Here is the last chapter! Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed!
"Come on, Wally! This isn't you! Fight it!"
Robin grunted as Wally punched him in the stomach, sending him crashing into a wall. Green Arrow and Canary were unconscious across the room, leaving Dick alone to take on Wally by himself. Great.
Wally's green eyes were filled with raw hate, unfriendly and cold. Dick never knew that a look like that could ever cross Wally's face, he was always so pure. So happy.
And now he was the enemy.
Dick quickly grabbed some explosives from his belt, throwing them at Kid Flash. But, the speedster was too fast, and all it took was a side step to avoid it.
With a sudden rush and gasp, Dick was being held up in Wally's hands, Kid Flash gripping his neck with urgency. Dick struggled to breath as Wally's grip tightened, his limbs dangling uselessly below him.
"Wally…please…"
Kid Flash didn't say a word, and that's what scared Robin the most of all.
An arrow flew right to Wally's shoulder, and Wally caught it, dropping Dick to the ground. When Wally turned, Artemis faced him, notching another arrow, her face emotionless, but anyone could tell that she was stressed. Her shaking hand was a dead giveaway.
"Get away from him, Wally." She said, her voice strong but worried. Wally studied her, his muscles tensing under his suit.
"Artemis." He said, and she softened.
"Wally, it's me. Let us help you."
"Must kill you." He said, and Dick couldn't shout a warning before Kid Flash ran over to her, sticking his vibrating hand through her arm. She cried out in pain, and if it weren't for a water attack from Kaldur, Dick had no doubt that she would be dead.
M'gann hovered in the air as she pressed hard on her temple, attempting to break into his mind, while Superboy threw himself at Wally, gripping his hands as Kalder held his feet in place with water currents.
"Keep him busy!" M'gann shouted, her face scrunched in concentration. "It's going to take me a while to break into his mind."
Dick managed to crawl over to Artemis, who was one the floor, writhing in pain. Tears fell down her cheeks, and she held her injured arm with a death grip. It was clear that she was trying to keep it together, but Robin knew that with an injury like what she sustained it would be next to impossible.
"Hey, can you stand? We have to get you out of here." He whispered urgently, but she shook her head rapidly.
"I…I can't leave him."
"Artemis. You're badly hurt. If Kaldur hadn't gotten here when he did, you would be dead."
"I don't care!" Her voice sounded even more raspy than before, and Dick glanced helplessly at Batman, who was getting Green Arrow to his feet.
"Fine. But stay down."
Wally screamed as he managed to escape the water trapping him, running circles around Connor with determination. Before anyone knew what had happened, Connor was on the ground, lighting flickering across his body.
"Lighting." Robin breathed with awe. "He just threw lighting."
Batman threw multiple batarangs at the speedster, all of them missing, instead hitting a mirror that shattered right behind Kid Flash. Wally swiftly dodged the shards of glass, but slammed to a stop suddenly, giving Kaldur an opportunity to pin him from behind, gripping his legs with such strength Batman predicted that Wally wouldn't be able to escape. Yet, the red-haired boy didn't fight. All he did was stare at his reflection in the broken reflection, wide eyed and scared.
"Wally?" Kaldur asked, hesitantly speaking to him, a kind hand loosening his grip hesitantly to place on his shoulder. "Are you back with us, my friend?"
M'gann shook her head painfully. "I still can't read him, Kaldur! He's not there! No matter how hard I try I can't break through!"
Wally's mouth opened in partial shock, surprise hitting him like a shot in the dark. His body quaked, vibrating slightly, silent words spilling out in rapid succession.
Dick had managed to get to his feet as Kid Flash stopped, as if he ceased fighting with the mind inside of him, and breathed two words.
"Kid Flash."
Robin knew that tone of voice. Even though a hero's name had only been muttered from his mouth two times, one "Robin" and one "Artemis", he recognized that it was the way he spoke right before he tried to hurt them, or even kill them. Like he finally knew who he was facing and that he was meant to kill them.
If he was saying his own name….no. No…no…please…Wally….
"Wally! No!"
Wally let lightning spark all over his body, waves of unrelenting shocks crashing over him like a wave. Kaldur flung back with a cry, and Wally grabbed a shard of glass, going to plunge it into his own heart.
With a speed that he didn't know he had, Dick grabbed Artemis' loaded bow and aimed for Wally, letting the arrow fly as soon as he could, hoping that he had a good enough aim.
Whether it was luck or skill, he didn't care, but the arrow plunged right into Wally's hand, making the speedster cry out, dropping the shard of glass at his feet before it could penetrate his skin. M'gann let out a tense scream from above, and with a dramatic outburst from her hands, Wally fell to the floor, unconscious.
Artemis watched Wally fall to the floor, trying to get over to him, but Dick put a hand on her non-injured arm.
"Easy now, Artemis."
M'gann floated to the ground, dropping like a stone, ungrateful and loud. She was panting, covered in sweat, and weakly shaking where she landed.
"I managed to make him go to sleep." She managed to say regretfully. "But I can't do anything more. I'm sorry."
