CHAPTER 2:
She actually wants me to leave.
I don't know what to say to her here but I think I'll start with no. And you know what, I even do. I flat out tell her no. I'm not going anywhere. How could she think I would?
She just looks right back at me, her green eyes so calm and focused. "This isn't up for discussion."
"The hell it isn't," I growl back at her. "I'm not leaving until I know she's safe. And at home sleeping."
Barbara Gordon shakes her head at me, her red hair flying. She's pulled it back into a ponytail but damn is it still wild. "Not an option. Reese, something is going to happen at that ball tonight. You have to be there."
"I'm not going to some stupid Shield Ball while her life is in danger," I snap back, incredulously. I'm stunned that we're even having this discussion.
"Guys," Dinah says from behind us. She's leaning against a half-fallen stucco wall. She's standing watch. About a half an hour ago we almost got snagged by a few grungy looking fellows wielding oversized rifles. They saw us; I'm pretty sure the big boss knows we're here. "Please."
We both look at her but it's brief. We return to glaring at each other.
It's almost noon now. We've spent most of the morning wandering about looking for information and avoiding traps. Hours have just flown by. So damn much time.
"Reese," she starts. She takes a deep breath and her hands grip the sides of her chair. I feel a flash of sympathy for her but I know better. She'd kick my ass all the way to Metropolis if she thought I was feeling sorry for her. It's part of why I have so much respect for her. She finally continues, her tone softer. "Jesse, please. This is important. Those two thugs were talking about killing a whole bunch of cops. Unless I'm mistaken, the best place to do that with be the Shield Ball tonight. We must have coverage there."
"I can go," Dinah offers, trying to defuse the situation.
It's not that easy. I kind of know Barbara is right but that doesn't mean I plan to budge on this one.
I can't just leave her here.
Especially hurt.
"No," Barbara says. "I need you here. Plus, you're not a cop. I don't think they'd even let you in. Reese, it has to be you."
I shake my head. "I'm not letting you two deal with an entire war zone. The department doesn't even let a single squad car come down. Hell, we usually have to four-pack up when we come to this side of town."
"We're hardly normal, Reese. You should know that by now," Barbara insists. I can tell by her tone that she's losing patience.
Well guess what, so am I.
I always thought butting heads with Helena was a painful thing to do but damn this woman is like thumping skulls with a bull.
But hey I'm a stubborn fellow too. Have to be to be in a relationship with Helena.
She's a fiery one with a will of steel. She's stubborn and arrogant. All of it hiding one of the most vulnerable women that I ever met. She'd rip my spleen out if she ever heard me say that but it's still very true.
She sought me out.
That's where it gets weird.
Look, I'm a good-looking boy. Modesty doesn't suit me. I work my ass off and I've done pretty good for myself. All those hours in the gym have paid off. I tend to get women looking. Some even pursue.
But not like her.
For months before we actually met she worked behind the scenes helping me with my busts. On occasion she dropped thugs on my doorstep with a signed confession hanging from their necks. And they were always scared shitless.
And then by luck or fate we met in the apartment of a murder victim. I've always wondered if she waited around for me or if I really did get the drop on her. I know Barbara wasn't happy at the time that Helena wanted to openly work with me. I wasn't really either.
But she grew on me.
In more ways than one.
Through persistence and personality, I started to look forward to seeing her.
And she didn't disappoint. She'll never admit it but she was actively searching out me as well.
So yeah, we pretty much came together. Which is not to say that we haven't had our share of false steps but so far she hasn't tried to bail. Not real hard anyways.
I mean I know she will.
It's in her blood.
The closer I get to her, the more I can see her fear. She thinks she's got me at the proper distance right now. She thinks she's in control.
She has no idea.
Helena Kyle and I are dating. She's begrudgingly given me that much. Which is nice of her.
That's sarcasm friend.
We've been this way for going on six months. That's a damn anniversary and she's making me the woman of the relationship.
I want to laugh at this. It's so damn absurd.
And you know what, I'm actually dreading the day when I finally say those three magic words to her.
I know she'll run.
I'll deal with it then.
Which is to say that when she tries, I won't let her. I'll give her the space she asks for to sort things through and then when she inevitably tries to call it off because I've gotten too close, I'll just hold on a little tighter.
Helena thinks she's an unexplainable mystery.
She's something of that. She's also a bloody mess of her own making. Stubborn. Fool headed. Strong willed. Arrogant. Bold. Frightened of anyone getting too close. Scared at what she'll see if she ever looks in a mirror.
But guess what, I love the damn girl.
And I don't care what she looks like.
"Reese?"
I blink.
"Sorry," I mutter, embarrassed to be caught deep in thought. "And no, I'm not leaving."
Barbara nods slowly. "Sure, okay, that works. Better that we leave the Shield Ball completely unguarded so that scores of your co-workers are murdered by a group of ne'er do well street punks."
I feel like I've been sucker punched.
In the time I've known Barbara Gordon, she's always been tactful. She's always known exactly the right thing to say. She doesn't usually resort to high drama to get her point across.
