PAST LIVES
Part Four
"Some strange things have happened today", Barbara said. She was pacing back and forth in front of us in her living room; behind her the curtains covered the high windows, preventing anyone from looking in. She had changed clothes and was dressed in plain, dark blue trousers and a tight, green blouse. Her manner was that of Oracle and I had to bite my tongue each time I was asking her something, not to use the wrong name in front of Kate.
I sat on the arm of the couch, with Dinah beside me on the couch. Dick leaned on the doorframe to the hallway and Kate sat in the armchair.
Kate too had changed clothes and was dressed in jeans and a dark t-shirt. The armchair she was sitting in was the same one Barbara had been sitting in that night almost two months ago when she returned from the hospital. I remembered the way she had held me that night, when I was crying and mourning my mother. It felt like a lifetime ago.
There had been some house-calls from reporters asking about Barbara's health. Dick had dealt with them. "Allergy shock", he had told them. "Ms Gordon had an allergic reaction, but is fine now. She will be resting a few days and needs peace and quiet." A news team had turned up at the door-step and Barbara had given a short interview, which had been airing at the evening news. Other than that she had been left alone by the media.
Alfred had served tea and raw vegetables with two different sauces as appetizers for the main course, which he was busy preparing in the kitchen.
Barbara halted and turned to Kate. "You witnessed some of it today, at the hospital."
Kate only nodded and waited for Barbara to continue.
"You seem unruffled."
Kate shrugged. "I've seen a lot of strange things."
"All right, then. I reckon that before we deal with what happened today we need an update on your story."
Kate seemed to hesitate, but then agreed with a nod. "Fine, but I warn you - some things may be hard to believe."
"Agent Mulder to the rescue!" Dinah said with a high-pitched voice, grinning. "Um, sorry", she added, blushing slightly when Kate glanced at her. "I wasn't making fun of you. I like the X-Files. Mulder's cute..."
"Stop talking, sparrow", I said softly and she clamped a hand over her mouth. Kate had a surprised look on her face, but the corners of her mouth twitched, as if she were fighting back a smile. I wondered if she was used to teenager's sometimes flimsy remarks.
"Well..." she finally said and turned back to Barbara. "A year ago... I died."
I blinked. Dick straightened up by the door and Dinah gasped softly, but Barbara held Kate's eyes and didn't even blink.
"After that... my life changed. I felt I had been given a second chance and for awhile..." Kate frowned. "For awhile I knew... peace. But the things I had seen and known before my death still haunted me and I realized I couldn't go on as if nothing had happened. As if I... didn't know what was happening in the world. Or more precisely - in the shadows of the world. I have a friend who is a private investigator, investing something I would categorize as 'strange occurrences'."
"Ghosts and possessions?" Dick asked with a frown. Kate shrugged again.
"Amongst other things. I took his example and began investigating things that others won't deal with. I've seen... strange things. Creatures moving in the dark, in the shadows..."
"She wanted me to use the sewers", I said. She turned her sharp eyes at me.
"That was not what I said", she objected.
"The sewers?" Dinah made a face. "Helena would never enter the sewers. She won't even wear a mask because she says it makes her look shabby. Oh!" she added and blushed when she realized what she had said. "I mean, if she ever would need to wear a mask. As if to a costume party. We had a costume party and she said..."
Kate watched her with a curious expression.
"Dinah", Barbara said gently. "I don't think Kate is interested in our parties."
"Um, no, Barbara", Dinah mumbled. "Sorry..."
"She asked if I was a vampire", I said, shrugging - drawing the attention from Dinah's slip of the tongue.
"Interesting", Barbara said in a low voice.
"I do not expect you to believe the things I've seen", Kate said. She didn't apologize, it was said in a matter-of-fact kind of tone and there was nothing crazed or upset in her expressions. "Any way, one friend of this friend of mine has a special... talent. When someone sings, he can see their future."
"Sings? Like... what?" I frowned. "Musicals?"
"Any kind of music. I've heard even the humming of a tune is enough for him to see what he sees."
"And you went singing for him?" Barbara asked intently.
Kate nodded, looking at her. "I did. The whole of L.A. is in turmoil after these killings and one of the victims parents asked me to look into it. Two weeks ago I went to this guy and sang to him. He told me some... things. He said I needed to go look for Barbara Gordon in Gotham City and that I should follow the bat to find her..." Kate made a face. "I haven't really seen a bat since I got here."
I held my breath, but Barbara nodded.
"Go on", she said.
"I know detective Reese from when I was a cop and I remembered he lived here. I phoned him and wondered if he could set up a meeting."
"Is that everything this seer said?" Barbara asked.
Kate didn't answer immediately and I got the feeling she was hiding something.
"No, he did say some other things, but most of it is private." She glanced in my direction. "Although, he did say I would run with the Black Panther again and that I must protect the small bird."
"What... kind of bird?" I asked. "Did he know? I mean, did he know more than he was telling you?
"No, not really. He always says it's tricky, reading people's futures like that. Sometimes he sees what's going to happen, and other times he only gets these messages he doesn't understand. He thought it might be a hawk, but he said it was too small to be a bird of prey. It was more like a..." She frowned. "Actually, I think the word he used would have been... sparrow." She looked from me to Dinah.
"Bats and birds and black panthers", Dick said and moved across the room. He passed Barbara and sat down on the other end of the couch.
"And you don't know at all why he would send you to me?" Barbara began pacing again.
"No. He didn't know either. All he said was, that if I wanted answers I needed to find you. I was supposed to come last week, but then there was another killing and I had to stay to follow up a possible lead. That turned out to have nothing to do with this case."
"When did you arrive here?" Barbara asked.
"This morning."
"That's logical", Barbara said softly, mostly to herself, but I failed to understand what Kate's arrival had to do with anything.
"Yeah, well..." Kate hesitated.
"There's more?" Barbara asked.
"Sort of... Last year, after my... death, I had this dream. It was so vivid and so real; I can still remember every detail of it. It stayed with me and it haunted me until I met you this morning."
Barbara didn't say anything. She waited patiently for Kate to tell the story at her own pace.
"When I was told two weeks ago that I needed to find someone named Barbara Gordon, I did my research. I think I've read everything about you that I need to know." Kate glanced at Dinah and Dick. "I knew about you two..." She looked at me. "You were a surprise."
"To me too", Barbara said, so softly that only I could hear her. I looked straight at her and saw only love and caring in her green eyes when she looked back at me.
"I'm a surprise to most people", I said and Kate smiled wryly.
"I recall telling you I don't like surprises", she said. I let her have it and only shrugged. "What I didn't expect", she resumed, again looking at Barbara, "was that you would be the woman in my dream." Kate made a small gesture with her hand. "I had seen pictures of you, of course, but somehow that wasn't the same. When I saw you today I recognized you as that woman..."
"Which woman?" Barbara asked almost in a whisper. The look on her face worried me; she seemed to pale suddenly and I feared she would faint on us again.
"You stood in front of an altar, plainly dressed. And you challenged someone in the dark. I know it was a man, I think he was a priest. I couldn't see his face, it was hidden by a cloak and shadows. There was power there, almost like... an electrical charge - like thunder. Then you turned to me. You held a staff in your hands and you pointed it at me. I remember, I carried a sword. You ordered me to leave. I remember the smell in the room... something burnt, like incense. You ordered me to protect..."
"The princess", Barbara whispered.
Kate nodded. "Yes." Her voice was hoarse and she didn't take her eyes off Barbara. No one moved in what seemed like ages, before both Barbara and Kate at the same time turned away from each other.
Princess... I watched Dinah beside me. The girl seemed intent on Kate and I wondered if she was trying to read her, although she had said she couldn't. Protect the princess... Protect the bird... Dinah. Protect from what? A serial killer? I looked up at Kate.
"How many girls has this killer murdered?"
"Six", Kate said. "With a month between each. Always at full moon."
"There's a clich�", Dick mumbled and Kate quickly glanced at him.
"Maybe", she said. "But right now it gives us two weeks before he strikes again."
"You think what happened to us and Kate's dream are connected somehow with the serial killer?" Dick asked Barbara with a slight frown on his face.
"I think there is a possibility, yes. What is it?" she added when Dick hesitated.
"Um, what happened today with me..." Dick explained, glancing in my direction. "It wasn't the first time it happened. I've felt it before. Today was just... Today was just the first time this thing spoke through me."
"The way it did through Barbara", Kate said.
"You believe it was the same... thing?" Barbara frowned. "So, when was the first time, Dick?" she added, looking at Dick.
"I can't say specifically, but... almost two weeks ago I noticed something strange for the first time. It was then the dreams began."
"The dreams?" It was Kate this time, but I sat bolt upright beside Dinah.
What the fuck is it with everyone's dreams? I thought distractedly.
"I've been dreaming about a temple", Dinah said.
"I thought it was a pyramid?" I said.
"Both. I remember both. It was a strange dream - in the temple there was this huge snake..." She shuddered. "It wanted to eat me. But I remember an altar, too", she added, gesturing towards Kate. "And Huntress was there, dressed like a warrior..." She smiled at me. "Like Xena. And there was this..."
"Huntress?" Kate asked.
"She calls Helena that on occasion", Barbara said easily. "They have these pet names for each other. It's rather cute", she added with an almost lofty comment that made me hide a smile. "Go on, Dinah."
"I've had these dreams for awhile now", Dinah said. "Remember?" She was looking almost expectantly at Barbara. "I told you about the first one... two weeks ago", she finished lamely, looking disconcertedly at Dick.
"I have a vague recollection", Barbara said with a frown. "Remind me, pigeon."
Dinah took a deep breath, for once ignoring Barbara and Dick's favorite pet name for her. "Right. In my first dream I was only a small child, walking down long, narrow corridors - I remember the dust and a faint smell of... incense, too."
Kate nodded softly as Dinah glanced at her; I could see the blond woman was intently focused on every word that was spoken, not only by Dinah. Kate seemed to be a large predator, watching, waiting for the right moment to attack, coiled up like a... snake? No, like a lioness preparing herself for the deadly leap. The thought made me shiver, for some reason I couldn't comprehend.
In the next moment Dinah said: "Then, in the next moment, I stood in a great, magnificent hall. I was dressed in silk and ribbons and jewellery and I was surrounded by several guards. I believe they belonged to some kind of unit - they all wore the same uniforms and all were women." She turned to look at me. "You were there - you were the youngest of them, looking all proud." She smiled. "In my dream I knew you had just been chosen to run with the... pack." She frowned, thinking - remembering her dream. "In other dreams you've been there, too. Dressed like these women, always guarding me. You were there..."
"Me?" Kate said when Dinah turned to her.
"Yes. You led them. You were..." Dinah smiled. "You were bossy, but you were the best. You trained Helena. And these women, they had tattoos on their cheeks... Large cats on each cheek, like a... Like a black panther..." Dinah finished in almost a whisper.
"Ah, I see." Kate nodded, almost satisfied. I wondered what she saw. I didn't see anything - in fact, all this talk about dreams made me... edgy.
"That's all?" Barbara asked, still with a slight frown on her face.
"Most of it. There's more stuff, things I've only seen - like grand scenes from a nature movie: pyramids, jungles, temples, magnificent sunrises making me feel happy, lakes and an ocean almost crystal." She made a face. "There is one thing... The temple. I don't like it. There's a woman in there scaring the living daylights out of me. But there's another temple, too, and I like that much better. There's a man in there, a priest... He is always kind to me."
"Fine", Barbara said when Dinah silenced. "Dick, what about your dreams?"
"They... make me feel filthy." Dick shuddered. "There's so much anger in me when I'm in those dreams. Anger and bitterness and... I think, jealousy. I only dream the same sequence over and over again." He scowled. "Actually, I do believe I'm supposed to be a priest. It would explain why I'm so angry at this woman..."
"Another woman..." I said. "It would explain... you know." I made a face and touched my forehead. "It would explain the reason why you now look like half a mummy."
"You think?" he said sarcastically and Barbara let her gaze fly between us.
"You still don't want to tell me what it was about?" she asked.
"No!" Dick and I said at the same time.
"He was very rude", I added. "Just leave it at that."
"Yes", Dick agreed hastily. "Anyway, the woman in my dream... It's two women, actually. It's the same scenario, but the woman is different from time to time. One of them I blame for her actions, the other... The other I envy and almost hate."
"Barbara and me", I said, surprising myself - for once feeling I got the hang of things. Dick met my gaze and nodded.
"Yes, you and Barbara. I've been..." He paused and rubbed his forehead, above the white padding on his face. "I've been fighting these feelings in my real life, too. It's as if the dreams have been invading more than my nights, almost... slipping into my waking hours, trying to take control. I've managed to keep the emotions at bay, but... I tried to talk to you about it", he added, looking at Barbara. "You know..."
Barbara nodded, but remained silent. Again I wondered what that was about - she hadn't told me about any serious discussions with Dick.
"I thought maybe if I talked about it, it would go away." Dick shrugged. "It didn't, really. And today, today something just... shifted and I felt this person I was in my dreams take control and lash out at Helena."
"That sure was a priestly act if ever I saw one", I mumbled. "Like Hitler in a holy man's robe."
"There is one... strange thing about it", Dick added with a confused expression. "Not strange, but more... odd." He looked at Barbara. "You wore tattoos too. Not on your face, but on your arms. Bats... Several of them, in different sizes."
"'Goddess of the dark moon'", I whispered, suddenly remembering who I had called upon on the rooftops, as I was racing towards the hospital.
"What did you just say?" Dinah said, looking up at me. I shook my head.
"Nothing. I was only thinking..."
"What about you, Helena?" Barbara suddenly said, turning towards me. "You had any strange dreams or experiences lately?"
"As if it's not enough having both you and Dick going all... schizophrenic on me?" I shook my head again. "No, thank you very much. I'm freaked enough as it is - if anything like that happened to me... I would run and not look back until I reached the bloody moon."
"No dreams either?"
"None I can remember", I said honestly. I really had tried to remember my dreams since my meeting with that bloody woman, but it was all a blank.
"So, we have the black cats, we have the bats..." Kate glanced at Dinah. "We probably have the little bird... It seems as if I was right coming here, even if nothing is explained and there have only been more questions than answers today." She nodded at Barbara. "You think you are exposed to some kind of... possession?"
"I don't know, I..." Barbara silenced and resumed her pacing back and forth, fingering her glasses. "I don't know much about possessions. Would that concern - demon possession? Or possessions of a human soul? Or even by... animals?"
"I've seen, and heard of, all of the above", Kate said levelly. Dick glanced at her and Dinah looked impressed. I frowned at Kate.
"Vampires", I sniffed sarcastically.
Kate turned to me with a wry smile. "You really have an attitude problem, don't you, fighter?" she said.
"Bite me", I said, which made her laugh - a short, cynical laugh, before she eyed me closely.
"I think that would be your... occupation", she said, before she turned away from me.
What the...? Fuck!
"You know what?" I said and rose from the couch. I went over to Kate's chair. "All these strange things begun when you turned up here today. Maybe it's you we ought to investigate."
"You have a problem, Ms Kyle?" Kate said coolly, looking up at me.
"Yeah", I drawled. "I do. So you stand up, and I'll tell you what my problem is."
She held my gaze, then did as I asked her and rose from the chair.
"Helena", Barbara warned behind me. I ignored her. This woman - this private investigator - rubbed me the wrong way somehow and I wasn't sure why. I didn't let go of her eyes and she didn't back down.
"You are my problem", I said heatedly, pocking Kate with a finger on her chest bone. "You coming here, claiming to be some kind of... ghost hunter..." I was glad I didn't use the term ghost buster, which would probably have Dinah in fits of laughter. "You are my problem. You come here, meet with Barbara and in the next instant she's in the hospital..."
"Helena, you can't think that she had something to..."
I ignored Dick, holding Kate's eyes.
"You..." I growled, again pocking at her.
"Stand down, fighter", Kate said with authority, just like she had at the hospital. And in that moment I recognized why I didn't like her. Some part of me wanted to obey; it was an instant, instinctive reaction to her words, her attitude, her look... Another part of me - the part that was me, Huntress - wanted to spit in her face. I growled, fighting an inward battle as Kate held my gaze, forcing me - commanding me, without a word - to stand down before her.
"I will not stand down", I hissed, still not moving.
"Will you fight me?" she asked and now there was something else in her eyes, something - or someone - other than Kate Lockley, private investigator. Again some part of me wanted to back away, feeling that if I did fight her I would not win - and again, the part that was Huntress, and even Helena Kyle, wanted to wipe the floor with her.
Before I had time to come to a decision someone interfered.
"Enough!"
I heard Dick's voice above the sudden howling wind sweeping through the room and in the next instant both Kate and I were thrown across the room. I landed on the couch beside Dinah and Kate ended up hitting her back against the wall beside the door to the hallway. It must have hurt, I remembered thinking as I noticed her hit the back of her head on the doorpost. In the next moment I stared at Dick, standing in front of the curtains with his arms apart and with a stricken look on his face.
"What the... fuck?" I said.
The sudden gust of wind that had swept Kate and me apart died out.
"Oh, my..." Dick said, slightly pale.
"Dinah..." Barbara said, berating the girl.
"It wasn't me! I didn't do that!" Dinah said, defending herself. "I swear, cross my heart and hope to..."
"Don't say!" Barbara said instantly and the sharp tone of her voice made Dinah shut her mouth. "Don't say... things like that", Barbara added, gently.
"This is... what happened at the hospital", Kate said, struggling to her legs and rubbing the back of her head.
Barbara turned to her with a surprised look on her face. "But I didn't do this."
"Um, I think..." Dick scratched the back of his head. I hadn't taken my eyes off him.
"He did it", I said, pointing at him. I felt as if I was accusing him of some crime he would be burnt at the stake for. He looked at me with a lost expression and I suddenly felt sorry for him. Not only had I knocked him unconscious the same day, now I was blaming him for something that was my fault. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that, lashing out at Kate.
"How... did you do that?" Kate asked just then, stretching her back. "What did you do?"
Dick blushed. "You were bickering like children", he said. "I had this urge to... teach you a lesson." He looked about himself. "I don't know what happened. All I wanted was for you two to stop arguing, and in the next moment..." He shrugged, again looking like a lost child. I didn't blame him. After what I had just been through with Kate I felt a little queasy myself.
"Right, so what ever is affecting us it also gives us the power to... it gives us powers", Barbara said. She eyed Kate closely. "Something just happened to you, too, didn't it? You asked Helena to step down, like she was a soldier and you her superior."
"I did, didn't I?" Kate looked embarrassed. "I'm really sorry... I didn't... This has never happened to me before."
"What? You ordering people around?" I grinned at her. "You seemed pretty good at it." I shrugged. "For what it's worth... I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have charged at you like that."
Kate relaxed and nodded and then we both turned to Barbara, as if we expected her to have all the answers to our strange behavior.
"Kate..." Barbara paused. "You say you are used to strange things?"
When Kate nodded Barbara looked first at me and then Dinah, before she glanced at Dick.
"You wanna tell her?" Dick murmured at her side.
"Before you tell me anything", Kate said, interrupting and looking at Barbara. "There are some things that I do know..."
Barbara narrowed her eyes at her. "What do you mean?"
"I might not have seen a bat since I arrived here, but it doesn't mean I haven't heard plenty about one... or two." Kate looked at Dinah and me before she went to sit down in the armchair again. "I have seen strange people, but her..." She gestured towards me. "What are you? Some X-man, or X-woman?"
"Please", I said. "That's an insult."
Kate smiled. "I was always fascinated by the X-men. Humans, but not. Struggling to survive in a world that feared them. Cyclops was my favorite - a leader, wanting do what was right."
I had always preferred Wolverine, myself. "I'm meta", I heard myself say. What was the use of hiding, anyway? This woman talked about vampires and strange guys seeing the future when someone sings; she had seen my eyes change shape and color and then Barbara and Dick command the winds to throw people about and that part was the freakiest thing.
"They are called meta-humans", Barbara said. "It is a genetic thing. Some people say it's the next step in evolution, but for now they are forced to stay hidden and keep their abilities a secret."
"They?" Kate said, still eyeing me.
"We are a secret community", I said, shrugging. "My mother was one of them."
"Dinah is too", Barbara explained. "She is a telepath and has telekinetic abilities."
"You can move objects with your mind?" Kate said, impressed.
Dinah grinned. "Anything not heavier than five elephants."
"Three", Barbara said dryly. "She likes to exaggerate."
"Hey - I've been practicing!"
"And you?" Kate turned to me. "What do you do?"
"I don't do anything." I stretched out on the couch, much like a lazy cat, and gave her a slow smile.
"Helena has extra-ordinary strength and speed and enhanced hearing and sight", Barbara explained in her Oracle-voice. "Her mother was a cat."
Kate blinked. "Not literally, I hope."
Dick laughed and I glared at him. "What?" he said. "It was funny."
"Not literally", Barbara assured.
"It would explain your eyes, I suppose", Kate said, gesturing towards me. "And you two?"
Dick and Barbara exchanged a quick look.
"Not us. We are humans", Dick said.
"I haven't heard of... meta-humans before", Kate went on. "There are enough strange things happening in L.A. to keep me busy. But when I talked to Reese on the phone he explained a few things about Old and New Gotham to me."
"Like what?" Dick asked cautiously and Kate turned to him.
"Like about the bizarre criminals you have here - and about the vigilantes that seem to keep this town 'clean'. He did mention a few bats", she added, glancing in Barbara's direction. "Batman, Batgirl, someone named... Darkwing, or something..."
"Nightwing", Dick grumbled beneath his breath and I fought to keep my face blank when Kate glanced at me.
"Huh?" I said and shrugged.
"And something about a blizzard on rollerblades..."
Dinah beamed and I considered renaming her Blizzard. She'd love that, I thought with an inward grin.
"She's named Ladyhawk", Barbara said, leaning on the windowsill. "Actually, Huntress named her. She thought Pigeon wouldn't do for such a courageous creature..."
"Well, it wouldn't", Dinah said, faking offence. "I mean, it's like naming Batman... Insect, or something."
"Bats are not insects, sparrow", I said with a grin.
"Well, how about... The Black Fly."
"Is that the best you can do?" I teased.
"Hey - you are supposed to be on my side!"
I laughed. "I am, I named you - right?" I looked at Dick. "Darkwing is quite cool, you know."
"Humph", he said, crossing his arms and looking insulted.
Kate looked from one to the other with a small smile. "It is you, then?" she asked.
"I'm Huntress", I said and rose to take a bow. I let the coat swirl about me to give more effect to my words.
"'The thing that criminals fear...'", Dinah said in a spooky voice with a grin and made my coat flutter behind my back with some of her abilities. Kate looked away, but I saw she was struggling to hide a grin. Dinah had that effect on most people.
"Nightwing, at your service", Dick said darkly and stepped forward. Then he blushed. "That would probably have sounded much more impressive if I didn't have a large bandage on my face."
"And if he was in his suit, wearing his mask", I added. "He really is quite handsome - any woman's dream."
"And a lot of men's too, to his dismay", Dinah filled in with another grin. This time Kate laughed out loud and Dick rubbed his chin with an embarrassed smile.
"I see", Kate said, still smiling and looking at Dick. "So, you are Gotham's vigilante team. Let me guess" - she turned to Barbara by the windows. "You must be Batgirl."
It wasn't a question and Barbara shrugged easily.
"But you are human?"
"Yes."
"Then why...? Why are you doing this?"
There was a slight frown on Barbara's face before she answered. "Don't we all have our reasons?" she asked.
Kate glanced at Dick's now serious face and nodded. "I guess we do", she agreed softly. "But about these meta-humans... What can I expect?"
"Even if you could meet anyone that willingly told you, or showed you, what they are..." I said.
"Different things", Barbara said. "A little like X-men, I reckon. But metas only control themselves, not so much their environment - unless you have telekinesis like Dinah."
"There's one guy", I volunteered, "who has an incredible memory. He remembers everything in his life - sound, smell" - I made a face at that memory, for private reasons; Gibson Kafka always had to refer to the way I smelled - "touch... anything you can think of. In some ways it makes him incredibly smart... but also slightly insane."
"There's one guy that melts into shadows", Dinah explained.
"And one that turns himself into water", I said, somewhat dismayed at the memory. Barbara noticed and smiled at me.
"Huntress had a close encounter with him. He tried to drown her. I saved her life."
"You did not save my life!" I strongly objected, but Dick grinned and the look in Barbara's eyes suddenly made me remember those first days almost two months ago, when we met for the first time. It stirred my desire and I twitched on the couch. "You may have saved my dignity..." I conceded and leaned back, holding Barbara's gaze.
"Jeez, Helena!" Dinah was up and about in two seconds blank, angrily staring down at me, and I blushed, averting my face.
"Not my bloody fault", I mumbled.
Kate eyed us curiously, before Barbara pulled us back to what was important.
"I trust I don't have to tell you to guard this secret with your life?" she said, looking at Kate. "People have died... We have all lost people close to us, because of what we do."
"I understand", Kate said solemnly. "I promise, I will not betray your trust."
"Good. I..."
"Hrm, pardon me, Miss Barbara..."
Alfred stood in the doorway, looking at us.
"Uhum, there has been a delivery, Miss Barbara", he said.
"A delivery?" Barbara said wonderingly.
"These." Alfred reached down for something beside the door and pulled out a large bouquet of red roses. "From Mr. Brixton."
I felt a strange cold stab against my heart and quickly looked at Barbara. She looked surprised.
"Oh, my", she said.
