Chapter Seven
Conner Kent took in a long satisfying breath, looking proudly out at the north forty he'd just finished plowing. It would have been much easier and faster to just drag the plow himself by hand, but using the tractor was Jonathon Kent's way, it was the right way. He always thought back to his late adoptive father during planting season; he hoped he was proud of him.
"Once a year Mother Nature give's everyone a fresh start, you have to make the most of it" Pa Kent would always say.
The symbolism of those words were never lost on Superboy. Clark would be disappointed that the plowing would be finished by the time he arrived next week, but there was always plenty of work to do on the Kent farm, How Jonathon had accomplished so much by himself all these years when two Krypotonians struggled to stay on top of it always amazed Conner. Seems there'd been a Superman in the family way before Kal-El's rocket had ever made it to earth.
Conner drove the tractor back to the barn and called it a night. Martha Kent would not be home for a few hours; it was a bingo night at the church and she never left until the last ball dropped and the chairs put up. There were leftovers in the fridge, and some of Ma's lasagna would really hit the spot. Tonight was the double header between the Cardinals and Royals on ESPN, a real Midwestern grudge match that took place once a year both home and away. The visiting team from Missouri always reminded him of an old friend. It had been a while since he'd reached out to Wally West. Of all his former teammates, he was the only one who lived only a few hours away.
Conner hadn't seen Iris and Jay since they were…three or four? he considered.
Much too long he thought. "If it's important, you find the time" Pa would always say.
He decided after Clark's visit he'd give Wally a call, maybe look on the minor league schedule and see when Smallville played Keystone next. It might only be single A ball, but there was still bragging rights to be had. He walked in to put a note on the fridge to remind him to call when he smelled the familiar aroma. He walked to the porch swing and saw the warm apple pie once again resting on it. Twice a month like clockwork someone would drop of a delicious desert of some kind. Conner initially thought Martha was teasing him when she said it wasn't her, and then the same when he confronted Mrs. Hayworth across the street to thank her, but both women honestly had no idea and nothing to do with it and before long Conner decided to not over think it and enjoy the gift. Not every puzzle needed to be solved.
xxx
Wally washed up the plates, handing them off to his mother to dry while in the next room his children sat locked in front of the television watching whatever mindless program was currently showing on Cartoon Network. Rudy slept peacefully in his recliner, the noise and commotion of the TV not fazing him a bit.
"You sure I can't fix you something dear?"
"No I'm good mom, thanks."
Mary smiled, "I never thought I'd see the day when Wally West turned down a meal."
"Wonders never cease," he grinned in kind.
"So where are you all going?" she asked.
"That new Japanese place over in midtown. I've never been there but it's supposed have great sushi."
"You go out and have a good time. Your father's just getting his second wind. We're going to take the kids out for ice cream later."
"They'll love that. That's really nice of you guys. Thanks again for letting them stay over."
"It's our pleasure, but your father and I just wish we'd see a little more of you too."
"I know mom. I'm really gonna try to take the summer semester off, I promise this time. Then I can help dad with some of the projects around the house, maybe we could even plan a trip or something."
"That sounds wonderful dear," she kindly smiled before looking at her watch, "but shouldn't you be getting ready?"
"I actually brought my stuff with me. I thought I'd go for a quick run, shower and then leave from here, it would save me some time."
Mary's demeanor and smile faded away as she looked over at her son nervously. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"No worries mom, just a slow jog up to the high school and back. No big."
Wally finished washing the last plate and handed it off to her, kissing Mary's cheek and heading out the door, leaving a worried mother behind.
Wally stepped out onto the back porch and took a deep breath of the spring air. He closed his eyes feeling the wind drape across his face, inhaling the fragrant aroma of the Wisteria coming into bloom. He'd traveled the world in his day, but no matter how exotic or beautiful those locales might have been, nothing could ever beat springtime in Missouri.
