"Abort the mission, I repeat, ABORT THE MISSION!"
Artemis flinched at she heard Kaldur's voice through the mental connection. She loaded another arrow as she backed herself against a wall. "How long do you think we can keep them off?" she shouted across the room, letting the arrow fly.
"About another ten minutes I would guess," she heard Tula respond as a wave of water slammed against The Light soldiers surrounding her. She notched a web arrow and sent it flying across the room. She saw Tula dart to the side as the arrow exploded, wrapping the remaining soldiers in the room in a sticky trap. Artemis ran to Tula's side and the two went against each other's backs.
"Seen the nearest entrance?" Tula asked, her magic swirling around her hands.
"Only place soldiers aren't flooding in is the door to the roof," Artemis answered, bow drawn. No soldiers were marching through the other entrances yet, but that didn't mean more wouldn't burst through at any moment.
"Tula, Artemis, abort the mission."
"Would you give us a sec, Kaldur?" Artemis snapped mentally. "It's not as if we're trying to stay behind in this hellhole."
"Is everyone else out of the bulding?" Tula asked calmly, her bright magic soon brimming around the two.
"Not quite," Wally's voice chimed in. "Jaime and I have yet to find our escape route. You okay, babe?"
"I will be once this is over," Artemis answered, dropping her bow and turning her head toward Tula. "Ready?" She felt Tula's head nod in response. The two started sprinting to their escape door. Suddenly, Artemis felt her head get snapped back, her scalp screaming in pain.
"So there's an actual Atlantis?"
"You act as if you've never asked Kaldur these questions." Tula sighed, tilting her head to the side.
"That's because I haven't. It just…it just didn't seem real 'til you joined the team Tula," Artemis responded, eyes wide. "The place has always been such a fairytale."
She smiled when she heard Tula chuckle and say "Imagine what the surface felt like to me."
Slamming against the floor, Artemis regained conscious of her surroundings. She opened her mouth in a silent scream, hands flailing in a failed attempt to slap the hands grabbing her hair.
"Let her go!" she heard Tula scream, barely catching a glimpse of a light blue, magic-made dragon standing behind the Alantean.
"Boys, set off the explosive!" the soldier barked, ignoring Tula. Artemis didn't recognize the voice; to her, it just meant that no bad-ass villain was giving the order. Somehow, that made it all the worse.
The soldier pulled Artemis to her knees by her hair. She screamed this time, desperately grabbing at her belt for her knife. "You two are going down with us," the soldier said calmly. "The Light will celebrate the sacrifices we made to kill this team!"
"Tula, do you have any siblings?"
Tula gave her an exasperated look. "Really Aretemis?" She threw a punch at the blonde. "We're in the middle of training here. And I don't"
Artemis ducked the punch easily and darted to the side. "I was just wondering. Besides, I can talk and still kick your ass."
That got Tula laughing as Artemis kicked high. Tula caught her foot, bent down and slammed her palm into her stomach. "Oh really? While we're talking, do you have any siblings?"
Coughing, Artemis wrenched her foot from Tula's grasp. Crouching into a defensive position, she answered, "I suppose so."
Tula paused, her fists loose. "That doesn't seem like much of an answer."
Artemis glanced away. "She wasn't much of a sister."
"NO!"
At Tula's shout, the explosive went off. Artemis closed her eyes, bracing for the impact. It never came.
She opened her eyes and saw Tula before her, the Alatean's magic pooling around the room. "Let her go, you bastard!" she heard her shout.
Springing back to action, Artemis grabbed at her belt for her knife. The hand grabbing her hair was squeezing tighter, and Artemis fought against the pain at her scalp. Taking a jab, she first tried to stab the man's hand. Finally, in an act of desperation, she took the knife through her hair. After several tugs, she collapsed on the floor, blonde strands falling around her. She started crawling toward Tula, who looked as if she was in pain. After pushing herself to her feet, Artemis looked behind her.
A light blue force field was covering the two girls against the explosion. Fire was burning the soldiers behind it, trying to make it's way through the shield. The soldier who had grabbed Artemis' hair was burning along with his men; only his twitching hand that held her hair was inside the area of calm Tula had made.
Hearing a grunt, Artemis looked back to Tula, who was slowly bringing one of her hands toward the ceiling, her magic slowly covering the area. "This place is falling apart Artemis," Tula gasped. "They rigged this whole place with explosives. They're…They're coming in waves."
"Babe, where are you two?" Wally's voice crackled in Artemis' mind. She had almost forgotten about the rest of the team.
"We're…making our way to you guys," she answered mentally, cringing at Tula's muffled cry of pain.
"We can't see either of you," Kaldur's voice came in, his worry noticeable.
"SHUT UP EVERYONE!" Tula screamed, her shield faltering for a moment. Artemis covered her ears in vain, trying to stop the ringing in her mind.
"Everyone," Tula whispered, her voice echoing in Artemis' mental connection. "I'm sending Aretmis out a window." Tula grunted as another explosion went off behind the force field. "Kaldur, I know you can feel my magic. Get the bioship this area now if you are not already there."
"No," Artemis said. "No, I am not leaving you behind. You are not sacrificing yourself. C'mon, if you're going to die, you're going to die old and happy, or at least by some smarter man's plans. These explosions are nothing."
"Artemis—" Tula tried to interrupt.
"Don't you dare, you are not dying! C'mon, just take a few steps back; we'll both jump out this window, the bio—"
"Artemis, I can't" Tula cried out. Artemis stared at her in shock. "I can't. I have to concentrate on this. It's the only shot youhave on making out of this alive.
"Stop it Tula, you're coming with me," Artemis choked out, reaching for her. She stopped once she saw Tula give her a smile.
"Don't be afraid," she heard her whisper, before light blue magic surrounded her. A single push sent Artemis flying out the window, glass shattering around her while her screams were drowned out by the explosions collapsing the building.
"Hey, Tula?"
"Yes, Artemis?"
"I'm glad that…you know…you joined the team."
Tula looked at her with a smile in her eyes and brought her into a hug.
"Me too."