Chapter 5

The slave ran through the rocky formations, constantly looking over his shoulder. The boulders that dotted the landscape made the desert he was running through a maze. As a boy he had learned the best way through, and now he was trying to recall that knowledge so his escape may be successful.

The slave had spent ten years servicing the queen of the tiny asteroid he lived on. He had been free once, before the queen and the prince showed up.

He was just a young boy then. His mother never told him much about why they had to be enslaved in the service of the queen. He had heard once the prince had killed his father, but he could never believe it as his father had been a powerful warrior, and the prince was just a young boy when he arrived with his mother.

The slave had spent years learning his way through the mines he worked. He knew that at least one of them had to wind their way to the surface. He had finally found such a tunnel and this night he had broken through to the surface. He was pretty sure no one had seen him, but he knew he couldn't be too careful. He had heard the other slaves talk about how the prince had psychic powers and super senses. He didn't believe any of that, but he was still afraid the queen or the prince might have found out about his escape tunnel.

After a long run the slave made it to the wide open field that encircled the Apos mountain range. Once he made it to the mountains, he could make it to the secret cave that held the only way off the rock. During his enslavement he had heard rumors of a Mother Box located in a cave. The Mother Box could open a Boom Tube that could transport him to freedom in another dimension.

He had been told about the device by a blue-haired man who worked the mines with him. The man had heard the previous ruler had hidden it there so they could escape in case of invasion or overthrow. The man offered to let the boy escape with him, but he turned the man down, he didn't believe he could make it.

The prince handled escapees harshly. Their mangled bodies were brought back and put on display to instill fear in all the other slaves. The body of the man had never been brought back. The boy knew he had made it to safety and believed he could follow him.

The slave stopped and looked back at the end of the boulder maze. He couldn't see or hear anyone behind him. He started to laugh with joy over his successful escape.

"Do you see something funny?" he heard a voice say. He looked ahead to see the prince hovering above the ground. He was wearing his full suit of armor that covered him from head to toe. The slave had no idea how he was managing to float without any hover disk to stand on. He began to believe all the things he had heard about the prince having magical powers.

"How did you find me?" the slave yelled.

"I know everything," the prince answered.

"Good job, my son," the queen said as she floated down on her hovering circle. "Now, show him what happens to those who try and defy us."

The slave looked in horror as the prince's eyes started glowing red underneath his helmet. The slave started feeling his skin get hot and could smell his flesh burning. He continued screaming in pain even after the heat blast stopped. He then found himself lifted off the ground. The slave plunged to the ground and everything went dark.

"Good job, my son," Lashina said as she looked over the crushed body of the slave. "Let's take him back to the palace. We can display his body just like all the others."

"Batman, giving it up, I can't believe it," Rex's mother, Shayera Hol said. Rex and Maril were having a private lunch with his parents.

"It must be nice to retire on your own terms," his father, John Stewart, added. Rex and his mother giggled over this. John had once been a Green Lantern. The Green Lanterns were a police force for the galaxy that was run by the Guardians on Oa. He was forced to retire when they believed he was too old for the job. He always resented the fact he had no say in the decision.

"You could have always created another superhero identity for yourself," Rex reminded him.

"It wouldn't have been the same," his father replied.

"So what identity has Helena adopted for herself?" Shayera asked.

"Wonder Huntress," Maril replied. "I helped her make her costume. She really looks quite stunning in it."

"I kind of wish I was there for her first night out. I could have flown over from Bludhaven and we could have patrolled together."

"If she is anything like her father, I don't think she would want company, even from you," Shayera told her.

Maril was going to reply, but a servant came in and she turned her attention to her. The servant told Maril her mother needed to see her, and Maril immediately excused herself.

"So, have you asked her yet?" Rex's father asked his son once Maril was out of earshot.

"No, I haven't, Dad," he answered. "I was going to do it at breakfast, but then the news about Helena came and Maril was preoccupied. I'll do it right before the party, as I originally planned."

"That is going to leave the two of you such little time to enjoy it together," his mother reminded him. "You could always delay your trip to Thanagar in order to spend more time with Maril."

"Stop trying to keep me from going," Rex yelled at his mother.

"I can't help that I'm worried about what might happen to you," his mother protested. There are a lot of people who will want to punish you for what I did."

Shayera Hol had originally been sent to Earth as a Thanagarian spy. She had been sent to Earth and told to act as a superhero and gather intelligence on the planet for an upcoming occupation. When the Thanagarians originally came to Earth they pretended to be a benevolent occupier who would help the superheroes protect their planet from the totalitarian Gordanians.

