A chance glimpse during the Madigan costume ball had led the Huntress to the conclusion of her quest to find her father's killer. The nurse who had tended to him on his last day of life was also present at the ultra-exclusive charity event. Helena considered it to be very suspect. When she tried to get answers, the mysterious woman fled.
However, that was not the end of the matter. Upon returning to her apartment, Helena found Artemis herself waiting there. Overpowered by the weaponry in the armor, Helena next found herself as the prisoner of Artemis. She escaped and battled the woman in the Artemis armor-- Julianna Saietta, or Roxy as she preferred to be called-- and managed to defeat her.
It was Roxy's claim that Hunter and the Avengers were responsible for the death of the rest of the Saietta family. Her family honor demanded the death of Hunter and his allies. Helena couldn't believe that her father would intentionally kill anyone. No, there had to be more to the story than what Roxy was letting on. Hunter's computer records should clear up that particular mystery.
Helena rationalized her current situation, setting up which goal she needed to accomplish initially. "First, I've got to find out just where I am. Most likely outside of New York City."
Roxy had taken Helena to some unknown place to settle her score. There was a sizeable gladiator-style combat arena in the structure's large basement. A viewing gallery surrounded the arena. Off on one side of the arena was a torture chamber. A door led out of the room and into the long, dark corridor that the Huntress was currently walking down.
"Next, I've got to contact Di and let her know what happened. She'll know what to do about Roxy."
Roxy herself was back in the arena, unconscious and bound in the same chains that once held Helena. "I hope they hold her," the Huntress thought to herself. "Her strength is beyond mine-- but hopefully not beyond those chains."
Helena wished she had her gadget belt handy, but Roxy didn't include it with the Huntress costume. "A flashlight would be real handy right about now."
"I also need to consider just what I am going to do with Roxy... She knows who I really am-- and possibly who several of the Avengers are as well. There's no reason for her not to reveal our secrets to the world. What am I going to do??"
"I suppose I should have killed her when I had the chance-- and a good legal excuse. That would have solved all my problems." Helena thought about that for a moment and quickly discarded the idea. "No. Dad didn't raise me to be a killer. I'm not like Roxy-- or like Copperhead. Justice can be served without bloodshed."
The Huntress even surprised herself at that revelation. There was a time after her father's death where she wanted nothing more than to strangle the life out of whoever was responsible. Her grief would enable her to do things she never thought possible. But when it came down to completing the vengeful act, she was unable to carry it out. Her father was no killer and he didn't raise his daughter to be one either.
If anything, she now felt pity for Roxy. Obviously, the girl was insane. If even half of what Roxy said was true, then her whole family was crazy. Maybe it was for the best that they had been killed before they harmed any more people. However, there was no way that Hunter deliberately set out to eliminate the Saietta family. Helena would have to find out her father's side of the story from his computer records.
The tunnel started to slope up at a gentle angle and ended at a dead end. "There's got to be a concealed door around here somewhere... Why would you have a long tunnel leading to a dead end?" The Huntress felt around as best she could. Finally, one section of the corridor pushed in slightly. The wall at the end of the tunnel pivoted open. "Bingo!"
The Huntress found herself in a large recreation room. A wet bar filled one entire wall. One side of the room was filled with numerous chairs and small couches. A pool table occupied the other. Sliding glass double doors were the dominant features on one wall. Moving towards them, the Huntress could see that it was still dark outside. A clock on the wall reported that it was 6:19 AM.
Opening one of the sliding doors, the Huntress stepped out onto a balcony. This place was located in the mountains. Looking back, she could see that it was part of a good-sized building. "A private ski lodge would be my guess. This looks like skiing country." Helena had gone skiing many times with her father.
Going back inside, the Huntress opened the other doors out of the Rec Room. One led into a small bath. The heroine took the time to clean out the wound Roxy had made over Helena's heart with her razor sharp fingernails. The skin was purplish around the cuts, but didn't appear to need stitches. A new bandage was put into place, replacing the glove the Huntress had used temporarily.
