Annnd We're Back Again! How Ya'll Doing? Hope All is well with everyone! Want to address something really quick and a shout-out to the reader that pointed this out to me. I'm gonna start putting the Year with the time stamp. I kind of forgot and figured Ya'll would jus know where we're at but it was pointed out that it'll make the story easier to track so I thank you for that reminder. I have to be honest I'm a little upset because I had a plan and the story just kind of took me in another direction with this. That being said I really hope you like it. Please Let me know what you think with a Review! Don't wanna hold up too much more, Please check the bottom for the rest. Off to the races we Go!
Chapter 11
Last Time:
If Jack needed any more proof on what he thought was going to happen this man would have been enough, but the quick sting that formed behind his eyes added to it.
Jack heard the clink and had already attempted a half turn to look over his shoulder, but wound up having to swing back fully forward to allow his shield to knock the crossbow bolt off course.
Jack spun around and in the process had removed the shield from his back.
He didn't need to look long to know who he was looking at now.
"Huntress."
Seeing her here and now Jack could honestly say that even though he'd expected to see her suited up at some point, he was surprised at her look. She had clearly dipped into the bank roll that Ted had mentioned her father leaving behind and what she wore showed that it must have been quite sizeable, as everything she was wearing was of a very high looking quality.
If and when things came out and Helena knew the truth, he'd have to ask where she got her gear from because Jack was honestly curious where she had gotten all of it.
The Purple mask looked as he remembered it the thing doubling as a domino mask covering her up but also giving her the pointed horns that if seen as a shadow, would give the impression that Batman was the one upon you and not her.
Her boots went halfway up her shins, and they were colored a deep purple and had an armored plating appearance. Her pants were tight black leather, with solid white stripes running down the sides on the outside of her legs. The top she wore was also a tight black material with long sleeves though the white T shape going down the center drew a great amount of attention, and it was far larger than the section that could be seen on the pants.
The glove vambrace combo, as well as the knee guards, and elbow pads she wore matched her boots in color and texture showing that they were most probably metal plated for added strength and protection.
The gloves that she wore also had a very similar configuration much to the ones Jack wore, allowing her to have dexterous movement with her fingers; a very good thing considering her typical weapon choice.
The belt and holster combo that was wrapped around her waist was also dyed a deep purple, and matched the other pieces of her outfit tying the whole look together.
The last and most glaring part of her costume, being the large cape that waved in the minor breeze that was whipping at the front of the ally where she stood.
The inside of the cape was black while the outer facing side was also much like the other minor parts of her costume, a deep purple that was eye catching but at the same time would not only blend with the shadows and darkness well; but would also catch the eye and show you who you were dealing with as only one other person in Gotham to Jack's knowledge regularly wore that particular color.
In her hands she had a much larger variant of a crossbow that had a stock, while Jack could clearly see that she had two smaller hand held pistol grip ones collapsed and strapped at her sides showing that she wouldn't be unarmed immediately if Jack were to close the distance and disarm her.
Jack was worried, as he already had an idea as to what was going on here.
Helena was in the process of cutting her teeth so to speak, having most probably sought out someone she knew for a fact was a real criminal. Jack had a hunch that she would be doing this quite a bit to get herself ready for what could only be the inevitable confrontation that she would look for with Steven Mandragora; the man who'd murdered her parents.
Helena planned to kill the man, and if Jack was being honest the world would be better off without a guy like Steven Mandragora in it.
Mandragora wasn't some small time crook, he was a full-fledged mob boss and had a veritable army of scum bags on his payroll. Whether or not the man had many associates in Gotham was something Jack wasn't quite sure of at the moment, as he had researched the man and come up with quite a bit but at the same time over 90% of what he'd found didn't correlate to Gotham whatsoever making him a problem for later in Jack's book.
The man may indeed have people here in the city, but of that same token it didn't matter...at least not to Jack.
For Helena it was a completely different story.
Jack understood Helena's motivations well enough but was of the very simple opinion that while there were plenty of scum bags who deserved death, you couldn't just go around offing everyone and anyone that you wanted. Now did that mean that Jack held himself above Helena for wanting Steven Mandragora dead…absolutely not.
He knew that if it had been him that had to watch the bastard murder his parents, he'd probably be in Helena's position right now ready to end the sick jerks life.
In that respect he could completely empathize with the way Helena felt, but that didn't mean that he would let it go down; especially not here in Gotham.
One thing that held true throughout a vast majority of Batman media from back home was Batman was against killing, hard stop. Hero's that crossed that line were often relegated to being considered Anti-heroes immediately afterward, and Batman along with most every other Hero Jack could think of had very little inclination if any at all to allow people who killed criminals the ability to operate as it often clouded the publics opinion of Hero's at large.
The only exception to the rule would at least in The Batman's case being Jason Todd, who would eventually become the Red Hood... Jack's favorite Anti-hero from the DC continuity.
Even at the best of times and taking Batman's tumultuous relationship with Jason into account he would still haul him in to either Arkham or Blackgate nine times out of ten, rather then allow Jason to run rough shod over the crooks and villains of Gotham.
It sent a poor message, and as far as Jack knew Batman would not allow that to happen without retribution.
