Helena began to wake up. She tried to move but soon realized that she was
bound securely by thick metallic bands across her arms and her chest to a
metal chair. She then tried wiggling the chair but it was bolted to the
floor. She realized that she didn't have on her mask and blamed the blond
girl. Her eyes turned feline as she started struggled to get free. She
suddenly heard an electric noise. Barbara wheeled inside the room. The
brunette looked her surprised.
"Helena." the red head said seeing she was now awake.
"Who are you? The damned police? What kind of fucking place is this?"
"My what colourful language." Barbara said puckering her forehead into a frown.
"Fuck you!"
"I'm not the police." Barbara took a deep breath. " Helena don't remember me?."
"I dunno who the hell you are."
"I am."
"What's going on?" Dinah interrupted entering the lab. Then she noticed Helena's eyes. "Ah, she is awake and I imagine not very happy."
"Ah. I see." Helena smirked "You are a super-wheel hero? And blondie is your super-partner huh. Does she push your chair into super high speed velocity."
"Helena watch your mouth." Dinah said angrily.
"My name is not Helena!!!! Who the hell are you?" she yelled pulling at the bands that held her. "What do you want? Let me go!"
"Helena." the red head tried to keep her voice calm.
"I said my name is not Helena! Tell me what kind of fucking place is this!"
"Okay, okay, calm down. Your name is Helena Kyle and you are a crime fighter. We have been working together for seven years then 3 weeks ago you disappeared."
"Yea, and my father is Sylvester and you are Tweety, ok, have fun."
"At least she remembers her bad sense of humour." Dinah whispered to Barbara.
"Your father is Bruce Wayne." Barbara tried to explain.
Helena laughed loudly. "What? Are you nuts? Me the daughter of a millionaire? Stupid bitch! If I was his daughter I will be out spending money and not here."
"This is the last time I will tell you to watch your mouth!" Barbara shouted pointing at her.
Helena locked her eyes on her. They were two black lines over a golden iris. Barbara could feel a shiver running up and down her back as did Dinah. If glare of those eyes could kill they would all be dead now. Helena was another person.
"We are trying to help you. I'm not lying, we are partners, I don't know what happened to you. Maybe you have been brainwashed or hypnotized but be sure that we are going to help you to remember."
"I don't need yours or anyones!" she ground her teeth tugging at the metal bands again.
"Helena, you and I are friends."
"Friend my ass! I never saw you before!"
"Your mother was Selina Kyle, she was murdered."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Helena ranted glaring at her "I'm Selina Kyle!"
"You are who???" Barbara looked at her surprised.
"Catwoman, fuck!" she shouted fighting for release. "Let me go!"
"Selina Kyle you?. who told you that?"
" No one. That's my name!" Helena said.
"I'll ask again. Who told you that?"
"I'm ...! That's enough!"
"Helena thinks she is her Mom?" Dinah asked confused "Barbara that's crazy!"
"Madness is the emergency exit.(*)" Helena gave her an evil look and smirked.
The expression on Barbara's face froze. "What did you said?" she hissed.
"I said Madness is the emergency exit! Are you deaf?"
"Who told you to say that?" Barbara asked locking eyes with Helena.
"What is your fucking problem?" Helena answered angry.
Barbara slapped her and shouted "Tell me who the hell told you that!"
Dinah was frightened by Barbara's reaction. Helena was just as surprised.
"What's the matter with you?" The brunette asked.
"Are you working with the Joker?" Barbara asked feeling her heart leap up into her throat.
"Wha."
"Are you?" Barbara yelled.
"Yes!" Helena shouted lunging against her restraints "I'm working with him! He is my master! He taught me everything I know! New Gotham soon will be ours, and you and your stupid blond friend couldn't stop us!"
Dinah was stiff with shock unable to speak. Barbara put her hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe what she had just heard come out of Helena's mouth.
"That's not possible!" Barbara said confused "It couldn't be! He is in jail!"
