Naruto x Young Justice Fanfiction

AN

Hello, my peeps, it's been a while, so I feel I need to clarify some topics

First, I'm not dead or have abandoned the story as you can see, I just have some personal issues and a mental block, the personal issues doesn't need explanation it's my business, and its nothing super important, the mental block was something I dealt while writing this, so I was halfway done with this chapter when I realize I didn't like it and delete completely so that affected too, but I managed and I'm proud of what I created

Secondly, I have to clarify, this is going to be a complete original chapter, it matters to my story and whatever I create, but it isn't on the original show, I don't think I'll be doing this any time soon again, but I hope you like it anyway

Thirdly and most importantly, we have to go back to the relationships of the story, I received a review, a guest did it so I don't know who did it, and in the review, they made a good case for what the pairing should be, so while I won't be changing Artemis x Naruto, because I already put the work in it and a lot of my story or what I have plan in-store it involves that pairing

While I personally disagree with your opinion, again I don't know you're name, of Artemis I agree with your opinion of Zatanna, and I would be lying if I hadn't thought about what you said of turning this into a NarutoxArtemisxZatanna story

I tried to do a poll and it didnt work so fuck it I'm just going to add Zatanna to the pairing

And thanks to the guys that told me i upload the chapter 9 twice by mistake

That's all I wanted to say, without further ado enjoy the chapter

"Normal conversations"

"Thoughts and mental conversations"

"A.I., Demons, and Magic Spells"


Chapter 10: The other side

3 days ago, Underground

"I keep telling you," Nate said in a tired voice as he entered the secret entrance of the underground "The password is stupid," he said making tony chuckle as the teen leaned on a nearby wall

"It's all about the simplicity Nate," Tony said with a smirk as he call up the elevator "Most of the citizens of this place are ex-convicts and mercenaries," Tony said, and Nate nodded understanding the point

"I know, I know, if we used a complicated password most people will forget it in an instant," Nate said with a sigh as Tony nodded "It doesn't change the fact that it is still so stupid," The blond teen said as the older man chuckled

"I guess you're right," Tony said as he took a seat facing the teen, and then he took out a cigarette and a lighter "So, what brings you here?" Tony asked as he lit up the cigar

"Bosses called me," Nate said as Tony's eyes winded "They said that they had a job for me and told me to come here immediately," Nate said as he nervously scratched his head "Can we change the topic? This meeting has me in a nervous state, I rather not think about it anymore" Nate said with a nervous chuckle making Tony nod

"We're throwing a baby shower for Emily three weeks from today," Tony said with a smile as put out his cigar

"Really?" Nate asked and Tony nodded his head in confirmation "That's great man, how far along is she?" Nate asked

"Two months, I'm so not looking forward to the cravings phase," Tony said with a sigh "Lat time she forced me to go and get Taco Bell at 3 am, and when I got back, she didn't want it anymore," Tony said with a chuckle and Nate smirk

"Sounds like a drag," Nate said with a smirk but then he frowned as thought enter his mind "But wait if she is two months along, why wait 3 weeks to do the baby shower?" Nate asked with confusion in his voice

"Emily's family mostly, they live in Canada so every time we have to do something with them, we have to plan far ahead and also," Tony said as the elevator arrived "We want to do those gender reveals too so its better if we wait" The older man said, and Nate nodded and started to walk towards the elevator

"Wait!" Tony said as he took out a paper from his desk, Nate stopped walking and turned to face Tony with a look of confusion on his face "Here" Tony said as he handed the paper to the blond teen

"You are cordially invited to Tony's and Emily's baby shower?" Nate read the paper out loud and look towards tony in confusion "You want me to go to you're baby shower?" Nate asked in a sarcastic voice

"Yes," Tony said with a toothy smile

"Why?" Nate asked not believing what he was hearing

"Because I don't have many friends, only you and Markus are the ones who I consider real friends, so it would mean a lot to me if you came," Tony said with a smile as Nate put the invitation on his back right pocket

"I'll be there," Nate said as he entered the elevator and faced Tony "I promise," the blond teen said with a small smile

"Thanks, kid," Tony said as Nate pressed the down button "And if you want to bring someone you can, maybe you'll bring that blond girl from your team," Tony said with a smirk, Nate only flip him off as the doors of the elevator closed themselves

Nate started to head down towards the underground, and he started to grow nervous, he was getting used to the new house Batman had given him and received a text from Markus saying the bosses wanted to see him, ever since he discovered Batman's identity, he was extra paranoid, he was debating on telling his bosses or not, he wanted to, but he also wanted to gain Batman's trust and telling his bosses his true identity would not help wit that

As the elevator finished its trajectory, he decided to not tell anybody, he figured if he could figure that secret, the bosses of the underground could too so there was no point in talking about it

He arrived at the entrance of the Afterlife, the main bar of the underground, and nod towards the bouncers at the entrance as they opened the doors allowing entrance to Nate

He entered the bar and the first thing he noticed is that no one was there, he look at where Markus always was and he found him, Nate raised an eyebrow silently asking why no one was here, Markus only pointed at a nearby booth with a smirk on his face, Nate sighed and walked towards the booth, as he neared the booth, he noticed a figured already there

He saw a male roughly around 30 years old, long black hair that reached his shoulders, the male figure was dressed in a black military tank top and brown leather jeans with some dark boots, he also wear dark sunglasses on his face, but the thing that stood out was the metal arm that the man had instead of a regular one, the figured turn as he felt the presence of someone approaching him

"Nate, I presume?" The figure said as he put his boots on the table that was in front of him, Nate nodded, and the male put a hand forward "Please take a seat" he said and Nate complied as he took a seat across the older man "Name's Jonny Silverhand, a pleasure to meet you kid" Jonny said with a smirk as he took out a bottle of scotch and served it on two glasses

"Likewise sir," Nate said and raised an eyebrow as he saw the older man pouring alcohol to him "Is it wise to serve alcohol to an underage teen?" Nate asked with a smirk as Jonny pushed the glass towards the blond teen

"I've seen your resume and the fucking praises Charlotte says about you," Jonny said with a smirk as he took a sip of his drink "You may be seventeen physically, but I don't see an underage teen in front of me, so shut up and drink," Jonny said as he put his glass on the table "We have many things to discuss," Jonny said as he looked towards the folder on the table

"Fine, but if I get in trouble, I will blame you, sir," Nate said with a smirk as he took a sip of his drink and Jonny laughed at the comment of the teen "So, not to be rude sir, but why am I here?" Nate asked as he put the glass back at the table

"I'll get there, first I have a few questions for you," Jonny said as he took his feet off the table "First, your team, what are your opinion of them, do you trust them?" Jonny asked as he took off his sunglasses from his face

"May I ask what does that have to do with anything?" Nate asked with curiosity in his voice as he leaned back

"I will answer that but no more questions, understand?" Jonny ordered and Nate nodded "Probably Charlotte has already hinted this to you, but I won't blame you if you didn't catch her hints, nobody can tell what's going on her mind sometimes," Jonny said with a chuckle and Nate nodded remembering the conversation he had with the said woman "In simple terms, we are going to start working with the league, but we don't want to work on the open" Jonny said as he saw the teen understanding what they wanted

