Chapter 10

In Star Labs, several drones sat about the table, with Caitlin, Harry, and Karen hard at work. Thanks to a few modifications and a couple of suggestions from Harry, they had been shaped like owls. Which Karen thought was an interesting touch. She controlled them remotely. They moved down onto the lab. She tested the function of where the owls would attack anyone other than the intended target that would try to intercept the message.

"So far, so good," Caitlin commented.

"There's a snag through," Karen said.

"What kind of snag?" she asked.

"Get in the lab on the East Wing and I'll show you," Karen said with a smile.

Karen glued her eyes on the view screen, with Caitlin scrambling into position on that lab. Harry stood, proud at their handiwork.

"The attack protocols were a nice touch," Harry said.

"Yes, they were, thank you," Karen said. "Especially given in our line of work, people intercepting communications would be deadly. I'm sure when the government...any government...gets wind of this, they want an arm and a leg for this. And there's a profit to be made on the scaled down version….sending people owls...so to speak."

Harry just smiled and hs eyes glued in the East Wing Lab where Caitlin stood. Karen walked over and programmed the drone.

"This is a test," Karen told the drone.

The OWL took off from the ground and flew towards the lab. She tracked the progress with a beacon. It took the most convenient path through the door and landed in front of Caitlin, the intended target. The owl prepared to deliver the message, only for it to smoke.

"All, we're going to need to do is find the right coolant system," Harry said. "But, we're going to have to find out that doesn't bog down the navigation settings."

Caitlin returned to the lab with the smoking and overheated owl. Not exactly one of the best test flights overall. Thankfully, it shut down before it exploded into flames this time, so they were pretty much on the right track. Karen placed her hand on Caitlin's shoulder.

"We'll come back to it from Gotham with a fresh perspective," Karen told her.

She already had a couple of ideas of things to look onto it.

"And you're going to meet Helena when you're there," Karen said to Harry.

"Yes," Harry agreed. "Her mother wanted to meet me."

Karen just smiled knowingly at Harry's statement.

"Well, I'm sure that she'll behave herself if you ask her nicely," Karen muttered.

Harry raised an eyebrow. The three moved from the lab to the penthouse upstairs. They would need to pack for the flight to Gotham City. They would be gone the entire weekend.

While Karen and Caitlin were in labs with the people at WayneTech, Harry would be having lunch with Helena and her mother. They hinted that this trip would bring new expansions in communication, for a tower that would bridge the gap from Metropolis to Gotham and then beyond.

The future was in their grasp. They can almost touch it.

Harry, Caitlin, and Karen arrived outside of the main Wayne Industries building. Harry would have to say, the building looked extremely impressive and he could not help and get a pretty good look at it.

The one and only Bruce Wayne appeared in the flesh to meet the trio. In came a middle aged black gentleman, who Harry knew to be the man who kept the day to day operations of Wayne running smoothly while Bruce engaged in his other activities, in Mr. Lucius Fox. And finally, Helena turned up as well. Her expression turned into one of interest.

"Mr. Wayne, it's been too long," Karen said.

"Well, we've done this mostly over the phone," Bruce commented to her with a good natured smile. "But, now you and I, we're going to take doing business over the phone to an entirely different level."

"Yes," Karen said. "This is my new assistant, Ms. Caitlin Fairchild, and my charge….Hadrian Kent...or Harry as he's called by most."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Bruce said. "You know Lucius Fox, don't you?"

"A pleasure as well, Doctor Starr, Doctor Fairchild, Mr. Kent," Lucius commented to them.

"And you know my daughter, Helena," Bruce said.

Karen disguised her thoughts.. She knew Helena Wayne alright. It was a bit staggering every time she came face to face with a younger version of her best friend on this Earth. Helena did not make it through the portal, when their Earth was...well it was five years ago, but the wounds felt as fresh as yesterday.

"How are you doing?" Karen asked.

"Good," Helena said. "So, Harry….I'm sure the adults want to talk...and my mother wanted to meet me for lunch...and afterwards, we can give you the grand tour of Gotham City."

"I'd be honored," Harry said with a smile, as she took his hand.

"Alfred is out back, he'll give you a ride," Bruce commented.

"Thanks," Helena said in an earnest voice.

The two of them left for to take the limo where the faithful Wayne family butler was waiting.

After Alfred dropped them off, Harry and Helena stepped out onto the curb. Helena looked around with a smile. No one would try anything with them here, but still, it was best that she master all of her surroundings. It was how she was trained afterall.

Harry's eyes traveled to an extremely attractive woman in her late thirties. Although, to be honest, this woman looked pretty damn good for her age. A curvy figure pressed in a purple blouse and a nice black skirt, which was of modest length, along with thigh high black boots. Her dark hair, beautiful face, and vibrant green eyes shined with life. She had her fingernails neatly trimmed.

"Helena, it's good to see you," the woman said, wrapping her arms around Helena with a hug.

"Hello, Mom," Helena said. "Harry, this is my mother, Selina Kyle. Mom, this is Harry Kent."

"Claire's...younger brother, right?" Selina asked with a smile as she was sizing him up, like a prized jewel on display at the museum. Old habits died. "It's a pleasure to meet you...indeed."

Harry took her hand and planted a kiss on it. Selina observed him very curiously.

"The pleasure is all mine," Harry said.

"I wonder where she's been hiding you all this time," Selina said with a good natured smile. "I've got us a private table...so we don't be disturbed."

Helena, Selina, and Harry stepped into the cafe. The woman at the door smiled and escorted them all in.

"So, you're Catwoman?" Harry whispered suddenly.

Selina had been taken aback, but smiled. Too clever for his own good. And yet, Selina liked that, a challenge.

"Well, it's been a long time since I've dusted my whip off," she told him with a smile. "But, yes, a long time ago….I was Catwoman. Still have the old suit's...just hanging around….might find a reason to squeeze into them every now and then."

They sat around the table and ordered their food. Selina eyed Harry over her drink.

"So, I've heard about...your circumstances from Helena," Selina said. "You're doing alright, aren't you?"

"Yes," Harry said with a smile.

"I can tell," Selina said with a soft smile on her face. "So, what have you two been up to?"

Selina let that sentence hang just enough to get Helena just the most tiny bit flustered. There were times, where she was like her father a bit too much. Therefore, Selina wanted to make sure that she loosened up a little bit, took life a bit less seriously.

"I mean on your….team," Selina said in a low voice.

"So, she knows?" Harry asked.

"Well, yes, I do," Selina said. "I feel like it's important to take an interest in your daughter's interests."

"And you're okay with what she's doing?" Harry asked.

Helena always did find it strange that Selina had been okay with her activities. Then again, she figured it did make some sense.

"She's my daughter," Selina said. "She would do what she wants anyway, whether or not she has my blessing. I'm sure that's something her father learned himself the hard way. Not that he can't be annoyingly stubborn when he wants to be."

"Well, we've...we were in South America," Helena said.

Selina, to her credit, managed to hear out the story from the beginning to end. She frowned for a minute when she found out that Bane had been involved, although she shot Harry a smile when Helena described how handily he thrashed Bane. The mention of Sportsmaster caused Selina's expression to darken several more shades.

"So, the two of you….you know him?" Harry asked before he could help himself. "Helena looked like she….well…."

"Wanted to kick his ass on sheer principle," Helena helpfully stated.

"We've had a couple of run ins," Selina carefully answered.

Harry knew enough about reading ones expression to know that this part of the conversation, as it was, was drawing to a close.

"So, how is Claire doing?" Selina asked. "I haven't talked to her since her illness."

"Well, I wouldn't know," Harry bluntly replied.

Selina just smiled and she had a pretty good idea what Claire was acting like through Lois, but she wanted to hear it straight from Harry.

"I'm giving her the space she needs," Harry said. "She'll figure out...whatever she's trying to figure out eventually. Hopefully soon."

"She has no right to treat you like she does," Helena said.

Helena used to respect Superwoman, until this incident. Harry might be a lot more forgiving towards the woman's behavior, but Helena...well she was not. She was acting more like Batman when he was obsessing pursuing a case, coldly shutting everyone out around them. No matter how many times Alfred told her not to take it personally, Helena could not help, but do so.

"So, what are you doing outside of the team?" Selina asked. "Are you going somewhere to school?"

"Happy Harbor High, in the fall," Harry said.

"Oh, that's a nice quaint little town," Selina said. "Of course, dreadfully boring, if you want an interesting life."

Harry just broke into a smile.

"Didn't seem too boring a few weeks ago," Harry said. "You know with the tornados."

Selina answered with a nod.

"And you've been working with Karen….up close and personal," Selina said.

Selina's smile just grew even wider.

Helena just shook her head for a second. Selina acted like she had not said anything out of the ordinary. Regardless, Harry got into a conversation about the OWLs, which they did not come up with an acronym for. Onboard Wireless Letter System was the best Harry could come up for, but given letters were wireless by nature, the entire name just sounded redundant.

Perhaps making it actually mean nothing would be better. To really make people think about the entire process.

"Obviously I can't tell you everything," Harry said.

"Karen's told me a bit more than you have," Selina said. "Because she needed some advice on how to avoid...persistent thieves."

Selina drafted Harry and Helena to help her deliver some groceries to an old friend of hers. Harry carried a good portion of the groceries, although Helena and Selina both insisted on doing their fair share.

"I owe you one for this," Selina said.

"Not a problem at all," Harry said.

Helena balanced the groceries carefully in her hand. Her mother had been doing a lot of charity work for women who had lived rough lives, although this one had a bit of a personal spin to it. The trio turned up at the door. Selina took the two bags Helena was carrying and she stepped in front of the door to knock on the door.

The door opened and an attractive mix-raced blonde dressed in a black tank top and jean shorts answered the door. She looked to be around Helena's age, or maybe slightly older. Harry could peg her about sixteen to Helena's fifteen.

"Helena!" she called. "It's been way too long."

"Hello, Artemis," Helena said with a smile. "Harry, this is Artemis Crock, one of my friends….Artemis, this is Harry Kent...he's….another one of my friends...I met him on a trip out in Washington."

Which was not a complete lie to be honest. Artemis did not get a good enough look at Harry, until he sat the groceries down on the table. Artemis gazed at him, taking him all in.

"Hey," Artemis said in a slightly dazed voice when she got a good look at his arms.

"So, is Aunt Paula in?" Helena asked.

Helena's question snapped Artemis out of la-la land.

"Yeah, she's in the kitchen...she'll be happy to see you all," Artemis said.

Artemis threw her head back. She was going all gushy over a boy...actually, this was no boy, this was a man, so maybe that's different. But, still she held her head up.

"Sorry, Harry...it's just that I've had a long day, it's hot, and we don't have AC," Artemis said. "Are you hot as well?"

"Oh, I can adapt pretty easily," Harry said with a smile.

The group entered the kitchen where an attractive Vietnamese woman of around forty two sat at the table at a wheelchair. She was reading a leaflet which she slid underneath a coaster at the table and turned. Her expression brightened at the guests her daughter brought.

"Helena, Selina, it's good to see you two again," Paula said. "And...you didn't have to bring me those groceries, I could have managed on my own…."

"We know you're self-sufficient, Paula," Selina said. "And no one would consider you weak...but you deserve to have your life a little bit easier."

"And this is Harry Kent," Selina said.

Paula just smiled, catching a glimpse of the eyes that Artemis was giving Harry, when she thought he was not looking. A mother always picked up on those things, even if she was not always the best mother. Paula thought bitterly, it took losing the feeling below her waist to actually become a good mother.

Much too late for one of her daughters, unfortunately. Although Paula still tried to be a good mother, for the sake of Artemis and tried not to be too bitter.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Paula said.

"It is as well, Mrs. Crock," Harry told her with a smile.

"I have something that I need to tell you," Selina told her. "The two of us...we need to talk."

Helena picked up on the statement, as did Artemis.

"Why don't I show you my room?" Artemis asked.

Harry smiled and left the two mothers alone in the kitchen. Despite the fact he could pick up what they're saying with his super hearing, he decided not to for once. He never did pry in on the conversation of people that he respected, at least intentionally. And given what Paula appeared to be through and how he liked Selina, he decided it was best for them to talk.

"Don't mind the mess," Artemis said, her cheeks flushing a little bit. "I haven't had a chance to tidy up."

"I don't mind."

Artemis threw open the door. She hated that Harry had to see her room like this, and with those bedsheets being so ugly as well. Regardless, Artemis smiled.

"There's something I want to show you," Artemis said. "The Tri-State Youth Archery Competition Championship."

Artemis took the plaque and showed it to Helena and Harry.

"Very nice," Harry said with a smile.

"I'd say, it took you five years to win that one," Helena said.

A big grin came over Artemis's face as she just basked in this moment of triumph.

"Every single year I came in second to Kate Bishop," Artemis said. "And I finally beat her smug little rich pants off this year...of course, she just had to shake my hand and be the graceful loser for it….I hate her sometimes."

"Maybe she's just glad to have someone who she can finally aspire to be better than," Helena said.

"Maybe," Artemis said. "But, still, she does have her own rival...on the West Coast….she has won far more archery trophies than Katie has. Oliver Queen's sister, Thea, I believe her name is."

"Yes," Helena said with a sad smile which she shielded from Artemis's line of sight.

"But, still, I've done it, and I can finally retire knowing that I won one," Artemis said. "I mean, having an entire room just for trophies, that seems like bragging, doesn't it?"

"Well, you had a goal and you achieved it," Harry said. "And I'm sure you worked hard for it."

"You better believe it," Artemis said.

"Have you been practicing long?" Harry asked her.

"Yeah, almost my entire life….it's one of the things that me and my f...that I really enjoy doing," Artemis commented a second later.

Harry raised an eyebrow and Helena put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. He got the sense that Artemis made a slip.

"Well, while I'm back in Gotham, I want to check up on another friend of mine," Helena told them. "Well, more of a big sister...the two of you can come along...or I can leave you alone?"

Artemis did not think she trusted herself to be alone in a bedroom with Harry for too long. She was sure he was a gentleman, but to call her a lady, it would be stretching the definition. The number of fist fights she got into over petty shit disqualified her from that. Growing up in the bad part of Gotham made it important to learn how to take care of herself.

"We'll both come," Harry said. "If that's okay with your mother."

"Won't know until I ask," Artemis said.

The trio stepped down the stairs. Helena stopped and turned to Artemis.

"So have you heard from…."

"No."

The answer was so short and so clipped that Helena wisely did not pursue it any further. Helena knocked on the kitchen door to make sure Paula and Selina were not in a conversation of some sort that was private. Selina opened the door.

"Do you three need anything?" Selina asked.

"We wanted to swing by the library," Helena said and she called over her mother. "Aunt Paula...is it okay if Artemis comes with us?"

Paula surveyed her daughter for a minute.

"As long as she comes back by supper," Paula said. "And I trust you stay out of trouble."

"I will, Mom," Artemis said with a smile.

She moved over and hugged her mother goodbye, and also hugged Selina, before turning off. Selina just smiled as the trio left.

"She's in good hands," Selina said.

"Yes, she is," Paula agreed. "It appears our daughters have similar exquisite tastes. And given after the incident….people like Harry will be in high demand."

Watching him leave brought a smile over Selina's face.

"Well, you can't deny he's yummy," Selina said.

"I'm old enough to be his mother," Paula said. "Besides, I'm broken."

Selina frowned big time at that statement. She hated when Paula downgraded herself like that. It was not her fault that it was in this wheelchair. And she had been so excited when there was a breakthrough which might have fixed her legs...until the person who was pioneering it just happened to fall into a coma.

Artemis, Harry, and Helena arrived at the Gotham City library. The library had been empty, other than a very attractive seventeen year old woman who had been very busy filing books away.

"Babs," Helena said and she broke out into a smile.

"Hey, girl," Barbara commented with a smile as she moved around the desk to hug Helena a few seconds later. "You've been taken care of yourself."

"Well, you know me, I never get in trouble," Helena said.

"Right," Barbara said with a smile. "Artemis, good to see you too...and…."

"Harry," the man joining them helpfully stated. "Harry Kent."

"Oh, any relation to Claire Kent?" Barbara asked.

"I'm her brother...although we aren't too close," Harry commented. "We got seperated a long time ago...maybe some day we'll reconnect."

Barbara accepted his words, knowing more about the situation that she could say in public. Harry either was not too bothered about Claire's attitude, or was doing an almost Bat level job in hiding the fact he was bothered by her attitude. Regardless, Barbara got the heads up that Superwoman was not nearly the same after coming back from her death. Claire had gone full Kryptonian to avoid dealing with some pretty serious PTSD issues. At least that's what Dinah thought, not that Claire would talk to anyone.

After those thoughts cleared, Barbara got a good look at Harry, and they did not make them like him anymore.

Then again, Barbara had been looking through the reports and could see some alarm bells. No new baby boys were born in the past three months, anywhere in the world. And she combed every resource to see if there was something that had not been made public. But, there was not.

"So, are they letting you off soon?" Helena asked.

"Just getting off now," Barbara said. "I'm waiting for….Dinah!"

Despite the fact that they were in a library, she shouted out the name of her friend. Barbara rushed over to greet Dinah and break out into a smile.

"This is one of my oldest friends, Dinah Lance," Barbara said.

Harry knew who she was right away and broke out into a smile. She dressed in a pair of tight blue jeans and a black tank top, along with some elegant boots. Harry smiled at her and good a good look at her fit, athletic body. And he recognized her instantly despite the casual clothes she wore.

"Hello, Ms. Lance," Harry said.

"It's Dinah," she told him with a smile. "And you must be Harry...Karen's told me a lot about you."

The two sized each other up for a minute and Harry planted a kiss on her hand. Dinah was about a second away from quipping that Karen had him trained well, but given the circumstances, she decided talking about training might not be the best idea. And Dinah had been spellbound, her heart had been beating very fast being in his proximity. She only saw him from afar a couple of times.

Dinah shook her head, trying not to let him overwhelm her. But, the moment that he came into close contact, thoughts entered her mind.

"How about the five of us head off for an afterwork drink?" Barbara asked with a smile. "Milkshakes...and I know a place where there are milkshakes which are to die for."

"This is Gotham, so I really hope that's not literal," Artemis said seriously.

Dinah, Artemis, Barbara, Helena, and Harry settled in around the table, for some nice milkshakes. It had been a first for Harry, whether inside the simulation, inside of his memories, or anything else. Harry drank from the milkshake.

The eyes of the women were on them, as they talked about a few things, casually speaking. Harry decided to bring up something.

"You have a nice bike, Dinah," Harry said with a smile. "It looks pretty cool."

"Yeah, that's my baby," Dinah said with a fond smile. "My sister and I...we rebuilt it...one of the few things we did together that did not result in us almost killing each other….and then she just had to build one of her own...although not as...extensive as mine."

Dinah caught Barbara's eye who grinned. A wide smile spread over Dinah as she turned back to Harry.

"If you want, I can teach you how to ride," Dinah said.

"Really?"

"Yes, I'll take you on a ride whenever you want," Dinah said.

One could see Barbara almost stuff her fingers into her mouth, and stifle the laughter. Dinah gave her one of those looks and Barbara just broke out with a shrug.

"School's coming soon," Artemis said. "Way too soon…."

"Did you get the letter?" Helena asked.

"To GPA, yeah, I got it," Artemis said. "It's a pretty good school. And I'm pretty sure that none of the teachers are going to get busted for trafficking cocaine to Freshmen."

"Seriously, that happened at Gotham Public?" Harry asked her.

"It's Gotham in general," Artemis said with a shrug. "Still, it's not like I'm going to be in there alone…."

"I'm starting this year," Helena said. "To GPA...should be nice...and I'm not the only one. Zatanna, she's starting as well."

Helena was honestly surprised that John did such an about face of Zatanna attending any kind of schooling that was not home-schooling. It had been a long time since Helena had talked to Zee, given that she had been on a trip over the summer around the world with her father, since the day after the Cadmus incident.

"One more year of GPA for me, and then I can go wherever I want," Barbara said. "Dad wants me to slow down before I kill myself with all of the studying."

"So, how is Commissioner Gordon?" Helena asked.

"Well, he might be Mayor Gordon in another month," Barbara said. "Depends on how the elections go."

"He'll win," Helena said.

"Yeah, I'd vote for him, if I could," Artemis agreed.

They turned to Harry who finished up his milkshake.

"Happy Harbor High," Harry said. "It's the first...time I've been to an actual public school. Do you have any pointers?"

"Bring your own lunch," Artemis said. "Trust me on that one."

"Is that more of a Gotham rule than a school rule in general?" Helena asked.

Dinah just smiled. Happy Harbor actually was one of the better places to be. Although, the entire Mister Twister incident had one of the rare instances that something happened. They were investigating every lead as to why.

No matter how much Dinah relaxed, all good things came to an end. Namely a call caught her attention and Dinah knew from the person calling, she would have to take it.

"Sorry, got to go," Dinah said. "I'm serious about that ride, when you want to take me up on it."

"Oh, I will," Harry said.

"Well, I think that I better get home as well," Artemis said. "Getting way too close to dark….and I think that it's going to rain."

Helena and Barbara nodded. Harry had a sense that you did not want to get trapped out of a Gotham City night. After finishing their milkshakes, with Helena leaving a sizeable tip on the table for all of them, they headed off. Barbara would only have a short walk back home, and Artemis, Helena, and Harry would have to cut through Park Row, or Crime Alley as it was often called, to go down there.

"Is there another way to get there faster?" Harry asked.

Helena shook her head. There were times where Harry wished he could teleport. And this was one of those times.

"And back home, safe and sound."

Artemis made her way into the kitchen to join her mother and Selina.

"I'm glad that Artemis has friends she can rely on," Paula commented with a smile. "And I hope that you two will come by again soon….although I know how people around your age get busy. Especially this close to school, and especially given the active lives you lead."

Harry just smiled and moved over to slip Artemis a slip of paper.

"If you need anything," Harry said. "Or if you just want to talk."

Artemis smiled and decided to hug Harry goodbye. She did the same with Helena, although she lingered a bit less.

Karen already had been waiting for Harry.

"Ready to go, lady killer?" Karen asked with a smile.

"Very funny," Harry said.

"I'm your cousin, it's my job to give you a hard time," Karen said with a light pat on his shoulder.

Helena and Selina would be getting back later. On the way out, Karen heard Selina's comment to Helena in undertone.

"I'll keep an eye out for him."

Cat Grant presses her face against the window and sighs. She dressed in a robe and lingerie underneath, a lacy purple number which fit snugly against her body. She blew a strand of hair away from her face. Lois's article, discussing her night with Superboy, or Superman as Lois suggests would be more appropriate, was on the paper.

Perhaps it had been too much for Cat to hope that he would fly by, take her into his arms and….he was hovering right outside of her window. Cat, trying not to look too eager, fumbled with the lock and threw it open. She took a step back.

"Ms. Grant," he said.

"Did you sleep with Lois Lane?" Cat asked.

The blunt nature of her question caused a smile to flash on Harry's face.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Harry asked.

Answering a question with a question, boy did Cat frown at that one. Her hands placed on her hips, for a few seconds.

"I left the Daily Planet because I didn't want to be second banana to Lois Lane," she said. "All of the reporters in this city have to be in her shadow."

"I don't know what you're worried about," Harry said. "Your work is top of the line, amazing, superb...great...you don't need to compare yourself to Lois or Iris or Vicki or…."

"My mother," Cat said.

"Or her," Harry said. "Just do the best you can do and no one will think any less of you. And you've done some amazing work.

"You have a way of making a woman feel special," Cat said.

He stepped completely inside, into her bedroom. Cat felt his strong arms wrap around hers and the young reporter trembled.

"So, what were you going to do the other day if the cameras weren't rolling?" Harry asked.

"Show, not tell, Superboy," Cat said. "Or is it Superman?"

Without any hesitation, Cat leaned in and kissed Harry. Harry wrapped his arms around the young blonde reporter, feeling up her soft ass in his hands. He ran a hand down her leg and then scoped out the rest of her body, returning the favor.

Harry scooped up Cat and marched her over to the bed. She tingled with excitement, hoping that he would live up to Lois's not so subtle innuendo.