Gently shutting the door, Artemis made her way through Tigress' room. She refused to call it her room; her room was with Wally, a thousand leagues away. Besides, Tigress was a character she was portraying. Artemis Crock was not a villain, only Tigress. They would forever be two separate people.
Ripping the mask from her face, Artemis headed toward the bathroom. She desperately wanted to cleanse herself from the events that had transpired today. Clenching her jaw, she slammed the door open and gripped the sink before her.
"TIGRESS!"
She flinched, the name ringing in her ears as Nigthwing's voice filled her mind. Never did she think she would have to fight Nightwing so soon, let alone in Mount Justice. Never did she think The Light would find access into Mount Justice either. She and Kaldur had to hide their surprise when Sportsmaster explained his plan. Sportsmaster. Artemis bit her lip; somehow, her thoughts always led back to her dad.
Glancing to the mirror, Artemis stared at her reflection. She saw herself; blonde hair, gray eyes, some Vietnamese heritage mixed in. But she knew the rest of the world except for three other people saw a pale, dark-haired villain, whose soul purpose was to ruin lives. The life she had carefully steered away from was where she had ultimately landed. She had unknowingly walked herself into the life her father had tried to beat into her years before.
She willed herself from touching the charm necklace. For all she knew, the enemy had rigged the room, and she was being videotaped right now. Last thing anyone needed at this point was having her real identity discovered just because she touched the necklace. Sighing, Artemis looked away from her reflection for a moment, aiming to turn on the shower. However, instinct brought her gaze back to the reflection.
There was no doubt she wasn't the girl she was five years ago; if the cut hair didn't give it away, it was the fact Artemis dropped the life of being a superhero for a long while. She had missed it with all her being, but at the time, there were more important things. Wally being the most important. She cringed at the thought of him. She missed his touch, his love for food, his stupid humor…she missed him.
What was the same was the fact that she was deceiving almost everyone she cared about again. And she hated it.
She hated it all; the deception, working with her father, fighting Nightwing, fighting her team, missing Wally. There was a weight she couldn't fight, and if she didn't shake it off soon, Artemis knew she would drown in the world she vowed never to be a part of.
Gripping the sink tighter, Artemis tore her gaze away from her reflection and instead stared at the faucet. She slowly blinked, keeping the tears at bay. She would not break. Not now, not in this place of cruelty and evil. She had a part to play and Tigress would not cry at the situation before her.
Gracefully, Artemis straightened herself and turned to the shower. She pushed the button to turn the shower on, and then slowly slipped herself out of Tigress' suit. She stepped into the shower and proceeded to cleanse herself of the day's events.
I am not my dad, she chanted to herself. I am not Tigress. I am not an evil person. I am not my dad…