Jack already had the looming issue of knowing that he himself was gonna be having a meeting with the caped crusader, he had no intention of allowing worry to clasp on to him over whether Helena was gonna be receiving a similar visit any time soon.
But…In order to avoid said possibility and worry, Jack would have to deal with Helena here and now.
Jack would be lying if he said he was excited about his prospects with this encounter, he had hoped that Helena would be saddled firmly as a Hero specifically to avoid this kind of issue.
Jack and Helena got along well enough, he'd even say they got along good. But the truth was that outside of working out together or the odd dinner that Helena would attend at the flat, they didn't really have all that much between them.
It wasn't for a real lack of trying on either of their parts, it was just simply a bad match up that way.
Helena having her personal demons and history, and Jack having already been focused on entrenching himself in 'The Life' made it impossible for him to actively try and spend time with her outside of the gym. Quite frankly as far as Jack knew Helena spent just as much time in the gym as he did, and considering what Jack was training for and what he knew about her history it wasn't at all surprising.
The majority of their time spent in the gym together was either lifting together, or sparring.
When it came to the sparring Jack had immediately found himself having to hold back and put on a front, which also left him feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Jack and Helena were friends in his own opinion, even though neither one of them had 'opened up' to the other per se. Even though they hadn't, he hated having to keep secrets from her; but by the very nature of who he was and how he'd gotten here he had far too many secrets to keep the most prevalent in Jack's mind being his powers.
Hence all of the holding back Jack had forced himself to do.
Jack barely used even 2% of 'One For All' anymore when in her presence, especially when they started sparring with one another. (Though to be fair, Jack was also progressing to where he didn't need to.)
Jack had gone and spoken to Ted on his reservations and his feelings of guilt about it, and Ted had swiftly set him straight.
Ted had made it clear that in no uncertain terms did Jack need to tell Helena anything regarding his gifts, or especially his origin (Though Jack had already decided that he would never tell anyone else from this Earth about where he was originally from.)
For the first while Jack had kept using his quirk so that he could keep up with his friend at the time, though as time progressed and as he had continued to improve and refine his style of fighting along with his personal fitness he had eventually weaned off of using it.
Jack in his own opinion could easily pass up Helena in the fighting department now, though he often found himself pulling his punches and focusing more on defense when they sparred.
He had gone full throttle twice during a couple of their spars, and had actually soundly defeated Helena on both occasions though in doing so created a whole slew of issues. Helena was a very proud individual and each loss spurred her to push Jack harder, trying to get the same intensity out of him each time they fought.
If one were to actually tally their spars up Jack's wins would put him at beating Helena 4/10 times, though Ted himself was starting to get on Jack for all the holding back he was doing.
Helena in truth had a far better mat game than Jack had even though he was physically larger and stronger, and for all of Jack's speed and power his own holding back often would result in the spars ending in Helena's victory.
The few victories Jack had taken to this day often would surface in smack talk from Helena being used as taunts, that he had lucked out the few times he'd won. Jack knew the truth though because when he would look in Helena's eyes he could see it, her pent up frustration.
Jack had been the only person outside of Ted to actually take a victory over Helena…and it obviously burnt her up.
It wasn't that she was a girl that was causing him to hold back and Jack had made that abundantly clear with Ted on a particular day when the former champion had come down of him hard for the loss he'd received, questioning why he was basically throwing the fights. He had sited that Jack was being disrespectful, and worse that he was overinflating Helena's already large ego giving her the impression that she was unbeatable.
She had already consistently defeated many of the gyms patrons that were a part of the fight game, a good majority of those patrons being grown men. Said victories had led to her being very sure of herself, though Jack would constantly argue the point that Helena was indeed a fantastic fighter and it did show.
Though Jack did know from personal experience that Helena could stand to tone down on her smack talk. Outside of that Jack had nothing but glowing things to say about Helena when it came to her experience.
Helena's speed was top notch for someone that wasn't enhanced in any way, and she definitely had good technique. Her strikes had plenty of power and Ted had been training Helena for far longer than he'd been training Jack, but… Jack had all of his own prior experience to call upon as where Helena did not. The only hiccup that Jack had starting out was that even though he had been in his previous shape Helena herself had been beyond him for a time, but said time had long past and it frankly showed when they stood toe to toe.
For someone that wasn't as seasoned as Jack was, Helena could definitely fight and in time her physicality would be at its peak closing a good deal of the distance that existed between her and Jack. Time and again Helena would demonstrate not only fantastic mat game in the way of being able to take an opponent down and put them in a hold that would either incapacitate or seriously wound them, but also in the abilities of self-defense and being able to get out of holds too.
Helena's acrobatics were also a league beyond Jack's as she actually practiced gymnastics, and she could out tumble him any day.
Jack could honestly say that Helena could fight at the level of someone who was either a Black belt, or someone that could even be considered a Master.
At her age that was a serious feat. She wouldn't be taking it into Batman's teeth if they met and went in a one on one fight, but in Jack's opinion if the man ran into her and they tussled she'd hurt him if he wasn't careful because she had all the tools to actually do serious damage.
To Jack that was a pretty serious compliment to pay to anyone when it came to fighting…Especially if they were doing it in Gotham of all places.
Jack was pulled from his thoughts on the matter as he saw the bottom container on Huntress's two handed crossbow spin and load a new bolt, which she then attempted to level at the downed man.