"I see you know him." Helena smirked "Good. So it isn't necessary to tell you that he would kill you if you don't let me go."
Barbara wheeled out of the lab with Dinah hurrying to catch up.
"And now what?" Helena shouted after them still fighting to get loose. "Hey! Come back!"
Barbara rolled up onto the platform and started typing on the keyboard. Dinah followed her in silence. "Son of bitch." Barbara said in low voice almost crying "What did he do to her?"
"What happened? I don't understand why she would say something like that? Why you were so mad? What did she mean that 'Madness is the emergency exit'"
"The Joker said that to my dad after he shoot me." Barbara explained concerned. Dinah said nothing but placed a comforting hand on Barbara's shoulder. "I don't understand, he is still in jail. It looks like somehow she has been brainwashed. I need to conduct a scan her brain. Please go back into the lab and put the scanner over her head."
"Got it."
* * *
Helena was frustrated, she was still immobilized in the chair. She saw Dinah walking toward her. "And now what, blondie?"
"My name is Dinah. We are going to help you. wheter you wish it or not." Dinah pushed a button and the dome settled over Helena's head.
"Hey. what is this?" Helena asked. "What are you doing? That read head and you."
"That read head is trying to figure out what happened to you and help you." Dinah adjusted the dome. "It's ready!" she shouted.
A green light turned on and began to move around Helena's head slowly. "What is this?" she asked again.
"Don't worry, don't kill. You are Helena Kyle, The Huntress" Dinah said crossing her arms in front of her "Somehow this person managed to make you believe that you are Catwoman."
"I'm Catwoman bitch!"
"Catwoman was your mother, she died seven years ago. You are a Crime fighter."
"And you're saying I'm nuts? You and your friend really need a shrink."
"It's done Dinah" Barbara called from the other room.
"Ok." Dinah took off the dome of Helena's head.
"Why did you bring me here?" Helena asked "Why didn't take me to the police? What do you want?"
"And you used to say I talk a lot." Dinah sighed and looked at her "Okay, first question: We lost you 3 weeks ago. I found you and brought home. Second question: Because you are our friend and you are so special to us. Third question: we want help you."
"How long are you going to keep me here?"
"Until you are back to your old self."
Helena grumbled while Dinah exited the lab. Helena was pondering what to do, she struggled trying to get free. She suddenly stopped fighting, it was impossible to break the metallic bands. Who are those women that say they are her friends? It couldn't be, if that was true she would remember.
Her anger grew and she groaned loudly, she felt frustrated, and the fact that she couldn't remember who they were didn't help her very much. Dinah and Barbara were working in the other side of the lab, they heard her and turner her head.
"That was a big 'meouw'" Dinah said. "She is really pissed, I never listen her scream as that."
Barbara sighed and moved her head "Let her alone a while, we need focus in understand what is happening."
"What did you find?" she asked.
"This is interesting. See that?" Barbara pointed to the screen "It's a bruise and a bad one at that. She took a strong blow to her head."
"What means that?"
"It is a strong indication that she could have amnesia."
"Amnesia?"
"Yeah. She would have had to be in a fight to receive such a strong blow. Our impersonator must have noticed her memory lapse and took full advantage of it."
"But this person must be connected to the Joker or believes is the Joker."
"And for that reason this could be really dangerous."
Helena groaned loudly again.
"How are you going to bring her back?" Dinah asked keeping an eye on her "You can't keep her confined forever."
"There are medicines that would help her overcome her memory loss," Barbara explained "but first I need determine what form of amnesia she is suffering from. Stay here, I need something from my room. Be back in just a minute."
