Title: Falling Backwards
Author: Shawn Carter
E-Mail: wolfpackproductions@comcast.net
Website: (Not Yet Up)
Feedback: Please
Notes: This is the follow-up to Through The Fire.
Recap: Helena and Barbara had a knockdown over Huntress not taking care of herself. The younger crime-fighter immediately went and got back in over her head. She ventured into an area of town known as the Red Zone due to its hard-core gang activities. The old leader of the street gang Helena ran with, the Animal Gang, is in charge of the Red Zone. Now he's captured Helena and is holding her captive.
Summary: While Barbara, Dinah and Reese try to rescue Helena, things spin rapidly out of control when it becomes clear that Mick has other intentions. Murderous ones even.
Rating: PG-13. Language. Violence. Non-consensual drug use.
Notes: As always, fanfic.net screws with my periods and commas.
*****
My side is on fire.
He's got me tied to a chair in some cold as Iceland warehouse. I'm not sure exactly where we are in the Red Zone but this particular building feels like it must have been used to keep something chilled. Seriously, it's frigid in here. He must be getting quite the view of my uh, assets though.
I struggle against the ropes and he laughs at me. He can see that I'm in obvious discomfort. He seems amused by it. He walks over to me and bends down in front of me. He's holding a gun, looks like a .44 to me. He runs the barrel of it against my cheek and involuntarily I flinch away. He lets the cool metal rest against my skin.
"Took me a long time to figure out who you were," he says, his voice very soft. He seems deep in thought. I know better; this guy ain't exactly Einstein if you get me.
His name is Mick Collins and I've got a few choice terms for him. The last time we saw each other he tasered me. That's right, the stupid prick actually put a taser to my neck. I owe him an ass-kicking for that.
I should have let Reese shoot him I think to myself.
"And?" I drawl. I'm trying to act disinterested. To be honest, I'm curious. If Mick has figured out my identity that tells me he might have some pretty in the know benefactors. And that could actually be fairly scary. Mick running his own show is pretty worthless but with a big boss. Yeah, that could be a problem.
"Helena Kyle," he says, a huge smile on his face. "You really are my kind of girl."
"Mmm," I reply. "Only more sane."
Okay, so he knows. I file this away for later.
"Not much," he laughs. " Your police file is a hell of a read."
"Didn't know you could," I grunt back at him. I adjust in the chair, trying to keep the ropes from chaffing against the knife wound. Doesn't help that my head is pounding from all of the alcohol I ingested earlier in the evening. Yeah, Tidal Wave is quite the party.
He ignores my comment. He stands up and walks away from me. He speaks over his shoulder. "Though I have to admit, I was disappointed to learn that you're pretty much all hooked up with the good detective. I figured that was just a stage. I mean really, you two have no chance. He's a good guy and at your root, Kyle, you're not."
"Yeah well, screw you too," I sling back at him. Okay maybe sling isn't quite right being that that may qualify as the lamest retort ever. Certainly not one to write home about.
He reaches over to a table that's positioned against the wall. There are several folders on it. He pulls out one in the middle and tosses it to my feet. I look down and I have to admit, my heart actually stops for a few moments.
The folder spills open its contents and I see dozens of pictures fall out. All of them showing Reese and I together in some way or another. Hell even a few of them show us involved in a rather intimate situation. I don't think I care to elaborate on that one.
I have the sudden urge to rip Mick's throat out but I kinda figure such a reaction is exactly what he's hoping for. He's like that, all about the reactions. I think that's why I get him like I do; we're not all that different.
"Stalking is a tad passé don't you think?" I finally manage. Yeah, this is me, cool as ice again.
He grins and he's almost attractive like this. Mick is kind of right; for a while I was wildly drawn to him. He was so much easier, so much simpler than Reese. Mick and I are a lot alike. We're both hard gone adrenaline junkies with very little common sense. We both make really bad choices just because we can.
Okay, I can admit it now; I was way out of line with Barbara. She's just being her. She's trying to protect me. I get that. I just hate being smothered and she does it better than anyone. Just the same, I hurt her sometimes. And I know it. She never lets it stick but sometimes it has to really burn her when I blow her off. You see I figured out her tender spots a long time ago and ashamed as I to admit it, when we fight, I exploit them.
Makes me feel sick.
Mick leans down and kisses me. It's not a hard invasive kiss but rather a passionate one. He puts his tongue in my mouth and for a moment, I actually let him. I think I even kiss him back. That was never his problem; he's a hell of a kisser.
Finally I grunt and pull my head away. I lick my lips but I can taste him still. Salty with a bit of vodka mixed in.
He laughs. "You liked it. It's still in you."
I don't say anything. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. That thing in me that likes to ride with the wind whirling around me also likes to be kissed until I can't breathe. Among other things.
Yeah still not going there.
My name is Helena Kyle. I'm twenty-four years old. I'm a sex addict.
Can I sit down now?
I almost laugh to myself. I can't tell you the times that Barbara has tried to get me into one meeting or another. NA when I was in high school and being experimental. AA when she realized I'm a big fan of Vodka. I got over the need for NA myself. The alcohol thing? Well she can kiss my ass if she thinks I'm giving that up. Really, that bit is under control. Good thing about being a meta is that when I need to be sober, I can get that way in a hurry.
"So what is this?" I finally ask. "Can't imagine your pet dog is overly fond of you being obsessed with me. Not that I'm not properly creeped out and all."
"You're not," he replies, entirely too smug. I really desperately want to slap that smug look off his face. "And Wolf is around. She's handling something down at the docks. She'll be up soon. She's been uh, looking forward to seeing you again."
He kneels down next to me, sitting entirely too close for comfort. His intentions are obvious, hell they're bloody damn near transparent.
"Oh I can't wait," I mutter.
I struggle against the ropes again. I can feel my side split and blood soaks the binds. It makes it a little more slippery but the trade-off is that I feel kind of woozy.
