Chapter Eleven
To her credit the archer remained silent the entire flight back to base, consciously ignoring the fact she was riding in an honest to God spaceship, all the while sitting behind an Atlanetean and a Martian, two words she'd never thought she'd ever use, let alone in the same sentence. Despite being surrounded by a group of individuals that would one day replace the Justice League, despite being rescued from a gruesome fiery death, she wasn't impressed or thankful, she was angry, angry and humiliated. At this point she didn't want answers, she wanted off this ship and off this team.
The camouflaged Bio Ship landed softly on the roof of Wayne towers, as seven individuals disembarked under the shadow of night, bringing the wounded to the secret elevator and the awaiting physician below. Dr. Leslie Tompkins had been a long time confident of Batman from the early days of his crime fighting career and was one of the few people who knew of his identity along with Dick's and a handful of others. HIPPA laws covered secret identities as far as she was concerned and the team trusted her unconditionally. She had become the unofficial primary caregiver to the members of this team and their seniors.
Zatanna was gently placed on the gurney by Nightwing and Aqualad, and Dick held her hand as they carefully pushed her into an adjoining room for an MRI once Dr. Tompkins was through checking out her other patient. Zee had been quiet since she'd regained consciousness, but clearly in quite a lot of pain. From the early examination by Nightwing; radioed ahead to the waiting doctor, the early diagnosis of concussion had been correct, but an MRI would determine how severe it was or any other subsequent internal injuries.
True to his word, by the time they reached the underground base, Wally looked much better. The color had returned to his cheeks and everyone assumed he was on his way to a full recovery, until Tompkins peeled off the blood stained uniform and inserted the tube in his chest to inflate his damaged lung. Artemis tried not to stare, but when his eyes caught hers from her vantage point behind the observational glass, she quickly turned and walked away. Wally didn't blame her; he just hoped he'd have a chance to explain, but that responsibility ultimately belonged to Nightwing.
Artemis would be lying if she said she didn't care. Zatanna and Dick, despite being her bosses, had become good friends, and Wally….it was complicated to say the least.
Trust had never been her strong suit, stemming as far back as childhood. Her father, her sister, and to a certain extent her mother, all at one point had lied to her, told her things would be all right only to disappoint or outright disappear when she needed them the most. Adding that emotional baggage to the betrayal she now felt left her cold and angry. She been sent on a mission that she was completely unprepared for, searching for a target she knew absolutely nothing about, and teamed with a group of people she'd never met, or so she thought. It all began to make sense. The job at Wayne, the cushy apartment, her recruitment to join the team, even her perceived friendships, all were lies.
Dick left the MRI booth and returned to the main meeting room and put his hand on Wally's shoulder, the speedster giving him a knowing nod and assuring him he was ok. Nightwing then went to the computer station, initiating a two way visual com channel with Conner, who was still on the scene. In the background, swarms of Gotham City Crime Suppression and S.W.A.T. teams patrolled the dock, gathering up survivors from the explosion, while Fire and Rescue teams combed the water looking for those who had not been so lucky. It would be a logistical nightmare for Gotham CSI to examine and find anything relevant at what was left of the crime scene, but Dick was assured his mentor would soon be at the scene to assist. CSI was good, Batman was the best.
However the most important piece of evidence had survived the explosion and was on his way to the interrogation room at Gotham HQ, The police, Homeland Security, the FBI, and soon after the Justice League would all have their shots at the mercenary/terrorist known as Kobra. He could remain silent and stoic all he wanted, but even if the shipments of illegal narcotics had not survived the explosion, the authorities still had his sub, his prints, and videos from every angle of his presence on the ship that night thanks to Nightwing. On top of that was a mountain of international warrants that awaited him if the judge had not put a bond on him that even Bruce Wayne couldn't afford to post. A trial would be months, possible years away, but everyone involved felt they had their man, and Kobra would not see the light of day again until he was on a walker.
The mission overall had been a success, but Dick knew there was collateral damage. Kobra and his cronies were securely locked away. He was confident that Wally and Zatanna would be all right, but when he turned to the observation point and the archer was gone, he knew the real damage had been done.
When Monday morning rolled around and Dick arrived at Wayne Towers, he wasn't surprised that Artemis wasn't at her desk. He had intentionally avoided contacting her over the weekend, wanting to give her at a full 48 hour cooling off period, knowing full well the temperamental archer would need every single second of it. Nothing about the mission had gone according to plan, they seldom do, but the shipment had been destroyed, Kobra had been apprehended, and everyone had come back alive. All things considered it had been successful mission, but not without costs. Broken bones mend over time, the same could not always be said about trust.
