Helena's sedan cruised past the No Man's Land building looking for a place to park. Dinah looked at the building with a fond smile. She was almost jumping in her seat looking at her old haunts. Helena stopped the car. "Dinah, why don't you go ahead? I can't find a parking space and we can't unload the wheelchair in the middle of the street," she suggested.
"Sure," she answered and got out after looking out for any traffic.
She dashed across the street. She didn't notice the car stopping just after the intersection or the man snapping pictures of her with his camera. Dinah opened the door and slipped inside Gibson's shop, which looked as strange as ever. One of Gibson's employees whom she didn't recognize looked at her for a moment as she headed over to the elevator. "Excuse me Miss, but I have to ask you to…" The cute guy started to say, but Dinah just looked at him with a crooked smile. After a short moment he nodded and let her go down. As soon as she was out of sight he reached up and buttoned his shirt again. The elevator carried Dinah down.
She stepped out into the bar area. And things looked only slightly different. There were just as many metas as usual but a lot of them were younger and it seemed that someone had gotten Gibson to put in a small cluster of computers and a cappuccino machine. The man himself looked seriously busy at the bar.
Gibson quickly dealt out the drinks Ross had just ordered for his buddies. Suddenly he felt a presence and a scent reached his nose that he knew couldn't be. He wasn't wallowing in his memories, so he became confused and looked around to try and find the source of the smell of that particular combination of scent and soap. He turned to face a nearly adult Dinah Lance smiling widely.
"Hi, Gibson I would really like a coke, do you have one nearby," Dinah asked as Gibson finally saw her, but he just tipped over like a tree cut by a lumberjack. Dinah leaned in over the bar and lifted a pencil thin blonde eyebrow.
"It is happening again isn't it? I am going insane. I am seeing things. Dinah is dead just as dead as Helena and Barbara. I was there, 12th February 2003 nice burial clear skies no rain even if I wanted it to," Gibson babbled while pushing himself away from an increasingly worried looking Dinah.
"Gibson, it's me. I am alive, we all are. We didn't die. We were hidden from the Joker," Dinah said and immediately the entire bar fell silent. Gibson stopped back away and slowly rose. He walked forward and reached out to touch Dinah. She shied away slightly, but realized that he needed to touch her to ensure himself she was real and stopped moving.
Gibson felt the warmth of her skin and regular heartbeat of an athlete beating at a slower rate than he remembered but still recognizable. This was really Dinah Lance the daughter of the Black Canary.
"So how about that coke," Dinah replied as the noise in the bar slowly returned.
Gibson smiled and reached down, "Here. Have one on the house." He handed her the unopened can.
"Thanks and yes Helena and Barbara should be here in a few minutes," she said before he could even utter the question. He looked at her oddly, but didn't utter the question in his eyes.
Outside Helena and Barbara rounded the corner and headed for the front door of the shop that served as Gibson's cover. "So do you think Gibson is still alive or has Dinah given him a massive coronary?" Helena asked.
"He'll get over it as soon as he realizes that it means the object of his desire still lives," Barbara hinted.
"Ugh, I had almost forgotten that part," Helena replied with a grimace and opened the door to admit her friend.
The man in the camera put down his camera and glanced over at his laptop. A progress bar indicated that his pictures were already being uploaded through the small antenna to his master's computers somewhere on this mother earth. He waited until the progress bar finished then picked up his cell phone and made the call. "I have sent you pictures of the Bat's progeny and those which she seems to be allied around with, master," he told the listener on the other end. He in turn listened to his master's commands. "I will put it in motion immediately. I have already made the preparations over the last weeks," he finally said and slowly closed the phone. Soon the car was speeding off towards the outer edge of New Gotham.
Helena, Gibson, Barbara and Dinah were seated around the bar. Gibson had closed the No Man's Land just after their arrival to have a little privacy with the friends he had missed so long. Helena was in the middle of telling them the story of how the Huntress and Nightwing had kicked the asses of a group of terrorists the Joker had been supplying with high tech weaponry after going undercover at a remote vacation resort in Africa… as a married couple. The last of Gibson's employees who had been washing the glasses out back ran in. "Gibson, there is a problem at Arkham," he said almost out of breath, "they just said on the radio that there had been some kind of explosion and some of the inmates had gotten out before the personnel could stop them. Harley Quinn is amongst those missing."
Dinah couldn't stop herself from gasping. Barbara looked deathly pale and Helena seemed to be getting close to her boiling point before they had even thought about it. "Alright this is it," Barbara suddenly seemed to shake her pallor and looked at Dinah and Helena. While Gibson and his employee spoke they quietly slipped out.