Wally bent down and retied the laces of his running shows and took off towards Keystone High. It was a measured pace, the sound of the souls of his shoes hitting the payment almost hypnotically. Up ahead he could make out the glow of floodlights shining across the football field. He'd spent many a day doing laps around that track, staring enviously at the football players and their cheerleader girlfriends, hoping that one day he'd be part of that in-crowd but knowing deep down that Science and Math clubs were his true domain. He looked all around him, seeing nothing but empty streets and decided to pick up the pace a bit.
He changed gears and his low jog shifted into something a tad faster. It felt good this time, his lungs didn't burn, his legs didn't ache. As he reached the school grounds he pushed just a little too far and suddenly bright flashes filled his vision, excruciating pain dug into his chest. Wally doubled over and hit the ground hard. He rolled into a ball and held his breath fighting through the pain as it slowly subsided.
After a few moments he pulled himself into a sitting position, knees to his chest trying to catch his breath. Finally his vision cleared and he stood unsteadily. The red head began the walk towards home, cursing himself and wishing he'd listened to his mother's warning.
xxx
Later that night Wally pulled into the Riverfront Park parking lot only fifteen minutes late which was surprisingly early for him. He checked his watch and glanced around the lot, not finding any UMCC college parking passes or familiar vehicles belonging to his coworkers. The speedster had a sinking suspicion that his friends had intentionally given him the wrong meeting time; a built in a thirty minute time cushion for the notoriously tardy professor. He didn't blame him, Linda used to do the same thing.
He sat back in his jeep and pressed his fingers deep into his temples. His head still ached from the incident at the high school. Other than Bart and his parents, no one else knew of these episodes. Eventually he'd have to talk to someone; perhaps Tina McGee over at Mercury Labs, someone who could respect his privacy and keep it just between them. The last thing he wanted was the almighty Justice League getting involved. This was a private matter and he intended for it to stay that way.
Wally stepped out of his old Wrangler and walked through the courtyard towards the observation deck that overlooked the waterway. Across the Mississippi River the city scape of Central City stood bright against the night sky. He'd been to the Central City River Park directly on the otherwise of the river several times, but the view from there to its sister city was not nearly as impressive, but still he liked his small town much better; slower pace, less congestion, less crime, but most of all he like Keystone City because it was home.
Before he had kids, he and Linda spent a great deal of time at this park; relaxing in the sun, dreaming and planning a future, or even just watching the fireworks of Central dancing across the river in the 4th of July. This place reminded him of her, along with a thousand other things he would see from day to day. His life was so different now, just not exactly how he'd planned. At twenty-seven he was supposed to be finishing up his doctorate, working at Star or Mercury Labs, possibly even some scientific think tank, not teaching physics and advance sciences at the University of Missouri. It's not that he didn't love his job, it's just that deep down he'd expected more; Barry had expected more, but now he was a widowed father of two, and just like the Stones song says; you can't always get what you want.
He was lost in his thoughts when he heard the scream. The red head spun around in the direction of the noise when he saw a figure in black grabbing and pounding on a vehicle across the parking lot, forcing the door open while the young girl inside screamed while trying to keep it closed.
"Get the fuck out of the car bitch!" the man screamed, pulling a gun from his belt and tapping it on the window. Tears rolled down the terrified girl's face as she nodded and opened the door. The carjacker grabbed her by hair and drug her to the ground, waving the pistol in her face demanding silence.
Off on the distance three figures stood in the shadows observing the event.
"Fuck," Artemis muttered, this was not part of the plan. Wally was finally in position; in an open and relatively empty public setting. This was the moment she was going to make her appearance, let him see her from across the park, he would slowly approach while she tried try her best to keep him calm. That's when she would explain everything. That's when could finally bare her soul. It had all sappiness of the harlequin novels she read secretly as a teen, but it had a simplicity to it that she thought might work, that was until some asshole decided to screw it up and try and carjack some Taylor Swift lookalike.