I stumble for a reply. Finally I sigh. "Okay," I say, defeated.
Barbara sighs, relief in her eyes. She takes a deep breath and reaches out for my hand. "We need you here. But she needs you there. She'll never forgive herself if anyone dies because we were trying to rescue her. We have to be in two places at once."
"I know," I say. And I do.
It just sucks.
Yeah that was mature.
I take my gun out of my holster and hand it to Barbara. She opens her mouth to protest but I wave her off. "You guys are superheroes, I get that. Your powers might even cause some havoc around here but a bullet works just as well when a guy is rushing you head on."
Barbara finally nods. She's not happy about it. There's no question that she's a not a big fan of the gun.
After all one shattered her life.
I stand up from where I'm crouched on the ground. I look around and see that the proverbial coast appears to be clear. I start to move away and then I stop and spin back.
"We'll bring her home," Dinah promises me, her young eyes so vibrant.
She believes her words so I choose to as well.
I hurry back towards the Commissioners office, guessing that this trip down the rabbit hole won't be as easy as the last. I'm not wrong. On my watch to the hatch I end up knocking down three ugly as hell thugs.
Finally I'm crawling down into the tunnel leading back to the Batcave. It occurs to me that I have no idea how to get back into the Manor from there but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
And it hits me as I drop to the ground that I was right the first time; Barbara Gordon does know exactly what to say to get someone to do what she wants them to do.
Oh hell.
*****
Mick squinted and looked down at the grainy video. "Any clue where they came in from?"
The badly dressed street thug shook his head. "We think somewhere over by the old cop shop but we couldn't figure out from where. I don't think they saw me taking this. Chased away Skunk and Tony."
"That's not hard," Mick muttered. "Well look again and then for God's sake, bring them here. She thinks we've already got 'em."
"Sure boss," the thug said, handing over the camcorder.
Wolf bent over him, examining the three-minute long video. The video showed Detective Reese wandering away from the two women. Unfortunately he had managed to disappear without being tracked. No one had seen him since. The two women had been spotted several times.
"Who's the red-head?"
"Her adopted mother," Mick said. He reached across and handed her a file. "Her real mom was murdered." He grinned. "By the Joker."
"Oh you're kidding."
"Nope. I just think it's funny. Our former boss who was the Joker's main squeeze was also her therapist."
"Yeah I bet that went well," Wolf laughed. Then she turned to Mick. "So what are the plans for tonight then?"
"To make her kill of course. She's an animal, Wolf. Even if she won't admit it to herself. That first taste of blood, it's all she needs. Even if it's by force."
"So we're keeping her then?" Wolf asked with exasperation.
Mick nodded. "Yeah. We're keeping her for now. Or at least until we break her."
"Sounds like fun," Wolf said, walking a few steps away. She finally turned back to him. "And us?"
He crossed over to her and lifted her chin. "You have nothing to worry about." He kissed her soundly on the mouth and then moved away.
She watched after him, eyes on his back.
She didn't believe him for a second.
She was a smart woman and she saw the way that he watched Helena Kyle. She knew that he had been stalking her. She knew that Mick was obsessed.
That was dangerous.
To all of their plans.
So sure, Helena Kyle would get her first taste of innocent blood that night. And it's probably tear her up which would be a blast to watch.
And then she'd get a bullet in the back.
Cat smiled. She fingered the .44 at her hip.
It was all about control in the long run.
And as far as she was concerned, she had it.
*****
She's not here anymore.
This realization comes over me in waves.
I feel my skin turn to ice and my heart slows.
This is bad.
I don't know what they're planning for her but they've removed her from the Red Zone. Wasn't hard to find that out; the morons we've been fighting can't stop talking about how Mick left with her in a van over an hour ago.
And we're still here.
Dinah is exhausted. She's been fighting off thugs for the last hour. We usually call them Grungies. Not sure exactly what it means but it's a term Helena coined a long time ago. Come from Old Gotham and you're a Grungie.
"You have a plan?" Dinah calls back at me as she sends forth another powerful telekinetic wave. I can see sweat beading on her forehead and it's just a notch over thirty degrees out here. Snow has been falling for about ten minutes.
"Yep," I call back to her as I nail one of the Grungies with my fighting stick. It slides back into my palm as I await the next attack. "Touch him."
"Touch who?" she says, eyes wide. There she is, scandalized again.
You have no idea what the expression she's wearing looks like but go ahead and try to imagine a dear caught in headlights. With it's pants down. Go ahead.
"Him!" I yell, gesturing at the guy she's just kicked away from him. "Touch him."
She doesn't hesitate even though I think she rather believes I've gone quite mad. She puts a hand on his bare flesh and he cries out. Her methods have gotten more invasive.
When she so chooses.
Dinah finally falls back away from him, eyes wide. He drops to the ground, dead out.
That's new.
Not time for that now.
"Dinah," I prompt. "Am I right? Is she already gone?"
Dinah nods. "They took her to the Shield Ball."
I punch the guy close to me. "Then we need to go. Now."
How stupid ironic is that? I sent Reese that way to protect the cops because I figured that something was up. I just didn't guess that they would be forcing her to be part of it. Now we have to get there. Stat.
"How?" she asks, desperate.
Poor girl. She's so damn tired. Exhaustion is written all over her but she's being strong and brave.
I smile at her. "Blow them away."
She blinks at me, for a moment not understanding. Then she does. She closes her eyes and focuses. She gives it everything she has in her. I can see her muscles strain. Idly I wonder if she'll even be able to walk when this is over.
The Grungies all go flying.
Several of them a couple of dozen feet backwards.
The pure blast of psychic energy she kicks out knocks all of them unconscious on the spot and suddenly we're standing by ourselves in the middle of the Red Zone.
Okay she's standing and I'm sitting.
Hey now, I'm allowed a little gallows humor at my own expense.
She looks at me, "Good enough?"
Her words are slurred. I need to get her lying down. And fast.
I reach across and yank her onto my lap. Putting my hands to my wheels, I start pushing us towards my fathers' old office.
We don't meet any resistance but I'm whooped by the time we get there. Just the same, I push on. If a seventeen year old girl can be so brave and resolved, I don't have any excuses.
I jam open the hatch and slide Dinah off of me. "Can you climb down?" I ask.
She murmurs in the affirmative.
She drops herself in and I hear her hit the ground with a thud. All of the alarms in my head are going off. I look behind me and I can see a few Grungies moving towards us. They look disorientated but they're still moving. I'm a dead duck if I don't get down there quickly.
I realize that there's no way for me to get my chair down the hatch.
"Fuck," I curse, suddenly very angry.
I hate this stupid chair.
I close my eyes and tighten my jaw. This isn't the time.
I can throw things later.
"Miss Barbara?" I hear from below me.
It's like the bloody rain that voice.
"I'm here Alfred but I have incoming. I can't get the chair down."
"Leave it," he says simply. "You have another."
I blink. I know this is the right answer but it just never occurred to me. I've been strapped to this monstrosity for almost eight years. I've never left one behind. Hell, I've never even had a strong enough anger fit to destroy one.
Yet.
I push myself from the chair. I draw my fighting stick out from the side pocket and then take the survival pack that I had strapped over the backside. You know, bandages and emergency medical supplies.
I see one of the Grungies trying to force the door to the office open. I don't have a lot of time. I have to get down into the hatch and I have to lock it closed behind me.
The Batcave must not be compromised.
Under any circumstance.
I reach back and nail the side of my chair with the fighting stick. The wheel spins but stays attached to the chair. It hit it again, this time with all of my upper body strength. It crunches and falls apart. I need them to think this is a relic of the old days. Maybe they'll just leave this office alone. They have thus far.
"I'm coming down," I say to Alfred.
I don't hesitate. I drop myself down the hatch and he wraps his arms around my waist and brings me to the ground. He stands up quickly and starts to close the hatch.
I look over and see Dinah leaning against the wall. Her eyes are barely open. Still, I see that her hands are out.
"Dinah, no," I whisper.
She ignores me. "Alfred, move," she mutters.
He does so and a blast of energy spins the hatch closed. I hear it creak and snap and I wonder for a moment if it will ever be able to be opened again. I don't really care.
Alfred kneels over me, his hands doing a quick inspection. I try to push him away but he's far more insistent. He apparently finally decides that I'm okay.
"Miss Helena?" he asks, his voice still calm. His eyes tell another story. He actually thinks I came back without her.
It hurts.
He touches my shoulder. We don't need words I guess. He doesn't think that at all.
"She's already been moved. They're taking it to the Shield Ball for some reason or another," I answer, trying to speak over how thick my throat suddenly feels. "Reese?"
Alfred chuckles. "Oh he got hopelessly lost around the Batcave. I think he was about to hurl himself off the edge when I found him."
I laugh. The mental image of the always in control cop standing over the bottomless bluffs looking down is hysterical.
"Where is he now?"
"Upstairs showering I believe. He's getting ready for the ball. You've been gone for quite a few hours."
"What time is it?" I ask. I slide myself over to Dinah to check her for a fever. She feels warm but she should be okay.
"Just after four in the afternoon. The ball starts at six-thirty. I doubt anything will happen before then." He looks at Dinah who is now lying in my arms. "There should be time for her to get cleaned up."
"Good," I say, my voice low.
This isn't the first time that I've worried about what I've brought these two young women into.
Helena is a natural warrior but Dinah is still a child.
Their lives are on me.
That's just how it is.
And right now I can only guess what they have in mind for Helena.
And considering her injured state, it can't be good.
"Let's go," I say to Alfred. "We don't have a lot of time."
He nods.
He gets me.
And he knows the truth as well. It's more than just that their lives are my responsibility. It's that we're all tied together.
If they fall, so do I.
Time is running short.
*****
She flinched in pain as he finished taping up the wound. He'd done another full inspection of it, going even so far as to try to see how deep the wound was. "This should hold," he grunted, standing up.
"How do I know you won't kill them?" Helena asked, moving into a more relaxed position. She turned to glare at Mick. "How do you I won't kill you the moment I have a gun in my hand?"
Mick shrugged. "Guess we're both taking a chance. But I still hold all of the cards. You have no idea where I have them hidden and trust me, I will kill them."
"I believe you," she said softly. "So you want me to just walk into a room and shoot the first cop I see?"
"You make it sound so dramatic," he grinned. "But sure, something like that."
"What makes you think every cop in that room won't start shooting at me?"
"Because we'll have disarmed them all by then," he replied. He dropped down into a sitting position and looked out of the window of the moving van.
"So you're not even going to give them a fighting chance?"
"Why would I do that? The adventure is for me, not them. And killing a roomful of cops is the kind of drug that never dies."
"You're a fucking loon," she muttered.
"Yeah," he grinned. "Oh, did I forget to mention the other part of this whole thing?"
"Yeah, you did," Helena drawled. She blinked a few times, trying to chase back the pain. She'd lost entirely too much blood and she was terribly weak. Her body was in agony, now supported only by the strength of her will.
"Well," he said. "I know you're kind of feeling under the weather. By the way, I located the fellow who stabbed you. You left him in quite a state. His girl ain't all that interested in him anymore."
"Damn shame," Helena replied, trying to keep her breathing steady. Her adrenaline was dying down and her body was beginning to really show the signs of her injury. It was serious now, much more than the nasty gash that it had originally been.
And again, Barbara had been right.
"So, I went ahead and got you something to how shall I say it, make you feel better. Bring out the Cat I know is in you."
She snapped her eyes open and glared up at him. "Thanks but I gave up the chemical lifestyle a long time ago."
He snorted. "Wasn't giving you a choice." He reached around to the front of the van and pulled a backpack out from under several rifles. "You see, I can tell that you're not quite yourself. Too much blood loss I think. But I need you to be you. Your friends need you to be you. Their lives depend on it. But I don't think you could even if you wanted to. So consider it this way, I'm doing you a favor."
She wanted to jerk away from him, desperately even needed to. She tried to move but her body screamed. She dropped a hand to her side and groaned when she touched it. This was for real; she was hurt badly.
It was worse; she was about to have her free will stripped away.
"Ratboy, hold her," Mick instructed. A taller boy with brown hair came around the side. Helena tried to slap him away, even managed to connect solidly with his jaw. He punched her back. Mick growled. "Hands off her."
"Sorry boss, ain't gonna get hit by no bitch," Ratboy muttered as he pinned her arms to her side. He pulled her right arm all the way behind her body. She cried out as the wound stretched and began to leak.
Mick waved him off, already focusing on the syringe he had removed from the black case. "It's a hell of a cocktail, babe," he promised. "Enough uppers to get you flying and enough other stuff to make you into the girl I know you are."
"Topside," Helena murmured as he began to check her left arm for a ready vein. Once he found what he was looking for, he tied a piece of plastic around her arm so as to keep the vein large and ready for him.
"Yeah babe, Topside. Figured you'd heard of it."
How could she not have?
Topside was the new drug making it's way through the party circuit. It was supposed to be a hell of an upper with the bad side effect of giving you a rage complex. Word was it made you fly while you were flaming.
She tried to push him away, even managed to kick out and get him in the chin. He slapped her and she fell back, hissing in pain. "Ratboy, fucking hold her."
The kid snarled back at his boss. He grabbed Helena harder, copping a cheap feel as he drew her against his body. She groaned under the physical abuse but managed to stay aware.
She needed to fight.
Had to fight.
Mick grabbed her tied -off arm roughly and jerked it towards him. He grinned at her and then plunged the tip of the syringe directly into the exposed vein. She cried out and tried to push him off her but Ratboy held her tight.
Mick finally pulled away. "Let her go. And get rid of this." He handed Ratboy the empty syringe. Then he grinned at Helena.
She just fell back against the metal wall of the van and closed her eyes.
Life was funny. Two days ago she had been stabbed in the Red Zone. In a place Barbara had told her she wasn't ready for. One night ago she had fled the Clocktower in an angry huff because Barbara had wanted her to lie down and take it easy. And to stay the hell away from the Red Zone. But she hadn't listened. She had returned there.
And now they were in danger. Such terrible danger.
She tried to move a few inches but her body was already beginning to feel strange. Heavy and disorientated. She tried to shake it off but it was too much.
She finally collapsed under the weight of it all.
Mick pulled her towards him and into his arms. He stroked her wet hair back away from her forehead. "Shh," he said. "It'll all feel so much better soon, baby."
Helena finally let her eyelids close, all the fight fading out of her.
She just wanted so damn desperately to rest.
She knew better.
It really was true after all; no rest for the wicked.
Not in the end anyways.