When he entered his office to find her security cards and resignation letter on his desk, complete with a titanium tipped arrow sticking through them, digging deep into the rich deep mahogany wood, her message had been received loud and clear. Her desk was empty, her belonging packed away and removed sometime over the weekend, almost like she'd never existed. Dick sat back in his chair, eyes transfixed on the light shimmering off the arrow tip, playing back in his mind a hundred different ways he could have done things differently.
xxx
Artemis quietly closed her mother's bedroom door and stepped outside onto the balcony with only a light sweater and a cup of hot tea for warmth. It was a bitterly cold night, even by Gotham's standards, but she didn't care. Having spent most of her life on the West coast she actually liked the snow, it had an almost magical quality to it. It was nice to live in a place that actually celebrated all four seasons instead of just rain with brief moments of sunshine like Star did. Not that it mattered anymore. This city, this life, was about to be in her review mirror, it was getting packed that was going to be the hardest step.
How was she going to tell her mother that it was time to leave? Artemis knew from the employee handbook that when she gave Wayne Enterprises her resignation letter it had terminated her lease immediately. Paula was a quarter of the way into her medical trails and was actually showing signs of progress. She'd promised her mom a new life, convinced her, literally drug her out of Star for Gotham and now was cruelly about to uproot her again and take it all away, just like her father had done to her. She knew her mother was pragmatic, but she'd also want to know why the sudden change. Paula Crock was no fool and both women had carefully danced around the subject of Artemis's late night extra-curricular activities for months, so the archer was fairly confident her mother knew exactly what had gone on back in Star and probably Gotham as well. After the poor choices Paula had made in the past, she was in no position to lecture, let alone judge her daughter's decision to stand on the side of justice, but that didn't mean she didn't worry. Her own injury was a clear testament about how quickly things can change with the simple pull of a trigger.
However her mom wasn't the only worry on the archer's mind.
What was going to happen to her? She knew the secret identities of some of the most powerful players in the business. People with information like that weren't allowed to just up and leave. Those people disappeared.
It didn't take a detective to figure out if Dick Grayson was Nightwing, who the identity of the Batman was given their past relationship. Dick was her boss and CEO, but Bruce Wayne owned the company. In retrospect it was surprisingly obvious. Following the same train of thought Green Arrows identity came just as easily. If being rich was a prerequisite to being a superhero, she wondered which one Bill Gates actually was.
She ignored the cold and continued sipping her coffee, lost in her thoughts when the voice behind spoke softly.
"You're going to get sick if you don't bundle up."
Instinctively she wheeled around with a vicious roundhouse kick sent directly toward the intruder, but when her combat boot struck nothing but air she immediately realized the identity of her uninvited guest.
Wally West now stood at the opposite side of the balcony, hands up, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. She didn't know how long he'd been there and honestly at the moment didn't care, she just wanted him gone.
"Get out!" she growled.
"I will, but we need to talk first."
"I've got nothing to say to you, any of you."
"Fine, just listen then. Give me five minutes, you can even time me."
"Why should I?" she barked.
"Because you want answers, you deserve them. Just let me say my peace and then I'll go."
"Four minutes and fifty seconds," she replied bitterly. Wally leaned back against the balcony rail and began.
"Dick should be the one telling you this, but he figured he'd be the last person you'd want to see right now."
"You're a close second," she replied.
Wally sighed and powered through. Antagonizing her wouldn't accomplish anything. He had a lot to say and little time to do it, a true paradox for one of the fastest men alive.
"He should have been upfront with you, told you everything, but things spiraled quickly. To be honest you weren't ready, we kept telling him that but he can be so damn stubborn sometimes."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she answered sarcastically, "three minutes fifteen seconds."
His gaze was unsteady, and he found himself having trouble looking at her in the eye, very unlike the cocky self-assured man she'd come to know.
"What I mean is you never really got a chance to have a mentor, to train with one. You and Arrow were only together for what? A couple of months at most? Artemis I've been doing this since I was thirteen, Dick since he was nine. It's just not enough time to learn everything you need to know. I've been doing this for half my life and sometimes I still feel like I'm not ready."
"What does that have to do with lying to me?" she questioned annoyed, quickly tiring of the conversation.
"Do you want to know the first thing The Flash taught me about the hero biz?" Wally asked.
"Enlighten me. Two minutes ten seconds."
Wally shook his head, he'd hoped to make some headway, but the conversation was going south fast, and he was having trouble keeping up, another first.
"Your secret identity is your first line of defense. Not just for you, but the people you love. People that the bad guys would go after to get to you."
"So I'm the bad guy huh?" she argued, "Crusher Crock's delinquent daughter who can't be trusted. I didn't ask to join your stupid team you know."
"Will you stop trying to start a damn fight and just listen for a freaking minute," the speedster snapped, not intending to lose his cool but failing. Something about this girl frustrated him to no end, but at the same token was exactly the thing that drew him to her. She was fiery, unpredictable, beautiful, and couldn't stand him. Basically the whole package as far as he was concerned, but he cleared his mind and got back on point. Surprisingly the archer complied and let him say his peace.
"This was never about not trusting you Artemis. This was about a difficult mission and some really shitty timing. Something we kind of excel at sometimes unfortunately. Dick tries so hard to be like him, Bats I mean, tries to think like him and deal with situations like he would. But he's not Batman, no one is. He wanted you on the team and made a gut call."
"We were waist deep in the Kobra thing before you ever came on board and it wasn't fair to you to bring you in right in the middle of it, but you need to trust me that this is not the way we do business, or at least try not to. We make mistakes sometimes, it's the nature of the beast. And before you try to start something else, you weren't the mistake, us not being honest with you was. The plan was to ease you in, do proper introductions, and not freak you out. You see how well that went. If you stay on in the hero biz you'll realize mistakes are the name of the game no matter how careful you try to be."
"Why me?" Artemis groaned, "I was perfectly content in Star. Why all the bullshit with the fake job offer at Wayne and asking me to join your stupid team if I wasn't ready?"
Wally sighed, "Look I'm not going to lie to you and tell you I know anything about the way Dick runs Wayne Industries, but I know he doesn't give out bullshit jobs. If you got the position, you earned it. As far as joining us, Arrow probably thought a change of scenery would do you some good. His other protégé wanted out and maybe he thought being around people your own age would be a good thing. All I know is he wanted you on the team and we had an opening. If you're as good as Dick thinks you are, then it was a win-win for Wayne and for us. I'm just speculating here, they don't exactly let me make any personnel decisions, otherwise Kate Upton and Megan Fox would have been on this team a long time ago."
Artemis tried not deny the smile, but Wally had an annoying talent of getting her to drop her guard at the worst of times. For someone who could be so full of himself, when he was actually genuine he could be a little…..charming.
Encouraged by the small crack in her icy façade, Wally finished his soliloquy.
"We make mistakes Artemis. We'll continue to, but I promise you won't be one of them. We can't make you stay, but I hope you'll consider it."
"What stops me from going to the Gotham News Network, telling everyone who you all are, and getting rich in the process?" she inquired.
"Nothing," he replied solemnly.
"So you'd let me just spill everything I know?" she asked disbelievingly.
"We'd try to convince you not to. You'd make some pretty powerful enemies, wreck a lot of people's lives, and put a lot of innocent folks in danger, but no one would stop you. That's not how the good guys work."
"We'll that's stupid." she huffed.
"Maybe, but that's the price you pay when you put on the mask. It's a risky job sometimes, fighting super villains or opening up to someone you trust, but risk is our business. Anyway something tells me you aren't that type of person."
"So what now?" the archer questioned.
"I don't know, I guess it's your call. So did I make my time?" Wally half smiled.
Artemis never looked at her watch. "You went over."
Wally rubbed his fingers through his unkempt hair. "Timing's never been my specialty."
"No kidding," she deadpanned.
"Well I better go. Thanks for listening. Think about what I said ok?" he pleaded.
She wasn't going to acknowledge the question, she wasn't anywhere near ready, but said simply, "You can um…use the door…if you want."
"Where's the fun in that? See ya around babe" he smiled, climbing over the rail and exploding into a streak of lightning.
"Don't call me…." she yelled down the side of the building, but realized he would probably be a mile away before she would even finish her sentence. With Wally finally gone, her body began to shiver, unsure if it was the bitter cold she'd been ignoring or her nerves. Regardless she had a lot of thinking to do.
xxx
Dick Grayson sat behind his desk, looking over the reports from their latest acquisition. Wayne's stock had dropped about seventy cents per share, but it was only a temporary fluctuation. He was confident that when the dust settled the shares would not only rebound, but earn both the company and its shareholder's a tidy profit. Business, much like chess was a game of strategy, and it was always important to stay three moves ahead. There were always going to be variables, you just had to be ready to face them head on when they appeared.
