Even though the early autumn sun beat down on her face heavily, Artemis felt cool enough against the green lawn of the campus park. She rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows, narrowing her eyes at the figure sitting cross-legged in front of her.
"I still think you should consider it. You could MacGyver an EMP at fifteen; you'd blow everyone else out of the water, especially those East Coast Ivy brats."
He snorted inelegantly as he jotted something down in his notes before flipping back through his textbook. A light breeze tossed his hair, and she wondered when he last had a haircut. "Babe, I think we both know that the only person that has a chance of beating me is that chick from Rice, but it's still national cable. College Jeopardy is just not in the cards for former, now-retired-but-still-keeping-a-low-profile superheroes." He paused thoughtfully, looking up from his notebook to tap his pen against his mouth, accidentally leaving a blue ink stain. "Though we could use a new car."
Artemis rolled her eyes so hard she was afraid they might fall out right then and there. "You hardly have any use for a car, Wally." She reached up and smoothed away the ink, and she took the chance to flick him lightly on the cheek.
The redhead threw a lopsided smile her way, wriggling his eyebrows in a goofy manner that made her work hard to keep from laughing. "It's a guy thing, babe. What about you? It's not like you can zip to the store and back in no time flat."
"That's what I've got you for, isn't it?" she teased and returned his broad grin with one of her own. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from chuckling at his faux-hurt expression.
"Arty! Now, that there's a low blow!"
She leaned in toward him and plucked the notes from his lap. "But true nevertheless, right?"
"But true nevertheless," he acquiesced with a put-upon sigh that came across as more endearing than anything else, "and you'll never be without me." He dropped a quick peck to her lips, smiled, and pressed in for another tender kiss. "I am forever your environmentally-friendly mode of transportation."
"I'm not quite convinced that your metabolism is a sustainable alternative," Artemis hummed happily, "but I think I can live with that."
Her eyes slid open, automatically blinking away the tears gathered at her lashes. Such dreams had become more common since she had discovered her pregnancy, and, at the beginning, they were almost too much to handle. Now, though, she welcomed them when they came, and she could almost still feel the California sun warming her skin, could almost still feel his smile press against her own.
A glance out her window told her it was before dawn, though her internal clock told her sunrise was not far off. Before she could think any more on the new day, however, her stomach roiled violently, and she shot toward the available ensuite as fast as her stumbling feet could carry her.
Artemis closed her eyes after she flushed the toilet and leaned back against the wall. She patiently reminded herself that she only had a few more weeks of the sickness – at most, according to her doctor, thank god – before she would no longer have to acquaint herself with the closest porcelain throne in her vicinity. She pulled a face at the acrid taste in her mouth. Where was one of those water bottles when she needed one?
"Ah," she murmured to herself, spying the water next to her bed, "come to Arty." She heaved herself off the floor, bracing against the wall for balance, and retrieved the bottle. Swishing the water around in her mouth, she noticed the new guard manning the door eying her with a mix of fright and disgust. Artemis spat into the sink. "I assume that you're the one who will creepily watch me sleep for the duration of my stay at Chez Infinity?"
Before the guard could respond, the key pad behind her beeped, and she dutifully entered her own code to allow entry to the visitor. The door opened, and Aqil strode in, tray covered in a breakfast that, while appetizing, Artemis had zero confidence of retaining after the unsettling start of her day. A sullen but curious Damian strutted in behind him, taking in Artemis' disheveled appearance with a huff.
"How you expect to be taken seriously when you present yourself in such a manner I have no idea," the boy sneered, and Artemis contemplated nailing the brat with the empty water bottle in her hand. Instead, she tossed it in the small waste bin and decided to ignore the child completely.
"Good morning, Aqil. Thank you for the breakfast, but I'm afraid I won't be able to keep much of it down," she croaked out, her throat still sore from her stomach bile.
"Ah, yes," the elder man smiled, "the miracle of life seems much less miraculous until the morning sickness is done and over with. I think that you'll find the ginger tea might help remedy that." He sat the tray on the desk as he had the other mealtimes before and stepped back, obviously intent on carrying out his directive to wait until she had finished eating.
Artemis sighed and took her place at the desk. At least she could start with the tea, then move from there. She was fortunate enough that the bouts of nausea had now limited themselves to the mornings, as the name would suggest, rather than the 'round the clock surprises that they initially presented themselves as.
Damian, obviously unaccustomed to being shunted to the side, marched back up to her side. "What makes you so special, anyway? You didn't answer me last night, and, when I ask something, I demand to be informed."
"I got the drop on your beloved Grandpappy, and he almost died from his embarrassment," she retorted over the rim of her mug. "Literally."
The boy gasped indignantly, throwing a hand out in a fit of tantrum. "Impossible! Grandfather is the best warrior in the world! Someone like you has no chance of defeating him!"
"The greater a person is, the longer are the shadows they cast. And as someone raised in the Shadows, I find myself quite at home, there," Artemis finally turned to look at the boy. "Whatever Kool-Aid they've been filling your sippy cup with, kid, just remember that."
He spluttered, unable to come up with a response, when the female guard at the door cleared her throat in interruption. "It would behoove you not to speak of the Great One in such a manner. He is our lord and master, and as someone raised in the Shadows, it would do you well to keep that in mind." Her words, like those of her previous guard, were tinged with a hint of an accent, though not heavy enough that Artemis could discern its origin.
Artemis glared at the woman. The kid, especially if he was the Bat's son, needed to hear something other than Shadows propaganda from someone. "I've never liked Kool-Aid. It stains everything it touches bright red."
The woman rose, about to protest, when Aqil intervened. "I believe you should attempt to eat something before it cools off," he suggested. "Hot cereal is meant to be eaten hot. It becomes quite unappetizing, otherwise." She did as he requested and took a few bites of the oatmeal before glancing over at the boy. He had stayed quiet since the guard spoke, and she could practically see the cogs turning in the kid's head. The boy was obviously quite sharp – if not completely misinformed and indoctrinated with the League of Assassins' bullshit – and something she said must have given him pause.
"Hey, kid," he looked up in time to catch the orange headed at his face. He stared at the fruit in confusion.
"I already ate."
"A little extra vitamin C never hurt anybody, especially kids your age." She took another bite of quickly-cooling oats. Damian blinked a few times before digging his thumb into the peel. "Damian," he looked up, "what do you say when someone gives you something?"
The guard snorted, "The young master needs not thank–"
"Thank you," he murmured under his breath, stuffing an orange slice into his mouth almost immediately after the words passed his lips.
"You're welcome." There's hope for the kid yet.
The boy stayed until a messenger came to relay his grandfather's request of his presence for training. He scampered off, but not without a backwards glance at Artemis, who continued to pick her way through the contents of her breakfast slowly. As soon as the door slid to a close behind him, the guard stood from her place and stalked swiftly to the desk. "You will cease spouting such lies and obscenities in the presence of the young master! If you were raised in the Shadows like you claim, you will not taint him with your traitorous drivel!" Her accent came out stronger now, coloring her words with her anger. She loomed over her seated prisoner, but failed in her attempt to intimidate. Artemis looked more bemused than anything as she nibbled on a walnut.
"I forgot just how brainwashed you lackeys are. It's almost embarrassing to watch, to be completely honest."
The guards face turned red. "You–!" Aqil put a hand on guard's shoulder and lightly forced her back several paces. She paled at the stern look on his face and kept her trembling fists by her side.
"While your devotion is noted, Shadow, your overzealousness is, as well. Perhaps you would do well to remember your training." Though phrased as a suggestion, the command was clear: calm down, or you will be made to. "Regardless, I believe someone else might be better suited for this post from now on. Please, report to your commander and have her send a replacement."
The guard glared at Artemis as she moved back to the key pad, entering the code. When the second beep sounded and she opened the door, Artemis spoke up. "South Rhelasia."
"Excuse me?" the other woman responded, turning back to the room. The open door allowed Artemis to peak into the hallway, and she counted four guards – one on either side of the door, two across from it – waiting outside. She quickly took note of their weaponry and concluded that it was the standard issue weapons pack for each of them.
"Your accent. You're from South Rhelasia, and I'd say somewhere in the northeastern region of Keoul," Artemis continued. "Keoul is primarily an agricultural region – not too impoverished, but not exactly flourishing, either. Enough food and water to ensure healthy selections, but the residents are not educated enough to know that there are other options other than farming or getting into the murder business. I'd say that those are pretty ripe conditions for Shadows recruitment. Congrats, you have given away valuable information just by opening your mouth." The guard's face was about as red as a tomato, so Artemis just gave her a small smile and a little wave of her fingers. "You really should work on eliminating the accent. I'd say that it's a detriment to your chosen profession."
The guard slammed the door behind her, and the blonde returned to snacking on her walnuts. She caught Aqil's unamused expression. "What? It was just some professional advice."
"Your stay might go a bit smoother with your cooperation, Ms. Crock."
She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't ask to be abducted, Aqil. I'm pregnant, and a crazy old man is plotting devious things for my child. I think I'm allowed to be a bit uncooperative in this situation." That, she reflected internally, and living with Kid Mouth for an extended period of time must have rubbed off some of his obnoxious behavior on her.
A small smile quirked the corner of the man's mouth. "Fair enough. Please take your supplements."