DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters featured in this story, it is a work of fan fiction.
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Issue 4: Cold As Ice
'So it's incurable?' I said as, Alfred and I examined the results from my blood test.
'Incurable is a bit much sir, I'd say that there's no way to flush the toxin out of your system... one day it will just disappear, but there's no way of knowing when that will be,' Alfred said, turning from the computer screen back to face me.
'Perfect,' I said sarcastically, I thought I had an uncontrollable libido before, but now it was more or less insatiable, it was already getting me into trouble, who knows what Harley did to him when he was knocked out. She could have easily removed his mask, found out his identity, taken photos, anything.
'I wouldn't worry too much about it sir,' Alfred said, sitting back in his chair. 'It's not too different from when you were a teenager anyway,' he laughed.
Suddenly a voice called from the Batcave entrance. 'Quick,' Tim exclaimed. 'Turn on the communicator, Bruce is going to send us a message!'
'Alfred!' I whispered loudly, pointing at the blood test on the screen.
Alfred quickly erased it and replaced it with the communicator screen. 'Already way ahead of your Master Drake!' Alfred called out, as Tim rushed toward us, dressed in his Red Robin outfit.
'Good,' Tim said as he walked from the shadows. 'So we're all here.'
Tim was being closely followed by someone I hadn't seen in a very long time. 'Barbara,' I said as the redheaded woman walked toward us, dressed in her purple, black and yellow costume.
'Dick,' she said coldly.
I looked away in awkwardness and shame, hoping against hope the communicator would open and a message from Bruce would break the tension in the room. She had every reason to be cold after all, five years earlier I left her and Gotham behind to travel the world and protect Bludhaven. In that time not only had she been paralysed by the Joker, but she had gone through a lengthy rehabilitation process, triumphantly coming out as the Batgirl once again and stronger than ever. For all of that though, I was nowhere to be found, I never visited her once, all I did was leave a very short message with Alfred, a couple nights after she was shot.
Alfred looked like he was about to say something, but was interrupted by the communicator. 'Everyone,' Bruce said in his full Batman outfit. 'I'd like to thank you all for keeping Gotham in good health while I've been gone, although I'm sure it's not much of a challenge for any of you,' Bruce said.
We all stared at the huge monitor. 'I'd especially like to thank Dick for gracing us with his presence,' Bruce said, causing me to roll my eyes, Alfred smirked as he noticed this.
'This is just a message letting you know, that the mission is a success, and Damien and myself will be returning to Gotham in three weeks,' Bruce said. 'Until then.'
The communicator cut off. 'Well that was a waste of time,' Tim said as we all turned from the screen to each other.
'This won't be,' Alfred said as an alert came up in the screen. 'Looks like Huntress is at it again,' he said.
'Huntress?' I questioned, looking around at everyone. 'That doesn't make any sense... I thought... Helena's dead.'
'We believe it's someone trying to take up the mantle Master Grayson,' Alfred said. 'She's been a bit of a nuisance the last couple of months, attempting to destabilise certain syndicates that are... well you know, in place of worse ones.'
'So she's a good guy?' I questioned.
'She thinks she is,' Tim said. 'But she really just messes everything up worse.'
'As anyone tried talking to her?' I questioned.
'She's similar to Helena in that respect,' Alfred said. 'Won't listen to reason, I just hope she doesn't go down the same path.'
I exchanged eye contact with Alfred. 'I'll talk to her,' I said, as I walked toward the glass box my suit was contained in.
'What makes you think you can talk to her,' Tim said, he was young, he had no idea the history the previous Huntress had with me.
I finished putting on my suit. 'I've done it before,' I said, walking toward my motorcycle and climbing on.
I looked back and exchanged eye contact with Barbara, who gave me nothing but ice before I turned back and drove off out of the cave. 'I'll have to deal with all of that another time,' I thought to myself as I sped down the familiar trail away from Wayne Manor and into Gotham City.
It didn't take me long to get where I needed to go, the footage had Huntress attacking one of Penguin's cargo drops. I figured that on a night like this, she might want to hit up another, so I sped as fast as I could to closest known cargo drop Penguin had operating. I was hoping to get there before she attacked, but once I got there I found that she was already in a heated battle with twenty men, and she was doing incredibly well.
'Whoa,' I said to myself as I watched her fight, she didn't fight like Helena. No, the way she fought reminded me more of Bruce than of anyone else I'd ever seen.
Huntress looked at me as she smashed two men's heads together and smiled, she then gestured for me to join in. She seemed a lot more willing to cooperate than the others seemed to imply, or perhaps it was because she didn't know I was affiliate with Batman. Either way, I quickly joined her, happily beating up the criminals with her until only one was left standing.
Huntress picked him up and pressed him against the cargo door. 'Who do you work for?' She questioned as she threatened him with a crossbow.
'Penguin!' He exclaimed in fear, immediately selling his boss out.
'I could have told you that,' I said as I approached her.
'What?' She questioned, arm still pressed against the henchmen's neck.
'I assumed you know it was Penguin, considering you've exclusively been attacking his shipments for months,' I said as I approached him.
Huntress rolled her eyes. 'I know that,' she said, looking at me annoyed. 'Haven't you ever interrogated anyone before? You have to ask a couple questions you know the answer to, to tell if they're lying,' she said, pressing against his neck even harder.
'My apologies,' I said. 'Of course, you could just use what I use,' I said, tapping a button on my mask.
Suddenly a heart rate monitor appeared in my field of view. 'Lie detectors work best,' I said smugly.
Huntress turned from me back to the prisoner. 'Fine,' she said. 'Now you'd better tell me the truth about this,' she said. 'And he'll know if you don't,' she added.
The guy nodded. 'Who is the Penguin dealing with in Metropolis,' she asked.
I looked at her shocked, a question I didn't know the answer to. A question I didn't even know to ask. 'Great White Shark!' He exclaimed in fear.
'He's telling the truth,' I said, watching as Huntress pressed him harder.
'When is the deal taking place?' She questioned.
'Tonight!' He yelled in pain.