As Barbara wheeled herself to her room, she listened the meows of Helena. She was lost in her thoughts *Guess she is really pissed now. Trying to bring her back is going to take quite a bit of time. Whoever it was, they had done a thorough job in brainwashing Helena. He must have intimate knowledge of Helena's and her mother's life. Now Barbara, two problems to solve: first trying to find who is behind this and second trying to restore Helena's memory. As Dinah said, we can't keep her confined forever. *
Barbara went to her closet to change her blouse. She opened the door and she moved her clothes searching for something, she suddenly found a dark blouse, it wasn't hers, it was Helena's, she always used to leave her clothes around the Clocktower. She took it and she closed her eyes.
She had taken Helena back to Clock Tower after she had found her in the alley and almost obliged her to take a shower, the night was freezing and she had been outside, soaked to the bone for many hours. She too took a bath and then left Helena sleeping, she went to her room to rest, it had been a long night.
Helena woke up a few minutes later, she looked around all was silent and dark. Barbara had gone. She stared at the wall for a few seconds, lost in her thoughts she felt alone. She stood up and approached Barbara's bedroom. She stopped in front of the door several minutes looking at the lock; she stepped back, she thought it was a mistake being there. Lowering her head, she walked to her room, but she walked two steps and stopped again. She turned her head looking back at Barbara's room; she didn't know what to do.
Barbara couldn't sleep, she felt so sad for the girl. She heard the door open slowly; she didn't move, she knew it was the girl; a few seconds later she heard the door close, but she didn't hear her steps. Barbara sighed deeply; Helena still didn't trust her, she had returned to her room.
Suddenly she felt a weight on her mattress; the girl really was very silent. Helena maked herself comfortable on a small space of the bed, trying to not annoy Barbara. The red head smiled, she waited a few seconds before she rolled on her side and looked her. Helena had curled herself over the blankets and had her eyes closed, trying to sleep; she looked like a little angel.
Barbara pulled the bedspread that was at the bottom of the mattress over and covered her. Barbara brushed her hair "Good night." she gave her a kiss on her forehead, before turning to the other side.
"Night." Helena said.
Barbara felt better knowing that the girl began to open herself up to Barbara in her way. She had fallen asleep when she heard Helena's soft voice.
"Barbara."
"Mmm?"
"Why do you take care of me?"
"Because you are important to me."
"But..I'm not a part of your family. I'm just a daughter of a friend."
Barbara opened her eyes and turned to look at her. Helena was looking at her with her feral pupils. "You are wrong, you are my family, you aren't just the daughter of a friend; it's not necessary to have the same blood to take care of somebody or to love them, keep that in mind always. You worth so much, don't feel less than anyone"
"Okay. Night." Helena turned her back to her.
"Night." Barbara closed her eyes, she rested her back in the mattress, she felt so tired.
"And what if I don't want you to be my family?" Helena's asked.
"You can go." Barbara said sleepy "but I don't think you would like being back at in Federal custody. You have a certain aversion to the law and rules."
Helena kept silent a few seconds and rolled over, she had her eyelids closed. "And what if I want to go live alone?"
"You are an awful cook." Barbara answered "If you want to commit suicide it's your problem, not mine."
Helena rested her back on the mattress and looked at the ceiling. "Maybe I would come here for breakfast and dinner."
"I'm warning you, I'm not a good cook either." Barbara mumbled.
"So. what have we been eating the last few months?" Helena asked without moving her eyes from the ceiling.
"I buy food, or Alfred help me, but if you leave I wouldn't have the responsibility to feed you anymore. I will start to preparing my marvellous egg sandwiches again."
"I don't like eggs. better keep buying food." Helena played with her fingers, Barbara didn't answer her. The brunette examined the room with her eyes, she'd never been there, it was her first time there, not because Barbara prohibited her from going there, it was because she tried to keep her distance from her mentor.
Barbara was almost asleep when Helena interrupted her with another question "And what happen if I one day I hit you? You will still want to take care of me?"
"Yes." Barbara sighed and rolled to her side "because before you could even touch me, I assure you, you will be lying on the floor, and I will hit you so hard that you never would think of raising your hand against me."
Helena laughed, it was the first time Barbara heard her laughing in the last few months. She smiled. Helena covered her shoulders with the bedspread. "Night." she said.