"You did enough, well done, Miss Martian." Batman said, making his way over to Wally and picking him up gently.
"Robin, Aqualad, and Miss Martian, try to get everyone through the zeta-tube, if you can. I'll take care of Wally and come back to assist you three."
Dick sighed as Batman ran off, quickly making his way to Superboy, who was finally waking up after being blasted with lighting himself.
"Connor, are you good, dude?"
Superboy groaned. "I'll be fine."
Miss Martian took in a deep breath before managing to get to her feet, taking Artemis by the hand as Kaldur helped Green Arrow get Canary to safety.
"Is it just me or did Wally become a lot stronger in this state?" Kaldur asked, and Robin nodded.
"You're right. He was never able to throw lighting or make it cover his body like that. And he's never vibrated his hand and put it through someone's body before, either."
Artemis gulped painfully. "Lucky us."
Miss Martian sighed. "Let's just hope that we can help him, get the mind control out of his head. If only I was strong enough."
Sadness hung in the air, and Robin half expected a happy "Hello, Megan!" to give them a little bit of hope, a good idea. But, none came, and they all headed back to the Cave in silence.
Artemis watched as Martian Manhunter and M'gann stood over Wally's unconscious form, eyes closed with concentration. It was Batman's theory that with the two martians working together it was possible to stop the mind control, but they all knew that it may not work. She was trying to be optimistic, but with a super painful arm and a worried heart, she found it hard to do so.
It was hard to be here. All she wanted to do was go home and cry, though she wouldn't admit that to anyone. As her arm was being patched up, Artemis had been told that she wouldn't be able to use it for at least three months. Which sucked, even if it wasn't her boyfriend that did it to her.
She wasn't mad, it wasn't his fault, but the whole day had been a huge mess of emotions and she was exhausted. But, she couldn't leave Wally's side. She had to be here.
Not only to be a bit of support, but they had no clue if he would wake up scared, memoryless, or…she had to be here. For him. Even if he didn't change and tried to kill them again.
Hours passed and Artemis stayed, even when the rest of the team took breaks for food and sleep. She, with the encouragement of Robin, sat down on the chair beside the medical bed, holding Wally's hand tightly with the only arm she could. She knew that she was a mess, dirty, covered in tear stains, but nothing like that ever cared to her, especially not around her friends.
All she truly cared about was being there for Wally.
It didn't take long for Batman to wander back into the room, his sober attitude even gloomier than usual. He set a plate down and gently gripped Artemis' shoulder.
"He's going to be fine, Artemis. Martian Manhunter and Miss Martian will be able to get the mind control out of his mind."
"And, what about after?" She asked, her voice small and sad. "Will he remember what he did?"
"Only time will tell."
Artemis woke up when someone gently nudged her shoulder, and she tiredly opened her eyes to see Martian Manhunter standing above her, a small smile on his face.
"The task is done. He may wake up at any moment, but there is nothing to fear. His mind is free once again."
Artemis nodded, picking her head up from where it fell on Wally's chest. She triedly watched as the two martians left the room, holding each other up as if they both had lost all of their strength. Maybe they did.
Artemis would have to thank them later, what they did must've been next to impossible. It was very rare for the two of them to become so weak, whatever controlled Wally's mind was stronger than anyone could have imagined.
She glanced back at Wally, gently caressing his head with her hand, twisting her fingers in his hair. Pain flared up in her injured arm, but she tried to ignore it. Wally was more important at the moment, her own discomfort could wait.
She pushed back all worries she had and instead focused on the way Wally's freckles spotted his face, like a hundred stars in a glorious universe. Artemis couldn't wait to see his green eyes again, hopefully shining with hope and fun. She hated the memory of his emotionless face, the dead eyes that looked at her with hate and shattered her arm, the look of fear as he realized that he was a superhero, and that he had to die too. If it wasn't for Robin's good shot with the arrow, Wally would be dead by his own hand.
She couldn't live without him. She knew that now.
As if on cue, Wally began stirring in his sleep, shifting calmly where he laid. Artemis perked up and brought her good hand down to his arm, shaking him slightly.
"Hey, Wally, it's me, Artemis. It's okay, you can wake up. You're safe."
Wally's green eyes opened painfully, and she breathed a sigh of relief at the sight.
"Art…"
She smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, it's me, Baywatch."
"Wha…what happened?"
He seemed so vulnerable, so weak, so confused, and she shushed him with a kiss on the forehead.
"You've been through a lot, but it's fine. You're fine."
"Why…why…"
She rested her head on his, and he finally quieted down, letting her give him comfort. Footsteps were heard, and Artemis slowly straightened up, turning to see Robin, a huge smile on his face.
"Wally! You're awake!"
Kid Flash gave a small laugh. "Yeah….though, still unsure about what happened."
"Do you remember anything?" Artemis asked, and he shook his head.
"Not really, just bits and pieces."
"You were mind controlled, dude!"
Wally paled. "What? Really?"
Artemis nodded sadly. "It got bad."
"Bad? Like, how bad?"