"You want to use my team for missions with the league, don't you? Nate asked rhetorically but Jonny nodded nonetheless

"Exactly, so your team?" Jonny asked continuing with the questioning

"Well, at first we had our issues, but they threw us out in the open without team training or team bonding exercises, and even though we are supposed to be a stealth team, our first missions were everything but stealthy" Nate said remembering the first missions he had gone with his team

"But?" Jonny asked sensing that the teen wanted to say more stuff

"But now we found our footing, there is trust and a sense of familiarity on the team, it isn't like a military squad, you can't ask that from a team full of teenagers, but we do a dam good job in my opinion, sir," Nate said with conviction on his voice, Jonny smiled and grabbed the folder from the table

"Tell me about your teammates, your honest thoughts" Jonny order as he lightly glare at the teen "Let's start with the clone from Superman, Connor Kent, that's his name, isn't it?" Jonny asked sarcastically

"Yes, Superboy is the name Cadmus gave him, but the league made him join a school, and Megan, I mean, Miss Martian gave him that name, how did you know that?" Nate asked with shock on his face "I guess that's why he is the leader of the information gathering department" Nate thought in amazement

"I have my ways, and what did I say about the questions?" Jonny said with a frown on his face

"Right sorry sir, please continue," Nate said with a nervous chuckle as he grabbed the scotch glass and took a sip from it

"Good, now what do you make of him? Answer truthfully" Jonny order and Nate put the glass back on the table

"Conner is what you expect from a teenager, moody, angry, and very emotional, but I think that being a clone and then being ignored by the same person you share DNA gives you a free pass for the moodiness," Nate said with a chuckle as took a sip from his drink "But, he cares even if he doesn't show it, in my opinion, his the most loyal in the team, he wants to prove himself and he wouldn't hesitate to put himself in front of us to save us from any danger," Nate said with a small smile "He would hate me from saying this but the fact is that he is the perfect weapon, you want something destroyed in minutes, you send him, you want absolute protection, he is your guy" Nate finished his explanation

"Good, next to the youngest member of your team, the boy wonder Robin aka, Dick Grayson," Jonny said with a smirk as he didn't see the look of surprise on teen "You knew his real identity?" the older man asked with a chuckle

"Once you know who Batman is, everything else falls into place," Nate said with a smirk and Jonny nodded

"Dam straight, so your opinion on the boy?" Jonny asked as Nate stared at the file of Robin

"He is the perfect definition of a little brat, you just have to be on his side, he is emotional, quick to action and he has an idol problem with his mentor, but he is skillful for his age, and he can handle himself even if he doesn't have a superpower, his hacking abilities are 3 times better than mine, and when he has to he has the mind to improvise a plan from nothing, he would have been a great asset for the underground but I fear he doesn't have the right mental strength to handle the darkest part of the job yet," Nate said as Jonny nodded and took another file out

"Good, let's move to the next one, the Atlantean, Kaldur'ahm, what's his codename?" Jonny asked rhetorically

"Aqualad, sir," Nate said and Jonny chuckle at the response

"I keep saying this the league has no creativity whatsoever, Superman superboy, Aquaman Aqualad, no creativity at all but I guess it helps for marketing and merchandise, anyway your thoughts?" Jonny asked and Nate finished the drink on his glass

"Right, Kaldur is the definition of morality, and rightness, the perfect soldier, if his king Aquaman orders him something he won't hesitate to do it, he is someone you can trust and the team holds him in high esteem, he is exactly what the league is looking for the lead role," Nate said, and Jonny scratched his chin

"Then why isn't he the leader of your team?" Jonny asked with curiosity in his voice

"Because my team isn't the league, even if the original sidekicks haven't realized that, we have been lucky but sooner than later we will have to start making decisions that won't be at the standards of the league, and Kaldur won't be able to handle them as he is right now" Nate explained and Jonny nodded

"You don't want them to look into the darkness yet, do you?" Jonny asked and Nate nodded "Sonner or later they will, you know that right?" Jonny asked and Nate sighed

"Yes, I know, but at least I will be there to make sure they don't look too much," Nate said as he pour more scotch on his glass

"That sounds like a lonely endeavor, if you keep going, you'll become the next Batman," Jonny said with a chuckle at the end and Nate felt a chill on his spine "Anyway let's move on, Miss Martian" Jonny said taking out another file

"Right Megan, she is from Mars, she is the perfect actress, she created a persona of the girl next door around her and it works, an innocent gullible little girl, but I been on missions with her, she has a side I think only me, Artemis and Superboy see, a side she doesn't realize she has, sometimes she doesn't hold back, out of every one of the team, she is the one that scares me the most," Nate said as he proceeds to take a sip of his drink

"Anyone who isn't afraid of her is an idiot, telepathic abilities are the scariest of them all, and if my sources are right, she is tenth time stronger than her uncle," Jonny said as he looked at the file of Miss Martian

"They are right, her uncle uses more physical attacks, but when it comes to mental power, she is the strongest, honestly I'm glad I'm on her side," Nate said, and Jonny put away her file and took out another one

"Next Kid Flash, aka Wally West, the young speedster" Jonny said as he looked at the file of the young hero

"He is like an annoying little brother, he is pretty close-minded, and he always hits on women even if they already show no interest in him, he is also emotional and sometimes stupid, he doesn't think things through and just jumps at the action, but he is the one with the most imagination, I have seen him improvise stuff out of nothing but only if he deems it necessary," Nate said with a smirk as he looked at the file

"So, in simple words, a lazy idiot with sparks of greatness?" Jonny asked with a chuckle and Nate nodded "Just like his mentor I guess, so anyway, last but not least, Artemis Crock, this girl has an impressive bloodline, I mean being the daughter of…" Jonny started saying as he took out a file of the young female, but he was interrupted by Nate

"Wait, I don't want to know," Nate said as he held a hand forward stopping more words from coming out from the older man

"You don't want to know? Why?" Jonny asked with a hint of shock on his voice

"I told her I'll wait for her to tell me, I know she is keeping her family close guarded and I don't want to break her trust" Nate explain and his face, unknowingly, started to form a smile

"Wow kid, you got it bad," Jonny said with a smirk as he saw the shocked face of Nate "Okay then I won't speak of her bloodline, please your thoughts," Jonny said and Nate grumble and started speaking

"Well, she got skill, she is a pro with a bow and arrow and her and her hand-to-hand skills are top-notch, just like Robin, she can handle herself well with people with powers, the only flaw is her insecurities if she doesn't feel safe or something feels out of place, she bites, she doesn't fully trust the team or herself for that matter but she is getting there, and I think she won't hesitate to kill if she has to," Nate said as he looked at all the files of his teammates

"Good, good, solid crew you have here," Jonny said as he looked at the files "They have their flaws, but who doesn't" The older man said as he started drinking more scotch

"Sir, I know you say no questions but, why are you making reports on my teammates?" Nate asked as he stared at the files in front of him

"Because I got a job for you and your team, a two-man job to be exactly," Jonny said as he took out a USB and throw it to Nate "Details are here, basically we got a wind of a scientist that used to work on the shimmer factory back in the day, names is Victor Martinez, dirty little slim, the USB contains everything we know about him" Jonny explained as Nate looked at the USB in curiosity

