Something is wrong with me.
It doesn't take a genius to figure that out.
Which is great since I'm hardly one.
I'm standing here in a dirty alley wearing all black. The clothes are loose so as to hide my form but the way I walk probably gives away that I'm a woman.
That's if I'm walking the way I usually do.
I know I'm hurt. My side is split wide open and I've been leaking blood for hours. And they've been bandaging me up for the same amount of time. The fact that they have to keep changing the gauze tells me that it isn't stopping. And that tells me that I might be dying.
But I can't feel it.
And that scares the living hell out of me.
I like pain.
I told Reese once that I was afraid of being hurt, afraid of it hurting too much. That's more an emotional thing than a physical one. I actually like when my body is screaming at me.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not all about splicing myself up for a good time but there's something invigorating about feeling my cheek burn after I've been punched.
It tells me I'm still alive.
I don't feel anything now.
I'm just numb.
I know I should hurt but I don't. I know I should be feeling a lot of things but I can't. I'm even starting to not feel afraid anymore.
Which is quite an accomplishment considering that I feel like I'm trapped in my own body. Which to be honest, I am.
I know what Mick is planning and I know what he intends for me to do. I'm trying to fight back against it but I'm fading. I'm losing this battle. The drugs going through me as well as my physical exhaustion are taking me out of the fight.
And my rage is winning out.
When Wolf attacked me, it wasn't me that smacked her down. It wasn't even Huntress. It was something far colder. Far more primal. Something I can't even hope to control.
Something that is me nonetheless.
I've known for a long time that I might not be the good person I'd like to think I am. I may not even be remotely that. Perhaps that line between the bad guys and me isn't so much a line anymore. More like a hazy squiggle in the sand.
I'm losing it.
The bad side of me, the one who might one day need a cell in Arkham is winning. I'm becoming the monster.
I can't stop it.
No you don't understand. This isn't about weakness. This isn't about not fighting hard enough. This is about who I am.
And this is it.
I'm the girl who will kill all of her friends and family.
Including the man I love if that that's what I'm told to do.
Yeah love. Bite me.
Not that he'll ever know. Not that I'll ever be able to tell him.
Not that he even vaguely feels the same way.
Oh God the drama.
I need a drink.
Something hard and toxic preferably. Something that will floor me so maybe I won't do the horrible things I'm about to do.
I know a little secret.
This is me.
I may not be the cackling psychopath in the corner but I'm not a good person either. Barbara would tell me otherwise but I figure maybe after this, assuming we both live through it, which is by no means a guarantee, she'll finally realize what a waste I am.
And that will just be that.
I feel Mick touch my face. He kisses me hard. I respond. I don't know which me this is but I'm giving back as good as I'm getting. I mean I'm talking tongues and saliva and a little above the shirt action.
He finally breaks away. "Put on the mask baby. You do well enough tonight, I'll let you wear the mask in bed."
I want to slap the shit out of him.
But I can't.
I put the mask on and suddenly everything is a little darker. I think I mean that in all ways.
"Lock and load," I hear Wolf say. She's up to something but I'm starting to lose focus. I don't think I'll be here at all in a few moments.
I don't know if that terrifies me or comforts me.
Mick puts his mouth against my ear. "Kill them all baby. Kill them all."
Everything is fading so fast. All I can see is red.
I'm lost.
It's all lost.
God Barbara, I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Please forgive me.
"It's been forever," he said, smiling widely at her. He dropped down to a knee to take her hand. She gave him back the same friendly expression but Reese could plainly see the annoyance in her eyes. She hated when people treated her different. Like she was less.
"Daniel," Barbara greeted. "It has been awhile. Not since my fathers' funeral."
"Still miss the old boy."
"So do I. I presume you already know Detective Reese."
"Of course," Lieutenant Daniel Balestrom said, offering his hand to Reese. The two men shook firmly. "Jesse, I thought you were dating that cute brunette? Mr. Wayne's daughter."
"I am. She couldn't come tonight so Ms. Gordon offered," Reese replied, trying to keep his face neutral. He couldn't let on that he rather suspected that Helena would be making an appearance.
"Well we missed you around these parts, Barbara."
"I know. Just needed distance."
"How's Grayson doing? Is he still working for the Bludhaven Police Department?"
"Yep. He's doing well."
"Good. Look, I'll catch up with you later on, my wife is waving and frankly if she grabs one more glass of wine, we could have a real scene unfold in front of us." He laughed and moved away.
"I bet," Reese muttered, laughing to himself. "Isn't this weird for you?"
"You mean to look around this room and know that not a man in here has a clue about what is going to happen?"
"Yeah. That."
"I'm used to it by now. I was getting used to it when my father was still a commissioner. It's just the way things are when you operate under the radar."
"That doesn't ever get to you? I mean not getting any credit for all the good you do?"
She turned to look at him, again marveling at how good he looked in Bruce's tuxedo. It made her miss Dick Grayson all the more. "Do you?" she asked. "I mean do you ever miss the credit? Is that why you do it?"
He chucked. "You mean getting shot at? No, I don't do that for the credit. Point taken."
She winked at him. "Thought so." She cocked her head slightly to the side and placed her hand against her comm earring. "Dinah?"
"I'm here Oracle," Dinah replied crisply.
"Anything?"
"Negative. It's all clear out here. I will say however that I have seen some of the fugliest dresses that..."
"Fugliest?"
"Oh. You so don't want to know."
"I imagine not. Okay, aside from the dresses?"
"All clear."
"Good. Keep an..."
"Barbara!" Dinah screamed out suddenly over the comm.
There was a loud thud and then a clank. Then she heard a muffled voice say, "She look dead?"
Another voice that sounded female replied, "Looks it. Keep going."
"Dinah? Dinah?" Barbara snapped into the comm. "Report!"
"What's wrong?" Reese asked, coming to her side.
"Look alert," Barbara replied. "We have incoming. Something is wrong with Dinah, she's not answering." There was fear in her green eyes,
"You want me to check on her?" Reese asked, moving a step towards the door.
