Hello Everyone! I know it's been forever again. Working full time is exhausting. I find myself wanting to just watch TV or Youtube instead of being creatively productive. This fic... I've been sitting on this and adding bit by bit for over a year now I swear! It was even finished a few months ago and I couldn't let it go yet. It's a little more hardcore. Not humor or fluff, but still romance don't you worry. Please enjoy!
Nebulous
~Lacking definite form or limits~
Four weeks without seeing him. It wasn't the longest Artemis had ever gone, certainly not, but it wasn't the only problem. It had also been four weeks since Kid Flash had been on the news. The Central City news, where he regularly hammed it up for the camera. He was a staple of entertainment and updates for the city. And he hadn't been so much as a blur on camera for four weeks. That was what had moved her to action.
Seven months ago Artemis wouldn't have been worried about the idiotic superhero, but seven months ago she hadn't been friends with him.
The blonde had met him after Robin befriended her, Gotham's little bird who had followed her around whenever she was out and about in her costume. They were both lucky that the Shadows hadn't noticed her tail, it wouldn't have been good for Tigress's reputation for a superhero to regularly follow her.
Robin and Tigress had known about each other for a few years, crossing paths on Gotham nights when he was patrolling and she was on a mission. It had been a year ago when Robin finally caught onto her extra-curricular activities.
Tigress settled on an adjacent roof as the restaurant across the street went up in flames. The burning fire flickering out of the windows as the structure creaked with the weight of charred innards. She let out a breath of relief, glad that everything had gone as planned. The blonde checked her watch, she had two hours to return to base and report.
Plenty of time.
"Isn't that interesting," A voice mused from behind her.
Tigress leapt to her feet, turning with a raised crossbow and a snarl. Robin was at the other end of the roof, hands on his hips and a smirk on his face. She narrowed her eyes, waiting for him to continue his thought. Artemis had fought him often enough to know that his weakness was how chatty he was.
"A whole restaurant up in flames, and not one person in danger," Robin continued, strolling forward and watching his enemy closely, "Isn't it just lucky that on a saturday evening, the restaurant happened to be closed due to a faulty electrical box,"
Shit. Artemis mentally cursed.
Robin stepped even closer, "I wonder if the Shadows had intended for it to go down that way," He spoke easily, the underlying meanings clear. He had caught on to her.
Tigress clenched her teeth, going through her options. She could try to explain it away, but Robin was far too smart to be fooled with words. She could fight him, but that wouldn't do any good unless she intended to kill him. And she was not making personal enemies out of Batman.
Artemis settled for throwing down a smoke grenade and running away. As much as she didn't trust the little dweeb, she doubted that the Shadows would hear any of his suspicions.
But now Robin knew.
He knew that Tigress wasn't as deadly as her reputation said.
That one night had started everything. Robin had been even more persistent in following her after that, picking up on all the corners she took to save lives and reduce damage for each of her missions. Occasionally he even caught her fighting crime, much to her annoyance.
Tigress let it pass, she wasn't concerned that Robin would spill the secret. After all, her work was saving him time and effort.
Unfortunately, three months after the restaurant fire, Robin cornered her.
Tigress had just finished her work for the night, casing a museum, when Robin appeared. She immediately knew something had changed. Robin usually kept out of her way, trailing her from a reasonable distance and picking up after her messes.
But instead he was walking towards her with a smile, hands raised as he sat down about ten feet from her position at the edge of a bank's roof.
"Artemis Crock," He greeted her by name.
Artemis resisted the instinct to send a crossbow bolt into his chest for his knowledge. Instead she glared at him, "What do you want?"
Robin shrugged lightly, "I just want to talk,"
"You always want to talk," Artemis snorted, scanning the nearby surroundings for any sign of the Bat. But Robin appeared to be alone.
"True," He snickered, "But I want to talk about you. About what you're doing,"
She did not want to have this conversation. It wasn't safe.
Artemis knew exactly what she was doing. She was surviving, it was the only thing she knew how to do.
"Have you ever considered leaving the Shadows?" Robin continued, his features serious.
She wanted to scream at him. To rage and spit. Of course she did! She thought about it every damn day.
But.
"No one leaves the Shadows," Was all she told him.
And for a month, it was all Robin ever heard from her.
It had taken time, Artemis remembered. But slowly one sided conversations from opposite sides of a roof turned into casual chats side by side, feet hanging off the side of a building. Artemis didn't have to tell him much, Robin did his research and he knew enough about the Shadows and about her life. Her criminal family, her incarcerated mother.
Robin became her first and best friend.
And then came Kid Flash.
Tigress was waiting for Robin. She'd seen the birdarangs around that night and knew if she waited around long enough he'd come to chat. She had more information for him. Tidbits of intel that she knew she could let slip without alarming anyone. It made her feel good, strong, to betray the Shadows that way.
