A/N: Hi everyone, this one lives up to the rating. Hope you enjoy it.


Chapter 9: Dreams and Nightmares

The bright lights overhead hurt Wally's eyes. His mind was still drifting in a haze. It felt like every muscle in his body had been filled with peanut butter. Mmm peanut butter, he thought languidly. I wonder… what's for lunch… Wasn't there something important he was supposed to remember? Something…

The next time Wally gained consciousness, his mind was slightly clearer. There was something about the north pole he should remember. Where am I? His neck wouldn't obey him, but his was able to crack his eyelids. Some sort of room. Ha, brilliant deduction, Wally. Who thought a table was a good place to take a nap, and where are my clothes? The room felt drafty with him clad in only his underwear, and the table was becoming more uncomfortable as each moment passed. A few minutes went by, though he supposed it could have been hours for all he knew. How was a guy supposed to keep up with stuff like that?

His stomach rumbled. Alright Wally, he thought, enough relaxing. Time to get back to work. What was it the ninja lady said in that Tarantino movie? The one where she tried to kill her ninja boyfriend. She wore yellow just like him and carried around a big ass sword. Oh yeah, wiggle your big toe. Let's try that. Okay Wally, wiggle your big toe.

Wally's thoughts were interrupted by the noise of a heavy metal door opening. "Good morning, friend," called a man's voice. "Sorry to keep you waiting for all these weeks. It's true. Your most valuable commodity really is time. Between you recovering from your trip and my hectic schedule…" Wally heard a sinister laugh. "You wouldn't believe how much I've been looking forward to this."

"What?" asked Wally, but it came out closer to something a dog might bark. Had he really been in and out of consciousness for weeks? Artemis was going to be furious. What had happened to him? He was slowly piecing together his most recent memories. The north pole. And…the Reach. In a moment of clarity, he remembered. Those blasts of energy from the Reach doomsday devices kept hitting him. He thought he was done for. That much energy coursing through him should have been lethal. So… what was he doing still alive?

"No questions today, I'm afraid." Wally heard the man fiddling with something across the room. "You'll want to save all your strength for what I've got planned."

What the hell was that supposed to mean? He didn't have time for this. He had to get back to Artemis. She probably thought he was dead. Wally struggled to move his limbs. The man finally stepped into Wally's field of vision. He wore a purple robe and had grey pallid skin. Limp greasy hair hung down his forehead. The tendons in his neck were even more disturbing. Somehow on one side, they had detached themselves from the muscle and become cables of fleshy mass connected to his body only at their endpoints. He began locking down Wally's wrists and ankles with heavy straps. The hero was helpless to prevent it.

"Now," said the man as he selected a glass vial, "this should nullify the effects of my paralytics." Wally felt a sharp sting as the drug was injected into his shoulder. It felt like a bolt of adrenaline coursed through his system. It was the same feeling he got when he hit his top speed. Within seconds, Wally felt like himself again. No more drugs were clouding his thoughts. He tested his muscles against the straps holding him down.

"Idiot," said the man. "I tried to warn you. You'll want to save your strength for later." He began attaching nodes to Wally's skin. "These probes will pick up readings for my experiments," explained the misshapen man.

"Who the hell are you? I'm not going to be your lab rat!" said Wally.

The man dragged a large machine with dozens of arms holding equipment across the room. "And what makes you think you have another option?" he taunted with a maniacal smile across his face. "Let's begin."

A moment of panic held Wally. He struggled against his bonds with renewed vigor as the machine beside him hummed to life. One of its arms inched towards his body making a sound like a dental drill. As soon as it made contact, a lance of pain shot through Wally. No nerve ending in his body was spared. His back arched, and his muscles convulsed. Wally clenched his jaw. He had to fight it. To not give in to the pain. He was determined to not give the man the satisfaction of hearing him scream, but it was too much. A long howl erupted from his throat. The seconds stretched into hours as the machine maintained its assault. He watched flickers of black dance in the edges of his vision where his body was trying to gain reprieve through unconsciousness.

Then, as suddenly as it began, the machine stopped. Wally's throat was dry and raw, and every muscle in his body was clenched, unsure if the pain would return in earnest. The man looked at some numbers on the monitor.

"Hmm, two hundred fifty-six seconds to bring you to the brink. And your vitals are recovering quite nicely, even faster than I anticipated. Not bad for a first run, but I'm sure we can do better." He began to adjust some settings on the monitor. "Oh, where is my mind today? I almost forgot about patient commentary. It's an essential part of making breakthroughs." His maniacal leer returned. "How would you describe your experiences so far?"

Wally lifted his head, struggling to catch his breath. "Fuck. You." If he could have, he would have spit in the man's face.

The man was not amused with his response. "Perhaps you'll be more cooperative in a moment. Activating in five, four, three."

