A strong pair of arms wrap themselves around my waist, and for a moment I freeze with a strange shiver going through me.

But it's gone in a second when I feel his cold lips by my ear, his harsh breath sending chills down my spine. I struggle to get out of his grasp but he is strong, too strong.

I watch the rest of the team lie on the floor, unconscious and bleeding. The only absent one if a certain scarlet speedster and I relish in the thought, at least he got away. Smart boy.

But them there's a crash, and the lights go out. I feel the nuzzle of a gun pressed to my temple, then the large shout from the man holding me. "Hey," his deep voice growls. "Do anything and the girl dies. Got it?"

There is not answer, though even if there was I wasn't sure I could hear. My head hurts like hell and my body is aching from the fight, but I cannot escape. His grip is immensely tighter; his arm wrapped around my stomach and pain comes.

Then the lights flicker back on and my heart leaps, but crashes again when I see him standing in the middle of the room, holding a gun. I know that he can't use a gun, that none of them minus Boy Wonder can, but the drug gang doesn't know that. Hopefully he will take this chance and run, run as fast as he could away.

My father-yes the man who is killing my second by second is my father-laughs deeply, causing me to flinch. "Put down the gun, little boy. No one needs to get hurt."

When he speaks his voice is strong, and there is something in it that I've never heard before. "Let her go."

I watch as my father motions for the other men in the shadows to grab the boy in the middle, along with the rest of the unconscious team. I try and warn him but I can't, his hand around my mouth is killing me.

I'm going to die.

The thought fills me and a sense of dread comes to me, but I pray-I've never believed in God before, but if it gets him out alive I might as wells try-that he'll be safe, that he'll wake up and be at home safe. I may be dead, but he won't.

He'll move on, he'll get a new girlfriend. She'll be stunning and amazing and everything I wasn't to him, and he'll be happy.

He'll finally be happy.

Yet he doesn't move as the men surround him, only flings the gun to the corner of the room and takes a fighting stance. His costume is ripped and I could see blood running down his cheek, but he doesn't care as his eyes glare daggers at the offending men.

I feel my father start to drag me from the circle and I want to scream, to cry out, but I can't. But my eyes catch his and his eyes grow wide. "Artemis!" he yells, before trying to run towards me.

It's as if everything is in slow motion as my father whips a gun from his pocket and aims it at the speedster. I stiffen and a sudden rush of anger goes through me. He can hurt me, he can kill me for all I care, but if he touches one hair on that boy's skin I'm going to make his life a living hell.

I bring my foot up with a sudden burst of strength and knock the gun out of his hand, causing a shot to fire. I watch as it goes wide and hits the far side of the warehouse, far away from the rest of the team. The boy starts to take down Sportsmaster's gang, and a rush of hope fills me again.

And it collapses when a shot reaches my ears, and a cry comes from me as I see him fall to the ground, motionless. There is a faint fall of his chest as his eyes flicker. Gray meets blue as I try and escape from my father's arms, but there is no use.

"Artemis," he whispers, then the eyes close.

A scream escapes me, but I do not hear. Pain fills my body as my father throws me to the ground, sending a sharp pain to my side with his boot. I curl up in a ball, praying that it will all go away.

Now I wish I would die.

As my eyes start to close, I notice that everything seems to go still. My father is still ordering everything out of the warehouse, Robin is moaning on the ground, M'gnn is nearby surrounded by fire, Kaldur is curled into a ball, and Superboy is limp against the wall, a large hole beside him.

Flames come to my vision as I take my final breath.

I'm sorry, Wally. I failed.

I love you.

And...finish.