Hey guys, OHA hear (again)
Anyway, I realized that I promised I would explain Artemis' past and anger issues in chapter three.
Which I didn't.
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
In this chapter, I SWEAR I will explain Artemis' past+ 'powers'
Oh yeah, this is the story from EVERYONE'S POV, but mainly Artemis, Wally, and Robin.
So, Mailbag:
Nah, not doing it this chapter
Now, on with the story! : D
Oh yeah,
Disclaimer: No, I don't own the show. Do you honestly think I would be writing fan fictions otherwise?
Artemis:
The ride back to Mount Justice and Happy Harbor was plagued with questions Artemis really didn't want to answer. Questions about her family, for instance. However, she did answer some of them:
Robin asked, "How did you crack the code to set us free? That code would have taken me about half an hour without my laptop filtering all the information! What WAS the code."
Artemis smiled. "Factorial equations."
Robin looked stunned. "But, those are some of the hardest codes in the world! Their used to guard top-secret information, like the Batcave or Watchtower." Robin smacked himself in the head. "Pretend I didn't say that last sentence."
Artemis smirked. "Oh, I don't think so Rob. Or should I call you Dick?" Ignoring everyone's openmouthed expression, Artemis continued on. "The core of both systems was factorial equations. Once you figured those out, you can access the mainframe. I should know, I did it once." Artemis had to laugh at everyone's shocked expressions.
"Batman's going to kill me…" Robin muttered.
Artemis looked offended. "Are you saying you don't trust me?"
Wally leapt in to defend his best friend. "I'm sure Robin, I mean Dick, didn't mean it that way. Right, Dick?" Wally shot him a pleading look.
Robin nodded and mumbled an apology. Then looked up. "How do you know factorial equations?"
Artemis grinned. "You may be the English nut, Wally's the science nerd, but I'm the math expert. How else do you think I got into Gotham Academy? Just because I'm blonde doesn't mean I'm an idiot." She glared at the people around her, daring them to argue. "Okay, next question."
"How'd you get these, powers I guess?" Superboy said immediately. "I mean, your human, not like me, where I'm a clone."
Artemis heaved a sigh. "I'm mostly human, if that answers your question."
This got everyone's attention. "What do you mean, Artemis?" Kaldur asked frowning.
Artemis frowned, then sighed again. "Long story. WHICH I AM GOING TO TELL YOU." She said glaring up at Wally, who snapped his mouth shut and nodded.
Artemis leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, rubbing the spot above her right eye with her hand. "When I was born… I was meant to be a weapon. For the first year of my life, every day I was given the smallest dose available of the Blockbuster drug."
Wally, Robin, Kaldur and Superboy shivered as they remembered Dr. Desmond turning into that horrible creature back at Cadmus.
"I wasn't given enough to… transform, but it was enough that I was granted superb fighting skills. Then I started my training. As soon as I learned to crawl, I learned to do somersaults. When I could walk, acrobats personally taught me. When I could speak, I learned every living language on this planet." Artemis gritted her teeth frowning. "You get the picture. My Dad trained me from a baby as soon as I was finished receiving doses of the Blockbuster drug. My mom didn't know until I was four when I came home full of bullets how hard I was being pushed."
Wally growled at the mention of what her dad had done.
"My dad always wanted a son. When he found out his sister had a son, he ordered someone to kill her so he could have the boy. Guess who got the job?" Everyone in the room held their breath.
"Did, did you do it?" M'Gann asked, afraid for the answer."
"No." Artemis said quietly, and everyone sighed in relief. "I told my aunt to hide and leave the son with me. My father found out, though. He used some truth telling substance to explain why there was no body to be hidden. He was very, very angry. He said I wasn't good enough. So, he sent me, h-he sent me to the League of Shadows, hoping they would dispose of me properly." Artemis was starting to shake by then, and everyone reached out to her and touched her shoulder or head. Except for Wally, he took Artemis' hand.
"They kept me though, and had Cheshire train me." The bitterness leaks from every word hissed from Artemis' mouth. "My mom found out and took me away by the time I was ten. She divorced my father, and we moved to Gotham. But my father tracked us." Artemis didn't look up, but the question was directed to Robin. "Remember the bomb set off in that street four years ago?"
Robin nodded mutely, realizing where this was headed.
Artemis kept talking, but her voice was shaky. "My mom and I were the target of that attack. The police thought we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I saw as they wheeled my mom into the ambulance my father, laughing in the shadows." Artemis suddenly snaps her head up, and her eyes are slowly turning lighter color. "That accident left my mother paralyzed from the waist down in a wheelchair for the rest of her life." Everyone is starting to back away now, save Wally who is shaking Artemis' shoulder gently.
"Arty, calm down! Think herbal tea, meditating, some Sensei…"
"Sensei was involved in my training…" Artemis mutters, holding the bridge of her nose, calming herself down.
"Artemis…" Wally hesitates, trying to not upset Artemis anymore. "Who were your parents?"
"My parents, are-" Artemis is hesitating, not wanting to tell the secret she has kept for so long. She stares at Wally pleadingly, hoping he will understand. "My father is Sportsmaster. And he wants to kill me." Was all she managed before she passes out.
(A/N: WTF?)
Wally's POV:
Wally caught Artemis before she hit the ground, but he can see even while she's unconscious that she's in pain. Mental and physical. Either way, Artemis is crying, a sight Wally has never even imagined.
Wally looks up at his shocked teammates. "Call Batman and ask him to have a bed ready for Artemis." Wally is amazed at how calm sounding he is. "And tell him we know the truth."