"No," Barbara said, her voice suddenly very dull. She pointed towards the entrance of the room where several figures were standing. They were all wearing animal masks and they were all packing heavy heat.
And right smack in the middle was one wearing a cat mask.
"Helena," Reese breathed. "What the hell is going on?"
"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "Dinah?"
"Ungh?"
Barbara let out a breath of air that she hadn't realized she was holding in. She felt her shoulders loosen a bit but not much.
Somehow or another, Helena Kyle had been compromised.
Again.
"We need help inside if you can manage," Barbara instructed.
"On...ugh...on my way."
"Ladies and gentlemen, this building is wired with a massive amount of plastic. I want every single weapon on the floor now. You have three minutes. After that time we will sweep the room and anyone still carrying will be shot. You can try to resist but I'm thinking we have the advantage here. Trust me, it'd be a really bad idea to try to fight back," Mick called out from the center of the pack. He lifted up his hand and clicked a button on his watch. "The clock starts now."
"So that's how they're gonna disarm everyone," Reese muttered. "We need to find that bomb."
"Right," Barbara replied. She touched her earring again. "New assignment, Dinah."
"Talk to me," the blonde replied, her voice still sounding a bit groggy. She'd been through hell that day and it hardly looked over. But once it was, nothing was going to keep her away from a nice hot bubble bath.
Nothing.
"They've wired this place up. Probably to C4. We need to disarm the box. I need you to find the fuse."
"Uh, Oracle, I've never done that before."
"I know. Do you have your cell with you?"
"Of course. I am a teenager."
"Thought so. Do you have Gibson's number?"
"Uh huh."
"Call him. He'll know what to do. Just get it disarmed. Reese and I will handle everything else from in here."
"What about Helena?"
"I don't know yet. Oracle out."
She looked up and around and saw cops tossing their weapons. Most of the men were standing in front of their wives, several of whom looked irritated. She turned towards Reese and saw that he was staring directly at the woman in the cat mask.
The woman moved and the gait was too damn familiar even if it was a bit more sinister than usual.
It was Helena.
"What is she doing with them?" Reese hissed.
"Something's wrong. Don't think about her right now. We have a whole room of your colleagues who need our attention," Barbara reminded him, trying her hardest not to look at Helena.
"We're down to one minute now people," Mick called out. He looked at the two individuals on his sides. Both of them were female.
"Other one has to be Wolf," Reese whispered. "If my memory serves, her real name is Tara Hunter."
"Wonderful," Barbara sighed.
"That's enough folks, no talking. We're down to thirty seconds."
"Reese, drop your gun," Barbara instructed him. "We need to buy time and I think they're serious."
He looked at her like she was insane for a long moment. Finally, reluctantly, he pulled his pistol out. He gave it a long hard look and then dropped it to the ground.
"Good boy Detective," Mick called out, looking directly at Reese. They couldn't meet eyes because of the mask but the handsome young police man had no doubt that he was being stared down.
"Should I bark?" Reese muttered, shifting his eyes to Barbara,
"Don't start," Barbara replied, trying to be serious but showing a hint of mirth in spite of herself.
She knew this was a very serious situation especially if Helena was compromised but sometimes funny was funny.
"All right folks, time is up. My friends here are going to start checking for weapons. Resist the search and you will be shot. Have a weapon and you will be shot. Time is up."
"What the hell do you want?" a voice growled from the back. The crowd of cops separated to allow the Commissioner to step through. "Boy are you mad?"
"Quite," Mick said with a laugh. "Now I'd stay real quiet there old man or you'll be the first one I drop."
He made a gesture with his hand and the men around him started to fan out to search the crowd. Helena and Wolf stayed right by his side.
"He's not going to shut up," Reese whispered, eyes wide with fear.
"Stop this before someone gets seriously hurt," Montgomery hissed at Mick. "Before I have to shoot your young stupid ass."
Mick turned to the two women. "Cat baby shut him up."
Helena started to move forward but Wolf put a hand on her arm. "Down rookie. I got this one."
And then, quite before anyone could move, she fired a single shot right into the Commissioners' skull.
The woman standing next to Barbara and Reese fainted on the spot. There were several loud shrieks from around the room.
"Fuck," Reese swore, his hand moving to the back of his waistband. He cursed again when he realized he'd already dropped his gun. Looking around he noticed several other officers doing the exact same thing.
Another gunshot echoed loudly through the room. Reese turned and saw the body of a young rookie hit the ground. The thug standing next to him bent over and picked up a gun. He held it up into the air. "He was armed."
Mick laughed. "Well that's a shame. I guess he didn't take me seriously."
"What is it that you want?" Daniel Balestrom asked. He held up his hands to show that he was no threat.
"To put on a show. Tonight, while all of you are here, something really cool is going down. Too bad no one will be able to stop it," Mick answered. He put the barrel of his gun against Balestrom's temple. "You spoke. I don't see any reason to keep you alive."
Wolf touched his hand lightly. "Let's not kill off all the brass quite so quickly."
"The lady speaks sense," Mick said with a laugh. "Sit down and you'll breathe for a few more minutes."
Balestrom backed off a few inches. His face was pale and ashy. In short he was scared to death.
"What's wrong with her? Why isn't she stopping him?" Reese whispered.
"She must not be able to," Barbara replied dully.
"You mean like what Harley did to her?"
"Something like that. But everything about her is off. She's not walking like Helena," Barbara commented, squinting her eyes.
She was right of course. Something was off about the way Helena was moving. Her body was swaying un-naturally, especially for a person with a severe side wound. The sexual predator that was usually there had been replaced by something that was putting off murderous vibes.
Two more gunshots echoed in the room. A gun was risen up over each of the bodies.
"We have to stop this," Reese hissed.
"I know," Barbara muttered. She touched her ear. "Dinah?"
"Working on it. You try to have Gibson walk you through dismantling a bomb. I now know every single use of wire ever created."