"Do you want me to…" Zane asked
"No," she cut him off, finding the approaching speedster through her binoculars. A small part of her actually felt sorry for the moronic robber who was about to learn the hard way that you don't pull shit like this in the home of the Flash.
She was mildly surprised Wally had not shifted into costume yet, and even more so that he didn't move with a sense of urgency. It was a relatively short distance she assumed, there was no real reason to put on the scarlet when he was essentially already there.
The carjacker was reaching for the frantic girls' purse when the hand he was holding the gun with was violently wrenched back behind him, his shoulder dislocating almost immediately. Wally then sent him flying head first into an adjacent car's door.
Artemis smiled in pride when she recognized the moves she taught him so long ago, drilling them into him time and time again until the clumsy speedster finally got them right. The robber struggled to his feet and took a wild swing which Wally easily avoided. The red head gave one final blow to the gut and a leg sweep that brought the man hard to the pavement, his skull bouncing off the pavement into unconsciousness.
Wally bent forward, placing his hands on his knees, slightly out of breath. It had been a while since he'd had any use for his old martial arts training; it was nice to know they still worked. The red head bent down extending his hand to the scared teen.
"You ok?" he asked kindly
"I…I think so," she said in between sobbing breaths trying to calm herself
"It's going to be ok," he smiled reaching into his back pocket to retrieve his phone and call 911. He had only pushed the first numeral before the young girl shrieked and a blinding pain dropped him to his knees. Wally writhed on the ground, sensing dampness on the back of his collar most likely coming from a gash in his skull. He'd gotten sloppy and had he'd never seen it coming.
A partner Wally cursed.
The second robber, if you could even call him that, was just supposed to stay in the shadows, wait for the all clear and join his partner in the car down the block to quickly go through the purse and take out all the credit and debit card to use quickly before they'd be cancelled. No one was supposed to get hurt, but as the slender man nervously waved the pistol at the sobbing girl and her fallen hero, he realized that might no longer be possible. It was supposed to be a simple smash and grab until the damn red head got in the way.
Across the courtyard, Artemis dropped the glasses in shock.
"Something's wrong" she said urgently, turning to Jade to have her watch her back only to find the raven haired assassin already gone.
Wally attempted to get to his knees, but the searing pain in his skull and the dizziness from the blow overwhelmed him, sending him sliding back to the pavement.
"I'm sorry mister, I swear to god I am, but I can't back to Iron Heights. I got a kid on the way, and this wasn't supposed to go down like this. Billy promised!" he cried as his trembling hand pulled back the hammer of the gun. Wally had only one move left and it was a gamble if it was even going to work at all this time, but he had nothing left to lose. He held his breath and began searching for the lightning when suddenly the teen next to him screamed, joined next by her perpetrator.
Wally looked up to the Sai sticking directly through the gunman's hand, sending the weapon flying from his grip into the courtyard just as a vicious high kick jerked his neck violently and the second carjacker crumbled to the ground next to his fallen partner
"Oh no," Wally whispered, instantly recognizing the weapon of choice. He looked up and from the darkness appeared the grinning Cheshire mask stepping into the moonlight.
She'd found him, after all these years she'd finally found him.
"Well hello Mr. West. It's been a while. Let's talk," she purred.
Wally had searched for her before and after the funeral. The two Crock siblings had always had an extremely tempestuous relationship, but no matter how many times they'd battle, how many times they'd end up on the opposite sides of a conflict, Wally knew Artemis loved her sister and that more than likely Jade felt the same. However the relationship between the assassin and the speedster had always been very clear. They were enemies when Artemis was still alive, and her death wasn't going to change that.
The teen shrieked in terror as Cheshire knelt down beside her, taking off the mask and placing her hand of the young girl's mouth.
"Shut the hell up and get out of here… right ….now, while I'm still in a good mood."
The young woman nodded urgently, rose to her feet, and took off like a bat out of hell, never making a sound. Jade calculated she'd only have about fifteen minutes before the girl would find a cop and send them this way, so she had to get to work. She turned back to the red head, but all she saw was a pool of blood where his head had rested on the concrete. She turned the opposite way to see him sprinting away about thirty yards ahead.
