Hi everyone! Guess who's late again! At least this time it's only one day.
I don't really have much else to say right now, so I'll just jump to replies and the disclaimer but first, a warning.
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH!
I'm not kidding. Someone is literally going to die. But you'll just have to wait to find out who.
I apologise in advance.
piggythelaw: Yes, he was a cute traffic light, wasn't he? Oh and no, I didn't mean civvies. When I wrote sunnies, I wrote it as an abbreviation of sunglasses or shades. Or whatever you like to call them. Basically, she just wears the same sort of darkened glasses that Dick normally does while in his civvies. Sorry if that confused you and thanks for the concern. My wrist feels better now! Thanks for the review!
Bdnboy1 (Guest): Ahh! My favorite guest! I'm glad this chapter kept you on edge, that's what I was aiming for but I'm far from a perfect writer. Thanks for the half of cookie and enjoy the chapter!
DISCLAIMER: I once had a dream about owning DC. It was awesome. Sadly, it was a dream and I had to wake up. That sucked. In conclusion, I only own DC in my dreams or in other words, NEVER. :'(
"For the last time, my name is not Morgana, it's Morgan! Get it through your thick metal head!" I shout in an attempt to hide my fear. By the gleam in his eye though, I know he can see right though me.
"Careful Morgana, you wouldn't want Artemis to die would you? After all, all it takes is a simple slip of the hand…"
I stiffen. He can't kill her, he wouldn't.
Except he would.
"Let her go Slade. Please."
"Begging already are we? My, my, she really does affect you."
"Don't listen to him Morgan, he's trying to mess with your head!" Artemis butts in.
"Quiet!" Slade orders and presses the knife ever so slightly harder into her throat. She lets out the smallest of whimpers and I can practically see Slade's eye light up from where I stand.
"I'll do anything! Just let her go!"
"Anything?"
"Anything."
"Morgan, don't!"
Slade presses the knife even harder and a drop of blood slides down Artemis's throat.
"Be. Quiet."
"I'm going to let her go. As soon as I do Morgana, you are going to chain her to that wall. If you don't, I won't hesitate to shoot her brains out. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"What was that?"
"Yes. Master." I growl.
"We'll work on the attitude later." He smirks. Even though I can't see it, I know he's doing it.
He releases Artemis and I immediately grab her and hold her still when she struggles.
"Morgan! What are you doing? Let me go!"
"He'll kill you if I do. I'm sorry, but I can't let you die." I say before I push her against the wall and chain her up.
"Get a grip Morgan! He's going to kill me anyway! Just let me die now so that he doesn't manipulate you!"
"I won't let you die Artemis! I won't!" I say before freezing when I feel a cold, thin line touch my throat. It's a blade.
Slade slowly directs me away from Artemis by using the blade to pull me back from her.
"Stay away from her Morgana, she's a bad influence." He whispers into my ear.
That's when Batman and the rest of the team arrive.
"A! What are you doing here?" Wally asks once he sees me against Slade's chest, knife against my throat.
"You didn't even tell them your real name? No wonder they never trusted you."
"He's lying A, don't listen to a word he's saying. We trust you." Robin says.
"Quiet Robin, or do you want Artemis to suffer from a bullet hole?"
Robin shuts up immediately but still looks at me warningly. Slade then whispers into my ear again.
"I'm going to let you go now, do anything stupid, and your little friend over there dies."
I nod my head slightly.
"I don't think I quite heard you Morgana. If you're going to be defiant, I'm sure I can find plenty of people to kill."
I grit my teeth.
"Yes master." I hiss angrily.
He lets me go, but not before he nicks me on the throat with the blade while pulling it away. Probably for my insolence.
I wince as a couple of drops of blood escape my flesh.
I give it about half a second before I whirl around and deflect the bullet Slade was about to put in Artemis's head with a bit of white magic that is on the borderline of silver. I'm angry, but not that angry.
"And then you wonder why I lie?" I growl before I throw myself at him and we begin to fight.
By this time, Batman has figured out that there's a force field separating where Slade, Artemis and I are and where he and the team are. He's already working on it.
Meanwhile, I'm throwing every move I can at Slade, but he just dodges it all. I slowly become more and more frustrated, and with the frustration, comes sloppiness.
Slade is soon getting more hits than misses and my anger is bubbling towards the surface.
"Morgan! Focus!" Robin shouts, but I barely hear him. All I can think about is Slade and how much I hate him. However, I do notice the force field weakening and quickly move towards Artemis and set her free, protecting her from Slade when he attempts to attack her.
"Wouldn't your parents be proud of you and how far you've fallen?" Slade says and it's all over.
With a shriek of rage I conjure up a ball of silver magic, much bigger than I've ever managed before, and hurl it at Slade.
I don't see him dragging Artemis in front of him until it's too late.
The world suddenly goes silent as I realise what I just did.
Artemis's breathing begins to hitch and her skin slowly pales of colour. The force field shatters and I feel Wally shove past me as he speeds towards Artemis.
I just stare as he slowly lowers her to the ground and begs her to stay with him, to not die.
She whispers something to him, too soft for me to hear, but I think I see her say something about love.
My heart shatters.
She's saying she loves him.
He's saying it back.
I don't know why I'm hurt, I knew this was going to happen, I knew they were in love, I just wish it never happened like this.
I just wish I never fell in love with Wally myself.
Her breathing stops and Wally begins to cry.
He attempts CPR on her but I know it's too late.
I killed her.
I try to wake up, but it's not a nightmare. She's really and truly dead.