Her attempt was unsuccessful though as Jack side stepped with his shield up, obscuring the one she'd been hunting.
Jack did a small cursory glance at the man and could see that all four of the shots she had landed were non-lethal but were definitely Meant to be debilitating, and it left Jack wondering what Helena's ultimate goal here was at the moment.
Did Helena want to kill this man to make it easier against Mandragora, to make sure that she had already hardened her heart and made killing second nature, or was this just her using excessive force because the man had done something horrid and she felt he deserved it?
Whatever the case Jack steeled himself, he would have to brake check her here and now. She needed someone to really drive home just which city they were in. Batman wouldn't take kindly to this at all. Quite Frankly Neither would Jack...he had an example to uphold.
From the small distance separating them, Jack could clearly see the scowl that had settled on Helena's face behind her mask.
She was obviously already annoyed that he'd involved himself in her business, but the fact was he wasn't just gonna let her murder this guy whether he had it coming or not. Doing that here of all places would bring down way too much heat, and because he was now here if that was deduced by anybody the fallout would land on him too and it would be tremendous.
Jack was in no way shape or form interested in having to deal with that kind of mess. It would not only bring issues from the Police whom he was actively trying to have a decent relationship with, but also Batman.
He already had enough he'd have to deflect and defend against when it came to Batman, he didn't need to pour gas on the fire (by way of being involved with Helena) and make it ten times worse.
"Put the crossbow down and let's talk this through." Jack said as he set himself into the slightly deepened voice he'd use while Heroing, while also putting an authoritative edge behind it.
Jack already knew that no matter what he said it would be a gamble because it was...well it was Helena he was dealing with right now, but he knew had to try.
She was staring a hole right through him as the seconds passed, though finally she broke it with the same flair and attitude that he had come to expect from her.
"So…You're All Might. I gotta say, I thought you'd be bigger. You're not small by any means but I was expecting someone along the lines of Superman." Helena said as she kept the crossbow up and trained on him.
Jack was about to reiterate himself again but then Helena cut across him.
"Look I don't wanna get into this with you. No one's gonna know that you were here, so just walk away. That piece of trash laying there deserves what's coming next…and I need the practice." Helena said as she started to take small slow steps so that she could advance her position toward her downed prey.
Jack decided that enough was enough.
He flared up briefly and fainted as if he was gonna rush Helena causing her to actually get spooked, which caused her to loose another bolt.
Thankfully Jack had the shield up and it bounced off and clattered to the floor.
Jack could hear the man next to him whimpering, as he saw out of the corner of his left eye that the victim had curled up into a ball and was hugging as close to the side of the dumpster as he possibly could.
The sound of the newest bolt hitting the ground however startled the man, jolting him back to the situation causing him to call out even though he was right next to Jack.
"ALL MIGHT YA GOTTA HELP ME! SHE'S GONNA KILL ME!" The man scream as he shook like a leaf in the wind.
Jack was cut off from responding to the downed man when Helena spoke again.
"Don't Listen to him! He's a drug pedaling scum bag! I caught him selling to a couple of kids My age for god's sake! He doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as us. Just walk away All Might. Don't make me have to hurt you." Helena said as she was continuing her snail's pace approach deeper into the ally towards Jack and the one she'd been after.
"...Funny. I was gonna say that to you Huntress." Jack said as he took action.
Jack lunged off the ground to his right, leaving a streak of green lightning in his wake as he bounced off of the walls in a zig zag pattern, landing back deeper in the expanse of the ally.
The movement had obviously confused Helena but to her credit she didn't let it stop her from acting as she took another two shots, both of which were summarily deflected off of Jack's shield again.
Jack quickly wound up after forcefully knocking the second loosed bolt off course into the brick wall next to him, and then proceeded to fling the shield straight at Helena.
Helena didn't disappoint showcasing her bravery that she had shown Jack time and again on the training floor as she ran directly at it, and quickly dropped to her knees sliding forward allowing her to close the distance between her and the downed man.
"You missed." Helena said as she was now barely three feet from the man and raised her crossbow to deliver the final shot and end his life.
Jack though was glad he had baited her, because it told him what she was aiming for…and now he knew just how hard to go on her here.
What Helena hadn't expected was for All Might's shield to clock her in the back of the head knocking her to the floor. All Might gestured as soon as the dull ring had sounded out and summoned the shield back to himself.
Not only had the hit caused her to lose her crossbow in the fall as she flew forward off of her feet, but it also left her skull and ears ringing as the shield was obviously made of metal and it hurt like hell.
Helena rolled off her stomach to her side and took a breath as she braced her head with one hand due to the pain, and used the other to get up some and take stock of the situation.
All Might was now standing at the front of the ally and had taken the stinking perp with him, which caused her to growl in frustration.
'He's fast. That's annoying. Top it all off he's got some crazy magnetism powers too.' Helena thought to herself as she tried to gain her bearings.
She had run that bastard down hard for four blocks to get to this point, and now it felt like all that work was being wasted. He had been selling to some of the kids that lived in the group home she had been living at until recently, that wasn't gonna fly.
Helena really felt bad about not telling the 'old timer' or Jack that she had moved out and gotten a place of her own, but to be fair neither of them had asked about her living situation recently either. So that left her feeling that it may be okay to have that as one of her secrets for now.
Helena spent a great deal of time with Ted and Jack, and if she was being honest things had been changing lately. She had gotten comfortable she had started to feel like she had people she could really care about again, and that's why she had moved ahead of schedule and officially made her debut tonight. Moving into her flat nearby with the matron of her old group house being her sponsor was supposed to be a slow going process, but Gotham was a shit hole and they needed the room. Helena had turned 15 in February on the 14th, and that had been when she had made the decision that she was even going to begin her vigilante career. Now with the matron's backing she had moved out, and now had the privacy she needed to move forward.
Initially it had all been geared towards her thoughts of tracking down Mandragora, and making him pay for what he'd done to her for what he'd taken from her. She was gonna make sure he never did that to anyone else ever again.
But it was on her birthday that she'd really settled into it, the feelings had blossomed and then she realized what she needed to do. Believe it or not the old man and her odd new friend were the ones that had reaffirmed her need to jump into it.
She hadn't wanted a party or anything of the like, she was accustomed to not really having one or any of the add-on bits like gifts and crap like that she hadn't had them since she was 6 after all.
Oh sure since she had started training at the gym with Ted she had gotten accustomed to the 'old timer' giving her some small stuff, but she hadn't imagined that she'd wind up having an actual party anytime soon.
Boy was she wrong about that one.
Ted had gone ahead and let her know that it had been Jack's idea as he'd dragged the info out of him, and they had thrown together a small dinner and some gifts for her. They'd had cake and watched Star Wars, and if she was being honest it was the most fun she'd had in ages.
Ted had gotten her some clothes and a couple of sets of books for her to read like The Lord of The Rings collection, along with some gift cards so that she could download music and games for her phone or laptop.
Jack had been the one that had surprised her, as he had gotten her a new black leather trench coat, and a golden chain necklace with a simple gold cross. They were simple but elegant, and they had to have been expensive. He had done that for her, and she was thankful.
She hadn't expected anything from Jack at the time, especially what he gave her as yes they had spent some time together and they were friendly but she wouldn't have exactly labeled them friends. She was reluctant to open up to this boy who had shown up out of nowhere, even though they had done plenty of things together. He had become a fixture in her life much like Ted had, and if she was being honest she was glad for it.
She had been a loner for a long time and the only person she really confided in was Ted, and Ted wasn't exactly her age so while she cared and enjoyed his company with Jack it was different.
Many of the kids at the group home were younger than her, and the ones that were her age all had one thing on their mind and that couldn't have been farther from Helena's own mind if she tried to have it be.
However it wasn't just the fact that he treated her like an equal, he was a complete mystery to her. He was kind, compassionate, and he was definitely strong. She had seen his progress and she'd be a liar if she said she didn't find him attractive.
That attraction only continued to grow as they started spending more time working out together and sparring, though that was where a hiccup had come in and brought all of her frustration with him right back to the forefront of her mind.
He could and actually had beaten her in a spar. Granted she hadn't been going full gas the first time when it had happened, but it had happened none the less. And it hadn't just happened the once. She couldn't tell why he was holding back and it was starting to get to her because it wasn't just in the ring that he was holding himself back, it was all around.
In the few times that they weren't working out together they'd either be eating or watching a movie, and even then he was detached…distant. He was definitely warm in that he could smile, crack a joke (and actually make her laugh, though that rarely happened when he was trying.), and even comfort her when she was feeling down. He wouldn't pry which she was eternally grateful for because she just wasn't ready to talk about it, but at the same time Jack didn't talk much either. He simply had a knack for just listening to her and standing beside her when she needed it most, and she was grateful for it...all of it.
She knew it made her out to be a hypocrite but the truth was that she couldn't take the whole mystery man routine he had going on anymore, it made her curious. That bearing on top of the fact that he was a challenge in the ring and a bit of one mentally left her having to admit that she was developing a small school-girl crush on him.
However it was once she realized that she had those feelings that the ones she had been living with forever returned full force.
Her Anger, Her Fear…Her Anxiety.
Someone had already taken the people she cared about from her once, she wasn't gonna let it happen again.
However something else had happened and it had been the final thing that pushed her to the next stage, it made her commit and take the plunge she had been putting off.
Gotham had a new Hero, and the guy was a 'Meta'.
She figured she could use him as her cover for her own silent debut, as he had wound up being involved with a bank heist on what appeared to be his first day.
Everything after that came in waves and nowadays all the news talked about was All Might and all that he was doing, and all that he seemed to be involved with.
Who was he, where did he come from, what were his goals, you name it and the question had been asked. Helena had used the time since his debut to get her own gear, and finally she was gonna make her move and start hunting down the criminals of Gotham Her way. She had planned to use All Might's success as her way to stay in the background.
She'd make sure the streets were safe for the people that she cared about, and then she'd finish it by tracking him down and she'd close that chapter of her life.
Once and for all.
It would finally be over, and she'd finally be able to rest and try and have a normal girl's life. Unfortunately it hadn't worked out the way she wanted it too.
Now being here where she found herself. Being blocked by Gotham's new guardian, but she wasn't about to let him slow her down.