"There, that should take care of that until I can get better care. If you would have told me how many cuts and minor injuries I would get from being the Huntress, I never had believed it. Now to find a phone..."
The Huntress looked around the area behind the bar, but couldn't find a phone. There were several phone jacks present, but none with a phone connected to them. "Well, this is annoying..."
After failing to find a phone, the Huntress explored the other doors in the room. One led to a storage area, the other had carpeted stairs going up. The stairs came out in the main foyer of the house.
The Huntress wandered into the kitchen. Experimentally, she opened the refrigerator, finding it to be well stocked. A lite snack would solve the problem of the heroine's grumbling stomach. Several containers were stored inside, their contents not immediately identifiable. Tentatively, the Huntress reached into the refrigerator, but then stopped. "Given the family 'eating habits', I think I'll pass."
A stock of celery was located in the vegetable bin. "At least I won't have any doubts about this," she thought, taking a bite of celery.
Finally locating a phone, the Huntress picked up the receiver. After getting a dial tone, she called the Avengers Mansion. It rang nearly a dozen times before being picked up.
"Avengers Mansion. How may I help you?" The voice on the other end of the phone belonged to team's butler, Jeeves. There was a trace of sleepiness in the man's voice. The call probably woke him out of his slumber.
"Jeeves, it's the Huntress. I need to talk to Black Diamond immediately."
"I'm afraid that's not possible, Madame. Black Diamond disappeared early last evening."
The Huntress couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What do you mean, disappeared?!"
Jeeves provided a quick explanation surrounding Black Diamond's disappearance. (Editor's Note: See Avengers #15)
"This is incredible...", the Huntress muttered in disbelief. After considering for a moment, she added, "Then put Muskateer on."
"I'm sorry, Madame, but the rest of the Avengers are not currently here either. They received a call from Supreme and departed for California last night."
"California!? What in the world is going on?"
"I'm in the dark as much as you are, Madame," Jeeves apologetically explained. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
After a thoughtful pause, Helena answered, "Yes, Jeeves, there is. What is your location?"
"My quarters, Madame. I fear that with all the unsettling happenings from the night before that I was up late."
"Don't worry about it, Jeeves," the Huntress answered. "Get down to the Main Conference Room. There's something I need for you to do..."
It took time, but the Huntress was able to walk Jeeves through the procedure of tracing the phone call. The Avengers Computer was able to track to the call to the Catskills, a mountain range to the north and west of New York City. A long time favorite vacation spot, Helena had been here many times with her father.
The Huntress was currently at a cottage owned by the Saietta family. A weekend getaway place for their own perverse and dark pleasures.
"Is there anything else I can do for you, Madame?", Jeeves offered. "Drive out to meet you at your location perhaps?"
"I appreciate the offer, but no, Jeeves. It's too dangerous. But, I do know who I can call. I'll be in touch."
"As you wish, madame. Best of luck."
Hanging up, the Huntress quickly dialed a new number. The phone rang once before being picked up.
"The Jessica Flynn residence. How many I help you?" It sounded like Jess' voice, but just as easily could have been Jaime's.
"Jess, it's Helena. I need your help."
"Helena! You're okay! We feared the worst when we heard the news. Where are you?"
The response caught the Huntress off guard. "What news? What are you talking about, Jess?"
"This is Jaime", the voice on the phone explained. "Jess is away right now."
The Huntress sighed. "Let me guess: she's in Los Angeles."
"Your deductive abilities are impressive," Jaime complimented. "How did you end up in the Catskills? According to the news reports, your apartment was firebombed last night. A complete loss, but thankfully no one was caught in the fire."
"My apartment?!" The Huntress just stood there speechless for a few seconds, stunned from the news of the destruction of her apartment. "This is turning out to be one lousy day. How did you know where I was at?"
"It's procedure to trace any phone calls we receive from an unknown number. I am very happy that you are safe. Anything I can do for you?"
"I was hoping that Jess was around. I'm sort of in a sticky situation at the moment."
"You can tell me your troubles," Jaime offered. "I might be able to help. After all, the only difference between me and Jess is that she has a corporeal body."
The Huntress wasn't quite sure how Jaime could lend aid, but Scarlet and Jaime were always full of surprises. Helena started at the beginning with her discovery at the party, the attack by Artemis, and the following battle with the woman inside the armor.
"Wow," was Jaime's comment. "Jess says that she's very impressed. She's not so sure that she wouldn't have taken Roxy out when she had the chance."
"I thought you said that Jess was in Los Angeles?"
"She is. Distance is not a factor with our rapport. Jess knows everything that you've told me. Unfortunately, she's in a bit of a 'sticky situation' of her own at the moment." (Editor's Note: See Muskateer #15)
"Oh." The Huntress hadn't considered that before. Tell something to Jess, Jaime knows it as well. The reverse must hold true as well.
"Since I can 'multi-task', I can be here and there, and several other places as well."
"Just like a computer."
"Of course," Jaime answered proudly. "Now, getting back to your particular problem, Jess has some ideas. Stay put for now. I'll be out in a Sky Sabre to pick you up. Are you on a portable phone?"
"Unfortunately, no. But I can look to find one."
"Do so," Jaime instructed. "Call me again if you find one. If not, then I'll call you back at this number when I'm just about there."
"Okay. Bye."
"How odd," the Huntress thought to herself as she replaced the phone. "I'm about to be rescued by a glorified computer program."
The Huntress gave the remainder of the cottage a quick search. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Any of the Saietta's eccentricities were well hidden from the casual viewer. But the decor did have an underlying dark theme. Unless you knew the family secret, you wouldn't have really noticed.
There was a lone black sedan parked in the garage, the keys still in the ignition.
"This explains how we got here," the Huntress concluded. A quick search of the vehicle turned up nothing unexpected. The Huntress did grab a cell phone from the car. A quick call to Jaime informed the cyber-entity of her new mode of communication.
"That's great, Helena," Jaime offered. "I took off a few minutes ago. I should be there in less than twenty-five minutes. Hold tight."
"Will do. Seeya in a little bit."
Taking the cars keys, the Huntress opened up the trunk. Inside was her gadget belt and hand crossbow. "Aha! There you are. No doubt I got to ride in the trunk all the way from Central Park West. Not exactly the kind of drive that I enjoy."
The rest of the Huntress' equipment was quickly donned. "There. That feels better." Everything seemed to be intact and in working order.
The Huntress made her way back to the gladiator arena, intent on checking up on Roxy. The sleeping pellets that Helena used should still be in effect, but she couldn't be sure given Roxy's unique physical abilities. A few more pellets would make sure that she was out for the duration.
Her crossbow drawn and nocked with a bolt, the Huntress cautiously entered the viewing gallery. All was quiet. As she neared the edge of the gallery, the Huntress looked down into the arena to where she had left Roxy. The villainess was gone. The chains that had held her lay broken.
"Oh great..." The Huntress quickly looked around, expecting Roxy, or even worse Artemis, to pounce upon her at any moment. "This is definitely not my day..."
Deciding that a strategic retreat was in order, the Huntress rushed through the tunnels to the main cottage. She could no longer afford to wait for Jaime to show up. The Huntress had kept the keys to the sedan. Now she intended to use the vehicle to put as much distance between her and this place as possible.
Racing into the garage, the Huntress leaped behind the wheel and brought the sedan to life. The push of a button caused the garage door to rise. The Huntress revved the engine as she waited for the door to rise and secured her seat belt. The heroine's eyes grew wide when she saw Artemis outside the garage door, weapons gauntlet pointed directly at her.
"Leaving so soon?", Artemis taunted. "And here I thought you wanted to play." A javelin was fired off from the armor and it streaked directly at the Huntress!
Helena ducked off to the side a split second before the javelin shattered the car's front window. Shards of glass flew everywhere. The flight path of the javelin took it through the rear window before becoming embedded in the back wall of the garage.
"You want to play?", the Huntress muttered, "then let's play!" She shifted the sedan into drive and pressed the gas to the floor. The car surged forward, slamming hard into the startled villainess. "Tag! You're it!"
The impact rocked Artemis, but she managed to hang on to the front of the car. "Good... Very good." Her arm unsteady, Artemis brought her weapons launcher to bear on the Huntress once more.
Helena gasped and slammed on the brakes with both feet. Artemis was unprepared for the sudden change in momentum and continued flying forward. The armored villainess hit a wall along one side of the sloping driveway hard, partially embedding herself in the barrier.
The Huntress didn't give Artemis a chance to recover. Flooring the gas again, the Huntress rammed the sedan into Roxy once more, driving her deeper into the wall. Enraged, the Huntress threw the vehicle into reverse, backed up and prepared to ram Artemis again. "I should have finished you off when I had the chance!"
To the heroine's surprise, Artemis pulled herself out of the wall. Grabbing a chunk of the wall, the armored villainess flung it towards the car. It made a huge dent in the hood, but bounced harmlessly away. "Yes you should have. Now you will die due to your weakness! I went toe to toe with Black Diamond. You think a mere car is going to stop me?"
The Huntress didn't answer. Instead, she gritted her teeth and floored the gas pedal once more. Wheels spinning, the car surged forward, directly towards Artemis. The villainess prepared herself for the incoming assault. However, at the last moment, the Huntress spun the wheel hard, sending the car into a spin. The rear end fishtailed, striking Artemis and knocking her into the wall once more. Having not let up on the gas, the Huntress sped down the driveway.
Artemis pulled herself out of the debris once more. "My, my, you are just full of surprises," Artemis said to herself, almost in admiration. "What a team we could have made!"
The Huntress pulled onto the road outside the Saietta Cottage doing ninety. Luckily, the highway was clear of traffic this early on a Sunday morning. "She's right in that aspect. Getting into a smash-up derby with that armor is a no win situation for me. Just have to bide time until Jaime gets here."
Pushing the vehicle to its limits, the Huntress tore down the road. The Huntress grabbed the cell phone and hit the redial, re-connecting her to Jaime.
"I'm almost there, Helena," Jaime answered.
"There's been a change in plans. I'm on some road outside the cottage with Artemis on my tail. Can you track this call?"
"Affirmative. Adjusting course now."
All the while, the Huntress continued to watch her rear view mirror, waiting to see if Artemis was giving pursuit. Several minutes passed, but finally the sight of the white-armored villainess came into sight as she streaked over the road.
Artemis continued to grow closer and closer. She fired another spear, but the Huntress easily swerved out of its path.
The scenery passed by at a frightening speed as the sedan passed the 120 MPH mark. The terrain was forested hills. Small gorges often bordered the edge of the road.
The Huntress was able to keep her distance until she approached a series of hairpin curves. With the left side of the road dropping away, the heroine was forced to slow down, giving Artemis a chance to catch up.
Artemis continued to fire away, but this time using her smaller arrows. The sedan swerved to miss the arrows, but some found their mark anyway. The roof of the trunk exploded as an arrow slammed into it.
Reaching a straightaway, the Huntress floored the gas pedal and started to pull away from the flying Artemis. Roxy continued to fire all the while. "That's right--", the Huntress thought to herself, "--keep firing away and you'll eventually run out of ammo." The arrows peppered the sedan, creating large holes in the roof, but not doing any serious damage.
The sudden blaring of a car horn drew the Huntress' immediate attention. Her eyes widened as she saw a car coming directly towards her! With Artemis dogging the heroine, she had spent more time concerned about what was behind her instead of in front of her!
With a startled scream, Helena swerved and lost control. The Huntress avoided the oncoming car, but flew off the road towards the woods alongside. The sedan skidded across the berm as the heroine frantically pumped the brakes. With a loud crash, the vehicle glanced off a tree, sending the sedan over onto its side, before finally flipping over completely. Upside down, the battered machine slid to a stop against two more trees.
Artemis watched gleefully as she hovered overhead. "What a lovely crash... Pity, it may have done my work for me."
Inside the sedan, the Huntress gasped for air. Between being held by the seat belt and pressed upon by the air bag, Helena had managed to stay in the car. Even now, she was gathering her wits. "Got to keep moving..." The impact did no serious damage to the heroine other than bumps and bruises. But she was now a sitting duck for Artemis.
The Huntress undid the seat belt and dropped to the car's roof. Looking out the windows, Helena couldn't see Artemis anywhere. "She must still be airborne, watching." As the Huntress pondered what to do next, the smell of gasoline reached her nostrils. "Gas tank must have ruptured. I've got to get out of here before it blows..."
Inspiration struck the Huntress. She pulled out her crossbow, grabbed a bolt and fished for her thermite pellets. Taking one of the pellets, the Huntress placed it in the hollow point of the blunt shaft. The force of impact would ignite the pellet.
The Huntress crawled out of the window on the side of the car away from the road. The heroine quickly scanned the sky for Artemis. As she had hoped, the armored villainess was hovering in the air between the car wreck and the road.
"Ah, there you are," Artemis observed. "I had hoped for the pleasure of finishing you off myself." Casually, Artemis raised her weapons launcher.
The Huntress was faster, firing off her prepared bolt before Artemis could. The action so surprised Artemis that she never even tried to avoid the incoming shaft. The bolt hit the villainess squarely in the chest, but didn't have enough force to penetrate the armor.
"You think that you can stop me with your puny little bolts!?", Artemis shouted loudly. "I'll show you fire power!"
A volley of arrows came forth from the launcher. The Huntress ducked behind the sedan, using it as a shield while she nocked another crossbow bolt. One of the arrows ripped into the gas tank, creating a spark. Realizing what was about to happen, the Huntress spun away from the car and ran as fast as she could.
The heroine had only gone a few steps before a powerful explosion engulfed the car wreck, sending a ball of fire skyward. The force of the blast sent the Huntress hurtling deeper into the forest. Keeping her wits about her, Helena twisted in mid-air and hit the ground tumbling. Her momentum carried her over the edge of a small drop off and into a shallow creek.
"I love you flame-retardant costume!", the Huntress thought to herself. The chemically treated Huntress costume had protected Helena from being burned. Placing another thermite pellet in a bolt, the heroine turned back to locate Artemis. The ball of fire that blocked her view of the villainess' last position died down. Artemis was still in the same spot as before, but she wasn't as calm as she had been!
"What did you do to me?" Artemis hung in the air screaming in shock. There was something burning through her armor's breastplate! Frantically, Roxy clawed at the armor, but only further spread the incendiary to more parts of her armor.
"Just my thermite pellets," the Huntress explained as she fired again. This time the pellet burst along the side of Artemis' weapons' launcher. "Hot enough to burn through just about anything. Including your armor!"
Artemis screamed in pain as the chemical compound had burned through the breastplate and reached her skin! "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
"You had your chance and you blew it," the Huntress stated coolly, firing yet another bolt. This one struck Artemis' jet boots. "Tell me, Roxy, just how much heat can you take?"
Screaming and cursing, Roxy landed on the other side of the car. Frantically, she tried to get out of the armor as it was melting around her. The thermite burned into her hands, her chest, and her legs as the chemical continued to eat away the Artemis armor and whatever else it touched.
Roxy was half in the armor and half out when the incendiary reached the fuel pods for the jet boots. A tremendous explosion then occurred, throwing the Huntress backwards. She hit hard against the far bank of the creek. Dazed from the force of impact, the Huntress lost consciousness...
"Helena!" A voice broke through the darkness that enveloped the Huntress. "Come on! Wake up!" The voice coupled with an extremely foul smell forced the Huntress to open her eyes.
"Ugh! What's the awful smell?!" Looking around, the Huntress was taken aback to find something that looked like a androgynous mannequin dressed in a red jumpsuit before her. There was a package of smelling salts in the thing's hand. "Who are you!? What are you?"
"It's me: Jaime," the creature explained. "This is a robotic body that gives me mobility should I need it."
"Oh." Shaking the cobwebs out of her head, the Huntress rose to her feet, helped by Jaime. The idea of a robot body for Jaime's use did make sense. After all, she could control all sorts of equipment, even planes from the inside. Why not something that would enable her to interact in the real world? "Where's Artemis?"
"She's back there," Jaime explained, pointing. "A little here, a little there, and some over there. In other words, you won't have to worry about her ever again."
"I never meant for this to happen," the Huntress stated as she looked over her handiwork. The explosion had shredded the Artemis armor and Roxy along with it. Body parts were everywhere. "I would have rather seen her stand trial for her crimes."
"A violent end for a violent woman," Jaime quietly added. "We had better get moving, unless you want the authorities to know about your involvement in this. The Sky Sabre is this way."
Turning, the Huntress could hear sirens in the distance. She was unsure just what to do. Jaime did have a point. No one was aware that Helena Kirby had even been kidnapped. No one knew about Roxy's involvement. Adding the Huntress to the mix was just asking for even more unwanted questions.
"You're right," the Huntress concluded. "The truth in this particular instance might be best left untold. Take me back to the cottage. There are some loose ends to tie up."
Jaime led the way through the forest to a small clearing holding the Sky Sabre. Once there, she helped the Huntress inside before climbing in after her. Upon being seated, the small craft rose into the air and flew off, hugging the treetops to avoid detection.
The pair stopped at the cottage long enough to pick up Helena's clothes and any other evidence that could tie her to this place. Jaime had erased any trace of the phone calls the Huntress had made.
"That seems to take care of that," the Huntress concluded. "This will remain just another unsolved mystery."
"It's better for everyone involved all the way around. The authorities will most likely conclude that Roxy was the driver in the accident and burned to death. It was her sedan after all. Your thermite pellets most likely destroyed the Artemis armor. Whatever traces should remain won't be enough to change their conclusions."
"It's really over," the Huntress said mostly to herself. "My father has been avenged. It's like a giant weight has been taken from my shoulders."
"I can imagine. We'd best get out of here and get you back to the city. It's time for Helena Kirby to re-appear..."
Less than an hour later, Helena Kirby, back in her tattered magician's costume made her way through Central Park. Jaime had dropped the Huntress off at the Avengers Mansion. The heroine changed clothes, leaving her Huntress costume with Jeeves.
As her apartment building came into view, Helena could see several police cars and fire inspectors on the scene. Several of the police officers noticed her as she crossed the busy street and neared the police barricade. One rushed towards her.
"This area is off limits, miss!"
Helena acted confused and held her hand along the side of her face. "But, I live here... What happened? Last night is a blur..."
The policeman gestured for his partner to join him. "What do you make of this, Bill?"
Realization came over the patrolman as he approached. "Say, she matches the description D.A. Simmons gave us."
"Are you Helena Kirby?", the first NYPD officer asked as he approached.
"Yes I am. Please, what is going on?"
"I'll call it in and let them know we found her," the second police officer stated as he walked back towards his squad car.
The first police officer took Helena's hand and led her towards one of the support vehicles. The paramedics would have to check her out. She looked like she had a very rough night. "It's okay, Ms. Kirby. You're safe now."