Wally always knew that Jade wouldn't care that he'd tried to save her sister, she wouldn't care if he was sorry, or that sometimes he still wished he'd died with her, all she'd care about was Artemis was dead and she'd still be alive if she'd never joined his stupid Team, she'd still be alive if she'd never met him.
Wally turned back to see the assassin, slowly picking up the Sai, tucking it into her belt and showing no signs or interest in pursuit. Seconds later Wally realized why. When he turned back ahead he slammed directly into a wall, a six foot four blonde haired chiseled wall
The ginger bounced of the mercenary, hitting the ground with a bone jarring thud, while Zane barely reacted to the impact. Lying prone on the ground Wally looked up at the man towering above him. His immediately thought it to be Lawrence Crock he'd slammed into, but at second glance realized the man before him wasn't Sportsmaster or anyone he even recognized, but everyone looked different outside of the masks, and the speedster had an extremely long list of enemies. Determining which one the man was - was not important now, making it out alive was.
"I believe the lady said she'd like a word with you, and trust me she's not the type to ask twice." Zane explained.
Images of his children flashed through his mind. They'd barely survived the death of their mother, and there was no way in hell he was going to let them become orphans. In the corner of his eye Wally saw the steel glimmer catching the light from the park lampposts. It was his only play.
Wally carefully rose to his feet, raising his hands up in surrender. The mercenary definitely didn't consider the red head a threat and turned towards Cheshire for just a moment when Wally sprung. The speedster brought his knee up with all his strength, catching Zane directly in the groin. As the mercenary doubled over, Wally grabbed his ears pulling his head down violently just as his knee came up again with crashing force, landing directly on the bridge of the giant's nose, dropping him momentarily to the ground.
Wally made it a few yards away before the two assassins could react, but that's all he needed. The red head grabbed the discarded pistol gripping it firmly. Weapons had never been his thing, and he could count the times he's ever held a gun before on one hand, but that didn't matter anymore. The pistol was loaded and ready and he wasn't afraid to use it.
Jade continued walking slowly towards him from across the park, making no attempt to disappear into the shadows. There were no words left at this point, he doubted any plea or command would have made any difference anyway. She wasn't there to talk, she was there for revenge.
His hands shook as he trained the pistol on Cheshire, the wide grin of her mask taunting him. Behind him he heard the groans of the mercenary struggling to his feet. Now there was no choice. Wally swallowed hard and pulled back the hammer and prepared to fire.
"Wally!" a voice screamed through darkness sending a cold shiver up his spine. His senses shot into overdrive. He knew that voice, but it was... impossible.
Artemis Crock stepped out of the Shadows and stood in-between the speedster and her sister. Wally's arms dropped to his side, but still firmly holding the weapon. His eyes grew wide in utter disbelief; it was all happening too fast. His skull ached, his mind ablaze. This had to be more of Cheshire's sick games, or some kind of concussion induced hallucination.
"Wally it's me. Please put down the gun, No one's going to hurt you. I just need you to listen…..."
Her words seemed to deflect off of him as his arm slowly raised again, the pistol nervously pointing directly in his dead girlfriend's direction.
Before Artemis could plead with him, a small zipping sound flew through the air, the tranq dart landing inches below his carotid, sending Wally to the ground one final time.
"Motherfucker!" Zane spit as he stumbled forward wiping his bloody nose on his sleeves with one hand, while the other reached under his belt, checking his equipment. He walked towards the prone speedster, preparing to repay the man in kind when Jade put out her arm silently blocking his approach.
Ahead Artemis knelt over her fallen ex, resting his head gently on her knee
"Damnit Wally," she whispered in defeat, brushing the wet grass clippings from his face, "this wasn't how it was suspend to happen."
Zane pushed Cheshire's arm away but remained in place, still furious at the sucker punch, but even angrier with himself for not seeing it coming. He turned towards the assassin as she pulled off the her mask
"Is this what you were so worried about? You needed three of us for one god damn guy? Are you kidding me? What in the hell were you expecting?
"Someone...faster," Jade replied curiously.
xxx
The wind rushed across the speedster's face as he lost himself in the serenity of the desert sunrise. The mountain ranges to the east sped by in a blur, while the sun ahead remained transfixed on the horizon, a brilliant orange beacon to tomorrow. The road called to him in a way it hadn't in years and for the first time in as long as he could remember he felt at peace.
Wally jerked up from the bed with his head screaming in agony. He was disoriented, dizzy, panicked. He stumbled to his feet slamming against the dresser and desk, screaming for his children when gentle but firm hands led him back on the end of his bed. He was sweating and pale, but he wasn't scared until his emerald green eyes locked onto steel grey.
"Who in the hell are you?" he demanded shivering; only now realizing he'd been stripped all the way down to his boxers.
"Wally, I need you to take a breath, "Artemis pleaded, placing her hand gently on his shoulder. His skin was cold and he jerked away from her touch like it was acid
"Don't...touch...me!" he snarled. "Who the fuck are you? Where are my kids!"
"Wally your kids are fine," the archer said patiently, "they're at you parents, and you know exactly who I am. So please try to calm down; I know you're freaked and I understand, but we need to talk, there's a lot I need to tell you…."
He palmed his eyes, rubbing them frantically, trying to make this illusion disappear and his head to stop throbbing.
"This isn't happening," he muttered repeatedly while Artemis sat at the other end of the bed. Finally she stood, taking the comforter and wrapping it around his trembling form. She knelt in front of him and gently took his hand.
"Wally this is real, I'm real ok? It's a really long story that doesn't have much of a happy ending. It isn't going to make a lot of sense, and I know there's nothing I can say that will even begin to make this right, but I am so sorry."
Wally just stared blankly at her, gently rubbing his temples, trying to massage the blinding pain behind his eyes away. His eyes shifted between confusion and mistrust, before finally settling on incensed.
"How?" he growled.
"The blast radius was directed outward and I used the tunnels under the complex for an escape route," she shook her head sadly "I faked it Wally, I faked all of it, and I am so damn sorry. It was the only way I…."
Suddenly he bolted from the bed. Artemis rose and chased after him, fearful for what would happen when Wally burst into his den to find two assassins sitting on his couch, but instead of running out the bedroom he jerked hard to the right and fell to his knees in front of the toilet, throwing his guts up.
Perspiration dripped off his forehead while his cheek rested on the cold porcelain, the only source of comfort he'd found since opening his eyes.
Artemis knelt down next to him, once again covering his body with a blanket, handing him a Sprite to try and settle his stomach. This time Wally accepted her gesture, rubbing the cold can across his cheeks before taking small sip, throwing them up immediately after.
"What…" he rasped out of breath. "What in the hell did you do to me?"
"It's a jellyfish toxin-xylazine tranquilizer. Jade was afraid….you were going to kill me."
He nodded weakly in understanding, his head never leaving the toilet seat he held on to for dear life.
He tried several time to speak, starting and stopping words in mid slayable, trying to fight through the nausea and dry heaves for some coherent thought that would translate into what he was trying to say. Finally one word escaped his lips.
"Why?"
"There's no easy way to answer that."
Wally pushed himself off the toilet and rolled into a sitting position next to the tub, he looked paler than before, and his ashen complexion made the fire in his eyes stand out even more
"Try," he said coldly demanding.
She began her tale with stories of abuse and manipulation, things her father had done to both she and her sister, things she'd never shared before with him or anyone. Then the death of her mother, the plan to murder her father, the steps she went through to fake her death and allow her to confront him without her friends' interference. Finally his death, the capture by the Shadows, the offer, the jobs, her freedom, and now she was here, trying to right and unrightable wrong.