She'd just have to go at him hard and apologize after. She didn't think it was gonna be easy by any means, but Helena figured she could nail All Might with a debilitating shot and then take out the perp and be off.
She took two quick steps and picked up her crossbow and went to turn but blanched as she realized the echo of very hard steps were upon her.
She turned just in time to have All Might catch the front end of her crossbow with his right hand and his left went to the middle of the bow, causing her to aim off to the side instead of bringing it fully to bear.
The bolt that was already housed loosed as her finger had been on the trigger, but she regretted that a moment later as All Might slammed her back first into the wall of the ally and then forced the crossbow from her hands again sending it deeper into the ally.
She swung quickly with a left hook which was summarily weaved off and then All Might took a step back with both hands up in a perfect boxer's stance with his shield now on his back.
Her head was still hurting from the hit she'd taken from the shield, and now after the brief meeting with the wall her head hurt worse and her right wrist was sore as she had tried to hold on as the guy literally yanked her weapon from her grasp.
'This guy's as strong as all Hell!' Helena thought as she grit her teeth and took another look at All Might.
She had seen all the reports of him on the news, she had been tracking him as best she could since his debut; and if she was being honest she was impressed.
She had made the crack about his size earlier to try and get a rise out of him, but it obviously hadn't worked. That and the truth was he was not only taller but slightly wider than her at the shoulders, the guy was a brick shit house.
The guy was also all business and had burst on the scene and already had dealt with two existing 'Super' criminals that regularly plagued Gotham, and that was without mentioning all the people he had reportedly already saved since his first appearance.
If the fan blogs were right he was already close to triple digits in the lives saved category.
Bringing herself back to the present Helena looked harder at All Might and realized he was very utilitarian looking, all function just like her.
That wasn't to say that the suit itself wasn't eye catching, because it was especially because he was wreathed in that green lightning. The suit wasn't necessarily skin tight like the majority of hers was though it did frame him quite well (down girl), and though it had its bulky spots in places Helena was sure that everything about this guy's suit served a purpose.
He most probably had a decent amount of cash like she did to have the gear he did have, she hoped they could be amiable when this was over so that she could maybe get some help from him, she had some things she wanted to look into but wasn't sure how to go further.
Her head throbbed again something fierce, signaling that she'd have to check herself later for a concussion.
Helena had to admit the shot from the shield had made her mad and she was doing her best to keep her temper in check as she sized the guy up, she knew she'd have to be careful because he had already disarmed her once and while she still had plenty of little toys at the moment she didn't really wanna get on this guy's bad side.
'It wasn't supposed to go this way. But like they say... In for a penny, in for a pound.' Helena thought as she hardened her facial features and brought her arms up the way Ted had taught her to. She wasn't some helpless little girl (not this time), she had beaten plenty of guys in a fight and she would beat this one too.
But then the thought crossed her mind again. This guy in front of her was a bone-a-fied Hero, no two ways about it.
The fact that she was squaring up with him was not something that she had wanted to have to do, and yet she'd be a liar if she said it didn't excite her a little bit.
All Might had beaten Victor Zsasz…Victor frickin Zsasz.
That guy was a certifiable psycho and he had a massive body count to his name, and yet All Might had given him an utter butt whooping and walked away no worse for wear. The thought of being able to keep up started to take a back seat to Helena's drive, and more so her pride.
She wanted to fight him now, to see how she measured up. Not just for the fact of the step up, or even the keep up, but to actually beat him. But it was also more than that, and she wasn't gonna lie to herself; she wasn't gonna let anybody get in her way.
He had already slowed her down, and quite frankly it was messing with her. She couldn't afford to be second guessing herself in this, hopefully beating the bricks off of this guy would set her mind right.
Helena took a deep breath and tried to center herself.
She was gonna take the scum of this city down... hard, because it was the only way any of them would stop.
People like Zsasz, or worse The Joker, they weren't the live and let live types. Why should they still be walking around when her own parent's weren't?
Helena quickly had to shake that thought from her head before she focused back in on All Might, wouldn't do to try and fight this guy while she was actually angry. She could use her anger to focus herself, but not drive...it was a slippery slope.
She wanted to beat All Might clean, and she planned to do it.
All Might had already made his stance quite clear by getting in the way, he wasn't gonna let her kill that perp…well they'd just see about that. She could understand that killing was wrong, but at this point... she just didn't care. They were all like Mandragora…and she wasn't gonna let it go.
She was brought back to the present by All Might's voice.
"I'm only gonna say this once…"
"How about nunce? Let's get this out of the way shall we. We're not friends, and you're certainly not my boss. Step aside and let me deal with that piece of trash…or we can just have it out here and now. You don't look so tough and I'm not gonna lie since your debut I've wanted to try you, I think I can take you. So what's it gonna be Spangles you gonna move or am I gonna have to move you, because you can't use that little shield trick again with it on your back and I bet you can't take me without having a little surprise on your side." Helena said as her and All Might started to slowly circle each other in the space of the alley.
Helena was doing her best to try and analyze how he'd come at her, however after that last bit of her speech the smile he'd been wearing even while standing next to the bleeding perp fell. He dropped his arms to his sides and Helena briefly considered rushing him, but waited to see what he would do next. What happened surprised her as he reached behind himself and unclasped the shield from his back causing her to quick draw both of her pistol grip crossbows and aim them right at him.
