Part 40: Red Eye

Maya decided she was bored. There wasn't much to do in her small room. So far she hadn't tried to hurt herself so she was allowed simple things like her phone, but she's apparently tried to stab her doctor with a pen so she wasn't allowed to leave her room without permission. She couldn't get permission though unless she agreed to see the doctor. At first she didn't then when she did he was ill. Drumming her fingertips Maya played an imaginary piano.

Out of the corner of her eye, Maya saw her door open and the doctor entered, the one she'd thought was the assassin. He was pale and Maya couldn't remember if he was that pasty the last time she was forced to see him or if it was because he was still ill. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked her.

"You might want to look in a mirror and try that question again." Maya turned away from him and stared at the ceiling. "I'm as fine as one can expect after staring at white walls for four hours."

"It's been more than four hours you've been staring off. You haven't slept all night." He didn't even look at her, but Maya felt that this doctor was different. There was care in his expression. Not care specifically for her but for his patients. "So how are you feeling?"

Maya knew she had been thinking about something, but that thought slipped from her and she told him something else. As the words came out Maya tried to control her thoughts but she was no longer herself as she spoke aloud. "I can't put this off forever. I've got to tell you some thing. But when I try and say it, my mouth just gives up and dies. I lose my meaning when I get this feeling. I'm not who you think I am; I slipped a stranger inside. It helps the nights go quicker, but I diminish each time and in the morning I shake the warning. Last night I nearly died, but I woke up just in time. I get this feeling. I got this feeling. I woke up. I woke up. I'm gonna wake up. Gonna wake up. I lose my meaning when I get this feeling." Maya continued rambling as her eyes stared to drift closed.

"Last night I nearly died. Last night I nearly died. Last night I nearly died." Maya continued to repeat her last sentence. Saunders leaned back in his chair and listened to the sleeping woman mutter to herself.

-x-

Lila reappeared in busy JFK and opened her phone. She didn't know who to call. Sam wouldn't understand what she'd done and there was no one else she could turn to. For a moment she wondered if the crazy girl's friends could help. They probably couldn't even if they'd consider the idea.

As she disappeared Lila caught sight of a drawing on the TV for a moment she feared the worst until she realized it wasn't her. Ever since the thieving started she was afraid she'd get seen. After all she couldn't be caught but if Sam found out that would be the end. She'd have done all this for nothing.

Composing herself Lila walked through the door to her and Sam's house. He looked up and smiled. "How was the concert?" He always tried not to make a big deal of her gigs in case they went bad. After he checked her mood then they'd chat about the trip.

"Crowd reaction was good, but there was a disturbance before the show, so I wouldn't call it an overall success." She smiled to show him that she was teasing.

"I don't think disturbances can be helped. Sometimes things just happen." He stood up from the table and gave her a hug.

Lila was sobered by his words. "Sometimes it just feels like we're so unlucky."

"We've got the whole world." He was trying to be comforting. "I have you and you've got me and we have this house." He didn't know that his words were the opposite of comforting because he didn't know how close she'd been to losing everything.

She sighed and hugged him back, because that was finally over.

Then her phone rang, Lila took the call outside. The number was blocked which in the past would have been a bad sign. She opened the phone, but didn't speak.

"Hold for Spyder," a female voice said into the phone. Lila waited.

A moment later heavy breathing appeared on the line. Lila had never met the man in person and after seeing images and hearing him, she didn't want to. "Lila, I have a new job for you."

"New job?" Lila scoffed. "I'm done. That necklace was the last of it."

"Where did you get a fool idea like that? I told you that would finish your debt, so you will be paid for the next job, but you aren't done. Not unless you want your family's home back on the list for demolishing." He paused but only received silence from Lila. "Now, there is a lab in Turkey. They've got a nifty new drug that I would like to try. The details will be sent along. Give the Southern boy my regards."

Numb, Lila hung up the phone and looked back at the house. At some point she'd have to tell Sam. He wouldn't understand. He'd say that there was another way, but there wasn't and she wasn't ready to lose him.

-x-

Artemis didn't like commercial flights. It wasn't the flying. She actually enjoyed the rush. She hated the people. The flight attendants were smiley and fake. Babies cried. And there were thousands of variables that she'd be stuck in a metal cigar tube with for a five hour flight.