"Great. Move it."
"Moving it. Out," Dinah replied.
"Anything?" Reese asked.
"They're working on it."
"Hey, I thought I told everyone to shut the fuck up," Mick growled as he moved towards them. He grinned when his eyes locked on Reese. "You I'm gonna enjoy killing."
Reese opened his mouth to respond but was stopped by Barbara tugging on his jacket. "Don't give him a reason."
"Listen to the bitch," Mick laughed. "Because I'll take any reason I can."
"Hey," Wolf called out. "Don't you think it's time to play a bit? The boys are getting restless."
Mick turned his back on Reese and Barbara. "Yeah, I think so." Leaning down he picked up several guns that were on the ground including Reese's. He noticed the JR scratched into the metal and smiled.
He crossed back over to Helena. "Give me my gun love," he instructed.
She held out her hand and offered him the weapon. He replaced it with Reese's. Then he pointed her towards the crowd. "Everything in a tuxedo. Anyone who tries to attack you."
"Oh no," Barbara whispered. "Dinah, you better be almost done."
"I almost am," she promised.
"Boys, let's start this party. Ladies and gentlemen, time has run out," Mick called out. He fired his pistol into the air and made a loud whooping noise.
"Done," Dinah said. "The bomb is defused."
"Reese, it's been deactivated," Barbara told him.
"Oh good," he growled. He reached down to the left leg of his pants. Lifting the cloth up he pulled out a small revolver. It only held six shells but he figured that he'd only need one to put down Mick Collins.
He never had the chance.
The room erupted in gunfire as several of the Animal Gang started to fire bullets into the crowd. There were loud screams everywhere as people in formal wear tried to duck beneath anything they could. To find cover where ever they could.
And to Barbara's Gordon's absolute horror, Helena Kyle was one of the ones firing a weapon.
She was holding Reese's service pistol in her left hand but she was firing a sawed off semi-automatic in her right. Bullets were spraying against every wall. It was impossible to see who was hitting whom but that hardly mattered.
"Reese," Barbara said, turning towards him.
Only he was already gone.
She scanned the crowd and saw that he was moving under the tables, trying to get near the front.
He was going after Helena.
God help him.
I have to get to her.
I don't know what's wrong with her but something clearly is.
She isn't this girl.
Angry sure. Brash check. Impulsive and utterly infuriating you betcha.
A cold-blooded killer- nuh uh. No way.
I may not know every little thing about Helena Kyle but I know she's one of the good guys.
She likes to party and dance on that line but she knows where she belongs. She's a lot better person than she's ever given herself credit for. I've been around some very bad people thanks to my father and in my experience, they don't much care about who they've let down.
She does.
In some ways she over cares. If that's possible.
She constantly thinks she's letting Barbara down and I can tell that she doesn't think she's good enough for me. She thinks I'm gonna walk away from her.
I don't know how to prove that I'm not going anywhere.
So I guess all I can do now is try to save her.
This isn't her.
She isn't a killer.
That prick Collins has done something to her. It's obvious that he's not quite over her. The way he standing next to her, he looks like a master over his dog. That imagery pisses me off to no end.
I move under the tables, hitting my back against the bottoms of them. I think by now that I've scrapped off at least two of three layers of skin. As I move I find a discarded weapon. It feels heavy so I think it's loaded. I check and it is.
Good.
But I'm gonna nail Collins with my own weapon.
Cops aren't supposed to seek vengeance but this guy is shooting my brothers and sisters in uniform. Even if he hadn't done whatever it is that he's done to Helena, I'd still be gunning for his ass.
I look around and I can see people collapsed on the ground. Some wounded and some dead. Others are cowering. Still others have found their weapons and are firing back.
Things are getting bad in here.
But at least the bomb threat is gone. If we can stop Collins then we'll be okay.
We'll be okay.
I have to get to her.
I can feel her pain from here. She might not be emoting it but I know her well enough to know that she'd never do this.
She has wanted to kill before. She's even come close a few times. She was probably inches from murdering Clayface. He deserved it. He had it coming.
She stopped herself.
She'd never hurt an innocent.
She's one of the good guys.
"Detective Reese," I hear from above me. I curse and look up. It's the chick in the wolf mask. She's standing over me, pointing a gun down at my head.
I must have lost my focus.
Stupid.
Fucking stupid.
"Hey Cat, come here," Wolf calls out. I see Helena turn and she walks over.
Without hesitation.
"What?" Helena asks. Her voice sounds weird, disconnected. It doesn't sound like her.
I know it's her.
"Kill him," Wolf tells her. She touches Helena's left hand and indicates for her to use my gun. I feel my stomach roll violently.
This is bad.
I'm not supposed to fear my own gun.
I see Mick appear from behind them. He takes off his mask and grins down at me. He thinks he's got me.
"Wolf baby, I got it. You go take care of the Lieutenant. He's mounting a resistance."
I look around and I see that sure enough, Daniel Balestrom is hunkered down beneath several tables along with a handful of other cops. And they're fighting back.
Good for them.
I wonder idly where Barbara is and I pray that she's all right.
If something happens to her, saving Helena physically won't make a damn bit of difference.
"Sure," Wolf says, altogether too easily. I wonder what she's up to. I don't have much time to think about it before Mick is yanking me to my feet.
He smells like Bubble Yum. Grape I think.
"Detective, how's it feel to know you lost?"
"I haven't lost," I reply, knowing that it's bravado. He takes both of my guns away from me and throws them on the floor. I see that Helena is still pointing my service pistol right at my chest.
I just don't like how this is all breaking down.
These are not even Vegas odds.
Mick grins at me and I want to knock his teeth out. He's so damn cocky. He thinks he's got it all made. He thinks he's got it all figured out.
Have to admit, sure does look like he might be right.
God that pisses me off.
"I got the girl, Reese. I'm gonna be the one with her tonight while they're zipping you up. I'll be fucking her while they're burying you."
He says the words so coolly and I feel a chill go through me.
"Baby, take your mask off. I want Reese to see your face. I want it to be the last face he sees before he dies."
"No," she says dully. "I just want him to see my real face."
Her words are so strange but somehow they feel like she's screaming out to me. She's trying to tell me something.
I just don't like what I think it is.
I think she's given up.
Up and in.
She thinks she's lost.
I wonder if she is too.
"Okay babe," Mick says. "Then just kill the stupid fuck." He lifts her hand so that the gun is against my forehead.
He wants her to shoot me between the eyes.
She pulls back the hammer of the gun.
It's really going to happen.
I'm going to die by her hand.
Oh God.
Oh God.
I see her finger touch the trigger and it all moves in slow motion. She starts to pull it.
I keep waiting for her to jerk the gun around. To change positions.
She doesn't.
She fires.
She's going to kill me.
I hear a voice scream out my name.
I turn my head towards it.
I'm flying.
Am I already dead?
Oh God, she shot me.
He slammed hard against several of the tables and landed in a heap. Looking up he blinked several times. It was impossible that he could have escaped. She had put the gun right to his head.
He had to be dead.
"Reese?"
He looked up and into the blue eyes of Dinah Lance. She looked shaky and unsteady but she was still there. There was a small trickle of blood right beneath her nose. Not a full nosebleed but something just the same.
She had saved him.
"Yeah?" he replied, uncertain himself. "At least I think so."
"You're hurt," she said. "I'm sorry. I had to get you out of there, I wasn't fast enough."
She looked up at Barbara Gordon who had crawled over to them. Her chair had been abandoned several feet away, "Are you okay?" she hissed at them.
"He's shot," Dinah said, pointing towards Reese's leg.
He looked down and blinked. "I am?"
Barbara pulled herself up so that her back was against one of the tables. Tilting her head just a bit she tried to examine the wound. "This isn't good," she finally said.
"What do you mean? It's just a leg wound. She was going to shoot him in the head," Dinah insisted, panic in her voice.
Barbara put a hand on her shoulder. "The bullet went through muscle. If we stop the blood, he should be fine. It's just an ugly wound."
"Sorry," Dinah said. "I just..."
"You did fine. We have to stop her. She's not acting of her own free will. He's controlling her. As long as he is, she has to be considered deadly. She has to be stopped."
"Right. You want me to try to knock her out?"
"Wait," Barbara said. "Hopefully we can create a little bit of clearance. There are too many innocents near her. Too many injured. I don't want to hurt them worse."
"Got it," Dinah said, peering back down at Reese. Barbara was working to tie off the wound with the cumber band from the tuxedo. "Those cops are doing pretty good."
Barbara glanced up. "Yeah, they're definitely holding their own," she replied. She started to look back down and away but was stopped by Dinah placing a hand on her arm.
"Oh my God," Dinah whispered, eyes wide in horror.
Barbara followed her gaze to where Helena was standing. She had her back to them and was still firing into the crowd. Standing three feet behind her was Wolf.
And she was aiming a pistol right at Helena's back.
Mick spun around, horror in his eyes. "Wolf!" he screamed.
It was too late.
The woman in the wolf mask fired the pistol. The sound of the bullet leaving the chamber echoed harshly through the room.
Helena grunted as it collided with her back. She stumbled forward a few steps but incredibly kept her balance. She spun around, blood streaking down her.
Then she fired her gun.
"Helena, no!"
Barbara screamed it as loud as she could but nothing stopped.
Well maybe it slowed down a bit. Just enough so that she could watch everything in slow motion.
The bullet slid smoothly through the rubber of Wolf's mask and then hammered it's way into her skull. A few milliseconds later her face exploded into a spray of blood and bone.
The violent debris splattered everywhere leaving Mick standing nearby, nearly frozen in horror.
A moment later he too was cut down by a bullet from the gun of Daniel Balestrom.
Mick hit the ground with a wet thud, his chest soaked in blood. He gasped in pain as he tried to speak. His lips were soaked red and he coughed violently.
"Damn," he said.
Barbara looked up sharply at Dinah," Knock this whole damn room out. Do it now."
Dinah never hesitated.
Putting her palms out in front of her, she focused every bit of energy within her.
The effect was a display twice as powerful as the one in the Red Zone.
And twice as violent.
Bodies were thrown every which way humanly possible. The lights in the room crackled and went dark. Fixtures tumbled from the ceiling.
"Good enough?" Dinah mumbled, her exhilaration at her powers momentarily pushing away the exhaustion. Blood flowed freely from her nose now.
"That'll do," Barbara said simply. "We need to find Helena and get the hell out of here."
"I see her. Can you handle Reese?"
"If I can get back to my chair, yes."
"Good. I told Gibson to stand by. I had a feeling we'd need a getaway. Alfred frankly drives like an old man."
"Good thinking," Barbara said nodding. She slid out from under Reese and pushed herself towards her chair. Right now the room was eerily silent but it wasn't likely to stay that way for long.
Time was short.
Dinah crawled towards where Helena was on the ground. She was struggling to stand, still somehow conscious. Dinah reached up and yanked off the mask.
What she saw horrified her.
Helena's blue eyes were cold.
Stone cold.
And empty.
"We have to go," Dinah told her. "We have to go now."
Helena tried to swing at her. Hell, she tried to use her arm as a baseball bat.
Dinah easily ducked away, momentarily glad for Helena's extensive injuries. Putting a hand on her friends' forehead she whispered, "New trick."
A blast of energy surged through her and into Helena. The older girl screamed and then fell forward, dead out.
Dinah breathed a long sigh of relief and then mumbled, "I'm sorry."
"Dinah, now," Barbara snapped over the comm.
"We're on our way," Dinah replied, reaching down to lift up her fallen friend. There was blood everywhere. "Barbara?"
"What?"
"We've got a problem," Dinah said softly.
"What's that?"
There was a long pause and then she finally replied," She's dying. Helena's dying."
TBC..
END CHAPTER 4:
It doesn't take a genius to figure that out.
Which is great since I'm hardly one.
I'm standing here in a dirty alley wearing all black. The clothes are loose so as to hide my form but the way I walk probably gives away that I'm a woman.
That's if I'm walking the way I usually do.
I know I'm hurt. My side is split wide open and I've been leaking blood for hours. And they've been bandaging me up for the same amount of time. The fact that they have to keep changing the gauze tells me that it isn't stopping. And that tells me that I might be dying.
But I can't feel it.
And that scares the living hell out of me.
I like pain.
I told Reese once that I was afraid of being hurt, afraid of it hurting too much. That's more an emotional thing than a physical one. I actually like when my body is screaming at me.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not all about splicing myself up for a good time but there's something invigorating about feeling my cheek burn after I've been punched.
It tells me I'm still alive.
I don't feel anything now.
I'm just numb.
I know I should hurt but I don't. I know I should be feeling a lot of things but I can't. I'm even starting to not feel afraid anymore.
Which is quite an accomplishment considering that I feel like I'm trapped in my own body. Which to be honest, I am.
I know what Mick is planning and I know what he intends for me to do. I'm trying to fight back against it but I'm fading. I'm losing this battle. The drugs going through me as well as my physical exhaustion are taking me out of the fight.
And my rage is winning out.
When Wolf attacked me, it wasn't me that smacked her down. It wasn't even Huntress. It was something far colder. Far more primal. Something I can't even hope to control.
Something that is me nonetheless.
I've known for a long time that I might not be the good person I'd like to think I am. I may not even be remotely that. Perhaps that line between the bad guys and me isn't so much a line anymore. More like a hazy squiggle in the sand.
I'm losing it.
The bad side of me, the one who might one day need a cell in Arkham is winning. I'm becoming the monster.
I can't stop it.
No you don't understand. This isn't about weakness. This isn't about not fighting hard enough. This is about who I am.
And this is it.
I'm the girl who will kill all of her friends and family.
Including the man I love if that that's what I'm told to do.
Yeah love. Bite me.
Not that he'll ever know. Not that I'll ever be able to tell him.
Not that he even vaguely feels the same way.
Oh God the drama.
I need a drink.
Something hard and toxic preferably. Something that will floor me so maybe I won't do the horrible things I'm about to do.
I know a little secret.
This is me.
I may not be the cackling psychopath in the corner but I'm not a good person either. Barbara would tell me otherwise but I figure maybe after this, assuming we both live through it, which is by no means a guarantee, she'll finally realize what a waste I am.
And that will just be that.
I feel Mick touch my face. He kisses me hard. I respond. I don't know which me this is but I'm giving back as good as I'm getting. I mean I'm talking tongues and saliva and a little above the shirt action.
He finally breaks away. "Put on the mask baby. You do well enough tonight, I'll let you wear the mask in bed."
I want to slap the shit out of him.
But I can't.
I put the mask on and suddenly everything is a little darker. I think I mean that in all ways.
"Lock and load," I hear Wolf say. She's up to something but I'm starting to lose focus. I don't think I'll be here at all in a few moments.
I don't know if that terrifies me or comforts me.
Mick puts his mouth against my ear. "Kill them all baby. Kill them all."
Everything is fading so fast. All I can see is red.
I'm lost.
It's all lost.
God Barbara, I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Please forgive me.
"It's been forever," he said, smiling widely at her. He dropped down to a knee to take her hand. She gave him back the same friendly expression but Reese could plainly see the annoyance in her eyes. She hated when people treated her different. Like she was less.
"Daniel," Barbara greeted. "It has been awhile. Not since my fathers' funeral."
"Still miss the old boy."
"So do I. I presume you already know Detective Reese."
"Of course," Lieutenant Daniel Balestrom said, offering his hand to Reese. The two men shook firmly. "Jesse, I thought you were dating that cute brunette? Mr. Wayne's daughter."
"I am. She couldn't come tonight so Ms. Gordon offered," Reese replied, trying to keep his face neutral. He couldn't let on that he rather suspected that Helena would be making an appearance.
"Well we missed you around these parts, Barbara."
"I know. Just needed distance."
"How's Grayson doing? Is he still working for the Bludhaven Police Department?"
"Yep. He's doing well."
"Good. Look, I'll catch up with you later on, my wife is waving and frankly if she grabs one more glass of wine, we could have a real scene unfold in front of us." He laughed and moved away.
"I bet," Reese muttered, laughing to himself. "Isn't this weird for you?"
"You mean to look around this room and know that not a man in here has a clue about what is going to happen?"
"Yeah. That."
"I'm used to it by now. I was getting used to it when my father was still a commissioner. It's just the way things are when you operate under the radar."
"That doesn't ever get to you? I mean not getting any credit for all the good you do?"
She turned to look at him, again marveling at how good he looked in Bruce's tuxedo. It made her miss Dick Grayson all the more. "Do you?" she asked. "I mean do you ever miss the credit? Is that why you do it?"
He chucked. "You mean getting shot at? No, I don't do that for the credit. Point taken."
She winked at him. "Thought so." She cocked her head slightly to the side and placed her hand against her comm earring. "Dinah?"
"I'm here Oracle," Dinah replied crisply.
"Anything?"
"Negative. It's all clear out here. I will say however that I have seen some of the fugliest dresses that..."
"Fugliest?"
"Oh. You so don't want to know."
"I imagine not. Okay, aside from the dresses?"
"All clear."
"Good. Keep an..."
"Barbara!" Dinah screamed out suddenly over the comm.
There was a loud thud and then a clank. Then she heard a muffled voice say, "She look dead?"
Another voice that sounded female replied, "Looks it. Keep going."
"Dinah? Dinah?" Barbara snapped into the comm. "Report!"
"What's wrong?" Reese asked, coming to her side.
"Look alert," Barbara replied. "We have incoming. Something is wrong with Dinah, she's not answering." There was fear in her green eyes,
"You want me to check on her?" Reese asked, moving a step towards the door.
"No," Barbara said, her voice suddenly very dull. She pointed towards the entrance of the room where several figures were standing. They were all wearing animal masks and they were all packing heavy heat.
And right smack in the middle was one wearing a cat mask.
"Helena," Reese breathed. "What the hell is going on?"
"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "Dinah?"
"Ungh?"
Barbara let out a breath of air that she hadn't realized she was holding in. She felt her shoulders loosen a bit but not much.
Somehow or another, Helena Kyle had been compromised.
Again.
"We need help inside if you can manage," Barbara instructed.
"On...ugh...on my way."
"Ladies and gentlemen, this building is wired with a massive amount of plastic. I want every single weapon on the floor now. You have three minutes. After that time we will sweep the room and anyone still carrying will be shot. You can try to resist but I'm thinking we have the advantage here. Trust me, it'd be a really bad idea to try to fight back," Mick called out from the center of the pack. He lifted up his hand and clicked a button on his watch. "The clock starts now."
"So that's how they're gonna disarm everyone," Reese muttered. "We need to find that bomb."
"Right," Barbara replied. She touched her earring again. "New assignment, Dinah."
"Talk to me," the blonde replied, her voice still sounding a bit groggy. She'd been through hell that day and it hardly looked over. But once it was, nothing was going to keep her away from a nice hot bubble bath.
Nothing.
"They've wired this place up. Probably to C4. We need to disarm the box. I need you to find the fuse."
"Uh, Oracle, I've never done that before."
"I know. Do you have your cell with you?"
"Of course. I am a teenager."
"Thought so. Do you have Gibson's number?"
"Uh huh."
"Call him. He'll know what to do. Just get it disarmed. Reese and I will handle everything else from in here."
"What about Helena?"
"I don't know yet. Oracle out."
She looked up and around and saw cops tossing their weapons. Most of the men were standing in front of their wives, several of whom looked irritated. She turned towards Reese and saw that he was staring directly at the woman in the cat mask.
The woman moved and the gait was too damn familiar even if it was a bit more sinister than usual.
It was Helena.
"What is she doing with them?" Reese hissed.
"Something's wrong. Don't think about her right now. We have a whole room of your colleagues who need our attention," Barbara reminded him, trying her hardest not to look at Helena.
"We're down to one minute now people," Mick called out. He looked at the two individuals on his sides. Both of them were female.
"Other one has to be Wolf," Reese whispered. "If my memory serves, her real name is Tara Hunter."
"Wonderful," Barbara sighed.
"That's enough folks, no talking. We're down to thirty seconds."
"Reese, drop your gun," Barbara instructed him. "We need to buy time and I think they're serious."
He looked at her like she was insane for a long moment. Finally, reluctantly, he pulled his pistol out. He gave it a long hard look and then dropped it to the ground.
"Good boy Detective," Mick called out, looking directly at Reese. They couldn't meet eyes because of the mask but the handsome young police man had no doubt that he was being stared down.
"Should I bark?" Reese muttered, shifting his eyes to Barbara,
"Don't start," Barbara replied, trying to be serious but showing a hint of mirth in spite of herself.
She knew this was a very serious situation especially if Helena was compromised but sometimes funny was funny.
"All right folks, time is up. My friends here are going to start checking for weapons. Resist the search and you will be shot. Have a weapon and you will be shot. Time is up."
"What the hell do you want?" a voice growled from the back. The crowd of cops separated to allow the Commissioner to step through. "Boy are you mad?"
"Quite," Mick said with a laugh. "Now I'd stay real quiet there old man or you'll be the first one I drop."
He made a gesture with his hand and the men around him started to fan out to search the crowd. Helena and Wolf stayed right by his side.
"He's not going to shut up," Reese whispered, eyes wide with fear.
"Stop this before someone gets seriously hurt," Montgomery hissed at Mick. "Before I have to shoot your young stupid ass."
Mick turned to the two women. "Cat baby shut him up."
Helena started to move forward but Wolf put a hand on her arm. "Down rookie. I got this one."
And then, quite before anyone could move, she fired a single shot right into the Commissioners' skull.
The woman standing next to Barbara and Reese fainted on the spot. There were several loud shrieks from around the room.
"Fuck," Reese swore, his hand moving to the back of his waistband. He cursed again when he realized he'd already dropped his gun. Looking around he noticed several other officers doing the exact same thing.
Another gunshot echoed loudly through the room. Reese turned and saw the body of a young rookie hit the ground. The thug standing next to him bent over and picked up a gun. He held it up into the air. "He was armed."
Mick laughed. "Well that's a shame. I guess he didn't take me seriously."
"What is it that you want?" Daniel Balestrom asked. He held up his hands to show that he was no threat.
"To put on a show. Tonight, while all of you are here, something really cool is going down. Too bad no one will be able to stop it," Mick answered. He put the barrel of his gun against Balestrom's temple. "You spoke. I don't see any reason to keep you alive."
Wolf touched his hand lightly. "Let's not kill off all the brass quite so quickly."
"The lady speaks sense," Mick said with a laugh. "Sit down and you'll breathe for a few more minutes."
Balestrom backed off a few inches. His face was pale and ashy. In short he was scared to death.
"What's wrong with her? Why isn't she stopping him?" Reese whispered.
"She must not be able to," Barbara replied dully.
"You mean like what Harley did to her?"
"Something like that. But everything about her is off. She's not walking like Helena," Barbara commented, squinting her eyes.
She was right of course. Something was off about the way Helena was moving. Her body was swaying un-naturally, especially for a person with a severe side wound. The sexual predator that was usually there had been replaced by something that was putting off murderous vibes.
Two more gunshots echoed in the room. A gun was risen up over each of the bodies.
"We have to stop this," Reese hissed.
"I know," Barbara muttered. She touched her ear. "Dinah?"
"Working on it. You try to have Gibson walk you through dismantling a bomb. I now know every single use of wire ever created."