She was startled into defence when someone skidded to a stop on the gravel covered roof, spraying rocks and making a racket. Artemis had her crossbow trained on him in seconds, recognizing the yellow and red spandex the same moment the figure threw up his hands in surrender.
"Whoa! Whoa! I come in peace!" He yelped, stumbling a bit as he gathered his balance on the uneven rocks.
Artemis wavered her aim, considering him. She'd never met Kid Flash before, but she knew him from the tv, from stories that Robin told her.
The redhead gave her an awkward grin, hands still raised, "Rob sent me, he's a little busy with the Joker right now,"
"Robin sent you?" Tigress pressed him with narrowed eyes. Robin had earned her trust, and despite the many times he'd told her about his best friend, Kid Flash had yet to prove himself. So she would be wary.
"Yeah, I wanted to meet you," He continued smiling, "I know he's probably been telling you all sorts of wild stories about me so I figured it was time to repay the favor,"
The blonde pursed her lips, amused, and lowered her crossbow, "He might have told me a few," She kept her weapon out, but took the hero out of her sights.
Kid Flash laughed and lowered his arms, stepping forward at a normal pace and settling down with his back against an air vent, "Yeah, I bet he told you about the time with the microwave,"
Tigress sat back down on the gravel, her crossbow in her lap, "When you decided to see what would happen if you put firecrackers in it," She smirked, relaying the story Robin had told her.
"See!" Kid Flash exclaimed, pointing at her, "I knew he'd tell it that way! I bet he didn't tell you that the only reason we had the firecrackers was because he was going to plant them in Speedy's quiver!"
She couldn't help it, she laughed. Artemis actually laughed, and Kid Flash beamed at her. "No, he definitely didn't mention that part," She grinned.
"Alright, fess up, what else did he tell you?" The redhead laughed, "It looks like we need to clear a few things up,"
She had two friends after that. More and more often Robin, Kid Flash, or both of them would spend time talking to her on dark Gotham nights. Artemis reveled in it. Being able to laugh with them, talk to them, be normal with them.
It continued for months, and Artemis let it be her escape from the Shadows. She would catch up with them and listen to the woes of actual high school students. The trivial problems of humans that worried more about their grades than if they were going to be alive the next day. Pity that no matter how she pretended, she couldn't truly get away from the Shadows. The only reason she would be out in Gotham would be for a mission. Sometimes Batman and Robin would stop her, it wouldn't look normal if she never had any interaction with Gotham's protectors after all. But more often than not she let it happen, waiting for the missions that would cause the most damage and letting Robin in on the catch.
Tigress became Robin's confidential informant. She started giving him more and more information. The longer she was in the Shadows, the more she hated it. The more she longed for the kind of life Robin and Kid Flash had.
And the line began to blur.
"So, you've never been to school?" Kid Flash asked her, sitting next to her on yet another roof as they looked out over the city. He had his legs spread out while she tucked her knees into her chest, their shoulders bumping occasionally.
"No, I was homeschooled. My teachings were mostly focused on physical activities. Martial arts, shooting, and whatever else I needed to learn," Artemis explained.
The speedster pulled out a protein bar to snack on, "That doesn't sound very fun. But school isn't always the best either," He smirked, "My calculus teacher is so mean,"
Artemis laughed, "But you get to do normal things, too," She pointed out, sounding more wistful than she intended, "Like football games. Have you ever been to a football game?"
"Wait, your dad is Sportsmaster. How have you not been to a football game?" Kid Flash scoffed, leaning over so that he could look her in the eyes. Artemis could smell the peanut butter from the protein bar from his breath, her eyes flashed to the freckles peeking out from under his mask.
She swallowed, "We don't do bonding things,"
"I'll take you to one at my school," The redhead grinned, pleased with his idea. Artemis rolled her eyes.
"I can't know your secret identity Kid," She stated blandly.
He visibly drooped, "Oh, right," Then he brightened again, "I can take you to one after you leave the Shadows,"
Artemis felt her heart clench, "Kid, I'm not leaving the Shadows," She told him slowly.
The speedster flushed in frustration, "What do you mean? Artemis you don't belong there! You're a good person, and you can do so much more,"
"That doesn't mean anything! You have no idea what I've done," The blonde spat back, dropping her eyes so that she didn't have to look him in the eyes, "What I do. No one leaves the Shadows,"
"The League can protect you, Artemis!" He continued.
"Yeah?" Artemis scoffed, "They let you make those decisions, do they?"
"Well," Kid Flash paused and she met his gaze, his bright green eyes, desperate, "Even if they won't. Rob and I will. I'll protect you,"
He put his gloved hand over hers, a blush taking over his face. Artemis avoided his eyes once more, avoiding the pain.
"You're not alone,"
"He's delusional, Rob," Artemis said, stretching her toes out as their legs dangled over the edge of the building.
"He's optimistic," Robin defended, "And I am too. I'm just a bit more realistic about it," He smirked.
"Have you ever heard of someone leaving the Shadows and surviving?" Artemis pointed out, "You betray them and you're marked for death,"
"Personally, I don't. But do you really think that if there were operatives who successfully left, that the Shadows would tell you about them?" Robin told her.
The blonde shrugged, "I'll be okay for now. I'll do what I can," She sighed, "And speaking of, there's going to be a Cobra Venom deal going down in two days on the third dock at the wharf,"
"Noted," Robin nodded, pulling up his wrist computer to make a reminder.
"So, you ask out that girl yet?" Artemis changed the subject, successfully catching Robin off guard. She snickered at his blush.
"No," He blurted out, "Are you kidding? Her dad would kill me,"
That made her laugh, "You? Scared of that?"
"Look, her dad is on the League," Robin flushed, "So when not only will he kill me. He most definitely can,"
"Oh," Artemis mocked, "Well in that case you better just give up forever, then,"
"Shut up," The boy laughed, "Not like your love life is going to get much better either,"
"What love life?" The blonde pointed out helpfully.
"Exactly. It's not very becoming for a Shadow operative to date a superhero. So you and KF-"
"Whoa! Whoa Whoa Whoa!" Artemis held her hands up in surrender, "I- No way I- Kid? No,"
Robin smirked at her reaction, "Oh my apologizes. I didn't realize I was misreading the ridiculous amount of flirting you two do,"
"We do not flirt!" Artemis hissed, well aware that her cheeks were red with a blush.
"Right," Robin snickered, "Right,"
Four weeks.
Artemis had left crossbows shot into buildings in the neighborhoods Robin frequented, letting him know that she was around and wanted to talk.
Usually she would just wait, patrol around for her mission and wait until they crossed paths. But Tigress wasn't in the waiting mood.
"Artemis," Robin hadn't snuck up on her that time, and the blonde could tell immediately by the tone in his voice that something was wrong. She turned to face him and saw the difference in him instantly. The way his features were set, tired, depressed.
"Where is he?" Artemis cut through the formalities. They both knew why she was there.
Robin swallowed thickly, walking up to her until there were just a few feet between them, "I don't know,"
The blonde felt the denial well up inside of her, "What do you mean?"
"No one knows where he is, Artemis," Robin explained, his drooping posture relaying his weariness, "KF is missing,"
Four weeks with no leads was discouraging.
Robin had been past the anger of Kid Flash's disappearance, past the rage and unfairness. He was working through the frustration of dead ends and empty clues; dipping slower into grief of an oncoming loss. Artemis had chewed him out for not involving her sooner and had improved his moral by noting that if Kid Flash had been disposed of, the League would have been informed. It would be an act of war, not happenstance or a need for information, that the heroes would lose a sidekick.
She still left his presence with an echoing anger, concern swallowed like a lump in her throat.
There had been no solid leads found in four weeks of searching. This was, however, searching by the League. Artemis herself had other veins of information that they wouldn't have access to. The heroes were looking for Kid Flash through hints, suspicious leads, and interrogations.
The keyword in their tactic was searching. This was a vital difference.
Tigress didn't search. The term was not in her vocabulary.
Tigress hunted.
Artemis had been toeing a fine line with the Shadows for years. Putting on good graces with her comrades and superiors, never questioning orders, always following through on her missions. She nimbly danced through loopholes to save lives and reduce damage, but was certain to do it in ways that would not bring her attention.
This was not to say that the blonde was a saint in disguise. Oh no, Tigress was a criminal, a killer. She left no loose ends, no witnesses. She had no limits. Sometimes, Artemis wondered where she fell on the spectrum. She had no moral qualms with killing those souls who had done wrong or done harm; and stealing was merely the displacement of material objects. But while most shadows would not hesitate to silence a child or civilian in the wrong place at the wrong time; Artemis was careful to ensure she would never find herself in that position. She had no ill will towards innocents, and over time had even begun going out of her way to protect them.
Artemis's world was gray. But she felt the change coming like the static of an oncoming storm. First with Robin, and then Kid Flash. Sinking into the heart she had buried deep beneath the kevlar she wore even to sleep, making her question her transgressions, her gray, tedious lifestyle.
There was a niggling sense of curiosity blooming. Maybe the was life outside the shadows? Kid Flash had wanted to bring that part of her to the surface, pulling at it with smiles, laughter, and ceaseless optimism.
It was too bad she would have to squash it all back down to save him.
She hoped he would forgive her, but she had already decided to sacrifice her righteousness to provide him with a safe return. Tigress buried her emotions further as she let the water bathing her hands run red. A man groaned from the other room, whispering praises to a god that would not be saving him.