What happened next though surprised her even more so, as he pulled a slight right turn keeping her in his sight line where he then slammed his shield into the brick lodging it deep into the wall.
All Might then turned back to fully face her and put his arms back up into the basic boxers stance, that green lightning arcing around him as his gaze bore into hers.
"Ready when you are Huntress." All Might said as he gazed at her.
From the moment she'd arrived she had been wondering why he had called her Huntress...that wasn't her name; but after a second she decided she liked the name and that she'd keep it, she'd thank him for it as she was going to end the perp.
Helena loosed both bolts from the crossbows, and already the mechanisms were in the process of reloading the next set of the nine extra bolts they each housed within when All Might was already moving.
Helena blanched again because he was now only a foot from her and she had just watched him drop both of the bolts that she had just launched at him... in that split second she realized that the weapons weren't a big enough of an advantage against this guy.
She dropped both crossbows while she lunged backwards trying to give herself some space, all the while digging a hand into a pocket inside of her cape so that she could drop a smoke pellet on the floor.
Once the gas erupted out she opened one of the round purple compartments on the front of her belt, and it gave her one of the deployable Bo staff's she kept for her close quarter's situations.
She pressed the button and was glad she had deployed the staff, because as she just barely caught the sight of All Might's lightning he passed into the smoke and came barreling at her at high speed.
She set her feet and swung the staff aiming for his head, though he copied her earlier move and slid underneath the strike.
She turned and in the dissipating smoke attempted to swing at All Might's back, hoping again to strike him in the head to try and throw off his game.
What she hadn't expected was to see the green lightning now arcing as he bounced from wall to wall as he had actually propelled himself all the way down towards the intersection at the opposite end of the alley.
It took her a second to realize why he had done that...because now he was flying at her head first like a gleaming missile.
She had no time to react as All Might speared her, bodily taking her off of her feet sending them both to the ground in a tangle of limbs while also driving the air briefly from her lungs.
Helena took a quick gasp and then proceeded to lock her legs around All Might as she attempted to set him up to put him in a submission hold.
The opportunity didn't last though as he pushed off the ground with both hands and actually brought himself up to his full height with her still being locked around him.
She immediately attempted a right hook, which he caught her by the wrist and then proceeded to lock her left wrist in a hold as he rammed her back into the same brick wall again.
Helena didn't like the position they were in under the circumstances, and decided she was gonna take a chance and try to rattle him.
"Kinky. Didn't think you'd go all in on the first date." Helena said as she locked eyes with All Might noticing that his eyes were actually quite beautiful as they were half green and half brown, the green sides giving off an ethereal glow.
"What? I…" was as far as All Might got before she spit right into his left eye. She followed it up with a quick head-butt (Though she herself saw slight stars after that hit) and then proceeded to dive away as he'd let go of her as he wiped at and held his face while backing away.
She had just recovered both of her handheld crossbows after coming up from her roll, and was turning back to bring them to bear when she realized that once again All Might was on her…but upon seeing the look on his face she stalled out. The look actually frightened her.
All Might was definitely angry.
Okay.
Jack would be lying if he said that he wasn't pissed off, because the fact of the matter was that… he was in fact quite pissed.
He knew for a fact that no one enjoyed being spit on, especially by someone you care about and though Helena didn't know it; she did just spit in his face.
And yes... he was takin it kind of personally.
Whether she knew it was him or not.
He had already wiped his eye and fortunately he had at the very least expected the head-butt thanks to 'Danger Sense' so he had tilted his head down and Helena had caught more of the helm than anything, thankfully sparing him from another broken nose. Twice was more than enough for one life-time.
Jack closed the distance and this time didn't hold back when he physically slapped one of the crossbows from Helena's grasp, moving his right knee out of the way as she attempted to aim down towards it with her second one and take him out of the fight.
Jack didn't know if the knee guards would stop a crossbow bolt at this range from catastrophically ripping through his knee, and he had no intention of finding out.
After said dodge he spun around her and grabbed her by the offending arm holding the bow and put her in a modified standing arm bar, giving him the chance to disarm her again. He then proceeded to spin and bodily toss her over his right shoulder at the nearby dumpster, causing her to crumple and fall to the floor with a minor groan draping her cape over top of her as she smashed into said receptacle.
Jack stopped himself from advancing and took three deep breaths, trying to settle his already agitated thoughts. After bringing himself back down from the adrenaline high he relaxed himself and walked over to the wall and removed his shield setting it back on the magna plate.
Jack took a moment and gathered all of Huntress's loose gear and placed it right in the middle of the ally right in front of him as he got ready to pop a glue capsule and bury it all for the time being, though he was pulled from that action as he heard the sound of sirens at the front of the ally where the downed perp still thankfully sat.
'Good. Last thing he needs to be doing is moving around with those wounds.' Jack thought.
Jack had taken a moment while Helena was down the first time to give the man gauze patches from his pack to cover his wounds to try and stem some of the bleeding, and had then made a brief 911 call which was apparently being answered now thankfully.
Jack saw the first paramedic making their way over to the downed man and smiled, but then his 'Danger Sense' went off again causing him to turn back and see Helena kneeling by her things with her arm outstretched palm facing up.
