A/N: Hi! This is my first YJ fic and I hope you like it! There is no mature content, but a little violence (you have been warned). Thanks for reading! (Also pay attention to the BEGINNING parts of each chapter :)
Chapter 1: Jenifer's POV
"We got to get out of here!" Nightwing yelled over the sounds of gunshots. I dogged another wave of bullets heading straight for my torso.
"I can get everyone out!" Wally replied over the commotion.
"Better hurry!" Nightwing yelled back. Why we weren't using Miss Martian's telepathic link, I wasn't sure, but this worked too. I turned to my right to see Wally coming for me.
"Get me last! I'll be fine!" I said, gesturing for him to grab someone else. The speedster then sped off to grab Artemis and carry her to safety. I pulled my daggers out of their holsters and ran towards the nearest target. I kicked the gun out of the bulking man's hands then made a quick slash towards his stomach. As I continued to fight, a strange purple gas began to fill the room, making it hard to breathe. As it crept up the sides of the rickety warehouse, I heard a voice in my head.
Is everyone out? Miss Martian asked. Wally responded almost immediately,
Just Nightwing and Crimson are left, but this gas is slowing me down.
It must be a form of chloroform. Nightwing responded. You better get us all out before the gas knocks us out.
I am the most immune. I responded. Get Nightwing first.
Copy that! Wally said. I could practically see the grin on his face. As I kept wandering blindly through the gas, I realized that the men we were previously fighting were all gone. As I trudged further, I realized that my vision was beginning to get blurred and it was getting harder to walk. My knees began to give out underneath me as a flash of lightning caught my eye.
"Wally!" I yelled through the gas, hoping he could hear my weak voice. Suddenly, I felt two strong arms pick me up bridal style.
"Right here princess." Wally said, his voice not as weak as mine.
"Never call me that again." I said with small smile. Wally smiled back as he ran towards the daylight I could barely make out through the gas. I became weaker as we approached the light, but for some reason, it was getting smaller even though we were getting closer. Wally's pace also seemed to slow as we approached the door, the gas taking its toll. The giant door kept slowly closing as Wally ran out of stamina. We weren't going to make it. The door shut with a loud bang, closing us off from the rest of the team. My eyes began to close as Wally fell to the ground unconscious. My head hit the concrete floor as the gas finally overtook my body. I was gone.
Chapter 2: Jenifer's POV
LOCATION: MOUNT JUSTICE—7:04 A.M.—FIVE HOURS PREVIOUS TO MISSION
"TEAM REPORT TO MISSION ROOM IMMEDIATELY," Nightwing announced over the loud speaker. I turned to look at
Artemis and M'gann who were sitting next to me on the plush gray couches spread around the living room. I had just woken up a few minutes prior to the announcement and had no desire to stand up, let alone go on a mission. M'gann, who had been up for a while, stood up and gestured for us to follow.
"Come on guys!" she said encouragingly. I still couldn't figure out how one person could have so much energy. I groaned as I hesitantly got off the couch, following M'gann to the mission room.
When we reached the doors to the room, I could already see wally, who was still in his pajamas, and Aqualad who looked just about excited as I did.
"Where is Conner?" I asked as I entered the room.
"He should be coming so—," Nightwing cut himself off as Conner entered the room, not looking too happy.
"Alright team! Now that everyone is here, I can explain the mission. We are heading to a warehouse run by an anonymous group known as the Cobras."
"Real original…" Wally mumbled under Nightwing's briefing.
"We are going to break in and see what they are keeping stored. This is not a co-op mission, so camo is not required. Questions?" Nightwing asked as he finished his speech. I groggily raised my hand.
"Why do we have to go so early?" I asked, adding in a yawn for affect.
"Any relevant questions?" Nightwing asked again, ignoring me. I put a offended look on my face, but continued to listen.
"Alright! Let's suit up!" Nightwing said enthusiastically.
"Cliché!" Wally yelled as he walked slowly out of the room. Even Kid Flash didn't have enough energy to run. This was going to be a rough mission.
I walked down the cold hallway of Mount justice, my bare feet slapping on the stone floor as I approached my room. I opened the door to enter then walked over to my dresser where I kept my mission outfits. I pulled out a fresh white crop top and my baggy crimson cargo pants, then slipped out of my pajamas. I got dressed and laced up my black combat boots. I then walked over to the mirror to put on some make up and throw my bright red hair into a high pony tail. I looked over my appearance once more in the mirror before exiting my room. Next stop was the weapons hanger. I walked down the hall and to the big metal door that led to the weapons storage center. I stopped at the door to scan my finger and eye, allowing me access. After the door opened, I walked in to find Wally inside.
"What are you doing here Wally? You don't even have any weapons." I questioned, making Wally jump a little like he had just been caught doing something he shouldn't have.
"I was just checking stuff out." He replied snarkely.
"Whatever." I mumbled, walking over to my area. I looked down at my large collection of multi-sized daggers all glistening against the harsh florescent lighting. Combined with my super strength, these daggers could become very deadly when thrown at just the right velocity. I picked a few for the mission and strapped them on my belt, making sure to lock the case when I was done (Dick so frequently reminded me to do so). As I began to exit the room, I noticed Artemis had come in and was arguing with Wally. I only caught a few words of their conversation on the way out, but from what I picked up, it seemed like Wally had touched her things and she was not pleased.
I exited the weapons hanger and walked down to the central room where we were supposed to meet after we were ready. Dick was hunched over a computer, typing furiously. I walked over and placed my hands on his shoulders unexpectedly. He gave off no sign of being startled (I had yet to scare him), but lifted his hands off the keyboard to great me.
"Did I scare you this time?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Jen, you know I don't get scared." He replied with a classic Dick Grayson smirk.
"For now," I replied, "Where are we going?"
"A rainforest in Brazil. Apparently there are many species of poisonous frogs there." Dick replied, looking at me suspiciously.