"If we already have a file on him, why don't we strike him now?" Nate asked as he put the USB in his pocket

"Because we don't know where he is, yet," Jonny said as he smirk "My guys are already working on it, I should get an exact location or behavioral pattern in the next 3 days, the thing is you will have to torture him," Jonny said, and Nate frowned

"I'm not sure Batman would approve of that, or anyone from the league for that matter," Nate said sarcastically but he got surprised when a laugh came out of the older man

"The league will certainly not approve, but Batman won't mind, and you know it, everyone in Gotham knows the things he does when he is "questioning" criminals," Jonny said with a smirk "I know you don't want your teammates to be sacred of you but this guy, even if he's a piece of shit, he is clean, we can't prosecute him and we need answers, and you will get them no matter what," Jonny said with a glare as he leaned towards the younger male "Are we clear?" he asked

"Yes sir" Nate complied

"Good, and I already have chosen your partner," Jonny said as he leaned back

"Who?" Nate asked as he stared at the files of his teammates in wonder


Present Day Mount Justice

"Recognize Nate B07" Nate heard the computer voice call out as he step out of the zeta tube, he look around at the debriefing room and noticed two figures there, one taller than the other

"You're late," The taller figure said, and Nate could hear the annoyance coming from the tall figure

"I'm 2 minutes late chill, I was the one who wanted the meeting so technically I'm not late, you're early" Nate said with a smirk as he approach the two figures

"Why am I here Nate? I thought only Conner and Megan were going on a mission today?" The smaller figure asked in curiosity

"We're going on a date Artemis," Nate said with a smirk as he saw the blush on the blond woman, he also noticed the hopeful look that her eyes took for a moment "Huh, interesting" Nate thought with a smirk

"Please get to the point" Batman intervenes, and Nate let out a small scoff

"Fine, remember what you said, about hearing the underground's offer when the time came?" Nate said looking at the two figures in a serious manner

"Yes, I remember" Batman replied as Nate reach for something in his pocket

"The time has come, here," Nate said as he handed a USB towards the Dark Knight, the hero put the USB on the main computer and files started to appear on the hologram "The bosses called me, they have a job for us, in simple words, our team will be the bridge between the underground and the Justice League," Nate said as he stares at the hologram

"And why makes you think the league will accept that offer?" Batman said as he narrowed his eyes at the teen

"The league won't, but you will, in fact, you already have," Nate said with a smirk, "You said it when this team was from, and my last mission should be another indication to accept the offer, you don't have information, being in the league has tied your hands, but the underground's hands aren't tied, besides we know you, you rather have us on a tight watch than let us loose, this is the way for you to manage that," Nate said with a knowing smile and Batman sighed

"You're right, we should work with them, but I don't want the league to know about this" Batman said, and Artemis looked at him in surprise

"Why not?" Artemis asked in surprise and Batman turn to look at her

"Because the league won't approve, and we can't afford that," Batman said as he narrowed his eyes "This stays between us," Batman said, and the two blonds nodded

"I have another thing to say before we start," Nate said as the other two stared at him "I hate to do this, but we can't tell anything that happens to anyone else for the time being," Nate said as he stared at Artemis, knowing Batman would agree without question

"Why?" Artemis said as she crossed her arms

"The underground wants to work with the league, but they are still secretive people, I can explain later why we can't tell them later we already wasted enough time as it is," Nate said as he walked towards his teammate "I promise I will explain, for now just trust me" he pleaded as he put a hand on her left shoulder

"Fine" Artemis said as she stared at his eyes "But you owe me an explanation captain," she said with a mock glare

"Of course ninja girl," Nate said with a smirk as he saw her eyes narrowed "So let's get started," Nate said as he walked towards the holograms "Mission is simple, follow, locate and interrogate Mr. Victor Martinez over here," Nate said as he pointed at the man in the hologram, the man looked to be in his mid-30's, with dark-haired and a lab coat on him "His one of the doctors that work on shimmer productions, nowhere is the tricky part, we can't apprehend him and let the police interrogate him," Nate said as he stared at Batman

"Why not?" Batman said as he stared at the holograms

"Because legally he hasn't done anything wrong, his record is clean, too clean," Nate said as he stared at the dark knight "He is just like Luthor, throwing him at the police won't work, and we think the police is compromised and we think that if we throw him there, they will just kill him and the information will go to waste," Nate said as he stared at the doctor "If we want to get ahead of the bad guys, we will have to work illegally, mimic your early days boss," Nate said with a smirk as he stared at the older man

"And where is this Doctor?" Batman asked as he stared at the hologram

"That's the tricky part, whoever is sponsoring our target is very good, this doctor is practically a ghost, his sponsor has to be a really important person to be able to manage this, that's where the underground comes in," Nate said as he crossed his arms "One of the top guys there is searching for him, he will find his location, but we will need to go there so they can tell us what the next step is," The blond teen said as he finished the explanation

"And once you finish questioning the doc, what will you do?" Batman asked the teen and Nate frowned

"I guess we will have to go back to the underground and give the information we find, I'm not sure, they will probably tell us what to do when we go there," Nate said as he saw how the holograms turn off "So, do we have clearance or not?" Nate asked as he stared at the dark knight

"Yes, but I need something from them if we are going to be working together," Batman said as he narrowed his eyes at Nate "I want to be in communication with them, got it?" He asked as Nate nodded his head

"They want that to don't worry," Nate said with a smirk on his face

"Then that's your mission then, dismiss" Batman order, Nate and Artemis nodded and walk towards the zeta tubes heading towards the underground


Gotham

Nate and Artemis arrived at one of the locations of the Zeta tubes on Gotham and exit them, Nate stopped and turn to look at his teammate knowing he owe her an explanation

"Before we go there, I feel I need to clear some stuff," Nate said as he stared at the women next to him "There is a reason only you and me are going on this mission," Nate said as Artemis frowned

"What reason?" She asked as Nate sighed and put his hands in his pockets

"You're the one who has clearance to enter the underground, its procedure, either your actions have been noticed and you already have a name for yourself, someone sponsors you and gets you in or, and this is your case, bloodline" Nate finish his explanation and saw the eyes of Artemis wind in shock, "I told them not to tell me anything, but they know, that's what makes you worthy of entering there, and because I don't have clearance to sponsor someone and our team is new and we haven't made a name for ourselves, you're the only one they accepted," Nate said as he saw the sacred looked on his female friend

"Will they mention who my parents are? I mean I trust you but I'm not ready to tell anyone yet" Artemis said, and Nate could hear the insecurities pouring out of her voice

"They won't, that's one of the main foundations of the underground, nobody will address that I promise," Nate said with a smile "Now, you may be wondering why we aren't in costume?" Nate asked and Artemis nodded

"Yeah, I was wondering just that, but you said we are doing things illegally, so I guess that's why?" Artemis asked sarcastically

"Yes, that's one of the reasons, but also we don't want to tie this issue to the team, so we will go incognito," Nate said as he started to form a smirk on his face "We will go as ninja boy, and ninja girl," Nate said with a chuckle

"You're never going to let that go, do you?" Artemis asked with a fake glare causing Nate to laugh

