Finished in the kitchen, Helena dressed and made her way out to her car. After a short drive to pick up a few things: an ankle brace, take out, etc, she returned to the Hunter's Lair.
Helena cleaned up her Huntress costume and stored it in the trunk of her car. She replaced those gadgets that she had expended on this particular venture and stored spares in a carrying case. While exploring the contents of a safe she came across a pile of Zip Disks. Reading the labels she realized that they were data archives for the main computer.
"This does simplify things! I can take these back to the apartment and explore them at my leisure. The Lair is great-- too bad it's so far out of the way..."
Each disk was clearly labeled and dated. It appeared that Hunter updated his archives on a weekly basis.
"The only files missing are those right before the accident. Might as well have a complete database..."
Helena picked up an empty disk and placed it into the drive at the computer station. Setting herself down before the system, she went to work.
"This should be a snap. All I have to do is locate any files dated after the last transfer. Say--- what's this!?"
While maneuvering through the menus, Helena came across a list of links to other systems. Among them was a link to the Avengers!
"I'll be--- Dad had a back door into the Avengers' computer! Not that surprising if you really think about it. He did design both systems and was team leader for years... Only natural to have his own private access channel. Let's see what this does."
Helena selected the link and after a momentary pause, found herself connected to the Avengers' computer network. The Hunter's password and security code were stored in his system for convenience. "This is too much to have even hoped for! Dad's passwords and security rating haven't been changed. Not much of a reason to, considering. Still, they left me a back door in... Maybe I should find out just what Linda is hiding from me..."
Helena worked the keyboard for a few seconds and then stopped. The answers to the mystery surrounding her father could possibly be right before her. Just there for the taking. But Linda, aka Black Diamond, had told Helena that the information didn't solve the mystery. On the one hand, Black Diamond was not a detective, but on the other she was a good friend. Helena found herself torn as to what to do. Her father had come to trust Black Diamond completely, even inviting her to small gatherings at the Estate on weekends and holidays. It was during these gatherings that Helena had first met Black Diamond when she was a fifteen years old. The meeting had a huge impression on the young girl. Finally, she broke the link and shut the system down.
"I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, Linda. Don't disappoint me." Seeds of doubt still plagued her thoughts, but the respect she had for Black Diamond won out for the time being.
Grabbing the disks, Helena departed the Hunter's Lair. Pausing only long enough to activate the Mansion's security system, Helena got into her car and drove back to Manhattan.
Helena Kirby's main place of residence was an apartment located in the exclusive Central Park West area. It was a spacious, two-storied loft. It took Helena months to finally find an apartment suitable for her needs and this one managed to fit the bill nicely.
First off, it was located in an older building. The sturdier construction limited the amount of noise that carried to her neighbors. Secondly, it had skylights to allow her to slip in and out as the Huntress without much notice. Helena had planned everything she would need for her future career well in advance. The view wasn't bad either.
Helena found a small mountain of mail waiting for her in her box. She let out a sigh and began to sort through it. "Go away for a few days and the paperwork really piles up. Let's see-- bill, bill, junk, junk, bill... Nothing unusual here."
A quick elevator ride brought Helena to the top floor of her apartment building. She fumbled for her keys and entered, setting her burdens down on the table inside the door, and kicked off her shoes. "Home, sweet home. Not as fancy as the Mansion, but far more accommodating for my needs."
The apartment was wide open; no barriers separated the areas. On the lower level of the loft was the main living area filled with tasteful furniture. One corner held her home office; the other the kitchen and dining areas. Support posts raised the second floor over part of the first. Helena's sleeping quarters were located up there. Exercise equipment filled the remaining space.
Helena placed the zip disks in a desk drawer and locked it. "Don't want to leave those just lying around!" Next she played the messages on her answering machine. Most were from friends offering their condolences. A couple were from Mary Carole; Helena's personal secretary at the law firm of Stone, Hanson, and Kirby. Lane Kirby had been the majority shareholder in the firm, which made Helena's being employed there a sure thing. Some of the other lawyers resented her, but she tried not to dwell on it. She graduated from law school far younger and far higher then any of them did.
None of the messages demanded Helena's immediate attention and so she began to put things away. The rest of the day passed quietly as Helena performed mundane tasks around the apartment and nursed her ankle. She touched base with the office and promised to stop and pick up some work that needed her attention. Helena usually worked out of her loft, rather than her office.
Night fell with Helena in front of her computer exploring the first Zip Disk. The education of the Huntress had begun. She concentrated on the New York City area to begin with. As a lone, street-level crime fighter, she didn't see herself having to deal with the same kind of threats that groups like the Avengers or the Champions had to contend with. Although the thought of being an Avenger was attractive to her. It was her father's team after all. Perhaps some day.
The Hunter's files about the Underworld of New York were fairly large. The sheer amount of powerful factions surprised Helena. The Mafia was represented by the 'Five Families'; Marcelli, Morelli, Saietta, Torccone, and Verontese. These families were responsible for the Mafia activities across most of the North Eastern United States.
Organized crime was not the exclusive territory of the Five Families. Each nationality had their own operation. The Yakuza were the Japanese version of organized crime. They operated independently and often at counter-purposes to other crime organizations. The New York City Branch were the Hinagawa Kai. The Chinese were represented by the Golden Serpent Association, a tong. There were Mexican, Russian, Colombian, and Vietnamese groups as well.
Many other smaller organizations existed, including some approaching super human levels. The Card Sharks were a criminal organization built on a playing card motif. Of course there was VIPER and DEMON. The list went on and on. So much to learn....
The next morning, Helena awoke to the ringing of her phone. Fumbling for the receiver, she grabbed it and groggily replied, "Hello?"
"Hi! Uhm, I sure hope I got the right number." The voice sounded familiar to Helena, but she wasn't quite awake enough to place it.
"Depends on who you want to talk to?"
"Well, does the name Lydia Jansen ring a bell?"
"Night Owl?" Night Owl had just recently shared an adventure with the Huntress and the Scarlet Sabre.
"Right," the voice on the phone said. "This must be the right number then and that makes you the Huntress."
"Correct on both counts," Helena replied, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "The Scarlet Sabre must have given you this number."
"Yeah, she did. I hope you don't mind."
"It's not a big deal. You're up awfully early," Helena added eyeing her alarm clock."
"Actually I haven't been to bed yet. I am a night person, you know."
"Of course. How silly of me. What's on your mind?"
"I just wanted to thank you for rescuing me by treating you to dinner. I though we could just talk... If you don't mind."
Helena considered for a moment. She had enjoyed working with Night Owl as she was a free spirit-- full of life and energy. At least at night she was. During the day she was a bit more subdued.
"You really don't owe me anything, but I'm not one to turn down a free meal."
"Great! Are you familiar with the Jade Peacock?"
"Yes. It's a Chinese restaurant near the bay."
"Right. I'll meet you there at nine o'clock tonight."
"I'll be there," Helena promised. "Bye."
"Seeya tonight!"
Helena replaced the receiver, stretched, and sat up on the side of the bed. She tested her ankle and found no pain from applying pressure on it. "Good thing I'm a fast healer."
Helena rose and changed into an exercise leotard. Each morning she would rise and go through her exercise routine, building herself up for when she would become the Huntress. "Until this first case, I thought I was in great shape. I'm going to have to push myself even harder now!"
After two hours of intense exercise, Helena showered and started her workday.
Later that afternoon, a buzz from the lobby broke Helena's concentration. She had been fully engrossed in her work from the firm. The law firm she now had a controlling interest in was a public interest firm, primarily. They aided those people who needed a lawyer's assistance but could not afford it. Stone, Hanson, and Kirby also dabbled in corporate and commercial law. They didn't deal with the higher profile criminal cases.
Helena hit the reply button and said, "Hello? Who is it?"
"Linda Taylor. May I come in?"
"Come on up." Helena hit the door buzzer and then tidied up her desk. A knock at the door soon followed. Opening the door, Helena saw that it was Black Diamond in her civilian identity of Linda Taylor.
"Now this is a surprise," Helena said as she waved Linda in and secured the door behind her.
"Nice place," Linda commented as she glanced about.
"It's not much, but I call it home. So to what do I owe the pleasure?" Helena motioned for Linda to take a seat.
"I had a talk with the Scarlet Sabre about your little adventure..."
"You're not trying to talk me out of being the Huntress, are you?"
"Not at all. I just want to help you, not tell you what to do."
"Good-- because it wouldn't have worked."
"You're almost as stubborn as your father."
"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Helena said with a smile. "What sort of help did you have in mind?"
"As I see it, you have all the necessary skills to be a superhero. What you lack is practical experience."
"I really can't argue that point. I made a few mistakes on my first mission."
"Luckily they weren't costly ones," Linda added. "But you can't count on luck all the time."
"So what are you proposing?"
"I have a couple of suggestions. One is that you could come to the Avengers Mansion and take a run through some combat simulations."
"That's doable," Helena said after a pause to consider.
"We have records of your father's workouts in our system. We could compare them to yours and see how you compare physically to your father."
"I would be very interested in that. I always wondered how I stacked up against dad."
"Great!", Linda said, seeming very pleased. "The simulator is being installed next week. Give me a call when you have the free time."
"It's a deal. What's your other suggestion."
"At Sanctuary, there is a program to help young super beings come to grips with their powers and fine tune their abilities."
"What?!" Helena was rather shocked at the idea. She knew about Sanctuary since her grandmother, Shadow Cat from the World War II era now lived there. But at the same time she was leery of the place. The legal ramifications of a place like Sanctuary were troublesome. The concept lent itself to more problems than it solved. "You yourself just said I have all the skill, but not the experience. Besides, if anything, I'm just barely super human. I don't have to worry about lasers coming out of my eyes or crushing things from super strength."
"I realize that, but the mentor of the program is a man called the Gladiator. When it comes to hand-to-hand combat, there is no one better. Taking a few lessons from him can only help you out."
"I haven't had any problems in that area so far. Thanks, but no thanks."
"As you wish." Linda Taylor wasn't surprised by this response, but she had hoped that Helena would be more agreeable. She figured that she could pay back everything that the Hunter had done to help Black Diamond by assisting his daughter down a similar path. Helena was much like her father, driven and stubborn.
"If you really want to help me, then help me nab the parties responsible for my father's death-- and the death of your teammates."
"I would, gladly, if I could. I've pursued every avenue of investigation open to me and it's all led to a dead end."
"You're not a detective, I am. I might discover something that you missed," Helena countered.
"Helena, you have to trust me."
"You're hiding something." Helena's eyes flashed with anger, but she managed to remain composed. "Why won't you let me help? Quit protecting me!"
"You don't understand..."
"You're right, I don't. Perhaps I really don't know you at all." Helena was starting to wonder why Black Diamond wouldn't open up to her. Perhaps she was trying to hide something from her and that made Helena quite irritated.
Linda could see that Helena wasn't in the mood to discuss this any further. "Maybe I should get going."
"Maybe you should," Helena answered coldly.
Linda nodded and made her way to the door. She looked back at the young heroine briefly as if to say something, but thought better of it and exited. Helena silently locked the door behind her. She stalked towards her exercise area, rage building up inside her. "Damn that woman!" A punching bag became the unwilling target of her rage for a moment. "If you won't help me, fine. I'll get my own answers."
Helena grabbed her purse and stormed out of the apartment.
The drive to the Kirby Estate was a blur. Helena didn't remember much of it. The only thing she knew was that she had to have answers and she had to have them now.
Once at the Estate, she deactivated the security system and made a beeline to the Hunter's Lair. The system was up and running in a flash. A link with the Avengers' computer was quickly established. Armed with Hunter's security clearance, the entire system was open to her.
"Now where do I begin... The security reports from the night of March 2nd?"
Helena would never forget that night for as long as she lived. Her father had been visiting at the apartment when he was summoned back to the Avengers Mansion. Some fifteen minutes later, she was drawn to the window by the sound of an explosion. Looking out she could see the Mansion on fire, the flames shooting high above Central Park.
Hunter tended to do things in a non-standard way. It kept his enemies off guard and that gave him the advantage. When it came to computer security, the Hunter was no different. It would take a hacker unfamiliar with his ideas a long time to penetrate his systems. Since Helena understood her father's thinking, she was able to locate the security archives easily enough. The proper file was even easier to determine as there was a several week gap in records while the Mansion was being rebuilt. Helena loaded the file and began to scan through it.
The file was mundane at first, uninteresting video scenes from around the Avengers Mansion. Helena fast-forwarded through much of it. Suddenly a bright burst of flame caught her attention. She slowed the tape down and stared at the screen in complete surprise.
"I don't believe it..."
On the screen before her were the images of Captain Valor and the Black Tiger. They were just outside the Mansion's walls and out of audio range. Standing before the two of them was a woman that Helena easily identified as Firestar!
Helena watched the events that followed completely numb. She had expected the worse, but what she was seeing was far beyond that.
The two heroes talked to Firestar for a moment. Then she flew off and disappeared off camera. Firestar returned on screen shortly after that being pursued by Captain Valor in the air and the Black Tiger on the ground. She flew directly at the Mansion and blasted her way into it! The picture changed to another camera angle and it showed Firestar bursting out of the back of the Mansion. A few seconds later, the Mansion exploded!
"It's not possible! It doesn't make any sense at all! This Firestar blew up the Mansion, killing several Avengers and then they turn around and make her an Avenger! They've gone mad... I can't trust any of them any more, especially Black Diamond. No wonder she didn't want to tell me. She's protecting her! No matter-- once I get my hands on Firestar, I'll wring the truth out of her!"
