Chapter 7:

            The Batmobile hammered into the Cave. Helena vaulted out of the car and jumped across the path leading to the stairs. Dinah ran behind her. "Helena, we should stay together. We don't have any protection against her powers right now," Dinah cautioned the pissed heroine, who was already halfway up the stairs.

To Dinah's relief Helena slowed down enough for her to catch up. "The coverings in my mask should protect me from her hypnosis, so it'll be my job to fight Harley. You concentrate on any one she has brought under her control," Helena dictated as they opened the secret door and slipped into the mansion.

The small team silently made their way to Barbara's temporary command post and found the door open. Helena jumped inside ready to take any comers, but was greeted by an empty room. Dinah walked in after her and looked around for any surprises. "It looks like Barbara put up quite a fight," she commented as she walked around examining the room.

"I think she got Alfred as well. I have seen neither hide nor hair of him and there is a smashed cup of coffee on the floor," Helena suggested.

"Uh, what is up with her computers," she commented and indicated at the frozen screens.

Helena walked over and to take a look. "I think Oracle has secured Delphi from any tampering by Harley," she said after shaking a mouse to see if that would change anything.

An electronic woman's voice spoke, "Huntress voice pattern identified, Current security state indicates that all control of Delphi resources are to be transferred to Huntress."

Dinah looked at Helena with confusion in her expression. "It's Delphi. Barbara has made some upgrades. But I don't understand why Barbara has given me control of Delphi," Helena said and looked to Dinah.

Dinah stood in silence for a moment, then thought of an idea. "Helena, Barbara can track us using the com-links through Delphi right. Maybe she can be tracked as well. Maybe we can find her using Delphi. Barbara is giving us the chance to save her, before Harley kills her," she explained with fear tingeing her voice.

"That is a good idea," Helena said and looked at the Delphi terminals. "But how do I find Barbara? I have no idea how to get Delphi to do anything," she complained.

"Maybe if you ask Delphi to find someone for you, it does," Dinah suggested not knowing squat about the new upgraded Delphi system.

"Okay let's try. Delphi, I need to find Oracle," she said.

The computers remained silent for a while then Delphi's voice said, "Displaying Oracle position on map." A window appeared on the computer desktop showing a map of New Gotham and a small red dot that was slowly moving towards the docks.

Dinah and Helena looked at each other and said, "The Phoenix Project."

"Should I stay here and watch the map," Dinah offered as Helena walked towards the door.

"Nope, first of all I don't know if Delphi would even respond to you. Second the com-links are still down and I have no idea on how to bring them back. And third I would like to have you watching my back," Helena explained. Dinah nodded and followed her to the Cave and the very fast Batmobile.

They got into the by-now warm cockpit. Helena checked the fuel status, while Dinah strapped in. Helena looked over to her and said, "We will get both Alfred and Barbara back. Harley will go back behind bars."

"I just don't want my fears to become real. I have only had you guys back for a few weeks now. Harley was the beginning of all that went bad the last time," Dinah said.

Helena steered the Batmobile out of the cave at high speed in silence. Her face was set and her eyes hidden behind her mask.

The Batmobile rolled to a stop near the condemned buildings still owned by the Phoenix Land Development Project. Dinah and Helena quietly got out. "Shields up," Helena said into the portable computer that controlled the advanced car. Armor quickly slid into place around it. Dinah lifted an eyebrow, and then just turned around glancing at the eerily silent area.

"Where should we go?" She asked.

"Up," Helena indicated and jumped halfway up a fire escape, before vaulting neatly onto a nearby warehouse. Dinah just gave a sigh and launched herself into a move that was half jump and half levitation. Soon the Birds of Prey were traversing the early morning looking for some hint of Harley and her hostages.

"Isn't that the limousine that picked me up at the airport," Dinah asked and pointed to the car, which was parked just inside a warehouse.

Helena looked over and indicated that they should get over to that building. "I am going in from above, you take the front," she whispered. She jumped off the roof, landed lithely and sleek ran a few steps before another powerful jump sent her soaring onto the gravel covered roof of the tall warehouse. Dinah swung herself off the roof, slowed her descent and crept closer to the warehouse entrance.

She peered inside. A group of people were milling around on the warehouse floor. They looked like average people from the street. Girls wearing party clothes, a policeman holding his gun suspiciously, a couple of bums with metal pipes, a few guys wearing hip-hop clothes looking at the others with scorn and a mother toting a baseball bat with her toddler son in a stroller next to her. It would seem that Harley had been a little desperate in her recruitment process this time. Still neither the insane woman nor Barbara were anywhere in sight.

Dinah looked at the varied throng and wondered where Barbara could be, when Alfred walked up into view from a basement staircase. He was carrying a shotgun and looked just a brainwashed as everyone else in the place. She seriously considered how they were going to get past these innocent people, when suddenly Helena crashed through a skylight and landed near the staircase. "Dinah, take care of this please," she yelled out and performed an elegant jump sending her down into the staircase.