"Nope," Nate said while laughing as he reached for his back pocket "One more little formality, while you were clear to enter the underground, you are not a part of it, so you'll need to wear this" Nate said as he took out a red ribbon from his back pocket "Put it on your wrist and make sure everybody can see it," Nate said as he handed the ribbon to Artemis

"A red ribbon?" Artemis asked as she started to tie it on her wrist

"It's simple and people who aren't from the underground won't question it, they will think is a fashion choice," Nate said with a chuckle "Any questions?" Nate asked and Artemis shook her head "Well then let's go" Nate said as they exited the alleyway they were

They walked in silence as Nate lead Artemis through the streets of Gotham, it took about five minutes of walking before Nate stopped and turn to enter a different alleyway, Artemis saw there was nothing there but a grey door with nothing there, she thought it was an exit from a restaurant, but she didn't voice her thoughts, Nate knocked on the door and a visor slide as the man behind asked for the password

"The underground doesn't exist, so fuck off" Nate replied as the man behind the door was preparing to open the door "Wait, Tony, I have company," Nate said as he signaled Artemis to step forward

"Why is she here?" The man asked looking at the young blond female as he glare at her

"We have a job from the bosses, so stop glaring at her, didn't they tell you that?" Nate asked in annoyance and Artemis heard a burst of nervous laughter coming from behind the door

"Ah you're right I forgot, sorry ma'am," The man behind the door said as he opened the door and both teens entered the room "So a mission from the bosses, nervous kid?" Tony asked with a smirk

"Yes absolutely, but we will manage," Nate said with a toothy smile as Tony chuckled and stared at the younger female

"You're not going to introduce us, Nate?" Tony asked with a smirk as Nate sighed in annoyance

"Artemis, this is Tony, resident gatekeeper of the underground, Tony this Artemis, my teammate," Nate said with annoyance as Tony shake the girl's hand

"A pleasure to meet you, sir," Artemis said as she shake the head of the bouncer

"Likewise, Nate has talked a lot about you," Tony said with a smirk ignoring the look of protest of Nate "I remember the first time he talk about you, about the cute blond girl that had just recently joined his team," Tony said with smirk and Artemis smile mischievously

"You said that?" Artemis asked her leader and Nate blushed and scratched his head

"Maybe, shut up" Nate grumble and Artemis smile grew wider "Tony can you just hit the button we are on a tight schedule here," Nate said in annoyance as the other two laughed at him

"I already did," Tony said, and as soon as he finish saying that a ringing sound rang signaling the arrival of the elevator "See?" Tony said as Nate grumble and entered the elevator "See you later miss" Tony said as Artemis entered the elevator

"It was nice meeting you Tony," Artemis said as the doors on the elevator closed, she turned and face Nate "So, you think I'm cute?" Artemis asked with a smirk

"This is what I get for making fun of the ninja girl isn't it?" Nate asked with a twitching eyebrow and Artemis just chuckle "But if you want an answer then yes, you are really cute" Nate said as he turned to the glass on the elevator waiting to see the underground missing the blush that formed on Artemis face "I also think you'll love this" Nate said as Artemis grew confused and stared at the glass and her eyes winded as she saw for the first time the underground

"Holy fuck" Artemis whispered and Nate smiled as he stared at the look of amazement of Artemis "This is amazing," she said as she turn and face Nate

"I know, Artemis I present you, the underground" Nate said as the elevator arrived at the main floor of the underground "Now, don't stare at people too much and follow my lead, just in case," Nate said as he started to lead his teammate through the underground, after a few minutes they arrive at the Afterlife, the main bar of the underground, and the bouncers stepped in way of the two teens

"She is with me guys, see her wrist?" Nate said as Artemis showed them her left wrist where the red ribbon was, the bouncers nodded and stepped to the side allowing the teens to enter the bar

"What now captain?" Artemis asked Nate as she looked around

"I have to introduce you to someone," Nate said as he looked straight at the bar with a smirk "Come on," he said as he started to walk towards said bar "Hey, Markus!" Nate exclaimed as both teens arrived at the barstool and the bartender turned to look at them

"Kid, nice to see you, here on business or pleasure?" Markus asked as he pour a drink for a nearby customer

"Business I'm afraid, Artemis this is Markus, he is the one who got me in," Nate said as he looked at Artemis "Markus this Artemis, one of my teammates," Nate said as Markus looked at the girl and smirked

"So, you're the cute blond he keeps telling us about," Markus said, and Nate sighed in annoyance "It's nice to meet you," Markus said with a smile and Artemis nodded

"Have you seen Shea? I have a meeting with her" Nate said as the two teens sit at the stools in the bar, Markus only smile, and Nate was going to ask again until he heard a voice next to him

"A meeting? You sound so serious Dragon" A female voice said next to Nate, and he turn to look to his right as he saw a mid-20´s blue-haired stunning woman with a drink in her hand, and behind her two mercenaries stood there "I remember you're early days here, the red dragon, where did he go?" Shea asked with a mischievous smirk

"I'm the same guy, the only difference is that I'm sober," Nate said mimicking her smirk "You know I love these little conversations of us Shea, but let's get to business, shall we? I'm not sure how much of Tom's glare I can handle" Nate said with a chuckle as he saw one of the mercenaries glaring at him

"Can you blame him? He still sour for the beating he received" Shea said with a smirk and Nate laughed

"Dude it was about a year ago let it go," Nate said as the mercenary glared harder "You caught me drunk on a day I hate, and you kept pushing me, I said I'm sorry but let it go, dude," Nate said but sighed as he saw that the mercenary didn't let go of his glare

"Well, this is awkward, let's go to a more private place, shall we?" Shea said as the two teens stood up from their sits "Guys wait here" Shea order the two mercenaries, Tom was ready to protest but the other mercenary put a hand on his shoulder stopping him from protesting

Shea lead the two teens towards a room on the second floor of the bar, she opened the door, and Nate and Artemis how the room was built to be soundproof

"We can discuss things here better," Shea said as she took a sit Nate and Artemis took a sit across her and the young man saw a hologram device in the middle of the room

"Why did you leave Tom and Greg at the bar? I never have seen them leave your side" Nate said, and Shea nodded

"You're right, but lately Tom has been acting weird, asking about what leads we have on the traitor, and stuff like that, it's very suspicious so the boss told me to keep an eye on him and have him on a tight watch," Shea said as she crossed her legs, one on top of the other "That's why I didn't want him to listen to this meeting," Shea said as Nate nodded his head understanding her point

"If you are suspicious of him, why don't you just interrogate him?" Artemis asked in curiosity and Shea just chuckle

"Sweetheart, the best way to deal with a traitor is to wait for them to fuck up, they always do," Shea said with a laugh in her voice "When someone becomes a traitor it's already late, because they already gave information away, so we are waiting," Shea said with a smirk

"Besides, it's not how we do things," Nate said offering further explanation "We can't apprehend someone because of strong superstitions, we need hard evidence first, then we can interrogate," Nate said, and Artemis nodded in understanding

"So, let's get to business," Shea said as she pressed a button activating the hologram in the middle of the room " You already know your target, Victor Martinez, he doesn't have any combat training, so grabbing him shouldn't be an issue," Shea said as the hologram changed into a map of Gotham "For a long time we haven't known where he is until 2 ago when he popped on the chats, one of our agents spot him here" Shea explained as the map zoom in revealing the location

