Chapter 20

Dinah brought up a hand and a blast of energy left it, sending Huntress flying backwards. She skid over the snow and ice on the rooftop and almost toppled over. "Dinah!" Gabby screamed as the blonde metahuman moved towards Barbara. Huntress got back on her feet as quickly as she could. Gabby saw the brunette's eyes flash feral, and she made it to the redhead before Dinah had. Another flicker of the wrist and the Huntress was again off of her feet. This gave Barbara the time she needed to reach to her utility belt and grasp at the small contraption that Gabby recognized as a component from the Metahuman project. She threw it towards Dinah, who ducked away from it. Gabby rushed towards Dinah, much in the way she had when the two blondes where mysterious figures in the night fighting against one another.

"Gabby no!" Barbara called, but it was too late as both girls went down, jostling the injuries from two nights prior. Huntress ran to the component as it clattered near her, and she ran to the two teens grappling in the snow. Gabby braced for one of the blasts of force she had gotten the last time the fought, but she got nothing, and so she just did her best to hold her fried down as Huntress pressed the contraption to Dinah's neck.

There was a hiss, and then Dinah stilled. Gabby watched with concerned filled eyes as Dinah's eyes went from black to the familiar blue. "There you are," Gabby said, relieved.

"What happened?"

"Your eyes went black," Gabby said at the same time the Huntress spoke.

"You don't remember?" the older metahuman asked, her feral eyes skeptical. "You went on the attack."

"I did? I don't... don't remember..."

"You don't?" Batgirl asked. Dinah shook her head.

"Did I hurt anyone?"

"Just a quick blow to the jaw," Batgirl informed her.

At this, Dinah's eyes widened. "I am so, so sorry," the blonde metahuman said. She slowly began to get to her feet, once she realized that she was still in the cold wet melting snow. Gabby stood as well, and Huntress helped her.

"Thanks," she said sheepishly, even as she kept her eye on Dinah.

"My eyes went black, and I attacked you without remembering," Dinah stated, and none of the other women seemed sure if she was speaking out loud or asking a question. "That is the mark of Kevin's hypnosis," Dinah said, looking up at Batgirl, and then down at the snow.

"Who?" Gabby asked softly.

"It can't be..."

"I am not sure I understand," Batgirl said.

"Kevin was found dead in his cell in Arkham yesterday. As far as I remember, I never talked to him. I just heard of him."

"So..." Batgirl took in a deep icy breath and let it out slowly as she thought things through. "So from what I understand, it appears you were hypnotized, but the man, Kevin died yesterday. And the machine from Dr. Fairview was completed by Harley Quinn, correct?" Dinah nodded at this, and Batgirl let out a hissed curse. "This could mean that the machine was used to take this Kevin's powers and use it against you. What I don't understand is why. You told us everything you knew, according to what you understood. Why would your... aunt allow you to do that, only to have you attack me right after?"

"I don't know." Dinah answered meekly.

"So what do we do with this information, then?" Gabby asked a moment later.

"Without knowing what Harley Quinn was trying to do, I don't know what further action I am supposed to take. She already knew who I was. Or at least, she knew who Batman really was once. If not that, she knew that I wouldn't kill Dinah, or maybe she is just really confident in Dinah's abilities - Not... that I am saying she shouldn't be," she amended quickly.

"Of course," Dinah said with a quick nod. "Perhaps I should go back to my aunt. Tell her we had a bit of a scuffle. Or that I got scared of you and just ran off."

"Are you still supposed to be hypnotized?" Huntress asked.

"Kevin's ability, from what I understood, lasted only a short while, but I can't remember just how long. A few hours, I think."

"With hypnotism, it wouldn't take long to do what one needed to do while someone was under," Batman said in almost a murmur. "I'm sure your aunt will be waiting for you, otherwise I would offer you safe haven somewhere. You just might have to do as you said, Dinah, and tell her we fought and then you ran. It is possible Harley never intended for us to do more than that, anyway."

"I don't like the idea of sending her back into that." Gabby spoke up.

"I don't know what else to suggest," Batgirl said, turning to her protege'. "If Harley has been her aunt all this time, then legally, she is still in her care, and I can't do anything about that. Maybe this was just another distraction for something else she might be up to, and unfortunately, Dinah is the only one who could help is figure out just what all Harley Quinn plans to do."

Dinah nodded to this. "Yes," was all the blue streaked blonde said.

"It's dangerous there," Gabby said, her voice going soft with the threat of oncoming tears.

"Gabby, I can take care-a any of those goons my aunt has."

"But what if she takes your powers like you wanted her to? If that machine killed that Kevin dude, it will kill you too, and she will get the telekinesis and the Canary Cry and that blast thing you do to boot. I won't let you go back alone like that."

"Perhaps she won't be alone," Batgirl said. "Give Dinah one of your comm. earrings. You will still be in contact with Oracle and hear all that is going on with Dinah."

"I will keep in contact as Oracle," Gabby corrected, taking the right earring off and handing it to the other blonde.

"Oracle-?" Dinah asked, confused, but she was cut off when Batgirl spoke sternly instead.

"You will go back to your house and rest."

"Good luck with that," Gabby said defiantly. Her eyes went harsh as she looked to Batgirl. "I am not letting Dinah go into that house alone."

"And what do you plan to do?" Batgirl asked.

"I don't know, but it has to be better than just laying down and doing nothing!" Gabby responded angrily.

"Do what you want. I'm not the one hurting tomorrow."

"I'll take it," Gabby said. Rather me being in pain now than Dinah dead tomorrow' she thought to herself, but she didn't say it out loud.

"Fine. I'll call the Batbike for you. Huntress-"

"I'll escort the kid home - from a distance of course."

"Please stick around," Gabby asked her. Huntress looked surprised by the request and then looked to Batgirl for confirmation.

"Yeah," Batgirl replied. "Stay with her, and stick around for an hour. If anything happens, if something is wrong it will be then that we'll find out, I think... I will do a sweep of the city and keep my ear to the ground for any thing odd going on. Whatever is happening won't be tonight," Batgirl said, "I don't think."

"But soon," Huntress stressed.

"Yes, soon," Batgirl said slowly. She shook her head and it went silent before the redhead brought her hand to her ear. "Batgirl to Oracle." Another, shorter pause. "Please send the Batbike to the New Gotham High School parking lot. Thank you." When she looked at the three, but mostly to Dinah. "Use the comm rearing to contact Gabby and let her know what is going on at all times, even if it is quiet, let her know that you're okay. I'll be on my way."

"Alright Kid, time to get you home."

"By Dinah." Gabby said as she turned to Dinah. The two blondes shared a look before they drew each other in. "Be careful, okay?"

"I will. I don't think my aunt would hurt me, you know."

"Let's hope you're right," Batgirl said. When the two teens backed away from each other, Helena followed Dinah to the latch where they had come up, and once Dinah made her way out of sight, the brunette jumped down with her. Gabby took a couple of steps forward but stopped at Batgirl's next set of words, low and stern. "The Batbike will be by shortly. Stay put until you hear it," Batgirl ordered, "and the next time I say stay home, you do it."

"Yeah. Okay," Gabby said in a small voice.

"I know you are scared for your friend, and I get it. I really do, but you just got out of a fight you couldn't win two nights ago. Oracle or not, there isn't much you can do in situations like this."

"Then teach me how to defend myself, how to protect others-"

"I am, and I will. It will take time, Gabby, and you won't have that if you keep jumping in like this. How can you help out if you are battered up all the time?"

"Okay," Gabby said again.

With that, Barbara used her rope tool and scaled down the side of the building. Gabby's sigh created a blast of steam into the winter air. She then began to pace as she waited for the motorcycle to get to her and take her to Wayne Manor.

~

Dinah took a quick look up at one of the taller buildings near her, ignoring the general area of where Arkham Asylum stood. She knew that the Huntress shadow was there somewhere. She sometimes thought she saw her in the corner of her eye, but never when she looked in the direction. She hurried home, hoping her aunt bought anything she told her, and really, she wasn't sure what Aunt Harleen wanted from this mission, so it was a bit nerve wracking. Finally, she made it up to her porch and saw the goon standing guard. "You're late."

"Fuck you," she said in response. The guard only rolled his eyes to this, but he let her pass, however just when she was about to go up the stairs, the door opened.

"D! You're back."

"You're out of the basement," Dinah said in return. Her aunt clucked her tongue at her.

"What mouth on you. I take it you didn't do so well?"

"I ran into Batgirl. She was with that cat lady. One or the other by myself I could handle for a moment, but not the both of them at the same time," Dinah said.

"No biggie," Harleen said in almost a sing song voice with a large, exaggerated shrug. "You talked to her though, right?"

"Yes."

"You told her all about," Harleen's voice and lips went pouty, "our big scawwry plans?"

"Yes."

"And wasn't I right, that your little friend was all apart of THEM?"

Dinah looked away at this, looking down in hopes of looking ashamed. "You were right, Aunt Harleen."

"As soon as you told me that you saw your little dream girl hangin' 'round Barbara Gordon, I thought to myself, I thought 'Harl, wasn't the commissioner at one point named Gordon? They could be related!' and lookie there, baby girl, I was right. So what would the ex commissioner's daughter want with a little thing like her when the littlest bat was all on her lonesome in this great big city, hm?" Dinah swallowed, but she didn't speak otherwise. She found it better to let her aunt speak. Harley then walked up to Dinah and took her face in her hands. "You were right to-" It was then that she noticed the look in Dinah's eyes. "Blue. They lifted the hypnosis. I was guaranteed a couple more hours!"

"Why did you do it? Why didn't you just ask me to-"

"Because you've had your little thing," Harley Quinn's face scrunched and she looked almost as if she was biting her tongue in order to spit the word out, "for that girl since you were so little, I knew that if she were to ask you to join her little bat club, I would lose you, but I cannot have that. No no, I must keep you out of trouble until I can keep my promise to you. Without your powers, Batgirl and her little pet will want nothing to do with you. Dinah?"

"Uh- Yeah?"

"Consider yourself grounded." Harley's eye flickered to the goon who kept watch outside, and Dinah felt her arms roughly taken. She fought him, but something was placed around her throat, and she felt herself go weak.