Tigress was on a mission in Omaha, tracking the whereabouts of some highly valuable nanotechnology.
"Our Lord in Heaven, Blessed is He who…"
Artemis had picked up a side project. No one would notice a few extra blood stains in the safehouse.
Tigress pulled her mask back on and turned on her heel, exiting the bathroom as the cries grew louder.
It was too bad for the souls in her way. They had taken her morals with Kid Flash.
The next batch of victims probably didn't all need to be dispatched. But Tigress didn't have any regrets as the last few mercenaries fell to her. The blood searched out the cracks in the concrete floor of the compound. Besides, she never left witnesses.
She stepped over their corpses and used a borrowed keycard to unlock a double walled cell. Her breath catching as the steel swung open.
"Fuck," Artemis cursed, gritting her teeth in frustration as she strode in the dark cell, swiping a pair of broken red goggles off of the floor, "They moved him,"
She held the frames closer, running a gloved thumb over a piece of the broken glass, there were flecks of blood on the straps and emotions welled up involuntarily.
This was the first tangible piece of evidence she'd found. The first valid clue that she was on the right trail. Holding them, it made her feel vulnerable, Artemis found that she didn't want to turn around and face the carnage in her wake behind her. As if Kid Flash was there, watching, bringing her guilt to surface for what she'd let herself become on her path to save him.
"You're better than the Shadows, Artemis." He spoke, a hand resting on her elbow. Comfortable. Familiar, "You're a villain who's trying not to be a villain, what could be more clear than that?" Kid Flash laughed, certain in his words.
"I don't know if there's room in the world for what I am, but I know there would be a gap in the world without you," Tigress muttered, clenching his goggles and turning around, "I'm sorry Kid Flash, who I could be is going to have to wait just a little longer"
Robin didn't tell anyone. He had been on patrol when it showed up. A familiar arrow driving into the mortar, the broken red goggles dangling with a note attached.
There was just one word written.
"Soon."
She was being followed.
Tigress had noticed when her tail had shown up three block back, she made no changes in her route across the rooftops as they continued. Darting movements in the corner of her eyes, the sixth sense of superstition as someone is watching you. The blonde was on a mission in Georgia and, thankfully, hadn't been heading towards the information drop she was planning on intercepting later that was not part of her mission.
She didn't try to dodge them, but adjusted her path to take her behind a billboard, landing lightly with a roll and stepping back into the shadows behind the large sign. Her tail wasn't far behind and made no attempts to hide themselves as they landed at the edge of the building, sauntering over to meet her. Tigress felt her hackles raise.
"Cheshire," She ground out, resisting the urge to cross her arms as her sister stepped closer and pulled her mask up.
"Artemis, Dear," Cheshire smirked, slinking over until she could lean casually against the frame of the billboard.
"What are you doing here?" Artemis huffed. She tried not to imagine all of the many alarming reasons why her sister would have sought her out.
"Sister, what's with the grief? I can't just stop by to say hello?" Jade purred, pulling out a sai to twirl between her fingers.
"Oh cut the crap," Artemis rolled her eyes, "You have a reason for being here, now spill,"
Cheshire smiled, "Testy, testy" She pointed the sai at the blonde to emphasize her words, "And here I was just coming by to give you a heads up that the Shadows are catching on to you,"
Her words had Artemis tensing her muscles, her eyebrows furrowed and she took a half step closer, "What do you know?"
"I would like to think that I know quite a lot, considering keeping track of you is only one of my many hobbies," She said, outwardly enjoying the annoyance growing on her sister's features, "But I can tell you that it has not gone unnoticed that every link left behind to Kid Flash is being snuffed out, and it won't be long before they find out who has been utilizing this internal information,"
"Why are you telling me this? Do you know where he is?" Artemis swallowed her words as she spoke them, they might have well been an admission of guilt.
Jade meandered away from the support beams, "Once the Shadows discover your actions you'll be labeled a traitor," She admitted, continuing as though it pained her greatly, "and Artemis, while we may not be on friendly terms, I do not wish your death,"
"Fair enough," Artemis muttered.
Cheshire nodded in admission, "I don't know where the baby redhead is," She confessed, "But I know he was moved yesterday from the prison near Manchester, Tennessee. He was relocated rather suddenly when they discovered the cells there couldn't contain him,"
Artemis scoffed, "Of course not, that place is for thugs, not superhumans. But that does mean they would have to pick somewhere else nearby," She bit her lip in thought.
"Somewhere that actually would hold a dumb teenager with superspeed," Jade noted.