"Great. Move it."
"Moving it. Out," Dinah replied.
"Anything?" Reese asked.
"They're working on it."
"Hey, I thought I told everyone to shut the fuck up," Mick growled as he moved towards them. He grinned when his eyes locked on Reese. "You I'm gonna enjoy killing."
Reese opened his mouth to respond but was stopped by Barbara tugging on his jacket. "Don't give him a reason."
"Listen to the bitch," Mick laughed. "Because I'll take any reason I can."
"Hey," Wolf called out. "Don't you think it's time to play a bit? The boys are getting restless."
Mick turned his back on Reese and Barbara. "Yeah, I think so." Leaning down he picked up several guns that were on the ground including Reese's. He noticed the JR scratched into the metal and smiled.
He crossed back over to Helena. "Give me my gun love," he instructed.
She held out her hand and offered him the weapon. He replaced it with Reese's. Then he pointed her towards the crowd. "Everything in a tuxedo. Anyone who tries to attack you."
"Oh no," Barbara whispered. "Dinah, you better be almost done."
"I almost am," she promised.
"Boys, let's start this party. Ladies and gentlemen, time has run out," Mick called out. He fired his pistol into the air and made a loud whooping noise.
"Done," Dinah said. "The bomb is defused."
"Reese, it's been deactivated," Barbara told him.
"Oh good," he growled. He reached down to the left leg of his pants. Lifting the cloth up he pulled out a small revolver. It only held six shells but he figured that he'd only need one to put down Mick Collins.
He never had the chance.
The room erupted in gunfire as several of the Animal Gang started to fire bullets into the crowd. There were loud screams everywhere as people in formal wear tried to duck beneath anything they could. To find cover where ever they could.
And to Barbara's Gordon's absolute horror, Helena Kyle was one of the ones firing a weapon.
She was holding Reese's service pistol in her left hand but she was firing a sawed off semi-automatic in her right. Bullets were spraying against every wall. It was impossible to see who was hitting whom but that hardly mattered.
"Reese," Barbara said, turning towards him.
Only he was already gone.
She scanned the crowd and saw that he was moving under the tables, trying to get near the front.
He was going after Helena.
God help him.
I have to get to her.
I don't know what's wrong with her but something clearly is.
She isn't this girl.
Angry sure. Brash check. Impulsive and utterly infuriating you betcha.
A cold-blooded killer- nuh uh. No way.
I may not know every little thing about Helena Kyle but I know she's one of the good guys.
She likes to party and dance on that line but she knows where she belongs. She's a lot better person than she's ever given herself credit for. I've been around some very bad people thanks to my father and in my experience, they don't much care about who they've let down.
She does.
In some ways she over cares. If that's possible.
She constantly thinks she's letting Barbara down and I can tell that she doesn't think she's good enough for me. She thinks I'm gonna walk away from her.
I don't know how to prove that I'm not going anywhere.
So I guess all I can do now is try to save her.
This isn't her.
She isn't a killer.
That prick Collins has done something to her. It's obvious that he's not quite over her. The way he standing next to her, he looks like a master over his dog. That imagery pisses me off to no end.
I move under the tables, hitting my back against the bottoms of them. I think by now that I've scrapped off at least two of three layers of skin. As I move I find a discarded weapon. It feels heavy so I think it's loaded. I check and it is.
Good.
But I'm gonna nail Collins with my own weapon.
Cops aren't supposed to seek vengeance but this guy is shooting my brothers and sisters in uniform. Even if he hadn't done whatever it is that he's done to Helena, I'd still be gunning for his ass.
I look around and I can see people collapsed on the ground. Some wounded and some dead. Others are cowering. Still others have found their weapons and are firing back.
Things are getting bad in here.
But at least the bomb threat is gone. If we can stop Collins then we'll be okay.
We'll be okay.
I have to get to her.
I can feel her pain from here. She might not be emoting it but I know her well enough to know that she'd never do this.
She has wanted to kill before. She's even come close a few times. She was probably inches from murdering Clayface. He deserved it. He had it coming.
She stopped herself.
She'd never hurt an innocent.
She's one of the good guys.
"Detective Reese," I hear from above me. I curse and look up. It's the chick in the wolf mask. She's standing over me, pointing a gun down at my head.
I must have lost my focus.
Stupid.
Fucking stupid.
"Hey Cat, come here," Wolf calls out. I see Helena turn and she walks over.
Without hesitation.
"What?" Helena asks. Her voice sounds weird, disconnected. It doesn't sound like her.
I know it's her.
"Kill him," Wolf tells her. She touches Helena's left hand and indicates for her to use my gun. I feel my stomach roll violently.
This is bad.
I'm not supposed to fear my own gun.
I see Mick appear from behind them. He takes off his mask and grins down at me. He thinks he's got me.
"Wolf baby, I got it. You go take care of the Lieutenant. He's mounting a resistance."
I look around and I see that sure enough, Daniel Balestrom is hunkered down beneath several tables along with a handful of other cops. And they're fighting back.
Good for them.
I wonder idly where Barbara is and I pray that she's all right.
If something happens to her, saving Helena physically won't make a damn bit of difference.
"Sure," Wolf says, altogether too easily. I wonder what she's up to. I don't have much time to think about it before Mick is yanking me to my feet.
He smells like Bubble Yum. Grape I think.
"Detective, how's it feel to know you lost?"
"I haven't lost," I reply, knowing that it's bravado. He takes both of my guns away from me and throws them on the floor. I see that Helena is still pointing my service pistol right at my chest.
I just don't like how this is all breaking down.
These are not even Vegas odds.
Mick grins at me and I want to knock his teeth out. He's so damn cocky. He thinks he's got it all made. He thinks he's got it all figured out.
Have to admit, sure does look like he might be right.
God that pisses me off.
"I got the girl, Reese. I'm gonna be the one with her tonight while they're zipping you up. I'll be fucking her while they're burying you."
He says the words so coolly and I feel a chill go through me.