The distinct sound of a metal ball rolling on concrete caught his ears and he bounded up bouncing off the left hand wall as the metal capsule went off, again coating the ally in a layer of smoke.
Jack rebounded off of the opposite wall and dove at Helena again, but this time she was ready and shot a bolt directly at Jack as he was airborne coming right for her.
Jack caught the bolt midair thankfully and was still on course… but that had been a diversion as Helena threw down a flash pellet right under herself which caused Jack to lose the use of his eyes as he tumbled through the air now blind.
Jack barely righted himself through the fall to land on his back which caused him to slide down the alley, as the shield made the perfect safety from him kissing the pavement full-on.
The scraping sound of the metal on the pavement didn't please the eardrums though.
'Gotta remember to take myself sledding one of these days if given the chance.' Jack quipped to himself as he focused up and kept his eyes clenched shut while he focused on using 'Danger Sense', as he tried to will away the debilitating visual and auditory discomfort he was feeling all the while waiting for the next attack.
He didn't have to wait long though as he felt it coming, and sat up with just enough time to catch the longer crossbow bolt that had come at him and threw it away, though the sound of Helena running at him brought his focus back forward.
He attempted to get up again but hadn't expected Helena to basically land straddling him while his shield was underneath him.
"We really have to stop meeting like this." Helena said in what Jack guessed was her best sultry voice (which he would admit much later on was quite attractive) as she attempted to pin Jack's arms to the ground.
Jack went to bodily remove Helena but was cut off from doing so as she spoke again.
"I didn't want it to be like this. Do us both a favor and stay outta my way." Helena said as she jumped back and off of Jack.
He heard her crossbow go off again and heard a strange noise, and as he got his vision back he noticed that it was just in time to see her repelling away on a launched line.
Jack rubbed his eyes again, and after getting his sight focused from staring towards Helena's retreating form in the skyline he trudged towards the front of the alleyway.
Jack was glad to see the paramedics were already taking care of the downed perp, and were about to load him into the back of the ambulance.
It was then that Jack noticed that Bennett and Yin were both on scene as well. Either they had heard about what was going on, or just had super good timing.
"Hey Might! You doing all right? What happened here? You know that new girl?" Jack heard Ethan ask as he approached the back of the ambulance.
Jack did his best to spare a smile for the two officers after he offered up his thanks to the paramedics, who shortly after waved him off saying that the trauma aid he'd provided had made their job much easier.
As the Ambulance began their final load up so that they could take off, Jack turned to face the two detectives fully.
"Everything's as good as it's gonna get Detectives. I'm all right. That new girl as you called her is Huntress, and tonight was her first night on the job." Jack said as he did his best to keep the smile on his face as he had a feeling the condition of the perp was going to make walking away from this conversation difficult.
Yin didn't disappoint him when she spoke as she confirmed his own thoughts.
"Well when you see her next tell her to tone it down All Might. I don't know how you feel about this but I'm telling you that this isn't alright. This isn't Star City. We don't need a repeat of the Green Arrows early years here in Gotham." Yin said as she looked at Jack seemingly unimpressed.
Jack did his best not to cringe outwardly as he listened to Yin's words, knowing full well that this looked almost exactly like what she had described.
The fact of the matter stood, bows and arrows were for killing things and crossbows were in that very same category. They had been doing that for who knew how many years, and the condition of the perp made it plain to see that Huntress was trying to maim or kill the guy with said weapon.
In his studies since the beginning of his training Jack had come across many articles on file on the internet from each of the currently public Heroes, and many of the bigger named ones were obviously easier to find. Green Arrows articles believe it or not had given Jack serious pause, as many of the articles from his first two years of active duty sounded like they strongly resembled the live action Arrow from on television back home.
Jack found himself wondering how it was that Superman or Batman were working with someone that had gone to such extremes, as while Green Arrow hadn't actually killed anyone in this universe as far as he'd read, many of the criminals he'd dealt with in the beginning stages of his career had been seriously injured or maimed by his weapon of choice.
Remembering that piece of information was just another thing that showed the glaring differences between what Jack remembered from the television show, and what he himself was now actually living with and experiencing. He could only guess what else would be different or the same going forward.
The fact that Yin had made that direct correlation between GA and Huntress set a dangerous precedent in Jack's head and it made him wanna track her down right now and set her straight, come out with all the facts and try and bring her on side.
Though the thought of doing that scared and worried him for many different reasons, one of them being he didn't want a partner…or a sidekick.
Jack was taking the approach he had always taken even back home when it came to work, do it right the first time and do it yourself; when you're not counting on anyone else to do something you don't run the risk of getting let down because you know what you are capable of.
Jack knew it was a slightly selfish way to look at things, and also quite dangerous. While he definitely didn't wanna have to feel like he was babysitting Helena or trying to take control of her, he was also now internally waring with himself over her safety. He better than anyone now knew that this was a horribly dangerous lifestyle, and he worried that if he didn't take her under his wing or work with her she'd wind up imprisoned or worse dead…and then it would be his fault for not stepping in sooner.
Jack was pulled from his own thoughts as Bennett cleared his throat, clearly seeing that Jack had a great deal on his mind.
