Artemis slammed her fist into the padded wall of her isolation room. Despite the look of the comfortable wall, it hurt like hell. She didn't care, though. She was pissed, not just at her father, but at herself.
"You just had to get sucked back in, didn't you." Artemis sighed, she rubbed her eyes. Exhaustion filled her to her bones, and her muscles ached. For a second, she thought that maybe this wouldn't be such a bad thing... Being on the streets did take its toll, at least here she knew what to expect, but out there nothing ever was known.
"Ugh, just SHUT UP" Artemis screamed, rubbing her temples. Whatever the goons her dad sent used to knock her out had to be messing with her head. Her eyes burned and watered, as she curled herself up into a ball on the floor. Her body melted into the ground, sending her into a deep sleep.
Artemis found herself in a dream. No, not just dreams, memories. Artemis' room was beat up. The Alice in Wonderland just barely covered the hole in the wall. And Jade's side of the room was bare. She sat on her bed, staring at where her sister should be. It was just last week when things had went to shit, first her mom, then Jade. She was all alone... With him. Artemis didn't blame Jade when she left, she only wished she had taken her too. She could hear her dad stumbling his way in, after celebrating whatever he just stole or reward he got from the league.
"ARTEMISSSS" He hissed out the last part of her name, as he stumbled to her open door. She watched him as he dropped onto Jade's bed.
"Yes, dad?" Artemis eyed him cautiously, as he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Very rarely did her father just lay down when he was drunk, he usually got violent.
"I wish Jade was here," Artemis could hear the sadness in his voice, it wasn't something she heard. Ever. But then his demeanor changed entirely, and he just chuckled, "But I got stuck with you! Hopeless, useless little Artemis. I would try to get rid of you, but nobody would take you!"
Artemis turned her head away as a hot tears threatened to spill as he roared in laughter. She had to think of something to respond with. She grinned as she thought of her reply.
"Look, if I wanted to hear from an asshole, all I had to do is fart." Artemis eyed her father, her face completely serious as her father stopped laughing and glared at her. It couldn't have been more than thirty seconds, but it felt like an hour. Then her father stood up and he roared in laughter. She breathed out, not realizing she was holding it.
"You gotta work on that, baby girl. It doesn't quite have the sting I'm looking for."
Her dream shifted to before she was captured by her dad, again. She was curled up on a small little cardboard square in the middle of a rancid smelling alley in the middle of Gotham. Her skinny body shivered, as she thought to herself this is only temporary, the job at the store should help...
The noises never stopped in Gotham, police sirens and horns honking were its anthem. But this time, a young woman's scream not to far from her pierced her ears. Artemis grabbed her bow and arrow she stole from her father and bolted toward the sound.
She turned the corner to see the situation being handled by none other that Robin, Batman's little sidekick. The woman, was clutching her purse close to her chest, cowering against the wall. Four men circled the small, rail thin boy. If he wasn't so famous, Artemis would have thought he would've gotten pummeled on the first punch pulled. Despite his superior fighting skills, he was still outnumbered.
Artemis rushed to the woman, who was wearing fancy work pants and a button up blouse. She must be new to Gotham, anyone who lives and works here knows the dangers of this area.
"You alright? Not the best place to take a stroll, here take this." Artemis shook off her dirty scarf and draped it around the woman, and took her hair and shook it into the mess. "Better to blend in. Take 6th to Port road. There are taxis there. I recommend you take that all the way to where you are going."
The woman thanked her and ran off, as Artemis turned her attention to Robin, who was still fighting the men.
"HEY, DICKS!" The men turned to face her, even the boy... interesting. She supposed that if someone shouts hey, it gets attention... "You're on my turf now, so beat it, or I beat you." She pulled her string back, her aim was straight at the biggest guy in the group. The group laughed at the small girl, and the big guy made the mistake of turning to his friends and Artemis let the arrow fly. It stuck in the bend of his knee and he let out an anguished yell.
"Can't say she didn't warn you." Robin cackled and pulled at the crook next to him. Folding him over and to the ground, the guy had no problem getting up right away as Robin dodged his lazy punch.