Wally sat emotionless through the story, sipping the liquid that he'd finally been able to keep down, showing no signs of affirmation or denial. When the archer concluded her account she took a deep breath, waiting for some kind of reaction. She didn't wait long
"You need to get out of my house right now," he spoke in an emotionless tone that sent chills through her, struggling to his feet and exiting the bathroom.
"Wally wait….."
"You are so fucking unbelievable; all those things that you did, all the people you hurt, and it was all about fucking revenge? Are you kidding me? After all the years you spent being a hero, did any of it mean anything to you? Did I? You were supposed to be better than him, you joined us to be better, and you pissed every bit of it away, all the good you did. Now you're no better than him...You are him."
"Wally it's not that simple," she growled through gritted teeth. "He didn't play by our rules; he wouldn't have stooped until one of us was dead."
"We could have stopped him," he disagreed.
"No Wally you couldn't, none of you could, because the only way to do it was the one way none of you would."
The speedster made his way to the dresser, losing his balance, but catching himself before falling. In the mirror, he noticed the dried crusted blood on his shoulder. Immediately he reached back to his head and winced, gently rubbing the still raw wound on skull. She stood next to him in the refection, unsure what to do or say. Artemis had been worried since she'd arrived in Central what his response might be, but now she was more worried about what she'd witnessed tonight. This was not the time to interrogate him, but something of this magnitude could not go unaddressed.
"What happened to you tonight?'
"You did!" he snapped angrily, disregarding the question and searching his dresser for clothes. He stormed out of the bedroom only to come face to face with his remaining assailant's from earlier sitting in his kitchen. Jade was the first to notice, sitting at his kitchen table drinking his coffee, which she raised to him in recognition, throwing a taunting smile in his direction.
"Unfucking believable, you've brought goddamn assassins into my house, where my kids live. They could be here any minute!"
"They're fine Wally. Your mom is keeping them until this evening." Artemis replied
"She's doing what? How would she….."
"Uh because she texted her from your phone dumbass," Zane replied with a mouth fill of leftovers pulled from the fridge.
"You texted my mom?! My God what is wrong with you? And who in the hell is this?"
Zane rose from the recliner, intentionally wiping his grease covered hands on the fabric and walked up to the red head, towering above him. Wally tried his best not to act intimidated, but his body language gave him away as he stepped back a few feet.
"I'm the guy you nut-shotted last night. Pussy move by the way." he growled, staring directly into the red head's eyes causing Wally to swallow hard. The speedster had tangled with bigger guys before, but that was a long time ago and his circumstances were much different now.
Artemis followed quickly behind, carefully grasping the speedster's arm. "Wally don't walk away from me, answer the question."
He spun around, shaking his arm from her grasp, his mouth agape. "Did you really just say don't walk away from me? Do you even hear yourself? Is that supposed to be some kind joke?"
"You almost got yourself killed last night. I want to know why?" the archer demanded.
Jade rolled her eyes, finishing the last sip of the bland American blend she'd found in his cupboards before checking the angles and tossing the cup across the room at the speedster, barely missing his head as it shattered across the floor. "I know why," she answered smoothly.
"What the hell!" Wally yelled to Jade's amusement, but he'd given the archer the explanation she'd feared. The Wally she remembered could have run halfway across the city and back before the cup could have even made it to the ground.
"You've lost your speed." Artemis whispered in shock.
Wally glared at the sisters, but didn't deny it. He bent down to the floor picking up the shattered fragments.
"But the Flash, Kid Flash, they've both been all over the news…"
Jade sighed, no longer bored but now irritated with her sister's naiveté. "Good god Artemis, are you that blind? It's the cousin. He's both of them."
"Wally?" Artemis questioned, eyes wide in disbelief.
He turned and walked away, opening the pantry and throwing away the broken cup. When he turned back the archer was right in his face, unmoving until he answered.
"I guess I'm not as good a scientist as everyone thought." he answered bitterly. "So there's your answer. Satisfied? Now this is the last time I'm going to tell you, leave before I call the cops. If you need some kind of forgiveness to clear your soul, you got it. Now get the fuck out!"