"He's being going to a McDonald's?" Nate asked in surprise

"Yeah, it surprised us too, but then a day ago he went there again at the same hour, and then we realized what he was doing, looked what's ahead," Shea said as Nate looked at what surrounded the McDonalds

"Wait, that's where the factory was destroyed, don't tell me," Nate said as a smirk started to form on his face "Our little doctor is feeling nostalgic?" Nate asked with mirk on his voice

"Apparently so, whatever his reasons it works in our favor, especially today since is the anniversary of its destruction," Shea said with a chuckle "He goes there at exactly 7 p.m. and leaves the restaurant an hour later, right now it's 3 p.m. that gives you two enough time to prepare, obviously you can't go there in your usual costumes and armor, we will provide the armor ourselves, it's have been sent already to your place Nate" Shea explained, and Nate nodded

"Where do we grab him? I figure the McDonald's isn't the best place to snatch someone" Nate said with a chuckle

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Artemis said and Shea smirk

"You have been quiet since I first saw you, it reminds me of your mother," Shea said as both Nate and Artemis flinch "I see great potential ahead of you, anyway back to the topic, you will grab him here," Shea said as the map highlighted a zone two blocks away from the McDonalds "It's a dead zone, no cameras there and no patrols either and this building here," Shea said as she pointed towards a building on the map "Junkies use it when they want to get high, the 8th floor of the building is completely abandoned, nobody will bother you when you do what you need to do," Shea said as she turns serious

"So, the boss said I have to question him but what do I do after that?" Nate said having an idea of what he needed to do but he dread it nonetheless

"Kill him, we can't let them know we're onto them, on a normal mission you would bring him here, but we can risk it, I hope this won't be an issue?" Shea asked as she stared at Artemis

"Is he a bad guy?" Artemis asked as she was slightly against the killing idea

"The ones who test shimmer used to do it on child's and teenagers taken from their homes, and also they took advantage of desperate adults, trust me," Shea said with disgust on her face "These doctors are the absolute worst this city has to offer," she said with a frown on her face "Trust me, he deserves it," Shea said, and Artemis sighed

"Alright I get it, it won't be an issue," Artemis said with resolve on her face, and Nate smiled at her

"Then you have your orders, good luck," Shea said as the two teens stood up and head towards the exit of the room

Nate and Artemis exit the bar and the male teen lead his female teammate through the streets of the underground Nate couldn't help to speak up as they walked

"When the time comes, I will do it, you don't have to see it if you don't want to," Nate said without looking at his teammate as he didn't want her to see the concern on his face

"No, I'm fine I don't mind looking," Artemis said with a serious face "In our line of work death is inevitable, I better get used to it to protect our teammates from having to experience it," she said with conviction on her voice as the arrived at a garage, Nate turn and looked at her with a smile

"Hey Artemis, after this mission, can I take you to a date?" Nate said with a smile and Artemis raised an eyebrow

"Didn't you say that this was a date?" Artemis asked sarcastically and Nate chuckle

"A real date, I really like you and I don't like to wait to take chances on the people I like," Nate said with a smirk and Artemis smile

"Of course, you can I would love to go on a date with you Nate," Artemis said with a smile as she grabbed a hand of Nate "You know I like you two, and frankly you took too long to ask me out, I was planning to do the same" Se said with a smirk and Nate lost himself in her eyes for a moment "Anyway we have a mission to don't we? Our date can wait" Artemis said as Nate blink getting into focused

"Yeah, your right, let's get going," Nate said as he opened the door of the garage revealing a beautiful black motorcycle

"Is it yours?" Artemis asked in curiosity

"Yep, it was a gift from Markus, for my birthday," Nate said and flinched as he heard the gasp from Artemis

"I already missed your birthday?" Artemis asked in shock as Nate took out two helmets

"No, my birthday is on October 10th, I think is a week from today, but I don't like to celebrate it," Nate said with a sad smile

"Why not? If you don't mind me asking" Artemis said with a concerned look on her face

"I think is obvious that don't have a great past" Nate explained as he handed a helmet to Artemis "My birthday is the day it all went sideways for me, so that day, wherever I am at exactly 6 p.m. that day I sit down and light up a cigar, that's my celebration, anything else just reminds me of the things I left behind me," Nate said, and Artemis put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly

"Can I be there when you light up the cigar?" Artemis asked with a smile

"Sure, but why though?" Nate asked her in curiosity

"Just to support you I guess, why do you do it exactly at 6 p.m.?" She asked with curiosity

"At that hour I was born," Nate said with a smirk "It seemed right," he said, and Artemis nodded, he put on the helmet ceasing all conversations and sat on the bike turning it on, Artemis put on the helmet and sat behind him and grabbed his waist to not fall off


Nate's house sometime later

Nate parked the motorcycle in front of his house not in the garage so they could leave easily, Artemis exited the bike first and took out the helmet as she looked at the house with amazement

"Oh Nate, are you secretly rich?" Artemis asked with curiosity in her voice

"I wish," Nate said with a laugh "Nah, this is courtesy of Batman, personally I wouldn't buy something this big, but I can't complain," Nate said as he walked towards the front door taking the keys out in the process "Besides its just a matter of time before Megan and Conner get together, and I don't want to be there when they start, exploring their relationship, if you know what I mean," Nate said with laughter as he opened the door and entered his house

"Welcome to Casa de Nate," Nate said with a smirk as Artemis shake her head in amusement and entered the house "It's 3:30 and Victor won't arrive at McDonald's for another 3 hours, we have time to spare," Nate said as he saw the two backpacks on his house and figured that those backpacks contained the costumes "Want to eat something?" Nate asked with a raised eyebrow

"You know, this is starting to feel like a date more and more," Artemis said with a smirk and Nate laughed

"You're right, might as well treat it like one don't you think?" Nate asked with a toothy smile and Artemis laughed

"I guess you're right, lunch then track down and take a bad guy, it should make a pretty amazing date," Artemis said with a smile "And I think we already wasted enough time dancing around each other don't you think?" The girl said as she leaned on a nearby wall with a smirk on her face

"Damn straight, so, we are on a date then?" Nate asked and Artemis separate herself from the wall and walk towards Nate, she leaned forward and plant a small kiss on his cheek, she then heads towards the kitchen leaving a dumbstruck Nate at the entrance

"Come on then, I want to see you cook," she said with a mischievous look on her face and Nate smirk

"Prepare to have your mind blown away," Nate said with a laugh as they both entered the kitchen

Sometime later

Nate and Artemis had finished their meal and dressed in the underground costumes, they were at the entrance of the house as Nate locked the door, he turn and saw his partner and couldn't help to speak

"You know, with these customs, you're the ninja girl from that movie you saw," Nate said with a chuckle

"Shut up" Artemis grumble cursing mentally the excuse she had given him

"Sorry I couldn't help myself," Nate said with a chuckle "But seriously, you know what these customs remind me of?" he asked as he looked at both of their outfits

"Of what?" Artemis asked in curiosity

"Have you ever seen The Last Airbender?" Nate asked and Artemis nodded "It reminds me of that episode Zuko and Katara went hunting for the man that had killed her mother," Nate said as he looked at their outfits

