Barbara was working on the computer, when she heard the door of the
elevator open and the firm steps of Helena when she approached.
"Hi" she said, Barbara looked at her and she laughed. "What happened?" Helena asked.
"You and Reese talked ah? I am glad of it, he is a good guy."
"Did you listen?" Huntress felt annoyed.
"No, I gave you my word." Barbara said lifting her right hand.
"Then?"
"May I remind you than I'm an excellent detective?"
"Barbara." Helena rolled her eyes.
"Your lip is not the only thing stained with lipstick" Barbara smiled. Helena got up as if a thunder touched her and she quickly cleaned it off with the back of her hand.
"Well." Barbara tried to hold her laughter "the mud that Dinah picked up comes from the underground."
"But the underground is too big" Helena said stopping behind her.
"The interesting thing is that there are also traces of black mud. That is only given in the central gardens of New Gothman. And in that part of the underground there is only an almost intact building, the old chemical labs."
"Do you believe that they have her there?" Huntress leaned into the monitor.
"It is a possibility, and sounds logical, for that reason Reese has not been able to detect Hawke, he is looking for him in the city and he is under it."
"I'll go" Huntress looked at Barbara who avoided a smile and simply pointed to her with her index finger to Helena's chin. She had lipstick there too.
"Oh." Huntress turned her face and walked to the elevator while she cleaned her chin with her hand.
"Stay in contact" Barbara shouted. Huntress just grumbled.
* * *
Huntress went to the underground of New Gotham City, where the ruins of Gotham City remained, having been destroyed by an earthquake. She went to the ruins of the old chemical laboratory. She watched the entrance as she hid behind an old building.
"You were right, there's movement here." she said to Oracle.
:: How many men can you see in the entrance? ::
"Five, piece of cake."
:: I'm not worried about the cake, I'm worried of what is inside.::
Huntress attacked, she quickly beat the five watchmen at the entrance.
"Five for me" she said to Oracle.
:: Don't joke, remember that Bane and Hawke are close.::
"I am trying to relax and you're not helping me" Huntress grunted jumping to one of the open windows. She walked through a corridor and knocked out three more men. She checked all the rooms on that floor trying to find her friend, there was a hall in the middle of the building, she hid behind a pillar. Hawke was reviewing some maps with two other men.
"I can see Hawke" she whispered.
:: Dinah? ::
"Nothing yet, this place has more levels, she could be on one of the upper levels or in the basement."
::Be careful::
"I'll go for Hawke" Huntress jumped and she fell behind Hawke, she held him by the shoulders, she kicked the man that was to her right and knocked the man that was to her left out with a punch. She turned Hawke and hit him in the jaw making him fall.
"Game over." she said lifting him by the neck. "I will kill you if you did something to her, Where is Dinah?."
"Stop worrying Huntress" Hawke smiled "She is ok, but she could die if something happens to me."
"Don't play with me." Huntress applied more force on his neck.
"Calm down, can you look up?"
Huntress raised her eyes to the third floor, one of Hawke's men held Dinah and had a gun aimed at her.
"Calm down or your friend will die." Hawke smiled.
Huntress looked furiously at Hawke and released him.
He took his hand a rubbed his neck. "You are really strong."
"What is that?" Huntress pointed to Dinah's mask.
"Nothing," Hawke smiled "it's just precaution, it isn't good to let a girl with strong mental powers run around free. I designed that cover that prevents mental waves. I gave it to Bane."
"What do you want?"
"Come with me and your friend will be okay." he raised his hand and showed her a radio. "They will be listening to our conversation, so, don't attempt anything or they will blow her head off."
Both walked down the stairways to the basement. "Do you know what this place was before?" Hawke asked.
"The old laboratories of Gotham City."
"Yes, exactly, here the experts developed interesting experiments, it is a beautiful place, pity that the earthquake destroyed it."
"Why are you doing this to Reese?" Huntress asked.
"Business is business, and this is yours and mine-- not his, business."
"Reese is concerned because you don't leave your criminal career, why don't you finish with this?"
"That's exactly what I'm going to do." Hawke opened a door, they entered to a big room. Huntress observed it thoroughly. There were small cages all embedded to the wall. In that place the doctors kept the animals that they used in the experiments, many shelves were on the opposite wall. The walls had a metallic cover. In the cages were several big dogs that baked, and in others some monkeys that screamed loud.
"What is this?" Huntress asked looking without know what to wait.
"Well, this is a very safe place, iron doors, iron walls and iron cages. "We could play tennis here, no?" Hawke saw the animals and smiled "The dogs don't like the cat's so much, can you feel it?"
"Why do you have this poor animals here?" Huntress feel the angry growing inside her, she put her hands in her pockets.
"Me no, Bane, he is doing experiments with his 'Venom', he tries to do it most strong." Hawke went to a table and prepared a syringe "Now he is finishing his new drug, but he needs something. Give me your arm." Hawke turned and walked toward Huntress.
"What is that?" Huntress stepped back.
"Nothing, I need a sample of your blood, that's all. Give me your arm" He showed her the radio over the table. "Remember than my men are listening us, and the still would kill your friend."
"Hawke, this is." Huntress sighed deeply.
"Here I'm the boss, I'm not going to say it again, give me your arm."
Huntress rolled up her sleeve and stretched her arm. Hawke buried the needle and began to extract a sample of blood. He fill the syringe and took off the needle. He put it in a tube.
