"Artemis," thought the drowsy speedster. "Artemis." Wally woke from his stupor, mind focused on only one thing. There was a dull throbbing in his head, his throat could really go for a cough drop, his hands were bound behind his back, and his stomach was growling like it hadn't eaten in weeks. The speedster barely noticed any of it. The only thing he could possibly think of was a beautiful archer. "Artemis, where are you?" His eyes blinked, trying to focus what he was seeing.

He was in the middle of what looked like a gray warehouse. It was recently used but had just been cleaned out. He could tell because unlike most deserted warehouses he went to there was no visible layer of dust. There were two windows but they were up so high he doubted that he could make it up there, even if he was going the same speed as the mythical speed force. The speedster only took a second glace at these things; his sole focus was on the blonde girl lying in front of him, her hands held back by rope.

He recognized her instantly. Her hair was out of its usual perfect not-a-hair-out-of-place ponytail; instead it was all helter-skelter. She still looked stunning to the runner. It was obvious she was handled without any caution, her wrists were red and she was developing a black eye. Wally watched as she shivered from the cold air-conditioning and he couldn't help but wish that he could put his arms around her and keep her safe and warm. He wanted to grab her in his arms and take her away from here, run all the way to Paris with her, and share another spectacular kiss on the Eiffel Tower.

"I see you're awake," said an easily recognizable voice. Wally looked out into the mostly dark warehouse and saw the imposing silhouette of Sportsmaster.

"What did you do to her," spat Wally, barely containing his rage.

Instead of responding to the young speedster the blonde-haired man walked over to his daughter and kicked her in the gut, waking her up. The speedster watched her groan as she spit up a bit of blood. "You monster. I'll stop you!" Wally tried to vibrate his molecules out of the binds, but Lawrence "Crusher" Crock had already anticipated this move. Out of his back pocket he pulled out a remote with a singular red button. As he pressed it Wally felt an electric jolt go through him. He stopped trying instantly.

"Now Kid, you don't want to leave yet, do you? We haven't even gotten to the fun part," said Sportsmaster cruelly.

"Leave him alone," said Artemis roughly. "It's me you want." "Wait! Why would Sportsmaster be interested in Artemis… I mean besides the obvious."
Sportsmaster turned his head to the young moon goddess. "Indeed." He walked up to her and took her chin in his hand. Her eyes glared at him with pure hatred as he spoke. "Perhaps you should tell him the truth." Her eyes went wide before they narrowed again. In the blink of an eye she pulled away from her father's hand and tried to bite down on it. He pulled away with speed that astonished even Wally. "Please! You think I can't anticipate your every move?"

He turned to Wally. "Has this girl told you about me?"

"Don't you dare," growled Artemis.

"Dare?" Questioned Sportsmaster, all to jolly for a super villain. "What a good idea. So…Truth or Death?'

"Death," retorted Artemis instantly. The young assassin had been trained to confront death with dignity. Never give away anything.

"Artemis," said Wally in ragged breaths. "Don't!"

"Now, don't choose so quickly girl," said their captor slyly. "When I say death I don't mean yours. I mean his." He pointed a finger, the middle one of course, at Wally.

"Never tell. Never give in. Die to keep your information and identity safe. Abandon someone if necessary. Let your comrade die if you must," her father's words repeated in her head. Artemis flinched. She couldn't do it. Her dad can go to hell. "Truth."

"Good answer," he said. "What's your favorite color?"

"Green," she answered automatically.

He nodded, looking at her in her completely green outfit. "I should've seen that coming. Maybe I should ask something else."

"Do you have any family?"

"Yes," said Artemis tersely, refusing to give in any more information then absolutely.

"Who?"

"Green Arrow. My mom."

"What about a dad? Any siblings?"

"I have a sister," she replied through her teeth. "But I don't have a dad." As far as the archer was concerned all of this was true.

"I think your lying, little girl. And you don't lie when telling the truth." An electric volt went through Wally's spine, causing him to howl in immense pain. "Try, try again."

"I have a dad," she said.

"Who?" The tension in the room was palpable.

Six months she'd been a superhero, six months. Six months to finally make friends. Six months to try to make up for what she'd done. Six months fall in love with the most annoying ladies man in the world. No matter what she said next, it would ruin all that had happened to her the past six months. She didn't care though, not when it meant that in the next few seconds the guy she loved could be dead.

"You," she said softly. The speedster could barely hear her, but he heard enough to know exactly what she had just said. He was incapable of thought or movement. He was frozen. Stuck. He had just learned a terrible truth about the girl he loved. In the worst possible way he could learn it.

Sportsmaster chuckled. "And now onto the worst." Wally flinched. "How could it get any worse?"

"Have you ever killed anyone before," asked Sportsmaster, who obviously knew the answer.

"Yes," she muttered.

Wally stared in shock. She was a monster. A monster. She was no superhero. She was no better than her father. He was in love with a heartless monster. "You disgust me," he spat at Artemis.

He didn't notice but Artemis had started to cry. The salty tears dripping into her mouth.

Out of nowhere Wally heard a smack. He glimpsed over to see Artemis' father slap her across the face. He couldn't help but wince and share the same pain she most assuredly felt. "I taught you better than that, bitch! You don't cry." The runner watched as she tried to suck in the tears, but they fell out anyways. Wally could feel his glisten by the corners of eyes, but he was too angry with Artemis and too disgusted with himself to let them fall, to give her the satisfaction of knowing that he ever cared about her, so unlike the way she had cared about her now dead victims.

Artemis heard her father's words but didn't seem to care. She'd only ever loved three people in the world. She had just lost one. She didn't care what her dad said. He could kill her now and she wouldn't care. Without Wally what the hell mattered? He couldn't even look at her. To him she was a monster. She could barely look at herself anymore.

"You know what, do what you like. Your life's a piece of shit anyways. Have fun having Kid Idiot as your only company." Sportsmaster swaggered away, leaving the two lovers alone, depression engulfing both of them.

[-} -

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