Chapter 3
Dinah didn't stop running until she had reached the Clocktower. She entered the elevator, hit the up button, and leaned against the wall. She had left Barbara to that maniac. She had left her there and ran. She should have stayed. She could have fought them off, though in her condition she knew that was untrue. Staying behind would have only got her captured too. Barbara had known that, that was why she had ordered Dinah to run. There was nothing she could do. Dinah thumped her head against the wall, willing the elevator to go faster.
* * *
Helena Kyle was sitting at the kitchen table with Detective Jesse Reese. He had come over for breakfast before his shift. Barbara and Dinah had left for school fifteen minutes ago, leaving them alone.
"Are you sure you have to go?" Helena asked as Reese pushed away from the table, straightening his tie, and reaching for his jacket.
"Believe me, I wish I didn't. Since the Joker's been back in town, it seems that I'm at the office every waking hour. Unfortunately I don't think the commissioner will like the excuse that I was late because I was having breakfast with my girlfriend." He smiled at Helena as he put on his jacket.
Girlfriend, Helena liked the sound of that word. Her and the Detective's relationship had grown in the past few months. It had turned from flirting crime scene conversation into a normal relationship. Helena was happy to have something normal in her life for once.
Helena stood up and walked with Reese down the stairs and to the elevator. "I'll see you after work then?" she asked.
"Yeah." He grinned and then he pulled her into his arms into a passionate kiss. He pulled back and glanced at his watch. "I'm sorry, I really have to go. I'm going to be late." He pushed the down button on the elevator panel. "But I'll definitely see you after work."
He gave her a quick kiss as the elevator doors popped open and out stumbled Dinah looking frantic and scared, tears still streaming down her face. Reese and Helena took a step back, confused. Dinah looked at Helena with a wild look in her eyes.
"Oh God. Helena, he kidnapped her. I couldn't stop him..she told me to run. I didn't want to go, but she said I had to. You have to believe me. I am so sorry; I should have stayed, should have helped her, but she told me to run. There was nothing I could do," Dinah rambled incoherently as she stumbled into Helena's arms sobbing.
Helena hugged her as she sobbed. "Hey, it's okay kid." Helena led Dinah over to the couch and sat down. She pulled Dinah away from her so she could face her. Helena touched the side of Dinah's face and spoke firmly, "Calm down kid. Tell me what happened."
Dinah calmed down enough to tell them what had happened. She relayed the story of the wreck and the Joker and then she collapsed back into Helena's arms sobbing. "That bastard, I swear I will kill him." She looked up at Reese. "We have to get down there."
Reese nodded. He had already called in the wreck and relayed to his partner that the Joker was believed to be involved. "I'll go down there and check it out. I want you two to stay here where it's safe."
"But." Helena started to argue.
"No buts. That could be what he wants, to lure you out into the open. It is safer here. Besides," he said looking to the still sobbing Dinah, "she needs you here. I'll be right back. Stay here." Reese hurried to the elevator leaving Helena and Dinah alone in the Clocktower, fearing the worst.
* * *
Reese had been gone for hours and Helena was starting to get frustrated. She had finally gotten Dinah calmed down and had bandaged the gash on her forehead. Dinah had fallen asleep on the couch and Helena was alone in the agony of waiting. She finally got tired of sitting and walked over to the Delphi system and sat down. She stared at the monitor a long time. Barbara had tried once to show Helena how to work the network of computers, but that lesson had ended in crashing systems and smoking wires. Barbara refused to let Helena touch the computers again and Helena was quite happy with her decision. If there was one thing Helena didn't understand, it was computers. She thought of waking Dinah, the girl definitely had more technical knowledge than her, but she decided to let her sleep. Computers were just machines, how hard could it be to figure out? After two hours, Helena figured out it was pretty damn hard. She had actually got into the systems without breaking anything, but when she tried to locate Barbara by tracking her comms, she failed horribly. Either the Joker had discovered them or Barbara hadn't even worn them today. Since Barbara was always preaching to the girls about forgetting their comms, she figured the second was unlikely. Helena slammed her fist on the desk in frustration.
Suddenly, the elevator doors slid open. Helena stood up, praying for some bit of good news, but her hope fell when she saw Reese walk in alone. "Please tell me you found something?" she asked, still holding on to some shred of hope.
Reese looked around. "Where's Dinah?"
"She fell asleep a couple of hours ago. Did you find anything?"
Reese shook his head. "Nothing," he said walking up to Helena. "They were gone by the time anyone got there. No witnesses either."