I really did kill her.
Slade slowly circles my body, leaving Artemis's cold, lifeless form and Wally's sobbing one where they lay.
"Oh Morgana, look what you've done. And this time you can't blame me can you. You killed her, not me. You did."
I did. I killed her. She's dead because of me.
"Come along now pet, we must go. Throw them back for me would you?"
I don't even think to fight him as I immediately reply.
"Yes master."
I then send a wide arc of white magic that shoves away all the heroes I once called my friends and family.
I can't call them that anymore though. I betrayed them. I killed Artemis. They probably hate me now. I don't blame them.
I then turn away from them and face my master.
"Good job Morgana. Come, it's time to go."
He then grips my arm tightly and smashes through a door that opens up a tunnel that leads to the surface. Once we reach the end of the tunnel, he takes off into the sky with his wings and then drops me.
I quickly discover that all Angels know how to fly from birth and I have nothing to worry about. I simply follow my Master and disappear into the night, never to be seen again.
Or so I hoped.
# # #
It's two years later when I finally see them again. They burst into my Master's latest hideout brandishing all sorts of weapons and whatnot. I don't even look up from the bomb I'm building as they destroy the wall and make an incredibly annoying amount of noise. Honestly, it's like these heroes live to smash everything and make their own people pay even higher taxes.
"Slade, we finally found you."
I freeze at the voice though. That voice, though it should be annoying, isn't. It's the voice of my brother.
No. He's not my brother. Not anymore.
I still turn around anyway, I don't know why.
He's not as lean as he was before; he's filled out more and has more muscle. He's taller too, but he's still the boy I once knew.
He's sixteen now. I remember meeting him when he was fourteen. I was fourteen too. That means I'm sixteen as well. Not that it matters. Birthdays are irrelevant and just distract you. I don't remember when I was born anyway.
"Morgan?" he asks.
It's definitely him. I'd recognise that voice anywhere.
I don't answer him though. My punishments have only increased as the months have gone by. Probably because I've become stronger during that time. I know not to speak unless told to. Instead I look to my Master.
"Well didn't this get interesting quickly" he says, ignoring me for the time being.
Dick ignores him and looks at me.
"You can come home now Morgan, you don't have to stay here anymore."
"That's not up to her to decide Richard."
"You can't control her Slade, you have no right."
"Who cares about right when she obeys your every word? I could tell her to kill herself and she would Richard."
"Not of her free will."
"Actually, it is. Even ask her yourself. You can answer him Morgana."
I can't help but feel a bit hurt at being called Morgana. He normally calls me 'pet' or 'angel' or at least something more personal, but I suppose this isn't a normal situation. Or maybe I disappointed him. I'll have to make it up to him later.
"Are you doing this of your free will?"
"Yes."
"You would truly kill yourself if he asked you?"
"I'd do anything for my Master."
"Why?"
I pause at that. Why do I obey him without question?
Because he cares about me. He's the only one who does. He's the only one who possibly could.
"He cares about me."
"He doesn't care about you Morgan."
"Morgan isn't my name. Stop calling me that."
His eyes narrow.
"He broke you didn't he? The night Artemis died, he broke you."
"If you're going to look at it that way Richard, she broke herself. After all, I seem to remember her obeying me after she murdered Artemis."
"She didn't murder Artemis, you did" A new voice says.
It's Wally, Wally West, also known as Kid Flash. He must be about seventeen or eighteen now.
I murdered the girl he loved, yet he doesn't blame me. Why?
"I did murder her."
"Slade pulled her into the line of fire not you. You don't have to be enslaved by him anymore Morgan. No one blames you anymore, they never did." Wally contradicts.
He doesn't blame me? None of them do?
"Please, walk away from him, come to us." He begs, hand outstretched.
"Kill them Morgana. They're trying to trick you. They only want you dead." My Master interjects.
Who do I believe? My Master, or Wally.
I think back to the past. Who lied to me and who told the truth back then? The chances are, they're still the same.
I make up my mind.
Holding up my hand, a silver orb appears in my palm. I point it at Wally.
"I'm sorry" I whisper before I twist around and throw it at Slade causing him to smash into the wall.
It's one of the most painful things I've ever done. Attacking the man I've almost seen as a father for 2 years and throwing him into a wall over a boy I fell in love with so long ago. He was the only one I felt worthy enough to stand in the presence of and I've just thrown him away.
Yet at the same time, it's one of the best things I've ever done as well. I don't have to be enslaved anymore, I don't have to fight or kill the people I once called family. Now all I have to do is fight him.
But I'm still so afraid of him and what he'll do. As the fear begins to engulf me, I stumble back and, somehow, my hand finds Wally's. I almost jump at the touch when it feels like lightning is suddenly shooting through my body but as soon as he speaks, I forget all about it.
"You're free now." He whispers.
And for some reason, no matter how painful and strange this moment is, I believe him.
I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!
I'M SORRY FOR KILLING ARTEMIS BUT IT WAS NECESSARY FOR THE PLOT!
PLEASE FORGIVE ME!
Ok, enough shouting. But I am truly sorry. Artemis was Morgan's first real friend (Dick was her brother more than her friend) and I'm really sad that I had to kill her off. I hope though, that the other parts of the story were good and you enjoyed the chapter as a whole.
Please check out the trailer on YouTube and let me know what you thought of the chapter by reviewing, following and favoriting. Every little bit helps.
I love you guys and I can't wait to see you all again next week!
Have a lovely rest of day,
JuliaPossum