"You're hurt," he says, coming back over to me. He looks at me in this weird boyish way. It's almost easy to forget that he's still a killer. He puts a hand down and touches my exposed side. I hiss in pain as his fingers probe the injury. The bandage I had applied earlier is already soaked through with blood. He removes it and continues his inspection. He finally looks up at me. "Something got you good. Looks like a knife."
"I swear to God if you lick it, I will castrate you," I growl at him, not at all happy that he is still kneeling beside me.
He laughs and stands up. He puts his hands out as if to say whoa back. "Can't have that. The show hasn't even started."
"And what show is that?" I ask. I close my eyes for a second, doing my best to force the pain back down into its nice neat little cage. Can't lose control now.
He turns to me and the boy next door look is gone. "The one where I get the girl."
"That's pathetic," I snort.
He chuckles. He seems so damn confident. He comes back over to me. "Oh it's much more fun than that, Cat. It's more than just about getting the girl." He pauses for dramatic effect. At least I think so. "It's about owning the girl."
And then he hits me. Hard and in the side. My nostrils immediately fill with the iron-tinted smell of my own blood.
I gasp in pain and fall forward. I see red in front of my eyes and then everything is spinning. Vaguely I recall that there is a good deal of alcohol in my blood but it's not doing a damn thing to mute the pain.
I try to choke out a reply but nothing comes. I see the darkness rushing forward from the corners of my eyes. I know Mick's grinning at me. He thinks he's won.
I know better.
I'd better be right.
Otherwise I'm fucked.
I let out a hard breath, struggling to say conscious.
I have no chance.
As I fade out I hear a voice say, "I think we should kill her."
That has to be Wolf. The bitch ain't exactly my best friend.
Mick's voice is the last one I hear. "No babe," he says. "Not her. I have plans for her."
And then I'm gone.
I'm just gone.
Black everywhere.
****
He saw the harsh white headlights well before the sleek Hummer pulled up in front of him. Standing up and away from the hood of his car, he held up his hand in greeting. And partly to shield his eyes.
"Hey," Dinah Redmond said from the passenger side. She offered him a tired smile.
He nodded and climbed into the backseat. "What do we know?"
The beautiful red-head in the front of the vehicle turned slightly, a hum underlining her movement as the driver's seat moved with her. "Not much. We know who has her and we know that they're somewhere in the Red Zone."
"Wonderful," Detective Jesse Reese muttered. "Any idea why she's playing Lone Vigilante tonight? I thought we'd broken her of that."
Barbara snorted. "You're delusional if you think she can be broken of that. No matter what, Reese, it will always be there."
"Yeah, I buy that," he said with a slight chuckle. In truth it was part of why he was so wild about her. Her complete and utter ability to turn him inside out and upside down made him crazy. It also turned him on in a way that he couldn't even begin to describe. "So what happened?"
"Helena hurt herself out on patrol last night. She shouldn't have been out at all today. We had a bit of a.disagreement. She took off," Barbara said by why of abrupt explanation. She seemed terse and on edge.
"Okay. Fight about what?"
"I thought she should stay down, she wanted to dance," Barbara replied. She shook her head in irritation. "Stupid. Constant." She pointed towards the alley in front of them. "Right now she's somewhere in there with Mick. And something tells me he's not into catching up with her."
"We'll get to her," Reese said softly. He placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. It was easier to be the strong one right now. Better not to even think about how worried he was. Barbara Gordon wasn't the type to panic so if she was scared, it was probably pretty serious. "How bad was the wound?"
Barbara shook her head in frustration. "Worse than it should be. A knife wound but she's probably split it wide open by now. It's on her side."
"Wonderful," he muttered. He reached down behind his belt and took out his standard police issue firearm. He checked to make sure it was loaded and then put it back in the holster. "I did some checking on Mick before I got here. He was paroled about two months ago and hasn't checked in even once with his parole officer. There are several outstanding warrants. Including one for the murder of a cop down in Bludhaven."
"Bludhaven?" Barbara mused, mind whirling. Dick had never mentioned one of his fellow officers being gunned down.
"Open murder?" Dinah asked. "I mean like in he just killed him for the hell of it?"
"Sounds like a run and gun. They were escaping the scene of a jewelry heist and an off-duty officer tried to stop them. He was shot right in the face."
"I guess Mick has graduated to the big leagues," Barbara said. She looked up from the map she was studying. She pointed to a location on it. "I think this would be our best entry point. This is where the old police department used to be. If my memory serves, my fathers' office was right here." She flicked her nail to indicate a certain location. "There used to be a tunnel underneath his office. Batman would go through it when he needed to speak directly to my father. It's our best bet."
Reese slid around to her and looked at the map. "Okay, how do we get there?"
Barbara offered him a small smile. "Through the Batcave. Of course."
"Of course," Reese chuckled. "Of course."
*****
Oh. My. God.
I could possibly scream but right now my heart is beating entirely too fast. I'm excited. That's for sure.
I've heard all these stories about Barbara's former life as Batgirl and you can't even imagine all the tall tales that have been whispered about Helena's father.
And now, I'm about to get to see where he worked. Where he became a legend. I'm pumped.
We enter Wayne Manor at just after three at night. It's terribly dark outside and I can swear I see bats flying around outside. Has to be my imagination.
I look over at Barbara and Reese and I'm amazed by how cool they are. I expect this from her; she must have spent her entire youth here. But Reese, he's got to be bubbling. He's always so curious about where Helena's from and what's she done and exactly who she is. Well, this is a way in. This is her father. This is what Hel has spent so much time rejecting all the while growing ever so much closer to it.
Whoa, that was deep.
I almost laugh at myself.
I hear the doors open and suddenly we're standing in the massive foyer. It smells musty but somehow still clean. I have this overwhelming desire to look around but Barbara pushes us forward.
She leads us into the back of the manor where there are several closed doors. We enter through one of them and step into a large well-decorated office. It's beautiful really. The wood paneling is gorgeous and elegant. I'm in awe. Reese is just taking it all in but he's playing passive. I'm impressed. He's way better at it than me.