"Easy for you to say," Dinah commented to herself. The group turned and looked about to run after Helena. Dinah stepped out from her hiding place with her eyes focused on a large collection of old crates next to the group of wannabe hip-hoppers. They were soon taken out of the fight by falling crates. A shot made sparks fly from the wall next to her. Dinah moved her focus to the policeman and sent him flying backwards into a wood and glass enclosure where some offices had been, when the place had been in use. The policeman smashed through the enclosure.

The group ran forward as a whole, screaming wildly and brandishing their weapons only Alfred remained behind slowly making his way downstairs again. Dinah reached down and took out her batons. They slid into position as the woman with the baseball bat took a wild swing at her.

Dinah swung both her weapons up in an x-pattern to block the attack, while kicking a bum as hard as she could manage in the gut. The second bum tackled her to the ground.

Reacting on instinct and surprise Dinah pushed with her mind sending the bum flying in a ballistic curve out of her sight. She quickly jumped back to her feet and heard the sound of a baseball bat smashing into concrete, where she supposed her head had been. Not having the time for an attack Dinah hoped her gymnastics remained with her as performed a high flip backwards out of the first bum's oncoming pipe and over the woman with the bat.

She landed ready to attack only to find the remaining bum falling to the ground hurt by the bat of the woman that had hit him in the chest. Dinah quickly hammered her batons against the woman's arms, numbing them and sending the bat clattering to the ground.

The woman snarled and spun around to deliver a massive punch to Dinah's middle section. It felt like her lungs were burning as she smashed the butt ends of her batons into the woman's temples sending her to the ground as well. Dinah looked around finding that she was the only one standing on this level of the warehouse.

Helena hoped Dinah could handle the throng in the warehouse, but she was too worried about Barbara to leave her with Harley any longer. She landed in a dusty basement, where someone a long time ago had blown a hole in a wall leading into the sewers. She stopped and did something that she hoped none of her friends would ever find out about. She smelled the dusty air. Barbara's scent was clear in the air, leading her towards the hole in the wall. Behind her she heard several crashes indicating that Dinah was probably engaged in a large fight. She ran towards the hole at the highest speed she could muster.

She soon realized that it wasn't sewers, but some huge underground complex she had entered. Helena could easily track several sets of footprints on the dusty floor leading deeper and deeper into the labyrinthine structure. Suddenly she could hear an unfortunately familiar and angry voice talking, "Well that is just dandy isn't it. There my darling is finally free to do his work and then you bat-spawn come along and drive him to his death… But there will be a reckoning. I will bring the world down around you. I will kill every last one of you, your family, their family and any friend you and Batman have ever known…"

Helena dashed into the room and found a slightly slack-jawed Barbara sitting in her wheelchair opposite of a pacing Harley in the middle of a large office like room full of burn damage, broken furniture and unstable looking walls. Helena saw the big caliber gun Harley was gesturing around as if to underscore her points and continued her flat out run. She vaulted into a flying kick aimed at Harley.

Something smashed into her from below.

Helena crashed to the floor and skidded uncontrollably to a halt behind Harley. She quickly whirled into a low crouch and stared at Harley. The supervillain's eyes flashed into an intricate pattern of light as they locked gazes.  "Helena my dear," Harley said with a wide smile. Helena launched herself into the air with a slight right spin.

She felt her feet hammer into Harley's side and sending her flying across the room into a collection of wood that had once been furniture. The gun disappeared into the mess.

"Bitch," Harley cursed and came to her feet in a rush of anger.

Alfred Pennyworth stood at the bottom of the stairs guarding the access to the access. Suddenly one of the bricks from the smashed wall behind him flew slowly front the ground and traversed the room to hover behind his head. It swung hard to the left and slammed into the old man sending him and his shotgun to the ground. A figure that had been hiding in the shadows upstairs came rushing down and put a hand to his forehead. An overpowering command filled his mind, "Sleep." Alfred Pennyworth fell into a painless and blissful sleep. She swayed a little from the exertion. Dinah looked the old man over with a pained look in her eyes, hoping she hadn't hurt the man too much, she turned and jogged to the hole in the wall and peered inside.

Harley Quinn proved to be an expert kickboxer. Helena ducked below a powerful kick and swept a leg out to take Harley off her feet, but only made Harley retreat out of her range. Harley charged in and got a hold of her, placing one arm across her neck in choke hold.

Helena pushed her powerful legs downwards and jumped up as fast as she could, while bending forward as hard as she could. Harley hammered into the ceiling. As they landed she let go and staggered a few steps away. Helena spun about and slammed a fist into Harley's jaw sending the blonde woman to the ground. Helena took a step forward to finish the job, when Harley rolled to the left and grabbed the gun from the pile of furniture that she had dropped it in.

Helena stared down the barrel of the gun. Several seconds passed. Harley rose from the floor. She felt a droplet of sweat roll down her back. Harley smiled manically.

Suddenly the gun barrel twisted and bent with a metallic screech of protest. Dinah stood in the opening to the office. "Barbara darling, kill Dinah now," Harley yelled, she threw the gun at Helena and charged into battle.