"Cool! Good thing I am immune to poison." I replied. Since I had cells that rapidly regenerated (and telekinetic healing if I must add) poison didn't affect me.
"I feel like I learn a new thing about you every day." Dick said. I stared into his masked face trying to remember what he looked like without it. Ever since I found out his true identity on a mission a while back, I never really saw him without either his domino mask or shaded glasses. The memory of his bright blue eyes suddenly came back to me for a moment before I heard voices and footsteps coming from the hall.
"For the last time Artemis, I didn't TOUCH YOUR BOW!" Wally yelled from the hall.
"I saw YOU DO IT!" Artemis yelled back, her face turning red from all the yelling.
"Will you two ever stop yelling?" I asked, interrupting the very heated argument.
"I would if Wally didn't do something to piss me off every five seconds." Artimis mumbled under her breath. I rolled my eyes and directed my attention back to Dick.
"Is the bio ship ready?" I asked, wanting to escape whatever was going on between Artimis and Wally.
"Yes. M'gann and Conner are prepping it for the trip." Dick replied, "Do you want to go?"
"Sure," I said. Dick stood up from the chair he was sitting in and joined me by my side as we walked together towards the hanger.
Chapter 3: Wally's POV
LOCATION: SOMEWHERE IN BRAZIL—8:34 PM—MISSION STATUS—UNKNOWN
I opened my eyes slowly, not expecting to see what I did. Nothing. I looked around the place I was in for a light, but there was nothing. I wondered if this was what it was like to die. Suddenly, I heard a groan coming from, what I assumed was, my right. I crawled on my hands and knees on the stone cold floor over to the source of the sound, only to find that it was a person. I tried to remember what I was doing in this dark room in which I couldn't see my hand in front of my face and who I was with, but as I tried to think, I realized that there was pounding sensation in my head preventing my thinking. Another groan came from the person laying on the floor. I reached my hand out to touch whoever, or whatever, it was.
"Wally?" A weak voice whispered.
"Yeah?" I replied, still not sure who it was.
"You are touching my boob." The person said. I immediately retracted my hand and recognized the voice to be Jenifer's.
"Sorry." I said, being thankful that she couldn't see me blush through the darkness.
"Where are we?" Jenifer asked, sitting up with a groan.
"I don't know. I woke up a few minutes ago." I replied.
"Aw damn it." Jenifer grumbled through the darkness.
"What is it?" I asked, concern in my voice.
"I think I have been impaled." Jenifer said way too calmly for someone who had just been impaled.
"What do you mean?" I asked, hoping she was joking.
"Give me your hand." Jenifer said. My eyes were beginning to adjust to the pitch blackness, so I could barely make out Jenifer's outstretched hand, beckoning for mine to fit into it.
"Wow Jen, I really didn't expect you to be flirting with me under these circumstances." I said slyly with my classic Wally charm.
"Just shut up and take my hand." Jenifer demanded. I grabbed Jenifer's hand then she pulled it towards her.
"Does this feel like blood?" she asked. I placed my hand on her waist where her hand had directed mine and felt the wound. There was blood all over, soaking onto my hand through my glove. I felt around her toned stomach until I felt a strange object that did not feel like skin.
"I think there is something stuck in your stomach." I stated.
"Surprisingly, that isn't the first time I have heard that." Jenifer stated. "You are going to have to pull it out."
"I'm what now?" I asked, hoping I had heard her wrong.
"In order for me to heal myself, I can't have anything stuck in the wound." Jenifer affirmed, a tinge of worry in her voice.
"Okay… should I just rip it out?" I asked.
"You make it sound so bloody when you put it like that." Jenifer said. "Just do it." I felt around Jenifer's stomach again for the piece of who-knows-what. I finally found it, then wrapper my fingers around the end.
"Ready?" I asked, really not wanting to do this.
"As I'll ever be." Jenifer mumbled. She braced herself as I pulled with all my strength on the object. It slid out of Jenifer's torso with some ease, but I overestimated the strength necessary, so I pulled Jenifer a little forwards, causing her to loose balance. A muffled scream came from Jenifer's lips as her body crashed into mine.
"Are you okay?!" I asked, placing my hands on Jenifer's shoulders to stabilize her.
"I'm fine." She said, trying to mask her obvious pain. Suddenly, I felt a cold, smooth liquid seeping into my uniform.
"Jen, you're bleeding." I said, immediately wishing I could take it back.
"Thanks captain obvious." She said crossly. "It will stop in a second." I let out a breath of relief and relaxed my shoulders that I just now realized were tense. Jenifer was still somewhat leaning on me for support, which made me warm inside for a reason that I can't quite describe.
Jenifer and I were pretty good friends. When Canary brought her to the team, Dick and I took her under our wing and showed her the ropes of Young Justice. Our shared love for science and Dick and her love for computers really brought us together. Through our past almost two years of friendship I never really thought about either Dick or me in a relationship with Jen, but now with her pressed against me, I hoped maybe it could be possible.
"How are you doing?" I whispered to Jenifer after a few minutes of eerie silence in which she had scooted away from me a tiny bit and was now leaning against the cold wall of the room. My vision was still slowly adjusting to the pitch blackness of the room so I could now make out three stone walls and the freezing stone floor on which I was sitting. There seemed to be a source of liquid coming from somewhere in the room since there was a constant, steady drip coming from what I assumed was the roof. One wall of the room was a row of thick metal bars with gaps just thin enough that Jen or I couldn't slip out. I couldn't see anything beyond the bars, but I wasn't really sure if I wanted to. The whole thing was quite creepy and I just hoped it would be over soon.
"Better." Jenifer replied, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I am pretty sure the bleeding has stopped and maybe half of my skin is regenerated." Her voice echoed against the harsh stone walls like a car going through a tunnel. I still found it creepy how her body could regenerate so fast. Sure I have fast heeling because of my super speed, but that is really fast. Jenifer suddenly gave off a tiny shiver that caused me to shiver as well.
"Is it just me, or is it really cold in here?" Jen asked weakly. I could practically see the smile forming on her lips.
"Don't worry baby. The fire in my heart with keep you warm." I replied with a smirk that no one could see. Jenifer softly nudged me in the leg then spoke,
"Seriously though, I am freezing. Whenever my body regenerates, my immune system goes down. Perks of being superhuman." I smiled at her sarcastic humor then scooted closer to where she was sitting.
"Combined body heat tends to make one warmer." I said, suggesting that I get even closer.
"Very true." Jenifer replied, accepting my invitation. I scooted closer to her until our legs and shoulders were touching, then I wrapped my arm around her. Jenifer leaned closer to me they laid her head down on my chest. I could feel her slow breaths on my chest as she slowly inhaled and exhaled, causing me to be warm as well. We sat like that for a while. Just me, her, and nothing or no one else.
After a few minutes of sitting I slowly moved Jenifer's bangs away from her face to reveal her closed eyes. Her breathing had slowed down, so I assumed she was sleeping. I slowly started to move away from her and let her sleep, but she let out a soft groan and gripped onto me tighter. Can't say no to that. I slowly placed my head down on top of hers and let my heavy eyes close, drifting away to sleep.
Chapter 4: Jenifer's POV
LOCATION: ABOVE TEXAS—9:15 am—FOUR HOURS PREVIOUS TO MISSION
"Alright team. Only 15 minutes until landing." Nightwing announced. We had almost arrived in Brazil for the mission. My eyes were still threatening to close forever to let me sleep, but I stayed awake, for now.
After 15 minutes of flying and only one argument between Wally and Artemis, the plane finally landed.
"Alright team, I am sending the mission location to your communicators. Everyone get in pairs and clear the perimeter." Nightwing commanded. Everyone got out of their seats and began to pair up. M'gann and Conner linked arms, claiming that they were an inseparable pair while Artemis gave Wally a death glare and strutted over to where Aqualad was standing. Wally sighed, then walked over towards Dick and me.
"I am assuming you two are going together?" He sighed, knowing what was coming next.
"Correct. That means you are the one without a partner." Dick answered. Wally gave off what sounded like a groan, they sped off into the woods, flinging my hair into my face in the process.
"Ready to go?" Nightwing asked.
"Let's do it." I replied, breaking into a jog running strait for the forest.
After about a hour of Nightwing and I jogging around a not-so-abandoned-warehouse, I spotted something in the woods.
"Look," I whispered as I tapped on Nightwing's arm. I pointed into the dense green forest at an odd red object that did not blend in with the tall green trees. Nightwing put a finger to his lips, signaling for me to be quiet as we crept through the woods. As we got closer to the thing, I could tell it was not in fact a thing, but actually a person. I snuck closer to the person as Nightwing circled around the other side. Suddenly the person made a move, and out of instinct, I pounced. I grabbed onto the back of the person and dragged them to the ground with me. We wrestled on the ground for a second before I won and ended up on top of them, one of my daggers at their throat. Suddenly, I dropped my guard when I recognized who it was.
Aqualad stared up at me with fear in his eyes, but it turned into relief when he recognized me as well.
"You scared the crap out of me." I said, getting off of Aqulad and offering him my hand.
"Well at least we know that your reflexes are good." He responded as he took my hand.
"Didn't you know that already?" I asked, smirking.
"It never hurts to test." He replied, smiling back.
"Where is Artemis?" Nightwing asked, emerging from the forest.
"Right here." The blonde archer said as she walked out from behind a tree.
"How is the perimeter?" Nightwing asked as Artemis walked over to us, completing the circle that we had formed.
"It was all clear. That warehouse looks pretty creepy though." Artemis said, putting on a disturbed face.
"I know right! Who would want their secret base in there?" I replied. The warehouse we had been investigating seemed very creepy with the odd holes and sketchy feel it was giving off.
"Let's call the team to our location so we can investigate further." Nightwing suggested. We all agreed as he took out his communicator and sent the team our location.
Chapter 5: Jenifer's POV
LOCATION: UNKNOWN—TIME: UNKNOWN—MISSION STATUS: TBD
I awoke to a loud banging sound outside of what I assumed was our cell. I slowly lifted myself off Wally, then turned to look at him. He was a little paler than usual, probably from dehydration, and his uniform was stained by my blood, but otherwise he looked fine. I slowly shook his shoulder, beckoning for him to wake up.
"Wally…Wally…WALLY!" I shouted. Wally woke with a start.
"What!" He said.
"Rise and shine. Someone's here." I said poking his face. Wally swatted my hand away and sat up. He rubbed his face with a glove that was stained by my crimson blood and looked at me.
"How did you sleep princess?" he asked, smirking.
"I told you not to call me that and I slept fine. You make a good pillow." I said.
"I am going to take that as a complement." Wally said. Suddenly, another loud sound came from outside the cell. I turned around to see the cell door being unlocked and slowly pushed open. A tall, lumbering man stood in the doorway to the cell. Through the darkness I could make out his outfit as being a raggedy jumpsuit and a holster at his side which held a gun that looked pretty lethal.
"Speedy, Creepy, come with me." He bellowed. Wally stood up off the ground and clenched his fists.
"What makes you think we are coming with you?" Wally asked coldly.
"This." The man said calmly as he drew his gun from his belt. My reflexes went off almost immediately, but I wasn't quick enough. The man grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him, putting the gun up to my head. I had no escape. If I moved, he would fire: and although I wouldn't be dead, I wouldn't be much help to Wally and my escape.
Wally gave up trying to fight or argue and followed the man out of the cell with me in front, the gun still pointed at my head. I could feel the cold metal pressing into my head, forcing me to walk forwards. The man walked us into an open room that was lighted by creaky florescent lights hanging from the ceiling. My eyes took a second to adjust to the light after the dark cell I had lived in for the past I-don't-know-how-many hours. Wally made a grunting sound behind me that made me assume that he was being forced to wherever we were going.