Barbara goes over to one of the walls and runs her hands across it. I see her fingers dance over the wood in a strange pattern. She looks over at Reese and I. "Hold on," she says, amusement in her tone.
I wonder what she's up to.
Reese and I exchange a look but it doesn't last long before the room appears to be spinning. My vision blurs and I feel like I'm about to pass out. I feel Barbara grab my hand.
After about twenty seconds it's over.
I gasp and wobble a few feet away from her. I fall to the ground and look up.
Oh damn, I'm in a cave.
I'm in the fricking Batcave.
Reese helps me to my feet and I wobble a bit more. I'm unsteady. A look at him confirms that he is too. I see him place one of his large hands on the wall for balance.
"What the hell was that?" he asks Barbara.
She smiles. "A security device we installed after Bruce left. In my day we used to slide down poles."
I chuckle at the image of this. It's hysterical.
Barbara is already moving over towards where the computer banks are. The colors are flashing everywhere. I see a display that has in big white letters: TRANSMITTING- CLOCKTOWER.
"What's that?" I ask.
"Hm? Oh. I'm using these computers for extra backbone for mine at the Clocktower. Makes everything faster and more powerful. I'd tell you more if I thought there was even a chance that you could be interested."
I laugh. Barbara has me pegged.
She types in several commands and I hear a whistling of air behind us. We turn and see a door opening on the side of the cave. "Let's go," she says to us. Her chair slides smoothly towards the tunnel. We follow close behind.
I can tell that Reese isn't quite ready to stop his inspection but then he seems to remember that knowing about Helena won't replace her if she dies because we took too long getting to her. He trots after Barbara. I follow suit.
The tunnel is cold and wet. It's also overgrown. It's apparent that no one has used it in years. Probably seven or more. Barbara's wheels cut through the tall weeds like they're paper.
"This will bring us out into your father's old office?" Reese asks.
"Yep," Barbara answers, wiping sweat away from her head. It's fairly muggy in here.
"Hey, I've got a question," I say suddenly. They both turn to me. "Uh, how are we going to get your chair up into the hatch?"
"I thought of that already," Barbara says quickly. "Jesse will lift me up and you'll telekinetically lift my chair through. The actual hatch is large enough. That's by the way why we brought my normal chair instead of my electronic one. Easier portability."
"Not to suggest that doesn't sound cool," I laugh. "But couldn't we just fold it up and hand it through?"
Barbara looks at me as if I've smacked her across the teeth. After a moment she whacks herself in the forehead. "Stupid," she mutters under her breath. I hear it though and so does Reese. We're both doing our best not to let on. She finally looks up and her expression is priceless; Barbara Gordon's been sheep-dogged. "Yes of course. We can just lift it up."
She wheels away from us and down the tunnel. Reese and I share a laugh together. It's a sweet moment. The guy is almost family now. He's certainly around enough.
God really knows what's going on between he and Helena but it's something more serious than either is letting on.
The teenager in me is scandalized by what is probably going on but Helena is keeping it awfully close to her chest. I guess it's new and she's terrified of blowing it.
The only thing she has ever said to me is that it feels good. She acts like she thinks it'll be over soon but she's going to enjoy it while it's going on.
Reese is different. Reese is the wildcard.
You see Helena thinks he'll bail eventually. She thinks he's in this for the wild ride. She's never said that much to me but I've heard it come up in a conversation or two with Barbara. She thinks Reese is just biding his time until he finds something serious. She thinks he's just in it for the sex. I don't think I want to go there but hey, I'm sixteen, it's kind of juicy.
Truth is I don't how far they've gotten but I have my guesses.
As far as what she thinks, I disagree.
Strongly.
I think Reese is in it for the long haul.
And I think he knows exactly what she's thinking.
He seems so patient about it all, like he's trying to wear her down when she protests. She keeps putting these tests in front of her and he keeps just blitzing right through them.
But Helena's never had a real relationship.
Not with a good guy anyways.
It's fascinating.
Yeah okay so I am scandalized. And fascinated.
So sue me.
Har har.
It's funny in my own head.
"You coming?" Reese says from my side.
I blink and look up.
We're under the hatch. It's a big metal thing that's all rusted over. Looks like something out of a B movie. A bad one at that.
Barbara tries to turn it but it squeaks and holds. Reese gives it a go and it continues its resistance. I hear him curse under his breath. He starts to lift his shirt off, presumably to use for traction. I touch his arm to stop him.
My turn.
I hold out my hands and I focus. Real hard. Everything in my head spins together and all I see for a few seconds are colors. Every single one. To be corny about it, for a few moments, I'm an actual part of the world.
The hatch spins like a top.
I'm the spoon to the cap.
Reese grins at me, shakes his head and then pulls the hatch down. It creaks and opens inwards. Reese slides himself upwards into the room above. I hear him cough. "Dusty," he mutters. He puts an arm down and Barbara offers hers up. They meet and he lifts her up with him. I hear a small clank as she hits the ground and they exchange a few barbs. Playful small talk really.
I fold up her chair the moment she's out of it. Even so, it takes almost two minutes because even her normal chair is a thing of beauty. Finally I heave it upwards, grunting loudly as I do so. Reese takes it from me and pulls it up. I hear him settle it on the ground.
"I got it," Barbara says. I think she's uncomfortable with all the attention being paid to this thing she hates. This set of chains.
Hey you know what, blame what I just said on Barbara. She's my English teacher and she gets that metaphorical crap in my head. Oh God, I'm so starting to sound like Helena.
"Let's go," Reese calls down. He drops down his arm and I take it. He pulls me up only I yank too hard. We both fall back to the floor with a hard thud. He grunts. "Thanks," he says, rubbing his head.
"Sorry," I say, looking away. I'm embarrassed. Shut up.
My eyes catch on the ruin of the room.
The earthquake and subsequent fire from seven years ago has really torn this place up. The desk that used to be the Commissioner Gordon's is on its side, cracked into several pieces.
No one ever bothered cleaning up this place. They just kind of.abandoned it.
Idly I wonder if seeing the office like this tears Barbara up. It wasn't so long ago that her father passed away and she's never really spent a heck of a lot of time dealing with it.
"Welcome to Old Gotham," Barbara says softly. I look up and see that she's already back in her chair. She has the map spread over the ruins of what used to be a table.
"Also know as the Red Zone," Reese adds in unnecessarily. He's standing over her shoulder. He points to something on the map. "Our intelligence says that most of the gangs are hiding out around here. Near the old water well."
"Near Mr. Freeze's factory," Barbara puts in as she traces the map.
Mr. Freeze. I recall him. Vaguely. He's one of the old ones locked away in Arkham. I think I read about it in one of the files in the Delphi database.
Locked away and waiting as Barbara likes to say.
Waiting for the day when all of the old criminals will try to run the streets red.
I shudder and try to push it away. That's a battle for another day.
"Why there?" Reese asks her, clearly deferring to her.
"That would be where they could derive the most power. There are a few circuits over there that tap directly into the city power grid. No one has ever dared to try to turn it off. Or if they have, they've never made it back," Barbara replies.
I approach the two of them, stepping over the debris on the ground. "So there is where we go?"
Barbara and Reese exchanged a look. Finally Reese drawls, "Yep."
You'd think he was a damn cowboy.
Okay then.
Let's boogie.
*****
She spat out blood and glared up at the brunette woman standing above her. "Keep it coming," she hissed. "But don't think for a second that I won't turn your face into paste as soon as I get untied."
Wolf kneeled down next to Helena and grinned, "You're not ever going to be untied." She reached down and grabbed the younger woman's chin. She jerked it upwards so that the two of them were locking eyes.
"That's not what Mick thinks. Mick thinks I'm his. Guess he still wants me," Helena taunted, knowing full well that she was walking a dangerous line.
"Mick wants a cheap whore for a hard ride," Wolf spat back. She shoved Helena back causing the chair she was in to topple. Helena grunted in pain as the impact with the ground sent new flashes of pain ripping upwards.
"I knew I shouldn't have left the two of you alone," Mick drawled as he entered the room. He was dressed in leather pants and a white t-shirt. Slung over his left shoulder was a large axe that was dripping what looked like blood.
"Whose is that?" Wolf asked him, her eyes flicking up to the axe.
"Oh, that reporter from a few days ago. Been dead almost as long and he still splattered quite a bit," Mick laughed. He dropped the axe to the ground. "How's our girl doing?"
"Not ours- yours," Wolf reminded him with more than a hint of bitterness. "I say we use the axe on her."
"Not gonna happen, baby," Mick replied, his voice softer. He was trying to placate her. By the look on his face, he was succeeding. "Trust me, we have uses for her. That and I mean to get even for six months in the slammer."
"Oh fuck off," Helena hissed up at him. She jerked her body around until she was facing him. "Is that your grand plan? Revenge? I was wrong.that's far more passé than stalking. Hey Wolfie, did you know your boy has been watching me.like every step I take?"
Wolf tossed Mick an irritated look but he just blew it off. "Just keeping track," he murmured. "Hey baby, go check on the boys. See if they're ready for the Pig Bowl tonight."
Wolf hesitated for a long beat. Finally she nodded. She threw a hard glare at Helena and then turned to leave.
"Yeah, I can see why you'd want me," Helena said to him, mock sweetly.
Mick hit her. Hard enough to make the colors swirl again. Reaching out he grabbed her chin. "We're all part of a team here, Cat. You're the one who bailed on us. You have to pay for that."
"You're boring me," she drawled, blatantly ignoring the voice in her head that was telling her to shut up.
"You think I'm giving you a choice? I'm not." He leaned forward and kissed her. This time it was much harder and devoid of passion. This time it was about control.
She bit his lip.
He pulled back away from her, his hand going to his torn flesh. He took his hand away and looked at the blood on his fingers. "Dumb bitch," he snarled.
"Yeah yeah, I've heard it all," she hissed back. She spat out more blood. Her eyes momentarily went into cat like slits but almost immediately retreated back to deep blue when the pain in her side reminded her that fighting ability was severely limited.
Mick regained his step and crossed over to her. He grabbed her by the front of her shirt and jerked her upward, chair and all. "Let me make something very clear to you."
"That'd be a first," she replied, eyes locked with his.
He apparently chose to ignore her. "Here's how it works; ten minutes ago a couple of my guys recovered a some friends of yours. A cute blonde, a lady in a chair and your favorite little boy toy. So here's the deal, you do what I say, when I say or I will kill them." He bent over and picked up the axe for emphasis. "Trust me when I say, I don't have a problem in the world with chopping lover boy into many small pieces."
Helena swallowed hard. She rather believed Mick was being serious. "Okay, " she finally said, her voice scratchy and dry. "What's your game then?"
Mick grinned, the youth returning to his features and his eyes. "Oh nothing big," he promised. "Just the Pig Bowl."
"And what's that? Because I'm guessing it's not football."
He laughed. "Damn you're hot when you think you're being sly. No Kyle, it's not a football game but it is a slaughter."
Helena's eyes bugged out. "Pigs?" she choked out.
Mick nodded. "Cops." He paused to gauge her horrified reaction.
"You're insane," she said, shaking her head.
"Yeah but it's so much more fun than you'd think. Tonight, we're gonna kill all of the cops at the annual Shield Ball tonight. And you're going to help. And if you refuse, I think I'll start with the blonde."
Helena swallowed. Head swimming and body aching, she finally managed. "Fine. Whatever you want. Just.leave them alone."
Mick grinned.
"Anything for you my love." He bent down and kissed her cheek.
Helena dropped her head. She'd never felt more defeated in her entire life.
And she sure as hell didn't know how to get out of this one.
Which when you broke it down was really all her fault anyways. If she'd just listened to Barbara.
She closed her eyes and prayed for strength. "Oh God."
"Not in the building anymore," Mick laughed. "Just you and me. And you're mine."
