It was supposed to only be a oneshot but then words happened. It's not my fault, I swear. You can blame this largely on the Glitch Mob's cover of Seven Nation Army.
-RoyalVictory
The planet is unbelievably dark. It's the kind of dark that swallows you whole, the kind that reaches with long, bony fingers into even the brightest places in your mind. It suffocates you with its blackness. The dark is weighted and every pound demands to be felt. It makes your feet drag, your back hunch. Your chest caves into itself and your head hides between your shoulders. Your knees shake.
There is no light; only black outlines and sections of black that's darker than others, shadows that persevere in the darkness. Most would find the place terrifying. Most would lose their sanity in the dark and the soft clicking language of the native species in minutes. The fear would overtake them, and they would crack. But those who have already lost their minds can't go any further, and they love this place. This terrifying, black place.
Klarion loves it immensely.
He moves up the stairs with surprising grace for someone who cannot see, and relies on his other senses instead: the sound of the quiet clicking as the aliens on either side of him communicate, the breeze of frigid air that hits him when there are gaps between aliens, the amount of steps that tell him just how high he is climbing on the already suspended platform. He makes it to the top of the platform, and he kneels, knowing just how important that latter part is. Finally, he sees the light.
The alien carefully places the staff he has pined for and searched for for years in his waiting hands. The staff is heavier than he would've expected, and the light at the end is the brightest he's ever seen.
"Don't forget your promise," the voice before him says. The voice is deep, like the dark that surrounds them, slightly accented with a click on the end of 'don't'.
Klarion stands and turns. He holds the staff upright and holds his head higher, his smile resembling that which Medusa would wear before her victims turned to stone. He carefully descends the steps and imagines Earth's reckoning with glee.
He is a Lord of Chaos and he is about to live up to his title.
...
Dick doesn't like this.
But of course he doesn't show it, he knows better. His posture is relaxed as he carelessly paces the walkway above the scientists, whom buzz and stride with an extra jump in their step. Dick toys with one of his escrima sticks in his left hand, spinning it between his fingers in a way that looks absent minded, but that's all for show too. He's ready to leap from the platform and slam it into an enemy with less than a moment's notice, ready to attack without a second thought in order to complete what he's been hired to do. Which may be a bit dark, but that's the life he's chosen.
Wally is the only one in the entire building who can tell what Dick is thinking. Dick knows it too because Kid Flash catches his eye from across the room, leaned up against the wall on the floor, and gives him an easy smile, which Nightwing returns without a hitch. That doesn't mean Dick can't tell that Wally is just as ready to spring into action as he is. He knows that his best friend has a bad feeling about all this too. It doesn't help the queasy feeling in Dick's stomach. Especially if both of them are nervous; Wally understands to the fullest extent at what's going on while Dick doesn't.
Wally tried to explain what the busy scientists were doing earlier but Dick admits he still doesn't entirely understand. Wally's the one who majored in all the sciences and studied alien technology for a year. Wally's the one who talked with Adam Strange and his assistants on the way there, using scientific terms that Dick didn't even knew existed. (Dick's more of a math guy himself.)
What he does understand is that they are going to open some kind of door. They don't know where it will open to, and they don't know who will be waiting on the other side. Basically, no one knows anything about what will happen except that this door will (read: should) open. No one else seems to realize that a doorway can be walked through from either side, either.
Dick isn't against it because he doesn't completely understand what's even going on; he doesn't like it because it all seems incredibly shady. There was the whole factor of all of this being done by night, in a remote research lab in the middle of the desert, plus the tanks that are parked hidden outside, the same ones Dick pretends he doesn't know about. The whole thing seems especially bent since S.H.I.E.L.D called in two of the most powerful independent vigilantes the world has to offer because all of their best agents are on top secret, higher prioritized missions. Kid Flash and Nightwing are often asked to supervise for jobs like this, but aren't official, full time agents like their friend Artemis. All that means is they don't get paid for their services and they never get much information, but they work a whole lot less, which is something.