"There's a card", Alfred went on, fingering the card fastened to the flowers.
"Oh, I'll read it later, Alfred. Please put them in water. I guess he was worried hearing the news today. I'll phone him later."
"Yes, Miss Barbara." Alfred nodded with his usual stoicism. He had handled my relationship with Barbara with surprising calm for a man his age; I guessed he had seen a lot in his years as butler to Bruce Wayne and Batman. Although he hadn't shouted for joy when Barbara told him how things were he didn't seem to disapprove of our relationship either. He probably wanted to see if it was something long lasting before he took anything for granted.
I glanced at Barbara and felt a stab of doubt in my heart. Maybe he was right, I thought. Maybe I shouldn't take anything for granted either. Barbara did love me, I was sure of it, but sometimes it was as if she wasn't present in the moment when we discussed something. As if I wasn't right there beside her.
As if my presence didn't mean anything. The thought made me swallow and I averted my eyes from the bunch of red roses in Alfred's arms.
"Dinner will be served in five minutes. I suggest you be on time - or the food will go cold."
"Thank you, Alfred", Barbara said. "We won't be late."
"Humph", Alfred said, glancing at all of us. "I'll believe it when I see it", he said, before he left.
"Who's Wade?" Kate asked when Alfred was out of earshot.
"Oh", Barbara waved away her question with a carefree gesture. "No one important."
I wonder if I will be 'no one important' in a few months, I thought fleetingly and then instantly berated myself for the thought when Barbara looked at me with such warmth my heart seemed to melt.
"And he is in on this?" Kate added, meaning Alfred.
"Oh, yeah!" Dick said. "We couldn't do what we do without Alfred's support."
Kate nodded thoughtfully.
"I've never seen any vampires around here", I said, to no one in particular. Kate raised her head and looked at me with an amused smile.
"I believe they would find this city far too crowded."
"So, do we have a plan?" Dick asked Barbara. "Do we even know what we are dealing with?"
Barbara straightened and resumed her previous pacing across the floor; she was in full Oracle mood at that moment. "I rely on technology", she said. "My life is basically centered around advanced technology." She frowned in concentration as she talked, but kept pacing. "Tell me that you have developed a technical gadget to make it possible to read peoples minds, or to transfer pictures from a mind to a television screen... Tell me that you have found a way to make blind people see in color and in dimensions and allow deaf people to hear Beethoven... And I will believe you." She stopped and looked at us. "But magic" - she waved her hands in the air - "and fairies and aliens... I don't know." She frowned. "Well, maybe aliens." She sighed and resumed her pacing, with her hands on her back. "Still, the facts are... One wise man once suggested that when all facts has been considered and if they point in one direction and all other options have been proven wrong, the one truth left, how ever improbable it is, must be correct."
"Shakespeare?" I asked, confused.
"Sherlock Holmes", Kate said with a small smile, glancing at me.
"Huh", I said and shrugged. "So, what?" I asked Oracle. "Do we believe in fairies now?"
"There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio...'" Kate mumbled.
"Horatio?" Dinah asked.
"It's only a saying", Kate said with an apologetic shrug.
"That's Shakespeare", I said and she nodded at me.
"We need to tie this up", Dick said. "What is it, exactly, that we are working on?"
"Ah, well, if I knew that... this wouldn't be so..."
"Frustrating", I said.
"Puzzling", Barbara said. "There is definitely something strange going on. And unless we all are going insane... or are the star-cast of a slightly altered Truman Show, it is connected somehow."
"Right", Kate said, leaning forward in her chair with a look of concentration. "But if it is possession we are all possessed by the same thing. Wouldn't that be strange, considering I don't know you and...? Well."
"Possession by a group of people? Or souls, I mean?" Dinah said. "I've seen something like it on television. We are all possessed by different souls that have a past together and now want to clear the air..."
"Sounds like a bad episode of Oprah", I said.
"Maybe it's not possession at all..." I heard Barbara say, and in that moment, for a brief second in time, I noticed it again: she was hiding something from us. I straightened, remembering when I first had learned that Barbara kept secrets from Dick and Dinah: she had known who it was coming after her in that building with the kidnapping. She had known who it was who wanted to kill her. Patchy... It wasn't him now - Patch was dead, as dead could be. I suddenly realized that Barbara hadn't told us about her dreams.
Barbara must have noticed something different in my posture; she looked at me and shook her head slightly. I knew what she was saying: Wait. She wanted me to trust her. So I did.
I leaned back in the couch, watching Dinah glance at Dick with barely concealed exhilaration. I wondered what that was about. Maybe she had read some of his thoughts... I glanced at Dick, but he was looking at Kate with a concentrated look on his face. It didn't make me any the wiser.
"What are you thinking?" Kate asked Barbara.
"I think, what we are facing is old..."
"An old enemy, trying to manipulate our brains?" Dinah said. "Oh, like that man... what was his name again? The one that trespassed in our minds? Doing some hypnotism?"
"Ketterly? No." Barbara shook her head. "I mean old, as in ancient... Some ancient force we don't know anything about."
"Um, I don't want to go all Scully on you", Dick said, glancing at Kate, "but... Ancient force? Like what? Demons?"
"Demons?" Barbara shrugged. "What are demons? If ancient people met a person from the future with a car they might consider her a demon... It's all in the interpretation."
"Right. But 'force'?"
"Reincarnation", I said, surprising them all. They looked at me and I snapped my fingers. "That's it. That's what you mean, right?" I looked at Barbara with a feeling of delight. "You know, the shark thing - and all." I grinned at her. "I probably did bite you."
"I would be sorely disappointed if you didn't, kitten", Barbara said with a grin and I beamed at her.
"I'm right, am I not? Yeah, I'm clever."
Dick shook his head at me with an amused smile while Kate looked confused.
"Shark?"
"Private joke", Barbara said, waving away her question. "The point is, I believe Helena is right. The dreams are not possessions from other souls, they are memories from our own past lives."
"God!" Dick explained and we looked at him.
"What is it?" Barbara asked with a worried frown.
"I was a priest! No wonder I can't get a woman! I probably turned them all down and now they don't think I'm interested."
Dinah laughed at him. "You are worse than Huntress. You two - you are so vain."
I grinned. "Serves you right - maybe you did have a boyfriend then."
"God help me..."
"Serious, people - please", Barbara said with an exasperated sigh. "Children", she added with a grin that took the edge of her annoyance.
"It would make more sense", Kate said thoughtfully. "And coming in contact with each other brought back these memories." She looked at Barbara with sudden gravity. "You did order me to protect the princess", she said almost in a whisper.
"I did", Barbara said and we all looked at Dinah.
"Oh, o no..." Dinah said, turning pale.
* * * * *
When I went on patrol that night I had more unanswered questions and speculations in my head than I had had when Dinah told me about the strange, older woman that had warned her about the explosions. Reincarnation and past lives wreaking havoc on this life? Dick - a bloody priest? And Kate? What was her story? And that old woman again - she played a large part in my questions.
The dinner had been surprisingly comfortable. In an unspoken agreement we didn't discuss anything that had to do with Kate's reason for visiting Gotham. We touched safe subjects: Barbara's engagement to Wade, Dinah's achievements in school, Dick's work as an attorney at Barbara's company. Ordinary stuff. Or almost ordinary; we soon turned to meta-humans. Kate was fascinated by the subject and wanted to know how Dinah managed to be a normal teenager while also being a respected crime-fighter. Dinah didn't disappoint - I always thought she could talk the ears of an elephant and she didn't prove me wrong. Although Kate was a very good listener.
When I went out to patrol Dinah wanted to come, but this time Barbara and I were in agreement, for once. Neither of us thought it safe to have her patrolling without back-up.
The look on Dinah's face as both Barbara and I turned to her and said no when she eagerly wanted to join me had reminded me of that night when Barbara and I made love for the first time. Barbara had been so overprotective of Dinah at the time and I had defended the teenager's right to go on patrol. Tonight I wondered if Barbara's objections then had been part of what was happening to us now; some kind of premonition of the future and of the danger that was awaiting Dinah. The thought was strange and a little scary. Barbara had been a little too overprotective of Dinah since Patchy's death and maybe she hadn't been wrong.
Nightwing had to stay at the Clock Tower - due to his mishap: his colliding with my fist. Not even a mask would cover that bruise. And I wouldn't let Batgirl patrol until I was sure she wouldn't have another panic-attack - or whatever it was. That left Dinah and me and since we weren't sure what to expect from Kate's unknown killer we didn't want to take any chances. Dinah sulked, of course - I would have too - but when Barbara told her she could give Kate the grand tour of the Clock Tower she lit up like a candle.
