Artemis gripped her bow tightly in one hand and an arrow in the other. She walked through the hallway silently. Up ahead, the Injustice Society was preparing for their first meeting with every member. Sorrow stood in front of the others. If she wanted to, she could shoot him now, he wouldn't even know what hit him. That wasn't what she wanted though, she wanted Sorrow to know who killed him.
The archer knew she should be scared out of her mind but oddly enough she wasn't. It was a quick decision despite the consequences. She'd made it final almost immediately after she'd been left alone.
She'd lost her temper with Cameron, shouting obscenities at him until he had run from the greenhouse. After he'd left, her father had come and sat next to her. He wouldn't shut up about how he was proud that she'd finally joined the family business and how happy he was that they were a family again. When she didn't even look at him, let alone speak to him, he just left. Jade came in as well. The older girl looked at her little sister for a moment before silently walking out. Jade would never know but Artemis thanked her for that. Sorrow even decided to pay her a visit. It was mostly to welcome her to the team and inform her of the upcoming meeting. Once alone, Artemis boiled over. The fact that she had finally found the man who was responsible for her mother's death and did nothing about it devasted her. They hadn't even taken her weapon away.
There was one absolute rule in the Justice League and Young Justice. One rule you couldn't break. No killing. Seeing as how she was no longer part of her old team, their rules didn't apply to her.
Now, she was about to enter the meeting. Her bow was clutched in her hand like she'd die if she'd let it go. The blonde archer stepped forward, catching Johnny Sorrow's attention. Somehow, he seemed to know what she was about to do yet he didn't make any move to stop it from happening. Before she dared to take another step forward she glanced around at the members of the Injustice Society and absentmindedly wondered who would kill her when she killed their leader. She was positive that she'd die when she finally got revenge.
Time slowed as Artemis nocked her bow and set up her feet. Sorrow's full attention was on her as she drew the string back. She aimed for the heart, making sure there was no possible way for her to miss. For a moment she sat there, bow drawn, staring at the red-clad man. The memory of her mother's dead body, covered in blood and sprawled across the old carpet of their apartment, flashed past her eyes. Oliver's bloodied, broken face followed her mother and was chased by the look of betrayal on Wally's face. She thought of her family, Young Justice, and of her friends at Gotham. A smile appeared on her lips and she released the arrow.
It was by far the best shot she'd ever made. It hit its mark, flying through Sorrow's chest and exiting from his back. Artemis heard it hit somewhere behind him. All eyes of the room fell on her. "Now, that wasn't very nice." Sorrow's voice broke the silence that followed the whoosh of the flying arrow. He bent his head to inspect the entry point. "Do you know how expensive these suits are?"
"Nice shot, Arty," Cameron laughed. He gave her a thumbs up. "No wonder Ol' Johnny wanted you on the team." Artemis stared at Sorrow in disbelief. That shot should have killed him instantly.
"You see Tigress. My body is not only invisible but also intangible. The only damage you did was put a hole in my suit." He poked a gloved finger into the hole in his suit and sighed sadly. "I can tell you're feeling rebellious, so I'll take this moment to remind you that I can kill any of your friends by taking off my mask. I will not stand for mutiny in my team. Understood?" Artemis could feel her head nod automatically. She was still in shock. The leader of the team clasped his hands together. "Good."
Killer Wasp crossed his arms suddenly. "Sorrow, we've got the team together. Quit stalling and tell us when we get to destroy the Justice League." A few members nodded in agreement. Artemis, however, couldn't stifle her gasp of surprise.
"Perhaps you have forgotten the last time you attacked the Justice League," the red-suited man snapped. "You were defeated by Wild Cat alone. No, we cannot afford to blow our chances of victory by blindly rushing the League. This will take preparation and planning." Sorrow glanced around and motioned for Artemis to join the group of villains. She did so, rather reluctantly. "I have a mission for you. We need technology. Without it our plans are worthless. We need equipment from Wayne Tech and Queen Industries specifically." Icicle Jr. cast a glance at the blonde archer. "Seeing as how these companies are in cities familiar to Tigress, I think it's important that she help with both missions."
"You are a crazy man," Count Vertigo hissed.
"Why, yes I am. Prepare for the missions. We are headed for Gotham first."
x
The chopper had no side doors, which Artemis was grateful for. It allowed the cool air to rush over her face and calm her nerves. However, they were in Gotham, meaning rain was almost always expected. By the time the group got anyway near Wayne Tower, they were all soaked to the bone. The team Sorrow had sent included her, Cheshire, Sportsmaster, Icicle Jr., Count Vertigo, and Solomon Grundy. Johnny Sorrow had stayed behind as he preferred not to get his hands dirty. As for the rest of the team, Artemis didn't know or care what they were doing.
The brightly lit Wayne Tower grew closer with each second. Artemis picked nervously at her new costume. It'd had been Sorrow's idea to get her a new uniform. The fabric was a horrible orange and black. The shorts were uncomfortable and orange with black tiger stripes running up the side. Her top was black with orange stripes and a tank top cut. Neither was especially helpful in keeping out the chill of the rain.
Sorrow had tried to get her to exchange her bow for a pistol crossbow, but she refused to touch the other weapon. When the leader finally agreed to her choice he demanded the bow be painted that atrocious orange color to match the rest of her. She really didn't have a choice on that one, but she did stop them from taking and destroying her old costume.
"Nervous?" Cameron asked as the helicopter hovered above the tower. The cables were lowered, and the team began repelling down to the building's rooftop. "Don't worry," Cam reassured her before they descended. "I've seen you in action. You'll do fine." He grabbed the cable and slid down. Artemis did the same and before she knew it she was standing on the building. Once they'd all gotten off, the helicopter flew away.
Artemis hesitantly looked around the building top, taking notice of the part of the tower still under construction from the explosion a month or so back. Cheshire quickly created a tether near the edge of the work site. "Tigress, Cheshire, you two take the front," Sportsmaster ordered. "Clear a path for us but don't draw unwanted attention." Jade nodded and silently slid down the rope to the half-finished floor below. Sportsmaster cleared his throat loudly, startling Tigress into action. She followed her sister down. She landed on a wooden walkway over a three-story drop. It took her a moment of scurrying to catch up with Cheshire, but she finally managed to get close to her. They transitioned to a part of the building that hadn't been damaged. The black-haired girl examined an open doorway before venturing into the hallway beyond. Artemis attempted to duplicate her sister's quiet movements, but she ended up making more noise than usual.
"Are you trying to alert everyone in the building to our location?" Jade hissed when Artemis caught up. Somehow the older girl had packed all the punch of yelling into an almost silent whisper. "Treat this mission like you would a mission on your precious little hero team. Got it?" The blonde nodded automatically.
The sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention. Jade signaled for Artemis to back up to the wall. As the archer carried out her orders, Cheshire flattened herself against the wall near the corner that the footsteps were coming from. A shadow appeared around the corner closely followed by the lone security guard it belonged to. He barely had a moment to process the sight of the villain before she threw an elbow into his gut, causing him to double over. She finished him off with a knee to his face. The guard fell to the ground, unconscious before he hit the floor. The older girl peered around the corner as Tigress took in their surroundings. Her eye caught on a movement off to their side. She glanced over at the security camera. It's line of sight followed them as opposed to the normal sweeping motion. