. You're going through some emotional problems right now, and trying to do so alone is the worst thing in the world for you right now."

"Just great, that's all I need, more therapy!" Helena replied. "I'm sick of therapy! If it wasn't for therapy, I wouldn't be in this mess in the first place."

"Helena, please come home. I'm asking you as a friend, come…"

Helena noticed the interruption of her plea. "What's going on?"

"There's some activity going on at a bank near your location, but right now, I think it's best that you forget about it and come home. I'll send out Dinah to the bank if I have to."

"I'm already here, so I'll take a look," Helena jumped to her feet and sprung into action.

"I don't know if that is such a good idea, right now," Barbara protested.

"Well, I do. Which bank?"

"The Gotham National Bank on Main Street," Barbara responded. "If you're going to do this, please be careful. Don't do anything reckless."

Helena leaped from building to building, to make her way towards the location that Barbara had directed her to. It didn't take her long to land on the rooftop of the Gotham National Bank. She looked around the area, but there were no signs of life. "I'm here, but I don't see anything out of the ordinary."

Helena jumped off the one story bank to land on the sidewalk in front of the front door. The door was slightly ajar. "The door has been broken into. You're right; it's just an ordinary bank robber. No problem."

Helena pushed the door open and entered the bank. The bank was dimly lit by a few lights that were usually left on after the bank closed. She walked towards the vault when a masked man walked out of it with a satchel full of money. "What's this, making a hefty withdrawal after bank hours are we?" Helena replied.

The man didn't say anything. He froze where he stood, looking absolutely petrified of her. She was two steps away from him, when she heard noise behind her. She turned to see a dozen police officers blocking the door, all with their guns pointed at her. "Hold it, Huntress! You're under arrest!"

"Damn!" Helena muttered under her breath. She saw a window to her right and made a mad dash for it. The twelve officers open fired on Helena. Helena leaped up onto a banker's desk and leaped into the window, with her arms crossed in front of her face. She came crashing through the window, landing in an alleyway between the bank and another retail store. She swept herself off from any loose pieces of glass when she heard more guns being cocked. She turned and there were five more officers with their guns pointed at her. "Freeze!"

Now, Helena was getting worried. They were closing in on her, taking away all possibilities of her escaping. She looked to her right to see a fence blocking her from reaching the other end of the alleyway. Leaning up against the wooden fence was a large garbage dumpster. Helena again, made a mad dash as the police officers fired their guns at her. She leaped onto the dumpster and then jumped over the fence.

On the other side of the fence, under her was another garbage dumpster for her to land on. She looked forward to see Commissioner O'Reiley pointing his gun as she was on her way down from her jump. He had a sinister smile on his face as he pulled the trigger. His gun fired, and the bullet ripped through her shoulder blade. Helena yelped in agony as the impact caused her to slip on the edge of the dumpster, and come crashing down onto the ground, unconscious.

* * * *

Barbara watched the red flashing dot which identified Helena's location. She could hear the gun shots firing, and great concern came over her. She had no time to think or even offer help. Helena was on her own. As long as the flashing red dot continued to move, everything was alright. There came a single gun fire and with the one shot, the red dot stopped moving. Barbara's hands were shaking, hoping that Helena was alright. Soon, she could here a voice picking up from Helena's microphone, a voice not belonging to Helena. "Radio to the station, we got her!"

"Oh my god!" Barbara was in horror. Helena had been shot and was now in police custody. Her head was spinning; just like that, it was all over."