From the other side of the room Zane laughed, "Real big man aren't ya."
"Zane!" Artemis snapped, realizing he and Jade's company and interference weren't helping matters. "Go wait outside please!" she groaned exasperatedly
"Sure thing gorgeous," Zane smiled, grabbing the archer and planting a kiss on her lips before she could react, marking his property as it were.
She pushed him off cursing as he smiled back at the speedster, "Nice meeting you kid. Remember paybacks are hell," he spouted tauntingly.
Jade followed him out, pausing briefly in front of the speedster and simply acknowledging the goodbye. "West." she nodded before exiting the house just as Zane slammed the door hard enough that a few pictures fell from the wall.
Artemis rubbed her eyes in anger; things couldn't have gone worse if she'd tried. The situations was progressively turning worse by the second, just as Jade had predicted.
Wally followed behind, picking up the shattered picture of his wife and kids, placing them on the bookshelf, and flopping into the recliner in exasperation.
She walked over, sitting across from him on the lime green couch. "Wally I'm so sorry. It wasn't supposed to go down like this. I….I don't know what to say. Your speed, Barry, Linda….."
"Don't!" he screamed, "Don't say her name. Don't act like you know one thing about her... or care.
"of course I care damnit. Do you think any of this has been easy for me?"
"There you go," Wally laughed bitterly
"What the hell does that mean?" she roared back
"I was waiting to see how long it would take for you to play the victim card," he spit
"The victim card?" she yelled back. The victim card!?" she repeated louder. "Do you have any goddamn idea what my life's been like? No you fucking don't! The shadows made me do things that make my skin crawl, things that are burned into my goddamn mind forever. Do you think I wanted any of this? Do you?! I loved being a hero; I loved having friends in my life that were closer to me than family. Do you think I wanted my mom to be murdered, is that it? So I could finally have an excuse to off my dad? God what the hell was I thinking trying to find you?"
"No one asked you to! And just out of curiosity did you even think about anyone else before you did it? Do you have any goddamn idea what you did to me? I would have died to get you out of that corridor, I almost did, and for what? A lie. Everything you've ever told me, everything we've ever had was a lie!"
"Don't say that."
"Artemis you've been lying for so long, you're actually starting to believe them. From the day you walked into that cave you had secrets on top of secrets, even when we were dating I could feel it, but I didn't want to push you away, I cared too fucking much and I hoped one day you'd trust me enough to share them. I ignored it because I wanted you to love me."
"I did love you - you asshole," she screamed, "I didn't want any of you knowing cause I was afraid you'd stop me, or even worse…. join me. I couldn't do that to you, I couldn't give you that choice."
"Nice try," he laughed mockingly at her pain. "You had nothing to worry about there. You were the fucking assassin, not us. You know when we said 'You're not your family,' we were dead wrong. You're exactly who we thought you were Artemis. Just go home ok? You're broken; and I stopped trying to fix you a long time ago."
The speedster could have said a thousand other things; cruel, cold-blooded, vicious things, but two words reached inside and crushed her heart. Two words shattered all the memories of cold lonely nights with death breathing down her neck when all she longed for was his gentle touch, one last kiss.
Two words…You're broken.
"Fuck you Wally!" she hissed, refusing to cry, grabbing her gear and storming out the door. "You're not the only person who lost something."
The archer left the house slamming the door even harder than Zane before her. Off to the side Jade stood silently. She'd warned the archer several times, and now that warning had come to fruition
"I told you this was a mistake."
Artemis slammed her sister into the tree she leaned against, sticking a finger an inch from her face.
"Don't!" the archer growled.
She walked to the curb throwing her gear into the shitty rent a car and speeding off, rubber screaming against the pavement, leaving the two behind to fend for themselves. She doubted Zane or Jade would go back and confront the ex-speedster, but she honestly didn't care anymore.