"Enough."
Despite years of training that told Artemis never to take her eyes off of her opponent, the young archer still turned away from Icicle Jr. and towards the cabin. She couldn't actually see the cabin from her position but it was a jerk reaction. From the corner of her eye, she saw Robin and Cheshire turned towards the cabin also, both of them frozen in place. Everything grew quiet leaving Artemis wishing for some noise to take the pressure of silence away. After what seemed like forever, the voice returned.
"I want the archer only," the voice boomed. Robin shot her a glance as the words sunk in. His eyes lingered on her for too long and Jade used that as an opportunity to attack. The Boy Wonder took a kick to the jaw and stumbled back. Before she could see what played out next or try to help, Cameron sprang into action, charging at his old friend. She barely had time to react and only managed to throw a punch by the time he reached her. The ice villain grabbed her fist and twisted it behind her back. With swift movements, he knocked her bow out of her other hand, pulled it next to her first one and froze them together like she was in handcuffs.
He shoved her forward. "Time to meet the boss man," he whispered in her ear. She was pushed toward the cabin. From behind her, the blonde could hear her name being called out by Robin. He quickly sent out a message to the rest of the team. Icicle has Artemis. Anyone not busy needs to get to her aid, now, he informed the team. Artemis didn't even need to hear the team's answer to know that she was on her own on this one.
The small cabin soon came into view. All of the windows where dark and the door was slightly ajar. She was dragged right in front of the door and Cameron nudged it open with his toe. Though light streamed in through the windows the cabin's interior was still dim. In the middle of the room was a simple wooden chair, the rest of the room was completely bare. Artemis was forced into the seat, an uncomfortable position due to her bound hands.
"Cameron!" the voice scolded as a figure stepped into the room through back door. He was dressed in a red suit and his face was covered by a full red mask. "Is that any way to treat our guest? Unbind her hands and retrieve her bow immediately." Icicle Jr. nodded quickly and broke her hands free. The blonde flexed her fingers as small bits of ice melted away. Once that was done the ice villain left to get her bow. As soon as the door closed behind him, Artemis jumped from the chair and lunged at the red-clad figure. Before she could even touch him, he caught her by the throat, holding her there for a few seconds before he pushed her back. Stumbling backward, she gasped for breath and glared at the man. "Please, Artemis. I just wanted to talk to you, like civilized people. If you'll just cooperate, your friends will be mostly unharmed. I'm sure you're a very reasonable person and you'll find that I'm also very reasonable."
"What do you want?" she hissed, her voice a little hoarse. The man stepped forward, letting the light from one of the windows fall on him. Artemis managed to stifle a gasp as she saw that his mask didn't actually cover his face. Because he had no head at all, just a floating mask where his face would've been. "Who- What are you?"
"Now, now, one question at a time," he replied. She could hear a smirk in his voice. "How about you take a seat?" The archer shook her head and backed up to a wall. "Fine," he snapped. He sat in the chair and stared at her. "We'll get to introductions in a moment. For now, let's focus on what I want." He paused to think it over a bit. "It's really simple, you see. I have assembled a team with the ability to take down the Justice League. Each member is here for a reason. At this very moment, I have every member I wanted except one. You. The skills you have been taught by your father coupled with the skills and knowledge you've gained from those heroes" -he said the word like it burned his tongue if he even had a tongue- "make you a perfect addition. Understand?"
Artemis didn't reply. The man sighed impatiently. "Originally, I was just going to kill everyone you've ever cared for starting with that rich archer you work with. Oddly enough, it was your father and Icicle Jr. that convinced me otherwise. They said you'd be easier to convince if I had continuing blackmail. Now, I'm not saying a mass murder isn't an option but I'm willing to let your friends live if you agree to help me."
"I'll never help you," Artemis spat.
Another sigh was let loose by the man in red. "Cameron told me you'd say that. Which is why I planned ahead." At that moment the back door opened to reveal a villain she recognized as Wizard holding a bound and beaten man. "You see, Artemis," the man continued. "I have no problem killing those who get in my way. That's evident by the way your mother was killed at my command."