M'Gann nods and sets to work telephoning Batman Wally's requests.
"Tell him to call Green Arrow, to." Kaldur calls from across the room from his position of helping Artemis and Wally.
"Do you think she's okay, Kaldur?" Wally asks worriedly, wiping some of the tears from Artemis' face.
Kaldur heaves a sigh. "I can not tell. The pain she must feel in telling us her greatest secret must be large and intense. I fear she has seen to much carnage then all of us combined. A fragile mind at best."
Wally is silent for a moment. Then he says, "Kaldur, has anyone ever told you that you sound like an old man sometimes?"
Kaldur gives a laugh, but goes silent when Artemis mumbles in her sleep. "Watch over her, Wally."
"Will do, sir." In his worry for Artemis, Wally abandons any tones of casualness.
As Kaldur walks away, Superboy takes his place.
"Can we trust her?" He growls.
Wally looks up at him and glares. "Completely."
Superboy blinks once before responding. "But… her dad is Sportsmaster. He's a bad guy."
"That doesn't makes Arty a bad guy too!" Wally retorted.
"Look, Kid. I'm just saying Sportsmaster has a really big influence over people. What if Artemis is a mole?"
"Maybe she's bugged or something. I don't really care. Arty is NOT a spy."
"Jeez, Wally. I didn't know you cared that much about Artemis." Superboy said lifting up his hands in surrender.
Wally glared daggers at him. "Well, I do."
"Sheesh, okay, okay man." Superboy said walking away. Wally watched him go over to Robin.
Superboy didn't try to keep his voice low. "What's up with Wally? He nearly attacked me when I spoke about not trusting Artemis."
Robin looked over at Wally and winked. "Sorry Supes, but you don't insult a guy's girlfriend in front of him."
Wally groaned and blushed, then shrugged and went back to holding Artemis' hand. "Screw Robin." He muttered under his breath, but he smiled just a little.
By this time, they had reached Mount Justice and flew inside the hangar, landing without a bump. In a moment, Wally scooped up Artemis and carried her out the bio-ship. Using his super speed, he put her on a stretcher and took off down to the infirmary with Green Arrow and the Flash right behind him.
Robin's POV:
Robin watched Wally speed away with Artemis, and wondered is he would ever care that much about a girl. Then he turned his attention to Batman.
His mentor and adopted father was staring at him, which Robin took as a sign of him looking awful.
Batman broke his gaze away from his protégée and faced the group as a whole. "You have preformed adequately enough, considering you were not prepared in facing the Joker tonight." Batman said in his flat monotone, and all of the Young Justice members looked a bit shocked. "Go to your rooms, as you are spending the night here until we can be assured that all of the Joker's crew has been rounded and put back in Arkham Asylum. You will be informed of Artemis' condition tomorrow morning. Report to the infirmary is you have any wounds. If you don't, wash up and go to bed. Dismissed." Batman said, and walked away from the group.
Going to the infirmary to have a arm wound be treated, Robin spotted Kid Flash pacing around the door of a patient's room, which Robin strongly suspected as Artemis'.
"Hey, KF." Robin said walking over to him.
Wally just gave him a nod and continued pacing, while Robin sighed.
"Wally, I'm sure your girlfriend is fine. Artemis is a tough chick, she can handle this."
Wally growled. "Then why is she in the infirmary?"
Robin shrugged. "You heard her. She has an injured foot and a concussion, as far as she can tell. And then she fought the JOKER. The Joker, dude. Batman and I usually barely survive when fighting him, and we've got each other. Artemis did this on her own, dude. She'll be fine, trust me. Now, go to bed. You can visit her in the morning."
Wally sighed, but he stopped pacing. "All right, Dick, if you say so. But is ANYTHING happens while I'm sleeping and Batman tells you…"
"I'll come straight to you." Robin promised. "She'll be fine. She's got Black Canary taking care of her, she's in good hands."
Wally sighed again and nodded. Then he sped off in the direction of their bedrooms, leaving Robin alone.
"Come on out, Bruce." Robin said, leaning against the wall. Lo and behold, Batman stepped out from the shadows.
"How did Wally no your nickname?" Batman demanded, although with a touch of worry.
"Artemis told everyone on the ride home. Not my full name, she just called me Dick. And she also mentioned Gotham Academy, and she looked at me when she said it. So I can honestly say I'm pretty sure she knows that I go to school with her."
Batman was silent for a moment. Then he said, "I will talk to her in the morning when she wakes up. More importantly, how's your arm?"
Robin smiled on the inside. No matter how tough Batman may seem, he was softie when it came to him and his well-being. "I'm okay, dad. Just a mark from when the Joker stuck the needle in me." Robin made a face. "I think he did it a lot harder then the others because of all the times I've beaten him up."
Batman was quiet again. Then he spoke with the corners of his mouth slightly twitching. "I'll tell parole officers at the Asylum to make his stay extra uncomfortable."
Robin did a real laugh, not his crazy little giggle. "Thanks, Bats. Tell Alfred I said 'hi'"
"Will do, Dick." And with that, Batman walked out the door going back to Wayne Manor, while Dick headed for his room.
Wow, the ending sucked. I've had so many cliffhanger endings, though, that I wanted to do a normal one. Oh well, who cares. Anyway, R&R please!
Oh yeah, I'm also going to include an OC of my in the aftermath of one of the YJ crew's death, so keep an eye out for Athena, A.K.A Owl girl!
