CHAPTER 7
"I've just heard what's been happening!" Richard Greyson entered the room and ran up to the platform. "What's her condition?"
"We're trying to figure that out," Barbara replied. "We think something is in the blood."
"If there is something in her blood, it is not the result of the gun shot wound." The doctor said.
"Let's take a blood sample," Barbara said, pulling out a syringe. The doctor took the syringe and approached Helena's left arm. The doctor pulled Helena's left bare arm from under the blanket and placed it on top of the blanket. He stuck the syringe in the upper part of her arm and began to suck out some blood. After he filled the syringe with the blood, He took it out of her arm, and immediately placed a bandage over the spot he had put the syringe into her arm.
He looked at the blood he had taken and he was puzzled. The blood was not red as it was supposed to be, it was much darker than normal. It looked like her blood was turning black. "I don't understand, I have never seen anything like this."
He handed the syringe to Barbara and she looked at and cursed under her breath. "You know what's going on?" Reese asked.
"I've seen this symptom before, and it does not look good. Richard, you remember, right?"
Richard took the syringe and looked at it closely. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?"
Barbara nodded. "Afraid so. What else can it be but the Black Serum."
"Anyone care to fill us in?" Danielle asked.
Richard decided to answer that question. "Awhile back, Bane had created a new poison, more potent than his venom. He called it the Black Serum. It is a poison that slowly kills it's victims as it contaminates their blood and turns the blood black. Slowly the organs reject the blood, and the victim feels every organ begin to shut down. It is the more horrific and torturous from of execution since the Romans invented the crucifixion. Bane was going to shower Gotham with this stuff, but we were able to stop him. That was the last we have seen or heard of this poison. However, we do not think Bane was alone in the creation of this. Rumors were spreading the Joker and Harley Quinn was the true inventor of this poison."
"Harley Quinn is in prison, and the Joker is dead," Dinah pointed out.
"True, but no one knows if Bane is dead or not," Richard reminded Dinah.
"Wait a minute!" Reese replied. "Are you saying that this Bane character may just be alive and well in New Gotham as we speak? It was Commissioner O'Reiley who shot Helena!"
Barbara's eyes widen in horror. "The bullet, introduced Helena's body to this poison. That much is sure. If what you say is true then, the commissioner…"
"Is Bane in disguise," Richard completed her thought. "Damn it, this explains a whole mess of things!"
"Okay, so Bane is back in New Gotham; to me, that seems to be not important at this very moment," Danielle said. "What's more important is trying to save Helena's life. Please tell me that you have concocted an antidote to fight this poison."
Barbara shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. "I've tried, but to no avail. There is no fighting this serum. There is no cure."
"No, not good enough!" Reese pounded his fist onto the platform. "I refuse to sit here and just watch her die! There is something we can do to save her life!"
"I'm not going to give up. I am going to work harder than I have ever worked to try to save Helena! You think that I can handle loosing her any more than you! I have raised her up like my very own daughter for these many years!"
Reese looked down to the floor. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap."
"No, I'm sorry," Barbara replied, sitting back in her wheelchair.
Richard walked up to Barbara and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Emotions are running very high between all of us right now. Helena means a lot to all of us. To Barbara, she's like a daughter; to Dinah, she's like older sister; to Danielle, she's her best friend. To Detective Reese, she's the woman the he is in love with. All of us need to work together here. While there may not be anything all of us can do, all of us can help by showing their support. Fighting amongst ourselves will not help in trying to save Helena."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Dinah stepped out with an excited look on her face. "Maybe there is something I can do. One of my new powers is in regenerating life-force. Perhaps I can help soak up some of the poison so Helena can fight this poison easier."
"Absolutely not!" Barbara replied. "Doing so will kill you and can give no guarantee that it will work. I am not going to risk loosing the both of you. I appreciate your wanting to help, but I need your support more than anything."
"I have no where to go anymore. I will stay here and keep Helena company." Reese offered.
"We will all take turns keeping her company!" Richard replied.
"Danielle and I will keep the bar closed so we can spend some time with her as well," Gibson offered.
"No, you two can visit her during your off hours. Right now, I need you to keep your bar open, and keep your ears open. Perhaps you can learn something important about what really happened or if we're lucky, learn something about a cure for this poison."
Danielle wanted to protest. How could she work and pretend everything is normal when her best friend was dying. However, she wanted to help Barbara anyway she could, and right now, complaining and protesting would not be showing her the support she needed. "We'll do our best!"
Helena moaned from on her cot. Barbara immediately rushed her wheelchair over to her cot. "Helena, can you hear me?"
"Bar…Barbara?" Helena moaned.
"I'm here, Helena!" Barbara held Helena's left hand between both of hers.
"It hurts." Helena face showed her to be in great agony.
"We're doing everything we can for you. Don't you give up. You have to fight this thing."
"Reese?" Helena couldn't open her eyes. She couldn't see anyone in the room at that moment.
"I'm here, Helena." Reese stood on the other side of her, and placed the palm of his hand on the side of her face.
Helena began to struggling to breath. "Don't leave."
"I'm not going anywhere, Helena." Helena fell back into unconsciousness. Reese looked up at everyone. "I'll take first shift." Reese looked towards Barbara. "Just please find a cure quickly."
"I will not rest until I can find the cure."
"I will lend my services to see if I can ease some of Miss Kyle's sufferings." The doctor offered.
"Your assistance is greatly appreciated, Doctor…"
"Call me by my first name, Bill."
"Thank you for all you have done thus far, Bill."
"It is my pleasure."