*****
END CHAPTER 2
She actually wants me to leave.
I don't know what to say to her here but I think I'll start with no. And you know what, I even do. I flat out tell her no. I'm not going anywhere. How could she think I would?
She just looks right back at me, her green eyes so calm and focused. "This isn't up for discussion."
"The hell it isn't," I growl back at her. "I'm not leaving until I know she's safe. And at home sleeping."
Barbara Gordon shakes her head at me, her red hair flying. She's pulled it back into a ponytail but damn is it still wild. "Not an option. Reese, something is going to happen at that ball tonight. You have to be there."
"I'm not going to some stupid Shield Ball while her life is in danger," I snap back, incredulously. I'm stunned that we're even having this discussion.
"Guys," Dinah says from behind us. She's leaning against a half-fallen stucco wall. She's standing watch. About a half an hour ago we almost got snagged by a few grungy looking fellows wielding oversized rifles. They saw us; I'm pretty sure the big boss knows we're here. "Please."
We both look at her but it's brief. We return to glaring at each other.
It's almost noon now. We've spent most of the morning wandering about looking for information and avoiding traps. Hours have just flown by. So damn much time.
"Reese," she starts. She takes a deep breath and her hands grip the sides of her chair. I feel a flash of sympathy for her but I know better. She'd kick my ass all the way to Metropolis if she thought I was feeling sorry for her. It's part of why I have so much respect for her. She finally continues, her tone softer. "Jesse, please. This is important. Those two thugs were talking about killing a whole bunch of cops. Unless I'm mistaken, the best place to do that with be the Shield Ball tonight. We must have coverage there."
"I can go," Dinah offers, trying to defuse the situation.
It's not that easy. I kind of know Barbara is right but that doesn't mean I plan to budge on this one.
I can't just leave her here.
Especially hurt.
"No," Barbara says. "I need you here. Plus, you're not a cop. I don't think they'd even let you in. Reese, it has to be you."
I shake my head. "I'm not letting you two deal with an entire war zone. The department doesn't even let a single squad car come down. Hell, we usually have to four-pack up when we come to this side of town."
"We're hardly normal, Reese. You should know that by now," Barbara insists. I can tell by her tone that she's losing patience.
Well guess what, so am I.
I always thought butting heads with Helena was a painful thing to do but damn this woman is like thumping skulls with a bull.
But hey I'm a stubborn fellow too. Have to be to be in a relationship with Helena.
She's a fiery one with a will of steel. She's stubborn and arrogant. All of it hiding one of the most vulnerable women that I ever met. She'd rip my spleen out if she ever heard me say that but it's still very true.
She sought me out.
That's where it gets weird.
Look, I'm a good-looking boy. Modesty doesn't suit me. I work my ass off and I've done pretty good for myself. All those hours in the gym have paid off. I tend to get women looking. Some even pursue.
But not like her.
For months before we actually met she worked behind the scenes helping me with my busts. On occasion she dropped thugs on my doorstep with a signed confession hanging from their necks. And they were always scared shitless.
And then by luck or fate we met in the apartment of a murder victim. I've always wondered if she waited around for me or if I really did get the drop on her. I know Barbara wasn't happy at the time that Helena wanted to openly work with me. I wasn't really either.
But she grew on me.
In more ways than one.
Through persistence and personality, I started to look forward to seeing her.
And she didn't disappoint. She'll never admit it but she was actively searching out me as well.
So yeah, we pretty much came together. Which is not to say that we haven't had our share of false steps but so far she hasn't tried to bail. Not real hard anyways.
I mean I know she will.
It's in her blood.
The closer I get to her, the more I can see her fear. She thinks she's got me at the proper distance right now. She thinks she's in control.
She has no idea.
Helena Kyle and I are dating. She's begrudgingly given me that much. Which is nice of her.
That's sarcasm friend.
We've been this way for going on six months. That's a damn anniversary and she's making me the woman of the relationship.
I want to laugh at this. It's so damn absurd.
And you know what, I'm actually dreading the day when I finally say those three magic words to her.
I know she'll run.
I'll deal with it then.
Which is to say that when she tries, I won't let her. I'll give her the space she asks for to sort things through and then when she inevitably tries to call it off because I've gotten too close, I'll just hold on a little tighter.
Helena thinks she's an unexplainable mystery.
She's something of that. She's also a bloody mess of her own making. Stubborn. Fool headed. Strong willed. Arrogant. Bold. Frightened of anyone getting too close. Scared at what she'll see if she ever looks in a mirror.
But guess what, I love the damn girl.
And I don't care what she looks like.
"Reese?"
I blink.
"Sorry," I mutter, embarrassed to be caught deep in thought. "And no, I'm not leaving."
Barbara nods slowly. "Sure, okay, that works. Better that we leave the Shield Ball completely unguarded so that scores of your co-workers are murdered by a group of ne'er do well street punks."
I feel like I've been sucker punched.
In the time I've known Barbara Gordon, she's always been tactful. She's always known exactly the right thing to say. She doesn't usually resort to high drama to get her point across.
I stumble for a reply. Finally I sigh. "Okay," I say, defeated.
Barbara sighs, relief in her eyes. She takes a deep breath and reaches out for my hand. "We need you here. But she needs you there. She'll never forgive herself if anyone dies because we were trying to rescue her. We have to be in two places at once."
"I know," I say. And I do.
It just sucks.
Yeah that was mature.
I take my gun out of my holster and hand it to Barbara. She opens her mouth to protest but I wave her off. "You guys are superheroes, I get that. Your powers might even cause some havoc around here but a bullet works just as well when a guy is rushing you head on."
Barbara finally nods. She's not happy about it. There's no question that she's a not a big fan of the gun.
After all one shattered her life.
I stand up from where I'm crouched on the ground. I look around and see that the proverbial coast appears to be clear. I start to move away and then I stop and spin back.
"We'll bring her home," Dinah promises me, her young eyes so vibrant.
She believes her words so I choose to as well.
I hurry back towards the Commissioners office, guessing that this trip down the rabbit hole won't be as easy as the last. I'm not wrong. On my watch to the hatch I end up knocking down three ugly as hell thugs.
Finally I'm crawling down into the tunnel leading back to the Batcave. It occurs to me that I have no idea how to get back into the Manor from there but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
And it hits me as I drop to the ground that I was right the first time; Barbara Gordon does know exactly what to say to get someone to do what she wants them to do.
Oh hell.
*****
Mick squinted and looked down at the grainy video. "Any clue where they came in from?"
The badly dressed street thug shook his head. "We think somewhere over by the old cop shop but we couldn't figure out from where. I don't think they saw me taking this. Chased away Skunk and Tony."
"That's not hard," Mick muttered. "Well look again and then for God's sake, bring them here. She thinks we've already got 'em."
"Sure boss," the thug said, handing over the camcorder.
Wolf bent over him, examining the three-minute long video. The video showed Detective Reese wandering away from the two women. Unfortunately he had managed to disappear without being tracked. No one had seen him since. The two women had been spotted several times.
"Who's the red-head?"
"Her adopted mother," Mick said. He reached across and handed her a file. "Her real mom was murdered." He grinned. "By the Joker."
"Oh you're kidding."
"Nope. I just think it's funny. Our former boss who was the Joker's main squeeze was also her therapist."
"Yeah I bet that went well," Wolf laughed. Then she turned to Mick. "So what are the plans for tonight then?"
"To make her kill of course. She's an animal, Wolf. Even if she won't admit it to herself. That first taste of blood, it's all she needs. Even if it's by force."
"So we're keeping her then?" Wolf asked with exasperation.
Mick nodded. "Yeah. We're keeping her for now. Or at least until we break her."
"Sounds like fun," Wolf said, walking a few steps away. She finally turned back to him. "And us?"
He crossed over to her and lifted her chin. "You have nothing to worry about." He kissed her soundly on the mouth and then moved away.
She watched after him, eyes on his back.
She didn't believe him for a second.
She was a smart woman and she saw the way that he watched Helena Kyle. She knew that he had been stalking her. She knew that Mick was obsessed.
That was dangerous.
To all of their plans.
So sure, Helena Kyle would get her first taste of innocent blood that night. And it's probably tear her up which would be a blast to watch.
And then she'd get a bullet in the back.
Cat smiled. She fingered the .44 at her hip.
It was all about control in the long run.
And as far as she was concerned, she had it.
*****
She's not here anymore.
This realization comes over me in waves.
I feel my skin turn to ice and my heart slows.
This is bad.
I don't know what they're planning for her but they've removed her from the Red Zone. Wasn't hard to find that out; the morons we've been fighting can't stop talking about how Mick left with her in a van over an hour ago.
And we're still here.
Dinah is exhausted. She's been fighting off thugs for the last hour. We usually call them Grungies. Not sure exactly what it means but it's a term Helena coined a long time ago. Come from Old Gotham and you're a Grungie.
"You have a plan?" Dinah calls back at me as she sends forth another powerful telekinetic wave. I can see sweat beading on her forehead and it's just a notch over thirty degrees out here. Snow has been falling for about ten minutes.
"Yep," I call back to her as I nail one of the Grungies with my fighting stick. It slides back into my palm as I await the next attack. "Touch him."
"Touch who?" she says, eyes wide. There she is, scandalized again.
You have no idea what the expression she's wearing looks like but go ahead and try to imagine a dear caught in headlights. With it's pants down. Go ahead.
"Him!" I yell, gesturing at the guy she's just kicked away from him. "Touch him."
She doesn't hesitate even though I think she rather believes I've gone quite mad. She puts a hand on his bare flesh and he cries out. Her methods have gotten more invasive.
When she so chooses.
Dinah finally falls back away from him, eyes wide. He drops to the ground, dead out.
That's new.
Not time for that now.
"Dinah," I prompt. "Am I right? Is she already gone?"