The archer's eyes went wide and she lunged at the man. Finally, after all these months, she had found the man behind her mother's death and she intended on destroying him. As she reached the man the front door opened and Cameron stepped inside holding her bow. Icicle Jr. grabbed Artemis, restraining her before she could do any damage to the man in red. She fought against his grip viciously, staring daggers at her mom's killer.
"Calm yourself, Artemis," he snapped. "I thought I told you I wanted a civilized talk." He looked around. "Where was I? Oh, yes. There was more behind your mother's death than just to get your attention. This team of mine is modeled off of a previous team that both your mother and father were on. It's where they met, I do believe. Knowing this, it was evident that Paula knew too much. She couldn't continue to live with that information." He gestured for Wizard to come closer. "As I said before, I have no problem killing those who get in my way and this man is in my way." The beaten man's face became visible and Artemis gasped. She struggled harder against Cameron's grip. Wizard grabbed the blonde man's hair and lifted his head so that Artemis's eyes could connect with her adoptive father's.
"Oliver," she screamed. Ollie was in civvies, his face bruised and his lip broken. He was bleeding from several places.
"I promised I'd introduce myself later and, well, now is later. I don't expect you to know who I am just by looks. After all, my big debut was way before your time. If it wasn't for a sidekick of some hero, much like yourself, I wouldn't even be here. I am Johnny Sorrow. Now, I don't like to brag but I have a pretty unusual talent. I can kill someone just by removing my mask. One look at my real face will kill anyone." Sorrow turned to Green Arrow. He planted a hand on his mask. Wizard seemed to panic and dropped Oliver as he scampered to get behind his boss. Ollie fell backward, face up, his eyes leaving Sorrow's mask to look at his protégé. "This is just the beginning, Artemis. His death will only be the first until you decide we're worth your time." With the hand not gripping his mask, he grabbed Oliver's hair and pulled him to eye level.
"Stop," she screamed as she stopped struggling. Her head fell to look at the floor. She continued quieter "Stop, please. I'll join your team. I-I'll do anything, just… just let him live." Tears escaped her eyes as she refused to look at anyone in the room. The sound of Ollie being dropped and landing on the floor once more.
"Artemis," he whispered, his voice rasping. His partner shook her head and refused to look at him. Instead, she raised her head and stared at Sorrow, who had turned to face her.
"Excellent," he exclaimed as he clapped his hands together. "Icicle Jr. release her and give the girl her bow." Cameron looked at him with a touch of doubt before carrying out his orders. "Remember Artemis, I can still kill him, kill all of them. Your loyalties must lie with me and the team." She nodded and wiped away her tears. Her bow felt heavy in her hand as she stared at Sorrow.
Cameron elbowed her eagerly. "Welcome to the Injustice Society, Arty." The young archer turned away from him in disgust.
"Next order of business," Johnny Sorrow said officially. "We're aiming to erase your days with Young Justice, so I think a change of your name is in order. Of course, you can keep your secret identity, Artemis Crock, but your 'hero' name has to go." Artemis narrowed her eyes at him but remained quiet. "I'm thinking something that'll honor your late mother. I feel Huntress is too direct but Lawrence said she considered the alias 'Tigress'." When he got no reply he continued without her input. "Perfect! Tigress. A strong name." With that established he turned his attention away from the newest member of his team and directed it at the other villains in the room. They responded by giving their leader their full attention. "Let's wrap this up." Icicle Jr. nodded and began giving the order to finish up over the comm. link.
As the Injustice Society began readying to move a familiar figure appeared at the door. "Artemis," Wally called, ready to attack the villains in the room. The hero's sudden arrival drew everyone's eyes to him, everyone except Johnny Sorrow's.
"Tigress," he said in a bored tone. "Take out the speed freak. Leave him and the archer here for the sidekicks to find. We'll meet you outside to transport you to headquarters once you are through." Sorrow, Icicle Jr. and Wizard left through the back door, leaving Artemis to face Kid Flash and the past she was now leaving behind. Her eyes hit the floor as her grip on the green bow tightened. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment.