Helena ran her hands through her hair. "Damn that man. I will kill him if he hurts her." She was trying to be strong, but Helena suddenly realized that her world was closing in on her. The Joker had Barbara. She had been here having breakfast, enjoying the time with Reese while Barbara was being kidnapped. She had let her guard down and the Joker had struck again. Now he had Barbara and Helena could only imagine the horrible things he was doing to her. She was finding it hard to breathe.
Reese pulled Helena into his embrace. "We'll find her, don't worry. Everything's going to be okay."
Helena wanted to believe Reese; she wanted to stay in his embrace forever, but she knew she couldn't. Now was not the time to freak out. She had to be the strong one now, if only for Dinah's sake. Helena pushed back from Reese's embrace and took a deep breath. "I need to get Dinah to bed and then I'll start searching. He has to be hiding somewhere in this city."
Reese ran a finger down her cheek. "That can wait till tomorrow. You need to rest. It won't due Barbara any good if you get yourself killed and that's what will happen if you go after him now. You're exhausted Helena. You've been up all day; why don't you get some sleep."
Helena wanted to argue with him, but she knew he was right. She hadn't been sleeping well anyway and with the added stress of today's event, she realized that she was quite tired. She needed some rest and then in the morning they could start their search with a fresh mind. She caved in. "Okay, you're right."
"I always am," he said with a small grin.
Helena and Reese walked up the stairs to the clocktower's second floor. Dinah was still asleep on the couch. Helena walked over to wake her up, but Reese stopped her. "I'll carry her to her room." Helena nodded and stood back as Reese picked Dinah up in his arms. Helena led to way to Dinah's room where Reese laid her on the bed and walked back to the door.
Helena took Dinah's shoes off and pulled the covers over the girl. She reached to turn the light off when Dinah opened her eyes. "Did you find her?" she asked sleepily.
Helena sighed, "No, they were already gone. We'll find her. Get some sleep, we'll start searching in the morning." Helena reached over and turned out the lamp. She sat there for a second until she was sure Dinah was asleep and then she got up and walked out into the hall where Reese was waiting.
"I need to get going, too," Reese turned to leave, but Helena grabbed his hand.
"Don't go," she said, sounding worried. "He could come after you and I don't think I could stand losing two people in one day." Tears started to fill her eyes.
Reese hugged her. "Okay, I'll stay, but only if I can have the couch."
Helena grinned as she pulled out of his embrace. "If you insist. Goodnight." She reached up and kissed Reese on the cheek.
"Get some rest," he said. He kissed her and watched as she walked down the hall to her room.
Dinah didn't stop running until she had reached the Clocktower. She entered the elevator, hit the up button, and leaned against the wall. She had left Barbara to that maniac. She had left her there and ran. She should have stayed. She could have fought them off, though in her condition she knew that was untrue. Staying behind would have only got her captured too. Barbara had known that, that was why she had ordered Dinah to run. There was nothing she could do. Dinah thumped her head against the wall, willing the elevator to go faster.
* * *
Helena Kyle was sitting at the kitchen table with Detective Jesse Reese. He had come over for breakfast before his shift. Barbara and Dinah had left for school fifteen minutes ago, leaving them alone.
"Are you sure you have to go?" Helena asked as Reese pushed away from the table, straightening his tie, and reaching for his jacket.
"Believe me, I wish I didn't. Since the Joker's been back in town, it seems that I'm at the office every waking hour. Unfortunately I don't think the commissioner will like the excuse that I was late because I was having breakfast with my girlfriend." He smiled at Helena as he put on his jacket.
Girlfriend, Helena liked the sound of that word. Her and the Detective's relationship had grown in the past few months. It had turned from flirting crime scene conversation into a normal relationship. Helena was happy to have something normal in her life for once.
Helena stood up and walked with Reese down the stairs and to the elevator. "I'll see you after work then?" she asked.
"Yeah." He grinned and then he pulled her into his arms into a passionate kiss. He pulled back and glanced at his watch. "I'm sorry, I really have to go. I'm going to be late." He pushed the down button on the elevator panel. "But I'll definitely see you after work."
He gave her a quick kiss as the elevator doors popped open and out stumbled Dinah looking frantic and scared, tears still streaming down her face. Reese and Helena took a step back, confused. Dinah looked at Helena with a wild look in her eyes.
"Oh God. Helena, he kidnapped her. I couldn't stop him..she told me to run. I didn't want to go, but she said I had to. You have to believe me. I am so sorry; I should have stayed, should have helped her, but she told me to run. There was nothing I could do," Dinah rambled incoherently as she stumbled into Helena's arms sobbing.
Helena hugged her as she sobbed. "Hey, it's okay kid." Helena led Dinah over to the couch and sat down. She pulled Dinah away from her so she could face her. Helena touched the side of Dinah's face and spoke firmly, "Calm down kid. Tell me what happened."
