Chapter Two: Weak
Artemis's grip tightened on her bow as she got seated into the BioShip. Every look she received from any of teens on the team seemed suspicious, unwelcome, and untrusting. Every word seemed prying and unnatural. Even their positions felt tense and wary. But they weren't, and she knew that. There was no way they could know. She had just found out last night that the Mission was so close! Anxiety pricked her like a hot poker, and that was coupled with a horrible feeling of cold that wrapped harshly around her heart, constricting it to where she could hardly breathe. Her palms were clammy with sweat, but she felt like ice was being pumped into her veins, the air felt tight and thin, and-what was she doing? Taking a deep breath she forced herself into calm, choking out her fast beating heart by only taking slow and even breaths. She wiped her hands off on the green material stretched around her legs, adjusted that infernal mask, and shifted to a more comfortable position. She had to get a hold of herself. She flashed a look around at the rest of the team, who hadn't noticed her short-lived anxiety attack. Robin was telling Miss Martian about some of Kid Flash's less admirable moments, leaving a mortified Wally trying to defend himself. Kaldur was relaxed in his chair, a thoughtful look smeared onto his face, and Superboy had his arms crossed over his chest while he looked out the window. What was she doing? This was just another mission, right? She had done this kind of thing before, more than she would like to have, but still. This was routine. This was life. Why was it so unbearably hard? She shook herself.
"It's only hard if you make it that way." She whispered to herself. It was an old pep-talk she had recited millions of times, and it worked. One last deep breath, and she felt normal again.
"We'll be landing soon!" Megan said cheerfully, breaking the young archer's dismal thoughts. Abruptly the ship jerked gently, rocking the team a bit before being still.
"Soon doesn't mean "now", Miss M." Robin commented playfully, but Artemis was already gone into her thoughts again. When Sportsmaster had first debriefed her on her mission, he had said that she should do it on a mission. After all, it was possible for death to occur when you were taking on the bad guys. He had also told her that when she received a letter from him, that he wanted it done within two days. Forty-two hours was plenty of time to dispose of five teens who didn't know when they weren't wanted. So she had about a day and a half…Which meant today was the best option. Thinking of which, what was their mission? Artemis thought back hazily to the debriefing…it had something to do with the Block Buster and Venom compound...and that meant it probably involved her dad. He was a huge supporter of the stuff. Oh, great. No pressure or anything. He had probably planned it like this, the self-serving jerk.
"Hey, we're leaving." A voice said, and Artemis realized she'd been zoned out in her seat, the buckle still on. Kid Flash was standing in front of her seat, looking impatient but trying not to. Her mind's eye swept up an unwanted memory of being cradled in his arms as he ran, having just saved her from a fiery death by tank missile. She stood up and grabbed her bow, muttering a "Thanks" before walking past him and out of the ship. This was going to be a long, crappy, awful, day.
She laid her foot down on the grass. They were on some sort of island-she could tell because of the sea-blown breeze and distant sounds of rocking waves and chattering birds. Aqualad was at the head of the team somehow, even though they had formed a cluster around him. Artemis squeezed into it, quickly followed by Baywatch-Kid Flash-she couldn't have pet names anymore. It would just make it harder. Kaldur peered around the group and nodded to himself, having made sure everyone was there.
"Remember, everyone, that this is a covert mission." He paused to eye Superboy and Kid Flash, Conner shrugged and Kid Flash made a gesture of disbelief, "We will all go in as a group-we don't want to be split up. This is the heart of the Block Buster serum production line, which means it will be heavily guarded."
Artemis cursed in her head. They wouldn't be split up? She couldn't take them all down at once. She had to think of something.
"Uh…" she said, surprising everyone. They all turned to face her. Okay, had to think of something…
"Yes?" Kaldur asked respectfully, obviously open to ideas, just like a good leader should be. Oh man, she couldn't be thinking of things like that, especially when she had to find away to rip them apart.
"Uh, if we go in a big group, won't they notice us?" she said pathetically. She used to be so good at stuff like this. What was wrong with her?
"Hmm…" Kaldur murmured and Artemis held her breath, "I suppose it would be easier to be partnered up. I will go with Miss Martian; Kid Flash will be paired with Superboy, and you and Robin. Keep in mind that we must be aware of everything." He warned, making eye contact with everyone before continuing, "I and Miss Martian will go in first, Robin and Artemis close behind. Kid Flash and Superboy, scout us and make sure that no one has seen us."
After everyone had given a quick nod of understanding, Kaldur and Megan took off, the Martian fading almost perfectly into the background. Artemis followed behind with Robin on her heels. She couldn't believe that the pairing idea had worked. She was still scolding herself from the lame excuse, and she reasoned that Aqualad had agreed only to reassure the rest of team. She mentally slapped herself. These were not the thoughts you had about your targets. This was weakness, and she abhorred weakness with a bitter intensity. She pushed her thoughts out of the way, thankful that the Martian hadn't linked her mind to anyone else's.
Artemis slinked into the building after the blurred figure of the olive skinned girl, hearing Robin duck in after her. The inside of the production plant was dark with only dimmed yellow lights providing minimal visibility, so little she could barely see the outline of her hand a few feet away from her face. Her face set. How on earth was she going to catch the Boy Wonder in this kind of environment? He was pretty much raised by a guy who called himself the Batman. She couldn't help but grind her teeth a little in frustration. Without warning she heard a small thump and the thirteen year old had dropped down beside her, smirking and clearly pleased with himself.
"Just killed the heat sensors, motion sensors, and the video feeds are on a constant loop of a blank floor, same for the audio." He informed her, and his wrist computer projection powered back down. Artemis hadn't ever really looked at Robin before, and this was a really bad time to start, but when compared to the others on the team he looked so…vulnerable, so human. Granted, she was human too, but he was young, barely a teen. His thin, wiry frame and small stature made him seem frail when amongst the large and overwhelming machines. He looked like a little kid.
"Good job." She said, at a loss for words as she realized her pause had been unnaturally long. The Bird Boy flashed a devious grin and then melted away into the shadows. A small icy hand pierced her heart but Artemis shrugged it off.
"It's only hard if you make it that way." She murmured to herself, keeping her eyes out for the Atlantian and wondering how she would get one of them alone…
"Robin!" she hissed quietly, and the small teen was suddenly at her side.
"What?" he mouthed, looking at her curiously. She forced herself to continue.
"Listen," she said pointing over to a hallway that tore off from the main room, "I think there might be something down there."
Robin's domino mask shifted on his face and she got the impression that one of his eyebrows had risen into the air, "What makes you say that?" he asked, turning his attention to the empty and silent hall. Artemis froze. Okay, why did she think that? Hmm…she was out of practice.
"Just a feeling. I've learned to trust them though." She said confidently, turning her eyes on the location with interest. Robin looked over to Kaldur and made a quick motion indicating the hallway. Kaldur stopped his exploration of the lab and back tracked, walking up to the archer and the acrobat.
"What is it?" he whispered carefully, but not unkindly.
"We think there may be something down there-" Robin gestured to the lonely hall "And we want to check it out. We'll catch up." The boy finished, already heading off into the fake place of interest. Artemis tightened her grip on her bow and started after the young team mate, but a strong webbed hand wrapped around her shoulder softly.
"Watch out for him." The Atlantian said, his deep gray eyes seeming to bore into her soul. It was a good thing they actually couldn't though, because it wasn't a nice place in there..especially for the team.
"I will." Artemis promised, surprised to find her voice rough. The dark skinned boy gave her a warm smile before returning to his search. She'd been right about today.
Robin crept along the hall floor, virtually silent. Artemis was impressed by the boy's light touch and his ability to travel in complete silence.
"So, what are we looking for?" the dark haired boy asked quietly, peering around the corner before turning down it himself. Artemis followed close behind, clearing her mind.
"I don't know." She said. How was she supposed to.
"Very helpful." Robin quipped before he pulled out his computer's projection screen, "I'm going to do a quick scan of the place to see if there are any traces of Block Buster. If not, we can head back." The boy finished. Artemis nodded numbly and the teens face turned his back towards her as his face concentrated on the screen. Artemis gulped hard, ignoring her conscious as it flashed warningly into her head. She took the butt of her bow firmly in her hand, and then closed her eyes, whacking the Boy Wonder on the temple.
He let loose a small groan before slumping to the floor, unconscious-drifting of f into a world of darkness and numb. It was probably better for him there, anyway. Reality was a cruel place to live.
Without a word she knelt over the limp body and dragged him over to a pole, tying up his arms and legs with chain she found lying on the ground. She paused quietly, looking over the boy. His dark hair was now messily drooping into his face, the whites of his mask were slits indicating his shut eyes, and his body was propped into a sitting position from the pipe he leaned against, but it still moved slightly with the gentle rise and fall of his chest. He didn't deserve this. None of them did. But she shrugged off the feelings, steeling her heart again. Silently, she pulled out one of her arrows, aiming towards the heart.
"It's only hard if you make it that way." She whispered, a small tear escaping the corner of her eye. When had she gotten so weak?
"Artemis." A voice boomed behind her and she froze instantly, feeling her face pale and sensing the sweat peel down her skin like splinters of ice. How on Earth was she going to explain this?
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Author's Note: Replies
KaliAnn: I have started reading, but it may take awhile since I am now working on two fictions! Thank you for your comment!
Kiwisilence: Wow! Thank you! It sounds like you have put a lot of thought into this, which is an amazing compliment to me! This is my first YJ fiction, and I was a little nervous about keeping everyone IC.
Rowanfall: Thanks for reviewing! And I'm glad you liked it, because it's been on my mind for a while!
Scarlet mist: Loved the compliment! Thank you for the support!
GrayAreas: I love Artemis fics and I have been noticing that the few that are out there are mostly Romance. Thank you for reviewing this!