"Night" Barbara was starting to dream when she heard Helena's voice again.
".Barbara."
"Yes." she said drowsily.
"I love you."
* * *
"Helena." the red head said seeing she was now awake.
"Who are you? The damned police? What kind of fucking place is this?"
"My what colourful language." Barbara said puckering her forehead into a frown.
"Fuck you!"
"I'm not the police." Barbara took a deep breath. " Helena don't remember me?."
"I dunno who the hell you are."
"I am."
"What's going on?" Dinah interrupted entering the lab. Then she noticed Helena's eyes. "Ah, she is awake and I imagine not very happy."
"Ah. I see." Helena smirked "You are a super-wheel hero? And blondie is your super-partner huh. Does she push your chair into super high speed velocity."
"Helena watch your mouth." Dinah said angrily.
"My name is not Helena!!!! Who the hell are you?" she yelled pulling at the bands that held her. "What do you want? Let me go!"
"Helena." the red head tried to keep her voice calm.
"I said my name is not Helena! Tell me what kind of fucking place is this!"
"Okay, okay, calm down. Your name is Helena Kyle and you are a crime fighter. We have been working together for seven years then 3 weeks ago you disappeared."
"Yea, and my father is Sylvester and you are Tweety, ok, have fun."
"At least she remembers her bad sense of humour." Dinah whispered to Barbara.
"Your father is Bruce Wayne." Barbara tried to explain.
Helena laughed loudly. "What? Are you nuts? Me the daughter of a millionaire? Stupid bitch! If I was his daughter I will be out spending money and not here."
"This is the last time I will tell you to watch your mouth!" Barbara shouted pointing at her.
Helena locked her eyes on her. They were two black lines over a golden iris. Barbara could feel a shiver running up and down her back as did Dinah. If glare of those eyes could kill they would all be dead now. Helena was another person.
"We are trying to help you. I'm not lying, we are partners, I don't know what happened to you. Maybe you have been brainwashed or hypnotized but be sure that we are going to help you to remember."
"I don't need yours or anyones!" she ground her teeth tugging at the metal bands again.
"Helena, you and I are friends."
"Friend my ass! I never saw you before!"
"Your mother was Selina Kyle, she was murdered."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Helena ranted glaring at her "I'm Selina Kyle!"
"You are who???" Barbara looked at her surprised.
"Catwoman, fuck!" she shouted fighting for release. "Let me go!"
"Selina Kyle you?. who told you that?"
" No one. That's my name!" Helena said.
"I'll ask again. Who told you that?"
"I'm ...! That's enough!"
"Helena thinks she is her Mom?" Dinah asked confused "Barbara that's crazy!"
"Madness is the emergency exit.(*)" Helena gave her an evil look and smirked.
The expression on Barbara's face froze. "What did you said?" she hissed.
"I said Madness is the emergency exit! Are you deaf?"
"Who told you to say that?" Barbara asked locking eyes with Helena.
"What is your fucking problem?" Helena answered angry.
Barbara slapped her and shouted "Tell me who the hell told you that!"
Dinah was frightened by Barbara's reaction. Helena was just as surprised.
"What's the matter with you?" The brunette asked.
"Are you working with the Joker?" Barbara asked feeling her heart leap up into her throat.
"Wha."
"Are you?" Barbara yelled.
"Yes!" Helena shouted lunging against her restraints "I'm working with him! He is my master! He taught me everything I know! New Gotham soon will be ours, and you and your stupid blond friend couldn't stop us!"
Dinah was stiff with shock unable to speak. Barbara put her hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe what she had just heard come out of Helena's mouth.
"That's not possible!" Barbara said confused "It couldn't be! He is in jail!"
"I see you know him." Helena smirked "Good. So it isn't necessary to tell you that he would kill you if you don't let me go."
Barbara wheeled out of the lab with Dinah hurrying to catch up.