A location popped into Artemis's mind, a most likely scenario. She didn't dare speak it aloud. No matter how close she and Jade sometimes appeared, you couldn't lie about what you didn't know. The blonde looked up, "Thank you, Jade,"
"Oh don't get sappy," She warned, "Just don't make my detour a waste of time,"
Tigress nodded, saying no more before taking a running leap to the next rooftop over. She considered what Jade had told her carefully. It could be a ploy, the Shadows could have already caught on and are having Jade send her on a suicide mission with a trap lying ahead. And if it had been anyone but Jade she would have believed that. Jade hadn't ever been the best sister, always looking out for number one, but she had never put Artemis in any life threatening danger. At least, not without fair warning.
But; trap or not, either way. The Crucible was going to be a challenge.
Tigress had a very short time frame in order to pull this off. She had ditched her previous mission and gone straight to Atlanta. The Crucible was a Shadows prison just skirting past the edge of Atlanta, Georgia. An old cotton mill with the earth below gutted to make room for throngs of cells, chambers, and living quarters.
It was well known throughout the shadows that this was one of the high tech prisons. One of the few places they could keep the most powerful superhumans. Stronger walls, better locks, bigger guards. The prison had been dubbed the Crucible by the Shadow community. Working in the Crucible either broke you or made you in the Shadows. The torture, the training, and being able to handle whoever came at you on their break out attempts. You either survived or you went down with the prisoners.
Unfortunately, it was also one of the most efficient facilities to hold a speedster against his will, or get him out of. If this had been a normal mission, Artemis would have waited another week at least to gather more intel. There were too many variables. She didn't know what big name players were at the facility, she didn't have the guard change memorized, she didn't know if Kid Flash would be inside, nonetheless where or in what condition.
But if Jade had been correct (and unfortunately, she usually was) then by the time the blonde didn't make her next mission check in, they would be on to her. And Kid Flash could be out of her reach.
Artemis prepped at an old family hideout near the Crucible. A stepping point away from the prison as her father never trusted leaving his intel and tools at shadow facilities. She liberated the hideout of every weapon and tool she could fit on her person. A katana at her back, a dagger on her left leg, her crossbow on her right, her quiver nesting safely between her shoulder blades. The archer stuffed her pockets with smoke bombs, hacking tech, and a few first aid essentials. She donned the best body armor available, avoiding her usual Tigress costume. If the Shadows were expecting her to show, she wasn't going to walk in with a target on her back.
This was going to be it.
She avoided looking herself in eyes as she pulled her hair into her customary ponytail. She wasn't the same person who had started on this mission. Artemis was almost sure that if she looked too closely, she could still see the blood under her nails, the cruelty behind her irises. It was irony at it's best, that when she finally started taking actions to help the good and just, it had brought forward the side of her she believed her father would be most proud of.
Maybe someday she could make the full transition. Artemis dreamed sometimes of being a hero. Working beside Kid Flash and Robin, stopping villains like the shadows, saving people.
Sucked that she didn't really believe they would let her in after the trail of bodies she'd just left behind her.
Artemis hit send on the laptop and closed the computer. If she didn't make it back to the safehouse in 24 hours, her message would go straight to the Batcave. The emergency, one-way line Robin had given her the code to months previous for intel too time sensitive for her to make it to Gotham. It would provide him with her location and all information she had on Kid Flash's kidnapping. A failsafe.
Artemis was holding her breath that Robin would never receive the message.
After taking one last glance around the small apartment and rechecking her equipment, Artemis headed out, taking a deep breath as she left her morals behind.
She couldn't afford them anymore.
Getting in had been the easy part. Artemis knew the Shadows had her on high alert, so she'd arrived through one of the smaller entrances. The guards never gave a shit because only the higher ups tended to even know about the doors, and you didn't question a higher up. The blonde strutted through the compound with an air of purpose and a hint of murder. Underlings stepped out of her way as she made her progress towards the center of the Crucible.
She mentally went over the map of the facility in her head. The metahumans were often kept in the lowest cells, sublevels 6-7. The furthest distance for escape, and the greatest distance to taper off the sheer amount of energy being used to contain them. There was a set of elevators in the center of the compound, and three sets of stairs, one of each end and one in the center. From what Artemis could remember from her previous visits and guard rotations, five guard stations were set up along the cells for each floor. With the generators for the cells behind a hidden door at the back of each guard station.
Reasonably, Artemis knew she couldn't take out the guards at each station for two floors of the Crucible. She knew she was good, but she also knew her limits. This meant she needed to narrow down Kid Flash's location.
The first place to collect information was the lower cafeteria.
Shadows were good operatives, but also cocky bastards. Whoever was guarding Kid Flash wouldn't be able to keep their mouth shut about it.
The blonde took the elevator down to the 5th floor, following the noise of ruckus and the largest crowd flow until she reached the lower scent of half-assed food mixing with the stench of bleach assaulting her nostrils. It smelled as if they had stuffed a kitchen in a surgical suite.