"I know we all have demons to face when it comes to Harley and her now dead lover, but if we can't face them then we have no business trying to do what we're are trying to do," Barbara told them as the elevator door opened.
Dinah nodded seemingly lost in thought, while Helena said, "I agree. We need to catch that bitch before she disappears or starts some kind of catastrophe." They came out of the bar to find Alfred standing in front of the old Batmobile.
"Brilliant Alfred, just what we need. Dinah, you're riding with me. Alfred you and Barbara head home in the other car," Helena commanded. Barbara and Alfred nodded.
"I need something from the mansion," Dinah said as she sat down besides Helena.
"Yeah, I do too. My costume should be ready for another round, so we best go fetch it… Say have you ever been in one of my dad's cars," Helena asked.
"No," Dinah answered.
"Then you're in for an experience," Helena replied and hammered her foot down on the gas. The night black armored high speed vehicle blew through the streets of New Gotham at formula one speed. Inside Dinah Lance was holding on to the roof and hoping that the seatbelt would survive a massive crash like the one she was sure they were heading for with Helena driving. A short while later the Batmobile was cooling on the rotary launch pad in the cave. Helena walked over to the costume lockers, while Dinah made her way upstairs.
Helena checked herself in the mirror her Huntress costume looking fine. It was an adaptation of her earlier outfit, only now the leather underneath her cape like jacket was made of the same material as the bat-suits, while a small black mask covered her eyes making her look anonymous. She heard the clear sound of boots coming down the stairs. She turned to find Dinah wearing an outlandish look. She wore heavy looking combat boots, durable leather pants with a telescoping baton strapped on each of her legs and a closed biker jacket. There were goggles resting in her hair and a black air mask covered Dinah's lower face from ear to ear. "Why are you dressed like that?" Helena asked.
"It's my costume more or less. The face mask and goggles serve to hide my face and a secondary purpose as well," Dinah explained.
Helena took a second look and judged that Dinah costume was workable after she of course had it remade in the bullet and knife resistant material that her father had made for his bat-suit. "Alright let's go," she replied and turned towards the Batmobile.
"Wait a minute," Barbara's voice came from the top of the stairs, where she and Alfred stood. Helena turned and waited patiently.
"I don't have the new communication jewelry or all of Delphi around to help me yet, but I have this and I can still do some things from here," she said and gave Alfred a handful of things, which he promptly carried downstairs.
Helena and Dinah quickly clipped on the two-way com-links which looked like they were hearing aids and looked up at Barbara. "I will try to help you track Harley from here. I know you two haven't been fighting together for two years and we haven't even had the time to prepare for this battle, but I know you can do it. Get her into police custody and come back safely," she said and gave the pair a wave before they headed back to the Batmobile.
"Can you hear me?" Barbara's voice echoed in both earpieces.
"Yes, Oracle," Helena answered.
"The New Gotham Police are very busy out at Arkham so I don't think we need to worry about that place right now, but a couple of inmates seem to have stolen an ambulance are barreling down the eastern freeway right now without any police on their tails. Harley might be there," Barbara reported.
"We'll get them," Helena said. The Batmobile sped down the roads of New Gotham. For a while Dinah looked lost in thought then reached up and slipped the goggles down over her eyes. The Batmobile thundered up onto the freeway and weaved through the light traffic. Helena expertly led the vehicle around a truck and for a moment they caught a glimpse of the ambulance barreling down the road with all sirens blaring.
"Can you open the roof, while we're driving," Dinah asked urgently.
"Sure," Helena replied.
"Then do it," Dinah commanded, while unlocking her seatbelt. Helena flipped a switch and the overhead hatch slid out of the way. Dinah slowly rose to stand.
"Hey, don't do anything insane," Helena yelled.
Dinah flew out of the car and came to hover over the fast moving car. Helena looked up in surprise. Dinah's voice muffled by her face mask came over their com-link. "Helena I'll try to stop them. They might slam the breaks suddenly so move to a safe distance," which Helena started to do. Dinah matched speed with the ambulance and seemed to hang there for a moment then the ambulance's hood flipped open and came up to cover the front window.
The ambulance hammered through the barrier and flew down a ridge of thorny bushes. It landed with a massive crash, which seemed to shut off the engine. The blaring of the sirens disappeared slowly. The Batmobile came to a screeching halt and the Huntress ran out, jumped and flipped in the air to land next to the ambulance. Dinah landed a few feet behind her. Helena slowly advanced on the vehicle when a man armed with a scalpel jumped out. He looked very angry and yelled incoherent words at them.
