CHAPTER 2

The Dark Horse Bar was busy this night, busier than usual. Helena had not seen it this busy since the bar was still No Man's Land and she worked as the bar tender. Much to Barbara's dismay, Helena had wanted to enjoy life tonight. She was tired of sitting around the clock tower, constantly answering questions about how her shoulder felt.

She was not going to hide any longer. Commissioner O'Reiley, who was the one who shot her, is none other than Bane. Somehow, she was going to reveal that to New Gotham and clear her name once and for all. As for right now, she was out to have some fun for the first time in a long while.

Helena was hanging out at the bar where Danielle was behind the counter, and the two girls were laughing together as Helena drank a glass of diet coke. She has never cared for alcohol, and Barbara strictly forbade any alcohol consumption on her part, and Dinah's when she became of legal age.

"It's really good to see you out and about, Helena. You really gave all of us quite a scare," Danielle said, getting serious for a moment. Having seen Helena on what was almost her death bed had disturbed her deeply. She truly had thought that she would never see her best friend again.

"It's great to be alive, and it's even better to be out of the clock tower."

"Can I ask you something personal?" Danielle leaned in and her voice dropped to a whisper.

"Shoot."

"Before you were shot, you came to my room and was acting very weird. Was or is there still something bothering you? You can tell me, we are best friends."

"Was I acting weird?" Helena pretended not to understand what she was talking about.

"I don't know, but it seems like ever since you confronted the son of Scarecrow, you've lost any interest in being a hero or something."

Helena finished her glass of Diet Coke, now being forced to talk about something she did not want to talk about. "I guess you're right. I am sick and tired of being the Huntress. Dinah is dying to be a hero just like me, but as for myself, I can't stand it any longer. All I want is to settle down with Reese and live a normal life. If Dinah only knew what being a hero means," Helena shook her head. "It means loneliness."

"You really want to quit being the Huntress? I think what you're doing is cool. Anyone would die to have your courage and do what you are doing for this city."

"Perhaps, but I never had the choice of doing this now did I? My mother was stolen from me and I had to avenge her. Doing this was the only thing that controlled my anger, but now I don't have any anger to control anymore."

"I never realized what you were going through." Danielle said.

"And how about you and Gibson? You have been dating for several months already?" Helena said.

"I love him with all my heart. I'm ready to settle down with him. In fact, I have a suspicion that he is going to propose real soon," Danielle said excitedly.

"I'm happy for you two," Helena smiled, taking a sip of her diet coke.

"How about you and Reese? You two have known each other nearing two years now."

"We are close, but I want to spend more time with him, while enjoy the life of normalcy before getting married," Helena said. "But he is definitely the one I am ready to retire for."

* * * *

Raven walked with Bane and Harley Quin amongst all the criminals that were formerly locked away in Arkham Asylum. Now, Arkham was their base of operations, fully under their control. "This is fantastic," Harley said with a smile. "We have Gotham's greatest criminal minds working together for one goal: to conquer New Gotham and kill the Huntress!"

"The Huntress is mine, and no one else's," Raven looked at Harley threateningly.

"She's all yours, Raven, when we have your morphing formula," Bane replied.

"It's already here, enough for three syringes for every criminal here," Raven replied. "Here are the instructions to continue making the formula in the slim case that I am killed."

"Just as I wanted, excellent," Bane said.

"I'll hand this over to the man that will be in charge of continuing the production of your formula."

"What?" Raven said in surprise.

"Here he is, now!" Bane grinned.

Raven turned to see the last person she had expected to see. "Raven, my daughter. Long time no see."

"Clay Face!" Raven growled with extreme hatred. She turned to face Bane. "You son of a bitch!"

"Hey, it's up to you what you want. Do you want to be part of our plan or do you want to kill the Huntress yourself. Which is more important to you?"

"Damn it!" Raven muttered. She looked at Clay Face with extreme hatred. "I should kill you now on the spot!"

"Bring it on daughter. You tried to kill me. My own flesh and blood tried to murder me. How do you think that made me feel?"

"That's because you deserve to die you son of a bitch!" Raven replied. "So I must chose? Fine, the Huntress is going to die, and then you!" Raven said pointing to Clay Face. Raven walked away but with a grin on her face. They are bigger fools than she had thought. The formula can only be made by a sample of her own DNA. The power to morph was her natural ability, and it was her DNA that made the formula work, and those stupid fools didn't even know it.

* * * *

"Perhaps we have made a mistake in letting her go? Her blood is needed to make the formula?" Harley looked over at Bane.

"Don't you worry about that, my love. Her husband had the exact same powers and I have his body on ice, protecting his blood. There is enough blood in the body to make enough formula for every criminal here at Arkham for the next ten years. If she dies, which her body will provide an additional ten years. We don't need her alive any further."

"You are devilishly clever!" Harley smiled.

"Just wait until you see what I have for you on your Birthday."

"I can hardly wait!" Harley leaned into Bane as he wrapped his arms around her waist. The two of them kissed.

"Ahem," a voice interrupted their kiss. The two of them broke of the kiss and looked at the intruder agitatedly. "What is it you want, David Crane?"

"I want permission to be excused for five minutes. There is one thing I want to do before we take over Gotham. I have a debt to collect!"

"Fine, go and do your business," Bane said waving him off like a pesky fly.