Dick paces across the walkway again and watches Dr. Strange closely as he fiddles with some kind of large device that Dick doesn't even have a name for. It looks like the different parts have been found at the scrap yard that have been welded together. (Knowing Adam Strange, there is a very good chance they could've been.) At the end is a cyan coloured cube, a few shades lighter than the finger stripes that run down the arms of Dick's uniform, and it seems to be the key of this whole operation. Dick's pretty sure it's the thing allowing them to open this intergalactic door in the first place.
"The Director's here," Wally's voice says through the com in his ear. Dick reaches up and presses two fingers to the com.
"I'll go receive them. Keep an eye on things."
"Yes sir," Wally responds cheekily as Dick leaps off the walkway and grabs a pole lodged in the wall, swings around it once, then lands silently on his feet. Without pause, he continues out of the room. "Show off," Wally says in his ear and Dick grins.
Dick passes two armed guards and goes into the long titanium hallway that will take him outside. The hallway is narrow, built for security, with two armed guards at each end and metal grates that drop and block off both exits, held shut with magnets. Even if someone does get through, there's no way they're getting out. Not through that hallway, anyways.
Dick strolls briskly out into the hangar, then out the door and into the crisp night air. It'd be a calm night, if not for the sound of propellers twirling and the wind created by them.
The helicopter is just landing when Dick gets outside. The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D steps out the second she gets the all clear. Her long black hair gathered in a tight ponytail and she's wearing her usual leather jacket. Her left eye is covered by an eye patch, with scars that snake out from beneath.
Her right hand and deputy director, Bruce Wayne, follows behind, wearing his customary blue jumpsuit and scowl. He holds a clipboard, either to be productive on the flight or to just look like he had been. Knowing Bruce, Dick is sure it's the former.
"Director Prince," Dick says in greeting, "Deputy Director Wayne." Usually, he wouldn't be so formal with anyone but he has a great deal of respect for both. "This way," he says and both follow him.
"How's Strange progressing?" Prince asks, all business, as they file single file down the titanium hallway.
"Honestly? Not sure. He says it should be up and running by oh-one-hundred. Which is in," Dick checks his watch, "Five minutes. Nice timing as always, director," he can't help but tack on the last bit. Prince doesn't seem to care for his comment and just side eyes him briefly once they exit the hall.
Prince and Wayne both approach Dr. Strange while Nightwing swings himself back up to the walkway. Prince and Strange step aside to talk for a moment and Dick does another sweep of the room. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he goes back to his casual stance.
He relaxes just a second too soon. The lights, which are large and industrial bulbs without covers, fade in and out. Dick stands up straight. Strange goes back to his machine quickly, and starts typing. There is only time for Kid Flash and Nightwing to exchange a look across the room before the lights disappear again, taking a moment to go back on.
"Strange, what's happening?" Prince demands calmly, hand on the weapon at her hip.
"I- I don't know," Strange says as he scrolls through whatever is on the screen of his machine. "It turned on by itself. It looks like the generator isn't working fast enough for it. It's stealing power from the lights." The lights fade out and come back slower and dimmer this time. Dick takes that as his cue to jump off the walkway.
Wally joins him at the bottom and they approach the device together, stopping a foot behind Prince and Strange.
The blue light from the device blinks, then shoots out in a beam at the wall, becoming brighter and stronger until Dick has to look away. He senses Wally and Prince on either side of him do the same. Dick squeezes his eyelids so they are only a few millimetres apart and shades his eyes, slowly turning to look where the beam is hitting.
It's like the wall blinks; Dick doesn't know how else to explain it. A burst of air suddenly pushes past and it knocks everyone and everything down except for Director Prince, who uses her arm to shield her face and bends her knees to stay standing. Papers fly across the room, hitting walls and people alike, and Dick has to swat a few away before they hit himself on his spot on the floor.
There's another blink. The wind dies down slightly and people are now able to make it to their feet and stay there, which is what Dick does. He pulls out his escrima sticks and sees Wally pull down his goggles next to him, turning the lens and probably blocking out most of the light.
The glow on the wall becomes brighter and brighter until it shrinks down to a circle roughly seven feet tall and just as wide. The wind, which has died to a draft, is gaining strength again except this time, it is sucking in. A figure steps out where the light is, with hair shaped like horns and a smile that makes even Dick's skin crawl. The lights and the wind die down and Dick can get a good look at the man. He's wearing a long red cape and holding a tall staff that has a light at the end that resembles the cube's. A cat, yellow and black with deep red eyes, tangles itself in his feet and hisses. Dick narrows his eyes and readies his weapons. He senses the guards are doing the same behind him, and hears the cocking of their guns.
Director Prince stands straight. Her hand is on her gun and she has opened the snap that holds it in, but she does not draw it, "My name is Diana Prince and you have just landed on planet earth without authorization. I demand you identify yourself and lower your weapon," her voice is calm, like the sea before a storm, and intimidating, like the fog that clings to the tips of mountains, ominous and threatening.
The man looks at her curiously before he smiles. "Of course," he says. He lowers his weapon so that it is parallel to the ground and points the tip straight at her. Prince doesn't flinch.
"All the way, sir," she says. The man smiles, and there is the small twitch in his hand. It's all Prince needs to dive out of the way of the bright blue beam that flies at her and for Dick and Wally to attack.
Wally is three feet away when the man waves his staff and he flies backwards, then hits the ground and rolls, hitting the wall. The man turns in time to catch both of Dick's escrima sticks on his staff half a second after. He shoves it back with so much force that Dick flies back and hits the wall too. Something holds him there, so that he can't move his legs or arms, but not for a lack of trying. It's like someone has taken metal and bent it around his limbs, then stuck him to the wall and welded the wall and binds together. He sees Wayne and Prince meet similar fates a few feet down the wall from him, guns dropping to the ground.
He struggles against the invisible bonds that rip his costume and burn when they press against his skin, but he doesn't give up, especially when he sees Kid Flash recover and charge the man while the guards open fire. Wally is about to make contact with him, knock him clean off his feet as Dick has seen him do countless times before, but the man somehow stops him. All he does is press a single finger to his forehead and Wally lets out a yell before crashing to the floor. It's a pained yell, one that makes Dick's blood run cold.
"Hey!" Dick yells, but it does nothing to stop the man, who swipes his staff again. All the bullets drop mid air, as do all the bullets from inside the guard's guns, spilling out onto the floor. Dick struggles a little harder.
"KF GET UP!" Dick yells and to his surprise, Kid Flash listens. Except it's not Wally.
Dick first hint is how he stands, straight like a pole has been rammed up his spine. Wally looks at the man, who smiles. Then, Wally darts off and knocks over any approaching guard, slamming them to walls and the floor with more ferocity that Dick has ever seen out of Wally.
"KF, SNAP OUT OF IT!" Dick yells as he struggles. Wally doesn't so much as look at him. He's too busy stomping towards Strange, who has fallen in his haste to get away. Wally grabs the back of his shirt as he struggles and drags him back to the man with the staff. The man grabs Strange's shoulder, and the scientist goes limp.
"WALLY!" Dick yells, and finally the speedster looks over. What Dick sees makes him feel as if he's been plunged into the Arctic ocean. Wally eyes look like ice, pale and scratched and frigid, nothing like the green that he's used to seeing.
Kid Flash looks away without a second glance and goes to the machine. He removes the cube, then returns to the man. All of the guards are out of commission and there's nothing left to prevent him from doing so.
"Who are you!?" Prince demands, voice like thunder. The man looks at her slowly and lets out a high pitched cackle.
"I'm Klarion," he says, "Lord of Chaos." Wally grabs Strange's collar again and drags him back so he can get Klarion's shoulder with his other hand. Red flames appear from the ground and cover their bodies until the flames disappear completely, taking Wally, Strange, and Klarion with them. The moment the flames die, so do whatever bonds that are holding them against the wall, and all the guards, Prince, Wayne, and Dick drop to the floor. Dick looks up and beats a fist against the ground in frustration.
Prince orders an immediate evacuation once all the injured crew are escorted out, and the uninjured clear the place. If Klarion comes back, he's not getting anything, or anyone, else. Prince doesn't want to risk anymore lives before they are truly prepared for him.
Instead of helping, Dick rushes to search for clues. He's not called the wonder detective for nothing. But after fifteen minutes, the place is swept and Prince is ordering everyone out immediately. Dick doesn't find anything except for a picture, one he knows belongs to Wally. It probably fell out of his wrist compartment while he was fighting. It's old, bent and worn at the edges, and is of Artemis, Wally, and Dick, all in uniform. They couldn't have been older than fifteen or sixteen when it was taken. Dick's in the middle with his arms around the other two; Artemis is mid eye roll at something Wally said, while Wally's sticking his tongue out at her. Dick is smiling. Nightwing stuffs it in his pocket.
Dick knows that Artemis will be out for blood once she hears one of Wally's kidnapping. He just hopes it won't be his. Or Wally's.
...
Artemis is called to report for duty at two a.m. sharp, which isn't an irregular occurrence. She's used to being called and dispatched out at all hours of the day, or night, and doesn't blink an eye when her buzzer goes off. Artemis dresses quickly and leaves her sleeping cell in minutes, meeting Director Prince in the council room on the Helicarrier.
It's been three days since the attack involving the tesseract, something she only knows the name of because of her security clearance (which is level seven, but if anyone but another level seven asks, she's a level six).
Director Prince doesn't look at her when she comes in, but she must know of her entry because she speaks, "Take the files on the table. I want you to locate and retrieve all of those people and I want them on my Helicarrier ASAP."
Artemis' eyes glance over the names on the files and she recognizes them all. She looks back up, "Does this have to do with Klarion?" Artemis had met the infamous Lord of Chaos just days before in Rome. Her bones are still sore from the fight, and her joints creak when she doesn't ice them at night.
The only thing she hadn't expected was the hair do. And the creepy cat. (Artemis hates cats). Oh, and the height of his power. She was sent in on a surveillance mission and barely escaped with her life. And that really pisses Artemis off.
"Yes," Prince answers. She turns around to look at her top agent finally and Artemis sees bags under her eyes, "I'm reactivating the Avenger's Initiative."
Artemis takes the next helicopter out.
...
Her first stop is to Gotham, to an old friend.
Artemis met him years ago while on a job; she used to be an assassin, until she was recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D when she was fifteen. By recruited, she means she was kidnapped by said friend and brought to S.H.I.E.L.D's hideout, where they explained to her that they knew of her rebellions. They knew that she was a thief and killer by day and a heroine by night. They had the evidence of her arrows in multiple places; once, she had even saved one of those bright and shining heroes whose face regularly zipped across television screens. Artemis was offered a rabbit hole and she jumped down it the second she could, shedding her identity of Tigress and adopting a more honest one: Artemis. And she couldn't have done it without this old friend.
As Artemis climbs the rusted ladder, she reflects that she's glad she wore her uniform. She would've been screwed without it. It's not like a civilian can go jumping rooftops without being noticed.
Artemis finds him on the rooftop, the rooftop of Wayne Tower no less (he's never been very discreet), and he's just sitting there, like he's been waiting for her. Which, knowing Dick, he probably has, even though her mission is top secret and she didn't even know about it until two hours ago.
The identity of Nightwing is still new and strange to her, but she guesses it was time Dick traded in the baby Robin costume for something a bit more grown up, like Artemis has herself. Her new costume is a bit different from the old one. It's more practical for one; she designed her first when she was fifteen and really, she wasn't thinking about practicality when she did. Her suit still looks the same, it's just that it's one piece now and covers her abdomen, which is handy for sneaking in the dark. Her wrist guards are longer and go up to her elbow; they're made of a harder, lighter material designed by S.H.I.E.L.D especially for her. The colours are a few shades darker and she wears a domino mask instead of a cowl. There's a hood too, but she rarely uses it.
Dick doesn't have as much armor as she does. It's just that Nightwing is more prone to jump off of buildings than Artemis and armor isn't practical when flying without wings.
"Good evening," Dick says. He finally turns and looks at her, "Nice haircut," he says with a smile. Artemis returns it, though it's more than the quirk of her lips than anything. Dick's always been like that: a perfect gentleman. He would notice that her hair was at her waist the last time she saw him, and now it's just past her shoulders beneath her hood. But she isn't here to get compliments. She's working.
(It still puzzles Artemis that after fifteen years of being raised as an assassin plus an extra eight of spying, she still can't sneak up on him. But it's not the time to dwell because she has a job to do.)
"You know why I'm here," Artemis says, "Are you in or not?"
Dick agrees easily. He says he's already thought about it, which just confirms her theory about him knowing before her. She doesn't understand how he gets his information so fast. He doesn't even legally work for S.H.I.E.L.D, but Artemis guesses that having his father as the deputy director could help, not to mention he's the best hacker in the world.
...
Her next stop is to Vegas, and it's too hot for her liking, especially since she changed into a pant suit for this meeting and she isn't in her more ventilated uniform.
Artemis knows her target is the most powerful magician the world has ever seen, even outweighing her late father. Of course Artemis is intimidated. But there's no way she's about to let that show.
The black haired magician, who goes by Zatanna, is in Vegas for her travelling show. It's an unusual name and makes Artemis wonder if that's her given name or just a stage and/or vigilante one, before she realizes the irony in such a thought.
It all takes a little convincing (Zatanna doesn't want to 'restrict' herself to the team) but charm and persuasion is included in Artemis' training. Besides, all Artemis has to do is drop the name of a certain wonder detective, and mention what happened to Kid Flash, who she's apparently teamed up with before (Artemis is not jealous). That's all it takes and Zatanna leaves to go pack.
...
The next stop is another old friend. Artemis hates the water but she'll make an exception for him and accepts the mini submarine that's offered to her. It takes hours of white knuckles gripped around the arms of her chair before she finally arrives but it's almost worse when she does. Artemis shoves the fear back down her throat and pops in a rebreather, then joins the King of Atlantis for dinner at his table. She tries not to let herself think about all the tons of water above her, just threatening to crush her bone by bone.
Artemis has more than her fair share of near-drowning experiences that not only include actually almost drowning, but forms of torture like water boarding too (it lasted for less than a few moments, but she still counts it as the scariest experience of her life). Her phobia is justified.
King Kaldur is normally opposed to violence but he has already discussed it with Dick (of course) and is in. Artemis begins to wonder if their program is just as secure as Director Prince assures her.
...
(Artemis knows there's supposed to be another stop before she goes for her final one, but it's crossed off the list because he's currently missing in action; it's something that makes her stomach turn and her blood boil at the same time, which is a strange feeling.)
(Artemis wasn't there when they were attacked, but she refuses to believe the rumors that the man who regularly runs across the headlines of the Keystone City paper was lured with a Happy Meal, because that would've been an idiot move and Artemis doesn't associate with idiots. She doesn't have time for that.)
(Alright, maybe she does associate with one idiot but he's not that kind of idiot.)
(She would've went to get him between Atlantis and her final stop, because she knows it'd calm her down after the ocean enough to mentally prepare herself for her next destination. But she doesn't and doesn't let herself think of it during the flight, which isn't too hard, considering the noise her other passenger makes.)
...
Her fourth and final stop is in the middle of nowhere in a country whose name she can't pronounce, let alone spell for her report. This time she decides to bring Dick and not because she's heard of Superboy's temper and is scared of it. She's just terrible with directions when she doesn't have a GPS and unfortunately, there's no satellite service way out there.
They find the place after four hours of searching in S.H.I.E.L.D's helicopter. Dick waits outside while Artemis goes in because a) Dick might be charming but Artemis could talk a fish out of water and b) they both know that Artemis is more Conner's type.
She knocks and he answers. He's not as tall as Artemis thought he'd be.
"What?" He grunts out. Artemis holds out her hand.
"My name is Artemis Crock. I'm here on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D." Artemis retracts her hand when all he does it stare at her.
"Go away," he says finally and goes to slam the door but Artemis stops it with her foot, something that hurts a lot more than you'd think from seeing it in movies. She grips the edge of the door with her hand, "You aren't even going to hear me out? Really, I thought Cadmus was supposed to have raised you right."
To rephrase an earlier statement: she can be charming when she wants to be.
Artemis knows her words will strike a chord with him and she doesn't feel the least bit victorious when he opens the door wide enough to let her in. Conner slams the door behind her but she doesn't jump. Artemis' eyes sweep the room out of habit, noting all exits: two windows and the door behind her. Then she looks at the little things. The floor is dirt and there's an unmade bed beside a small, rickety table. There's an empty wardrobe and a small kitchenette with only the essentials. Artemis doesn't see any needles or bottles anywhere, nothing to suggest his past habits, so she takes it as a good sign.
"Looking for drugs?" Conner all but barks behind Artemis. She doesn't flinch.
"No. I'm from S.H.I.E.L.D, not the local police. But you know that."
"I don't care where you're from. You won't find any drugs here, or alcohol either. I've been sober for four years."
"I'm not here to talk about your recreational activities," Artemis says, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall.
"No, but you'll need to know about them if I agree to what S.H.I.E.L.D wants me for. Spit it out."
He's rather forward, but Artemis can appreciate that. She's sick of having to dance around everything, edging her way into her mission. She's built for action, not negotiation.
"I'm here to talk to you about the Avenger's Initiative." She doesn't give him the chance to protest, "There is a small handful of extraordinary people across this Earth. S.H.I.E.L.D wants to bring them together, to fight for a common cause."
"And that is?" Conner says, seating himself at his table.
"Defend Earth," Artemis responds. Conner snorts.
"A team?" Artemis nods once. "And you want me on it?"
"Yes."
"Do you know what I am?"
"An experiment by a questionable organization. You were created to cause chaos and destruction." Artemis shrugs a shoulder, "I'm the same thing."
"You aren't a human?" He sounds surprised. Artemis almost feels bad shaking her head.
"No. But I was raised to be a liar and killer in the service of liars and killers. So were you."
"If you know so much about me, you should know about what they did to me."
He's right; she does know what they did to him. Cadmus planned everything out when it came to Conner. They even planted a failsafe, just in case he ever turned against them. They hooked him on a very powerful drug they developed so that he would always have to come crawling back to them for a fix. Unfortunately, they hadn't predicted any side effects to the drug. The side effects were extreme and completely uncontrollable; they took his mind and exchanged it for something much more animalistic, even after he stopped taking it.
"Your failsafe?" Artemis asks, "I'm not worried about a few little mood swings." Conner suddenly looks furious.
"Mood swings?! Mood swings?!" He stands and steps forward until he's within a foot of her person, but Artemis still doesn't flinch. She stares him straight in the eye. "Do you know what it's like to completely lose your mind? To have to wonder who you've killed this time?"
"I can imagine," Artemis says simply.
"What if I lost it while you were in here? You have no back up, no service to call for backup."
"Actually, she has both," Dick's somehow slipped in the window and is sitting at the table. His smile is that of a lion after its caught its prey; it's threatening and terrifying. Conner looks at Dick, then looks back at Artemis, who is still looking at him with a calm, blank expression.
"Get out," he says. Neither moves.
"But I haven't even told you the best part yet," Artemis says. Conner wretches open the door. "We have a cure."
Conner freezes. Then he slowly closes the door. "You have a cure?"
"Yep," Dick says, "It's just a prototype since we don't exactly have a human clone to test it on. But the rats we've tested it on have all had promising results." Conner blinks.
"How long?" Conner asks.
"It takes two weeks for it to start to kick in. An additional week for all symptoms to disappear completely. Your treatment will start off as injections in the arm, then you'll progress to a liquid taken orally, then a pill, then nothing," Artemis says.
"Just three weeks," Conner asks quietly.
"Three weeks," Dick repeats, holding up three fingers. Conner opens the wardrobe, takes out his coat, and slides it on his shoulders.
"Let's go," he says. Artemis and Dick exchange smiles.