Note: Hey folks, sorry for the wait. Here's what happened since I last updated this story. First, I had to wait a week to get my internet service turned on at the place I moved to. It's a long story but in 2012, the place that was boarding my dog sold her to someone else which is illegal! After that, I had pretty much lost interest in writing. I've been trying to get my dog back ever since, even though I later got a cousin of hers. In 2013 I went to comic con which was a lot of fun then I moved again 3 months later. Went back and forth between LA and San Francisco in 2014 and 2015. In 2016 and 2017, I lost one of my cousins and my older brother. I also lost 5 of my betta fish within 3 years time. There's been a lot ups and downs, but I'm hoping that things will be different in 2018. Anyway, for those who have read and followed this story, thank you for your patience…now on with part 2!
It was 7 am in Metropolis. Not many people were awake at this hour, except for a few kids that had woken up to watch Saturday morning cartoons. For Jimmy Olsen, the weekend was one of the few times he could relax and sleep in, but not today. He groaned when he heard his cellphone ring. Reaching over to his nightstand he grabbed the phone and answered it. * "Hello?" he said, sounding rather drowsy.
"Today?! B-but it's Saturday! I-" Jimmy stopped short and sighed.
"Ok, I'll be there." He said, knowing Perry White wasn't going to take no for answer.
After hanging up the phone, Jimmy leaned back in bed, looking at the ceiling, "Why?!" he asked himself.
Doing research on the Justice League's sidekicks wasn't exactly what he had planned for the weekend.
Meanwhile, Jimmy wasn't the only one who had an early start.
Even though it was Saturday, that didn't stop the league from doing their job. Impulse and Robin sat on the couch at the cave, watching TV. They had received a call to come in early from their mentors but hadn't been given an assignment just yet. The two sidekicks sat side-by-side laughing.
"No, Pepe Le Pew, no." Impulse said with a laugh.
"What are you guys watching?" Stargirl asked, as she entered the room.
"Looney Tunes," Robin and Impulse replied at the same time.
"You are so…" Stargirl stopped short and looked at the television.
"Turn it up, this is the best part!" she said, before sitting down on the couch next to Impulse.
"Look, who's talking," Robin told her before he was silenced by a loud "Shh!" from Stargirl and Bart.
The trio watched the TV for a moment before they started laughing at the scene where Pepe kissed a black and white cat who he mistaken for a female skunk.
"That's a good one," said Impulse.
"Never gets old." Stargirl agreed.
Later that day… *Put into bold*
On most Saturday mornings, Artemis slept in, but not today. Turning over to her left side, she let a loud yawn. She rubbed her eyes and blinked twice before fully opening them.
"Phew! It's Saturday. Nothin' to do but sit back and…" she paused when she glanced at her clock, it was currently 8:30am.
"Oh snap! I gotta go." She said to herself and got out of bed.
A short time later, Artemis was dressed and ready for the day.
"You're up early today." Her mother, Paula pointed out.
Artemis froze briefly as she walked into the kitchen, "You noticed?" she asked.
Paula laughed, "Yes, I did. It's not like you to be up on a Saturday morning. What's the hurry?" she asked.
Artemis nearly choked on her cereal bar, "N-no hurry, I just…" she stopped when she noticed the cynical look on her mother's face.
Artemis rubbed the back of neck nervously, "It's a long story." She said after a moment.
Paula sat back in her wheelchair, "I've got all day, I can wait." She said with a smile.
Artemis perked up at this, "Ok," she replied.
For the next fifteen minutes, Artemis told Paula about her adventure in London. Aside from a couple questions here and there, Paula seemed fine with it.
"And that's when she stepped in and saved me." Artemis finished.
"That would explain where you were." Paula concluded, she had noticed Artemis came home somewhat later than usual last night.
"Uh, yeah, pretty much." Artemis said sheepishly. Just then, she remembered what she had wanted to tell her mother. "Oh! There was a reward too." She handed Paula the envelope containing the check.
After reading the amount, Paula's jaw dropped.
"I was just as surprised as you are. What do you think?" Artemis asked after a moment of silence.
"Well, I was going to tell you to save this for college but…" Paula stopped short and handed the check back to Artemis, "I think I'll leave it up to you, this time." She finished.
"Ok, thanks." Artemis said with a smile.
"You know, I worry about you sometimes." Paula admitted.
"I know, Mom." Artemis replied.
Although Paula was fine with her daughter working with the Justice League, she was still concerned about her, especially when she came home late or at odd hours.
Artemis got up from the kitchen table and was about to leave.
"Artemis," Paula called.