At the moment there was only one variable she was worried about. And he was sitting next to her. Another flight attendant passed by them checking discretely for seat belts. Artemis wanted to tell her that she was wearing hers and to leave them alone so she could talk to her seatmate. "Couldn't you just teleport yourself to Metropolis?"

"Yes, but then I'd miss out on this quality time with you." The assassin kept his voice calm which only served to further irritate the amazon.

She rolled her eyes. "Quality time glaring at each other under the watchful eyes of smiling stewardesses."

"I think there supposed to be called flight attendants."

She smiled sarcastically, "Thanks."

The light for seatbelts turned off and the assassin placed his hand over hers on the armrest. Before she could protest they disappeared. When they reappeared in the storage hold, Artemis punched him before he was able to bring his power up.

He rubbed the spot where her fist made contact with his face, but made no move to retaliate. "Why are you women always punching people in the face?"

"Because we find it more effective than trying to talk our way out of things," Artemis stood two feet from him trying to figure out what was going to happen next.

The assassin smiled and Artemis had a feeling he was reading her mind. "I'm going to do something for you Amazon and in return you are going to do something for me."

"I very much doubt that" was Artemis reply just before she was thrown into the crate behind her. Artemis felt her entire spine vibrate. She was sick of this second-rate villain throwing her into the nearest object every time they met.

"Second rate?" The assassin tried to sound hurt. "I think I deserve a bit more credit than that."

"Why?" Artemis asked jumping up to sit on top of the crate. "It's not like you actually do anything. You push people mentally and physically. You steal their abilities, but can you fight without all that power?"

She didn't need to read minds to know that she'd struck a cord with the telepath. He tried to push the crate but he wasn't concentrating and the box was tied down. Instead he walked over to her and grabbed her injured arm. Artemis felt the shot of pain but tried to keep it from her face. But that didn't matter with the assassin. "This hurt?"

"It's fine." Artemis hopped off the crate and attempted to take her arm back. She only caused herself more pain.

"There is nothing you can do for your friend." He began and though he continued Artemis did not hear as her senses were momentarily blinded by pain. The assassin moved the bones in her arm back to their original positions. "You had a slight fracture. It'll still be sensitive, but it'll heal faster this way."

Artemis moved her fingers to check her arm's function. Nothing seemed off but she wasn't about to trust the assassin. "No I wouldn't expect you to," his voice announced in her head.

"What would it take to convince you that you haven't been disabled? Short of giving you a weapon," he added as she thought of her bow. She'd already shot him through the hand twice.

Finally she shook her head. There was nothing he could do to convince her that he wasn't up to something. "Well of course I am," the assassin spoke aloud. "It's simple I want you to leave it alone. If you try to get your friend back, worse things will happen to you."

"Assassin, I'm at worse right now. Nothing you say or do can stop me from looking for Canary." Inwardly she thought she'd rather have a broken arm than owe the assassin.

Finally he let go of her arm. "Your stubbornness is going to cause more trouble than good, Amazon."

"Is there a reason you need me out of the way? Why not kill me or drive me crazy? Or was that not something you were paid for?" Artemis was losing her patience in dealing with this man.

Using his hands, he pushed her against the crate again and trapped her between is arms. "It's quite simple, Artemis. Of all the guardians, I find you conflict with my plans the most, but you're something of insurance. So don't do anything to get yourself killed."

Artemis wondered if it would be a bit too vindictive to die just to piss him off. "I don't plan on dying though that isn't so that you can have a wild card in your back pocket. And I don't care if your bosses put a price on my head, I'm not sitting on my hands, while my friend is being tortured."

"Tortured?" the assassin asked confused.

"Don't act so innocent now. Where did you think she was going? To a tea party?" Artemis scoffed. "I've seen the files. I know what they'll do to Canary. I'm willing to risk my life to save hers."

The assassin rolled his eyes. "There is no use talking to you. You never see reason." She raised her hand to slap him, but he moved his hand to her shoulder and teleported them.

-x-

What is the assassin planning? Will Maya's doctor be able to help her? And how much trouble is Lila in? Sorry no Dinah in this chapter. Next one, promise!