Thinking of the girl made me smile in the dark. It still fascinated me how Dinah could be such a mature crime-fighter, blazing across the city on her rollerblades and catching the most fearsome criminals without even flinching, and at the same time be such a child. I had been a child like that: I still remembered the agony of my first crush, the prom and my first kiss... Even though my mother trained me I had known nothing of the Joker, or of the darkness that lurked within me, waiting to be awakened by a twist of fate. Considering it I realized that, despite my mother's nocturnal adventures, I had had a much more normal upbringing than Dinah, who at such a young age had lost her mother and even been forced to testify against her mother's killer. And then, being brought up by Barbara, in the company of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson - all three famous vigilantes. Maybe it wasn't so strange she wanted to be a child when she was allowed. And Barbara did an excellent job with her.
I crouched low in the shadows above a jeweler store and looked down at two dark figures moving about below me. I whistled slowly, a tune without melody. It had been a slow night, but maybe it was picking up...
"Hello, guys!" I called and let myself fall from the ledge where I had been hiding, landing behind one dark-clad burglar.
"Fuck!" I heard him swear and as he swirled around towards me he dropped the bag he was holding to pull a gun.
"Not nice", I said in a sulky voice and kicked the gun out of his hands. "I've been waiting for some fun, and all you wanna do is... shoot me."
I ducked, turned around and punched the second burglar in the face. He staggered backwards.
All things considered, I thought as I was entertaining myself, it had been a pleasant dinner. Even Alfred had enjoyed himself; Kate was really sweet to him.
Kate... The blond woman was... interesting. She held herself aloof, even though she talked and laughed with us. It seemed she had difficulty trusting people. All she really had told us about herself was that her father had been a cop - and that he had died on duty. I had seen the look in her eyes as she told us this and figured she probably blamed herself for his death. It was probably not her fault that he died, but that had nothing to do with it. I knew what it was like - surviving a parent. I knew what it was like having to deal with the grief and the guilt and the numb rage.
"Hey!" I called, as the first guy ran off. "I'm not done with you!"
I picked up the lid from a dustbin that had toppled over and threw it at him. It hit him in the back of the head and he fell over. He lay unmoving on the ground and I gave myself a high five in my mind. "Why to go, Huntress", I mumbled as I gathered the two burglars and tied them with their own rope. Both of them were unconscious. I left them by the door together with the bags of jewellery and money they had been stealing and made my way back up the roof. I could hear sirens and noticed the flashing light of a police car. Someone would soon pick up the bad-boys.
"Huntress - you there?" I heard Oracle's smooth, efficient voice in my ear.
I grinned when I remembered Kate's confused look as Dinah introduced her to Oracle: "The one that constructs all the high-tech gadgets around here."
"All fine", I said. The burglars had been ordinary humans, not metas, and it had been an effortless fight. Effortless and boring. Give me some killer robots, I thought. That'd do. "Some thugs, nothing to worry about. Too easy, as a matter of fact."
"You know, you really ought to get yourself a mask."
"And spoil my good looks? I don't think so."
Barbara chuckled. "Right. I forgot. What on earth was I thinking?"
"Beats me", I said with a grin.
"Dinah's gone to bed... finally. And Kate too. She had a rough day."
"She's a private investigator. She's probably used to it."
There was a short silence on the other end.
"You really trust her, don't you?" I said into the silence.
"Yeah, I do. Otherwise I wouldn't have invited her home."
"Yeah. I wondered about that."
"You don't trust her? I know you don't like her..."
I grinned. "I do like her. She's bossy, but she is ok. She reminds me a bit of you when we first met."
"Not too much, I hope."
"Hey! I've seen the way you flirt with her."
"You know where my heart lies", Barbara said and I felt the now familiar tightening in my chest when I thought of her loving me.
"I do", I said hoarsely. I really did.
"Helena... I don't want you to be out there right now."
I swallowed and turned around on the roof. I knew she was serious when I heard her call me by my real name instead of Huntress. "I don't want to be out here right now either."
"Will you come home?"
"I'm on my way."
We didn't make love that night. We held each other close, whispering soft words, declaring our love to each other, gently touching naked skin... I heard her heartbeat, I held her tight. We spoke softly about love and the future, about dreams and hopes and fears. I felt it as if I could have lost her that day and she understood my fears and soothed them. I couldn't remember a lover I had felt so close to, so safe with and so loved by. To lose her... would be my death.
"You held out on us today", I finally said, when we were almost drifting off to sleep. I didn't want to sleep; I wanted to stay like that forever - holding her, feeling her heartbeat so close to mine, caressing her hair, sliding my fingers across naked skin...
"I did. I didn't want to upset Dinah. It's better we talk alone tomorrow, when she is at school."
"You're sending her to school despite today's events?"
"It was only a gas-leak; Reese assured me about that - it wasn't a criminal act aimed at Dinah. And no - I don't feel comfortable sending her off to school, but what can we do? We can't stop living each time our lives are threatened, can we? Then we would never have a life at all. Besides, Kate said the killer doesn't strike until the full moon. It gives us time to plan."
"What is it that you know?" I wondered. "And, you never told us about your dreams."
"So, you noticed?" she said softly. "I was wondering if you were going to bring that up."
I smiled. She played with some of the dark curls around my forehead and kissed my cheek, softly, tenderly.
"I have dreams... Mostly with you in them."
My smile widened. "Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah." She rose half way, leaning on an elbow with her chin in the palm of her hand. She watched me with green, intense eyes. There was a small smile in the corners of her full lips, playing softly, but not showing itself completely. "You're always in my dreams."
"Lucky you", I said, pushing away some of her red hair from her eyes.
"Mm, lucky me", she agreed, smiling fully this time. Then she became serious and returned to my arms. She moved closer and I held her tight. "When I... died, today, someone spoke to me. I heard this voice... I don't know where it came from, or who, or what, it was. It told me some things - warned me. It said only the priest and I could stop what was coming. It said only our powers could stop him."
"Him?" My voice had a catch in it and I swallowed.
"It didn't say more than that. Only him. I didn't understand. I mean - what priest? And I don't have any powers."
"That was before you knew what had happened at the hospital", I mumbled.
"Yes. And before Dick's explanation regarding his dreams. That wind today, which parted you and Kate... Did I do that too, at the hospital?"
I nodded.
"So there is some power, we just don't know how to use it. I wonder where it comes from."
I could hear she was puzzled; she probably frowned in concentration in that moment.
"The voice said I should let the warriors care for the princess, that that was their job. Dinah's dreams confirmed you and Kate are the warriors. You and I have been calling Dinah princess the whole day today, I suddenly noticed. Must be our memories playing tricks on us, or trying to alert us to what's going on."
"To whatever is going on", I said, sighing.
"Well, yeah. There is that slightly annoying factor. But we made some progress today, I think."
I nodded in agreement.
"Good." Barbara yawned. "I think I need to sleep now. I had a tough day..."
I smiled. "You're a vigilante. You're used to it."
It made her chuckle; I could feel her body move against mine.
"You sleep", I said softly. "I'll keep you safe."
"Thank you, kitten", she mumbled, before she drifted off to sleep.
* * * * *
We were awakened quite abruptly by the telephone. Since we were at Barbara's house I let her answer. I checked the alarm clock and grumbled; it wasn't even seven o'clock.
"Hello?" Barbara said sleepily. "Yes, this is she..."
This better be important, I thought grumpily and moved closer to Barbara's warm body, pulling the blankets with me. At the same time Barbara stiffened.
"When?" she said, grabbing the telephone until her knuckles whitened. It was the only sign that she was in some way affected by what she heard on the other end of the line. I sat up and studied her worriedly. "Yes..." she went on. "Yes... How? Yes... Could you tell me if he had any visitors and when? Yes, I understand. Yes, thank you. I do appreciate it. Thanks." Barbara hung up and stared at the phone lost in thoughts. Finally she took a deep breath and turned to me. "We have a problem", she said, stone faced. "The Joker has escaped."
Part Five
"Thank you, Reese. I'm glad you managed to arrange something so quickly", Barbara said, waving good-bye to Dinah at the main entrance to her home. The teenager walked rather gloomily down to the police car waiting for her by the sidewalk, while detective Reese stood in the doorway. He nodded at Barbara's words.
"Any time, Barbara. The Commissioner didn't even think twice about it. Everyone knows this is a serious matter for you. We'll have a man guard her every minute of the day, even in the classroom."
Barbara made a face. "She won't like it, but I won't take any chances."
"You better not", Reese agreed. "Everything I've heard about this man... We'll guard her with our lives." He nodded. "I'll talk to you later."