Shayera had never been told the true plans of the Thanagarian Elders. They were going to use Earth to create a hyperspace portal that would allow them to attack the weak flanks of the Gordanians. In the process, Earth was set to be destroyed. The Justice League found out about this, but was captured before they could do anything. They were subdued and captured using the information on their weaknesses Shayera had provided them with. Shayera went along with all these plans as she wanted to be a good soldier. Her ability to stand against her people was further complicated by the fact the general leading the force, Hro Talek, was her betrothed.

The Justice League managed to escape. Shayera later passed along the information they needed to destroy the hyperspace gate. She worked from the inside to help them out, betraying her fiancé in the process. The Justice League won the day and the Thanagarians had to return home. Shayera was left behind and was accepted back by the Justice League.

The Thanagarians had diverted a lot of forces in anticipation they would be able to attack through the hyperspace gate. This division of forces left them weak around Thanagar and the Gordanians pounced. The flanking attack would have won the battle for the Thanagarians, but it never came. When the fleet returned it found Thanagar had already surrendered. The fleet that was left tried to retake the planet, but was torn to shreds in the attempt. There were few survivors from the fleet.

Small bits of news on the occupation made its way back to Shayera. From what she heard her name was cursed by everyone on the planet. Knowing she did the right thing didn't do much to ease the burden of being cut off from her people for the rest of her life.

When the Gordanians allowed the Thanagarians to re-open diplomatic channels with Tamaran, Shayera was able to talk with her family for the first time in decades. They were excited to know she had a son, but she was always a bit distrustful of them. She could only imagine the scorn they must have faced because of her, and she questioned if they still saw her as family.

They had invited Rex to come and visit. Shayera left the decision up to him, and he jumped at the chance. She had been dropping hints ever since he might want to reconsider.

"My grandparents have assured me nothing will happen," he reminded her. "How can you not trust your own parents? What would you think if I didn't trust you on a matter such as this?"

Before Shayera could answer Maril walked back in, oblivious to the conversation they were having. "My mother just had a simple question she needed me to answer," she told them as she took her seat. Everyone went back to eating, forgetting the previous conversation.

Helena collapsed on the bed next to Connor. She caught her breath as the feelings of ecstasy surged through her body. She was always amazed how Connor could tire her out despite possessing no major superpowers, other than the sonic roar which he inherited from his mother. As she lay in bed she thought back to the beginning of their relationship. It had started shortly after she came to live with her father.

"Can't we wait until school starts?" a twelve year old Helena asked her father as they rode in the back of the limo. "You could spend some time training me and teaching me a little about what to expect in school. Why do I have to learn how to socialize now?"

"Because there is no better time than the present," he answered. He looked at her sternly, emotionless. Normally, when he wasn't wearing the cowl, he was happy and jovial with her. Now, he was just as stern and cold as he was as Batman. He wasn't quite using the gravely Batman voice, but he was pretty close.

Helena pouted as she looked out the window. She was not looking forward to her month of camp at all. This was supposed to be the most premiere and expensive camp in the nation. Every other kid her age would be thrilled to go, but she wasn't every other kid in any sense of the imagination.

"I'll be too powerful," she suddenly blurted out. "I can't go because the very first game we play, I'll be too good and everyone will know I'm a superhero."

She thought she had her father beat, but he wasn't willing to listen to any excuses she had. "It shouldn't be hard to run a little slower than anyone else. You're not exactly going to be boxing or wrestling, so you don't have to worry about appearing too strong there. I've seen you swim, and you're not really any better at that than anyone else. I'm not concerned about you having any problems at this camp because of your powers."

Helena felt like punching something she was so mad at her father. "Can you tell me again why I need to go at all?"

"You might not realize it, but being thrown into an uncomfortable situation like this will teach you so much. You're going to have to learn to observe and adapt. You're going to have to learn how to quickly assess a situation and respond accordingly. In our line of work, this is by far the best and safest place to learn these kinds of things."

Her father sighed as he thought of something. "By the way, you won't be completely alone. The Queen children are going to be there. Connor and Olivia at least, Teddy's still a little too young to go."

"Will people know who I am?" Helena asked.

"What do you mean?" her father asked. "This is the first time you will meet most of these people."

"But you're well known. You're rich. You're famous. They're going to recognize my name, aren't they?"

"Probably, you're going to find out what's it like to have people mob you and get close to you because they want something. It's a very good way to learn how to detect insincerity. That's something that will help in your crime fighting later."

"We're here," Alfred announced from the front of the car. Helena suddenly found herself short of breath and her mouth dry. She had never felt such fear before.

Alfred opened the door for them and she stepped out to see a field full of limos and Rolls Royces. Outside of all of them were children saying good-bye to their parents. All the guys were dressed in suits while all the girls were wearing sun dresses.