Meanwhile Artemis launched at the other two who had their focus on her, and not the arrow in the leg. While they weren't as big as the Arrow-leg guy, they were still considerably bigger. Artemis was used to that, and she immediately started to pinpoint weak points in their armor. A fist came at her ear, and she knew it was coming before she saw it. She lowered her stance and punched under his arm, causing him to curl inward. His buddy was already trying to make his move as Artemis swiftly moved behind him, grabbing his arm behind his back and kneed him closer to take the punch intended for her. It landed straight in his stomach, as Artemis kept pulling his arm until she felt it pop. She kept his momentum going until he fell to the ground.
His buddy stared at her, eyes wide with shock as he realized she had taken down two of his friends, and Robin took down the third with a high kick to the head, and disappeared into the shadows.
" I highly suggest you get your friends and go see a doctor." Artemis suggested, picking up her bow again. She sauntered to the crook who still had the arrow in his knee and yanked it out as he yelled. "I need the arrow, I would hate to lose one to someone like you." She approached the end of the alley before drawing her bow at the last man standing.
"And just to be clear, if I ever see you again... I won't be as generous." The man grabbed his friends and quickly hustled the other way.
She was once again alone, this time with less than what she had before. Everything she felt before she jumped into that fight came rushing back, but with more fury. She sat in the alleyway, trying not to think about the cold, or the hunger. Artemis had no idea how long she had been there, but Robin had once again returned. Like the punch, she knew he was there before she saw him.
"Don't you have insane people to go fight or something, Bird Brain?" Artemis put on her defense. He may have been proclaimed a hero, but one couldn't be too careful.
"Bats will have my head for not being sneaky enough!" Robin exclaimed. "How'd you know I was here?"
"You can't live in Gotham's highest area of crime without being completely aware of your surroundings." She shrugged. "Are you going to show yourself, or are we going to play hide and seek like children?"
Robin emerged from the shadows, laughing, except this time he was in civilian clothing and dark sunglasses.
"I think most people would consider us children." Robin replied coolly, as he sat next to her.
"Give me a break, you and I lost the right to call ourselves children a long time ago." Artemis snickered.
"You're a really good fighter. That's why I took off, that and Bats needed me at... Well, I suppose it doesn't matter now. If I'm honest, I'm surprised I was able to catch you still here. I'm glad I did, Gotham could use more heroes like-"
"Like you, Bird Brain? I appreciate the offer, but you don't know anything about me. I'm the furthest thing from heroic, I'm just trying to survive." Artemis replied angrily, she was not a hero, not after everything her dad sent her to do.
"Jeez, no need for the 'tude!" Robin joked, then his expression became serious, "All I'm saying is that your actions tonight proved otherwise. Think on it," He stood up, and shook off the jacket he brought with him and handed it to Artemis.
Artemis awoke to the door swinging wide open, when she jolted awake she was on her feet and in a fighting stance before she knew where she was.
Sportsmaster walked in, eying his daughter. He just shook his head and growled "pathetic" under his breath.
"What the hell do you want?" Artemis asked, ignoring his comment about her.
"What I always want, for my baby girl to be fighting by my side." Sportsmaster took a couple of steps closer to her. " But I realize that that will take a bit for you to want, too. Of course, I don't trust you, so I'm not going to tell you all that I'm up to." He turned to walk out the door. Artemis lowered her fists in confusion, this was not like her dad... Not in the slightest, he was up to something and it meant that a lot of people were going to get hurt.
"Send him in, with the med kit. Baby girl, patch that up, will you?" He yelled back in her confined space, as they dragged in a man with a beard and pretty thin head of hair. Artemis scanned her new cell mate, and her eyes fell on his left hand and where a finger should be. Instead, blood just oozed from the stump.
Artemis cursed herself for saying this would be better than the streets. This was going to be hell, and this time... Well, she wasn't sure she could escape.
A/N: It's been a while and for that I'm sorry. I really want to be sure that they aren't OOC, which is still a possibility. I'm hoping that as soon as I get the story moving forward more it will come out faster. I've just been really busy between training, work, school and doctor's appointments like 3 times a week. However, this story gives me a chance to release and let go of some of that stress. I hope you guys enjoy it as well! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and who are following this story.
I know it seems like traught, but it's a friendship. I'm hoping to have spitfire, but I'm not sure how to introduce it though. The only relationship that is for sure in here is the father/daughter bond between Ollie and Artemis.