Wally never heard the rest of the countdown. The bastard flubbed it on purpose to allow the machine to catch him by surprise again. Agony poured over his entire body in waves, and he tasted blood in his mouth. He didn't know how much longer he could hold on. He had to do something. Anything. Anything that would make it stop. He had to distract himself from the pain or else he would never survive.

"A-Artemis…" he croaked.

~break~

Wally kicked the door to their apartment shut with a bang. His attention was too focused on the blonde in his arms to give any thought to waking the neighbors or their elderly landlords. The nightmare was over. The summit had broken the alliance of the Light and the Reach and foiled their plans. No more secrets. No more lies. No more lonely nights of crying himself to sleep because he was so worried about her. She was here now.

"Promise me, babe," he said, breaking his lips from hers to take a breath, "Promise me that we'll never do anything that stupid ever again."

She stared deeply into his eyes and touched her forehead to his. "Wallace Rudolph West, I'll go through hell and back before I let anything separate us like that again." He could see the truth of her words etched into her face.

"I love you so much, babe," he said.

"I love you too, Wally." She pulled him even closer. "Now," she said, "I seem to remember that you had a decision to make. Something about whether to kill me or kiss me." She gave him a look full of lust. "It's later now, and we're alone."

Wally let his actions be his response. Their lips met in a passionate kiss. Somehow despite months of being stuck in a submarine or worse, out on the surface fighting for her life, she still tasted like honey. He deepened the kiss, coaxing her to part her lips. Their tongues wrestled for dominance. Wally's hands traveled all along Artemis's back and down to grope her butt. He didn't have to open his eyes to know that she was smiling at his boldness. Not to be outdone, Artemis held his neck for a kiss while her other hand snaked into his shorts to grab his bare ass.

Suddenly, even the thin exercise clothes they had grabbed from the Watchtower made too much of a separation between them. He wanted to feel her skin against his again. Her shirt was the first to hit the floor followed quickly by his own. His lips found the spot just beside her collarbone that she loved for him to kiss. A soft moan of pleasure escaped her mouth. It drove him crazy when she did that. He kept at her spot just to remind her how much she meant to him. It left his hands free to fumble with the clasp of her bra. Why did they always make them so difficult? She smiled at his trouble, knowing his thoughts almost as easily as she knew her own. Eventually his fingers remembered the trick.

He cupped one breast with his hand while his mouth explored the other, pausing to gently bite at the nipple until it was stiff and red. Then he made his way back to her lips, savoring the feeling of her topless form pulled tightly against his chest. Artemis held onto his neck as both her legs wrapped around his waist. Wally smiled inwardly. Nobody ever mentioned the acrobatic side benefits of hero work. He could feel her heat against his length. Wally shuffled forward to press her back to the wall. She shook her head and pointed to the couch. Taking the hint, he changed direction.

Artemis allowed her legs to slip down his waist, dragging his boxers halfway down his thighs. His cock sprung back to hit his stomach with an audible slap. "Mm, no fair babe," he stuttered with a dreamy smile.

Artemis kept kissing him. "Hmm, nope," she replied mischievously. Suddenly, her foot found its way behind his ankle. A small push sent him sprawling lengthwise on the couch. He landed with an oomph on his back. He waited for her to continue kissing him, but she had other plans. Before he could react, she had taken him deep into her mouth. He didn't know if he had just forgotten it over the long months she had been undercover or not, but damn she was amazing. Spasms of pleasure were tickling up his spine, and it was all he could do to stay still enough to let her keep working.

"A-ar-Artemis," he warned. He wasn't capable of anything more eloquent at the moment. She crept up to kiss him while her hand sent him over his peak. Wally grabbed her face with both hands and willed all the emotion and love he was feeling into the kiss. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so at peace.

He reached for his abandoned t-shirt to clean up while they both caught their breath. Artemis was staring into his eyes. "Babe, you're so amazing. I never want to let you go," he said, pulling her into a deep kiss.

"I love you too, Baywatch," she responded pulling him close.

"You know what else?"

She raised one eyebrow, unsure of where he was going.

"Turn around is fair play." He disappeared from beneath her in a burst of speed. Within a dozen milliseconds, he made it back from their bedroom and had his girlfriend naked beneath him. Her eyes were still wide in shock. It was wonderful that he could still surprise her after all this time. He found the spot beside her collarbone again while his fingers caressed her heat, gently probing. A little surge of pride filled him as he felt her spasm to his ministrations. After a few moments, he made his way down her torso, pausing generously at her breasts and leaving a trail of kisses in his wake. Artemis gasped when his tongue parted her folds. He made lazy circles around her nub and enjoyed the view as her abs tensed time and time again. Artemis's voice kept getting higher and breathier each time she sucked in a mouthful of air. Watching her like this was the ultimate aphrodisiac. "Mm, W-wally… don't stop," she hissed. When he added his vibrating finger, it sent her over the edge. She let out a cry that was sure to get them a knowing grin from their landlady in the morning. Wally edged up to nuzzle Artemis's neck while she came down from her high.