"Good day, Mr. Wayne," a man's voice said. Helena turned to look at the speaker and saw a young man in a camp counselor's outfit. He was standing before them with his hands in his pockets. He was moving around a lot like he was antsy.

"You look familiar," her father told the kid. "Have we met before?"

"Yeah, I'm Veronica's nephew," he said apprehensively. "I interned at your company for my spring quarter. You came by our office on our first day to meet us."

"Oh yeah, I remember that," her father said. Helena couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or not. "I'm surprised you don't have another big time internship set up for the summer."

"I used to go to this camp as a kid. Its fun and I get to do something a little different. I didn't want to be stuck in an office for the entire summer."

"And the camp counseling looks a little better on the law school application," her father added.

"Why don't I get your daughter's bags," he said. Alfred opened the trunk for him and he started to pull them out of the trunk. "You must have bought a lot of stuff in a short time," he said as he pulled the three large pieces of luggage out.

"Did your aunt tell you about the shopping spree she took my daughter on?" Bruce asked the kid.

"Yes, she did," he answered. "I think I should warn you that there is a lot of buzz about you," he said to Helena. "Everyone is gossiping about the daughter of one of America's most well known bachelor's coming out of the woodwork."

Helena had no idea what to say to the kid. Luckily for her, he didn't look for a reply. "You can follow me when you're ready," he said to her.

Her father came over to her and gave her a hug. "Have fun," he said as he kissed her on the forehead. He headed back for the car and she followed the counselor. As she followed him she noticed everyone staring at her. Several people started whispering to each other when she passed by. She guessed they were talking about her.

Helena felt lost around all the people she didn't know. The counselor helped her find her cabin, where he dropped off her bags. She then followed him out to the registration tables. He pointed out the table she needed to go to and then left her on her own.

She got her schedule and information packet and found herself suddenly alone. Everyone else had friends around to talk to, Helena had no one. She looked around for anyone who might appear friendly, when her eyes fell on Olivia. She started running over to her but stopped after a few steps. She remembered that while she knew the Queens from the watchtower, she had no basis for knowing them here. If anyone asked how they knew each other they would have no answer.

"Helena?" a familiar voice called out. She turned to see Connor Queen staring at her with a quizzical look on his face. "Helena Wayne isn't it?" he repeated.

"Yeah, yes," she answered.

Connor turned around to talk to two guys who were watching them. One was tall and hefty while the other was short and stout. "I told you it was her."

He turned back to Helena. "I'm Connor, Connor Queen." He said as he extended his hand.

"Pleased to meet you," she said as she shook his hand. The two guys behind Connor started moving forward ever so slightly. Connor turned back and looked at them.

"That's chickenshit and chickenshit junior," he said to Helena.

"Why are they called that?" she asked.

"Because they were too chickenshit to want to talk to you," he answered. "I, on the other hand, had the courage to come over here and talk to you since you appeared lost."

"Such bravery, you're a real superhero," she said sarcastically. Helena felt like hugging Connor for making her feel at ease in these strange surroundings.

"So do you understand your schedule and everything?" he asked her.

"I'm actually having trouble understanding this map. I let one of the counselor's take my luggage to the cabin, but I didn't follow him there. I'm not sure how to follow this and find the cabins."

Connor looked at it like he was going to point things out for her, but backed away. "I should just have my sister show you where everything is."

"Olivia!" he yelled. The young girl popped her head up to find her brother. When she saw him with Helena she smirked.

Olivia showed Helena around and introduced her to some girls. Everyone was extremely curious about who Bruce Wayne's daughter was and where she came from. Helena deflected their questions, but satiated their appetite for gossip with some stories about her father and his attempts to tone down his lifestyle when she moved in with him.

Helena found most of the activities at the camp low key and even boring. The one thing she really enjoyed was the archery competition they had the second day. She was a master at it, as Artemis had taught her well. She didn't hold back too much in the competition, as she really wanted to win. She did well, but not ridiculously well like she could have if she really tried.

After the competition the counselors told the girls that as the winner Helena had won the award of a sushi dinner. A counselor was to take her and the male winner from the same age group; she was later told the boys' winner was Connor Queen. When the other girls found out Connor was going they all teased her playfully about her 'date.' Later, before she went out, they helped her get ready and did her hair for her.

The dinner itself was uneventful. Helena had never had sushi before and Connor helped her pick something out that wasn't too spicy. After dinner, they rode back with the counselors. The counselor was going to drop Connor off, then drive to the girls' area to drop off Helena. When the car got a flat tire right outside the camp Helena and Connor just chose to walk back, with Connor willing to walk Helena to the girls' camp and make sure she found her way there.

While walking back they passed the archery fields. The bows had been left behind and there were still a couple of arrows stuck in the target.

"Just how did you do in your competition?" Connor asked her when they passed the bows.

"I put three in the inner yellow circle," she answered. "I could have done better, but I didn't want too many questions about where I learned to shoot like that. What about you?"

"Same thing," he said as he checked the strength of the bow. "I could have done a lot better."

"Just how much better?" Helena asked him.

"Three straight bulls eyes," he answered.

Helena laughed at his bravado. "Really?" she asked.

"Of course, if you don't believe me, I could do it right now and prove you wrong."

"I would like to see you try," she said as she walked over and pulled the arrows out of the target. "But let's make this interesting. Why don't we compete to see who is better?"

"Sounds good," Connor replied. "Why don't we play for a prize?"

"What did you have in mind?" Helena asked him.

Helena looked over at him and he had a stupid grin on his face. "How about if I win, I get a kiss?"

Helena wasn't sure whether to laugh or sigh over what he said. She figured he wouldn't win, so she thought she would just humor him. "Okay, if you win, I'll kiss you. Just on the cheek, though."

"That's fine with me." Connor was smiling from ear to ear. "What do you want if you win?"

"Not having to kiss you will be enough of a reward for me." She was being playful, but didn't give it away with her tone. Connor seemed a bit dejected over what she said.

They started their competition with each of them hitting two shots directly at the bull's eye. Connor took his third shot and hit the bulls eye directly, threading the needle between the other four arrows on the target.

"Looks like the only way you can win is to fire your arrow through mine," Connor said. "I don't care how strong you are, you're never going to be able to do that with these bows."

Helena realized Connor was right about the bows. She took a hold of the arrow and looked around to make sure no one else was watching. She thought back to how the other Amazons had taught her to throw a spear. She revved back and threw the arrow at the target. It went through Connor's arrow and disintegrated it, sticking in the bull's eye.

"Dammit," Connor expressed. "I would complain you didn't exactly follow the rules, but I'm afraid you'll get pissed off and break me."

Connor walked Helena back to the girls' cabins. When they reached them Helena faced Connor with her back to the cabin so she could thank him and say good-bye. "You know, I didn't really win fair and square back there. You deserve your reward."

She put her arms around his neck and gave him a peck on the cheek. Just as she was pulling away something came over her and she decided to give him a kiss on the lips as well. She pressed her lips against his, meaning to just give him a peck. When it hit her this was her first kiss ever, she lingered, as she didn't want it to end. He started kissing her back and she pulled away.

"That was a lot more then you had to do," Connor said.

"I know," she replied.

Connor looked past her at the cabin behind her. "You do realize we're being watched?"

"I'm Batman's daughter," she whispered to him. "I can feel their eyes on me."

Helena was brought back into the present by Connor wrapping his arms around her and kissing the back of her neck. "Stop it," she said as she giggled. "We both have other places we need to get to."

"I have an hour before I have to meet my mother to take the plane to Star City," he whispered into her ear. A second later he rolled over and away from her. "Okay, the mention of my mother just completely killed the mood. I've lost it."

She sat up at the edge of the bed and adjusted her hair. She felt Connor's fingers work their way along her exposed spine. "Call me when you get back in, I want to know everything about how tonight goes."

"It won't be that much different from any other night," she said as she started to dress.

"What do you mean?" he replied, stunned by what she said. "You are going to be out on your own, no one watching over your shoulder."

"My dad is going to be watching everything I do through a camera; he's going to be in constant contact with me."

"Yeah, that's true, but you are going to have full responsibility for the city now. People are going to think of you as the city's protector instead of Batman. That's exciting."

"Yeah, I guess it is," she said. She leaned over to pull up her stockings and noticed a magazine sticking out of Connor's bag. She could make out the Maxim cover of the magazine and knew immediately it was the new issue that had her pictorial in it. They had done a story on her as the country's most famous socialite. She picked up the magazine and started thumbing through it.

"So you just had to pick this up right away," she said to Connor as she turned to the layout. She blushed with a tinge of embarrassement over the lingerie and implied nudity pictures of herself she was looking at.

"Didn't they show you any proofs of the layout and article?" he asked.

"I know they sent them over, but I never got around to looking at them," she replied. She scanned through the article and started reading the paragraph on her family history.

The wealth of the Wayne family goes back generations. Each generation has alternated between taking direct control of the company, or being hands off and finding time for more humanitarian pursuits. Helena's grandfather, Thomas, was a doctor who ran a clinic before he was viciously murdered. Her father Bruce, despite his playboy ways, took over direct control of the company from the men his father had left in charge of it. At this point in time it is too early to see which direction the daughter might take.

