Chapter 2
Helena and Dinah walked down the subway rail towards a small service door. After Dinah had insisted that they have a plan before trying to save Barbara, Helena had called Reese over to go over the maps they had. After triangulating Barbara's position, they had decided on their best course of action. There was a small service station just south of the subway terminal. Helena guessed that it had to be the entrance to the underground building that the Joker was using as his hide out. She had decided that it would best if Reese waited outside with a SWAT team while Helena and Dinah rescued Barbara. Helena wanted to be sure that Barbara was all right and out of the way, when the police stormed the area for the Joker. Reese had argued with her on that point. He believed that it would be best to storm the building in one sweep in hopes of creating enough confusion for the girls to rescue Barbara, but Helena thought it was too risky. With so many people there was bound to be a firefight and Helena didn't want to mess with any of that. She wanted to get in, get Barbara, and get out. And if she happened to come across the Joker and kill him in the process, well that would just be an added bonus. She kept that thought to herself, though.
Helena and Dinah made it to the service station with ease. It was eleven o'clock and the last train had left thirty minutes ago. This gave them a forty-five minute window before the next train came barreling down the tracks. They hoped this would give them enough time to rescue Barbara and get out before the next train came.
Helena cautiously pushed the service door opened and after securing the area, motioned for Dinah to follow. The room had not been guarded, which really hadn't surprised Helena. Workers used this station all of the time. It would be foolish for the Joker to post a man up here.
"Spread out and look for any signs of an opening." Helena instructed Dinah as she began to scan the room.
"What am I looking for?"
"A weak spot in the wall, a.."
"How about a huge hole covered by a storage shelf?" Dinah interrupted Helena as she examined a storage shelf on the far wall. She carefully pushed it out of the way to reveal a gaping hole in the wall where the shelving unit had once been. Dinah looked down into the darkness. "It looks like there's a ladder leading down." She looked up smiling.
"Nice work, kid." Helena said as she moved towards the hole. She stepped into the hole and started down the rungs. "Follow me and stay close. We don't know what we'll find down here." Helena whispered as she made her way down the ladder.
"Hopefully Barbara." Dinah whispered back, excitement in her voice.
"Shh." Helena shushed Dinah, although she could barely keep from smiling herself. After days of agonizing chaos, Helena could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. They were so close to finding Barbara and maybe then their nightmare would finally end.
Helena reached the bottom of the ladder and looked around. It was completely dark wherever they were. She pulled a tiny penlight from her pocket and pushed the button. Though the pen was small, it produced enough light to make out their surroundings.
"It looks like we're in a lobby of an office building," Dinah said as she jumped off the ladder and stumbled into Helena.
Helena gave her a dirty look. "Sorry," Dinah whispered as she surveyed the room.
Helena put her fingers to her ear. "Alfred, how far are we away from Barbara?" she asked.
Since Barbara was gone and Helena needed Dinah to help rescue her, Alfred had volunteered to watch the Delphi and guide them through the underground using the maps Barbara had provided.
"Follow that first right hallway past the receptionist desk, Miss Helena. The hallway then takes a sharp left. It looks like Miss Barbara's signal is coming from a room at the end." Alfred said, watching the girl's signals on the map in front of them. Dinah had set up their comms so that Alfred could track them in correlation with Barbara's signal. Helena had been impressed by how much Dinah had learned from Barbara in the past few months. She was becoming quite the Oracle's protégé.
Dinah followed Helena as she moved down the right hallway and cautiously made the left turn at the end. "Don't you find it a little odd that no one is here guarding the place? I mean, this place is totally dead."
Helena nodded as she kept walking. "You're right. It's almost too quiet, but my spider sense isn't tingling yet. Maybe they're just all out to lunch."
Dinah rolled her eyes at the likelihood of that being the case. Whatever was going on, she didn't like it. Something about this just wasn't right. It all just seemed too easy to be true.
Helena stopped dead in her tracks as Dinah plowed into her back. "Oww!" Dinah exclaimed a little too loudly as she backed up and rubbed her arm. "Why the heck did you stop?"
"End of the road." Helena whispered back.
Dinah looked past Helena. Helena was right; the hallway ended and in front of them was a single steel door. "You think this is it?"
Helena surveyed the door. "Well, none of the other doors were made out of steel, so I'm guessing that would make it the most likely choice." Helena reached out the grab the doorknob, but Dinah grabbed her hand.
"No!"
"What?" Helena asked annoyed.
"Well, it could be a trap." There was a tinge of fear in Dinah's voice. Helena guessed that wasn't Dinah's real concern.
"Well, we'll just have to take our chance." Helena reached for the door again, but Dinah once again grabbed her hand.
"What is it now?"
"Hel, I'm scared. What if we find something we don't want to find? What if she's.she's.." Dinah trailed off, not being able to finish her sentence.
Helena squeezed her partner's hand. "She's not." Though she wasn't the resident telepath of the group, she knew what Dinah had been thinking. She had the same thoughts running through her own mind, but she refused to believe them. They didn't come this far for it all to be in vain. Barbara was on the other side of that door, alive and breathing. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew it.
Before Dinah could stop her once again, Helena grabbed the door and opened it.
"Barbara?" she whispered, fear now creeping into her own voice as she pushed back the door and silently gasped at the sight before her.