"Yin does have a point Might. Hopefully you see her soon and you can impress the seriousness of this situation on her okay? I'd hate to have to bring her in or worse charge You as an accessory for assault with a deadly weapon. Luckily the guy confessed to carrying drug paraphernalia and has already said he'll plead guilty, he just begged us to make sure he doesn't have to see Huntress again. So do us all a favor would ya Might... and get your girl on lock okay?" Ethan said as he got ready to head back to his car with Yin.
Jack wanted to say that Helena wasn't his girl but thought better of the by play and just nodded with a smile and gave an affirmative.
Both of the detectives got into their car after bidding Jack slightly stiff farewells, and once they were clear from sight Jack amped up and booked it down the road so that he could get back to the flat…he had to talk to Ted ASAP.
GOTHAM CITY- HELENA'S FLAT
MARCH 20th 2008 2250 EST
She had made it back to the apartment within only fifteen minutes of her encounter with All Might, and she had immediately wanted to crash into her love seat but had dragged herself to her bathroom and stripped down so that she could take a bath.
The whole flat was probably around 480 square feet total with an eight foot high ceiling, its eggshell colored walls leaving a lot of room for decorating. To top the whole deal off she had her own private bathroom and a space for doing laundry in the flat; which made the after hour activities far easier to handle since she could clean her own gear in privacy.
Her furnishings were the minor kitchenette that had all the basic amenities, her full size bed with its red mahogany bed frame, the black leather love seat and couch combo, her small T.V. stand which held her 40 inch flat screen, and the small coffee table with black foldout chair that held her grey laptop.
The bathroom only had a white porcelain toilet, the stand in shower with its glass casing (Though it was rather spacious on the inside), the small vanity mirror mounted on the wall, and the white porcelain sink that sat imbedded in the double door mahogany vanity set.
The warm rushing water felt good as it caressed her olive skin, causing her dark locks to cascade down her back as she sat under the spray allowing the tension to just rush away after what could only be described as a complete botch of her first night as a vigilante.
After taking her time to enjoy the warmth of the water letting it soothe her sore body, she moved herself back into the main area of the flat after toweling off and opened her closet where she kept all of her clothes along with her storage container and safe that held all of her gear and her most precious valuables.
She gathered her basic lounge gear consisting of her black leggings, her purple crop top and her black crocs.
Helena made her way over to her bed and grabbed the remote and turned on the T.V. so that she could check the news and see if anything had surfaced about her debut tonight.
As she watched she began to reflect, and all it did was make her feel off. She could only hope that nothing would be mentioned about this particular night.
She couldn't help but now curse herself, for having let her competitive nature among other things get the better of her. She didn't need to make an enemy of the guy who was basically Gotham's new darling, especially considering the path she planned to take when it came to this whole vigilante thing.
He seemed like the type that would be barreling right over top of her... and that wasn't even taking the Bat into consideration.
She was in the midst of brushing her hair and it was now just a little after 10pm when her smartphone vibrated, letting her know she had a text.
She picked it up and quickly read it and wound up having to jump up from her spot, hastily shutting the T.V off as she read the text from Ted saying 911.
Helena grabbed a pair of socks and her black high-tops and threw on her black trench coat that Jack had bought her as she did her hair up in a quick ponytail as she bolted out her door.
She sprinted down the street for a few minutes, and then made the left and following right turn she needed until she was standing in front of the back lot behind the gym.
She bounded over the fence and quickly made her way to the back door downstairs where she found the spare key that Ted kept under the floor mat, she then ran her way up the two different sets of stairs to reach the door to the apartment.
Helena burst through the door small beads of sweat trickling down her forehead thinking the worst, as the door she came through knocked and rebounded off the wall and actually check her in the back a bit from the force she'd used.
The sight she came to find in the apartment actually caught her flat footed and startled her more than the rebounding door did.
Ted was there just fine, sitting at the coffee table with a mug in his hands his typical black t-shirt and jeans combo in place as he looked at her bemusedly.
What she hadn't been expecting was All Might to be standing in the apartment.
'…what the actual fuck?'
He was standing there at parade rest the shield ever present on his back, though at the moment he wasn't sparking with his customary green lightning.
He raised his right hand and gestured to the table where Ted was sitting.
"Have a seat Huntress. We need to talk."
That's the Chapter Ya'll! I really hope everyone enjoys this one! I find myself once again having to say thanks for all of the support ya'll are showing for this story! I want to be able to give you guys a direct timeline on when we will reach canon Young Justice, but I have to be honest with you I can't, and I really hope that doesn't make you wanna give up reading. My muse is working over time and I find myself constantly changing plans and Ideas. Please don't forget to pass it on to your friends and as always leave a review with thoughts, comments and even ideas! I am considering starting a Discord but my job is gonna be amping up soon so it may take a while. Also a bit of good news, I have someone that said they may be able to make time to do the art for this story in the Young Justice style. So you'll get to see Jack, Helena, Ted, and a bunch of other characters...a good portion of them having not even made their debut yet so that's always fun. Also I have a friend that is actually trying their hand at composing music for the story for me, which is just insane but he says he loves my story. Whenever any of this drops I will figure out how to set up links and the like. I hope everyone is staying safe, happy, and healthy! Hope to see you again Ya'll!