Her demeanor changed instantly when she read about her grandfather and his savage murder. She closed up the magazine and tossed it aside. She let out a loud sigh.

"Is something wrong?" Connor asked her.

She finished dressing and got off the bed without saying anything to Connor. She grabbed his clothes and threw them at him. "You should get dressed and get to the plane. You have to patrol tonight." She spoke in a huff that made it obvious she was mad at him.

"What's going on," he said to her as she walked to the door. "What did I say?" she heard as she walked out.

Helena sat in the SUV in the middle of the cemetery. She had grabbed the car that was kept at Wayne Tower and had driven out immediately after leaving Connor at the hotel. She realized she acted completely wrong and knew she would have to apologize to him. She didn't feel like doing it now and decided to wait. She preferred calling when he would be in the air and she could just leave a message on his voice mail.

She sat in the car and looked out at all the tombstones. She had been to the cemetery several times, but never alone. She had always come here with her father.

She was apprehensive about getting out. She was just going to visit a gravesite, but it felt to her like she was going to meet actual people. The shadow of her grandparents loomed large in her life. She felt like she had betrayed them earlier by being excited about her first night out alone. Her grandparents had been murdered when they took her father to see Zorro as a young child. They were murdered right in front of him and it scarred him for life and inspired him to become Batman.

Helena had never fully understood how much their deaths affected him until she came to live with him. He made regular visits to the cemetery and the alley where they died. She especially remembered the first time he brought her here, when he told her about the promise he made to them to protect Gotham.

Helena got out of the car and slowly walked up the hill in front of her. As she walked towards the top she saw the huge tombstone emerge before her. The tombstone was much taller than she was, with WAYNE just a little under her eye line. A tear came to her eye as she read her grandparents' names, dates of birth, and dates of deaths. She looked over the inscriptions her father had added listing them as a loving father and mother.

Standing in front of the grave made her relieved her father was giving up the job of superhero. She looked at the plots adjacent to her grandparents', which her father also owned. For a long time she was afraid he was going to end up there much sooner then he should have.

She had come out to the grave because she felt like talking to them. Her father did it a little. She remembered him telling her a story about how he thought it was dumb, until he ran into a woman here who convinced him otherwise.

"Hey, it's me, your granddaughter, in case you didn't know," she began. "It's been a while since I've come to see you. I came by. . .I'm not entirely sure why I came. I'm sure you can see everything wherever you are and know your son is quitting as Batman. He lived up to the promise he made to you. He did all he can and now I'm taking over for him. I swear I will keep your memory alive. I will fight as hard as I can to honor you."

She heard something behind her and turned to see her father standing there. She forced a smile at him. "I didn't mean to interrupt you," he said.

"It's okay, I was just finished. How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't," her father replied. He walked up and stood beside her. "I came to talk to them myself, but from what I heard, you already went over everything I had to say."

Bruce simply stared at the tombstone. He could feel Helena's eyes on him. "What are you staring at me for?" he asked her.

"You look different from all the other times we come here," she said. "You seem more at ease, like a great weight has been lifted from your shoulders."

Bruce looked at his daughter slyly. "I do feel like a burden has been lifted," he said. "It's up to you to keep it that way," he said with a smile.

"Oh my God," Helena exclaimed. "I have never seen you talk and smile at the same time. You are changing."

"I'm not giving everything up. You are still going to have to deal with me following everything you do."

"I'm aware of that, Dad," she told him. "I have to go on that scouting mission, and this is going to have to be one time where you don't follow what I do."

"Why is that?" he asked her as she walked away.

"Because I am going to have to do some things I don't want my father to know about," she yelled back at him.

Helena parked the SUV in front of the old apartment of Olivia's mother. Oliver had bought the building Dinah lived in as she could never bring herself to part with her old home. It served as a place for the family members to stay whenever they were in the area. Connor used to use it a good deal, but Olivia was using it a lot more as she was spending more and more time in Bludhaven. Her and Richie were young, but were developing quite the intense relationship.

After Helena called Olivia and told her she was outside, she waited patiently for the girl to come out. Olivia came out wearing a black tank top with a denim mini-skirt and fishnets. Her make-up was done up to make her look like a Goth. The look was completely overdone, but that was what they often had to do to look like vapid socialites.

"This place better not be too much of a dive," Olivia said as she got in the car. She looked over Helena, who was still wearing the skimpy sun dress. "I have a reputation to uphold."

"You've forgotten how this works," Helena said. "The minute we walk inside it becomes the hottest bar in town."