"Yes?" she said, turning around.
"If you want to invite your friends over, it's ok by me." Paula explained.
Artemis grinned, "All right." She said.
A moment later, Artemis was getting ready to catch the bus to Metropolis.
"I'm off to Starbucks, I'll see you later." She called out to her Mom.
"Call me when you get there." said Paula.
"I will." Artemis assured her.
"And Artemis…" Paula started to say.
"Uh-huh?" the young blond replied.
"I hope to meet this new friend of yours." Paula admitted.
Artemis looked at her nervously, "Uh… sure, I think you'll like her, she's really nice. I gotta go, I'm gonna be late. Bye!" she said.
"You have a jacket?" Paula asked.
"Don't need it," Artemis answered before slamming the door.
"Oy…" she groaned and headed down the stairs. She knew her mother meant well but at times she could be…over-bearing.
Artemis had switched from her usual high heel boots to a pair of white Nikes. In a city like Metropolis, good walking shoes were a must. The bus stop was just down the street. However, much like New York, Gotham had large city blocks. In effort to catch the bus, Artemis took off in a sprint and soon reached the bus stop. She panted heavily as she slowed down. "Phew!" the blond archer sighed, looking at her watch.
"I got a few minutes, good." She sat back on the bench, looking up at the clear blue sky, "I wonder what the gang's doing."
Back at the Cave, Impulse, Robin and Stargirl were still watching TV. The sound of laughter could be heard throughout the room.
"That Wil. E. Coyote is something else." said Stargirl.
"Yeah," Impulse agreed.
"You remind me of Roadrunner, though." Robin confessed.
"It's that obvious?" Bart asked.
"Yes!" Robin and Stargirl replied simultaneously.
"Beep! Beep!" said Impulse, imitating Roadrunner.
It didn't take long for Stargirl and Robin to start laughing.
"What's so funny?" Red Arrow asked, walking behind the couch. He looked at the TV and frowned, "Aren't you guys a little old for Looney Tunes?" he asked.
"Maybe," Robin answered.
"My cousin Wally watches 'em all the time." Impulse explained.
"So do me and Barb." Robin added.
Red Arrow rolled his eyes, "Some kids never grow up." He sighed.
"Oh yeah? Then tell us, who's your favorite? Mine's Daffy Duck." Said Robin.
"I like Tweety," Stargirl announced.
"Mine is Roadrunner." Impulse added.
There was an awkward silence, but it only lasted a few seconds.
"What?" he asked, noticing his teammates staring at him, "Uh… Sylvester…"
His teammates snickered.
"Why am I not surprised? You've always reminded me of a cat." Said Stargirl.
Red Arrow raised an eyebrow at this, "How so?"
"Let me think, you're aloof, independent…have selective hearing…" Stargirl was cut off.
"I get it, sheesh!" Red Arrow snapped.
"It's a wonder Batman's let you stick around this long." Said Robin.
"Uh-huh, like the time you were helping track Clayface and got knocked out…then you woke up hanging from a warehouse ceiling and Batgirl and Nightwing had to come get you down?" Red Arrow replied.
"Stop right there, that never happened!" Robin exclaimed.
Stargirl simply pinched the bridge of her nose, "What did I get myself into?" she groaned.
Meanwhile, Artemis seemed to be having a better day than her teammates. The bus ride to Metropolis took two hours, given the amount of traffic. She waited patiently for Huntress to show up. The Starbucks was located not far from the Daily Planet. Being Saturday, it was relatively busy with customers coming and going. Artemis had taken a seat at a small table in the corner by a window. She took a sip from her macchiato coffee and continued to wait.
"Looking for me?" a voice asked.
Artemis looked away from the window and saw a woman with long black hair and hazel eyes in civilian clothing sit down across from her. It didn't take much for her to recognize the voice was Huntress.
"Yes!" said Artemis.
"Sorry I'm late, traffic in this city is horrible." Huntress replied.
"Tell me about it," said Artemis.
"Well, that's behind us now. So, how did a girl like you end up working with Green Arrow?" Huntress asked.
"It's kind of a long story…all of it started when…."
For the next hour Artemis and Huntress talked, ranging from how they both crossed paths with the Justice League to favorite movies. Both soon learned how much they had in common. After a moment Artemis noticed Huntress staring at her almost as if studying her face.
"What?" she asked.
Huntress blinked for a moment before she spoke, "Nothing, it's just…for some reason you remind me of Sportsmaster. I hate to pry but…are you two related?"
Artemis froze in her tracks but was only quiet for a few seconds, "How'd you know?" she asked.