Helena and Dinah walked down the subway rail towards a small service door. After Dinah had insisted that they have a plan before trying to save Barbara, Helena had called Reese over to go over the maps they had. After triangulating Barbara's position, they had decided on their best course of action. There was a small service station just south of the subway terminal. Helena guessed that it had to be the entrance to the underground building that the Joker was using as his hide out. She had decided that it would best if Reese waited outside with a SWAT team while Helena and Dinah rescued Barbara. Helena wanted to be sure that Barbara was all right and out of the way, when the police stormed the area for the Joker. Reese had argued with her on that point. He believed that it would be best to storm the building in one sweep in hopes of creating enough confusion for the girls to rescue Barbara, but Helena thought it was too risky. With so many people there was bound to be a firefight and Helena didn't want to mess with any of that. She wanted to get in, get Barbara, and get out. And if she happened to come across the Joker and kill him in the process, well that would just be an added bonus. She kept that thought to herself, though.
Helena and Dinah made it to the service station with ease. It was eleven o'clock and the last train had left thirty minutes ago. This gave them a forty-five minute window before the next train came barreling down the tracks. They hoped this would give them enough time to rescue Barbara and get out before the next train came.
Helena cautiously pushed the service door opened and after securing the area, motioned for Dinah to follow. The room had not been guarded, which really hadn't surprised Helena. Workers used this station all of the time. It would be foolish for the Joker to post a man up here.
"Spread out and look for any signs of an opening." Helena instructed Dinah as she began to scan the room.
"What am I looking for?"
"A weak spot in the wall, a.."
"How about a huge hole covered by a storage shelf?" Dinah interrupted Helena as she examined a storage shelf on the far wall. She carefully pushed it out of the way to reveal a gaping hole in the wall where the shelving unit had once been. Dinah looked down into the darkness. "It looks like there's a ladder leading down." She looked up smiling.
"Nice work, kid." Helena said as she moved towards the hole. She stepped into the hole and started down the rungs. "Follow me and stay close. We don't know what we'll find down here." Helena whispered as she made her way down the ladder.
"Hopefully Barbara." Dinah whispered back, excitement in her voice.
"Shh." Helena shushed Dinah, although she could barely keep from smiling herself. After days of agonizing chaos, Helena could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. They were so close to finding Barbara and maybe then their nightmare would finally end.
Helena reached the bottom of the ladder and looked around. It was completely dark wherever they were. She pulled a tiny penlight from her pocket and pushed the button. Though the pen was small, it produced enough light to make out their surroundings.
"It looks like we're in a lobby of an office building," Dinah said as she jumped off the ladder and stumbled into Helena.
Helena gave her a dirty look. "Sorry," Dinah whispered as she surveyed the room.
Helena put her fingers to her ear. "Alfred, how far are we away from Barbara?" she asked.
Since Barbara was gone and Helena needed Dinah to help rescue her, Alfred had volunteered to watch the Delphi and guide them through the underground using the maps Barbara had provided.
"Follow that first right hallway past the receptionist desk, Miss Helena. The hallway then takes a sharp left. It looks like Miss Barbara's signal is coming from a room at the end." Alfred said, watching the girl's signals on the map in front of them. Dinah had set up their comms so that Alfred could track them in correlation with Barbara's signal. Helena had been impressed by how much Dinah had learned from Barbara in the past few months. She was becoming quite the Oracle's protégé.
Dinah followed Helena as she moved down the right hallway and cautiously made the left turn at the end. "Don't you find it a little odd that no one is here guarding the place? I mean, this place is totally dead."
Helena nodded as she kept walking. "You're right. It's almost too quiet, but my spider sense isn't tingling yet. Maybe they're just all out to lunch."
Dinah rolled her eyes at the likelihood of that being the case. Whatever was going on, she didn't like it. Something about this just wasn't right. It all just seemed too easy to be true.
Helena stopped dead in her tracks as Dinah plowed into her back. "Oww!" Dinah exclaimed a little too loudly as she backed up and rubbed her arm. "Why the heck did you stop?"
"End of the road." Helena whispered back.
Dinah looked past Helena. Helena was right; the hallway ended and in front of them was a single steel door. "You think this is it?"
Helena surveyed the door. "Well, none of the other doors were made out of steel, so I'm guessing that would make it the most likely choice." Helena reached out the grab the doorknob, but Dinah grabbed her hand.
"No!"
"What?" Helena asked annoyed.
"Well, it could be a trap." There was a tinge of fear in Dinah's voice. Helena guessed that wasn't Dinah's real concern.
"Well, we'll just have to take our chance." Helena reached for the door again, but Dinah once again grabbed her hand.
"What is it now?"
"Hel, I'm scared. What if we find something we don't want to find? What if she's.she's.." Dinah trailed off, not being able to finish her sentence.
Helena squeezed her partner's hand. "She's not." Though she wasn't the resident telepath of the group, she knew what Dinah had been thinking. She had the same thoughts running through her own mind, but she refused to believe them. They didn't come this far for it all to be in vain. Barbara was on the other side of that door, alive and breathing. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew it.
Before Dinah could stop her once again, Helena grabbed the door and opened it.
"Barbara?" she whispered, fear now creeping into her own voice as she pushed back the door and silently gasped at the sight before her.