Barbara was just about to close the door when Dick came running along the sidewalk. He waved at Dinah and said a brief hello to Reese, before he stood in the doorway. Barbara stepped aside to let him in.
"Barbara - I just heard", he said breathlessly as the door closed behind him. "Are you all right?" he added with a worried expression.
"Oh, Dick", Barbara said and embraced him. He held her close for a moment, closing his eyes with a pained expression that went straight to my heart.
I stood by the stairs in the hallway, watching them. The strange thing was, that the jealousy that had been such a problem for me the last two weeks had died away. I didn't feel a thing when Dick embraced Barbara, only sadness for the situation and a deep compassion for Dick. He cared so much about Barbara and I just had to love him for it.
When he let her go he looked at me.
"Are you all right?" he asked and I nodded. I hadn't really been a part of the whole Joker-hysteria. The fact that he was my father's biggest nemesis didn't really affect my life. Maybe it should, but the last time I met the man he had been a dribbling fool. I couldn't comprehend how he could be sane enough now to arrange his escape.
"Thank you for coming, Dick. We need to talk."
"What's happened?" Kate asked, coming down the stairs. We looked up at her. I for my part had forgotten all about her and it seemed Dick had as well; he stared at her as if he hadn't seen her in his entire life. As if any man that had caught a glance at her would ever forget her. Must be that priest part of him, I thought dryly. She was dressed as she was the night before in plain jeans and a tight t-shirt.
"Oh, good", Barbara said. "We need to talk, Kate."
"You've arranged police escort for Dinah?" the blond woman said as she came to a halt beside me, at the foot of the stairs. "That went quick. How did you manage that?"
"Oh, no, that's not related to your killer. We have our own private serial manic on the loose." Barbara sighed. "It's a long story, but I doubt it has anything to do with why you are here or why our lives suddenly seem to be copying The Mummy, part two."
I blinked at the remark. I didn't even know Barbara had watched the first movie.
"So?" Kate asked and I turned my attention back to her. "Dinah really needs a police escort?"
"Yes. We've had an escape from Arkam Asylum this night", Dick said. "The Joker is a highly dangerous criminal and his first priority will be to..."
"Kill me", Barbara said matter-of-factly. "Or wait, no that will be his second priority", she added cynically. "His first will be to eliminate any one and everyone I love or care for, or even so much as smile at."
"Oh", Kate said. She frowned. "The Joker? I read about him when I did my research about you and Gotham. He is one of those super-villains, isn't he?"
"He is no meta", I said. "He's human, but he's..." I tried to find the right words.
"Quite nuts, psychotic, depressive, with no mercy, a stranger to words like 'love, peace, beauty' and happy to kill anything that gets in his way - be it a puppy, a newborn or... us." Dick glanced at Barbara and added: "Batman used to be his favorite sport to hunt, but we are sure he has changed target."
Kate looked at Barbara and something in Barbara's face must have given her away. "He has a reason to hate you?" Kate asked.
"Oh, yeah", Barbara said icily and I felt a cold, cold chill running down my back. "I only caused the death of the two people in life he actually did love."
Kate stood unmoved as she watched Barbara. Then she nodded slowly; it was difficult to tell what she was thinking, but I wasn't trying hard - my focus was on Barbara.
"Barbara..." I said softly and moved towards her. Dick stepped aside without a word and I put a hand on Barbara's shoulder. She leaned in towards me - only briefly, but I felt her relax as I touched her and heard her sigh, before she pulled away. She gave me a brief, grateful look and I nodded.
"The police will be guarding Dinah", Barbara went on. "I would rather send her away until we recapture the Joker, but..."
"But then my killer might get to her", Kate said softly. "This is really bad timing."
Barbara nodded. She glanced at Dick and I. "The Joker wasn't the only one to escape. They believe Shadow helped him."
"Shadow!" I exclaimed. "But they promised he was chained for life in his cell?"
"Well", Barbara said wryly. "Can you blame them? It is difficult to keep someone behind bars who can use the slightest shadow to escape. Be glad it wasn't Slick, your Mr. Waterpool-guy." She turned to Kate. "We will update you on our bad guy - I think it is wise if you do the same with yours. I'll have Alfred make some breakfast and we can discuss while eating."
"I suggest we eat first", Kate said. "At least when it concerns my killer - I won't be particularly hungry when I'm talking about him."
Barbara nodded. "Fine. I need to make some phone calls first, to take care of business. Helena, will you talk to Alfred?"
"If I know Alfred he's cooking an English breakfast right about - now..."
* * * * *
"Ah, isn't it the lovely Huntress, coming for a social call?" Gibson Kafka said when I later that day strolled into his bar, the No Man's Land. The place was gloomy and quite deserted; it was still early in the day and the bar didn't open to the public until nightfall.
The young meta-human stood behind the counter, cleaning glass's and rearranging bottles on the glass-shelves behind his back. I didn't know why I had come to see him, except maybe to ask for a favor. Gibson Kafka could be difficult with people, but he adored Dinah.
"To what do I owe this honor?" he said with a mock bow.
I pulled out a high barstool and sat down with a sigh. "I'm not really in the mood, Gibson."
Kate had been right: after hearing about the killer she was looking for, even I felt a little queasy and was glad we had already eaten. It hadn't been a pretty picture she made - and the photographs she showed us of the victims didn't help.
"Ah, trouble in paradise - perhaps?" He sniffed in the air around me. "Ah, lavender - not your bar of soap. How is Ms Gordon doing, pretty Huntress?"
I only shook my head and he gave me a hasty smile, then frowned and ducked behind the counter. When he turned up again he held a beer-bottle in his hand.
"Thirsty?"
"It's too early in the day, Gibson."
"Big cat on the prowl", he grinned. "Didn't used to stop you. Drinking early, smashing and bashing someone's head at noon... like a cowboy movie, or a lioness on the plain."
"I'm on the straight path now, Gibson. Remember?"
He sighed and put away the bottle. "Less for Gibson, then. No big cat for Gibson. The bat caught the cat." He grinned again, almost wickedly this time.
"She did", I agreed. "She sure did."
He pulled the towel from his shoulder and rubbed it against an already clean beer-glass as he studied me with a close look.
"You have worry-wrinkles on your forehead", he said. "Doesn't go well with your complexion."
"Thanks", I said sarcastically. That's all I need - to grow old before my time.
Gibson shrugged. "Always a pleasure." He frowned. "Remember - this guy is looking for you."
"What guy?"
"Thin, nervous, kind of clumsy... meta."
"Yeah? What did he want?"
"He wanted Huntress' protection."
I held his gaze. "Tell me again, Gibson. From the beginning. You know I'm no body-guard."
"He'd heard of you. Said his name was Cam Anderson and these... What, you know him?" Gibson asked curiously when he noticed my reaction.
I nodded slowly. "I think we went to school together. Same year, different class. I remember him because he was such a... klutz. Everyone picked on him." I frowned. "I wonder what happened to him."
"He says the bounty-hunters are after him for something he didn't do. He wants you to protect him."
"I didn't even know he was meta", I went on, unfocused. "Do you know what his abilities are?"
Gibson waved his hand. "He didn't tell, I didn't ask. It's not polite, you know."
"Right", I said dryly. "What about those bounty-hunters? What do they say he did?"
"Don't know. He didn't tell, but he was scared for his life. Listen..." Gibson leaned forward across the counter, whispering in confidence to me. "Beware the bounty-hunters. No good to play with."
"I know", I said. I had heard of them before, but never met them. They were reputed to consist of a group of ordinary humans, hunting down criminal meta-humans. Much like Batgirl and company, the difference being that the bounty-hunters killed relentlessly and not always the guilty parties. They were assassins rather than upholders of the law and the rumors spread suggested that anyone could pay them to kill a meta. They weren't a pleasant bunch of guys and nothing a lonely, innocent meta-human wanted on his or her tail.
"Right. And Cam Anderson has heard about Huntress, the wild one - he figured you are the only one able to protect him."
"It's all I need", I grumbled. "Did he leave an address or a number?"
"Nope. He said he would call again."
"I don't know what I can do about this. You think he is innocent?"
"He seemed anxious enough for an innocent man." Gibson nodded and polished the counter with his towel. "I believe."
"Fuck!" I rubbed my forehead with two fingers. "Will you call me if he comes again? You know the number to work."
Gibson nodded again, eyeing me closely. "You really are worried about something", he said.
"Look, Gibson." I met his gaze. "Will you do me a favor? It's about Dinah. She's in danger."
"Lady Ladyhawk?" Gibson twisted the towel between his hands.
"The Joker has escaped..."
"I know. I've heard... The Trickster will come for Ms Gordon." Gibson paled. "He will come for Ms Kyle and the little one..."
