I'm so sorry for the delay! My laptop charger broke and I had to wait for a new one to get shipped to me because I am far too cheap to go to Walmart and buy one for like $60. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and hopefully they will start coming out quicker than this wait! Also may I just how hard it is to write Aqualad...
004: Into the Forest
"What is this?" the young blonde girl asked as she held a crossbow in front of her.
"It's called a crossbow, baby girl," Lawrence explained as he set up targets on trees in front of her.
"Why did you give it to me?"
"Because," Lawrence smirked as he turned around to look his daughter in the eyes, "it's about time you learn the family business."
"He's training her? She's like four years old!" Wally growled as he watched the scene unfold in front of him.
"Did you expect anything less?" Robin sighed. Wally bit the inside of his cheek trying to calm his anger and returned his focus to the father and daughter in front of him.
"Daddy," Artemis began, her demander showing how nervous she was.
"What is it baby girl?" Lawrence asked, not looking up from the bow he was tightening.
"What if I don't really want to be a part of the family business?" Artemis asked, waiting for her father's reaction.
Sportsmaster stopped what he was doing and looked at the young girl. His eyes narrowed on the girl causing her to stiffen under his gaze. "Well, baby girl what else would you do? You don't really have anything else going for you."
The young girl's shoulders slumped at her father's words. She knew, even at this young age, there wasn't much else that she could do. She was born into a family of criminals; statistics showed that she too would be a criminal. There is no hope.
The team cringed as they could feel her realization. "There is hope," Megan whispered, tears forming in her eyes again.
"You're right daddy, I don't know what I was thinking. Please teach me how to use this," she declared, gesturing to the crossbow in his hands.
Lawrence smiled and walked over to her and placed his hand on her head, "That's my girl."
The memory faded and the team once again stood in the dark, doorless, windowless room.
"He's training a child to be a murder," Wally spoke in disbelief.
"Focus KF," Robin stated as he turned to face the entire group, "how do we break through the tough exterior?"
"Artemis?" M'gann called out, her voice slightly trembling. "Artemis, it's us, your friends! We are here to help you, but we need you to help us find you!"
"Artemis, let us out of this room so we can find you!" Robin shouted, praying in his mind this would work. Unfortunately, nothing was happening. The walls stayed in place, no doors appeared, nothing.
"Damn it Artemis, come on!" Wally yelled as he punched a nearby wall. "You're stronger than this! You survived your childhood once so you can do it again!"
At first there was nothing once more, and the team let out a collective sigh of defeat, but then the room started to shake. The walls started to crumble around them to reveal thick forest. The team looked around to see nothing but trees for miles and miles.
"Where are we?" Conner asked.
"It looks like the same place Sportsmaster was training her," Robin noted.
"This must be the next layer of Artemis's mind," M'gann thought out loud. "I can feel her a little better now. We are getting closer."
"Good. M'gann, can you tell which way to go in order to find her?" Aqualad asked. M'gann nodded and started to lead the group farther into the forest. As they walked they heard someone shout. The turned their heads to see a new memory appearing.
"Keep your hands up! Guard your head!" Sportsmaster shouted as he swung once again at the young girl before him.
Keep your hands up, guard your head. Don't show fear. Don't cry, be strong, Artemis chanted in her head. Her face was contorted into pure determination. Prove yourself.
The team heard her chants and felt her determination. "She just wants him to love her," Robin whispered watching as Sportsmaster trained his young daughter.
"Too slow baby girl," Lawrence chuckled as he struck her across the face forcing her to fall to the ground.
Wally let out an audible growl as M'gann placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him.
"Not too bad, but you're nothing compared to your sister," Lawrence stated as he took a drink from his nearby water bottle.
Artemis struggled to get up from the ground. She was covered in dirt, bruises, and scrapes. "I can keep training, I can become better," she said.
Lawrence let a wide grin cross his face as he placed his hand on his daughter's head, "That's my girl. You might not be as good as Jade, but you have a better attitude, that's for damn sure. Okay let's try again."
Artemis nodded as she returned to her crouch position. "Remember to always be aware of your surroundings, those heroes like to have back up ready. If you cut one down, then there will always be one more waiting to get you," he instructed. Artemis nodded as her father circled her. "Never listen to what those heroes say either. They will always tell you there is another way, that they can help you."