Artemis wished that she could lie to him, tell him that no one was hurt, that it wasn't horrible, but she couldn't. Her arm, tightly wrapped in a thick cast, was proof that he had caused injury. That he had caused pain. She shifted her body unconsciously, struggling to escape the uncomfort of the whole situation.
It's a shame that Wally could read her like a book.
"You're arm? I…I did that?"
She knew that she shouldn't hide the truth. She had to be straight with him. Or else it would hurt him even more when he found out the truth.
"Among other things, yes."
Robin frowned. "It doesn't matter, that wasn't you."
"No, it does matter! Who else got hurt because of me? Did I kill anyone?"
"Everyone else has only minor injuries, and the only person near death was you." Robin explained. "But, we stopped you."
Artemis watched as Wally became unfocused and distant, tears beginning to flood his vision. All she wanted to do was reach out and give him a hug, but he was tense and laided stiff on the bed, like a tightly wound spring ready to jump. His breathing became rough, hands gripping the sheets with fear, and Robin came closer.
"Wally. Hey, look at me, dude."
"Baywatch, it's okay. We don't blame you."
"No..." Wally shook his head, sobs contained within his chest. "Just leave me alone…"
"That's not a good idea." Robin said, but Atremis shook her head.
"No, we should go. I'll get The Flash."
Wally nodded rapidly, his face red and flustered. She had never seen him so upset. He looked up at her, so desperate, breaking her heart in two. "Please?"
"Of course, Baywatch. Feel better soon."
Artemis and Dick left in a rush, and Dick ran to go get the Flash, as Artemis leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, wrapping her arm around her knees, the injured one uselessly tucked into her chest.
She never realized how much she loved him until now. Seeing him like that…how could she keep on going? How could she live like everything was okay, leaving him alone in his pain? But, clearly she couldn't help him. So what else could she do?
Barry knocked on the doorframe, dressed head to toe in red, closing the door when Wally met his eyes. Taking off his cowl, Barry sat down on the edge of the bed, smiling comfortingly.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"I heard what happened. I'm sorry I couldn't be there."
Wally sniffed. "It's best that you weren't, or else I would have hurt you too."
"It wasn't you, Wally. You were mind controlled. You had no control of what you did."
"I can remember what happened now. All of it." Wally exclaimed suddenly, grabbing his hair in frustration. "I can remember all the people I hurt, the plans of murder that went through my mind, the way my hand vibrated when I stabbed Artemis, the lighting, everything! I don't know what to do! I can't stop thinking and remembering and一!"
"Wally! Take a breath and slow down."
Kid Flash went silent and stayed silent for longer than Barry wanted. Finally, The Flash broke the silence.
"You know that I've been mind controlled too, right? Remember? Me, all of the Justice League, we couldn't control what we did. But, you and your incredible team got us back, and even though I hurt people…you still see me as good, right?"
Wally nodded.
"So, why would we hold this against you? Why should you feel guilty for something that you didn't do?"
"I hurt Artemis." His voice, usually so full of emotion, was monotone and broken. Barry pressed a gentle hand to Wally's leg, an unspoken understanding passing between them.
"She's forgiven you, Wally. She never blamed you. None of us do."
It was clear that Wally didn't believe him.
"We're so proud of you, Kid Flash. You've been through so much…I know it's rough, but you're strong. And I promise that everyone here, me, Artemis, Robin…everyone, will be there for you."
"Thanks, Barry."
The Flash smiled. "Always. Do you need anything else?"
Wally gave a small smile. "Can…can I see Artemis?"
"Sure. I'll get her for you."
Barry ran out and back into the room in a second, and Artemis punched him in the face when he stopped.
"Ow!"
"I told you not to do that!"
Barry shrugged. "Sorry. Someone wanted to see you."
Artemis sighed as Barry ran out of the room once again, and soon turned to Wally, rolling her eyes.
"He's so annoying."
Wally laughed. "Sometimes."
She stood beside his bedside awkwardly. "So…are you okay?"
"I…no, I'm not. I'm sorry."
"It wasn't your fault, but if it makes you feel better then I forgive you, loser."
"Thanks, Artemis. You're so charming." Wally said playfully, and she smiled.
"I'm serious."
"I know. And, I think I'll be okay. I just…"
"You just what?"
Wally sighed. "I…I still need to think about it but…what if I took a break?"
She raised her eyebrow curiously. "A break from being a hero?"
"Yea. Maybe I could go to college or something."
Artemis sat down, taking his hand. "I mean…if you want."
"It's just a thought. I love being a hero but I still want to live my life, you know?"
"I get it. And, I'll think about it too."
Wally glanced at her, eyes filling with hope. "Really? Why?"
"Because I love you, and I can't imagine a life without Wally West."
"I can't imagine a life without you either, Artemis Crock."
They leaned closer, falling into a gentle kiss, Wally still felt guilt when he felt Artemis' cast press into his body, but he knew that eventually that guilt would go away. He went through something traumatic, no doubt, and would definitely have nightmares, but it would all be okay. He wasn't alone, and he had Artemis. Somehow that thought made everything better.