END CHAPTER ONE.
Author: Shawn Carter
E-Mail: wolfpackproductions@comcast.net
Website: (Not Yet Up)
Feedback: Please
Notes: This is the follow-up to Through The Fire.
Recap: Helena and Barbara had a knockdown over Huntress not taking care of herself. The younger crime-fighter immediately went and got back in over her head. She ventured into an area of town known as the Red Zone due to its hard-core gang activities. The old leader of the street gang Helena ran with, the Animal Gang, is in charge of the Red Zone. Now he's captured Helena and is holding her captive.
Summary: While Barbara, Dinah and Reese try to rescue Helena, things spin rapidly out of control when it becomes clear that Mick has other intentions. Murderous ones even.
Rating: PG-13. Language. Violence. Non-consensual drug use.
Notes: As always, fanfic.net screws with my periods and commas.
*****
My side is on fire.
He's got me tied to a chair in some cold as Iceland warehouse. I'm not sure exactly where we are in the Red Zone but this particular building feels like it must have been used to keep something chilled. Seriously, it's frigid in here. He must be getting quite the view of my uh, assets though.
I struggle against the ropes and he laughs at me. He can see that I'm in obvious discomfort. He seems amused by it. He walks over to me and bends down in front of me. He's holding a gun, looks like a .44 to me. He runs the barrel of it against my cheek and involuntarily I flinch away. He lets the cool metal rest against my skin.
"Took me a long time to figure out who you were," he says, his voice very soft. He seems deep in thought. I know better; this guy ain't exactly Einstein if you get me.
His name is Mick Collins and I've got a few choice terms for him. The last time we saw each other he tasered me. That's right, the stupid prick actually put a taser to my neck. I owe him an ass-kicking for that.
I should have let Reese shoot him I think to myself.
"And?" I drawl. I'm trying to act disinterested. To be honest, I'm curious. If Mick has figured out my identity that tells me he might have some pretty in the know benefactors. And that could actually be fairly scary. Mick running his own show is pretty worthless but with a big boss. Yeah, that could be a problem.
"Helena Kyle," he says, a huge smile on his face. "You really are my kind of girl."
"Mmm," I reply. "Only more sane."
Okay, so he knows. I file this away for later.
"Not much," he laughs. " Your police file is a hell of a read."
"Didn't know you could," I grunt back at him. I adjust in the chair, trying to keep the ropes from chaffing against the knife wound. Doesn't help that my head is pounding from all of the alcohol I ingested earlier in the evening. Yeah, Tidal Wave is quite the party.
He ignores my comment. He stands up and walks away from me. He speaks over his shoulder. "Though I have to admit, I was disappointed to learn that you're pretty much all hooked up with the good detective. I figured that was just a stage. I mean really, you two have no chance. He's a good guy and at your root, Kyle, you're not."
"Yeah well, screw you too," I sling back at him. Okay maybe sling isn't quite right being that that may qualify as the lamest retort ever. Certainly not one to write home about.
He reaches over to a table that's positioned against the wall. There are several folders on it. He pulls out one in the middle and tosses it to my feet. I look down and I have to admit, my heart actually stops for a few moments.
The folder spills open its contents and I see dozens of pictures fall out. All of them showing Reese and I together in some way or another. Hell even a few of them show us involved in a rather intimate situation. I don't think I care to elaborate on that one.
I have the sudden urge to rip Mick's throat out but I kinda figure such a reaction is exactly what he's hoping for. He's like that, all about the reactions. I think that's why I get him like I do; we're not all that different.
"Stalking is a tad passé don't you think?" I finally manage. Yeah, this is me, cool as ice again.
He grins and he's almost attractive like this. Mick is kind of right; for a while I was wildly drawn to him. He was so much easier, so much simpler than Reese. Mick and I are a lot alike. We're both hard gone adrenaline junkies with very little common sense. We both make really bad choices just because we can.
Okay, I can admit it now; I was way out of line with Barbara. She's just being her. She's trying to protect me. I get that. I just hate being smothered and she does it better than anyone. Just the same, I hurt her sometimes. And I know it. She never lets it stick but sometimes it has to really burn her when I blow her off. You see I figured out her tender spots a long time ago and ashamed as I to admit it, when we fight, I exploit them.
Makes me feel sick.
Mick leans down and kisses me. It's not a hard invasive kiss but rather a passionate one. He puts his tongue in my mouth and for a moment, I actually let him. I think I even kiss him back. That was never his problem; he's a hell of a kisser.
Finally I grunt and pull my head away. I lick my lips but I can taste him still. Salty with a bit of vodka mixed in.
He laughs. "You liked it. It's still in you."
I don't say anything. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. That thing in me that likes to ride with the wind whirling around me also likes to be kissed until I can't breathe. Among other things.
Yeah still not going there.
My name is Helena Kyle. I'm twenty-four years old. I'm a sex addict.
Can I sit down now?
I almost laugh to myself. I can't tell you the times that Barbara has tried to get me into one meeting or another. NA when I was in high school and being experimental. AA when she realized I'm a big fan of Vodka. I got over the need for NA myself. The alcohol thing? Well she can kiss my ass if she thinks I'm giving that up. Really, that bit is under control. Good thing about being a meta is that when I need to be sober, I can get that way in a hurry.
"So what is this?" I finally ask. "Can't imagine your pet dog is overly fond of you being obsessed with me. Not that I'm not properly creeped out and all."
"You're not," he replies, entirely too smug. I really desperately want to slap that smug look off his face. "And Wolf is around. She's handling something down at the docks. She'll be up soon. She's been uh, looking forward to seeing you again."
He kneels down next to me, sitting entirely too close for comfort. His intentions are obvious, hell they're bloody damn near transparent.
"Oh I can't wait," I mutter.
I struggle against the ropes again. I can feel my side split and blood soaks the binds. It makes it a little more slippery but the trade-off is that I feel kind of woozy.