"He will", I confirmed. "But that's not all. There's a serial killer on the loose and we believe he has his eyes set on Dinah. If you hear or see anything, however small it is..."
"I'll guard", Gibson said and straightened his back. "I will guard your secrets with my life - and keep all my senses alert."
"Thank you, Gibson", I said with a small sigh of relief.
"Ms Gordon has friends here, you know", Gibson added, almost shyly. "We've seen the news. Metas at the bar - they like her. They'll keep an eye out for the Joker."
"Thank them too. And the news teams - they've been a pest around the house today."
He nodded. "Anything else I can do for you, big cat?"
"You don't happen to know where I can find a good seer, do you?" I frowned. "You know, a psychic?"
Barbara had sent me on this stupid mission. What did I know about psychics? What did anyone know about psychics? Were they even listed in the yellow pages? Maybe other people were interested in the other-worldly, but I was too busy living in the present to know anything about psychics.
Barbara had to deal with some stuff concerning Gordon Technologies, Dick was busy with his job and Kate... I wasn't sure what Kate was doing. Maybe I should have asked her to come along. Maybe she knew more about psychics - considering her talk about vampires.
Gibson frowned. "I've heard of some. They are no good, though. Money-makers, profiteers... They know nothing. No..." He shook his head and then focused on me. "If you want the real deal you have to visit the swamps. You'll have to find Nan Rover - she'll give you what you need, dealing with the spiritual world. Always talking to some one or other not of this world, knowing things we don't."
"Fine." In the bloody swamps? "I have to go to the swamps... Please", I almost pleaded. "Tell me there's someone else, someone not hiding in the back of the beyond?"
"Go there, near the harbor. Leave now - I have work to do."
Fine, I thought, slightly offended. First he wants me, then he wants me gone. "Thanks, Gibson", I said and waved at him.
"Go, go!"
I'm going!
I left No Man's Land and made my way to the harbor, still thinking about the mission Barbara had sent me on. A psychic? I remembered my reaction when she told me we needed someone clairvoyant. "A what?" I had asked. "A psychic", Kate had explained.
Barbara had explained that to figure out what was going on with our previous lives - if that was what we were dealing with - we needed someone that actually knew something about it. "Everyone has their area of expertise", she had said. "We need to find someone who knows everything there is to know about past lives."
I would rather have gone looking for that strange, old woman Dinah and I had encountered, but Barbara wondered what prevented me from doing both. And so here I was, on my way to the swamps.
It took me awhile to get to the harbor and it wasn't until halfway there I wondered why I hadn't taken my bike. It was still new to me and most of the time I forgot I even had it - it had been a gift from Barbara. "So you can actually keep up with me in the dark", she had said, winking. It had made me laugh.
The pictures Kate had shown us a few hours before came unbidden to my mind as I descended a tall building close to the harbor; there were no other buildings after that point in the direction I was heading, so I would have to walk the streets like an ordinary human the rest of the way.
The snap shots of the victims Kate had laid before us had been in black and white, but it had been enough for Barbara to go pale. I guessed it had more to do with the fact that the victims were young girls Dinah's age than the sight of the slashed throats. Kate had told us the police - picking up on the newspaper's nickname for the killer - had named the perpetrator Moonkiller. They weren't even sure it was a man, but it was considered probable by the method the killer had used. All the girls had been stripped naked, but there were no trace of sexual molestation of any kind. All of them were found hanged upside down, tied with black leather stripes around their ankles and with their arms tied on their backs. Their throats had been slit and their bodies drained of blood.
According to the forensics the bodies had hanged upside down for at least three days and the last drop of blood had been squeezed out of them. Somehow they had been kept alive during the whole procedure for three days. The mass of blood at the crime scenes had been horrific.
The strangest thing, Kate said, was that the killer left no trace. "It's as if he came and went out of nowhere", she had said. "No one has seen the girls talk to a stranger and the places where they were found hadn't been clinically cleaned, so he didn't bother with cleaning up after himself. There were traces of the girls at the scenes: they found their clothes, some personal belongings... but nothing that indicated there had been a second person. All that blood and still no trace whatsoever of a second individual at the scenes, except the girls. And, there was no physical evidence of violence on the girls' bodies. How the heck did he manage to hang them upside down without sedating them or knocking them unconscious? There's no evidence of either. And how did he keep them alive for three days?"
The crime scenes were secluded areas around Los Angeles; emptied and abandoned buildings, or on two occasions in a park. And the police had precisely nothing on the killer. That didn't bode well for Dinah, according to my prognosis. On the other hand - Dinah had me, Nightwing and a pissed of Batgirl to deal with. I had seen Barbara Gordon in a rage on one of her business meetings just two weeks ago - it had not been a pleasant sight. She was worried about Dinah right now, but when that worry subsided... Hell, not even I wanted to be in this killer's shoes if he even as much as thought about the girl.
In the meantime - I was on a psychic hunt.
Oh, why didn't I object to this mission? I thought with a sigh as I left the city behind me. Gotham's swamp interconnected with parts of the harbour. It consisted of some islands open for official use: tourists that could walk along a marked track or pay to get a guided tour in a motorboat through the overgrown channels.
The swamp wasn't very deep, but it did on occasions hide one or two villains plotting the downfall of Gotham City.
As I entered the realm of the swamps there wasn't much of a road to stick to. I kept to the official track, pretending to spy for birds when I on a few occasions passed city-people having a stroll in the wild.
I remembered the last time I had been to the swamp - the day Patchy died. It was strange; the boy had been on my mind the whole day. Or maybe not that strange at all, considering whom had escaped from Arkham.
And where the hell am I going to find a psychic out here? There's only birds and... well, not bees, but... What are those? I hoped the insects I had seen weren't overgrown meta-mosquitoes... I so did not want to end up with an allergic reaction causing red blotches on my face. They should put up signs: 'Psychics this way...' Fuck, this will take ages!
Then it hit me. Close to the warehouse where Patchy had been hiding there was an old cottage - almost ruined really. I'd heard rumors there was someone living there, but hadn't paid it much attention. Why would I? I didn't really care about someone insane enough to live in the swamp. Besides, the last year I had been busy with other things. Revenging my mother's death. Almost getting killed.
Falling in love.
The thought of Barbara immediately brought a smile to my face. It was strange how the thought of her always cheered me up. My own multi-personal vigilante, I thought compassionately.
It turned out my hunch had been right. When I arrived at the cottage - which was placed on something like a peninsula in miniature, wedged between the ocean and the swamp - there actually was a sign. It said: Nan Rover. It wasn't much, but it was all I needed to know.
Before I had time to knock on the door it opened. I didn't know what I had expected, but the woman looking at me wasn't quite it. Or looking might have been the wrong choice of words.
"Nan Rover?" I asked.
Later I would realize that I had expected Nan Rover to turn out to be that old woman who had warned Dinah about the gas leak - the same woman instructing me to pay attention to my dreams. It wasn't.
Nan Rover was a young woman my own age, Native American, with long, dark hair and smooth skin; I envied her complexion on first sight. She was slender, dressed in jeans and a red, long-sleeved shirt, wearing sandals. She was also - quite unquestionably - blind.
White-eyes stared unblinking at me in the doorway.
"Yes. I'm Nan Rover."
"Um..." I didn't know how to proceed from there. "Um, hi. I'm... glad I found you. Do you... see?"
Fuck! That was the dumbest question in a lifetime!
"Sorry!" I hastily added. "Not like... I mean... Are you a psychic? Because if you are we might need a little help..."
The woman hadn't moved a muscle, but this time she nodded.
"Yes, I see..." she said slowly.
She sees? Sees what? She actually sees, or she sees I need help, or even what help we need? Hell! I didn't know the first thing about psychics. How was one supposed to act around them? Did they read your mind? If they do, I wonder if Dinah is psychic...?
"So, you scan people - or what?"
This time Nan Rover smiled. She had a lovely smile - I had to ask her what skin-cream she used.
"You are not used to this, are you?"
"Um, no. Is it that obvious?"
She chuckled. "I call it a reading. Some call it a s�ance, but I prefer reading. It's like that, you know - reading from the Book of Life."
"Huh", I said and twisted uncomfortably before her. She smiled again.
"I'll do a reading for you and your friends. Will tonight be fine? I sense it's urgent."
"Oh, yes - perfect! Um, do we come here, or...?"
"Yes, at half past seven."
"Great! Fine, I'll see you... I mean, we'll meet again, then."
I heard her chuckle again as I left.
"Wait!" she suddenly called out after me and there was slight desperation in her voice that made me come to an immediate halt. I turned around. She waved at me to come closer and I returned to the cottage.