The large man took us to the center of the room where two sets of chains were hanging from the ceiling and floor. I had an unfortunate assumption for what was going to happen next. The large man put his gun back into the holster, but kept a firm grip on my arm.
"Try anything and I snap your neck." He breathed on my face, the stench of his breath causing me to gag internally. The man, or pig as I would better describe him, pulled both of my hands into the air so my feet were barley scraping the floor, then put my wrists into the cold metal cuffs that were attached to the ceiling by a thick metal chain. He then proceeded to do the same to my ankles, making it so I had to stand on my tiptoes to touch the ground. The pig man backed away from me to inspect his handy work. I took the opportunity to scope the room and possible exits.
The room was a big circle with a large cargo door on one side. We were hanging in the middle of the room with several hallways all around the room that I assumed led to more cells like ours. I turned to look at Wally who was getting the same treatment as me, but a tall, muscular, tattooed lady was tightening his chains.
You good? Wally mouthed to me.
For now. I responded, not really wanting what was coming next. Pig man and Tattoos looked over us one last time before leaving the room. A few seconds later, a tall, thin man came in with a cart full of what looked like torture devises.
"Hello you two. I have been really looking forward to this." The man said with a drawl. I opened my mouth to ask what the heck was going on, but I was cut off before I could even begin.
"Ah ah ah. Please save all questions until the end. Now you two are here to answer some simple questions. If you fail to answer, I have other ways to make you talk." The creepy man said, gesturing to his cart. I took a deep breath and tried to keep a calm and collected look on my face.
"You two may be asking what happened to your speed and strength, but no worries. If you somehow manage to survive this, they will come back in a few hours." The man gave off an evil cackle and began to busy himself by putting on rubber gloves and a lab coat. I turned to Wally and mouthed to him.
I will be fine. Don't give up anything for me. Wally gave me a scared look, but nodded his head affirmatively.
"Alright. Shall we do ladies first?" The crazy man asked. I kept my cool, but inside I was shaking uncontrollably.
"I heard that you have excelled healing genes. I would like to see how that works if you don't mind." He crowed. The man grabbed a sharp stick looking thing from the cart and walked over to where I was hanging.
"It appears that you had a run in with some guards on the way here." He said, gesturing to the almost healed wound on my stomach. "Well you know what they say. Never open closed wounds." The man drew a circle on my exposed stomach with the knife, drawing little bits of blood as he went. He kept pushing harder until he reached the center of my stomach, then slowly pushed the knife all the way in. I bit my lip to keep myself from crying out. I could already feel tears forming in my eyes. To my left I could hear the rattling of Wally's chains, but could barely make out his protests.
"Does that hurt?" the man whispered to me. He then ripped the knife out of my stomach, taking some skin with it. I clenched my jaw, biting down on my tongue. It hurt like hell, but I refused to show weakness. "Now, I am going to ask you a few questions. Fall to answer, and you will experience something a lot worse than that." The man cackled. I clenched my fists, ready for whatever he was going to throw at me: or slice through me for all I know. "You run around with the Black Canary, correct?" He paused for me to nod, but I made no movement, "I would like to know who she is under that mask." I processed what he said for a second before it clicked. He wanted secret identities of all the Justice League and for some reason he assumed that Wally and I knew them. "No answer? Well you know what that means, more fun for me!" The man pulled a knife the size of my forearm off of the cart and ran the blade down his finger. "This might hurt a bit." He walked over to my left side and pushed the tip of my knife slowly into my skin. I balled my fists once again as the knife went deeper into my side. "This could all end if you just told me the answer." He crooned. Telling Canary's identity did sound tempting, but I could never betray her; especially after everything she had done for me.
"Never." I growled between gritted teeth. I felt the knife slowly go through my stomach, then eventually out the other side. I looked down to see the tip of it sticking out of my right side, covered in my fresh crimson blood. I felt a tear slip down my face and watched it fall to the floor, hoping no one had seen.
"You know what hurts more than a knife going in? One coming back out." The man gripped the handle of the knife and ripped it back out. I let a small scream escape my lips as closed my eyes, not wanting to see the damage that had been done.
"Now we are getting somewhere." The man crooned once again. I could barely see what he was doing, my eyes now clouded with tears. Suddenly, I felt a cold hand on my shoulder.
"This might hurt a little more." The man whispered. A cold sensation spread from my shoulder all through my body, then the pain came. I heard Wally scream from next to me, his chains rattling, but the sound was quickly drowned out by a ringing in my ears. Hot tears kept rolling down my face as the pain increased. I tried to move my shoulder, but another wave of pain flashed through me as I felt the cold metal of the knife lodged in my shoulder bone. Wally kept yelling next to me as another knife went into my knee, causing me to yell out in pain again, my voice now strained. I could feel more knives going into my body, but I had lost count of them. Every time a knife went into me, the pain got less until my body was numb.
"This is your last chance." I heard over my migraine that I thought was going to rip my head in half.
"Do your worst." I snarled. After a few seconds of nervous anticipation, I felt something cold at the top of my head.
"One wrong move, and this needle servers a major part of your brain and I don't think you can heal yourself if you are dead." The man said. I could feel the needle digging deeper into my brain.
"STOP!" Wally yelled from next to me. "Please don't kill her! She will be no use to you if she is dead."
"You obviously haven't been paying attention." The man said, "She already is no use to me." Suddenly, the needle went so far through my head I could taste the metal on my tongue. Then everything was gone. I couldn't feel anything, the pain from before was all gone, but I also couldn't see. The last of my senses to go was my hearing. Wally's screams echoed through the room as I drifted away.
