All characters appearing in the following narrative are fictional. Any resemblance to any real persons - either living or deceased - is entirely coincidental on the part of the Author. Unless otherwise noted all persons appearing in the narrative are written as being of the majority age of eighteen years owing to depictions of graphic sexual activity contained throughout the body of this work.
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Crime Alley was its typical cesspool of hopelessness and depravity, things had gotten so bad of late that even the whores were looking apprehensive in their efforts to attract their Johns. Huntress knew just where to place the blame for that too. Victor Zaszz was on the loose after escaping from the courthouse during a pre-trial hearing. So far he had murdered four more people - all of them here in Crime Alley. Since he never had a set victim profile it was impossible to predict where he might strike next. Therefore, Huntress and other Birds of Prey were spread out across the city in search of him. Hopefully they could catch a break before someone else was reduced to just another mark carved into the body of that madman!
"Any luck?" Came the voice of Black Canary. She was over covering the waterfront. Zaszz had once had a hideout there.
"Nothing going on in Crime Alley." Huntress radioed back.
"Too bad Manhunter and Lady Blackhawk are missing out on all this fun." Black Canary could not quite keep the boredom out of her voice. Why wasn't Batman and the other vigilantes pitching in to help out with this? Sure, Zaszz was not a 'super' villain, but every time he got out he did as much human damage as The Joker! The fact that he was never after money, or turf, or anything predictable just made tracking him down all the more difficult.
"Well, I am heading back to the clock tower." Came back Black Canary. I have to be back in Star City tomorrow afternoon. Word is that Cheshire is on the loose again as well. At least that is someone that I can track and stop."
The comm lines went dead and Huntress returned to watching the street walker below her lofty perch. She had to admit. She was jealous sometimes that Black Canary had another beat than Gotham to patrol and was only loosely associated with Oracle and the other Birds of Prey. She was also jealous that she had someone like the Green Arrow to go home too. Helena Bertinelli - her daytime identity - didn't have anyone waiting for her. One of the downsides to being a known daughter to a crime boss. Albeit a dead one. Her night life did not leave her much time for a social life either. Too many nights spent running down the remaining mobsters in Gotham City and going after the bush league villains that Batman did not have the time for. Oh well, she thought as she swung off of the roof and headed in the direction of the clock tower that served as a base for the Birds of Prey, when shit gets boring I still have my fingers.
Entering the tower, Helena finally felt free to strip off her mask and set aside her weapons. At least here she could be herself. Oracle - Barbara - was obviously gone home for the night since her station was set for monitoring the satellite feeds and media feeds too. She was also recording the dispatch channels for the various emergency services throughout the greater Gotham area. There was a woman that did not plan on missing anything. Helena stopped and listened for a moment and noted that someone else was in the tower and using the facilities. Probably not Black Canary. She would have gotten back here well before she had so was probably already on her way back to Star City. Batgirl might be here, but she seldom frequented the tower because of the weird vibe between herself and Barb. Peering around a corner she could see the steam from the shower pouring out from underneath the bathroom door. Also, someone had set up the couch for sleeping over. Immediately suspicious, Huntress crept to the entry to the bathroom and kicked open the door!
It was only a good thing that she had gone in on her guard because it allowed her to block the sudden kick that was snapped at her head. Lashing out she felt her own foot make contact with something soft! That something made a large impact on the tile floor - only then did the steam from the shower clear enough for her to see the unexpected visitor.
"What the fuck, Helena?" Asked Renee Montoya from where she sat on her ass on the floor, wearing nothing but a couple of towels.
Renee, a former Gotham City Police Officer, turned private investigator, and then novice vigilante known as The Question was an 'associate' of the little group that Oracle had built here. She had never accepted the status of being one of the 'Birds' but was still welcome in the tower and had proven herself on more than one case in the past.
"Sorry," Helena mumbled. "Nobody told me to be expecting company and I have the night shift until Zaszz is back in Arkham Asylum. What brings you over to this side of Gotham?" She asked as she helped the other woman to her feet.