They can help me? There's another way? Is that true? Is there a way for me to not be a part of the Shadows? She questioned herself.
"There is no other way," her father's deep voice brought her back to the reality she already knew.
He lunged for her, but she back flipped back. A smirk was present on his face as he swung a lazy right hook for her. She blocked it and aimed her own punch for his head, but he ducked away. Sportsmaster slowly swiped at her feet, giving her plenty of time to jump over the leg and aim a kick of her own for his side, but he easily grabbed her leg and hoisted her up into the air. She let out a small scream at the sudden change in direction.
"Always anticipate the next move," he chuckled as he dropped her to the ground. Artemis twisted her body enough to not land on her head, but her wrist took most of the impact. She grimaced at the pain, but did not vocalize her pain. She knew if she were to do that, then her father would make it ten times worse. "That's enough for today," he declared. "Your mother and I have work to do tonight."
The memory faded and the team was left standing in the large forest.
"He's not only physically abusing her but also emotionally and psychologically," Robin stated.
"Well no shit, Rob!" Wally yelled, walking past the boy wonder further into the forest.
"Wally wait, we need to stay together!" M'gann yelled running after the speedster and grabbing his hand to halt him.
"We're going too slow!" he declared, whipping around to face the rest of his team. "Every time we take a step forward we end up being stopped by her memories! We need to move!"
"Yes, because arguing isn't wasting time either," Robin sneered towards the redhead. Wally growled and walked towards Robin and grabbed the front of his uniform.
"Shut up, boy wonder, before I make you," He hissed.
Robin didn't back down, he fixed a glare on the boy wrinkling his uniform, "Don't act like you're the only one who cares Wally! We all care about Artemis! She's our teammate, our friend, our sister! So stop biting everyone's head off because we are all trying to find her!"
Wally's eyes widened for a brief moment before he sighed and let go of Robin's uniform. "I know dude, I'm sorry. I just…I just can't lose her again," he admited.
"I know man, and you won't. We're gonna save her, you just have to calm down," Robin consoled, placing a hand on his best friend's shoulder. Wally nodded his acknowledgement. The team turned and started to follow M'gann once again as she tried to locate their blonde archer.
"Also KF," Robin started earning the attention of said boy. "I would like this opportunity to remind you how when Artemis first joined the team and I told you, you were going to fall for her. I would also like to take this opportunity to say, I told you so," the youngest of the team cackled.
Wally let out a groan and dropped his head into his hands, "Dude shut up!" The rest of the team laughed at the two's antics, lifting the mood somewhat.
"So M'gann, how many layers does Artemis have in her mind?" Conner asked.
"Well I can't say for sure, but most people have around three layers to their mind," M'gann started. "There is the first layer, as we saw for Artemis it was a blockade. To keep enemies or anyone she doesn't want snooping around her head at bay. It's actually quite impressive that she has any mental blockades because most people, especially at our age, don't know how to protect their mind from mind walkers."
"Her dad probably taught her how to put them up," Robin commented.
"Wait, there is a way to protect your mind?" Wally asked.
Robin looked at him like he was an idiot, "Yes, of course there is. Did the Flash not teach you how to protect your mind?"
Wally shook his head in response. "Anyway," M'gann called the boys attention back to her explanation, "the next level of a normal mind would be fair ground, where people keep their memories and personality. It's where they store anything that makes them, them. However the trained mind can have backup blockades, which would be there to help confuse the intruder. Such as a large forest that looks the same in every direction," she motioned to the wooded area around them. "Sometimes people will have multiple backup blockades, but I feel as though we are getting closer to Artemis, so even if she does have more than one backup mind blockade I think she is letting us find her. Then comes the fair ground level. And the last layer of the mind is where the person feels the safest. The place where we will find her will be in a place she finds the safest. For most people it's their home, but for Artemis," she trailed off at the end.
"It's probably anywhere but there," Robin finished for her as she nodded solemnly.
I know it's short, but I wanted to give you guys at least something since it's been so long. Thank you for the support I really appreciate it!