"Artemis," Wally whispered. "What's he talking about?" Slowly, the young archer drew out an arrow and nocked it. The pain of what she was now forced to do almost overcame her but she just repeated in her head that she was doing this to keep the ones she loved alive. "Artemis?"
For the first time since the speedster had arrived at the cabin, she looked at him. He was confused and worried as he took a few steps into the room. His eyes fell on Oliver's now limp form and more questions formed on his lips. Artemis drew her bow, aiming it at Wally, and let a few tears fall. "Everyone for herself," she said slowly. Using her shoulder to wipe away her tears, she steadied her voice. "Sorry, Wally. I got a better deal." His eyes grew wide underneath his goggles as the words left her lips. Without hesitation, the arrow was released flying full speed at Kid Flash. He sprang into action, jumping out of the way just in time. The arrow flew past him and landed in the wall next to the door. Truthfully, Artemis knew he would jump out of the way.
For a moment, she didn't draw another arrow. She just watched the ginger's face as he realized he wasn't fighting his friend and teammate anymore. Kid Flash was now fighting Tigress, not Artemis. She drew another arrow, knowing that the rest of Young Justice would soon join their speedster and she needed to end this fight. The stares of disbelief from all of them would be too much for her to bear. She notched the arrow and fired it off, with a speed that only came from years of practice. Kid Flash prepared to jump out of the way but was caught by surprise when the arrow tip exploded into a netting that wrapped around his body.
As she stepped passed him on her way to the door, his eyes connected with hers. "Why?" he asked. She flinched at the venom in his voice. "Why abandon the team? Why abandon Ollie?" He paused, his emerald eyes boring into her grey ones. "Why abandon me?"
Artemis tried to disconnect herself from the person she'd become. Instead, she focused on who she used to be. Artemis Crock. Criminal. Assassin in training. Lawrence's daughter. She took a deep breath, willing the words to come out of her mouth, knowing they'd hurt Wally more than she could ever do physically. "He offered me something you couldn't." He flinched away from her before fixing her with a glare. That one look said it all. Within a few minutes, he had grown to hate her with a burning passion.
The blonde stepped outside and into the full sunlight. The sound of an approaching helicopter caught her attention. "I guess I was wrong about you," Wally called from inside the cabin. His voice seemed to drown out the noise of the helicopter. "We were all wrong about you."
She spun around quickly. "Oliver is going to need medical attention. Worry about him." Wally was stunned by her response. She had managed to confuse him even more and she could tell just by the look in his eyes. Artemis left him there as the helicopter hovered overhead. A rope ladder was dropped down and she watched as Sorrow climbed up first. He was followed by Wizard and a villain she hadn't expected, Blackbriar Thorn. She went through the list of her new teammates as she approached them. She couldn't help but smirk as she remembered how Cameron had said "some more powerful than others". Her smirk disappeared as the buzz of Young Justice's mind link communication filled her head.
Miss M, Wally's voice called out, silencing the others. Pull out of Artemis's head.
Wally, why? was Megan's reply. Artemis squeezed her eyes shut, knowing he was going to tell. Icicle tapped her on the shoulder and gestured to the ladder. She was to go up next. As quickly as she could, she climbed up. At the top, a hand was offered to her, Jade's. A cocky smirk covered the black haired girls face.
Artemis isn't part of the team anymore, Wally muttered. An uproar of protest began once he'd thought that. It hurt Artemis to know how much the team believed in her. Just do it. The last of the Injustice League climbed up onto the helicopter and it began to fly away.
Whether I want to or not, Megan responded, her voice weak, I have to now. She's leaving my range. Artemis, what's g-. The connection was gone, her head completely silent. With the distraction of her old life gone, Artemis looked around at what was her new team.
"Welcome to the team, Tigress," Sportsmaster spoke up. A smirk laced his voice.
Artemis, now Tigress, turned her eyes away from him and stared out the window. She watched as the cabin grew smaller. Before it disappeared she saw her old teammates arrive at the scene. She thought of Ollie and his almost death. I'm doing this for you.