Chapter 6: Wally's POV
LOCATION: BRAZIL—12:00 AM—MISSION STATUS: BEGUN
This was so stupid. Why was I always the one with no partner? Okay, sure Jen would leave Nightwing for me occasionally and if I was lucky, M'gann would have pity on me, but it was usually just me and my fabulous charm running around. At least with all the missions I spent alone I had some quality time to think to myself. The first thing that came to my mind was Artemis. After one and a half years of us being teammates she still hated me and I had no idea why. I was only mean to her if she was mean first and she was only mean if I annoyed her. The obvious end to our bickering was that I stop being annoying, but I think that the very essence of me just annoys her. I gave an audible groan just thinking about Artemis and her never ending hatred towards me.
Suddenly, my communicator gave a blink. I skidded to a halt and looked down at my wrist. Nightwing had sent his location and requested a meet up. Nightwing's blue dot on the mini map was surrounded by red, green and light blue dots indicating that Crimson, Aqualad and Artemis were there. At least it wasn't just him and Artemis. Jenifer usually broke up their fights before anything physical happened (not saying that I would lose to Artemis, but she can be very brutal). I sighed to myself then began to ran towards the location.
After a few seconds of running, I looked back at my map. Only a couple hundred feet until I arrived. I looked back up, then ran smack into something hard. I took the thing with me as I fell to the brown jungle floor. I opened my eyes slowly to see someone coming into focus. At first I thought it was Artemis since I had her on the brain, but then my eyes caught up with my head and I realized it was Jenifer.
Jenifer and Artemis looked similar from a distance. They both had nice builds, light caramelly skin and their hair almost always tucked into a ponytail, but up close, they were immensely different. Artemis had a thinner face with a jawline that could cut you while Jen's face was more rounded and soft like a teddy bear with defined cheekbones. My eyes moved to Jen's nose next which was tiny, complementing her round eyes. Artemis' nose was sharp and pointy (just like her insults) giving her a more sophisticated look. Finally the eyes. Artemis' eyes were as dark as the bottom of the sea, piercing into your soul and shattering it into a million pieces if you dared to look for too long, but Jen's eyes were softer. They were a perfect mix of different shades of blue and some gray which I hadn't noticed until now. I was snapped out of my thoughts as Jen spoke,
"Jez Wally. You are lucky I have super healing or I would have at least ten broken ribs right now."
"Sorry beautiful but it looks like you fell for me." I replied, getting off of her then standing up.
"Actually, I think you knocked me over." Jenifer replied, "but I could be wrong."
"Since when are you wrong." I flirted, offering her my hand.
"True." She responded. She then grabbed my hand and hopped to her feet, not needing any of my strength to pull her up.
"Hey Wally. Took you long enough to get here." I heard a sarcastic voice from behind me. I let go of Jenifer's hand that I just now realized I was still holding onto and whipped around.
"Sorry. I was busy doing my job." I said coldly, turning around to face Artemis.
"I didn't realize your job was flirting with Jenifer." She responded with a stupid smirk I just wanted to rip off her face.
"Hey! Don't drag me into this." Jenifer said over her shoulder.
"Whatever." I said, having no good comeback. I spun around to face the team who were now planning our next attack.
Chapter 7: Jenifer's POV
LOCATION: UNKNOWN—TIME: UNKNOWN—MISSION STATUS: UNKNOWN
I woke to a stone-cold floor beneath my face. I wondered for a second if I was dead. I couldn't feel anything in my body or hear anything, but suddenly my senses returned. I slowly pushed myself off the floor to a sitting position as I slowly began to remember what had happened. I began shaking uncontrollably as the memories slowly flooded back. I put my hand down on the floor to steady myself only to be met by a pool of blood. I looked down at my body and suddenly realized that the blood was in fact my own. My whole torso was torn up from knives either going in out of it and the hem of my shirt was in the same condition. The previously white fabric was now stained crimson red. I let out a small groan as I slowly touched one of my wounds to see how much it had healed. Nothing seemed to be different that when I was last conscious. My body must have been trying so hard to be keeping me alive, it had no energy to heal me. I looked around the stone room where I had just been tortured. The chains were still hanging from the ceiling above me, my wrists now free from the bindings, but swollen and red from hanging so long. Suddenly, I remembered another problem that needed fixing. I turned to my left to see a very distorted version of Wally West.
He was lying on his stomach, his head tilted slightly to the side so his face was barley showing. I slowly scooted closer to him to inspect the damage that had been done, but I realized through a lot of pain, that my leg was very messed up. I looked down at it to find it bent in an inhuman like way, blood pouring out of it. I could barely make out the bone of my knee cap through my torn-up flesh which was nowhere near normal. I sucked in a deep breath as I took hold of my leg. I would have to force it back into its normal spot if I wanted it to heal properly, but unfortunately, that was very painful. I gave a short countdown in my head, then twisted my leg. It gave a small cracking sound as it slid back into place. I bit my lip, not wanting anyone to hear me, and exhaled sharply. As soon as the major pain was gone, I turned my attention back to Wally. I slowly moved towards him until I could touch his arm, then I began to inspect the damage.
During whatever happened while I was unconscious, Wally's shirt had been cut off, revealing his toned shoulders that looked less like shoulders and more like a pieces of butchered meat. I ran my finger next to the jagged lines on his back that ran all the way down to his stomach. The cuts were most likely made from a whip, one of the cruelest forms of torture. I quickly grabbed Wally's wrist and placed two fingers on the spot where his pulse should have been. He clearly was not breathing, not good, but if he had a pulse, there was a chance I could still save him. I waited a very long second before I could make out a slow but steady pulse under my fingers. I let out a sigh of relief and released the tension in my shoulders.
I closed my eyes and began to heal Wally until I heard echoing footsteps coming from outside of the room. I quickly opened my eyes and scanned my surroundings. No one had come into the room, but I decided that we were not safe. I looked around for an exit, hoping I wouldn't have to walk, or quite possibly crawl, very far. The only door leading off of the room besides the ones going to the cells was a giant sliding door that looked like it belonged in an aircraft hangar. I gave a sigh of defeat and prepared myself for the long journey.
The first step to my plan of escape was standing up. I slowly place my good leg beneath me, steadying myself with my hand, then pushed off the ground. As soon as my bad leg had any weight put on it, a sharp pain shot up my leg and went all the way to my head. I held my breath and managed not to fall over as I remained standing on one leg. This would have to do. I bent down slightly and grabbed both of Wally's arms, then I began my slow stagger over to the door. I had no idea what I was going to do when I got there, but it was better than just lying on the floor. I hobbled over to the door with one of Wally's arms in each of my hands, hopping on one foot and only using my bad one if totally necessary (AKA me almost falling over). After a painful three minutes of hopping and dragging, I finally made it to the door. Next step; opening the door.
I placed Wally down gently by the wall as I began to search for anything to open the door. Suddenly, something shiny caught my eye. A gray panel was sticking out of the wall, the lid slightly cracked open. I hobbled over to it and opened the lid further, revealing a key pad and tiny screen. If only Dick was here to hack it open. Unfortunately, my hacking skills were not up to par and even if they were, I didn't want to risk getting caught and thrown back into a cell. I then remembered something that hopefully could help.
I reached down into my boot and felt around for the tiny slit I had cut into it. As soon as I found it I grabbed a little piece of plastic that was sticking out. I slowly pulled the object all the way out of my shoe and held it in front of me.
A tiny knife smaller than my pinkie finger was glimmering in the stone cold lights that were above me. I had always kept it with me in case of emergencies and this definitely seemed to count as an emergency. The blade was made of a special material that was stronger than any metal, but couldn't be seen on a metal detector. The blade was very sharp, perfect for getting me out of this place.
I felt around the panel for a tiny slit I could use to pry it open. I finally found one, then stuck the knife into it, slowly prying it open. As I took the lid off, it revealed many tangled wires connecting the keypad to the wall. I took a deep breath and began to decide what wire I should cut first. It was most likely that at least one of the wires would trip an alarm and we would be caught. Suddenly, I heard footsteps again, but this time they were heading towards us. I panicked and grabbed the first wire I could get my hands on. I shut my eyes and used my knife to cut it. After a few seconds of eerie silence, a loud sound echoed through the room. I opened my eyes to see the giant blast door opening. I gave a tiny squeal of joy, then ran over to Wally. I grabbed his arms once again, then slung him over my back, my strength was now returning. I walk-hobbled as fast as I could over to the door, then slipped through the narrow opening.
On the other side of the door was a long hallway with many doors branching off of it. I made my way to the closest door and hoped that there was no one with a gun in it. I quickly grabbed the handle and tried to open it, but it was locked. I guess this is what super strength is for. I ripped the handle off the door and then kicked it open with my foot. I quickly shuffled in then slammed the door shut behind me, the sounds of footsteps getting louder. I held my breath as the person walked by, hoping that he didn't see the tiny trail of blood I had left behind.
Chapter 8: Jenifer's POV
LOCATION: UNKNOWN-TIME: UNKNOWN-MISSION STATUS: FAILED
As soon as the footsteps had passed, I put Wally down and slid to the floor. My leg was felt even worse than it had when it was dislocated and my right shoulder was burning, but I was still alive. I looked around the room we were in and decided it was probably a janitors closet, hence the cleaning supplies. I felt around the wall for a light switch although my eyes were adjusting, a little light would be nice. I finally found a switch and I turned it on, a dim light bulb illuminated the room. I looked down at Wally. His eyes were still closed, blood streaking his uniform. The front of him looked better than his back, but that wasn't saying much. His toned abs were smeared in either his or my blood (I couldn't really tell at this point) and his chest had a giant knife wound on it.
I crawled towards him on my hands and knees, trying not to let my bad leg touch the ground. I sat down right next to him in a cheerleader pose, leaning on his leg for support. I grabbed Wally's shoulders and began to softly shake them, hoping he would wake up.
"Please don't be dead." I whispered into his ear, "Wake up, please." Hot tears began spilling down my cheeks. Wally couldn't be dead, I needed him. "Wally PLEase!" I screamed the best I could through my crying. I curled my hands into fists and pushed them hard into Wally's bare chest, letting my head fall with them. My tears made their way down Wally's chest as I closed my eyes in defeat.
Just as I though all hope was gone and Wally was dead, I heard a moan that I was pretty sure wasn't mine. I slowly lifted my head up to meet Wally's green eyes shining under the dim light. I let out a gasp of shock and smiled warmly. Wally smiled back and gave a tiny chuckle,
"Afraid you lost me princess?"
"Promise to never do that again." I replied, still staring into his eyes.
"The almost-dying part or calling you princess?" He asked, wiping a tear off my wet cheek.
"Both." I whispered back. I just now realized how close my nose was to his. He kept eye contact with me, and for a split-second I thought he was going to pull away, but then he looked down at my lips. I looked down as well and blushed. Wally directed my gaze back to his eyes by putting a cold hand on the crook of my neck and gently pulling my head closer to his so our foreheads were touching. Tears were still running down my face, now out of relief.
"I promise." Wally whispered so softly even I could barely hear, then he closed the space in between us. I kissed Wally back, savoring the taste of his soft lips on mine and the feeling of his hand caressing my neck. I took one of my hands off the ground and ran it through his soft hair. I pulled away from Wally once I was out of breath and opened my eyes.
"What was that for?" I asked trying to mask how breathless I was.
"I didn't want to die again without kissing you." Wally said snarkely. I gave a smirk back then scooted back to where I was sitting before. I then suddenly remembered why Wally almost died.
"Turn around." I commanded, gesturing for Wally to face the wall.
"Why?" He asked, looking confused.
"I need to heal you before you lose any more blood. Judging by the fact that you are extremely pale, you lost way too much blood and could pass out again."
"Well don't you not have enough energy. You can't even heal yourself." Wally gestured to my busted-up knee and my shoulder. They both looked no better than before so Wally probably had a point, but I needed to try.
"I need to try." I pleaded. Wally finally gave in and slowly turned to face the wall, grunting as he went. I closed my eyes and placed my hands onto Wally's back, then tried to conjure up all the energy I had left. I concentrated on Wally's wounds and them healing, but I had nothing left. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter and pressed my fingers into Wally's back. My head began to throb from the pressure and my eyes started to water again. Wally could obviously tell I was struggling. He began to call for me to stop, but I couldn't.
"JENIFER STOP." He yelled. I ignored him and continued. "You are going to hurt yourself." I tried to shake my head in protest, but it hurt too much. I then felt firm hands on my wrists. I tore my eyes open and stared at Wally.
"I'm sorry." I murmured, looking down at the ground in shame.
"You don't have to apologize for anything." Wally said, still holding my hands. "You need rest to restore your energy, then you can heal yourself."
"B-but what about you?" I stammered.
"I'm fine. You were hurt way worse than me." I finally gave a small nod and laid down against Wally who was facing me again. I curled up against him, pulling my knees closer to me. Wally let go of my hands and wrapped his arms around me.
"Are we going to be okay?" I asked, not really wanting an answer. After a few seconds of eerie silence, Wally's soft voice filled the room.
"I will make sure of it." Wally said into my hair, his soft breath warming me up. "Goodnight princess." He said, resting his head on top of mine.
"Goodnight," I replied, closing my eyes and falling asleep to the constant rising and falling of Wally's chest, making sure that it never stopped again.
Chapter 9: Wally's POV
LOCATION: UNKNOWN-TIME: UNKNOWN-MISSION STATUS: FAILED
I woke up to the sound of footsteps outside of the door. I softly nudged Jen's shoulder with my arm to wake her up. She moaned, then slowly opened her eyes.
"Hey." She mumbled.
"How did you sleep?" I asked as she untangled herself from my arms and sat next to me against the wall.
"As good as you can with a broken knee and ribs." She said, turning her head to look at me.
"Don't forget the shoulder." I teased. Jen rolled her eyes then gave the first smile I had seen in a while.
"You almost died yesterday. Well, I think yesterday." She said.
"Don't remind me. I also kissed you yesterday." I replied, trying to contain my giant smile.
"I remember. Was that just a spur of the moment thing or…." Jenifer asked.
"I'm not really sure." I lied. I had always wanted to kiss Jen, but I never knew if I should. I mean, you can't really blame me. She and Dick have been flirting with each other since the day they met and everyone is convinced I am in love with Artemis (which I am not), so kissing Jen was very out of the picture, until last night. But I did mean what I said, how I didn't want to die without kissing her and all that romantic crap. Totally worth it.
"Pretend like it never happened?" Jen asked, holding out her hand for me to shake.
"Why?" I asked, "Why can't we kiss each other?" My voice went from sarcastic to sad.
"I don't know. What would the team think?" Jen asked.
"Do you like me?" I replied.
"Don't change the subject."
"Just answer."
"Yes Wally. I do like you."
"Then why does it matter what they think?"
"I don't know. Won't it screw up the whole team dynamic thing?" Jen questioned.
"We never know until we try." I flirted back.
"What if we can't make things normal again?"
"We will. Trust me."
"Since when did that ever work out for me." Jen smirked. I chuckled, then grabbed her hand.
"Let's focus on getting out of here first." I said, "Do you have a plan?"
"How did you know?" Jen laughed.
"You always do." I said.
"Okay. So last night while I couldn't sleep, I noticed a set of guard clothes on a shelf. I think one of us should dress up, sneak into the communication room then send a SOS to the team. Hopefully they will get our signal, come find us, then bring us home. Waddya think." Jen finished. I contemplated her plan, looking for a problem with it; but as usual, I couldn't.
"Let's do it." I agreed.
"Who is going to go?" Jen asked. There was an eerie silence as we thought.
"I should. You need more energy and you have a limp." I said, hoping I wouldn't regret the decision.
"Are you sure? I can walk better than you would expect with a broken knee." Jen argued. I could tell she was glad I volunteered. Walking on that leg must have been pure torture.
"Anything for you my dear." I teased. Jen rolled her eyes then stood up to grab the uniform. "Nu-uh. You are handicapped." I said, grabbing her not-hurt shoulder and softly pulling her back down. I slowly stood up as she gave a huff and crossed her arms. I stood up, then grabbed the wall for support. I was a little dizzy, but otherwise fine except the aching pain in my back. I quickly grabbed the suit then prepared to change. Jen began to face the wall before I spoke,
"You can look. We are dating now." I smirked. Jen blushed then snapped back,
"First off, we aren't dating and second ew." I laughed then quickly changed into the scratchy uniform.
"Im done." I said as I buttoned up the shirt. Jen turned back around.
"Are you sure you don't want me to heal you before you go?" Jen asked. I desperately wanted Jen to heal me, but I couldn't let her use her energy.
"Maybe when I get back. In the meantime, you heal yourself." I said.
"Fine. But you better not pass out." She commanded.
"How long can people go without food?" I asked as my stomach rumbled.
"About fifty days. Why?" Jen replied.
"Just curious." I said as my stomach rumbled again.
"Does your super speed work?" Jen asked. I hadn't even thought to try it.
"Let's see." I said. I held my had out in front of my face and began to vibrate it. I moved slower than usual, but it was something.
"If we are going to escape, we will need your speed. Try and find something to eat while you are out there." Jen said.
"Alright. Anything else?" I asked. Jen stood up slowly and planted a soft kiss on my cheek.
"Don't die." She whispered. I nodded my head, then turned towards the door. Jen hopped over and leaned against the wall as I cracked it open.
"Good luck Baywatch." She said. I smiled at her then slipped out the door.
