FIC: A Different Way of Thinking 5
What it Means to Be a Hero
Part 2: A Different Way of Thinking (5)
By adliren
“Hey Big A, what’s up?”
“I should be asking you the same question, Miss Helena. Your desire to visit was most unexpected.”
“Yeah well, I wasn’t given much of a choice,” Helena responded vaguely as she stood on the steps of Wayne Manor, her eyes scanning the imposing edifice that the Wayne fortune had built. She had to admit, it was pretty awesome. The winding drive skirted the large hill, which she knew housed several of her father’s toys, and the grounds themselves were beautiful, with old forest growth and carefully maintained gardens. All in all, it possessed a commanding presence, but if she had to choose a secret headquarters, she’d take the clock tower any day.
“I did not mean to imply that you are unwelcome. After all, this is your home any time that you wish it. I was merely curious as to the circumstances.” Alfred looked anxious, and Helena felt like a jerk for being so indifferent. After all, Alfred had agreed to meet her here and make sure she didn’t get lost in the mammoth structure.
“It’s cool, Alfred. I’m just grouchy. You know how I get when I’m injured and I can’t hit the streets.” Helena held up her right arm with its cast as proof.
“Indeed I do, Miss. That was a most unfortunate business.” Helena knew Barbara would have called the butler and told him what had happened.
“Yeah, it sucks. I can’t do anything with my wrist like this. School’s gonna be a real pain in the ass. It’s just a good thing I’m ambidextrous: with all the notes I have to take.” She shot Alfred a wounded expression when he looked at her in surprise. “Uh, I did live with Barbara. I know more than four letter words . . . they just save time.”
“Indeed, Miss.”
Helena decided it was time to get back on track. She really didn’t like being here. “So anyway, Barbara sent me over to go through Batman’s files. She’s not having any luck digging up any info on our vampire.”
“Vampire?” Alfred’s eyes widened almost comically.
“Yeah, glowing red eyes, fangs, and a taste for blood. Barbara thinks he’s some kind of meta, but I know what I saw.”
It was a sore point for Helena. She had woken up in Barbara’s bed almost two days later, not even remembering how she had made it back to the clock tower, with pain shooting through her arm. No matter how much it hurt, being wrapped up in Barbara’s embrace had almost been worth it - until she tried to get up. She hadn’t been able to stop her hiss of agony, which had awakened Barbara, which had resulted in her being ordered to stay in bed. She had tried to argue, telling Red that she needed to go take care of their blood-sucking problem, but Barbara wasn’t buying it. She’d told Helena she wouldn’t be able to fight for several weeks and Nightwing and Canary would just have to handle the newest meta-threat. When Helena tried to convince her, Barbara had brushed her off and said she needed to rest. It had almost seemed like the older woman was hiding something, but Helena had put it down to worry over the murders.
After several hours, Helena’s complaining had begun to drive Barbara crazy - just like she planned - and the redhead had sent her over to the Manor while she worked with Dinah and Dick out on the streets. It wasn’t as rewarding as paying back that robe wearing bastard personally, but at least it was something.
“I believe you, Miss.” Alfred’s eyes had a vague look to them as he stared through her.
Helena looked at the older man questioningly. Alfred believed her? That was weird, not that she wasn’t grateful, but it was just . . . weird. You wouldn’t think a conservative, English butler would be open to the idea of the undead.
“What aren’t you telling me, Alfred?” Something was going on, and Helena had the feeling she wasn’t going to like it. In fact, since it probably involved Bruce, she was sure she wasn’t.
“Come inside and tell me about this vampire, and I’ll reveal everything that I know. I believe this is more complicated than it seems.”
Helena just sighed as she allowed the butler to usher her past the massive oak doors. Of course it was, in her life wasn’t it always?
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Dinah pressed the cell phone tightly against her ear as a city bus roared past. The displaced air from the large vehicle kicked up a small whirlwind which sent old newspapers swirling around the blonde’s legs. Not for the first time, she considered the idea that New Gotham’s need for “cleaning up the streets” didn’t just apply to the city’s criminal element.
“Gabby, can you hear me?” Frustrated, the teen pulled the slim phone away from her ear and looked at it with a scowl. “Gabby?”
“I’m here.” The tiny voice was barely audible.
Dinah continued walking down the street, hoping the connection would get better. “Hey, sorry I lost you. I hate the reception by the courthouse. I just wanted to know how your week went.”
Since it was summer, the two teens didn’t get to see each other everyday in school like they used to. They tried to call each other as often as they could, but things had only gotten busier as the fall approached. Dinah was very much looking forward to August, however. Both she and Gabby had been accepted to Gotham University, and Dinah couldn’t wait, even though she was a little nervous.
She would never admit it to anyone, but she was kind of glad Helena was taking classes now. Since she was arguably her big sister, Dinah planned to somehow convince the brunette to show her around - and invite her to the best parties - even if she had to beg. Some things were worth it.
“Dinah . . . Dinah can you hear me?”
“I’m here, Gab.”
The tall blonde shook her head, berating herself for getting lost in daydreams. If someone had asked her when she was living in Opal if she would ever go to college, she wouldn’t have known what to say. The Redmond’s weren’t exactly supportive of their adopted daughter, and she had never considered university to be an option. Now, however, thanks to Barbara, and even Helena to some degree, she had found a passion for science, and learning in general. She was experiencing every teenager’s joy at the ending of high school and the beginning of “adult” life, but she was always conscious of the luck that had somehow brought her to two extraordinary people who would change her life so drastically.