"You're hurt," he says, coming back over to me. He looks at me in this weird boyish way. It's almost easy to forget that he's still a killer. He puts a hand down and touches my exposed side. I hiss in pain as his fingers probe the injury. The bandage I had applied earlier is already soaked through with blood. He removes it and continues his inspection. He finally looks up at me. "Something got you good. Looks like a knife."
"I swear to God if you lick it, I will castrate you," I growl at him, not at all happy that he is still kneeling beside me.
He laughs and stands up. He puts his hands out as if to say whoa back. "Can't have that. The show hasn't even started."
"And what show is that?" I ask. I close my eyes for a second, doing my best to force the pain back down into its nice neat little cage. Can't lose control now.
He turns to me and the boy next door look is gone. "The one where I get the girl."
"That's pathetic," I snort.
He chuckles. He seems so damn confident. He comes back over to me. "Oh it's much more fun than that, Cat. It's more than just about getting the girl." He pauses for dramatic effect. At least I think so. "It's about owning the girl."
And then he hits me. Hard and in the side. My nostrils immediately fill with the iron-tinted smell of my own blood.
I gasp in pain and fall forward. I see red in front of my eyes and then everything is spinning. Vaguely I recall that there is a good deal of alcohol in my blood but it's not doing a damn thing to mute the pain.
I try to choke out a reply but nothing comes. I see the darkness rushing forward from the corners of my eyes. I know Mick's grinning at me. He thinks he's won.
I know better.
I'd better be right.
Otherwise I'm fucked.
I let out a hard breath, struggling to say conscious.
I have no chance.
As I fade out I hear a voice say, "I think we should kill her."
That has to be Wolf. The bitch ain't exactly my best friend.
Mick's voice is the last one I hear. "No babe," he says. "Not her. I have plans for her."
And then I'm gone.
I'm just gone.
Black everywhere.
****
He saw the harsh white headlights well before the sleek Hummer pulled up in front of him. Standing up and away from the hood of his car, he held up his hand in greeting. And partly to shield his eyes.
"Hey," Dinah Redmond said from the passenger side. She offered him a tired smile.
He nodded and climbed into the backseat. "What do we know?"
The beautiful red-head in the front of the vehicle turned slightly, a hum underlining her movement as the driver's seat moved with her. "Not much. We know who has her and we know that they're somewhere in the Red Zone."
"Wonderful," Detective Jesse Reese muttered. "Any idea why she's playing Lone Vigilante tonight? I thought we'd broken her of that."
Barbara snorted. "You're delusional if you think she can be broken of that. No matter what, Reese, it will always be there."
"Yeah, I buy that," he said with a slight chuckle. In truth it was part of why he was so wild about her. Her complete and utter ability to turn him inside out and upside down made him crazy. It also turned him on in a way that he couldn't even begin to describe. "So what happened?"
"Helena hurt herself out on patrol last night. She shouldn't have been out at all today. We had a bit of a.disagreement. She took off," Barbara said by why of abrupt explanation. She seemed terse and on edge.
"Okay. Fight about what?"
"I thought she should stay down, she wanted to dance," Barbara replied. She shook her head in irritation. "Stupid. Constant." She pointed towards the alley in front of them. "Right now she's somewhere in there with Mick. And something tells me he's not into catching up with her."
"We'll get to her," Reese said softly. He placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. It was easier to be the strong one right now. Better not to even think about how worried he was. Barbara Gordon wasn't the type to panic so if she was scared, it was probably pretty serious. "How bad was the wound?"
Barbara shook her head in frustration. "Worse than it should be. A knife wound but she's probably split it wide open by now. It's on her side."
"Wonderful," he muttered. He reached down behind his belt and took out his standard police issue firearm. He checked to make sure it was loaded and then put it back in the holster. "I did some checking on Mick before I got here. He was paroled about two months ago and hasn't checked in even once with his parole officer. There are several outstanding warrants. Including one for the murder of a cop down in Bludhaven."
"Bludhaven?" Barbara mused, mind whirling. Dick had never mentioned one of his fellow officers being gunned down.
"Open murder?" Dinah asked. "I mean like in he just killed him for the hell of it?"
"Sounds like a run and gun. They were escaping the scene of a jewelry heist and an off-duty officer tried to stop them. He was shot right in the face."
"I guess Mick has graduated to the big leagues," Barbara said. She looked up from the map she was studying. She pointed to a location on it. "I think this would be our best entry point. This is where the old police department used to be. If my memory serves, my fathers' office was right here." She flicked her nail to indicate a certain location. "There used to be a tunnel underneath his office. Batman would go through it when he needed to speak directly to my father. It's our best bet."
Reese slid around to her and looked at the map. "Okay, how do we get there?"
Barbara offered him a small smile. "Through the Batcave. Of course."
"Of course," Reese chuckled. "Of course."
*****
Oh. My. God.
I could possibly scream but right now my heart is beating entirely too fast. I'm excited. That's for sure.
I've heard all these stories about Barbara's former life as Batgirl and you can't even imagine all the tall tales that have been whispered about Helena's father.
And now, I'm about to get to see where he worked. Where he became a legend. I'm pumped.
We enter Wayne Manor at just after three at night. It's terribly dark outside and I can swear I see bats flying around outside. Has to be my imagination.
I look over at Barbara and Reese and I'm amazed by how cool they are. I expect this from her; she must have spent her entire youth here. But Reese, he's got to be bubbling. He's always so curious about where Helena's from and what's she done and exactly who she is. Well, this is a way in. This is her father. This is what Hel has spent so much time rejecting all the while growing ever so much closer to it.
Whoa, that was deep.
I almost laugh at myself.
I hear the doors open and suddenly we're standing in the massive foyer. It smells musty but somehow still clean. I have this overwhelming desire to look around but Barbara pushes us forward.
She leads us into the back of the manor where there are several closed doors. We enter through one of them and step into a large well-decorated office. It's beautiful really. The wood paneling is gorgeous and elegant. I'm in awe. Reese is just taking it all in but he's playing passive. I'm impressed. He's way better at it than me.