Barbara's wheelchair spun about and her batons appeared as if by magic from their hiding places. Dinah almost gulped as her old teacher slowly rolled towards her. She considered just stopped her mentor's wheelchair, but the immense headache throbbing in her head told her that she had reached the limit of her powers. She had another use of her strength in mind and this meant that she had to fight Barbara with the weapons she was a master of. With a slightly sigh Dinah extended her batons and held them in a defense posture.

Barbara's attack slammed into Dinah's defense. Dinah's goal was clear; she needed to hit Barbara using her weak point: mobility. If she could maneuver herself into a position, where she could get Barbara on the ground she could win almost by default and possible break Harley's control over Barbara using her telepathy. Only problem was getting close enough to do that. Another of Barbara's attacks slammed into her batons, sending almost numbing her fingers.

Dinah parried another blow from the left, when all of a sudden almost like it came out of nowhere the right baton appeared and hammered against her shoulder. Dinah felt a burning pain in her arms adding to the one she felt in her guts from before.

Helena jumped over Harley and slammed kick into the woman's back before landing safely yards behind a stumbling Harley. "I am gonna hurt you, like we hurt the Joker. I was there, when he died you know. He cried like a little baby asking Batman to put him out of his misery," Helena teased.

"He would never do that. Don't talk about my darling like that you slut," Harley raged and rushed in with blind rage all over her face. Her hands were stretched out as if to grab Helena and strangling her.

Helena smiled coldly and awaited Harley's brutish attack. She stepped forward just as Harley came within her range. Using her superhuman strength and speed she grabbed hold of Harley's arms, jumped over her, landed behind her, drew Harley up, over and tossed her as hard as she could muster against a supporting concrete pillar. The blonde screamed as she flew towards the pillar.

Dinah managed to lock both Barbara's batons one on each side. Quickly she snapped out a kick sending the wheelchair backwards with brakes screeching.

Harley hammered against the pillar with a resounding thud and went out like a snuffed candle.

Barbara suddenly looked around as if waking from a dream. "Dinah… Where am I?" She looked around in confusion.

"You're below the Phoenix again. It seems something attracts Harley to this place," Dinah commented.

"Harley, is she?" Barbara asked with unhidden fear.

"It is alright, she is taking a prolonged nap," Helena commented dryly as she walked over, dragging an unconscious Harley along like a sack of potatoes.

Dinah smiled wearily and put away her batons. "I hope this is it for tonight, because otherwise this junior hero is gonna need a doctor instead of just some pills," she said and walked slowly towards exit. "You coming," she asked and looked at the two others.

Upstairs they found Alfred sleeping and took him out to the limousine. Helena and Dinah dropped off a well-trussed up and blind folded Harley at Arkham; while Barbara made sure the people at the warehouse got looked at by some paramedics. Still it was less than an hour before the Birds were back in Wayne manor and only shortly after that they were sleeping.

Epilogue:

            Helena Kyle stood on the terrace taking in the view of New Gotham as it glistened in the sunset. She had gotten out of bed only an hour ago and had enjoyed a very late breakfast before going out to think.

"So is everything alright in the world of the Huntress," Barbara asked as her repaired wheelchair rolled out onto the terrace.

Helena turned and looked at her. "I guess… I… You know for these last two years… My dad insisted that if I wanted to be apart of his effort against the Joker that I would be persistent, disciplined and careful. That was a big change for me. All I could do to make sure I lived up to his standards was to remind myself why I was doing it?" Helena faced Barbara.

"Dinah and I," Barbara hazarded.

"Yeah, I wanted to avenge you. Do the right thing? Even after he was gone, I kept your lives in front of my eyes to remind myself. These last few days I have been wondering, if having you two back would bring back the old more rebellious Helena… You know destroy my focus," she explained.

"And have we?" Barbara asked.

"I… No… If there is anything to be learned from last night then it is. No, you haven't," she said and looked out over the skyline again.

Barbara rolled forward to stand at her side. "Maybe you finally grew up," Barbara suggested with a smirk. Helena laughed and slapped Barbara playfully over the shoulder. "Ouch, have you gotten stronger or something?" Barbara commented.

"Or something… Apropos, the kid is really becoming a force to be reckoned with. She took out all those people last night and stopped the ambulance all on her own," Helena said.

Barbara sighed slightly. "You're right. I was completely surprised, when she began flying. Of course it is good to have power of that caliber around, and I know Dinah's moral standard is high enough to resist using her power in some wrong way. I would have liked it better if she had told us earlier what to expect," she said.

"Maybe," Helena replied, "but at least it is good to see that all that potential hasn't been squandered by her premature death."

"Of course," Barbara said and they watched the last rays of sunshine disappear below the horizon. Somewhere inside Dinah Lance began playing her cello.

Teaser for "Faces":

            In the hopefully exciting next part of the series: Today is Dinah Lance's first day at New Gotham University. She is restarting her career as a superheroine. Once again she will be the new face in town. But she isn't the only one, because a supposedly unstoppable assassin is in town and you never know what face this new enemy is wearing.