"I figured it out since we've been talking." Huntress explained.
"Let me guess…the hair." Artemis replied.
"That, and I've seen several photos of him in the League's archives. Based on that, I pretty much put two and two together." Huntress replied.
"You're not the first to notice. Lots of people who know my family have said how much I look like him." Artemis explained. She looked down towards the floor, somewhat embarrassed of her parentage.
"Well, you can't change genetics." Huntress pointed out. She wasn't too proud of her own family either. Her father knew Steven Mandragora, a businessman who was known for deception, fraud and double-crossing his associates.
Artemis thought about what Huntress said and knew she was right. She couldn't change who she was, but she had proven to be different from the rest of her family.
"No, but I hear they're doing some amazing things in plastic surgery." She joked.
The two heroines laughed, but they're conversation was interrupted by a phone ringing.
Huntress grabbed her phone out of her purse and answered it.
"Hello? Hey Q, no I'm having coffee with a friend. Uh-huh…What?! When? Can't you get Canary and Arrow to check it out?"
Huntress let out a deep sigh, "They're tied up, I understand. No, no it's fine, I'm on my way. Bye." She then hung up and looked at Artemis who had a rather confused look on her face from hearing only one side of the conversation.
"What's up?" Artemis asked.
"Question called, he found something down at Hobbs Bay." Huntress answered.
"Oh," was Artemis' reply.
"Sorry to cut it short, but I gotta run." Said Huntress. She stood up, grabbing her purse and coffee and was about to leave.
"I see…wait, how about I go with you?" Artemis offered.
Huntress raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?" she asked. The woman was caught off guard by this but nonetheless, decided to hear Artemis out.
"Yeah, we could cover more ground." Artemis added.
"All right, just keep up." Huntress said, half joking.
"Oh, I will." Artemis replied.
A short stop at the Hall of Justice to grab their spare costumes and a fifteen-minute motorcycle ride later, they reached Hobbs Bay. It was a typical waterfront shipyard, nothing but warehouses, docks, large crates and ships.
"So, what's the deal?" Artemis asked as she got off Huntress' motorcycle and removed the helmet she had been wearing.
"Don't know yet, Question said somebody's been storing crates in this warehouse, but that's as far as he got." Huntress explained. She removed her own helmet and left it on the right handlebar of the motorcycle. Huntress adjusted her mask, making sure it was in place.
"Follow me," she told Artemis.
The two heroines walked along one of the docks towards what looked like an abandoned warehouse. They spotted what looked like an old sea captain gathering up some fishnets. The man was none other than Bibbo Bibbowski. He whistled casually as he worked but paused when he heard footsteps approaching. Bibbo put down the fishnets and turned around.
"Can I help you?" he asked, spotting Huntress and Artemis.
"Actually, yeah. What do you know about this warehouse?" Huntress replied, pointing a thumb towards the building a few feet away.
Looking to the left, Bibbo glanced at the warehouse than back at Huntress.
"Old Pier 45? Other than the fact the place closed after a fire in '89, I don't know anything else." Said Bibbo.
"You sure?" Huntress asked, hoping to get some more information.
Bibbo scratched the back of his head before he spoke, "Well, there's been some weird sounds coming from the backdoor. Heard it two nights ago, but I have no clue who or what is makin' all that racket." He explained.
Huntress glanced at the warehouse. There were several broken windows and scorch marks on the exterior, all indications of a fire that had broken out.
"Can you show us a way in?" she asked.
"Sure thing." Said Bibbo.
He led them to the back of the warehouse, although it had been fenced off numerous times, squatters found ways to get around it. The back door was hanging by its hinges, looking as if it would fall off any second. Bibbo pushed it up, a loud squeak could be heard in the process.
"Ladies first." He said.
"Thank you," Artemis and Huntress replied at the same time.
The warehouse was somewhat dark, apart from sunlight coming in through the broken windows and holes in the ceiling. Dust and trash were scattered on the floor as well as planks of burnt wood.
Artemis shuttered, wrapping her arms around herself.
"What?" Huntress asked, looking concerned.
"It's cold." Artemis replied.
"Can't be, there's no air conditioner." Bibbo pointed out.
"Or swamp coolers either," Huntress added.
The three of them looked around before coming across a large plastic container full of white bricks.
"Look, dry ice." Said Bibbo.
"But who uses dry ice in a place like this?" Artemis asked.
Bibbo shrugged his shoulders, "Don't know."
"We better check this out." Said Huntress, she walked ahead going into another section of the warehouse with Bibbo and Artemis not far behind.