Dinah calmed down enough to tell them what had happened. She relayed the story of the wreck and the Joker and then she collapsed back into Helena's arms sobbing. "That bastard, I swear I will kill him." She looked up at Reese. "We have to get down there."
Reese nodded. He had already called in the wreck and relayed to his partner that the Joker was believed to be involved. "I'll go down there and check it out. I want you two to stay here where it's safe."
"But." Helena started to argue.
"No buts. That could be what he wants, to lure you out into the open. It is safer here. Besides," he said looking to the still sobbing Dinah, "she needs you here. I'll be right back. Stay here." Reese hurried to the elevator leaving Helena and Dinah alone in the Clocktower, fearing the worst.
* * *
Reese had been gone for hours and Helena was starting to get frustrated. She had finally gotten Dinah calmed down and had bandaged the gash on her forehead. Dinah had fallen asleep on the couch and Helena was alone in the agony of waiting. She finally got tired of sitting and walked over to the Delphi system and sat down. She stared at the monitor a long time. Barbara had tried once to show Helena how to work the network of computers, but that lesson had ended in crashing systems and smoking wires. Barbara refused to let Helena touch the computers again and Helena was quite happy with her decision. If there was one thing Helena didn't understand, it was computers. She thought of waking Dinah, the girl definitely had more technical knowledge than her, but she decided to let her sleep. Computers were just machines, how hard could it be to figure out? After two hours, Helena figured out it was pretty damn hard. She had actually got into the systems without breaking anything, but when she tried to locate Barbara by tracking her comms, she failed horribly. Either the Joker had discovered them or Barbara hadn't even worn them today. Since Barbara was always preaching to the girls about forgetting their comms, she figured the second was unlikely. Helena slammed her fist on the desk in frustration.
Suddenly, the elevator doors slid open. Helena stood up, praying for some bit of good news, but her hope fell when she saw Reese walk in alone. "Please tell me you found something?" she asked, still holding on to some shred of hope.
Reese looked around. "Where's Dinah?"
"She fell asleep a couple of hours ago. Did you find anything?"
Reese shook his head. "Nothing," he said walking up to Helena. "They were gone by the time anyone got there. No witnesses either."
Helena ran her hands through her hair. "Damn that man. I will kill him if he hurts her." She was trying to be strong, but Helena suddenly realized that her world was closing in on her. The Joker had Barbara. She had been here having breakfast, enjoying the time with Reese while Barbara was being kidnapped. She had let her guard down and the Joker had struck again. Now he had Barbara and Helena could only imagine the horrible things he was doing to her. She was finding it hard to breathe.
Reese pulled Helena into his embrace. "We'll find her, don't worry. Everything's going to be okay."
Helena wanted to believe Reese; she wanted to stay in his embrace forever, but she knew she couldn't. Now was not the time to freak out. She had to be the strong one now, if only for Dinah's sake. Helena pushed back from Reese's embrace and took a deep breath. "I need to get Dinah to bed and then I'll start searching. He has to be hiding somewhere in this city."
Reese ran a finger down her cheek. "That can wait till tomorrow. You need to rest. It won't due Barbara any good if you get yourself killed and that's what will happen if you go after him now. You're exhausted Helena. You've been up all day; why don't you get some sleep."
Helena wanted to argue with him, but she knew he was right. She hadn't been sleeping well anyway and with the added stress of today's event, she realized that she was quite tired. She needed some rest and then in the morning they could start their search with a fresh mind. She caved in. "Okay, you're right."
"I always am," he said with a small grin.
Helena and Reese walked up the stairs to the clocktower's second floor. Dinah was still asleep on the couch. Helena walked over to wake her up, but Reese stopped her. "I'll carry her to her room." Helena nodded and stood back as Reese picked Dinah up in his arms. Helena led to way to Dinah's room where Reese laid her on the bed and walked back to the door.
Helena took Dinah's shoes off and pulled the covers over the girl. She reached to turn the light off when Dinah opened her eyes. "Did you find her?" she asked sleepily.
Helena sighed, "No, they were already gone. We'll find her. Get some sleep, we'll start searching in the morning." Helena reached over and turned out the lamp. She sat there for a second until she was sure Dinah was asleep and then she got up and walked out into the hall where Reese was waiting.
"I need to get going, too," Reese turned to leave, but Helena grabbed his hand.
"Don't go," she said, sounding worried. "He could come after you and I don't think I could stand losing two people in one day." Tears started to fill her eyes.
Reese hugged her. "Okay, I'll stay, but only if I can have the couch."
Helena grinned as she pulled out of his embrace. "If you insist. Goodnight." She reached up and kissed Reese on the cheek.
"Get some rest," he said. He kissed her and watched as she walked down the hall to her room.