Artemis didn't struggle to keep her face neutral – she'd been lying for far too long to get fazed by things such as complete and utter betrayal anymore.
"Damn, fish boy," she said with a sneer. "How the times have changed." Kaldur stood side-by-side with Black Manta, in matching black metal armor with red accents, though Kaldur's new outfit didn't come with a stupid mask like Manta's. "And I see you finally found your long-lost daddy."
"You knew?" Ra's asked, sounding pleased.
"You don't just keep me around for my looks," Artemis replied, grinning.
"Although I must say that your new outfit is much more fitting," Ra's complimented. Artemis smiled at him with a mock-curtsey.
"How is it that a girl knew of my son's affiliation with me?" Manta demanded.
"I make it my job to know people's dirty little secrets." Artemis said with a shrug. "I've known for a while now." She turned to Kaldur, though looking at him made her nauseous. "Although I must say, I'm surprised that you abandoned the League. You were always such a good little boy scout."
"Does the girl question my son's loyalty?" Manta asked, his voice edging on confrontational.
"No, no," Artemis said, waving her hands. "Just expressing my surprise."
"If I am not mistaken, you also abandoned your team to join your father, girl," Manta challenged.
Artemis cocked an eyebrow. "So I did. But the League never trusted me, not really." She smiled fondly. "I was always the loose cannon, the one they couldn't count on. Kaldur, here, however…he was our leader." Her eyes cut to Manta as he made a disgusted noise. "But I think that you're mad because I was invited to this party before your kid, Manta. I never took Atlanteans for chauvinism, but you may be changing my mind."
Why you – "
"Tigress, though I do admire your uncanny ability to cause conflict, that is not why you're here." Ra's interjected before Manta could finish. "Due to your…former association, the Light, and our Partner, believe that you would work well together. We already have a mission in mind, and this," Ra's said, looking at Black Manta and Kaldur, "may be what proves our Partner of your son's devotion to our cause. What say you, Tigress?"
"You ask the girl what she thinks before consulting my son?" Manta roared. Yep, definitely a chauvinist. Artemis grinned and fought the desire to stick out her tongue at him. She'd never met Manta, but he was proving to be everything Kaldur wasn't, an asshole for starters. But the grin slid off her face in an instant as the betrayal once again stabbed her in the heart. Artemis shook it away, locking her feelings down tight. She couldn't deal with them right now.
"We do." A new voice entered and Artemis's grin returned. Vandal Savage stepped into the room, his bulk filling the space. "Tigress has proven herself to be one of our most effective operatives. Your son is fairly new. With her guidance, he may be one of us, but without her help, he will never join the Light."
"So good to know you care," Artemis said sweetly. "What's the mission?" A holographic screen flashed into existence, with a face on it. Yet another face Artemis knew. Blue Beetle, Jaime's superhero identity.
"This hero, Blue Beetle, is wanted by our Partner," Ra's explained. "And they want him now."
"Now they're adding bugs to their collection of hostages?" Artemis asked, raising an eyebrow. She'd been part of many snatch-and-grabs of kids for the Partner, and she knew that the Team's Lagoon Boy had been captured as well. Hopefully, Nightwing had a plan to get them back. She hadn't exactly been covert about the kids going missing.
"That is none of your concern," Savage said abruptly. Artemis shrugged.
"Whatever. I'll get on it. Reward for the kid?"
"A bounty." Ra's agreed. Artemis twirled her knives absently and gestured to Kaldur.
"I'm game," she said. "You can come if you want."
"I see no reason not to accompany you." Kaldur said cordially. Artemis shrugged and walked out of the briefing room. Kaldur followed her and they walked in silence out of the Light HQ, into Gotham. Artemis led the way through winding alleys that she knew like the back of her hand.
"Much has changed for you," Kaldur said finally, just as they were reaching their destination. "You have made a place for yourself with the Light."
"I do better with criminals," Artemis replied lightly. "They are more accepting of crazy." She tapped her head.
"I never thought that you were crazy." Kaldur said quietly. Artemis laughed.
"Neither did I." Artemis said, whistling loudly with her fingers. Criminals melted out of the shadows, all of whom had been waiting for her call. Artemis had made sure to keep her ties with the underworld strong while she was abroad; everyone here knew and owed her. Catwoman, the Joker, even Falcone, and many others.
"T!" The Joker said jovially, throwing his skinny arms around Artemis's shoulders. Artemis hugged him back. "How goes, my lady? And who's the stiff in the goofy getup?"
"I'm good," Artemis said, grinning. "And the stiff's with me. He's an old friend. Black Manta's kid." The Joker looked at Kaldur with new respect, impressed in his own, deranged way. "Joker, Kaldur. Kaldur, the Joker. Good friend of mine."
"These are your friends?" Kaldur asked skeptically.
"I told you," Artemis said. "I do better with criminals." A holographic screen projected from the armored plating in her chest, displaying a picture of Blue Beetle. "This hero is wanted by the Light. The bounty will be worth your while. Full immunity for all crimes, and good favor with the Light, and our Partner. And I promise you, you'll want to be in on what we have in store." The criminals buzzed with curiosity and excitement. It was no secret that the Light had something big in store, and they all had a reason to get back at the Justice League. Artemis laughed, delighted at the effect her words had. "Now, shoo, you all have a hero to catch for me." The criminals dispersed in a matter of seconds. Only Catwoman lingered, giving Artemis a long look before vanishing as well. Artemis knew that she was going to get a stern talking-to when she got home.