Which was also probably accurate.
Artemis casually maneuvered herself through the food line, collecting the standard elementary school scraps and making her way over to a table at the edge of the room. She estimated she had a maximum of thirty minutes of plate picking before someone would notice her eavesdropping.
Hopefully she would be patient enough to wait until someone dropped the information she needed. Kid Flash was within reach, and all she wanted to do was rush the cells.
The only problem stopping her was that Artemis knew if she did, he would never make it out.
Artemis had to resist a grin when it took exactly 13 minutes for an idiot to start gabbing.
"Is Mouth still giving you trouble today?" One man asked as soon as he sat down with a group of guards.
"Naw, he's done a decent job of shutting up since I threatened to shoot him in the kneecap," A dark haired guard smirked, brandishing his fork as if it were his sidearm.
"You know you'd get knifed for that, Adam," The first guard reminded him, continuing softer, "We aint supposed to injure his legs, not after what happened when Peter broke the kid's shin,"
A third guard spoke up, "He outta the med wing yet?"
"No way, fucking meta collapsed his lung with that crazy stunt," He responded, his eyes wide as he held up his hand, palm flat, and shook it with a tremble. Artemis recognized the mimic immediately as a speedster technique.
"Doesn't matter," The dark haired guard interrupted, "I can still threaten him,"
Artemis didn't near to hear anymore of what they had to say. She had what she needed. The dark haired guard was in charge of Kid Flash. They didn't need to use his full name, the hand movement had cinched it. Kid Flash had shown her that move before, moving his hand back and forth at super speed until it vibrated at a high frequency. He used it for breaking locks and getting out of most restraints. He had never used it on a human before, and if she recalled correctly, he had never intended to.
The blonde waited until her target finished eating, getting up shortly after he finished his meal and following him back into the bulk of the Crucible. The cocky idiot didn't notice she was following him all the way back to his post. Artemis didn't have to pull any strings to get into the high security levels. She'd been on post there before and knew the routine.
No one questioned it if you looked like you were supposed to be there, after all.
They passed the cells on their way to the guard station, Artemis following a careful two yards behind her target. The halls were quiet as each cell was contained behind a solid steel door connecting to the hallway. She pulled out a piece of hacking tech from her belt and attached it to a crossbow bolt as her charge slowed down, the sign they were reaching their destination. Artemis held her breath and shot it at the upcoming security camera, the bolt sinking into the plastic base attaching the camera to the wall. The guard didn't even flinch, oblivious to her move. She smirked. The camera would be on a five minute loop for the next three hours.
They were coming to the next guard station and as soon as the two other guards came in view Artemis shot.
Before the guards could even call out, they had crossbow bolts in their skulls. The dark haired guard was started in surprise for a full second.
It was long enough for him to receive a bolt of his own.
All three guards down.
Artemis quickly dragged the guard's body behind the desk, dropping it with the others and pilfering their keys. Her mind calculating three moves ahead as she worked.
She had broken her cover, she estimated she had fifteen minutes max before someone either walked by or noticed the video was on loop. The blonde needed to get into the generators and quit power to Kid Flash's cell. Unfortunately, that would trigger an alarm to main security and reduce her time limit to mere minutes.
Sublevel 7, Station 3.
They were right between the west staircase and the main elevators. Their best option was to take the west stairs and escape through the northwest passage. It was a narrower entrance, easier to defend and less guarded.
Assuming they could-
Artemis froze, she'd turned away from working on reaching the generator access panel to glance at the cell security screens in order to confirm which cell to power down.
Her breath hitched at the video feed. Kid Flash. He was here, really really here. It hadn't seemed real until she saw his form, she'd half believed it would be another dead end. But there he was; his lanky, half collapsed form in the center of an electrified cell, shackles on his limbs, his suit bloodied and torn. Artemis swallowed as she caught herself reaching out to the screen.
She couldn't lose focus. She could relax when he was free.
The blonde took a deep breath to steady herself and went back to work with haste, breaking open the panel to the generators and cutting the power to cell 7033. She closed the hatch and clenched her fists a few times to try and calm herself as she strode to his cell, wrenching the door open and stepping into the dark. The main security alarm would be going now.
Minutes. They only had minutes.
Artemis blinked as she transitioned to the darkness of the cell, Kid Flash's form shifting slightly from the sound of the door.
"Back again to prod at the sidekick?" His voice was hoarse, quiet and pained.
Artemis huffed, trying to focus on unlocking the cell bar door instead of the speedster. The heavy lock opened with a mechanical whirl and she wasted no time swinging the bars open and striding in.
Kid Flash flinched as she stepped closer, head tilting back as he tried to focus on his intruder, weakly protesting as she dropped to her knees and reached for his shackles.
"Stay still so I can get these off," Artemis ordered.
The hero froze, muscles tensing as he focused on the form next to him. She could hear him swallow as it sunk in and she didn't make eye contact.
Any second.
"A-Artemis?" His voice cracked, a free hand reaching out to tentatively brush his fingers against her forearm.
The last shackle dropped from his weak limbs.
Artemis finally met his gaze, blinking away tears forming in the corners of her eyes, "We need to go now, the guards will already be on their way," She spoke forcefully, grabbing the speedster by his arms and assisting him to his feet. He wavered, weak from lack of muscle use. As soon as he steadied Artemis shoved her dagger in his hand, "We're going," She ordered.
Kid Flash nodded, as if in a daze, stepping in line behind the blonde as she led the way out of his cell.
Artemis paused at the door, peeking out and confirming that, no, they were not yet surrounded. Although she could hear the sound of panic down the hall towards the main elevators.
West staircase it was.
"Artemis-" Kid Flash whispered.
"This way," She cut him off, guiding him into the hallway and to the west, crossbow in hand, "Fast as you can," A hand rested on her shoulder as her charge slowly got used to being on his feet again, muscles unsteady but picking up pace as they went. Gathering speed until Artemis was relieved to be making a brisk run.
The blonde didn't hesitate to take out the other guards on her way toward the west stairs. Passing guard stations 4 and 5, Artemis made headshots on all six guards before they could get close.
"Shit," Kid Flash breathed, stumbling along behind her and saying nothing more.
"You can hate me after we're out of here," She responded, holstering her crossbow and drawing her katana as they entered the staircase, "Its six flights," She informed him.
He cursed some more and Artemis bit back a smile.
"We need to keep going," Artemis gripped Kid Flash's shoulder, tugging him upwards from his tripod position, hands on his knees.
"Just- give me- a second" He huffed, gritting his teeth as he tried to catch his breath.
"Unfortunately we don't have one if we want to get out of here alive," Artemis pressed, snarling as she darted behind him, sinking her katana into another charging guard.
"You- don't- mess around," The redhead heaved, grunting as he pulled himself back up straight.
"We'll discuss it later," She snapped, tugging on a section of his ripped suit and pulling him into the second floor west wing, "This way,"
They were almost there. Artemis pulled her bow out as they headed toward the northwest passage. Kid Flash was still breathing heavy, his pace dwindling and his footing stumbling more often than not. The Shadows had enough time at this point to tighten the exits, so she wasn't expecting their escape to be easy going when they finally made it into the passage.
What she hadn't been expecting, was her father.
"Sportsmaster," She hissed, drawing her bow and aiming at the man. The narrow passage was entirely blocked by Sportmaster and four accompanying guards.
"When I'd been informed that you'd been diverting from your missions I had believed I was misinformed," He drawled, "Imagine my disappointment when I discovered you had been using the skills I taught you to dispatch members of our community," He swung his baseball bat from his shoulder to his empty hand, "Thought I beat that bleeding heart out of you years ago,"
Artemis smirked, holding her arrow strong, "Truly shocking, father, that your cruelty did not inspire loyalty,"
"You know there's no going back for you now," Her father continued, "There's no retribution for this treachery except death,"
"Nice chat," She hummed, waiting a beat and then letting her arrow fly. The projectile hit the floor at Sportmasters feet, smoke billowing out and filling the passage. Artemis grabbed Kid Flash's arm and pulled his face close, "I'll clear a path, keep going," She ordered.
"No way! Art-"
"This is not a negotiation!" Artemis shouted, rushing forward as she unsheathed her katana. The blonde cut through the smoke skillfully, dancing through the wisps until she found a guard and took him out. She kept Kid Flash in her peripheral vision as he maneuvered around her, slinking through the smoke toward the other side of the passage.
Artemis tugged her katana out of the second guard and dropped to the floor as Sportsmaster's baseball bat swung over the top of her head. A shot rang out and Artemis swung into the noise, slicing the third guard across his abdomen. The bat came through the smoke again, the archer parrying it with the hilt of her sword, deflecting it as she swung a kick around and nearly caught her father in the knee.
The fourth and last guard had nunchucks, causing the blonde an issue while she turned to the defense as the smoke began dissipating. Her energy focused on blocking and dodging instead defeating her opponents.
"Artemis!" Kid Flash called out.
She cursed, he hadn't kept going. Of course he hadn't.
The blonde dodged her father's meaty fist and shoved her wrist out in the way of the guard's nunchucks, letting the chain wrap around her forearm before she tugged, impaling the guard into her blade and using his body as a defense for Sportsmaster next bat swing. The large man cursed at her tactic.
In the second it took Artemis to drop the guards body and unlink the nunchucks from her arm, Sportmaster readied his next attack. He angled his swing downward, catching the blonde around the back of her knee and throwing his elbow out to topple her backwards. Artemis grunted as she landed on her back, her katana dropping from her grasp as the breath left her lungs from the impact. Sportsmaster didn't hesitate to follow through with his swing and bring his bat down on her abdomen.
Artemis cried out, blinking through the pain to try and catch his next move. She saw the eyes of her father through his mask, narrowed in anger. The bat over her head, coming closer as if in slow motion. She pulled up her arm to block the hit.
"ARTEMIS!"
The hit never came. There was a crash, echoing in the passage. Artemis opened her eyes and found Kid Flash standing over her, hunched and on the edge of toppling over. A glance to the side found her father crumpled against the passage wall.
"You okay?" The redhead asked, panting.
"Y-Yeah, thanks," Artemis eked out with a cough, pulling herself up and reaching for Kid Flash to steady his wavering stance.
The smoke had fully cleared and the two were left with a cleared passage.
"This way," Artemis stated, tugging the speedster along, "They won't have expected us to get through him, we'll be clear from here on out and my motorcycle is nearby,"
Kid Flash just nodded and leaned against her as they made their way out.
Artemis didn't say anything as she cleaned the wounds on Kid Flash's wrists with antiseptic. They had safely made it to Artemis's backup safe house, she hadn't trusted going back to the hideout Sportsmaster had known the location of.
"How long was I gone?" He asked, staring at his wrists, raw from the shackles.
"Seven weeks," She answered, finishing with his wrists and moving to a cut on his bicep. He didn't say anything so she continued, "The League was searching day and night. They looked everywhere. Exhausted their resources,"
"So how did you find me?"
Artemis paused, keeping her eyes on her hands, "I had my own resources,"
When she didn't elaborate, Kid Flash tilted his head to try and catch her gaze, "And you're not going to tell me," He stated.
The archer took a deep breath, meeting his green eyes, "Let's just say, I collected information like I handled the guards," She dropped her gaze, her shoulders tense.
When the redhead averted his eyes and didn't say anything, Artemis knew what was coming. She knew that to save him she would be sacrificing herself. Her stomach clenched, she had known this would be the outcome, and that still didn't relieve the bile building at the back of her throat.
"Don't worry, I'll turn myself into the League when we get you home," The blonde continued firmly, resolute in her choices.
Kid Flash reached out and took her hand gently in his own, his ripped knuckles rough under her fingertips, "We'll protect you from the Shadows, Artemis. The League isn't heartless," He met her gaze, "I'm not heartless," His grip tightened and he brought her hand up to his mouth, his lips hovering over her skin in a breathy kiss, "Thank you. I mean it, thank you for saving me,"
Artemis held her hand as still as possible as he placed a few soft kisses to the back, then the palm of her hand. She stayed frozen in uncertainty.
"And thank you, for what you gave up to get me out of there," He finished, intertwining their fingers together. Artemis felt the guilt of her actions spill back into her soul, however balmed by his acceptance, she knew her future was far from certain.
"I-," She hesitated, "Thank you, for saying that Kid, I-"
"Wally," The redhead corrected with a coy smile, "Wally West,"
The blonde bit back a groan, "I did not need to hear that," she sighed, "That kind of information is-"
"Deserved, as far as I'm concerned," He cut her off again, "Look, I'm not a total idiot, okay?" Wally's smile quickly morphed into a scowl, "This whole situation is really jacked. I know you're a traitor now with the Shadows. While the League, as much as I like to pretend are saints, aren't going to trip over themselves to help you out," He ran a free hand through his hair, "We've got some gray-area shit on our hands, Artemis, but I'm not giving you up or going to leave you out to dry, Okay?" The redhead finished resolutely.
Artemis felt the instinctive bite of defensiveness try to win out, wanting to push him away and deal with things on her own like she always had. But his green eyes pierced her with honesty and she wanted to grab on. To hold on and have hope for once. She'd come this far, after all, what was another step into the flames?
The archer shifted without saying a word, twisting until she was sitting next to the speedster; their hips and knees bumping, their hands still connected, "You sure about this? I'm pretty much on everyone's hit list right now,"
Wally smiled, drawing his thumb across the back of her hand in slow movements, "You're not alone,"
Artemis nodded mutely, leaning against his warm frame as her frayed nerves slowly mended. Wally gave sigh and leaved heavily against her frame, leaving a soft kiss on her shoulder before dropping his forehead in its wake. She closed her eyes, his warm breaths lulling her to sleep.
He was safe, and maybe, just maybe there was a chance for her to have a future.
For them to have a future.
Hope you enjoyed it! I've always liked the idea of Artemis struggling with the hero's code due to her upbringing and I really wanted to capture that grey area. Please leave a comment to let me know the fandom is still alive!
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