"I've just heard what's been happening!" Richard Greyson entered the room and ran up to the platform. "What's her condition?"
"We're trying to figure that out," Barbara replied. "We think something is in the blood."
"If there is something in her blood, it is not the result of the gun shot wound." The doctor said.
"Let's take a blood sample," Barbara said, pulling out a syringe. The doctor took the syringe and approached Helena's left arm. The doctor pulled Helena's left bare arm from under the blanket and placed it on top of the blanket. He stuck the syringe in the upper part of her arm and began to suck out some blood. After he filled the syringe with the blood, He took it out of her arm, and immediately placed a bandage over the spot he had put the syringe into her arm.
He looked at the blood he had taken and he was puzzled. The blood was not red as it was supposed to be, it was much darker than normal. It looked like her blood was turning black. "I don't understand, I have never seen anything like this."
He handed the syringe to Barbara and she looked at and cursed under her breath. "You know what's going on?" Reese asked.
"I've seen this symptom before, and it does not look good. Richard, you remember, right?"
Richard took the syringe and looked at it closely. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?"
Barbara nodded. "Afraid so. What else can it be but the Black Serum."
"Anyone care to fill us in?" Danielle asked.
Richard decided to answer that question. "Awhile back, Bane had created a new poison, more potent than his venom. He called it the Black Serum. It is a poison that slowly kills it's victims as it contaminates their blood and turns the blood black. Slowly the organs reject the blood, and the victim feels every organ begin to shut down. It is the more horrific and torturous from of execution since the Romans invented the crucifixion. Bane was going to shower Gotham with this stuff, but we were able to stop him. That was the last we have seen or heard of this poison. However, we do not think Bane was alone in the creation of this. Rumors were spreading the Joker and Harley Quinn was the true inventor of this poison."
"Harley Quinn is in prison, and the Joker is dead," Dinah pointed out.
"True, but no one knows if Bane is dead or not," Richard reminded Dinah.
"Wait a minute!" Reese replied. "Are you saying that this Bane character may just be alive and well in New Gotham as we speak? It was Commissioner O'Reiley who shot Helena!"
Barbara's eyes widen in horror. "The bullet, introduced Helena's body to this poison. That much is sure. If what you say is true then, the commissioner…"
"Is Bane in disguise," Richard completed her thought. "Damn it, this explains a whole mess of things!"
"Okay, so Bane is back in New Gotham; to me, that seems to be not important at this very moment," Danielle said. "What's more important is trying to save Helena's life. Please tell me that you have concocted an antidote to fight this poison."
Barbara shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. "I've tried, but to no avail. There is no fighting this serum. There is no cure."
"No, not good enough!" Reese pounded his fist onto the platform. "I refuse to sit here and just watch her die! There is something we can do to save her life!"
"I'm not going to give up. I am going to work harder than I have ever worked to try to save Helena! You think that I can handle loosing her any more than you! I have raised her up like my very own daughter for these many years!"
Reese looked down to the floor. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap."
"No, I'm sorry," Barbara replied, sitting back in her wheelchair.
Richard walked up to Barbara and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Emotions are running very high between all of us right now. Helena means a lot to all of us. To Barbara, she's like a daughter; to Dinah, she's like older sister; to Danielle, she's her best friend. To Detective Reese, she's the woman the he is in love with. All of us need to work together here. While there may not be anything all of us can do, all of us can help by showing their support. Fighting amongst ourselves will not help in trying to save Helena."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Dinah stepped out with an excited look on her face. "Maybe there is something I can do. One of my new powers is in regenerating life-force. Perhaps I can help soak up some of the poison so Helena can fight this poison easier."
"Absolutely not!" Barbara replied. "Doing so will kill you and can give no guarantee that it will work. I am not going to risk loosing the both of you. I appreciate your wanting to help, but I need your support more than anything."
"I have no where to go anymore. I will stay here and keep Helena company." Reese offered.
"We will all take turns keeping her company!" Richard replied.
"Danielle and I will keep the bar closed so we can spend some time with her as well," Gibson offered.
"No, you two can visit her during your off hours. Right now, I need you to keep your bar open, and keep your ears open. Perhaps you can learn something important about what really happened or if we're lucky, learn something about a cure for this poison."
Danielle wanted to protest. How could she work and pretend everything is normal when her best friend was dying. However, she wanted to help Barbara anyway she could, and right now, complaining and protesting would not be showing her the support she needed. "We'll do our best!"
Helena moaned from on her cot. Barbara immediately rushed her wheelchair over to her cot. "Helena, can you hear me?"
"Bar…Barbara?" Helena moaned.
"I'm here, Helena!" Barbara held Helena's left hand between both of hers.
"It hurts." Helena face showed her to be in great agony.
"We're doing everything we can for you. Don't you give up. You have to fight this thing."
"Reese?" Helena couldn't open her eyes. She couldn't see anyone in the room at that moment.
"I'm here, Helena." Reese stood on the other side of her, and placed the palm of his hand on the side of her face.
Helena began to struggling to breath. "Don't leave."
"I'm not going anywhere, Helena." Helena fell back into unconsciousness. Reese looked up at everyone. "I'll take first shift." Reese looked towards Barbara. "Just please find a cure quickly."
"I will not rest until I can find the cure."
"I will lend my services to see if I can ease some of Miss Kyle's sufferings." The doctor offered.
"Your assistance is greatly appreciated, Doctor…"
"Call me by my first name, Bill."
"Thank you for all you have done thus far, Bill."
"It is my pleasure."
