Batman was her monster. He frightened her more than anyone else she knew because he moved her more than anyone else she knew. She was grateful everyday for what he did for the city, but she never approved of the way he did it. He was childish and stubborn in his anger… like Helena. He told her once she was like a mother to him, she told him once to keep working toward peace in this city and she'd keep working toward peace in his heart."

The ambulance stopped suddenly. Leslie prepared her things to move out. The door opened and she stepped down, helped by two policemen. She looked around. It was an old storage building with no windows. The place was dark and unfamiliar. This wasn't Arkham.

"Take her to the cell," Morton ordered getting out of his car.

Leslie walked toward him while his men moved the unconscious young woman out of the ambulance.

"What place is this?" she asked him.

"A safe one." He took his hand to his head. His headache was bothering him again. "Move her far from me."

She looked him with distrust, "Where are we, officer?"

"Dr. Tomkins," Morton said, rubbing his temples, "I need to explain this in peace."

"This is not Arkham."

"I know. I can answer all of your questions, if you'll follow me."

The old doctor looked at the men moving the stretcher on which Huntress was lying.

"Don't worry about her," Morton said, "they are going to put her in her cell."

"Cell?"

Morton smiled slightly and opened a door. "Please, I'll explain while over coffee."

Leslie nodded and followed him, it was best.

They walked inside a long corridor and entered in a lab with many computers; she looked around amazed. The place was incredible. Malcon stood up in the middle of the room.

"Why are you so interested in her?" he asked, taking some papers from a desk.

Leslie crossed her arms, years working with the dark crime-fighters had given her enough experience to know when to lie, and lie well. "I have been working with the police for many years. And I have never had seen a case like this, where the criminal is shot in her back and the police don't let her recover. She may be a criminal, but she's still a human being."

"Don't be so sure, doctor. I researched your profile." He checked the papers in his hands. "Very impressive, you have a great record as one of the most prestigious medical doctors in the city."

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

"I'm working for the Secret Service. Please sit down." He extended his arm toward a chair. "She is not human, she is a creature."

"What?"

"Nobody believed me when I said "they" existed. They are freaks, nobody knows from where they came. But they are here. They can do things that no one should be able to do. They can fly or transform themselves into fire, ice; everyone has a different ability."

"Are you talking about super-powers?"

Morton went toward a table and prepared two mugs of coffee. "Yes, they are like a pest. They are trying to take all our space; they are growing, filling our city, working our jobs, taking our places." He pressed a button and, on a screen, images of meta-humans doing incredible things appeared.

Leslie watched it in silence; she knew she was in a mad house, she needed to be careful if she wanted help her child and save her life. "Where did you get that?"

"I captured some of them. We are doing experiments." Morton gave her the mug of coffee and sat down in front of her. He turned off the TV.

"Experiments?"

"The human race will disappear if we don't stop them in time. I know where to find them because every time I'm near one of them my head hurts like hell; and for some unknown reason I take their abilities; I can do the things they do. I hate that, I want to be normal again. And the only way is getting rid of all of them."

"Kill them? It's murder."

"No, because they are not humans, they are just things. So, you are not killing human beings. We want your help, the government would be extrememly grateful if you help us."

"What kind of help?" Leslie tried to look interested in the topic, but, in reality, she was scared…scared for her little monster.

"We are working to find a way to finish them before it's too late for us," Morton explained.

"Killing them? I don't…"

"No, no, that is very slow way and as you say, "inhumane". There are thousands. I'm thinking of a better way. I discovered their blood cells are different, their organism. We are doing experiments with their blood now. The idea is create a serum to prevent reproduction in females. Look." He stood up and pressed a key on a computer.

Two DNA 3D models appeared on the computer screen. Leslie took her eyeglasses and put them on.

"The first one is from a human being, the second one is from one of them," Morton explained. "As you can see, their DNA is really amazing."

"I see."

"We are looking for a serum to sterilize females."

"What?" the old doctor couldn't believe what was she hearing.

"It's a most "humane" way to finish them. We almost have the formula ready. We would be very honored if you help us to finish it. There is something that has been stopping us."

"Who is she?"

"One of them, but she's the most dangerous of all. She surrounds the city by night, and says is helping to keep the order. I know that because my ex-partner told me. Can you imagine it? Them ruling our city? That's insane. I fought with her once, I almost killed her, but her friends stopped me in time." Morton looked at Leslie, "She will be a good test subject."

"Are you going to experiment with her?"

"She is a female, right?"

"Why did you shoot her? Wouldn't it have been better to try…?" Leslie tried to control herself.

"You don't know her power," Morton interrupted. "I never asked them to hurt her badly, just enough to prevent her from escaping. But well… it was a little mistake. She will recover, no?"

"Yes." The doctor bit her tongue. She wanted to kick his ass.

"If we find the formula, we will save the world, we will sterilize all the women and end this threat. Do you understand the importance of all this? Will you help us?" Morton asked hopefully.

Leslie was really concerned now. "Right, I can do it." Government, or not, supporting that man, Morton was definitely insane. She needed to help those people kidnapped by him, she needed to think what to do, and help Huntress to recover. "If you are right, these people are dangerous, we can't expose ourselves to them. Yes, yes, let me help you."

"Oh, I'll tell my assistant to show you all of our investigations. Just one other thing, while this project is going on… you need to stay with us, you can't go out."

"Why not?"

"National security. I can provide you with clothes and everything you need. All right?"

"All right." She didn't have any other option.

"Good." He picked up a radio. "Tell Doctor Moore that Dr. Leslie Tomkins will help him. She is now in charge of the project."

After her talk with Morton, the guards took Leslie inside Huntress' cell; they had installed her with all the sophisticated equipment of the hospital. She was lying chained on a mattress, behind a strong plastic wall. Many modern computers and systems were next to a wall and on a desk. A man with a doctor's coat was examining the unconscious crime fighter; he was old, and his hair was a mess, she wondered if he knew what a brush was. Big eyeglasses covered almost all of his face, the man was blind as a bat She watched him with distrust; it disgusted her that he was touching her little girl. She coughed.

The man turned. "Are you Doctor Tomkins?" he asked.

"Yes." She nodded. "And you are…?"

"Oh, Dr. James Moore." He made a sign to the guard at the door and he opened it. "Please come in." He went to her, anxiously, he had heard about her; he admired her. She was one of the most prestigious doctors in the country. He shook her hand. "It's an honor, I can't believe this! You are a legend!"

"Oh, thanks so much." She walked inside the cell.

He stood up next to Huntress, showing his excitement. "She exists! Is it not incredible?"

"What?" Leslie asked.

"Her! Didn't Claude tell you?"

"About meta-humans and those things?"

"Yes. Did you ever hear stories about a woman, covered by the night, patrolling the city?"

"What?" They knew so much about Huntress; things were really bad.

Moore caressed Huntress' arm. "She is one of the creatures. She is prefect. I heard many stories about her and Morton confirmed it; but no one had seen her; no one could tell anything about her. And now she is here. She is beautiful." He touched her lips with his finger. Leslie wanted to kick that man's ass and rip off his finger. "We can do marvelous things with her."

"Did you know about meta-humans or did he tell you?"

"Nobody believed me when I said "they" existed," Dr. Moore explained, as he moved his hand toward the brunette's neck. He tried to move it down when he suddenly felt Leslie's hand grabbing his wrist firmly. He raised his face and found a cold glare.

"I want to know more about them," Leslie said. "Please."

He stepped back and walked outside the cell. The guard opened the door. Leslie followed him.

"No one knows from where they come," the man said, walking toward his desk. "We only know they appeared a few years ago. Their population had increased in the last couple of years. We are worried about that. Morton knew about them, but he had my problem, nobody believed him. I met him months ago. He was seriously injured, he fell off a building; the police brought him to me as dead to my forensics lab, but he was alive. He asked me not tell anyone. He told me he was fighting with her; I never reported that he was alive."

Something was wrong. He had told her he was working for the police. She needed to be more careful.

"Morton wants to know who they are, how to stop them." The doctor showed her some notes, Leslie read them carefully. "I have been doing experiments, I was trying to find the way. So we are working on two formulas, on that destroys their meta-cells and another one that would sterilize females. In both cases, we can infect with a virus."

"A virus?"

"Yes, but I still need to make a few changes."

Leslie noticed they had been working very hard, analyzing the DNA of meta-humans. "May I analyze it? Maybe I could help you."

"Sure."