Barbara goes over to one of the walls and runs her hands across it. I see her fingers dance over the wood in a strange pattern. She looks over at Reese and I. "Hold on," she says, amusement in her tone.
I wonder what she's up to.
Reese and I exchange a look but it doesn't last long before the room appears to be spinning. My vision blurs and I feel like I'm about to pass out. I feel Barbara grab my hand.
After about twenty seconds it's over.
I gasp and wobble a few feet away from her. I fall to the ground and look up.
Oh damn, I'm in a cave.
I'm in the fricking Batcave.
Reese helps me to my feet and I wobble a bit more. I'm unsteady. A look at him confirms that he is too. I see him place one of his large hands on the wall for balance.
"What the hell was that?" he asks Barbara.
She smiles. "A security device we installed after Bruce left. In my day we used to slide down poles."
I chuckle at the image of this. It's hysterical.
Barbara is already moving over towards where the computer banks are. The colors are flashing everywhere. I see a display that has in big white letters: TRANSMITTING- CLOCKTOWER.
"What's that?" I ask.
"Hm? Oh. I'm using these computers for extra backbone for mine at the Clocktower. Makes everything faster and more powerful. I'd tell you more if I thought there was even a chance that you could be interested."
I laugh. Barbara has me pegged.
She types in several commands and I hear a whistling of air behind us. We turn and see a door opening on the side of the cave. "Let's go," she says to us. Her chair slides smoothly towards the tunnel. We follow close behind.
I can tell that Reese isn't quite ready to stop his inspection but then he seems to remember that knowing about Helena won't replace her if she dies because we took too long getting to her. He trots after Barbara. I follow suit.
The tunnel is cold and wet. It's also overgrown. It's apparent that no one has used it in years. Probably seven or more. Barbara's wheels cut through the tall weeds like they're paper.
"This will bring us out into your father's old office?" Reese asks.
"Yep," Barbara answers, wiping sweat away from her head. It's fairly muggy in here.
"Hey, I've got a question," I say suddenly. They both turn to me. "Uh, how are we going to get your chair up into the hatch?"
"I thought of that already," Barbara says quickly. "Jesse will lift me up and you'll telekinetically lift my chair through. The actual hatch is large enough. That's by the way why we brought my normal chair instead of my electronic one. Easier portability."
"Not to suggest that doesn't sound cool," I laugh. "But couldn't we just fold it up and hand it through?"
Barbara looks at me as if I've smacked her across the teeth. After a moment she whacks herself in the forehead. "Stupid," she mutters under her breath. I hear it though and so does Reese. We're both doing our best not to let on. She finally looks up and her expression is priceless; Barbara Gordon's been sheep-dogged. "Yes of course. We can just lift it up."
She wheels away from us and down the tunnel. Reese and I share a laugh together. It's a sweet moment. The guy is almost family now. He's certainly around enough.
God really knows what's going on between he and Helena but it's something more serious than either is letting on.
The teenager in me is scandalized by what is probably going on but Helena is keeping it awfully close to her chest. I guess it's new and she's terrified of blowing it.
The only thing she has ever said to me is that it feels good. She acts like she thinks it'll be over soon but she's going to enjoy it while it's going on.
Reese is different. Reese is the wildcard.
You see Helena thinks he'll bail eventually. She thinks he's in this for the wild ride. She's never said that much to me but I've heard it come up in a conversation or two with Barbara. She thinks Reese is just biding his time until he finds something serious. She thinks he's just in it for the sex. I don't think I want to go there but hey, I'm sixteen, it's kind of juicy.
Truth is I don't how far they've gotten but I have my guesses.
As far as what she thinks, I disagree.
Strongly.
I think Reese is in it for the long haul.
And I think he knows exactly what she's thinking.
He seems so patient about it all, like he's trying to wear her down when she protests. She keeps putting these tests in front of her and he keeps just blitzing right through them.
But Helena's never had a real relationship.
Not with a good guy anyways.
It's fascinating.
Yeah okay so I am scandalized. And fascinated.
So sue me.
Har har.
It's funny in my own head.
"You coming?" Reese says from my side.
I blink and look up.
We're under the hatch. It's a big metal thing that's all rusted over. Looks like something out of a B movie. A bad one at that.
Barbara tries to turn it but it squeaks and holds. Reese gives it a go and it continues its resistance. I hear him curse under his breath. He starts to lift his shirt off, presumably to use for traction. I touch his arm to stop him.
My turn.
I hold out my hands and I focus. Real hard. Everything in my head spins together and all I see for a few seconds are colors. Every single one. To be corny about it, for a few moments, I'm an actual part of the world.
The hatch spins like a top.
I'm the spoon to the cap.
Reese grins at me, shakes his head and then pulls the hatch down. It creaks and opens inwards. Reese slides himself upwards into the room above. I hear him cough. "Dusty," he mutters. He puts an arm down and Barbara offers hers up. They meet and he lifts her up with him. I hear a small clank as she hits the ground and they exchange a few barbs. Playful small talk really.
I fold up her chair the moment she's out of it. Even so, it takes almost two minutes because even her normal chair is a thing of beauty. Finally I heave it upwards, grunting loudly as I do so. Reese takes it from me and pulls it up. I hear him settle it on the ground.
"I got it," Barbara says. I think she's uncomfortable with all the attention being paid to this thing she hates. This set of chains.
Hey you know what, blame what I just said on Barbara. She's my English teacher and she gets that metaphorical crap in my head. Oh God, I'm so starting to sound like Helena.
"Let's go," Reese calls down. He drops down his arm and I take it. He pulls me up only I yank too hard. We both fall back to the floor with a hard thud. He grunts. "Thanks," he says, rubbing his head.
"Sorry," I say, looking away. I'm embarrassed. Shut up.
My eyes catch on the ruin of the room.
The earthquake and subsequent fire from seven years ago has really torn this place up. The desk that used to be the Commissioner Gordon's is on its side, cracked into several pieces.
No one ever bothered cleaning up this place. They just kind of.abandoned it.