Dinah nods. "They took her to the Shield Ball."
I punch the guy close to me. "Then we need to go. Now."
How stupid ironic is that? I sent Reese that way to protect the cops because I figured that something was up. I just didn't guess that they would be forcing her to be part of it. Now we have to get there. Stat.
"How?" she asks, desperate.
Poor girl. She's so damn tired. Exhaustion is written all over her but she's being strong and brave.
I smile at her. "Blow them away."
She blinks at me, for a moment not understanding. Then she does. She closes her eyes and focuses. She gives it everything she has in her. I can see her muscles strain. Idly I wonder if she'll even be able to walk when this is over.
The Grungies all go flying.
Several of them a couple of dozen feet backwards.
The pure blast of psychic energy she kicks out knocks all of them unconscious on the spot and suddenly we're standing by ourselves in the middle of the Red Zone.
Okay she's standing and I'm sitting.
Hey now, I'm allowed a little gallows humor at my own expense.
She looks at me, "Good enough?"
Her words are slurred. I need to get her lying down. And fast.
I reach across and yank her onto my lap. Putting my hands to my wheels, I start pushing us towards my fathers' old office.
We don't meet any resistance but I'm whooped by the time we get there. Just the same, I push on. If a seventeen year old girl can be so brave and resolved, I don't have any excuses.
I jam open the hatch and slide Dinah off of me. "Can you climb down?" I ask.
She murmurs in the affirmative.
She drops herself in and I hear her hit the ground with a thud. All of the alarms in my head are going off. I look behind me and I can see a few Grungies moving towards us. They look disorientated but they're still moving. I'm a dead duck if I don't get down there quickly.
I realize that there's no way for me to get my chair down the hatch.
"Fuck," I curse, suddenly very angry.
I hate this stupid chair.
I close my eyes and tighten my jaw. This isn't the time.
I can throw things later.
"Miss Barbara?" I hear from below me.
It's like the bloody rain that voice.
"I'm here Alfred but I have incoming. I can't get the chair down."
"Leave it," he says simply. "You have another."
I blink. I know this is the right answer but it just never occurred to me. I've been strapped to this monstrosity for almost eight years. I've never left one behind. Hell, I've never even had a strong enough anger fit to destroy one.
Yet.
I push myself from the chair. I draw my fighting stick out from the side pocket and then take the survival pack that I had strapped over the backside. You know, bandages and emergency medical supplies.
I see one of the Grungies trying to force the door to the office open. I don't have a lot of time. I have to get down into the hatch and I have to lock it closed behind me.
The Batcave must not be compromised.
Under any circumstance.
I reach back and nail the side of my chair with the fighting stick. The wheel spins but stays attached to the chair. It hit it again, this time with all of my upper body strength. It crunches and falls apart. I need them to think this is a relic of the old days. Maybe they'll just leave this office alone. They have thus far.
"I'm coming down," I say to Alfred.
I don't hesitate. I drop myself down the hatch and he wraps his arms around my waist and brings me to the ground. He stands up quickly and starts to close the hatch.
I look over and see Dinah leaning against the wall. Her eyes are barely open. Still, I see that her hands are out.
"Dinah, no," I whisper.
She ignores me. "Alfred, move," she mutters.
He does so and a blast of energy spins the hatch closed. I hear it creak and snap and I wonder for a moment if it will ever be able to be opened again. I don't really care.
Alfred kneels over me, his hands doing a quick inspection. I try to push him away but he's far more insistent. He apparently finally decides that I'm okay.
"Miss Helena?" he asks, his voice still calm. His eyes tell another story. He actually thinks I came back without her.
It hurts.
He touches my shoulder. We don't need words I guess. He doesn't think that at all.
"She's already been moved. They're taking it to the Shield Ball for some reason or another," I answer, trying to speak over how thick my throat suddenly feels. "Reese?"
Alfred chuckles. "Oh he got hopelessly lost around the Batcave. I think he was about to hurl himself off the edge when I found him."
I laugh. The mental image of the always in control cop standing over the bottomless bluffs looking down is hysterical.
"Where is he now?"
"Upstairs showering I believe. He's getting ready for the ball. You've been gone for quite a few hours."
"What time is it?" I ask. I slide myself over to Dinah to check her for a fever. She feels warm but she should be okay.
"Just after four in the afternoon. The ball starts at six-thirty. I doubt anything will happen before then." He looks at Dinah who is now lying in my arms. "There should be time for her to get cleaned up."
"Good," I say, my voice low.
This isn't the first time that I've worried about what I've brought these two young women into.
Helena is a natural warrior but Dinah is still a child.
Their lives are on me.
That's just how it is.
And right now I can only guess what they have in mind for Helena.
And considering her injured state, it can't be good.
"Let's go," I say to Alfred. "We don't have a lot of time."
He nods.
He gets me.
And he knows the truth as well. It's more than just that their lives are my responsibility. It's that we're all tied together.
If they fall, so do I.
Time is running short.
