The Huntress had fought back the urge to simply drive to the Avengers Mansion and confront Firestar about what she had seen. She finally thought better of that idea. The Avengers were certainly a class above the Huntress in the superhero game at this point in time. They would probably be able to thwart her before she could even get her hands on Firestar.
What really hurt was how Black Diamond, whom the Huntress considered to be a long-time friend, could have hidden this from her. When it seemed that she was trying to protect the Huntress, she was really protecting Firestar instead! It made no sense whatsoever.
"Helena? Hey, you're zoning out on me here!"
The Huntress in her civilian identity of Helena Kirby came back to reality with a start. She was currently seated in the Jade Peacock, a Chinese restaurant, with Lydia Jansen, a.k.a. Night Owl. Dinner out was Night Owl's way of thanking the Huntress for helping rescue her and her father from the clutches of VIPER.
"Sorry," Helena said. "I've got a lot of things on my mind right now."
"No kidding! You've barely touched your food."
Helena forced herself to take a few bites, but she really wasn't all that hungry. Dumbfounded by what she had found, the Huntress exited the Avengers computer network and simply contemplated for a time. Thoughts of revenge and retribution ruled her. She barely remembered that she was meeting Night Owl for dinner, and arrived several minutes late.
"I guess I'm not very good company tonight," Helena offered.
"So I noticed." Lydia seemed a bit annoyed. She loved to have a good time and her dining companion was such a downer right now. "You want to talk about it?"
Helena considered for a moment. Night Owl seemed level-headed enough that she could be some help with this problem. But getting her to take on the Avengers was another matter. No, this was something she had to do herself. "Thanks, but it's rather personal. I'd rather not get you involved."
"Suit yourself." Lydia took another bite from her platter.
Changing the subject, Helena said, "I take it that things are working out for your dad?"
"Yeah, so far. Sheryl Campbell's giving him a research position in her company. With the Freedom League around as security that should keep VIPER away from him. So, that'll keep dad safe and allow me to pursue my heroine career in the Big Apple. All in all, a win, win situation."
"That's great. I--"
Helena never finished her thought as a scream of "FIRE!" filled the eatery. The two looked around and noticed that thick smoke was rapidly filling the dining area. Orange flames could be seen back in the kitchen.
Pandemonium filled the restaurant as the patrons surged to the exit. However, the doors refused to open, as they had been chained shut on the outside!
"Come on," Helena said to her companion as she made her way through the panicking crowd. Upon reaching the front door, Helena added, "That handle looks pretty old. I bet if we hit the door really hard it may give."
"Good idea!" Both knew that Night Owl's superhuman strength would make short work of the chain, but protecting their secret identities was also a priority.
Helena counted off and then both girls slammed into the door, breaking the chain with ease. The patrons who could see this were impressed for a moment, but didn't dwell on it. They ran out of the restaurant and into the streets.
Lydia and Helena looked around. The building the Jade Peacock was located in was a five story tenement with apartments over the business. Off to one side, Helena spotted a group of thugs, all Chinese from the looks of them, harassing a man wearing a cook's apron.
"You see what happens when you don't pay!", one of the toughs said to the frightened cook while shaking him.
"We better find a place to change," Helena said to Lydia and then sprinted off towards her parked car.
"Right!" Lydia ran off in another direction towards her own vehicle.
Helena reached her car and quickly opened the trunk. Her position offered her some cover from the growing crowd outside the restaurant. Helena quickly discarded her blouse and skirt, tossing them into the trunk. She had been wearing her Huntress costume underneath them already. "This was suppose to only be a test on how much of the costume I could get away with in public. But right now, it may save some lives!"
The mask went on next, followed by the cape. The boots, which had been folded back, were now fully extended. The gadget belt and the crossbow holder were secured in place and the Huntress was all ready to go. The entire transformation had taken a few seconds and no one had seemed to notice.
Running back to the scene of the fire, the Huntress could see that Night Owl was already there. The street thugs who had been shaking down the cook were sprawled out on the street. The agitated cook was speaking to Night Owl in broken English.
"This not happen if fire station not closed! This not happen if police catch thugs like White Dragon!" The man realized what he said and quickly quieted.