"Hi" she said, Barbara looked at her and she laughed. "What happened?" Helena asked.
"You and Reese talked ah? I am glad of it, he is a good guy."
"Did you listen?" Huntress felt annoyed.
"No, I gave you my word." Barbara said lifting her right hand.
"Then?"
"May I remind you than I'm an excellent detective?"
"Barbara." Helena rolled her eyes.
"Your lip is not the only thing stained with lipstick" Barbara smiled. Helena got up as if a thunder touched her and she quickly cleaned it off with the back of her hand.
"Well." Barbara tried to hold her laughter "the mud that Dinah picked up comes from the underground."
"But the underground is too big" Helena said stopping behind her.
"The interesting thing is that there are also traces of black mud. That is only given in the central gardens of New Gothman. And in that part of the underground there is only an almost intact building, the old chemical labs."
"Do you believe that they have her there?" Huntress leaned into the monitor.
"It is a possibility, and sounds logical, for that reason Reese has not been able to detect Hawke, he is looking for him in the city and he is under it."
"I'll go" Huntress looked at Barbara who avoided a smile and simply pointed to her with her index finger to Helena's chin. She had lipstick there too.
"Oh." Huntress turned her face and walked to the elevator while she cleaned her chin with her hand.
"Stay in contact" Barbara shouted. Huntress just grumbled.
* * *
Huntress went to the underground of New Gotham City, where the ruins of Gotham City remained, having been destroyed by an earthquake. She went to the ruins of the old chemical laboratory. She watched the entrance as she hid behind an old building.
"You were right, there's movement here." she said to Oracle.
:: How many men can you see in the entrance? ::
"Five, piece of cake."
:: I'm not worried about the cake, I'm worried of what is inside.::
Huntress attacked, she quickly beat the five watchmen at the entrance.
"Five for me" she said to Oracle.
:: Don't joke, remember that Bane and Hawke are close.::
"I am trying to relax and you're not helping me" Huntress grunted jumping to one of the open windows. She walked through a corridor and knocked out three more men. She checked all the rooms on that floor trying to find her friend, there was a hall in the middle of the building, she hid behind a pillar. Hawke was reviewing some maps with two other men.
"I can see Hawke" she whispered.
:: Dinah? ::
"Nothing yet, this place has more levels, she could be on one of the upper levels or in the basement."
::Be careful::
"I'll go for Hawke" Huntress jumped and she fell behind Hawke, she held him by the shoulders, she kicked the man that was to her right and knocked the man that was to her left out with a punch. She turned Hawke and hit him in the jaw making him fall.
"Game over." she said lifting him by the neck. "I will kill you if you did something to her, Where is Dinah?."
"Stop worrying Huntress" Hawke smiled "She is ok, but she could die if something happens to me."
"Don't play with me." Huntress applied more force on his neck.
"Calm down, can you look up?"
Huntress raised her eyes to the third floor, one of Hawke's men held Dinah and had a gun aimed at her.
"Calm down or your friend will die." Hawke smiled.
Huntress looked furiously at Hawke and released him.
He took his hand a rubbed his neck. "You are really strong."
"What is that?" Huntress pointed to Dinah's mask.
"Nothing," Hawke smiled "it's just precaution, it isn't good to let a girl with strong mental powers run around free. I designed that cover that prevents mental waves. I gave it to Bane."
"What do you want?"
"Come with me and your friend will be okay." he raised his hand and showed her a radio. "They will be listening to our conversation, so, don't attempt anything or they will blow her head off."
Both walked down the stairways to the basement. "Do you know what this place was before?" Hawke asked.
"The old laboratories of Gotham City."
"Yes, exactly, here the experts developed interesting experiments, it is a beautiful place, pity that the earthquake destroyed it."
"Why are you doing this to Reese?" Huntress asked.
"Business is business, and this is yours and mine-- not his, business."
"Reese is concerned because you don't leave your criminal career, why don't you finish with this?"
"That's exactly what I'm going to do." Hawke opened a door, they entered to a big room. Huntress observed it thoroughly. There were small cages all embedded to the wall. In that place the doctors kept the animals that they used in the experiments, many shelves were on the opposite wall. The walls had a metallic cover. In the cages were several big dogs that baked, and in others some monkeys that screamed loud.
"What is this?" Huntress asked looking without know what to wait.
"Well, this is a very safe place, iron doors, iron walls and iron cages. "We could play tennis here, no?" Hawke saw the animals and smiled "The dogs don't like the cat's so much, can you feel it?"
"Why do you have this poor animals here?" Huntress feel the angry growing inside her, she put her hands in her pockets.
"Me no, Bane, he is doing experiments with his 'Venom', he tries to do it most strong." Hawke went to a table and prepared a syringe "Now he is finishing his new drug, but he needs something. Give me your arm." Hawke turned and walked toward Huntress.
"What is that?" Huntress stepped back.
"Nothing, I need a sample of your blood, that's all. Give me your arm" He showed her the radio over the table. "Remember than my men are listening us, and the still would kill your friend."
"Hawke, this is." Huntress sighed deeply.
"Here I'm the boss, I'm not going to say it again, give me your arm."
Huntress rolled up her sleeve and stretched her arm. Hawke buried the needle and began to extract a sample of blood. He fill the syringe and took off the needle. He put it in a tube.