Chapter 10: Wally's POV
LOCATION: UNKNOWN-TIME: UNKNOWN-MISSION STATUS: FAILED
I slipped through the heavy door and into the long hallway of whatever prison we were being held in. I slowly made my way down the hall, trying to hide the fact that walking was a struggle for me right now. I turned right at the next intersection and hoped I was going in the direction of the com room. I continued to walk along until a large man turned the corner. He was wearing a uniform similar to mine and was carrying a giant gun that could probably take out a mammoth. As he turned the corner he looked up and acknowledged me. He looked me over once then squinted his eyes.
"Where is your gun at private?" He asked with a deep voice. Oh shoot was not prepared for this. Come on Wally think.
"Ummm, I just dropped it of to be... fixed. The trigger was acting funny." I lied, hoping he would buy it.
"I haven't seen your face around here before. Are you a new recruit?" He said, still squinting.
"Umm, yes. I am new." I said as I twiddled my fingers, "I am actually quite lost. Could you point me in the direction of the communications room?" The man thought for a minuet before responding and I was sure he was going to kill me on the spot. Instead he just responded
"Sure private. Just take a left down this corridor then it is door number 453." Wow, who knew evil criminal guards could be so helpful? I nodded as I mentally memorized the directions, then the man walked past me. I took a deep breath then continued to the left, looking for the right room.
I finally found the room after a few minuets of searching then I slipped inside after making sure the coast was clear. I jogged as fast as I could manage over to the giant computer that was set up on the far side of the room. I began typing in a distress signal and the location of Mount Justice before I heard footsteps outside of the room. I quickly sent my message then slipped under a desk, praying that I wouldn't be caught.
Two guards stepped into the room and did a sweep of it.
"I swear I saw someone sneak in here." A woman's voice said. I watched their boots as they walked around.
"Hey look at this." The other guard said. They both walked over to the computer. "Someone just sent out a message." Aw shit this is how I am going to die.
"It's probably just one of those auto respond things." The female said, tapping her foot on the floor.
"Whatever." the other one said. "Let's go get lunch, I'm starving." The other guard agreed and the pair left the room. As soon as the door shut I got out from under the desk then made my way to the door. I grabbed an apple and some trail mix someone had left behind on my way out, then I bolted for the room Jenifer was in. My super speed kicked in a little on the way so I returned to the door in no time. I knocked once then whispered though the crack.
"Jen, it's me." the door unlocked then I stepped in.
"How did it go?" Jen asked as I locked the door again.
"I had a run in with a guard but I'm okay. I sent the message." I leaned back against the wall and sat on the floor, exhausted.
"If the team gets our message they should be here in about one hour. Did you find any food?" Jen asked as she sat next to me.
"Ya. Can you split this apple in half?" I handed Jen the apple and she ripped it in half with inhuman like strength.
"Here." She said handing me one half. I took the apple then opened the bag of trail mix and set it in between us. We ate in silence for a few minuets before Jen smiled at me.
"What?" I asked.
"I'm healing again." She said, showing me the gash in her stomach that was slowly but surely regenerating.
"That's great!" I exclaimed. I held out my hand and it began to vibrate faster. "And my speed is coming back."
Jen smiled again then put one hand delicately on my back.
"Hold still." I began to fell a warm sensation filling me from head to toe. The pain of my wounds was subsiding. I let out a breath of relief as my wounds became smaller. Jen took her hand off of me then looked into my eyes. "Can you run?" She asked. I gave her a classic smirk then responded.
"It's what I do."
Chapter 11: Jenifer's POV
LOCATION: UNKNOWN-TIME: UNKNOWN-MISSION STATUS: FAILED
"You ready to do this?" I asked. Wally was now changed back into his outfit and was preparing to run.
"Ready as I'll ever be." He replied. I could sense the nervousness in his voice. I nodded slowly then wrapped my arms around his neck. He picked me up bridal style then smiled at me. I smiled back then leaned into him, pressing my lips to his. I ran my hand through his hair as he held me tighter. Savoring the softness of his lips I slowly pulled away but stayed close enough to feel his breath on my face. I kept my eyes shut and took in the moment, a rush of emotion hitting me.
"If we die Wally.." I whispered, my eyes still closed.
"Don't say that. We are going to be okay." Wally whispered back. I opened my eyes to meet his. Wally quickly kissed me again, then opened the door.
I grasped Wally's neck tighter as we ran through the prison and towards where Wally said he assumed the exit was in correlation to the communications room. We sped past oblivious guards all the way to the giant blast doors that were wide open for our escape. I began to worry when I didn't see the bio ship waiting for us, but then with a tornado of dust, the ship came into sight and the cargo bay door opened, revealing Artemis and Dick. They were yelling something at us as we got closer and closer to the ship, but I couldn't make it out with all the chaos. Suddenly a bullet zoomed past my ear, almost taking it off. I looked over Wally's shoulder to see one of the prison guards chasing after us, a gun in hand, aimed at my head. I turned back to Dick and signaled at him to throw me a weapon. He quickly reached behind him and grabbed a knife off of a shelf then threw it at me. I watched the knife as it seemed to spin in slow motion at me. I caught it by the handle then turned to face our attacker. I chucked the knife with all the strength I had left and watched it as it lodged itself in the middle of the man's forehead.
Wally quickly boarded the bio ship after our attacker was dealt with and M'gann piloted the ship up. The cargo bay doors shut just as reinforcements arrived and they began to shoot. Wally put me down as his knees began to buckle. Artemis grabbed his arm and slung it around her shoulders, carrying him to the med bay. I turned to face Dick as my bad knee gave out and I fell into his arms.
"Did I scare you this time?" I asked weakly with the biggest smile I could manage.
"Don't ever do it again." Dick replied with tears in his eyes. I closed my eyes as Dick held me tight, never wanting to let go.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I really loved writing this fic and I hoped you enjoyed!