Idly I wonder if seeing the office like this tears Barbara up. It wasn't so long ago that her father passed away and she's never really spent a heck of a lot of time dealing with it.
"Welcome to Old Gotham," Barbara says softly. I look up and see that she's already back in her chair. She has the map spread over the ruins of what used to be a table.
"Also know as the Red Zone," Reese adds in unnecessarily. He's standing over her shoulder. He points to something on the map. "Our intelligence says that most of the gangs are hiding out around here. Near the old water well."
"Near Mr. Freeze's factory," Barbara puts in as she traces the map.
Mr. Freeze. I recall him. Vaguely. He's one of the old ones locked away in Arkham. I think I read about it in one of the files in the Delphi database.
Locked away and waiting as Barbara likes to say.
Waiting for the day when all of the old criminals will try to run the streets red.
I shudder and try to push it away. That's a battle for another day.
"Why there?" Reese asks her, clearly deferring to her.
"That would be where they could derive the most power. There are a few circuits over there that tap directly into the city power grid. No one has ever dared to try to turn it off. Or if they have, they've never made it back," Barbara replies.
I approach the two of them, stepping over the debris on the ground. "So there is where we go?"
Barbara and Reese exchanged a look. Finally Reese drawls, "Yep."
You'd think he was a damn cowboy.
Okay then.
Let's boogie.
*****
She spat out blood and glared up at the brunette woman standing above her. "Keep it coming," she hissed. "But don't think for a second that I won't turn your face into paste as soon as I get untied."
Wolf kneeled down next to Helena and grinned, "You're not ever going to be untied." She reached down and grabbed the younger woman's chin. She jerked it upwards so that the two of them were locking eyes.
"That's not what Mick thinks. Mick thinks I'm his. Guess he still wants me," Helena taunted, knowing full well that she was walking a dangerous line.
"Mick wants a cheap whore for a hard ride," Wolf spat back. She shoved Helena back causing the chair she was in to topple. Helena grunted in pain as the impact with the ground sent new flashes of pain ripping upwards.
"I knew I shouldn't have left the two of you alone," Mick drawled as he entered the room. He was dressed in leather pants and a white t-shirt. Slung over his left shoulder was a large axe that was dripping what looked like blood.
"Whose is that?" Wolf asked him, her eyes flicking up to the axe.
"Oh, that reporter from a few days ago. Been dead almost as long and he still splattered quite a bit," Mick laughed. He dropped the axe to the ground. "How's our girl doing?"
"Not ours- yours," Wolf reminded him with more than a hint of bitterness. "I say we use the axe on her."
"Not gonna happen, baby," Mick replied, his voice softer. He was trying to placate her. By the look on his face, he was succeeding. "Trust me, we have uses for her. That and I mean to get even for six months in the slammer."
"Oh fuck off," Helena hissed up at him. She jerked her body around until she was facing him. "Is that your grand plan? Revenge? I was wrong.that's far more passé than stalking. Hey Wolfie, did you know your boy has been watching me.like every step I take?"
Wolf tossed Mick an irritated look but he just blew it off. "Just keeping track," he murmured. "Hey baby, go check on the boys. See if they're ready for the Pig Bowl tonight."
Wolf hesitated for a long beat. Finally she nodded. She threw a hard glare at Helena and then turned to leave.
"Yeah, I can see why you'd want me," Helena said to him, mock sweetly.
Mick hit her. Hard enough to make the colors swirl again. Reaching out he grabbed her chin. "We're all part of a team here, Cat. You're the one who bailed on us. You have to pay for that."
"You're boring me," she drawled, blatantly ignoring the voice in her head that was telling her to shut up.
"You think I'm giving you a choice? I'm not." He leaned forward and kissed her. This time it was much harder and devoid of passion. This time it was about control.
She bit his lip.
He pulled back away from her, his hand going to his torn flesh. He took his hand away and looked at the blood on his fingers. "Dumb bitch," he snarled.
"Yeah yeah, I've heard it all," she hissed back. She spat out more blood. Her eyes momentarily went into cat like slits but almost immediately retreated back to deep blue when the pain in her side reminded her that fighting ability was severely limited.
Mick regained his step and crossed over to her. He grabbed her by the front of her shirt and jerked her upward, chair and all. "Let me make something very clear to you."
"That'd be a first," she replied, eyes locked with his.
He apparently chose to ignore her. "Here's how it works; ten minutes ago a couple of my guys recovered a some friends of yours. A cute blonde, a lady in a chair and your favorite little boy toy. So here's the deal, you do what I say, when I say or I will kill them." He bent over and picked up the axe for emphasis. "Trust me when I say, I don't have a problem in the world with chopping lover boy into many small pieces."
Helena swallowed hard. She rather believed Mick was being serious. "Okay, " she finally said, her voice scratchy and dry. "What's your game then?"
Mick grinned, the youth returning to his features and his eyes. "Oh nothing big," he promised. "Just the Pig Bowl."
"And what's that? Because I'm guessing it's not football."
He laughed. "Damn you're hot when you think you're being sly. No Kyle, it's not a football game but it is a slaughter."
Helena's eyes bugged out. "Pigs?" she choked out.
Mick nodded. "Cops." He paused to gauge her horrified reaction.
"You're insane," she said, shaking her head.
"Yeah but it's so much more fun than you'd think. Tonight, we're gonna kill all of the cops at the annual Shield Ball tonight. And you're going to help. And if you refuse, I think I'll start with the blonde."
Helena swallowed. Head swimming and body aching, she finally managed. "Fine. Whatever you want. Just.leave them alone."
Mick grinned.
"Anything for you my love." He bent down and kissed her cheek.
Helena dropped her head. She'd never felt more defeated in her entire life.
And she sure as hell didn't know how to get out of this one.
Which when you broke it down was really all her fault anyways. If she'd just listened to Barbara.
She closed her eyes and prayed for strength. "Oh God."
"Not in the building anymore," Mick laughed. "Just you and me. And you're mine."
END CHAPTER ONE.