"And now what?" Helena shouted after them still fighting to get loose. "Hey! Come back!"
Barbara rolled up onto the platform and started typing on the keyboard. Dinah followed her in silence. "Son of bitch." Barbara said in low voice almost crying "What did he do to her?"
"What happened? I don't understand why she would say something like that? Why you were so mad? What did she mean that 'Madness is the emergency exit'"
"The Joker said that to my dad after he shoot me." Barbara explained concerned. Dinah said nothing but placed a comforting hand on Barbara's shoulder. "I don't understand, he is still in jail. It looks like somehow she has been brainwashed. I need to conduct a scan her brain. Please go back into the lab and put the scanner over her head."
"Got it."
* * *
Helena was frustrated, she was still immobilized in the chair. She saw Dinah walking toward her. "And now what, blondie?"
"My name is Dinah. We are going to help you. wheter you wish it or not." Dinah pushed a button and the dome settled over Helena's head.
"Hey. what is this?" Helena asked. "What are you doing? That read head and you."
"That read head is trying to figure out what happened to you and help you." Dinah adjusted the dome. "It's ready!" she shouted.
A green light turned on and began to move around Helena's head slowly. "What is this?" she asked again.
"Don't worry, don't kill. You are Helena Kyle, The Huntress" Dinah said crossing her arms in front of her "Somehow this person managed to make you believe that you are Catwoman."
"I'm Catwoman bitch!"
"Catwoman was your mother, she died seven years ago. You are a Crime fighter."
"And you're saying I'm nuts? You and your friend really need a shrink."
"It's done Dinah" Barbara called from the other room.
"Ok." Dinah took off the dome of Helena's head.
"Why did you bring me here?" Helena asked "Why didn't take me to the police? What do you want?"
"And you used to say I talk a lot." Dinah sighed and looked at her "Okay, first question: We lost you 3 weeks ago. I found you and brought home. Second question: Because you are our friend and you are so special to us. Third question: we want help you."
"How long are you going to keep me here?"
"Until you are back to your old self."
Helena grumbled while Dinah exited the lab. Helena was pondering what to do, she struggled trying to get free. She suddenly stopped fighting, it was impossible to break the metallic bands. Who are those women that say they are her friends? It couldn't be, if that was true she would remember.
Her anger grew and she groaned loudly, she felt frustrated, and the fact that she couldn't remember who they were didn't help her very much. Dinah and Barbara were working in the other side of the lab, they heard her and turner her head.
"That was a big 'meouw'" Dinah said. "She is really pissed, I never listen her scream as that."
Barbara sighed and moved her head "Let her alone a while, we need focus in understand what is happening."
"What did you find?" she asked.
"This is interesting. See that?" Barbara pointed to the screen "It's a bruise and a bad one at that. She took a strong blow to her head."
"What means that?"
"It is a strong indication that she could have amnesia."
"Amnesia?"
"Yeah. She would have had to be in a fight to receive such a strong blow. Our impersonator must have noticed her memory lapse and took full advantage of it."
"But this person must be connected to the Joker or believes is the Joker."
"And for that reason this could be really dangerous."
Helena groaned loudly again.
"How are you going to bring her back?" Dinah asked keeping an eye on her "You can't keep her confined forever."
"There are medicines that would help her overcome her memory loss," Barbara explained "but first I need determine what form of amnesia she is suffering from. Stay here, I need something from my room. Be back in just a minute."
As Barbara wheeled herself to her room, she listened the meows of Helena. She was lost in her thoughts *Guess she is really pissed now. Trying to bring her back is going to take quite a bit of time. Whoever it was, they had done a thorough job in brainwashing Helena. He must have intimate knowledge of Helena's and her mother's life. Now Barbara, two problems to solve: first trying to find who is behind this and second trying to restore Helena's memory. As Dinah said, we can't keep her confined forever. *
Barbara went to her closet to change her blouse. She opened the door and she moved her clothes searching for something, she suddenly found a dark blouse, it wasn't hers, it was Helena's, she always used to leave her clothes around the Clocktower. She took it and she closed her eyes.
