No Man's Land

Chapter 11

Zinda races out of the library and is instantly confronted with the fifty-starred flag. How is all this possible? Cars of all shapes, sizes and colors race past as she stumbles, bracing herself on a streetpost. How did she not see it? None of these... things are familiar to her! A large vehicle stops in front of her, releasing a large amount of exhaust and opening a door towards her. She jumps back, almost falling over the bench behind her.

"You okay, lady?" The driver asks from inside the bus.

How can she describe all this to a complete stranger? "I... I'm fine-"

"If you're in some kind of distress, I can let you ride for free if you need to-"

"No no, thank you for your kindness, Sir, I'm fine..."

The driver shrugs, "Suit yourself..."

The door closes abruptly as thunder roars overhead. Her fingers tightly grip her hair, the pain of her strength paling in comparison to her racing heart. Did she have a family? Are they dead? What if she's the only one? What then?

What now?

A bicyclist brushes past, nearly missing her. She turns around just in time to see the biker's back back with the exact same black and gold hawk on the front flap with the words "Blackhawk Express" printed underneath.

Could it be? She takes off her hat and brushes the logo, looking back and forth as the hawk fades from view. She is about to sprint after the bike when an arm stops her. She continues to try and move past, but Jeff holds her back.

"Zinda, Zinda... please calm down just calm down please..." He keeps repeating.

Tears start to fall from her eyes as the bicycle is now completely gone, which only adds to her anxiety. Somehow just seeing that insignia somewhere other than her hat or an "old" photograph gave her some hope... but now it's gone.

"You gotta breathe deeply, Zinda," Jeff says as he steadies her.

Somehow that sounds familiar; like an echo from her past as a different voice reverberates through her head. She clutches the sides of her head as her ears start to ring. "I can't Chop... I can't..." She hears herself say as the ringing grows louder and stops as suddenly as it began.

"Who's Chop?" Jeff asks as he tries to get her to look him in the eye, "Zinda, please. Does that name mean something?"

She cries out in frustration, "I DON'T KNOW!" She frantically looks at the street for something... what was it? There had to have been something there... She slowly collapses to the sidewalk. "I don't know, Jeffery... I don't know anymore..."

He kneels down beside her, putting his hands on her shoulders, "Then we'll find out. Together."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

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Helena stares out at the ocean as the sun sets behind her, the coast of mainland New Jersey just a faint shadow in the distance. This is the only place that gives her some sort of peace... and the feeling of her fist into the jaw of some of Black Mask's guys, but mostly the beach. She grasps tightly at her elbows as she pictures his body sailing along the waves.

"I like to think you'd be proud of me, if you were still here..." She sniffles, he wouldn't want her to cry, "I don't think you'd like it if you were though... Gotham was rough around the edges before but now... people are so scared they don't even trust me anymore. They can't tell hero from villain. But even if they're afraid of me, I'll still try to protect what's left of the people of Gotham City... someone has to. It might as well be me."

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The bits of glass and rubble crunch under my wheels as I weave through the darkened alleyway. It's quiet... too quiet.

"I hear you've been looking for me," He laughs.

I push my chair back against the brick wall, prepared to fight him on either side with my sticks in hand... but there's no one there. The darkened ends of the alley make my heart race; I can't see if there's anyone down there. The wind blows pieces of trash past me as I wait, not eager to give him a window to strike. Moments feel like hours as I wait. He must be here somewhere. Against my better judgement, I start to wheel away to my right, and as soon as I do, I can feel him behind me.

"Looking for me?" His cackle burns my ears as I turn my shoulders around to strike with my right hand.

My body almost falls out of my wheelchair. I can feel him grabbing me, keeping me from falling to the ground. I punch at his throat. He's quick to block it, using himself to shield me as we fall. He groans as I elbow him in the ribs. I quickly take advantage of his pain to try to army crawl away.

"Barbara!"

Suddenly, he grabs my foot pulling me back to him. I scream out as I turn ready to strike when he forcefully pins my arms down to my sides.

"BARBARA!!"

In an instant, I snap back. It wasn't the Joker I was fighting, it was Nightwing. My heart is still racing as his eyes stare into mine. Never have I seen him so distraught. He takes off his mask and wipes the tears that have been streaming down my face. There are more to take their place.

"It's me Barb." He murmurs. "It's just me."

My lip quivers as I realize that my dream brought him back to that horrible night too... I wrap my arms around his shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Dick, I'm so sorry..."

His arms weave under mine as he draws me close, "It's okay Barb. I'm here. You're safe."

The work, the constant going going going... all of it keeps me from wondering if he escaped- keeps me from wondering if he's going to come after me again, but this time to finish the job. I try and hide it the best that I can, but sometimes the facade bursts and those closest to us are left to pick up the pieces.

His words continue to echo in my mind as we embrace each other in the glow of the clockface, "You're safe, Barbara. You're safe," and I can't help but feel it. Somehow, when he's here, our worlds can be falling apart... yet we both know that as long as we're by each other's side, we can pick up the pieces.