"The White Dragon," the Huntress thought to herself. The name was familiar to her from the Hunter's files. "These must be the Dragon Lords then, the enforcement arm of the Golden Dragon Tong. They're probably extorting protection money from the local merchants."
The cries of a Chinese woman got the Huntress' attention. "My baby! My baby is in there!" Night Owl dashed back inside the burning building while the Huntress circled around the back.
"If one exit was barred, it's a safe bet that the others are too," the Huntress mused to herself as she rounded the corner of the building. The tenement was situated on the corner with a small alley running behind it. The Huntress stopped before the main apartment entranceway. The doors here were likewise secured with chains. Dozens of people pounded on them, but the doors held fast.
"Stand back!", the Huntress shouted. She produced a thermite pellet out of her belt and applied it to the chain. The pellet quickly began to heat up and burned through the chain in a matter of seconds. The Huntress removed the chain and flung the doors wide open. The grateful tenants quickly fled the building.
The Huntress then rushed into the alleyway. A group of four Dragon Lord thugs had barred the rear exit and were laughing at the pounding coming from the other side of the solid steel door.
"Feeling a little warm?", one of the thugs taunted.
"I've got a lot of frustration to get off my chest," the Huntress thought to herself, "and these clowns are just the ticket!" She surged forward, leaped into the air, tumbled and came down feet first on one of the thugs. The man hit the building hard and slowly slid to the ground unconscious.
"Pack it in boys, and you won't get hurt-- too much."
"No woman orders the Dragon Lords!"
The street toughs went for concealed weapons. One produced a nunchaku, another a switch blade, and the last brass knuckles. The one with the nunchaku whipped them around his upper body in a blur. The thug with the switch blade licked his lips as he approached. "I'm gonna enjoy cutting you up!"
"What charming fellows you are," the Huntress observed.
The man with the nunchaku surged forward, swinging, but the Huntress was prepared. She grabbed the other end of the weapon with her left hand stopping it cold. With a jerk, the Huntress drew the thug towards her and directly into her waiting right forearm.
"My nose!" The thug's nose was now flowing red as his hands sought to contain his pain.
Not pausing a bit, the Huntress spun and swung the nunchaku at the switch blade wielder. They slammed his hand hard, forcing him to drop his weapon. The Huntress followed up with a back swing that struck the man across the face throwing him into a pile of garbage cans.
"Handy weapon," she noted, "provided you know how to properly use it."
The last thug screamed and rushed forward. He swung his brass knuckled fist at the Huntress' head, but she easily ducked underneath the wild blow. She spun and sent a hard kick into the man's midsection. He fell to his knees gasping in pain.
Unexpectedly, one of the thugs slammed into the Huntress and drove her into the side of the building. "Yer mine!", he screamed.
The Huntress gritted her teeth and slammed her elbow into her attackers stomach with all her might. "You're not my type!", she retorted. The man's eyes nearly popped out of his head from the force of the blow. A double fisted, overhead smash dropped the man for good. "Who's next?"
The brass knuckle-less thug rushed in once more. The Huntress waited, gauging his approach. At the last moment, she side-stepped, grabbed his arm and used his own momentum to throw him into the building. She followed up with a sharp kick that knocked him into the building again. He didn't rise after that.
The last thug had reclaimed his switch blade and announced that, "No one crosses the Dragon Lords and lives!"
This time, the Huntress acted first. She dropped to the ground, spun, and swept the legs out from underneath the criminal. The thug hit hard, but quickly recovered. He lunged upwards and managed to stab the Huntress in her side. Fortunately her Kevlar reinforced costume resisted the penetration. A savage kick across the face sent the man sprawling and down for the count.
"Not bad," the Huntress said as she caught her breath. The combat was the fiercest that she had yet to be in and she was tired, as the adrenaline rush began to leave her.
"I grant you this victory," a man's voice called out from a distance. It had a slight Chinese accent to it. "Interfere again and you shall not be so fortunate."
The Huntress rapidly looked around seeking out this new arrival. Finally, her eyes caught movement from a nearby rooftop. There stood a man in an all-white body suit. A twisting dragon was emblazoned upon his chest. A large mask covered all but his lower face. It was orange with flame-like patterns along the edge. Matching orange boots and gloves with the same fire edging completed the costume.
"The White Dragon!", the Huntress hissed. The White Dragon was a full four stories overhead looking down at her, his arms folded.
"I am honored that you recognize my humble self."
"Yeah, whatever. You can plan on my interference all you want. I'm gonna take you and your thugs down."
"A mere woman will never defeat the White Dragon." The criminal spun and disappeared from sight.
"Mere woman!" Enraged, the Huntress threw the nunchaku at the departing crime lord, but had no idea if they were even close to connecting as they disappeared over the roof's edge.
Unexpectedly, the steel exit door burst open! The Huntress turned and prepared herself for another combat. Instead it was Night Owl ushering more of the tenants to safety. They ran for safety, quickly leaving the heroines alone in the alley. The sounds of fire trucks approaching could be heard off in the distance.
"I think I got everyone out of the building. Looks like you had some fun," Night Owl said eyeing the unconscious thugs. She began to collect the men, carrying two under each arm.
"Something like that." After a pause, the Huntress added, "It was very therapeutic."
"Great! Does that mean you're not so grouchy now?"
The Huntress just smiled slightly. "I am feeling better." The fight had taken much of the anger and rage out of her. "I trust you can finish up here?"
"Pulling another disappearing act?" Night Owl knew of the Huntress' desire to avoid publicity.
"Yes, I have some matters that I need to attend."
"Okay," Night Owl said as she walked down the alley, thugs in hand. A police cruiser pulled up at the front of the alley, its lights flashing. "I'll make sure your playmates find a good home. Talk to ya later."
The Huntress made her way up the side of a nearby building to escape from the arriving police and fire fighters. As she expected, the White Dragon was long gone. She vowed that their paths would cross again. The Huntress reached her car and drove off into the night.
Late that evening, Helena Kirby was seated before her personal computer at her apartment. She had made a copy of the video she captured from the Avengers computer. It was playing in a continuous loop.
"Dad always said that you think with your head, not with your heart," she thought to herself. "Could it be that my emotions are blinding me to other possibilities? That I'm acting without thinking--- again." Helena recalled the last time she simply acted on a vague clue and had ended up a prisoner of VIPER. "That I don't want to repeat."
"Still, there has to be some sense in all of this. Di had to have seen this video before Firestar was ever even asked to be an Avenger... So why ask her?"
Helena reached for a pile of old newspapers at the side of her desk. She had made it a habit to save stories that contained reference to superbeings in them. Paging through the March 12th edition of the New York Times, there was a small story about Black Diamond's trip to St. Louis.
"Okay, about ten days after the explosion, Black Diamond is putting the Avengers back together. Nightingale is already there. The Thing and Lightburst have rejoined. The Enchantress and Muskateer were recruited as well. So that leaves Firestar for last. But why?"
"Obviously, Di went to meet Firestar to find out about her. What better way than under the pretense of asking her to join the team?" Helena rapidly scanned the news item one more time.
"A-ha! Nightingale was there too, no doubt to gauge Firestar's reactions." Helena had met Nightingale before in passing. She knew of the psionic's ability to read the surface thoughts of others and determine their credibility.
"Diel meets Firestar in St. Louis, with Nightingale along for the ride. Firestar must have not given any indication that she was at the Mansion. If I were Di, I would have asked leading questions that could have only been answered truthfully. 'Gale could then judge the validity of the responses. I guess Di is a better detective then I gave her credit for."
Helena leaned back in her chair and balanced a letter opener on her finger while she thought. "The meeting with Firestar doesn't go as advertised... But why make her an Avenger? Of course, to keep an eye on her! Now that makes sense. Linda did say that her investigation had been inconclusive. This does seem to fit the facts."
"So, Firestar may or may not be involved in this. If Nightingale couldn't make that determination, then it's a safe bet that I won't be able to either. I was right-- she was protecting Firestar-- and me from making a fool out of myself."
Helena studied the video very carefully. After about ten minutes of intense staring, she realized something. "This tape is a composite of the images from various cameras, and therefore edited. I wonder what parts I'm not seeing?"
Glancing at the clock, Helena found that it was now past 2 AM. "I better get some shut eye. Tomorrow is shaping up to be one long day..."
Helena's sleep was troubled that night. She couldn't clear her mind of the situation. She played with various scenarios, but each ended at a blind alley. So far, her first theory was the best as it fit all the facts. At least the facts she was aware of. Eventually sleep did claim her.
It was late the next morning when Helena awoke, nearly 10:30 AM. Regardless, she performed her morning work out, freshened up, and ate breakfast. Knowing that she was going to be at the Kirby Estate for a fair amount of time, she packed a sizeable lunch basket to take with her.
Helena's car eased through the estate's front gate around 1 PM that afternoon. She deactivated the security system long enough for her to store the car in the garage and enter the house. The food supplies were stored in the refrigerator for safekeeping.
Finding nothing amiss on the Estate, Helena descending the secret stairs into the Hunter's Lair. In a side room she changed into her Huntress' garb. Once more she took a seat behind the main computer and went to work. The link to the Avenger's computer was accessed once more.
The Huntress was unsure just where she now stood legally. She recalled that all Avengers property-- their mansion, vehicles, and computer system-- were the property of the Maria Kirby Trust Fund. The Hunter, Lane Kirby, was the executor of the Trust Fund before. While certainly patriotic, the Hunter didn't blindly trust the government either. The legal documents had been worded in such a manner that Hunter could never be denied access to anything to do with the Avengers. When the Avengers were officially sanctioned by the Government, their computer system was augmented with Federal files. Hunter wanted to be sure that if the arrangement came to an end he could legally get his portion of the database back.
Helena Kirby was now the executor of the Trust Fund. As such, she should legally have the same access rights, but it was a debatable issue. Regardless, as long as she didn't access anything that originated from the Government, she should be okay was her reasoning.
The hours rolled by as the Huntress worked. This time, she was the detective that her father had trained her to be, not a grieving daughter. She played all the security tapes and realized that she had not seen the entire picture. The tapes were played over and over. Often she would stop them and magnify portions of them. The equipment here in the Hunter's Lair was far superior to her desktop back home.
Slowly she began to pick up on the subtle clues the tapes offered. More file searches followed and her view of the situation had changed. The Huntress was so engrossed in her work that the entire day passed in a flash. Her stomach was growling when she finally took a break. To her amazement, it was now 4 AM Sunday morning. "Where did the day go?! Still, I've made real progress here. Di was right to a point. On the surface it does all seem inconclusive, but when you start to dig, new facts are uncovered."
The Huntress went through her exercise ritual again, showered, ate, and then took a nap. She awoke later that afternoon and proceed to get back to her work once more. Time once more rapidly passed.
A buzzing sound shook the Huntress out of the sleep she had fallen into. She had worked nearly around the clock again and fell asleep at the computer station. Taking stock of things, the Huntress became aware that the Estate's security system had been activated. "Some one is trying to break into the Estate!"
The computer monitor flashed the layout of the Estate. A motion sensor near the back kitchen door was flashing. It was the entrance that Helena preferred to use as it was close to the garage. The clock on the wall told her that it was now late Monday afternoon.
The Huntress leaped out of the chair and rushed up the secret stairs. She wasn't sure just what was going on, or just how she was going to explain what she was doing here, but right now she had to deal with this intruder. Exiting the secret stairwell, the Huntress creeped along the wall towards the kitchen. As she neared the doorway, an arm clad in black emerged. The Huntress leaped forward, grabbed the arm and executed a martial throw.
The intruder was surprised and hit the floor with a crash. "Yeow!", a woman's voice cried out.
"What do you think you're doing-- Linda?" The Huntress had begun to rush the intruder only to find that it was none other than Black Diamond herself!
"Uhm, hi, Helena. Or should I say Huntress? Nice throw." Diamond was visibly embarrassed by the situation. Black Diamond had always thought of Helena as Hunter's little girl. But here she was in full costume all ready to continue her father's work. Linda finally realized that she wasn't a little girl any more.
"Thanks." The Huntress offered her hand and helped Black Diamond to her feet. "Do you make a habit of breaking and entering?"
"No, not normally, but this is a unusual situation," Black Diamond explained. "We know that you've been accessing the Avengers files and what you found."
"I see. You're a better detective than I gave you credit for."
"I wish I could take the credit," Black Diamond said while dusting herself off. "Muskateer did the actual work. I've been looking for you to try and explain what's going on."
"Did he now?" The Huntress was surprised by that. She didn't know much about the sword-swinging Avenger, but high-tech seemed to be contrary to his motif. "Anyway, I think I have a pretty good idea just what is going on. And why you did what you did."
"You do?" Black Diamond was caught off guard by that. "There are times that I feel that I'm the only one who doesn't know what is going on. So just what are your intentions?"
"Towards Firestar? What did you think I was going to do? Pull up to the Avengers Mansion and wring her neck?"
"Well...," Black Diamond replied sheepishly.
"The thought did cross my mind." The Huntress turned away from Black Diamond. "I couldn't understand why you wouldn't open up to me. I mean, I know you respected my father, but he was my father. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try to find out who did this and bring them to justice. So when you refused, I was hurt and angry."
Black Diamond stepped forward and put her hand on the Huntress' shoulder. "I didn't mean to alienate you. I-- I guess I thought I was doing the right thing. Your father took me under his wing, I wanted to repay him by doing the same for you. Unfortunately, while your father let me grow, I foolishly tried to protect you too much."
The Huntress turned back to face Diamond eye to eye. "I don't want to be protected. I want to catch the party responsible for this."
"I know that now. Your father taught you well. You found out in spite of me. The question is: now what am I supposed to do with you?"
"If you're afraid that I'm going to attack Firestar, your fears are unfounded. I have found out several things from the videos, provided that you'd be interested in hearing them."
"You know I'm interested," Black Diamond said. She was glad that Helena was being so reasonable about this. "But what did you find that everyone else missed?"
"I'm the daughter of one of the best detectives in recent history." The Huntress replied with a smile. "I did pick up a thing or two."
"I'm impressed."
"You should be. But, anyway, let me grab a sandwich and some milk and I'll show you what I've uncovered." With that the Huntress made her way back to the Hunter's Lair, after making a side trip to the kitchen first.
Black Diamond had been an infrequent visitor to the Hunter's Lair in the years past. She always wondered why Hunter spent so much time there. It was completely underground and there were no windows to the outside world. Being so completely enclosed would drive her batty after a few hours. However, it never seemed to bother Hunter in the least. That trait seemed to have been passed on to the Huntress as well.
Helena took the seat in front of the computer, while Black Diamond grabbed a stool from a nearby work bench. "So what do you have?", Diamond questioned.
"After viewing the portion of tape I found a few nights ago, I realized that it had been edited. The camera angles keep changing. Therefore, there should be a tape from each individual angle."
"Right," Black Diamond nodded in agreement. "The boys in the NSC made this composite."
The Huntress pointed to the image on the screen. "This large, flaming figure is what drew the Black Tiger and Captain Valor out of the Mansion in the first place."
"We ran a check on him, and found nothing."
"Not surprising," the Huntress said. "But, you have to remember that the files you share with PRIMUS are biased to a certain extent. They tend to deal only with villains who operate in the United States."
"So he's from another country?"
"Canada. The Hunter had an access link to UNTIL as well as."
"You broke into UNTIL's computer network too?" Black Diamond was surprised on just how far the Huntress would bend the rules to get results.
"Fortunately, that was not necessary," the Huntress explained. "Dad updated his personal files from a variety of sources, not just PRIMUS. I ran a search on fiery villains and brought up a short list. I whittled the list down and settled on a little known Western Canada villain that goes by the name of Brimstone."
"Brimstone? I can't say that I've heard of him before," Black Diamond said thoughtfully. "But you did say he was small time."
"He was involved in a scheme to help a Professor Malevolence overthrow the Canadian government. It was stopped by someone called Spectrum about five weeks ago. It was in all the papers." (Editor's Note: as seen in Spectrum #10-12)
"That's around when the Mansion exploded."
The Huntress spun to face Black Diamond. "Exactly. Once more, we have people seemingly in two places at the same time. In fact, Brimstone was in prison the day of the accident. Someone had to impersonate him and Firestar. That's the only answer. I trust your investigation of Firestar led you to a similar conclusion."
"More or less. She truly believed that she had never been to New York City until we arrived in the Quinnjet. Nightingale's scans confirmed that. She's either truly innocent or the greatest actress in the world."
"I would tend to think the former," the Huntress concluded. "I dug up the pictures from when the Avengers were first unveiled to the public. It was tedious, but I managed to get a proper camera angle on the security tape to match the pose." The Huntress worked the keyboard and two images appeared side by side on the screen. "What do you see?"
Black Diamond leaned forward and started intently at the screen. "I see what appears to be two images of Firestar."
"Anything else?"
"No... What do you see?"
"It wasn't obvious at first..." The Huntress punched a few more keys and one of the images was enlarged. "...but if you look very, very closely you can tell that the Firestar from the tape's hair is a couple of inches longer than the one from the news conference."
Black Diamond moved closer to the screen and then nodded in agreement. "You're right. Obviously, her hair couldn't grow that much in less than two weeks."
"Hard to say when dealing with mutants, but I'd be inclined to agree with you on that point." Punching more keys, the Huntress brought up a picture of the strange crystal. "This gem was far more interesting then either of the two people outside the Mansion."
"I'm not sure what you mean?" Black Diamond was a bit confused. "I was unable to determine much about the crystal myself. The Enchantress concluded that it was magical and not of this world."
"That seems to fit what I've found. You've been approaching this crystal as a whole, I investigated the shards. After all, if Sargon had a portion of it, it's possible that the entire crystal is composed of separate shards."
"That's possible," Black Diamond conceded.
"Over the last six months, four objects virtually identical to the one that Sargon had in his position have disappeared. The computer calculates that four shards, when joined would match the shape of the crystal on the security tape."
"So you think that this crystal is composed of smaller crystals and that someone or something is putting the pieces together? But why?"
"I can't be sure," the Huntress said. "One shard was stolen out of a safe of a wealthy collector in Manhattan back in January. Another collector in Paris had one as well. It too was stolen. The MO's of each robbery are similar. Another shard was on exhibit in Brazil when it was stolen. A fourth came out of a diamond mine in Africa about a year ago. It disappeared under mysterious circumstances a few months later."
"This is starting to sound more and more ominous," Black Diamond concluded.
"I found Sargon's report on the crystal shard in his possession. He claims that he took it from an agent of the Vril Society. I can't say that I've ever heard of the Vril Society myself, but Sargon reports them as being a group of psionics and mages."
"I've heard the name," Black Diamond offered. "But, I really don't have much to add about them either."
"Sargon didn't think anything odd of it either. Apparently the Vril commonly use crystals and gems as psionic focuses."
"That explains his behavior on the tape."
"Being a mage, he would surely understand the implications of what he uncovered. I have to confess to be magically ignorant, but I can make some basic assumptions," the Huntress explained. "My guess is that some otherworldly power tried to sneak this crystal onto Earth. Perhaps sending the whole thing would have somehow alerted powerful magicians."
"Possibly."
"So, it was sent in pieces. Each piece nothing all that special until they are joined together. What worries me is what happens when all the pieces are put together? For all we know, it could be an invasion."
"Highly possible. You've certainly done a fine job, Helena."
"Thanks." the Huntress beamed with pride.
"And given me quite a bit to think about. I--"
The two heroines spun back towards the computer as the Estate's security system activated once more! The Huntress punched the map of the estate. A sensor in the rear of the estate had been triggered. Fortunately, there was a close-circuit camera in the area. The camera was soon trained on the intruder. To their surprise, it was Muskateer!
The Huntress just looked at Black Diamond. "This has to be some kind of record. Broken in by two Avengers on the same day."
Black Diamond just shrugged. "He and Firestar are close friends. He's probably just looking out for her."
"Admirable. But, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to deal with this."
"What do you mean? What are you going to do?"
"Oh, just find out if your swordsman is a good as his press releases." The Huntress produced her crossbow and loaded a bolt into it. "Besides, this might be fun. I haven't fought a true superhuman before."
The Huntress made her way out of the Hunter's Lair and into the back of the Estate. Black Diamond followed a short distance behind. Diamond was curious to see just how good Helena was. She just hoped that Muskateer would keep his cool and not hurt the girl...
In Muskateer #8
