"The looks of what?", Night Owl wondered out loud. The club was too far away for her to make out specific details, despite her ability to see normally in darkness. "If it's something that leads to a little excitement, I'm all for it!"
It was late Sunday night/early Monday morning. Lydia had suggested that she and Helena go out and bust up some criminals in the hope of taking Helena's mind off the destruction of her apartment. Much to Lydia's surprise, Helena was actually taking things rather well and was actually looking forward to the task. Night Owl couldn't recall the Huntress being so at ease before.
But Night Owl's idea of fun for the evening rapidly turned into boredom. The heroines decided to look in on Dragon Lord activities. The Dragon Lords were the enforcement arm of the Golden Dragon Tong, a Chinese criminal organization. The duo had crossed paths with this particular group in the past while stopping an attempt to burn down the Jade Peacock and the entire building housing the restaurant. (Editor's Note: Back in Huntress #7)
The Huntress had sworn to take the Dragon Lords down, but ended up becoming sidetracked with more pressing business the last few weeks. Now that all of those other distractions were out of the way, she was more than ready to continue her war against this particular criminal organization.
"There's at least a dozen Dragon Lords piling into two vans," the Huntress reported. "Off hand, I'd say that they're not going out for a night on the town."
"Maybe they're going to burn down another building," Night Owl suggested in an excited tone. Finally, something interesting was going to happen!
"Don't know. Let's follow them and find out." Setting the Multiplex Visor aside, the Huntress started up the Corvette and waited for the vans to move out into traffic. Once they did, she followed at a discreet distance. After a short and uneventful drive, the two vans pulled up in front of the Silk Emporium.
"Never heard of the place," Night Owl stated as the thugs unloaded from the vans. Several of them had long crowbars in their hands.
"It's a high class clothing shop specializing in custom made silk garments. It's a bit pricey, but they do very nice work."
"Sounds like you've been there before."
"I have." The Huntress eased the 'Vette around the corner and quickly found a place to park the vehicle. There wasn't much traffic at this late hour. An audible crash rang out as the girls disembarked the vehicle. A burglar alarm sounded off a moment later. "That cinches it! They were up to something."
Night Owl broke into a dash and raced down the street. "Then let's trash those creeps!"
The Huntress sprinted after her friend but was unable to keep pace. "She's quick!", Helena thought to herself.
Rounding the corner, Night Owl immediately ran into a small group of Dragon Lord Thugs. They had broken out several of the front windows of the Silk Emporium. Gang members were already inside the store, looting and trashing the place. The remainder was on guard outside.
"Hey, you creeps! Doncha know that crime doesn't pay?" Winding up, Lydia punched the closest of the Dragon Lords. The man turned just in time to have Night Owl punch his lights out. The powerful blow produced a bone-crunching sound and sent the man rocketing backwards, taking four others to the pavement with him. "Oopsie! I think I hit him way too hard."
"Waste her!", one of the thugs yelled. "No one crosses the Dragon Lords and lives!"
"Oh, please!" Night Owl didn't think these bunch of thugs to be a major threat to someone of her power.
Off to her right, another Dragon Lord came at Night Owl, a gleaming knife in hand. Out of nowhere, a blunt crossbow bolt flew onto the scene. It cleanly struck the thug in his knife hand, causing him to drop his weapon as he cursed in pain. The blade hit the ground and skidded off several feet.
Looking back, Night Owl could see the Huntress stowing her hand held crossbow. "Hey, nice shot!"
"It looked like you could use a hand," the Huntress explained as she drew nearer.
"I probably could have handled it, but thanks for the help." Night Owl turned back around just in time to find another Dragon Lord right in front of her. The young Chinese man was coming at her, nunchaku's whirling about him in a blur. "You don't really think you're going to hurt me with those, do you?"
With a savage yell, the Dragon Lord struck! Much to his disbelief, Night Owl not only shrugged off the blow, but the force of the impact caused his nunchaku to exploded into splinters from the impact!
"Ouch," Night Owl uttered in her most sarcastic tone. "Are you, like, on drugs or something?" Lydia took a swing at her attacker, but he regained his wits quickly enough to duck and tumble away from the super strong heroine. "Hey! That's no fair!"
Behind Night Owl, the Huntress arrived on the scene. She leapt at the Dragon Lord whom she had disarmed. The thug was attempting to reclaim his weapon when he was suddenly taken to the pavement with a flying tackle. "No, no, no," the Huntress taunted. "It's not nice to play with knives!"
"You will pay for this, you bi--!!"
The Huntress regained her footing first and put the thug down with a snap kick. "Tut, tut. When it comes to nasty language, I'll just have to put my foot down!"
"So far, this has been pretty easy," Night Owl commented. A split second later, four more Dragon Lords leapt out of the Silk Emporium, all of them making a dog pile on the heroine.
"Have any other famous last words?", the Huntress asked with a grin. She picked up the Dragon Lord she had just disposed of, dragged him out of the street, and placed him near the curb.
Suddenly, the pile of Dragon Lords on top of Night Owl erupted, as the heroine stood up and flung her attackers away. "You know, I think I liked you better when you were grumpy all the time."
The Huntress liberally put one of the flung thugs out with a casual kick as she strode towards Night Owl. "Honestly, there is no satisfying you."
"Me? Hey, I'm the easiest gal to get along with around!"
A trio of Dragon Lords, crowbars in hand, advanced on the heroines. Behind them, other members of the gang groggily tried to regain their feet. "Now you will learn the folly of crossing the Dragon Lords!"
"So I keep hearing, little man," Night Owl taunted. "When are you guys gonna back up your words?"
"Do you think it's really a good idea to rile them up like that?", the Huntress asked in concerned tone as she kept her eye on the approaching men.
"Works for me!"
The Dragon Lords stuck! Two swung their crowbars at Night Owl, the other at the Huntress. Moving with nearly blinding speed, Night Owl grabbed a crowbar with either hand forcing them to a dead stop. The jaws of the two attacking Dragon Lords nearly bounced off the sidewalk in disbelief.
"You're not nearly quick enough to beat me," Night Owl advised with a grin. With a flick of her wrists, she sent both men flying several dozen feet through the air. "Have a nice trip, gents!"
The Huntress ducked under the attack directed at her. Springing up, she connected with a powerful uppercut that lifted her foe off of his feet and sent him backwards to the pavement. Another punch put him out before he could recover.
"I'm glad that I don't have to do it the hard way," Night Owl noted as she watched her companion's handiwork.
"We can't all be super strong," the Huntress answered with a shrug.
"Retreat!", one of the Dragon Lords yelled. "They are too powerful for us!"
"Darn tootin'!", Night Owl added enthusiastically.
Dragon Lords ran every which way, staying well away from the heroines. Several piled into one of the vans in their attempt to get away.
"Oh, no you don't!" Night Owl ran towards the rear of the van. She grabbed underneath the bumper and easily lifted the rear end off of the street. The rear wheels spun furiously, but were unable to move an inch. "I've always wanted to do this since I saw it on Guardian Angel!"
"I never did watch all that much television. I must've missed that particular episode. Here, let me give you a hand." The Huntress approached the 'rapidly going nowhere' vehicle as she withdrew a handful of pellets from her gadget belt. Inching near an open window, she flung the pellets inside the van. A moment later, sleeping gas began to billow forth. "They'll all be napping in a few moments."
"Cool deal!"
Easing away, the Huntress took a position where she could intercept any gang member foolish enough to try to escape the van from the driver's side. She could only marvel at the strength Night Owl possessed as she continued to effortlessly hold the rear of the van off of the ground.
The sudden roar of a nearby vehicle's engine attracted the Huntress' attention. Looking back she could see the second van rapidly bearing down on her companion! "Night Owl! Look out!"
"Wha--?" The warning came too late as the other van slammed hard into Night Owl, pinning her between the two vehicles! The impact had shoved the first van down the street and into other parked cars. The driver of the second van continued to floor the gas pedal of his van, driving the whole pile of vehicles slowly forward.
Turning, the Huntress ran towards the second van. She had to save her friend! "Hang on, Night Owl!"
The groaning of metal could be heard as Night Owl pushed off from the first van, separating herself from the vehicle. "GET-- OFF-- OF-- ME!!" However, the other van relentlessly pushed into the heroine's back.
Reaching the second van, the Huntress approached the driver's door. Balling her fist she punched through the closed window and landed a glancing blow off the side of the driver's head. Shards of broken glass went flying everywhere inside the van.
Flinging open the door, the Huntress reached in and grabbed the driver. "That's quite enough out of you!" With a quick jerk, she pulled him out of the van and sent him sprawling onto the sidewalk.
All at once, the pressure on Night Owl's back was gone. Without a driver in the van, Night Owl's push off caused the vehicle to go hurtling backwards. It hopped the curb and crashed through a mailbox before coming to rest only due to a nearby street post. Fluttering mail filled the air.
Enraged, Night Owl pulled herself out of the first van and stalked towards the second. "No one does that me! No one!"
The Huntress was at her side a moment later, hand on her arm. "Night Owl! Settle down! It's over. I doubt there's much fight left in them after that crash."
Night Owl turned and glared at her companion's hand. A few seconds passed before Night Owl started to calm down. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Huntress. Sorry. Lost my head."
Ten minutes later, both heroines were back inside Hunter's Corvette. They discreetly watched as NYPD took the Dragon Lords into custody. The Huntress had used more sleeping gas pellets to keep the criminals peaceful and then used tie-wraps to secure them.
"Good riddance to bad trash," Night Owl announced. She was still a bit peeved by the attempt to run her over.
"Amen to that."
"Still, I think we should have waited for the cops to arrive. A little PR never hurt."
"That's something I'd rather avoid," the Huntress explained. "I'm not doing this for the glory or the fame."
"Well, I am." Night Owl paused and let out a deep, heavy sigh. "Of course, I'm not really in the mood to deal with the press right now anyway. I was caught off guard and got angry."
Turning the engine over, the Huntress casually drove away from the crime scene. "Don't worry about it, Lydia. Things like this happen. Just don't let them get you down. How 'bout we call it a night?"
"Works for me."
A short time later, the Corvette pulled up in front of Night Owl's apartment building. Retrieving the trench coat that she had tossed behind her seat earlier, Night Owl donned the garment and got out of the car. She turned and stooped over to speak through the open passenger window. "So when do you want to go shopping?"
The Huntress leaned to her right. "Probably in a few days. I've got a lot of work to do tomorrow. Tell you what, I'll give you a call."
"Okay. 'Night."
"Good night."
Night Owl turned and entered her apartment house while the Huntress drove off.
It was nearly noon by the time Helena got up. After dropping off Night Owl, she had returned to the Avenger's Mansion and slept in one of the guestrooms. Upon waking, she showered and then paid a visit to Black Diamond's quarters. The two were nearly the same height and build, so Helena borrowed a pair of blue jeans, a sweatshirt, and sneakers. "This lack of clothes is beginning to become annoying." The clothing fit well enough. Much better than the biker outfit she had borrowed from her father the night before.
Jeeves had brunch all prepared and Helena ate her fill. "Would you care for another piece of apple pie, Madame?"
"Oh, no thanks, Jeeves." Helena leaned back in her chair. "I ate more than I should have as it was."
Jeeves began to clear away the table. "Last evening's activities gave you a sizable appetite."
Helena sat up, curious at the remark. "How do you know what I did last night?"
"It was in all the morning papers." Jeeves casually pointed to nearby stack of newspapers.
Picking up the Times, Helena began to thumb through the pages, stopping at headlines that caught her attention.
"Two More Police Officers Missing?", Helena silently read to herself. The accompanying story focused on the disappearance of NYPD officers Norman and Cavanaugh. Seemingly, they were the latest in a series of disappearances over the last few weeks. A total of six officers had vanished without a trace so far. Police Commissioner Daniel Webb had no comment on the subject. "Sounds like something worth investigating."
Continuing on, Helena encountered another interesting headline: 'Portonni Turns States Evidence'. "The name sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it." Curious, Helena scanned the accompanying story.
James Portonni allegedly was a member of the Scatucci crime family that was heavily involved in many of the city labor unions. Apparently, Portonni cut himself a deal in exchange for evidence on the Scatuccis. "That would be a major blow to that particular family," Helena mused. "Couldn't happen to a nicer group."
Finally, she located the article that Jeeves had alluded to: 'Heroines Stop Dragon Lords'. Helena couldn't understand how their involvement could have been discovered. That was until she read the story.
When NYPD arrived at the Silk Emporium, they found a dozen Dragon Lord gang members waiting for them. All were secured and most were unconscious. Police found a note on one of the criminals. It read: 'Here's a present for you boys. Hugs and kisses, Night Owl and the Huntress."
"Lydia! Blast it! How could she do that?" Helena fumed for a few minutes, re-reading the story several times. She had wanted the Huntress to remain out of the public eye. Anonymity was a powerful weapon, one that Helena wanted to use for as long as possible. "I guess it was only a matter of time before someone found out anyway."
Annoyed, Helena returned the paper to the stack and stalked out of the dining room. She returned upstairs for a moment to use the phone. A quick call was made to the Mercedes dealership where she had purchased her car. With her keys having been lost in the fire, a new set were now required. Completing that task, she caught up with Jeeves again.
"I'm going to be departing the Mansion for a few hours on personal matters," Helena explained. "When are the Avengers due back?"
"According to Black Diamond, around five o'clock."
"I may be back in time to greet them. Depends on how long things take."
"Very good, Madame."
The afternoon flew past for Helena. After discreetly departing the mansion, she walked the distance across Central Park to her former apartment building. Helena cleared up loose ends there with the building manager while she waited for a new set of keys to her car to be delivered. They arrived on time as the dealer had promised. Her business with her former apartment all wrapped up, Helena got into her car, drove off, and didn't look back.
The law offices of Stone, Hanson, and Kirby were the next stop. After reassuring her friends and co-workers that she was indeed fine, Helena had a private meeting with Lee Hanson and Gerald Stone, the other partners in the business. She announced her intentions to take a less active role in the law firm. Given everything that Helena had endured in the last few months, neither man could argue with her decision. She would be kept appraised of firm activities, but wouldn't be involved in day to day decisions.
Helena had mixed feelings about dropping out of the firm. She had worked long and hard to become a lawyer and here she was abandoning it. But, as Muskateer and Scarlet Sabre had previously pointed out, being a lawyer was never her true goal. No, she had always intended to become a hero like her father, like his father, and like her grandmother. The legal profession had only been one step in furthering her ultimate goal. Much like her dabbling in stage magic had been. Both were merely a means to an end.
Emotionally drained, Helena retired to her office. Since she wasn't going to be here much in the foreseeable future, she decided to pack up a few things to take back to the estate. Helena didn't dwell on the task and completed it rapidly.
But there was much more that she still needed to do. Helena spent the next two hours on the phone. First, she contacted the several financial institutions that she did business with. New credit cards and checks would need to be issued, account information updated, and her new address made known.
With a heavy heart, Helena departed the law firm. It was a sad feeling to see it all end, but deep down inside she knew it had to be done. Her life as the Huntress was now far more interesting than practicing law.
Helena made several more stops before returning to the Avengers Mansion. She visited the Post Office to file a change of address form. Several clothing stores were visited to provide Helena with the basic essentials. In short order, her little sedan was filled with packages.
Once back at the Avengers Mansion, Helena made her way to the guestroom she had been using and changed back into her Huntress costume. She noted that it had been cleaned and that the tears in it over her heart had been repaired. "Jeeves, you are a treasure," she noted appreciatively.
The Huntress reached the Quinnjet hanger located on Sub-Level 1 just as the craft was arriving. Jeeves already had the system prepared to receive the jet. A portion of the driveway slid apart and the landing pad rose up to ground level. The Quinnjet landed, its VTOL thrusters creating a miniature windstorm. After powering down, the landing pad began to descend into the first sub-level, the driveway closing up in the process. In less than a minute, the Quinnjet was secured in the large hanger.
The hatch opened and the team disembarked, Black Diamond leading the way. Upon seeing the Huntress, she flew to greet her with a hug. "Helena! I am so glad that you're all right!"
"You're not the only one. Other than some cuts and bruises, I'm okay."
The others began to file out. Supreme followed Black Diamond, then much to the Huntress' surprise, the Crusader emerged from the Quinnjet. The Thing and Lightburst brought up the rear.
"What's--?", the Huntress wondered aloud, puzzled by the appearance of this vigilante.
"He needed a lift," Black Diamond interrupted with a shrug. "Crusader was one of the heroes captured as part of the Claw's contest. We dropped off Imperial and Aftershock in Washington, DC as well."
The Huntress watched the crime fighter as he approached. Crusader was about the same height as Helena and in obvious peak physical condition. His costume was dark blue with white accessories. He carried a small shield colored in a lighter blue with a white area in the shape of a star. Helena guessed him to be in his late thirties or early forties. There was a quiet confidence in the man's stride.
"So you're the new kid on the block," Crusader announced as he approached the Huntress.
"You could say that," Helena answered cautiously. She wasn't quite sure what to make of Crusader. There had been times where he had unquestionably been a hero. But other times he was a shade of gray. His occasional collaborations with Copperhead were a strike against him in Helena's eyes.
"Welcome to the war, Huntress." Crusader offered his hand. After a pause, Helena accepted it. "We need all the help we can get."
"Thanks. I guess."
Breaking his grip, Crusader started to make his way out of the hanger. "Thanks for the lift, Di. Good day, ladies."
"Our pleasure, Crusader."
"That was unexpected," Helena said to Marvel once Crusader was out of earshot.
"Crusader is reliable. More so than Copperhead."
The Huntress nodded her understanding, but didn't comment on the matter any further.
Black Diamond gestured for both Supreme and Lightburst to come over and greet the Huntress. Helena couldn't help but notice the tension between the two men. She had met both heroes before, but not as the Huntress.
"Boys, this is the Huntress, the last of our reservists."
"So Hunter's little girl has grown up," Supreme observed. "Yer dad might have been the founder, but you're still a rookie in my eyes."
"Who am I to argue with that? But if you think I'm going to fetch coffee for you, you're sadly mistaken."
Supreme laughed and smiled at the comment. "She's got spirit, I'll give you that Di."
Lightburst just mumbled something that sounded like, "Nice to meet you", and continued on out of the hanger.
"That's not the Lightburst I knew," the Huntress commented to Black Diamond. "What's wrong with him?"
"He's a twit!", Supreme interjected. "End of story."
"That's what I'm hoping Nightingale can find out," Diamond explained. "Hopefully, she'll be able to return from Los Angeles with the others."
The Huntress watched Lightburst depart thoughtfully. There was definitely something wrong with him. His manner, his body language were all wrong. While Helena had only minimal contact with Lightburst, she knew him to be easy going and fast talking. Right now, he was neither of these things.
Helena's revere was broken as the Thing approached. "Lookin' good, Sprout."
"Thanks, Uncle Ben. Feeling good, too."
"That's great, kid." As he passed, the rocky Avenger gave Helena a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Say, Jeeves! Whatcha got cookin'?"
"Welcome home, sir," Jeeves replied. "Dinner is currently being served."
"Now yer talkin'!" With purpose, the Thing ambled off, Lightburst following closely behind.
"Who's this guy?", Supreme whispered to Black Diamond. So much had changed in the hero's long absence.
"Jeeves is our new butler. Come on, I'll introduce you."
Two hours later, Black Diamond and the Huntress were seated alone in the dining room. The meal was impeccable as usual. After eating their fill, the others had slowly dispersed. Stories of their latest exploits had been the main topic of conversation during the meal.
"I had no idea that Jess had been hurt so badly," Helena commented. "Jaime never mentioned anything to me other than Jess being in a 'sticky situation'. This invasion of the Crimson Claw's citadel is news to me."
"Given your predicament, I can understand why she didn't tell you. I'm just happy that you're in one piece. Artemis was a tough customer."
"That she was. Fortunately it's all over with now."
Black Diamond nodded in agreement as she took a sip of her coffee. "So what are you going to do now? Losing the apartment and all."
"I'm moving back to the estate. I think it's the right thing to do just now. I'm on leave from the firm, so I can devote my full attention to being the Huntress. I figure I can set up my own mini-gym there as well."
"At least you have a plan of action."
"Of a fashion. I've been going back and forth on several issues for a long time now. Losing the apartment just made it much easier to reach these decisions."
Finishing the last of her coffee, Black Diamond set her cup down and rose from her seat. "I'm glad things are working out for you. If you need a hand with anything, just let me know."
The Huntress gave her friend a knowing smile. "In fact, there is something that you can do for me... Providing you don't mind doing a little work?"
"This is not what I thought you had in mind," Linda Taylor lamented as she wiped the perspiration from her brow. Helena had driven her own car home from the Avengers Mansion the night before. Black Diamond came out in Hunter's Corvette the next morning. Together, the two took on the task of clearing out the master bedroom suite and storing Lane Kirby's belongings.
"You did make the offer," Helena noted as she finished waxing one of the nightstands. The entire room had been rearranged, some furniture removed and stored, while other pieces were added according to Helena's tastes.
"Me and my big mouth."
"Seriously, I really appreciate this." Helena joined Linda in taking a break. "I don't know if I could have done this all on my own. There are so many memories in here."
"I understand completely. This feels kind of odd to me too. But it's such a big house. Are you sure that you want to live here alone?"
"I really hadn't considered that thought before," Helena offered. "I'm used to being by myself anyway, this shouldn't be any different."
"Okay." Linda stood up, ready to continue working. "What's next?"
"Well, we have the bedroom finished. I guess the closets would be next. Then the bathroom."
Opening the door to the spacious closet, Linda saw row after row of clothes on hangers. "What are you going to do with all of this?"
Helena shrugged. "I haven't given it any thought. I'll probably donate it to charity. I really don't have any use for it."
"Hmmm... You know I think that Musky and Ranger are about your dad's size."
"They're more than welcome to help themselves," Helena answered as she grabbed a handful of custom-made suits. "We'll just move these into the guest suite's closets for the time being."
The next several days were spent making the estate livable again. A landscaper was hired to tend to the grounds. A service was contacted to bring the Oolympic-sized indoor pool back into working order. Foodstuffs filled the kitchen pantry. The cupboards were no longer bare. Several shopping trips with Lydia had solved any immediate problems as far as Helena's wardrobe was concerned. She ultimately decided against hiring servants. They would just complicate her dual life as the Huntress.
Sleep came uneasily the first few nights in her new surroundings. But as the days passed, it became easier and more comfortable. The Huntress laid low during this time. She ran some training drills at the Avenger's Mansion, but did not go out on patrol. Helena did procure one of Hunter's miniature surveillance robots. It would prove handy for an idea she had in mind. (Editor's Note: Last seen in Muskateer #10)
It was late Thursday evening and Helena was getting ready to turn in for the evening. Suddenly, a buzzing filled the room. Something had triggered the mansion's security system! "What in the world?!"
Helena rushed into her den and activated its desktop computer. In seconds a schematic of the estate appeared on the screen, highlighting the location of the active alarm. "A window alarm has gone off. Right down stairs!"
Moving as quickly and quietly as she could, Helena exited her den and proceeded to the source of the alarm. The lower floor of the mansion was mostly dark. A few night-lights were on, providing only minimal illumination. Helena keep to the shadows and listened for any sound the intruder might make. Only silence reached her ears.
"It might be a false alarm," Helena thought to herself.
Still proceeding with caution, Helena entered one of the sitting rooms. All appeared quiet as she moved silently through the chamber.
Unexpectedly, a light clicked on behind her! Helena whirled, expecting an imminent attack.
Instead, she saw an older woman dressed in black seated in an overstuffed chair. The woman's hair was cut shoulder length and was black in color. The light beside her chair was now on.
"Hello, Helena. It's been far too long."
Helena could only gasp in surprise. She was so dumbfounded that she couldn't even speak.
The older woman casually stood up. She was at least six inches shorter than Helena. An amazing resemblance could be noticed between them.
"My, how you have grown. What's the matter, Helena? Can't you even say 'hello' to your mother?"