He was running numbers in his head when the knock came to his door. Zatanna was still on bed rest, so he assumed it was one of the temps sent from personnel to cover for her during her absence. Dick was always more comfortable working with people he knew, people he trusted, but that number was getting smaller and smaller every day.
"Come in," he announced, putting on a more professional face then how he actually felt this morning. That expression lasted all of five seconds before his jaw dropped.
Artemis Crock calmly walked in, carrying a large manila folder adorned with a large W along with the Wayne Industries logo. It appeared to be stuffed full of documents in need of his signature. His brows furrowed as he stared curiously at the blonde as she opened the folder and placed them carefully on his desk, a small post it note resting on each document exactly where he needed to sign.
"Despite what the reports say, when the Japanese market opens tomorrow I predict Wayne shares will be up ten cents and probably close to thirty by week's end." she spoke confidently.
"I think that's a little optimistic." he added.
"We'll see," she said with a slight smile. "Oh and I need your signatures at all the x's.
"Am I signing the company away to you in the event of my untimely demise?" he half joked, trying to cover his very apparent uneasiness. Artemis smiled a sly grin and removed every page after he initialed and signed at all the right places.
Halfway through page four of ten, the blonde nonchalantly mentioned in a lowered voice, "I left something on your desk the other day, I'd like it back if you don't mind."
Without even looking up, Dick opened his top drawer, pulling out the shiny arrow tip and placing it next to the pile of papers he had previously signed.
Artemis shook her head, "No the other thing," she corrected.
Dick thought for a moment then realized the item she was looking for. He reached into a smaller side drawer and pulled out her resignation letter and handed it to the blonde. Artemis nodded, took the letter and tore it into equal sized half pieces before discarding the remains into Dick's garbage can.
He continued signing the letters she placed in front of them until all documents had been put back into the folder. Artemis popped the folder in his desk a few times to straighten the documents inside and then began towards the door.
Dick stood from his desk respectfully and exclaimed before she could leave, "Artemis… I'm sorry."
She paused for a moment, letting the words soak in before turning back towards him. "I know."
"I was wrong, I know it doesn't really mean much right but….."
The archer interrupted. "Dick, I want to be a part of this team, this company too, but if you ever leave me in the dark again, if you ever lie to me, accidently or on purpose, I'm a ghost."
"Sounds fair. I make mistakes Artemis, but never the same ones."
"Good," she smiled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to meet my supervisor for lunch, your treat I think she said. I'll make sure she doesn't try to say anything backwards while were out.
"So um….are we good?" he asked hopeful.
"We're getting there," she answered sincerely. "Will that be all Mr. Grayson?"
"That will be all Ms. Crock," he smiled.
Artemis gathered her papers and walked out the door, when Dick called her back in for a moment.
"Are you forgetting something?" Dick asked, arrow tip in hand.
"No, that's for you. Keep it as a reminder of what I'll do if you wrong me again. You can use your imagination as to what I'll do with it if you need to."
"I'm good." he chuckled, "but I have to ask, why the change of heart?"
"Because despite being an arrogant - know it all - pain in the ass, sometimes your best friend makes a lot of sense, but if you tell him I said that I'll deny it."
"Your secret's safe with me." Dick bemused
"And so is yours," she confirmed. "You have a two o'clock this afternoon with representatives from the Takashigi Corporation. There the ones who tried to do that hostile takeover with that Swedish company last fall. I'll be back by one to brief you."
"See you then," he replied.
xxx
Pepolino's was usually packed on a Friday night. A restaurant like this wouldn't make any of the best of dining polls that tourists and visitors would read on their visit to the city, but if you were a local, this was considered the best Italian food in Gotham.
Even at capacity, the small bistro would struggle to hold thirty patrons, but tonight it only hosted a private party of seven.
Dick Grayson smiled, for the first time in months, finally finding the sense of relief that he feared would never come. The mission was over, the drug off the streets. Even if Kobra never talked, eventually one of his cronies would crack and the give up the name of the manufacturer. It was only a matter of time, but right now at this moment, it was all about celebrating and making amends.
He was surrounded by friends, people closer to him than family, friends that shared a bond that
few would ever understand. He wasn't a CEO here, he wasn't a member of Gotham's social elite, he wasn't even Nightwing for that matter. He was just Dick, and there was no place on earth he'd rather be.
After a few moments of awkwardness upon the archer's arrival, proper introductions were made and an hour and two bottles of wine later, Artemis felt like she'd known this group for years. There was an easiness about them, a chemistry she just couldn't describe. She figured that is came from years of fighting and bleeding beside each other, but later that night she finally figured out what it was, they were members of a very exclusive club, one that very few ever got an invitation for. They were heroes, and as of tonight so was she. She liked the sound of that.