“Well, not much is happening on my end. My parents are out of town, Dad’s on some kind of business trip. I was wondering if you wanted to come over tonight. We could watch movies and make popcorn. I promise not to make you watch Kissing Jessica Stein again.”
Dinah laughed at the wheedling tone of Gabby’s voice. She was sorely tempted to accept, even though she knew they would end up watching the lesbian cult classic no matter what she promised.
Things had been so tense lately; first with the murders on the cargo ship, and then Helena’s injury. Dinah knew that Barbara was extremely worried about the brunette; she hadn’t even needed to use her telepathy. It was the way the redhead had been looking at Helena as she stayed in the clock tower to recover. There was a fear and uncertainty in her green eyes that Dinah couldn’t remember seeing before, not even when Helena left for Europe or right after their fight. There was obviously something major going on, and she was just trying to step carefully until it was resolved.
“Okay, okay, you’ve convinced me. I’ll have to ask Barbara, we’re still on high alert.” She knew she didn’t need to explain it to her best friend. Gabby was aware that the man responsible for the grisly deaths was still on the loose. Dinah had made sure she was staying home at night and away from any danger - and avoided anyone wearing a lot of red. “She’s meeting with her Dad today, so I don’t know when she’ll get back, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
“Great. Head over when you can and I’ll order pizza.” Gabby’s voice sound incredibly happy. Dinah felt a moment of intense guilt, realizing she had been neglecting her friend lately. Not the best way to go about changing their relationship to “more than friends.”
“Sounds great. I’ll talk to Barbara as soon as. . .” Dinah trailed off as she noticed a woman waving to her emphatically from a nearby alley. She did a quick check to make sure she wasn’t in her Canary costume, and reassured that she wasn’t wearing any leather, looked behind her for someone else the dark haired woman could be signaling. When she didn’t see anyone, she turned back and tilted her head questioningly. The woman’s only response was more vigorous flapping of her arms. She seemed really agitated, so Dinah decided to approach cautiously. “Hang on a sec, Gab,” she quickly instructed before dropping her hand to her side and entering the alley, all her senses on high alert.
“Can I help you?” Dinah decided to play polite but dumb. Maybe that would help her get to the bottom of this quicker.
“Oh, I’m so glad you’re here. I need your help.” The woman was practically wringing her hands, and despite her caution, the young crime fighter felt her natural compassion take hold. The woman was painfully thin, and had a pinched look to her face that suggested she had seen some difficult things in her life, making it extremely hard to judge her age. She could have been anywhere from 25 to55.
“I’m not sure how I can help, but I’ll do whatever I can.”
The woman nodded energetically. “He said to find you.” Her eyes suddenly blazed with fear and a certain mad passion. “I’ve earned it. He said this is my chance. I’ll finally be turned after all these years. I’ve been so faithful. So very faithful.”
Dinah controlled her overwhelming desire to run out of the alley with difficulty. The woman was obviously unstable, and flashbacks of Quinn and her take-over of the clock tower kept flickering through her mind.
She wasn’t going to get any answers by simply talking to the woman, so steeling herself, she gently reached out a hand and laid it on one thin arm. Immediately she was assaulted with images. She saw herself as the woman looking down at a needle sticking out of her arm with numb recognition. This was followed by an image of a pool of blood leaking over the floor and the sight of two blood-red eyes regarding her hungrily. Other scenes appeared and were gone before she could get a good look. Images of an elegant woman in an evening gown tied up in chains, a large black wolf with fangs bared, a circle of men and women chanting in a ring of candles, but the one impression that caused her to gasp and pull away was the sight of a commanding face with familiar blue eyes staring out of a black cowl.
As she stumbled away from the woman, she distantly recognized that she shouldn’t be this disoriented from her vision. She could barely stay on her feet. Looking down in horror, she saw an empty syringe sticking out of her leg before she unceremoniously crashed to her knees. She watched in a fog as the emaciated figure approached.
“You see, my master has lost his bat, and you’re just the person to help us find him.”
Dinah tried to get her mouth to form words. “Who are you?”
“I’m just a humble servant to my great master, little bird, but you can call me Dala.” The woman bent down and viciously ripped off the com around the fallen crime fighter’s neck. She dropped it to the ground and crushed it beneath her heel. “Well, that takes care of that. Wouldn’t want anyone coming to your rescue too soon. I know my master has taken care of the daughter, but there’s still that handsome partner of yours running around. What was his name again? Oh yes, Nightwing. I think I’ll insist that Master let me keep him. We could have so much fun together.”
If she hadn’t been paralyzed, Dinah would have shuddered from the words and the look in the black eyes. As it was, she hoped that she wouldn’t be spending too much time with the insane woman.
She watched as someone was signaled behind her, and soon felt herself being lifted into the air. As she was carried deeper into the alley, Dinah caught a quick glimpse of her cell phone lying discarded in the alley where she had dropped it. She prayed that just once the service hadn’t cut out and Gabby had heard the entire encounter. If she had, help would soon be on the way, and Dinah only had to hang on until then.
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