"You know, you're right, they even put the facemasks and everything," Artemis said as she grabbed said mask "Do you think that whoever made this customs is a fan of that show?" Artemis asked and Nate nodded

"Probably yes, or they just gave us black drapes that just happened to fit us," Nate said with a chuckle "Ready?" He asked as he grabbed his helmet

"Yes," Artemis said as she grabbed her helmet

"We will go to the building, and we will drop the bike there, then we will walk to the McDonalds to wait for the doc, once he leaves the restaurant, we follow him until he passes the building, once he does that, we grab him, if things go smoothly, we will return here, if they go to shit, we head towards the cave, got it?" Nate explained and Artemis nodded in understanding "One more thing, we don't have Megan here so mental communications aren't possible, so we will go to the normal route" Nate said as he grabbed to earpieces "Here you go" Nate said as he handed one earpiece to Artemis

"You're not afraid someone will mess with our coms?" Artemis asked as she put the earpiece on her left ear

"Not really, the underground provide them, so unless the doctor is also a great hacker, we will be fine," Nate said as he put the earpiece on his right ear "You hear me alright?" he asked checking that communications were connected

"I hear you loud and clear captain," Artemis said as she put on her helmet

"Okay then, let's get this shit started then," Nate said as he put on his helmet and started his bike, he felt Artemis sit behind him, and felt her arms grabbing his waist "Ready?" He asked Artemis through the coms

"Yes, let's hunt some bad guys, captain" Nate heard Artemis say over his earpiece and smirk as he started to drive towards the location where the Doctor was going to be


Sometime later

"You know for a place that was destroyed, they sure as hell build it back up nicely," Artemis said as she looked at the McDonalds

Both teens had arrived at the location and had already left the bike behind them, they were on the roof of a building in front of the said restaurant waiting for the doctor to show up

"Apparently, Wayne Enterprises has overseen the renovation process, so maybe that's why it looks so clean, there's no way in hell the government of Gotham does such a nice job as this" Nate said with a chuckle

"Yeah, the government has been pretty useless since forever, maybe with mayor Gordon things will change?" Artemis asked sarcastically

"Yeah right, Gotham will always be a shithole, it doesn't matter who is leading the charge, take Batman for example," Nate said as he turn to face Artemis "He's been around for 5, 6 years maybe and nothing has changed," he said with a sigh

"Well, something did change," Artemis said, and Nate looked at her in curiosity "I mean before Batman, mafia used to rule Gotham, but now, supervillains do, I mean the only mafia I can think of is the Falcone's," Artemis said, and Nate frowned

"Well, I think Batman kill that family since he put the head boss in jail, and I mean the penguin took over so," Nate said, and Artemis crossed her arms

"Do you consider the penguin a supervillain?" Artemis asked in curiosity

"Well, I mean, I think so?" Nate said not fully sure of himself "I mean, he has the name and everything" Nate said with a smirk

"But a supervillain has to have powers, don't they?" Artemis asked in wonder

"I guess so, but lex Luthor and the joker don't have powers, and people consider them supervillains, don't they?" Nate asked and Artemis frowned

"Well, general audiences think neutral of Luthor, and besides he has enough money to compete with Superman, so I guess he doesn't need powers," Artemis said as Nate nodded understanding her point "And you have seen the things the joker has done," she said and Nate laugh

"Yeah, I have, so basically in this day and age, everyone on the other side is a supervillain?" Nate asked sarcastically and Artemis shook her head

"Well not exactly, because there are also people like Deathstroke and Sportsmaster," The young female said, and Nate laughed

"Well, Deathstroke I can see been a villain at least, but Sportsmaster is a pussy, he always has to follow someone, like a little lap dog at least Deathstroke has done things for himself," Nate said with a laugh and Artemis smirk

"You think Sportsmaster is a pussy?" Artemis asked with a smirk and mirk on her voice

"Of course, he is the bootlegged version of Deathstroke, even Cheshire is more fun than him, although maybe he is cheap that's why he gets hired all the time," Nate said with a small chuckle

"Cheshire is fun you say?" Artemis asked with a mock glare

"Well at least the banter I have with her is fun, why are you jealous?" Nate asked with a smirk and Artemis scoffed but didn't say anything "You don't have to be you know that?" Nate asked rhetorically with a smile as he grabbed the hand of Artemis, she was preparing to say something, but Nate interrupted her thoughts "Look, our target's getting up his table" Nate said making Artemis turn and focused on the restaurant "Ready?" Nate asked as he put the mask on the bottom side of his face

"Born ready," She said as she mimic Nates actions and grabbed her case of arrows, she drew her bow and noticed the target leaving the restaurant "Target's exiting the restaurant," she said over the coms and Nate nodded

"Head to the fire escape and follow him, I will go ahead wait at the building, once he's approaching give me a signal and I'll take him down," Nate said as he checked his guns and holster them on his legs

"Got it, see you on the other side captain," Artemis said as she walked to the fire escape

Nate took a deep breath and started running, he ran to the edge of the building he was on and jumped to the building next to it, he roll and kept running, he kept repeating the process until he arrived at the building, they were going to interrogate the doctor, he noticed the fire escape and quickly travel down until he was on street level

"Nate, he turning around the corner" Nate heard Artemis say over the coms

"Okay, be ready in case anything goes wrong" Nate commanded as he leaned on one of the walls of the alleyway he was, he heard the steps of someone approaching and waited

Nate saw the doctor in his peripheral and waited, the doctor took two steps forward and Nate struck, he hit the back of the doctor's head with one of his guns and grabbed him before he could hit the ground, he quickly hid back on the alleyway and waited for Artemis

"Nice takedown" Nate heard Artemis exclaim behind him

"Thank you, did you gabbed his briefcase?" Nate asked and Artemis nodded showing him the briefcase "Good, let's get him to the eighth floor" Nate said as he grabbed and put the doctor on his right shoulder "Lead the way" He ordered Artemis as they both entered the building

They arrived at the designated room in silence and Nate dropped the doctor on a chair "Can you open the briefcase?" Nate asked Artemis while he tied the doctor to the chair

"I can try, but it has a code lock," Artemis said and Nate cursed mentally knowing it would take a while to crack the safe without damaging the briefcase

"Leave it then, we can ask him when he wakes up," Nate said as he finished tying the doctor to the chair "If you want you can leave, there's no reason for you to see this" Nate offered but Artemis shake her head

"We are partners Nate, I'm not going anywhere," Artemis said, and Nate nodded

"Okay then let's wake him up," Nate said, and Artemis prepared herself mentally for what was about to come "Hey doc!" Nate exclaimed as he slapped the right cheek of the doctor

The doctor gasped as he woke up, his vision was blurry but as soon as it focused the first thing, he saw was two figures dressed in black

"What? Who are you? Where am I?" The doctor asked as he try to remember what happen

"Hello, doc, my name's Mark, my associate here is Vanessa, and we have a few questions for you," Nate said as his eyes glared at the doc "First I like to tell you something about myself, you see I was born with a power, a passive ability of sorts, it's like a sixth sense, you see I can feel dark intentions, for example, if someone wants to harm me I feel it, if someone is planning to murder someone close to me I feel it and, here's the part I wanted you to know, if someone lies to me I also feel it," Nate said and the doctor grew confused "You might be wondering what does that have to do with anything? Well like I said, my partner and I here have some questions for you, and if you lie or refuse to answer," Nate said and then proceeded to take out a knife "I will cut you until you give a straight answer got it?" Nate threaten as he put the knife at the doctor's throat

"Yes sir" The doctor manages to say, and Nate let go of his hold

"Okay then let's start easy, what's your name doc?" Nate asked and the doctor looked at him in confusion

"My names Victor, sir," The doctor said, and Nate nodded

"Good and you didn't lie so you don't get cut, good job doc," Nate said as he put down his knife "Now let's get started, first of all, your suitcase here has a code, mind telling us the code?" Nate said and the doctor held his mouth shut "No? That's a shame" Nate said with a sigh as he lunged and stabbed the right hand of the doctor, he put a hand on the doctor's mouth to stop the screaming

"I'll ask again, the code now," Nate said with a glare as he applied pressure on the knife, he then stopped applying pressure and stepped back, leaving the knife there, so the doctor could answer

"0345," The doctor said, and Artemis looked at Nate waiting for confirmation

"It's the truth try it," Nate said without looking at her

Artemis put the code on the lock and the suitcase opened, inside was a laptop a bunch of papers, and a journal, Artemis told Nate what was inside, and Nate got an idea

"Pass me the journal, we can look at the other things later" Nate ordered and Artemis nodded and throw the journal to Nate

"So, doc, mind telling me what's inside here, save me the trouble of reading it," Nate said as he started opening the journal

"It's a personal journal, every experiment, thought, or theory I had since 3 years ago is there, is a replacement," The doctor said with shallow breath and Nate nodded

"You lost the previous one when the factory fell didn't you?" Nate asked sarcastically and the doctor nodded "What sort of work did you do there?" Nate asked and the doctor refused to answer, "No answer then?" Nate asked sarcastically as he stabbed the other hand of the doc and twisted the knife in the process "I'll ask again, what sort of things did you do there?" Nate asked with a glare and the doctor whimpered

"I was task with the oversee of the production of shimmer," The doctor said, "I got there and checked that everything was alright and if one of our workers was not able to continue" The doctor explained

"In other words, if the worker was addicted or dead because of direct contact with the shimmer, right?" Nate asked and the doctor nodded "What was the procedure for such cases?" Nate asked and the doctor sighed

"I called the head of security and they took care of the bodies," The doctor said

"What's his name?" Nate asked the doctor answered

"She, her name was Victoria, she died when the factory fell" The doctor explained

"So, you oversaw the making of the drug, and Victoria was head of security, how many more departments were there?" Nate asked and the doctor complied

"Testing and shipping, sir," The doctor said

"Who was in charge of each department?" Nate asked

"Charlie Henderson was the head of the testing department, he survived the destruction of the facility, and the ones in charge of shipping were the shadows," The doctor said, and Artemis gasped

"The shadows, huh? They are pretty expensive how did you guys manage to buy them?" Nate asked

"We didn't, they were working directly with our bosses," The doctor said

"Who are they? Your bosses I mean" Nate asked, and he saw how the doctor was refusing to answer "Doc, I need an answer, don't make me stab you again" Nate said with a glare as he grabbed the knife that was on the left hand of the doctor

"I can't, they'll kill me" The doctor replied with a whimper and Nate took out the knife from the doctor's hand and put it on his neck

"If you don't answer I will do it for them right now, who were your bosses?" Nate asked

"They called themselves the light, but I don't know who they are I swear" The doctor replied with tears in his eyes

"The light? What are they?" Nate asked as he stepped back letting the doctor breath

"I don't know for certain, only rumors, they said there were villains, all working together, that's all I know I swear" The doctor whimpered out

"Good job doc, we are almost done here, just a few more questions," Nate said with a smirk on his face the doctor couldn't see

"Please let me go" The doctor pleaded but Nate shake his head

"No can-do doc, I need you to answer more questions" Nate replied, "First is what were you doing at the McDonalds?" Nate asked

"Reminiscing, and working on new projects," The doctor said

"What new projects?" Artemis asked and Nate looked at her with a raised eyebrow

"The ones who survived the destruction are being recruited again, me too, I will be working on Cadmus next week," The doctor said and Nate's eyes winded

"Why at Cadmus?" Nate asked with curiosity

"The light wants control, shimmer subjects always lost control of themselves, we were called to work on rectifying that," The doctor said and looked at the briefcase "It's all in there in the laptop and the files, you can check them if you want," The doctor said, and Nate walked to where Artemis was

"What am I looking her doc?" Nate asked as he looked at the inside of the briefcase

"The files are every experiment we did on shimmer, and theories on how to control it" The doctor explained

"And the lap…" Nate started but stopped as he felt something looming around the room, it felt like a gun was pointed at him and his eyes winded, he quickly put the journal on the briefcase and grabbed it alongside Artemis, and dove to the ground, as soon as he started doing this, bullets started to rain on the room and one of them hit the left shoulder of Nate

"Don't get up, we need to crawl out of here!" Nate shouted as soon as he hit the ground, he bite his cheek trying to get the pian of his shoulder under control

"What about the Doctor!?" Artemis asked and Nate looked at where the doctor was, he saw him still tied to the chair, with bullet holes all over his body and his head, his remaining eye was dead, and Nate knew the doctor was dead

"Dead, we need to get out of here!" Nate said as he and Artemis head out of the building, they arrived without an issue to where Nate's motorcycle was

"Nate your shoulder," Artemis said with a gasped as she saw the wounded shoulder of Nate and his sweaty face

"I'll be fine, you know how to ride a bike?" Nate asked and Artemis nodded "Good, you'll drive then, I'll keep an eye out if anyone tries to follow us, although I doubt that's the case," Nate said as he and Artemis took a sit on the bike

"What makes you think that?" Artemis asked as she put her helmet on

"I think the target was the doctor, not us," Nate said as he put the briefcase between them and took one of his guns out "But I'll keep an eye just in case, head towards the cave" Nate ordered as he put the helmet on

They drove through the city without a hitch until Nate started to feel like he was being watched, he looked back and noticed two bikes with two men dressed in black heading towards them

"Shit, I was wrong, we have company," Nate said, and Artemis heard him through the earpiece "Keep heading towards the cave's entrance, I'll deal with them," Nate said as he pointed the gun to one of the riders and connected killing the rider on the spot

"Got it" Artemis replied, and Nate saw the other rider gaining upon them, the rider went to grab the briefcase, but Nate swapped his hand, and pointed his gun at the head of the rider

Nate shot him but the rider dodged the bullet, Nate was ready for this and kicked the back tire of the bike with all of his strength making the rider lose his balance and crash into a barricade

"We are approaching the entrance" Nate heard Artemis say and nodded

"Good I think I got rid of them, let's get to safety," Nate said, and Artemis drove towards the entrance of the zeta tube connecting to the cave


Mount Justice

"Recognize Nate B07, Artemis B08" The cave's computer call out the two young heroes entering the parking area

Artemis parked the motorcycle and quickly got out of the bike and took her helmet in the process, she turn and grabbed her partner as she walked to a nearby table

"We should've gone to a hospital," Artemis said with worry in her eyes as she looked at the wound on Nate's shoulder, but Nate just laughed

"It's alright, I'll guide you through the process, ok?" Nate asked rhetorically with a smile and Artemis nodded "Okay there should be a first aid kit on the table over there, grab it" Nate said as he pointed at the table he was speaking of

Artemis ran to the table and grabbed the first aid kit and return to where Nate was in a hurry

"Good there should be some forceps there, a sterilizer, and a sewing kit," Nate said as Artemis took out the things Nate just listed

"Got them," Artemis said as she turned

"Okay, I need you to help me get out of this shirt," Nate said, and Artemis nodded and went to help her partner, Nate grunted as Artemis lifted his arm to take out the shirt

"I'm sorry," Artemis said as she heard the grunt from Nate and toss the shirt of Nate to the side

"It's alright, I need you to check my back, see if there's a wound there," Nate said, and Artemis looked at the back of Nate

"There's nothing there," Artemis said and Nate curse

"Fuck, okay that means the bullet is still inside," Nate said, and Artemis looked at him curiosity "That means you'll have to take it out," Nate said, and Artemis eye's winded

"I can't do that, what if I hurt you or make the wound worse?" Artemis asked with fear in her eyes, but Nate looked at her reassuringly

"I trust you Artemis, I know you can do this" Nate said and thanks to that Artemis got the confidence she needed "Put some sterilizer on the forceps first, then with that, you'll have to enter the wound and take out the bullet," Nate said as he grabbed his face mask and fold into a ball and put it in his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue

Artemis started to do what Nate told her and before she introduce the forceps, she took a deep breath and look at Nate's eyes, Nate nodded, and Artemis got to work

Nate's eyes winded in pain as he felt the forceps entering him, he was in total agony and started to sweat for 1 minute straight, the facemask on his mouth prevent the screaming to come out but Artemis still could hear the wails from her partner

"I got it," Artemis said as she took out the forceps and on the tip of them was the bullet shell

"Good," Nate said with heavy breath "That was the hard part, now all that's left is to close the wound," Nate said looking at the sewing kit

"You want me to sew it?" Artemis asked as she looked at the wound

"Yes, just put sterilizer on the wound and the needle, and sew it together, it doesn't matter if it isn't pretty, it just needs to be closed," Nate said, and Artemis nodded

"Okay got it, I can do this" Artemis whispered to herself, and Nate smirked as he looked at her

The process took about five minutes and Nate kept the pain down to not interrupted Artemis or make her worry, it wasn't long before Artemis finished and spoke out

"I think I'm done," Artemis said, and Nate looked at his shoulder noticing how well Artemis had patched him

"You did a good job, are you sure you haven't done this before?" Nate asked sarcastically with a smirk on his face as he got his breathing under control

"No, I haven't, so what's next?" Artemis asked and Nate looked at the first aid kit

"Cleaning and patching, we need to clean the blood surrounding the wound and then put a gauze on top of it," Nate said, and Artemis started doing that, it took about 30 seconds, but she finished and started to put bandages around his left arm and shoulder

"And done," Artemis said as she finished tying the bandages

"Thank you, you're a pretty good nurse Artemis," Nate said with a smirk trying to get a laugh from the girl, but Artemis didn't react "Is something wrong?" Nate asked in concern

"I saw it, how you got shot," Artemis said in a quiet voice "As we fell, I looked at you, and from my point of view I could only see the blood, I thought you were dead," Artemis said, whispering the last part but Nate still heard her

"Hey," Nate said as he put his arms around her waist, bringing her closer in a comforting manner "I'm still here, I'm not dead and I don't plan on dying soon, I promise," Nate said as he felt the arms of Artemis on his back

"I was so scared" Nate heard her whisper and Nate hold her tighter

"I know, I was too but I won't go anywhere I promise," Nate said on the ear of Artemis "Besides, you still owe me a second date" Nate with a smirk as they separate but still were in each other's arms

"You're right, I do," Artemis said with a chuckle and looked at Nate's eyes, both teens unconsciously closing the space between them

Nate could the breath of Artemis on his lips and took the leap, kissing her fellow blond on the lips, the kiss was innocent and full of inexperience from both parts but to them, it felt like the most amazing thing in the world, it lasted almost a minute before they had to separate to get some air

"Wow" Nate exclaimed as he saw the face full of the joy of Artemis "I guess that makes me your boyfriend then?" He asked with a smirk and Artemis smile

"I guess it does, I'm your girlfriend now then," Artemis said, and Nate's smirk grew wider

"So, do we tell the team or not?" Nate asked and Artemis thought for a second

"We won't hide it, but we won't broadcast it" Artemis suggest, and Nate nodded liking the idea "I trust the team, but I want to figure out this first before we get surrounded by questions, after all, you're my first boyfriend," Artemis said with a smile

"Fine by me, you're also my first girlfriend," Nate said and then he grew a mischievous smirk "Want to keep making out?" Nate asked with a smirk

"Glady," Artemis said with a smile and Nate went for another kiss, but they were interrupted by a sound in the hallway

"Ehem" Nate heard a voice from the hallway and turn to see Conner and Megan standing there "Are we interrupting something?" Conner asked with a smirk and Nate cursed mentally

"Yes," Nate said with a mock glare and Artemis pinched his stomach "Ouch, why?" Nate asked as he looked at the smirking blond girl

"Keep it in your pants mister," Artemis said with a chuckle and Nate grumble as he turn to look at Conner

"Way to kill the mood bro," Nate said as he separated himself from Artemis and the other two saw the bandages on Nate's shoulder

"What happened, are you alright?" Megan asked with concern

"Yeah, I'm fine, Artemis here patch me up pretty good," Nate said as Artemis smiled proudly "It was an exciting mission that's all" Nate said, and Artemis spoke out

"Speaking of mission, how was yours? I heard you went to Bell Reve" Artemis asked, and the two non-humans shared a small smile between them, a thing Nate noticed

"It was enlightening, sort of speak," Conner said as he glanced at Megan

"Yes, we found the most interesting thing in there, and some things were resolved," Megan said, and Artemis looked at them in confusion, she glance at Nate, and got surprised when she saw her boyfriend smirking

"You guys kissed, didn't you?" Nate asked with a smirk and immediately both teens blushed

"Well, technically Conner kissed me, I just responded," Megan said with a small smile

"Dude, way to go," Nate said as he punch the shoulder of the clone "So are you guys together or what?" Nate asked with a smirk and Connor looked at Megan

"I think so?" Connor asked Megan and she nodded

"But we want to keep a secret for now guys so please, don't tell anyone" Megan pleaded, and the two blonds nodded

"We won't tell, but also don't tell anyone about our relationship two, for now," Artemis pleaded also, and the other couple nodded "So, Megan you have to tell me everything, away from the guys," Artemis said as she dragged the Martian girl to her room

Nate and Connor watch the two girls leave the room and smile "We have girlfriends now brother" Connor said as he fist-bumped Nate

"Wally is going to be so jealous when he finds out," Nate said with laughter as he fist-bumped Connor "Today was a good day," Nate thought with a smile ready for whatever may come in his future

End of episode 10