The blonde archer stopped short when she heard a noise not far away, "Huntress, wait! There's something back here!" Artemis exclaimed but the other heroine didn't hear her and neither did Bibbo.
Letting out a sigh of frustration, she decided to take matters into her own hands, "Guess I'll have to look for myself." She concluded and went in the opposite direction.
Artemis soon noticed the further she went the colder it became. She had no idea why but was determined to find out. It wasn't long until Artemis found herself on the far side of the warehouse. She slipped and fell on a frozen puddle. The hard-concrete underneath only made the fall more painful. Artemis groaned as she got to her feet.
"Ohh, that hurt." She said to herself.
One thing was certain, she could be sore after this and likely have a bruise or two on her arms and legs. After getting herself together, she continued on her way. As she looked around, Artemis noticed this part of the warehouse resembled a walk-in freezer.
"Ow! Geez, another a splinter." Said a voice.
The voice belonged to Cameron Mahkent, also known as Icicle Jr. He pulled the small wooden fragment from the palm of his hand. He had been staking crates for almost half an hour and had several minor cuts and blisters from handling the wood.
"Phew! That's better." He sighed.
"Freeze!" Artemis shouted.
Icicle Jr stood there in shock, as a reflex he raised both hands in the air, "I didn't do it, honest!' he exclaimed. Icicle Jr turned around to see who it was, "Artemis?" he said in surprise.
"Junior?" she replied.
At that Junior lowered his arms but wasn't completely relaxed, "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I was about to ask you the same thing. It's Justice League related." Artemis answered, regarding her reason for being in the warehouse.
"Oh," was all Junior could say.
"I heard there was something going on around here, what do you know?" Artemis asked.
Junior raised an eyebrow at her, "Why do you ask?" he replied.
"'Cause this place has been closed for years, that's why." Said Artemis, who was starting to lose her patience.
Junior chose his words carefully, having known Artemis from the time they were kids, he had learned not to push her buttons.
"Look, to be honest…I'm just as clueless as you are." He confessed.
Artemis nearly dropped her bow and arrow, "What?!" she sputtered.
"I'm serious, all I know is, me, Tommy and Tuppence were asked to move some crates here." Icicle Jr. explained.
"Any reason why it's freezing cold?" Artemis asked.
"Whatever's in the crates has to be kept frozen." Icicle Jr answered
Artemis tried to see if she could find out more information and asked another question, "How'd you end up with this job?"
Junior shrugged his shoulders, "My Dad…he said he needed this stuff moved out."
"So, you brought it here." Artemis concluded.
Junior nodded, "Yeah, but it's just for storage purposes only. I don't know what's in these crates or who my Dad is holding them for." He replied.
"'Kay," said Artemis.
Junior's eyes widened. That was it? He had half expected to be interrogated more but this came out of left field. "Wait, you believe me?" he asked.
"Of course, I do, Junior. We've been friends for a long time, I trust you." said Artemis.
"Even after everything that's happened?" Junior replied.
"Yes." Artemis assured him.
Although they had chosen different paths in life, the two seemed to be on good terms. Junior smiled at Artemis, he was touched that after all this time she still considered him a friend.
"Listen, I…" Junior stopped short when Huntress' voice rang out:
"Hey, Artemis where'd you run off to?"
"Gotta go!" said Junior before he bolted.
"Junior, wait!" Artemis called, but it was too late. He had made his exit out another door and was gone. The young heroine groaned in frustration, pinching the bridge of her nose, "He would run off." She muttered, knowing Junior had a habit of running when under pressure or if he was about to get caught.
"There you are!" said Huntress as she walked up to Artemis.
"I tried to tell you," she said, turning around.
"It's fine, so what did you find?" Huntress asked.
"This," said Artemis as she pointed at one of the crates.
"Never saw that before, then again this place is dark." Bibbo admitted.
"Let's check it out," Huntress suggested.
She went over to one of the crates and brushed off some of the frost and read the label underneath, "Property of Star Labs."
She turned to Bibbo and Artemis for a moment.
"Hold it," Huntress then tapped the comm link in her right ear, "Q, we found out what was in the warehouse at Hobbs Bay...uh-huh…yeah, all right. See you then." Said Huntress before she hung up.
"Nice work." She told Artemis.
The young archer simply smiled, this was two days in a row that things had gone well.
Later that Day…
"I still can't believe you found all this. There was a break in two weeks ago and many supplies were missing." Professor Hamilton explained.
"So, the crates were stolen," Huntress concluded.
"Yes, but it wasn't just us. Lexcorp and Steelworks were hit as well." said Professor Hamilton.