"Baby, take your mask off. I want Reese to see your face. I want it to be the last face he sees before he dies."
"No," she says dully. "I just want him to see my real face."
Her words are so strange but somehow they feel like she's screaming out to me. She's trying to tell me something.
I just don't like what I think it is.
I think she's given up.
Up and in.
She thinks she's lost.
I wonder if she is too.
"Okay babe," Mick says. "Then just kill the stupid fuck." He lifts her hand so that the gun is against my forehead.
He wants her to shoot me between the eyes.
She pulls back the hammer of the gun.
It's really going to happen.
I'm going to die by her hand.
Oh God.
Oh God.
I see her finger touch the trigger and it all moves in slow motion. She starts to pull it.
I keep waiting for her to jerk the gun around. To change positions.
She doesn't.
She fires.
She's going to kill me.
I hear a voice scream out my name.
I turn my head towards it.
I'm flying.
Am I already dead?
Oh God, she shot me.
He slammed hard against several of the tables and landed in a heap. Looking up he blinked several times. It was impossible that he could have escaped. She had put the gun right to his head.
He had to be dead.
"Reese?"
He looked up and into the blue eyes of Dinah Lance. She looked shaky and unsteady but she was still there. There was a small trickle of blood right beneath her nose. Not a full nosebleed but something just the same.
She had saved him.
"Yeah?" he replied, uncertain himself. "At least I think so."
"You're hurt," she said. "I'm sorry. I had to get you out of there, I wasn't fast enough."
She looked up at Barbara Gordon who had crawled over to them. Her chair had been abandoned several feet away, "Are you okay?" she hissed at them.
"He's shot," Dinah said, pointing towards Reese's leg.
He looked down and blinked. "I am?"
Barbara pulled herself up so that her back was against one of the tables. Tilting her head just a bit she tried to examine the wound. "This isn't good," she finally said.
"What do you mean? It's just a leg wound. She was going to shoot him in the head," Dinah insisted, panic in her voice.
Barbara put a hand on her shoulder. "The bullet went through muscle. If we stop the blood, he should be fine. It's just an ugly wound."
"Sorry," Dinah said. "I just..."
"You did fine. We have to stop her. She's not acting of her own free will. He's controlling her. As long as he is, she has to be considered deadly. She has to be stopped."
"Right. You want me to try to knock her out?"
"Wait," Barbara said. "Hopefully we can create a little bit of clearance. There are too many innocents near her. Too many injured. I don't want to hurt them worse."
"Got it," Dinah said, peering back down at Reese. Barbara was working to tie off the wound with the cumber band from the tuxedo. "Those cops are doing pretty good."
Barbara glanced up. "Yeah, they're definitely holding their own," she replied. She started to look back down and away but was stopped by Dinah placing a hand on her arm.
"Oh my God," Dinah whispered, eyes wide in horror.
Barbara followed her gaze to where Helena was standing. She had her back to them and was still firing into the crowd. Standing three feet behind her was Wolf.
And she was aiming a pistol right at Helena's back.
Mick spun around, horror in his eyes. "Wolf!" he screamed.
It was too late.
The woman in the wolf mask fired the pistol. The sound of the bullet leaving the chamber echoed harshly through the room.
Helena grunted as it collided with her back. She stumbled forward a few steps but incredibly kept her balance. She spun around, blood streaking down her.
Then she fired her gun.
"Helena, no!"
Barbara screamed it as loud as she could but nothing stopped.
Well maybe it slowed down a bit. Just enough so that she could watch everything in slow motion.
The bullet slid smoothly through the rubber of Wolf's mask and then hammered it's way into her skull. A few milliseconds later her face exploded into a spray of blood and bone.
The violent debris splattered everywhere leaving Mick standing nearby, nearly frozen in horror.
A moment later he too was cut down by a bullet from the gun of Daniel Balestrom.
Mick hit the ground with a wet thud, his chest soaked in blood. He gasped in pain as he tried to speak. His lips were soaked red and he coughed violently.
"Damn," he said.
Barbara looked up sharply at Dinah," Knock this whole damn room out. Do it now."
Dinah never hesitated.
Putting her palms out in front of her, she focused every bit of energy within her.
The effect was a display twice as powerful as the one in the Red Zone.
And twice as violent.
Bodies were thrown every which way humanly possible. The lights in the room crackled and went dark. Fixtures tumbled from the ceiling.
"Good enough?" Dinah mumbled, her exhilaration at her powers momentarily pushing away the exhaustion. Blood flowed freely from her nose now.
"That'll do," Barbara said simply. "We need to find Helena and get the hell out of here."
"I see her. Can you handle Reese?"
"If I can get back to my chair, yes."
"Good. I told Gibson to stand by. I had a feeling we'd need a getaway. Alfred frankly drives like an old man."
"Good thinking," Barbara said nodding. She slid out from under Reese and pushed herself towards her chair. Right now the room was eerily silent but it wasn't likely to stay that way for long.
Time was short.
Dinah crawled towards where Helena was on the ground. She was struggling to stand, still somehow conscious. Dinah reached up and yanked off the mask.
What she saw horrified her.
Helena's blue eyes were cold.
Stone cold.
And empty.
"We have to go," Dinah told her. "We have to go now."
Helena tried to swing at her. Hell, she tried to use her arm as a baseball bat.
Dinah easily ducked away, momentarily glad for Helena's extensive injuries. Putting a hand on her friends' forehead she whispered, "New trick."
A blast of energy surged through her and into Helena. The older girl screamed and then fell forward, dead out.
Dinah breathed a long sigh of relief and then mumbled, "I'm sorry."
"Dinah, now," Barbara snapped over the comm.
"We're on our way," Dinah replied, reaching down to lift up her fallen friend. There was blood everywhere. "Barbara?"
"What?"
"We've got a problem," Dinah said softly.
"What's that?"
There was a long pause and then she finally replied," She's dying. Helena's dying."
TBC..
END CHAPTER 4: