"Huntress?"
Another unexpected growl made her freeze.
"Huntress, answer me."
The redhead pressed some buttons, trying to locate the position of her protégée. A gasp from the young crime fighter echoed over the speakers and, suddenly, the communication with her com was dead.
"Huntress, answer me!" She turned her wheelchair around and moved toward another computer, confirming that the com line was dead.
"Is she all right?" Alfred asked, standing at the base of the platform in front of the redhead. He had heard the commotion from the kitchen.
"I don't know, I lost her, she was talking to me and now I can't contact her."
"Is she far?"
Long, quick fingers typed at the keyboard. "I have her last location. One block from the Dark Horse bar."
Dinah appeared at the elevator; she had heard the conversation while training in the gym and had run to the Delphi. "What's happening?"
"Helena's com died… go to Fifth Street, a block from the Dark Horse. Her last signal came from there."
"On my way."
Barbara looked at her clock impatiently; the seconds seemed like hours. She needed to calm herself. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. It was hard, she had heard her gasp and later silence. What had happened? Again her eyes fixed on the electronic clock of the computer. Dinah had left fifteen minutes ago. She needed twenty minutes, more or less to get there.
She's not here. Are you sure this is the right place? Dinah's voice pulled the cyber genius from her thoughts. She checked the monitor again.
"She was exactly at the point you are now, Dinah, check around, there must be some trace of her."
It was in these kinds of moments when the redhead wished could have a video camera added to the com. Not being able to see what was happening and just trying to visualize through sounds was stressful.. Her eyes were fixed on the screen, waiting, while she tapped her fingers nervously on her mouth.
Barbara, her coat is here, it's ripped…
"What?" The redhead looked, with concern, at Alfred, who had walk inside the room with a cup of coffee.
It's ripped as if it was cut with a knife, I found it inside a trash container.
The sound of the elevator doors opening made the redhead look up expectantly. The thin brunette was covered in dust and looked as if she had been dragged along the ground, by the look of the bruises and cuts on her. She was holding a small cloth against her forehead. Barbara and Alfred looked at her, surprised.
"Helena!" Green eyes examined her.
"Hi." The brunette walked inside, her face couldn't hide her disgust.
"What happened to you, Miss Helena?" The old man walked to her.
Helena is there? Dinah asked.
"Yes, she is here, come back."
"Some damn animal attacked me," Helena grumbled.
"Animal? Infirmary." Barbara turned her chair and wheeled toward it. "Alfred…"
"I know, clean, warm water," the loyal butler said.
The girl sat on a chair feeling angry, her back hurt like hell. But it was her pride that was the most hurt; she hated to be surprised by someone.
"Exactly what happened?" The redhead stopped in front of the metallic bed in the infirmary where Helena was sitting, after putting gloves on her hands. Delicate fingers took the bruised young crime fighter's chin with her hand and examined the wound on her forehead.
"I don't know… someone attacked me, he was damn fast and strong, he put me on the ground in one second. Dammit! I hate that"
"Was the person that attacked you trying to open a wall with your head?" the redhead asked worriedly.
"I think so." The brunette winced when Barbara cleaned the cut with cotton. The redhead noticed her neck, she had a big bruise around it, as if a rope had been pulled around her. Her eyes lowered; she moved Helena's head to the side carefully, the young woman had four deep scratches on the back of her neck.
"I'm a mess."
"Yes. Bend down."
The girl obeyed. The cyber-genius saw that her back was scratched. "Shit, what the hell attacked you?"
"Warm water here," Alfred said.
"The person that attacked me had claws instead of nails."
"Claws?" An eyebrow shot up. That explained the strange cuts on Helena's body. The younger woman's back was all scratched up. When her attacker had ripped her coat and necklace, he had done it roughly.
"He put me against the ground and climbed on my back, he pulled my necklace to take it, but it didn't break and hurt my neck. He needed to use both hands to rip it off me. He threw it against the wall." She took the shattered necklace from her pocket.
"Shit…" the redhead mumbled, looking at the object.
"It will be hard to repair it."
"I don't think it will work again." Barbara took it in her hands.
"The Ferrari is gone?" Alfred gave her a wet cloth.
"Unfortunately. Can you excuse us for a few minutes, I need Helena to remove her blouse."
"Right, Miss Barbara; I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything."
"Okay, Helena, lay down."
"Can we do it sitting up? It's a bit painful to move."
"All right." The redhead wheeled and stopped in the other side of the bed, helping her to remove the shirt. She leaned and, taking a wet cloth, began to clean her back. Thankfully, the scratches weren't deep.
"I was stupid, I let him surprise me," the brunette grumbled.
"Don't feel guilty, he must have been fast and strong to surprise you."
"I should have been faster. He jumped on me easily and knocked me down. He put his hands around my neck and I thought he was to cut my throat, but he just ripped my necklace."
"Did you piss him off?"
"I don't know who he is. Ouch, careful…" The brunette jumped slightly.
"Sorry… What was he looking for?"
"No idea. As soon as he appeared, he disappeared."
"Did you see him?"
"No, he always had me face down. I don't know what he looks like, and he never said a word."
"All right. He must have a reason for attacking you; I don't think there's a meta human that just attacks people to rip their clothes."
"Expensive clothes… wait…meta?"
"Only a meta could have the strength to throw you against the ground like that," the redhead said calmly, cleaning the wounds, "and the fact that he had claws instead fingers is another clue."
"Could you hurry up? Its cold."
Nodding, Barbara took another piece of gauze and poured alcohol on it.
The woman sat inside her car outside the Clock tower. She had been there a few hours just watching the place. She never had been there but she knew they lived there. She knew many secrets about Barbara Gordon. It was always an advantage know your enemy's secrets.
And was even more of an advantage too if they didn't know anything about you. She checked her watch, started the engine, and moved her vehicle down the street. She needed to hurry.
Angry.
Annoyed.
Pissed.
Well maybe all of the concepts where perfect to define how she felt. The brunette closed the Dark Horse Bar and walked up stairs. Barbara had given her one of her big NGPD sweaters. Her back and the scratches inflicted by that that thing still bothered. Luckily she healed fast and she will be okay next day.
Her coat.
Pretty coat.
Expensive coat.
That was the thing that truly pissed her off. That had been a pretty nice coat, a very expensive one. She searched for her keys and opened the door of her apartment. She didn't need to turn on the lights to see what had happened. Feral eyes opened wide, surprised at the mess inside her place. Drawers out of place, clothes everywhere, the couch turned on its side.
"Oracle."
I'm here. What's up?
"Some one trashed my place." The angry girl walked inside, picking up some of her things as she went.
What?
"Dammit!" the young woman growled looking around, "it's going to take forever to clean this mess. Some one was here and went through all my stuff."
Maybe was a robbery. Check the place.
Blue eyes fixed on a portrait on the floor, face down. She kneeled to pick it up.
Is there some window open? Broken? Oracle asked.
The brunette raised the object and turned it to face her. She narrowed her eyes.
Huntress?... Are you there?
"I don't know what to think…" the brunette mumbled.
What happened?
"Whoever was here… they seem to have issues with my family." The frame between Helena's hands was broken. Inside a hung picture of Selina and Helena during a trip to Niagara falls. Selina's picture was intentionally scratched.
I don't understand
The brunette's senses tingled, she rolled on her side on time to avoid something falling over her. She crouched on the floor and looked up. In front of her was a strange kind of… lion? "It's rude not to knock on doors before you walk in." she grumbled.
The big cat form jumped over her and Helena rolled again to her side and turned faster to kick her back. The lion… woman? Helena's eyes narrowed. She had a tail and spots. That was weird, a lion woman?
That thing growled loudly and raised her hands showing her claws.
"Impressive." The brunette mumbled raising her arm to avoid a blow. She hit the "panther's" gut with her free arm. "Oracle…"
Yes?
"I have a visit, a kind of lion-woman it's here, and isn't nice." She hit the stranger twice.
Lion woman?
Huntress felt a hard fist on her jaw and stepped back. She took her hand toward her lip. "I'm guessing meta, it's pretty strong…. And it's got a tail." The tail wrapped around her throat and pulled her down with incredible strength.
Tail?
"Would you please stop to answer with… questions and help me a bit here?" the brunette gasped moving her fingers between the tail and her neck.
Okay, can you describe her to me a bit more?
The woman's strength was amazing. She threw the young crime fighter across the room, smashing her hard against the wall.
"Dammit…" she growled. Oracle careful bandaging had been screwed.
"Where is it?" the strange woman growled walking toward her.
Huntress looked her, puzzled.
"I asked, where is it?" she tried to grab the brunette.
Huntress raised her leg and kicked her back, "Where is what?".
"I want it! Give it to me!" the woman jumped over her trying to grab Huntress' throat with her hands,and both rolled on the floor
Huntress grabbed her wrist "I guess…" she said impressed by the woman's strength "she is the same one that attacked me a few hours ago…"
How do you know?
"Claws, big claws instead nails." The brunette used her head to hit the stranger harder on her nose to stun her and buried her knee on her gut. She pushed her back and her cat vision could see her much better, "It's a woman and looks like a jaguar…"