*****
She flinched in pain as he finished taping up the wound. He'd done another full inspection of it, going even so far as to try to see how deep the wound was. "This should hold," he grunted, standing up.
"How do I know you won't kill them?" Helena asked, moving into a more relaxed position. She turned to glare at Mick. "How do you I won't kill you the moment I have a gun in my hand?"
Mick shrugged. "Guess we're both taking a chance. But I still hold all of the cards. You have no idea where I have them hidden and trust me, I will kill them."
"I believe you," she said softly. "So you want me to just walk into a room and shoot the first cop I see?"
"You make it sound so dramatic," he grinned. "But sure, something like that."
"What makes you think every cop in that room won't start shooting at me?"
"Because we'll have disarmed them all by then," he replied. He dropped down into a sitting position and looked out of the window of the moving van.
"So you're not even going to give them a fighting chance?"
"Why would I do that? The adventure is for me, not them. And killing a roomful of cops is the kind of drug that never dies."
"You're a fucking loon," she muttered.
"Yeah," he grinned. "Oh, did I forget to mention the other part of this whole thing?"
"Yeah, you did," Helena drawled. She blinked a few times, trying to chase back the pain. She'd lost entirely too much blood and she was terribly weak. Her body was in agony, now supported only by the strength of her will.
"Well," he said. "I know you're kind of feeling under the weather. By the way, I located the fellow who stabbed you. You left him in quite a state. His girl ain't all that interested in him anymore."
"Damn shame," Helena replied, trying to keep her breathing steady. Her adrenaline was dying down and her body was beginning to really show the signs of her injury. It was serious now, much more than the nasty gash that it had originally been.
And again, Barbara had been right.
"So, I went ahead and got you something to how shall I say it, make you feel better. Bring out the Cat I know is in you."
She snapped her eyes open and glared up at him. "Thanks but I gave up the chemical lifestyle a long time ago."
He snorted. "Wasn't giving you a choice." He reached around to the front of the van and pulled a backpack out from under several rifles. "You see, I can tell that you're not quite yourself. Too much blood loss I think. But I need you to be you. Your friends need you to be you. Their lives depend on it. But I don't think you could even if you wanted to. So consider it this way, I'm doing you a favor."
She wanted to jerk away from him, desperately even needed to. She tried to move but her body screamed. She dropped a hand to her side and groaned when she touched it. This was for real; she was hurt badly.
It was worse; she was about to have her free will stripped away.
"Ratboy, hold her," Mick instructed. A taller boy with brown hair came around the side. Helena tried to slap him away, even managed to connect solidly with his jaw. He punched her back. Mick growled. "Hands off her."
"Sorry boss, ain't gonna get hit by no bitch," Ratboy muttered as he pinned her arms to her side. He pulled her right arm all the way behind her body. She cried out as the wound stretched and began to leak.
Mick waved him off, already focusing on the syringe he had removed from the black case. "It's a hell of a cocktail, babe," he promised. "Enough uppers to get you flying and enough other stuff to make you into the girl I know you are."
"Topside," Helena murmured as he began to check her left arm for a ready vein. Once he found what he was looking for, he tied a piece of plastic around her arm so as to keep the vein large and ready for him.
"Yeah babe, Topside. Figured you'd heard of it."
How could she not have?
Topside was the new drug making it's way through the party circuit. It was supposed to be a hell of an upper with the bad side effect of giving you a rage complex. Word was it made you fly while you were flaming.
She tried to push him away, even managed to kick out and get him in the chin. He slapped her and she fell back, hissing in pain. "Ratboy, fucking hold her."
The kid snarled back at his boss. He grabbed Helena harder, copping a cheap feel as he drew her against his body. She groaned under the physical abuse but managed to stay aware.
She needed to fight.
Had to fight.
Mick grabbed her tied -off arm roughly and jerked it towards him. He grinned at her and then plunged the tip of the syringe directly into the exposed vein. She cried out and tried to push him off her but Ratboy held her tight.
Mick finally pulled away. "Let her go. And get rid of this." He handed Ratboy the empty syringe. Then he grinned at Helena.
She just fell back against the metal wall of the van and closed her eyes.
Life was funny. Two days ago she had been stabbed in the Red Zone. In a place Barbara had told her she wasn't ready for. One night ago she had fled the Clocktower in an angry huff because Barbara had wanted her to lie down and take it easy. And to stay the hell away from the Red Zone. But she hadn't listened. She had returned there.
And now they were in danger. Such terrible danger.
She tried to move a few inches but her body was already beginning to feel strange. Heavy and disorientated. She tried to shake it off but it was too much.
She finally collapsed under the weight of it all.
Mick pulled her towards him and into his arms. He stroked her wet hair back away from her forehead. "Shh," he said. "It'll all feel so much better soon, baby."
Helena finally let her eyelids close, all the fight fading out of her.
She just wanted so damn desperately to rest.
She knew better.
It really was true after all; no rest for the wicked.
Not in the end anyways.
*****
END CHAPTER 2