"Wally, I want you inside me right now."

"Whatever you say, babe." He grinned in anticipation. Eating her out had given him plenty of time and inspiration to recover for round two. He rolled on one of his prizes from their bedroom and returned to kissing her. Slowly, he slipped into her core while he stared deep into her eyes. Her warmth was almost enough to undo him. He paused to give them both a chance to adjust. When he thought he could continue, he began rocking his hips into her.

"Mm, faster," Artemis prompted.

Wally began to pick up speed. Soon they were going faster than they'd ever gone before. He kissed the spot under her ear while she moaned out his name. At some point, Artemis flipped him onto his back. She leaned in close to him while he thrust upwards. He could hear her gasp and moan with each motion. They finished together, each crying out.

Wally tossed the condom aside as Artemis rested her head on his shoulder. Their legs intertwined. "Gotta say, I'm digging the welcome home sex, babe."

She chuckled. "I'd put it in the epic category myself."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and started making tiny circles with his finger. "Babe, with you back, I'm complete again. Actually, scratch that. I feel plete. It's just like complete, but with a little less—Ow! What was that for?"

"Shut up, Wally. No more Robin impressions tonight," she teased.

They both started to doze off on the couch, perfectly content to not move for the next several hours. A quiet buzz brought them back from the brink of sleep. Soon, Who Let the Dogs Out was playing from the floor. Wally lifted his head and saw a faint glow shining through his discarded shorts. "Ugh," he groaned, "seriously, Dick? No way. Not tonight." He let his phone go to voicemail. The whole process repeated in less than a minute. On the fourth call, Wally got frustrated and snatched up the device.

"What can't wait until the morning?" he whined.

He could feel Dick's apologetic shoulder shrug through the phone. "Sorry Wally, I know you just got Artemis back. We have a situation here. It's big. I don't know if we're going to make it out of this one. I need you both."

Dick wouldn't say that unless he really meant it. "Hold on, I'm looking for clothes now."

"Thanks Wally."

"Yeah yeah, don't worry about it. We'll be there in a few minutes."

~break~

A final jolt of pain knocked Wally back into reality. The Reach's summit had been weeks ago. Now he didn't know where he was except trapped with a monster.

The man in the robe was storming to the door in a rage. "Don't think we're done, boy," he threatened. "You'll learn respect eventually, and I am going to enjoy being your teacher." He turned his back to Wally.

"You know I don't appreciate interruptions, Barda," he hissed.

Wally noticed a strange looking woman standing in the entrance. She had a build like Wonder Woman, and she wore a headdress that reminded him of a samurai helmet. A father box was clipped to her belt along with a dangerous looking rod near her right hand.

"Desaad, the Master wishes to speak with you. You are to meet him in his chambers immediately."

Wally watched a tinge of fear mix into his tormentor's anger. "Fine. See to it that the prisoner is fitted with an inhibitor collar and taken to a holding cell." He left without waiting for the woman to answer. She stepped towards Wally with one of the rings that would rob him temporarily of his super speed. With a quick snap, it was locked around his neck.

"Gotta tell you, the hospitality around here really sucks," he wheezed. "So, who are you?" The woman didn't acknowledge that she heard him. After several seconds passed, Wally was wondering if she was going to answer him at all.

"This collar is programmed to detonate if you leave the building. Do not attempt to escape," she explained bluntly. The woman moved to undo his straps.

"Hey, what's a guy have to do to get people to tell him what's going on?"

The woman cast a wary eye over her shoulder. She began to speak without making eye contact. "I am one of the Master's elite Furies—a group of warrior women serving as his bodyguards and chief agents. You are a prisoner of Desaad, the greatest scientist on Apokolips and the Master's personal torturer. Come with me."

She gripped his arm and started to lead him out of the room and down a series of hallways. Wally thought about trying to escape, but quickly decided against it. Though not crushing his arm, her fingers were as strong as steel cables. Not to mention after his session with Desaad, they were supporting a significant portion of his weight. Escape wasn't happening right now. Maybe he could pry more information from her. It could be useful if they let their guard down.

"So how does a nice lady like you wind up working in Dr. Frankenstein's fun house?" he asked.

"I volunteered."

A chill went up Wally's spine. He wanted to vomit. What kind of nutjob was he dealing with? "You volunteered?! What, do you get your kicks out of watching people suffer?" he demanded.

The woman's eyes narrowed in sudden anger. Wally wondered if he had gone too far. Even on his best day, he would have been uncertain about fighting her one on one. In his current state, he had every right to be terrified. Her hand brushed past the rod on her belt.

"No." she answered with venom. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Barda pushed Wally into a cramped holding cell. "I will collect you for your next session. Try to get some rest."


A/N: I'm always trying to improve my writing. Reviews are welcome guys.