The Sewers

Helena led Jay through a maze of turns, eventually finding a long-forgotten sewer entrance in some desolate corner. The cast-iron manhole cover was heavily rusted, its scraped patterns almost unrecognizable, suggesting it was over a century old.

Jay followed her down the severely corroded ladder, asking, "How did you find an entrance this ancient?"

"I meticulously studied all the structural blueprints I could gather for the Federal Government Building, including the attached pipeline systems," Helena replied, leaping down the last three rungs of the ladder. "From what I observed, this is the only entrance. The Apocalypse Invasion destroyed half of New York City, and many things were rebuilt, but this pipeline has existed long before that. It leads directly to the building's absolute restricted areas. I don't know what we'll encounter there, but it's the only way."

"That's certainly reassuring," Jay said as he jumped down. "Maybe an entire alien army from Warworld is waiting to capture us for an intergalactic gladiatorial arena."

Helena stopped and glanced back at him, saying seriously, "That's a possibility."

"I was kidding."

They fell silent for a moment, proceeding forward one after the other. Helena pulled out a flashlight, its golden beam probing the thick darkness ahead. It seemed the intelligence about the pipeline's age wasn't wrong; dark plants coiled around its circular inner walls, and the narrow path they stood on was covered in moss. The flashlight beam occasionally illuminated dark creatures, but they darted into the darkness like startled rabbits at the sight of light.

Helena remained silent throughout their trek. The darkness followed them closely, and while it didn't impede Jay's vision, the eerie atmosphere made him uneasy. Helena might be a capable partner, but at times like these, she wasn't the best company. Her unsettling silence only amplified the oppressive darkness of their surroundings.

However, Jay knew Batman was the same. Perhaps this trait was something she learned from her father – minimizing unnecessary communication during missions. Jay suddenly thought that in comic book stories, every Superman seemed destined to have a Batman as his best partner. So, would his best partner be Huntress?

His attention shifted to Helena. Observing her profile, her face appeared exceptionally delicate, and the dark environment only accentuated her mature and confident aura. Although she possessed no superpowers, she undeniably inherited her father's sharp investigative and problem-solving skills, making her a reassuring and reliable partner.

"You seem lost in thought," Helena suddenly said. Jay was startled. He thought she had her back to him; did she have eyes in the back of her head?

"Oh, no, I just... I just felt strange because you were so quiet."

Helena continued walking without turning around, saying, "Minimizing unnecessary communication helps us concentrate, which is good for the mission."

"Sounds like something Batman taught you," Jay casually asked. "Speaking of which, shouldn't we at least notify him?"

Helena's steps faltered slightly, and she finally turned her head, giving him a look of ambiguous meaning.

"Unless you're scared, you can go yourself," Helena said calmly. "I can continue alone from here."

"Alright, I know it's none of my business, but I really think you should try to fix your relationship," Jay said. "Didn't you say you don't blame him for your mother's death? He's your father, after all. You can't keep this up forever."

Helena, with her back to him, remained silent and continued walking into the darkness ahead. The moment Jay spoke, he regretted it; he had indeed meddled. Regardless of whether Helena was right or wrong in how she handled her relationship with her father, it was her family matter, and he probably wasn't familiar enough with her to butt into her family affairs.

But unexpectedly, Helena didn't get angry. After a long silence, she suddenly asked, "Did I ever tell you about finding my mother after she passed?"

"...No."

"When I found her in the ruins of the slum district evacuated by the Parademons, she had 40% burns on her skin. If it weren't for her tattered uniform, I would have barely recognized her. But even then, she was clinging to her last breath. I remember her touching my face with her blood-stained hand, telling me how much she loved me, telling me not to blame my father, saying she understood his choices for the greater good, and that was why she loved him."

She paused, then said in a low voice, "She lay in my lap then, and I watched her life fade away, helpless."

"I'm so sorry," Jay said. "I didn't know..."

"She told me not to blame my father, and I tried my best to do so. I understand my father's choices; he's Batman, he has to consider the bigger picture, I completely understand. I told him I wouldn't blame him for Mom's death, and I told myself that over and over... But I guess I lied. Perhaps deep down, I've never forgiven him. Maybe that's why I chose to leave Gotham and keep my distance from him for so long."

The topic added another layer of heaviness to the already dark and oppressive atmosphere, and they remained silent for quite some time. They walked to the end of the pipeline and descended another, seemingly newer pipe via a metal ladder. It was then that Jay couldn't help but speak, "Alright, maybe that's your reason. But have you ever thought about why he's kept his distance from you all this time?"

Helena paused, then said, "He's kept his distance from the whole world. He's shut himself off in his little world in Gotham, becoming indifferent to everything except the lunatics in Arkham."

"But you're different. You're his daughter, his only remaining blood relative," Jay said. "You lost your mother, but he also lost his beloved wife, and even more. Shouldn't he need you more at a time like this?"

"...So, what do you think is the reason?"

Jay shook his head. "I don't know. I can only... guess. I think maybe he's just guilty about your mother too. Maybe every time he sees you, he's reminded of his mistakes. Maybe he's just punishing himself, thinking he deserves it. Maybe he just feels he can't face you."

Helena fell silent. Her steps unconsciously slowed with her thoughts, the golden beam of her flashlight swaying up and down in the endless darkness of the pipeline.

"If you ask me, he needs you, just as you need him," Jay said to himself. "After all, you only have each other left. What's more important than family?"

Helena remained in deep thought for a long time before letting out a sigh and adopting a light, teasing tone. "Tsk, old Bats was right about you. Such naive, sunshiny thoughts. Do all Kryptonians see things so simply?"

Jay smiled slightly. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Indeed," Helena said, pausing. "But speaking of which, it's strange. You've only met Batman once, yet you seem to know him as if you've known him for years. Is that also a superpower?"

Jay inwardly broke into a cold sweat and brushed it off with a laugh. "Who knows? Pure intuition, maybe."