"He tells you it is too late for him."
I felt a cold chill down my spine. "Who does?" To my embarrassment my voice cracked a little and I cleared it with blushing cheeks.
"No name... He says to thank you for being kind to him in high school. He says... you would know him as the klutz."
Cam!
"What...? What... happened?"
"You must beware, he says... Beware, the Trickster is changing shape."
The Joker! The Joker killed Cam? Why, in heaven's name?
Nan Rover took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "He's gone", she said.
"He's dead", I whispered. "My god! He asked for my help and now he's..."
The young Indian reached for me and touched my arm. "We can't help them all", she said softly. "Go now, and help those you can. Self blame will only slow you down."
"But..."
"Hush", she said. "Go now - we'll meet again." She smiled. "I'll see you again."
I nodded, sure now that she actually could see - but maybe not the way ordinary people did. "Thank you", I added. "Thank you for the message."
I left the cottage and was planning to return to the city when I was struck by an odd urge to see the place where Patchy had killed himself. I didn't really know why I wanted to stop by the building, but I remembered the anger that had burned within me that day; the rage that had turned me against Barbara, until Dick told me her tragic story. Maybe I needed some closure - they say it's human nature to need closure and that it's important for our capacity to psychologically move on in life. I didn't know, all I knew was that when I reached the building were Patchy had met his end I forgot everything about psychological terms, for there - below the low windows of the abandoned warehouse - was Reeves, AKA Shadow.
I immediately stepped back amongst the trees. It was late afternoon and the low sun cast long shadows across the open area, and amongst the trees the shadows grew thick. I was well concealed.
Shadow walked by as if he was on a Sunday-stroll, not even looking around. I guessed he figured he was quite alone and safe out there. He's as short and ugly as I remember him, I thought, crouching low amongst the thick branches of the vegetation. Ordinarily I would have put up a chase, trying to hunt the bastard down, but as it was I reckoned it was better to wait until I got back to the Clock Tower to report to Barbara. It would benefit us more if Shadow and the Joker thought we didn't know about their hideout. It was quite clever, actually, to pick this place as a headquarters. We would probably have overlooked it, thinking no one would use it again since the last raid. Well, on the other hand - maybe Barbara would have wanted to check it out anyway and maybe the Joker counted on that. Maybe he was setting a trap for us. And maybe Shadow only visited the building for the same reason I did: to get closure.
I suppressed a sigh. It had been easier for me when I was only catching bad guys in the older part of the city - less thinking and more head bashing, as Gibson had put it. I silently slid into the shadows and left the place.
* * * * *
"Crap. Crap, crap and crap..." Dinah complained. She paced back and forth in the headquarters at the Clock Tower, in front of Delphi. Barbara looked up from her analysis and glanced at the girl with a bemused expression, while I leaned on the desk beside her. I had just returned and informed Oracle about the visit to Gibson, to Nan Rover and about the unexpected sighting of Shadow when Dinah came rushing out of the elevator.
"That bad, huh?" Barbara asked.
"Bad?" Dinah looked up. "Bad is..." She threw out her arms. "Bad is not even close... Fuck!"
"Dinah", Barbara berated.
Dinah blushed. "Helena swears all the time", she said, looking at me. I blinked.
"Yeah, well - she doesn't know any better", Barbara said calmly and I blinked again, staring at her.
Dinah sighed and came to a halt by the stairs. She sat down on the steps with her chin in the palm of her hands, leaning her elbows on her thighs. "Sorry", she mumbled.
"You'd rather be dead?" Barbara asked her, removing her glasses.
"Barbara - it's high school! Of course I'd rather be dead!"
I grinned.
"It's just..." Again Dinah threw out her arms with an exasperated sigh. "It's the worst possible timing right now to have two police officers following me around in school."
"Oh?" Barbara was arching an eyebrow at her. "Who are you trying to impress?"
Dinah flushed and stood up in one fluid motion. "Um, no one?" she said, which sounded more like a question. She glanced at me and noticed me grinning. I tried hiding it, but it was too late. She glared at me. "No one in particular", she added, more assured the second time. "I'm going to do my homework."
Dinah turned around to ascend the stairs at the same moment the elevator opened and Kate stepped out.
"Kate!" Dinah exclaimed, leaning over the railing. "How nice to see you! Will you watch me practice? We can do some kicks and punches in the arena..."
"Oh, hi", Kate said, a bit overwhelmed by the openhearted welcome.
"Dinah - I thought you were going to do homework?"
Dinah turned her head to Barbara with a grimace. "I can be dead tomorrow. This is the perfect time and excuse to skip homework for awhile."
"You could actually also survive", Barbara said dryly. "Imagine how embarrassing it would be if you failed your exams because you didn't open your books."
"You are always spoiling my fun", Dinah said, sighing.
"Yeah, that's probably part of my karma", Barbara said flatly, making Kate hide a smile.
"I really do like this place", the blond woman said as she moved towards us. "A fighting arena and a gym with a boxing-ring."
"It's handy", I said with a shrug, as if it was all my doing. I grinned at Barbara when she glanced pointedly at me.
"Alfred let me in, by the way", Kate added, looking over her shoulder at the elevator. The doors had closed and it made a low, humming sound as it went down again. "He said you were here. Hope you don't mind?"
"Oh, not at all." Barbara shook her head and gestured towards the documents spread out before her on the desk. "I've been going through some leads for what the Joker might be up to. It's not very reassuring. Dinah", she added and caught the girls eyes. "Do your homework and come down later. We have some things to discuss and then we are visiting a psychic."
"Cool!" Dinah grinned excitedly and hurried up the stairs. She disappeared behind the door to the narrower stair leading to the other floors.
"She seems to handle this whole thing pretty well", Kate observed.
"She's a teenager", I said. "Tell them the world is going to end tomorrow and they worry about a zit - or see it as the perfect excuse not to do homework."
"She's worried", Barbara said, surprisingly enough. "But she deals with it."
"You've talked to her?" I asked, looking down at her.
"Yeah, I did - this morning. She's aware of the dangers. I just... I just need to let her behave as normal as possible."
"That's probably a good thing", Kate agreed.
"I sure hope so. Dick is on his way", Barbara added. "There're some more things we need to go over..."
"More talking", I sighed.
"I know it's boring, but it's all we can do at the moment. I did some research on psychic readings. It seems you have to be specific about what you're asking; otherwise it can result in pretty vague answers. We can't afford 'vague' at the moment."
"I'm more of a doer", I said. "Can't I just go scouting Shadow's hang-out?"
Oracle hesitated. "It could be a good idea, but on the other hand..."
"I know, too risky. Besides, it's not as if I could grab him or anything. He would just slide through my fingers again."
"Shadow?" Kate asked. "The meta-human that escaped?"
"The one and only." I turned to Barbara. "Do you still have that light-ray thingy you constructed for him the last time?"
"I left it with the police, but I think I have a spare one somewhere. The point is - we could phone the police, but the Joker is too clever to be caught by them at the moment. I'm not even sure he is in that building. But maybe you are right. You should go check it out."
"Thank you", I beamed at her.
"But wait until Dick is back. We need..."
At that moment we heard the elevator arriving at our floor and a second later Dick stepped out.
"Oh, good - here he..." Barbara silenced when she saw Dick's face as he walked towards us. "What is it?" she said and rose to stand between Kate and I.
Dick looked grim. "There's been a murder", he said. "Reese just phoned me. There was a greeting from the Joker to Barbara Gordon."
"What is it?" Barbara said with an icy tone. I glanced at her - I would have expected her to ask who.
"It said: 'Secret places, secret people - I know you, do you see... me? Concealed, concealed in plain sight - what am I?'" Dick held Barbara's gaze. "It came with a playing card - the Joker."
"And the victim?"
Dick shook his head. "Unknown to us. Reese's people have identified him as a Cam Anderson, but..."
I gasped. "My goddess!"
Kate looked strangely at me and I realized I had called upon the unknown deity again.
"What is it, Huntress?" Barbara asked sharply.
"That's him. The guy I told you about - who was looking for me." I hadn't told her his name before - it hadn't seemed necessary. I looked at Dick. "He was meta."
"This is what I was afraid of", Barbara said and glanced at the papers on her desk.
"What is it?" Kate asked in a low voice.
Barbara shook her head. "God damn", she mumbled softly. "Dick", she went on, suddenly with a frown on her face. "Did Reese tell you where they found the body?"
"They got an anonymous phone call. The body was left at..." He hesitated. "The body was left at almost the exact spot Patch Parker killed himself."
"Fuck!" I said heatedly and Kate blinked, looking at me.
"I second that", Barbara said.