Helena walked past the man, while she unceremoniously punched his lights out. He flew back and impacted the ambulance with enough force to make a dent in the car. Dinah winced in sympathy, but continued to scan over the area for any surprises. "There's another guy in here, but the crash has knocked him out," Helena reported, while Dinah gave Barbara a terse report of the situation over her com-link. She watched Helena produce plastic cuffs from her jacket pockets and tie up the two former Arkham inmates.
"Helena just told me you flew," Barbara's voice came over her com-link.
Dinah winced slightly. "I have been training my power just like you taught me to. I can fly for short distances, but it takes a lot out of me, so I don't do it much. That is also the reason for my goggles and mask," she explained.
"They are there to keep the wind and grit out of your eyes and mouth, when you move through the air," Barbara said over the com.
"Yeah," she agreed.
A small click told Dinah that the next words were shared between them all. "A patrol car is 50 seconds from your position and closing. Leave the trash for them to find," Barbara suggested.
"Let's go," Helena said and moved towards the Batmobile.
"Go on ahead I will catch up. I will just see if these guys know anything about Harley," Dinah said and ran over towards the cuffed felons, while pulling off her left glove.
"Damn it," Helena cursed but ran for the Batmobile anyway.
Dinah knew that she was about to experience the mind of a disturbed person. She took a deep breath and put her hand on the man's chin. They both stiffened. For a while Dinah seemed to shake then she drew her hand away. A flashlight was sweeping the ground towards her. Covered in cold sweat and reeling from the experience she still pushed herself of the ground to hover several yards over the crash site. The police men rushed down the ridge towards them. Dinah guessed that her silhouette must have been visible against the city lights, because one of the cops looked up and gasped. She was feeling well enough and so she flew off in the direction she thought the Batmobile had gone.
Helena found that driving the Batmobile with the top open was a very windy experience. She considered getting off the freeway, when Dinah dropped into her seat and began to buckle up. She looked pale and slightly tired. "I am guessing here, but you don't fly a lot," Helena commented.
"You guessed right, it takes a lot out of me throwing myself through the air with any kind of control," Dinah replied and lifted the goggles of her eyes.
"Oracle, I took a dive into the head of the guy, who was driving and besides being delusional, he did meet Harley recently. They transported her into the city, if I understood the images in his mind correctly," Dinah reported and shook her head as if to clear it.
Helena looked at Dinah. "You read the mind of a psychopath. You shouldn't do that Dinah. It could be dangerous to your mental health," she put her right hand into Dinah's left hand and gave it a squeeze.
"I know. But we're talking about Harley here. I can make a few sacrifices if it brings us even a little bit closer to her," Dinah explained.
"Still it was a big chance to take," Barbara said in her ear. Dinah didn't answer; she just relaxed and waited, while Helena guided the Batmobile into midtown.
As the clock ticked past 4 in the morning Alfred Pennyworth felt a cold draft coming from one of the living rooms as he passed it on his way up to Barbara with a cup of coffee. Wondering if he had forgotten to turn up the heat he walked into the room and realized that one of the doors to the terrace outside was open. Instincts trained from serving in this household for years made him turn around. His entire body tensed to run, but he found himself face to face with a disheveled looking Harley Quinn. Her eyes flashed into strange patterns of light and he found himself relaxing under her gaze.
"My dear butler, how have you been?" She asked with a voice filled with malice.
"Fine, milady," he answered.
"Will you do as I say?" She asked with a wide smile.
"Of course," he answered as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Is that cup for me?" She asked and held out a hand.
"It was meant for Miss Gordon," he said but still handed the shivering woman the warm cup.
Harley's eyes became small slits. "Let's go visit the dear girl," she said and indicated for him to lead the way.
Helena and Dinah stood on the roofs of opposite buildings. The Batmobile was parked inside an abandoned warehouse nearby. They had been prowling the roofs of New Gotham for a couple of hours. "Man, I've missed going out on regular sweeps like this," Helena remarked.
"Can't say the same, it never became a habit of mine, but then I am still too young to be as adrenaline dependent as you are," Dinah said as they both looked down onto the silent street below.
"I haven't been able find anything new on Delphi," Barbara's voice said in their ears.
"Should we call it a night?" Dinah asked.
"No way," Helena replied.
Suddenly the sound they were receiving in the earpieces changed. They were hearing a conversation in Barbara's room. "You won't get me that easy Harley," Barbara's distressed voice said.
There were sounds of running, a crash and then of Harley cursing.
"You have cut the connections to your infernal computer system, but that won't save you now will it," Harley's voice added then there was just static noise as the com-link went offline.
Dinah and Helena looked at each other and ran towards the Batmobile.