"Okay," Artemis said, turning to Kaldur. "That's done. Now, I've got to go, fish boy, it was nice catching up."
"Where are you going?"
"Not your business," Artemis replied. "What, you think that now that we're working together that we're bosom buddies? I'll catch you later, Kaldur." Artemis threw down a packet of black powder and vanished into the night, just like the criminals before her.
Alfred heard the doorbell ring at three in the morning at Wayne Manor and had expected drunken teenagers playing a prank.
What he got was somewhat different.
"'Sup, Alfie?" Artemis asked, no longer dressed as Tigress, but in civilian clothing, her blonde hair unbound and wild. "Nice to see you, buddy," she said, taking a long swig out of the tequila bottle in her hand. It was almost gone.
"Miss Artemis?" Alfred said, surprised to say the least.
"Hey, that's me!" she said, clapping him on the shoulder and pushing her way into the Manor. "Oh, hey, Alfie, mind calling down Dick for me? I gotta talk to him 'bout something."
"Miss Artemis, are you intoxicated?"
"Shit-faced," Artemis agreed. "It's cool, though, I can call Dick myself." She waved the black remote-control she'd swiped from Alfred and pressed the blue button. "'Kay. He's coming now." Artemis meandered past Alfred, who could do nothing to stop her but stare, and flopped onto the couch in the mansions living room. She kept drinking the tequila, watching as the room started spinning. She hadn't been this drunk since she was fourteen and broken into her mother's liquor cabinet.
"Artemis?" Dick's voice stopped the room from spinning. Aw.
"Hiya!" Artemis said happily, jumping upward and drunkenly throwing her arms around his neck.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Dick asked, grabbing Artemis's arm and towing her along behind him. "You can't be here!"
"You're strong," Artemis said, stumbling as Dick pulled her into the library and locked the doors.
"What are you doing here?" Dick asked again, more urgently this time.
"I'm a double-agent," Artemis said loudly. "Shhh! So I have some doubly-agent-y stuff to tell you."
"What, then? Artemis, we have to get you out of here, before Batman comes back!"
"Not so worried about him." Artemis slurred. "More worried about the Light. And Kaldur. He's with them now, you know?"
"Kaldur?" Dick repeated, nonplussed.
"Yep. All buddy-buddy with the Light. His dad's Black Manta, too, in case you didn't already know that. Oh, and he and me are all teamed up, now."
"Oh my God." Dick murmured. Artemis nodded sagely. "Wait. What is it? What do they want you to do?" Dick knew, better than anyone, that Artemis was tough. She could handle anything – or at least, that's what he had thought. Something bad must be going down; why else would Artemis try to numb herself with alcohol?
"Kaldur and I have to get Jaime. Blue Beetle. My kid." Artemis twirled with her arms flung wide and some of the tequila sloshed out of the bottle. She spun until she couldn't see and then fell to the ground and hugged her knees to her chest. Her blonde hair obscured her face. "Oops. I touched your couch."
"What?" Dick said, trying to wrap his head around everything. It didn't make things easier with Artemis spouting babble.
"I'm cursed. I think so. Yes, cursed." Artemis said, talking mostly to herself. "Everything I touched goes straight to hell. So I'd burn that couch before it spontaneously combusts. Because I thought I was helping. I tried to help. I did. But now Jaime is in danger and I have to give him to the Light or they'll kill us both." Artemis looked up at Dick, her gray eyes shining through her curtain of hair. "Why can't I save anyone?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "Everyone I get close to gets hurt." Artemis could feel herself getting lethargic. Maybe a bottle and a half of tequila wasn't such a good idea. "I think the world would be safer…without me in it." She vaguely felt Dick scooping her up into his arms, but she didn't have the strength to do anything about it.
"I don't want to be in a world you're not in, Artemis," he said. But Artemis might've heard wrong.
"Ow." Artemis woke up slowly, wincing when she opened her eyes. The light burned like fire and didn't help her already-throbbing head.
"Ah, Miss Artemis, so good you've decided to join us at last." Alfred said. Artemis sat up slowly, her hands firmly covering her eyes. She jumped and yelped, as something stuck into her arm.
"Ow. What was that?" she asked, but even her own voice was much too loud.
"Something I use when Master Dick has had too much to drink."
"Dick drinks?"
"More than you might think." Speak of the devil. Artemis turned, wincing, but already beginning to feel a little better. "How're you feeling?"
"Like I got run over by a bus. Damn. How much did I drink?"
"A liquor store," Alfred said matter-of-factly and Dick laughed. "Although you seem to be recovering much more quickly than Master Dick, here." Artemis smirked.
"Fast metabolism. Jesus, what time is it?"
"About eight in the morning." Artemis swore violently and leaped, earning herself a crushing wave of nausea. "I've got to go." Artemis snatched the drug-gun that Alfred had stunk her with and gave herself another shot. "I've got to go." She'd blown off Jaime last night.
"Hey," Dick said, grabbing onto her arm and stopping her short. "We're going to figure this out. You, Kaldur, Jaime, everything. He's not going to get hurt, I promise." Artemis looked at her friend and ex-teammate, her eyes almost glowing.
"Yes, he is," she said after a long silence. "Of course he's going to get hurt, because if he doesn't, then he dies, I die, and you lose your double-agent. Besides, pain is the name of the game I'm playing here, isn't it?" Artemis took a deep breath. "But whatever's going to happen next, it's going to happen on my terms."
"We're going to figure all of this out," Dick insisted. "Together." Artemis didn't respond, but then nodded.
"I'll be in touch," she said, heading for the exit. "And Dick?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."