She had taken Helena back to Clock Tower after she had found her in the alley and almost obliged her to take a shower, the night was freezing and she had been outside, soaked to the bone for many hours. She too took a bath and then left Helena sleeping, she went to her room to rest, it had been a long night.
Helena woke up a few minutes later, she looked around all was silent and dark. Barbara had gone. She stared at the wall for a few seconds, lost in her thoughts she felt alone. She stood up and approached Barbara's bedroom. She stopped in front of the door several minutes looking at the lock; she stepped back, she thought it was a mistake being there. Lowering her head, she walked to her room, but she walked two steps and stopped again. She turned her head looking back at Barbara's room; she didn't know what to do.
Barbara couldn't sleep, she felt so sad for the girl. She heard the door open slowly; she didn't move, she knew it was the girl; a few seconds later she heard the door close, but she didn't hear her steps. Barbara sighed deeply; Helena still didn't trust her, she had returned to her room.
Suddenly she felt a weight on her mattress; the girl really was very silent. Helena maked herself comfortable on a small space of the bed, trying to not annoy Barbara. The red head smiled, she waited a few seconds before she rolled on her side and looked her. Helena had curled herself over the blankets and had her eyes closed, trying to sleep; she looked like a little angel.
Barbara pulled the bedspread that was at the bottom of the mattress over and covered her. Barbara brushed her hair "Good night." she gave her a kiss on her forehead, before turning to the other side.
"Night." Helena said.
Barbara felt better knowing that the girl began to open herself up to Barbara in her way. She had fallen asleep when she heard Helena's soft voice.
"Barbara."
"Mmm?"
"Why do you take care of me?"
"Because you are important to me."
"But..I'm not a part of your family. I'm just a daughter of a friend."
Barbara opened her eyes and turned to look at her. Helena was looking at her with her feral pupils. "You are wrong, you are my family, you aren't just the daughter of a friend; it's not necessary to have the same blood to take care of somebody or to love them, keep that in mind always. You worth so much, don't feel less than anyone"
"Okay. Night." Helena turned her back to her.
"Night." Barbara closed her eyes, she rested her back in the mattress, she felt so tired.
"And what if I don't want you to be my family?" Helena's asked.
"You can go." Barbara said sleepy "but I don't think you would like being back at in Federal custody. You have a certain aversion to the law and rules."
Helena kept silent a few seconds and rolled over, she had her eyelids closed. "And what if I want to go live alone?"
"You are an awful cook." Barbara answered "If you want to commit suicide it's your problem, not mine."
Helena rested her back on the mattress and looked at the ceiling. "Maybe I would come here for breakfast and dinner."
"I'm warning you, I'm not a good cook either." Barbara mumbled.
"So. what have we been eating the last few months?" Helena asked without moving her eyes from the ceiling.
"I buy food, or Alfred help me, but if you leave I wouldn't have the responsibility to feed you anymore. I will start to preparing my marvellous egg sandwiches again."
"I don't like eggs. better keep buying food." Helena played with her fingers, Barbara didn't answer her. The brunette examined the room with her eyes, she'd never been there, it was her first time there, not because Barbara prohibited her from going there, it was because she tried to keep her distance from her mentor.
Barbara was almost asleep when Helena interrupted her with another question "And what happen if I one day I hit you? You will still want to take care of me?"
"Yes." Barbara sighed and rolled to her side "because before you could even touch me, I assure you, you will be lying on the floor, and I will hit you so hard that you never would think of raising your hand against me."
Helena laughed, it was the first time Barbara heard her laughing in the last few months. She smiled. Helena covered her shoulders with the bedspread. "Night." she said.
"Night" Barbara was starting to dream when she heard Helena's voice again.
".Barbara."
"Yes." she said drowsily.
"I love you."
* * *