Embarrassing stories were told, usually at Wally and Dick's expense, and laughter continuously filled the room. The cuisine was even better than advertised, but the company was what made it so special. The only thing that came even close to talking about team business was that their bosses from on high were pleased and the team would get some much deserved time off. This news actually disappointed the archer a bit, but an unspoken nod from Dick assured her that just because there would be no missions didn't mean she wouldn't see some action. Gotham would still have Nightwing and Artemis patrolling its streets.
Throughout the evening the group would splinter off into many different pairings as Zatanna took Artemis around the room to spend time and get to know each of her new teammates, but no matter where she went, green eyes kept track off her most of the night, and surprisingly she liked it.
This was just the type atmosphere she expected Wally to be at his clowning best in, but he was unusually quiet this evening, more than content to just sit back and listen to his friends while not trying to be the center of attention. It was another side of the speedster she'd never seen before, and for someone that she thought she'd figured out from their very first meeting, he was quickly becoming a mystery to her, and interesting one.
She and Zatanna were laughing about something that had happened in the accounting department earlier that day when Wally finally walked up.
"What's up Flush?" Zatanna giggled to Wally's annoyed eye rolling as Artemis looked curiously at the two.
"It's a loving little nickname I gave him after a night of tequila and dancing in Rio. Undercover stuff."
"Zee don't do this," he groaned.
She grinned evilly, "I won't, but ask him later how a bidet works. He was a little unclear on the process. How in the hell did you get your doctorate at twenty if you can't figure out something as simple as indoor plumbing?"
Wally's eyes closed for a moment and then after a short fake snore, jerked himself back awake.
"God I'm so sorry, were you still talking? How rude of me. What don't you go make googly eyes at your boyfriend or something? I think our waitress might be giving him her number."
"He's not my….kiss my ass West," she stormed off in the direction of the handsome brunette who was doing nothing more nefarious than just picking up the check.
"She's a little tipsy," Wally smiled watching the sorceress politely interrupt the transaction to plant a wet kiss on her boss and mark her territory.
"More than a little," Artemis chuckled.
"So…..I'm glad you decided to stay,"
"Yeah me too," she said warmly, gazing out at the room, "I like them. They'll do just fine until I join the Justice League in a few months."
"Ambitious?" Wally announced impressed.
"And totally joking," she replied. "I like it here just fine."
"They're good people Artemis, and they're good at what they do. As far as teammates go, there's only one thing you need to know. You have their backs and they have yours. In and out of uniform. It's unconditional, non-negotiable, and guaranteed."
Wally held up his glass and touched it lightly with hers, causing a quiet chime. "Welcome to the Team."
Artemis smiled warmly and they both sipped their wine, but something about his phrasing just didn't sit right with her for some reason.
Thirty minutes later the group walked up the stairs to street level and towards the corner. A few streets over would be a much better location to hail cabs to take them to their respective homes. Artemis was so enthralled with the stories of Atlantis Kaldur was sharing that she and the rest of the group didn't even notice that Wally and Dick had lagged behind a bit.
"Dick you got a sec?" the speedster inquired quietly.
At the corner, Conner pressed the crosswalk signal with one hand while holding up the inebriated sorceress with the other. Megan chuckled at his plight and turned to tell Dick that he would have a very hung-over bedroom companion come morning when she saw off in the distance Wally extend his hand, only to have Dick swat it away and embrace him instead.
Megan nudged Conner and he quickly turned his attention from the busy Gotham's streets ahead to the pair behind him. Concentrating his Kryptonian hearing past the horns of traffic to the conversation taking place a few hundred feet away took little effort, and a second later a slightly distressed Conner looked down at his green skinned girlfriend. Artemis looked up to see the Martian and her boyfriend sharing a thought when she interjected herself into their personal mental conversation.
"What is it?" she spoke aloud.
Conner paused. The dialogue he had eavesdropped on was private, two best friends discussing something that they didn't want shared, but Artemis was a teammate now, a friend, and having and holding secrets was a bad way to start that friendship on the right path.
Megan's brows furrowed in disbelief.
"I think... Wally just quit?" she replied.
Author's Note. I know most of you probably gave up on this story. The reasons for the delay are too numerous to mention, but I have the next chapter just about finished then we'll be just about done. I never dreamed it would take me this long, but it's become harder and harder to carve out time. Hope this will do. Thanks for reading.