In one of the crates were seed and pollen samples from various plants and trees. The reason for being packed in dry ice was to preserve them.
She had contacted Question who then called Star Labs. They had sent two security guards and a van to pick up the crates that had been found. Currently, everything was being unloaded, while Question, Huntress and Artemis explained to Professor Hamilton what they had found. Although the staff at Star Labs had filed a report with authorities, the investigation wasn't high on their priority list. Question, however had decided to do his own investigation. Despite trying to get answers from staff and security, he hadn't gotten far in search until now.
"Why would anybody want to swipe this stuff anyway?" Artemis asked.
"Probably to sell it, I had heard something about underground auctions being held at night not far from Hobbs Bay. I don't know if it's true or just a rumor." Professor Hamilton answered.
"We'll look into it, Professor." Question offered.
"You have our word," Huntress added.
"Good, let's hope this doesn't happen again." Said Professor Hamilton.
"Agreed," Huntress replied with a nod.
"We'll show ourselves out," said Question.
"All right," Professor Hamilton replied.
"See you." said Huntress.
"Likewise," Professor Hamilton replied.
And with that, everyone had gone their separate ways.
"That went well," said Artemis as she followed Question and Huntress out of Star Labs and towards the adjacent parking lot.
"Sure did," Huntress agreed.
"Yes, but we need to investigate those auction rumors Hamilton was talking about. There's a reason why those crates were being stored in that old warehouse." Question pointed out.
"But why?" Huntress asked.
"I'll do some digging and get back to you." Question replied
"Just don't go through my trash again." Said Huntress.
At that moment, Question froze, "Right," he said before getting in the car and driving off.
Artemis was rather stunned. She had heard about Vic Sage or The Question as he was known by, from Supergirl. He reminded Artemis of one of the detectives from a classic Hollywood film. Even the way he dressed was similar, Dark blue fedora with a matching overcoat, orange shirt and a black tie as well as matching pants and shoes. Next to Batman, he was a good detective but at times he seemed, a little 'off'.
Artemis hardly believed what Supergirl said about him going through his teammates' trash until she heard it with her own two ears, "He actually goes around looking through everyone's trash?" she asked.
"Sure does." Huntress answered.
"Weird," was all Artemis could say.
By the time evening came, Artemis was glad to be off. After helping Huntress solve one case, she had received a call from Nightwing to help Kid Flash, Superboy and Rocket with evacuating people from a flood zone outside Portland Oregon. All-in-all, the ordeal took up the rest of her day. By the time it was over, everyone needed a break. The small group had gone to the Cave to switch to their civilian clothes and then headed down to the movie theater. They were joined by Impulse, Stargirl and Robin. Red Arrow ended up taking a rain check due to helping Green Arrow in Star City with investigating a car theft ring.
"Glad today's over," said Artemis.
"So am I," said Supergirl.
The two of them were standing in line to get tickets with the rest of their friends when Kid Flash spoke up.
"Uh, can one of you loan me ten bucks?" he asked.
"What happened to the twenty Barry gave you?" Supergirl asked.
"I used half of it to pay the fines for some overdue library books." Kid Flash explained.
"And the rest of it?" Artemis asked.
"I had to pay back Dick for a loan he gave me last month." Kid Flash answered.
"Fine," said Artemis, she took out a ten-dollar bill she had hidden in one of shoes and handed it to Wally.
"Thanks, I promise I'll pay you back as soon as I can" he said to her and went to buy his movie ticket.
Artemis waited until he was out of earshot range before turning to Supergirl.
"Well, I learned a lesson…" she said.
"What's that?" Supergirl asked.
"Don't ever loan Wally any money or else you'll never see it again." Artemis replied.
Supergirl laughed, "Noted…"
From the looks of it, this was going to be a long Saturday Night…
MORE TO COME…
And that's it for chapter 2. Tim's line was from the Yes Dear episode 'Hooked on Comics' and Artemis and Supergirl's conversation at the movie theater is based on a quote from the pilot episode of the 2010 remake of Pound Puppies which was titled 'The Great Yipper Capper'. If anyone has watched Justice League Unlimited, then you're likely familiar with Question and Huntress, if not then I highly recommend doing some research. Anyway, I originally wrote this story during season 1 of Young Justice. Since then, I've looked it over and made some changes since new characters were added in season 2. In addition to other characters that will later be in this story, I'm in the process of doing a sequel…yes, there'll be another installment. Right now, it's just an outline but an actual story is forthcoming. Anyway, chapter 3 will be up next week.
Stay tuned!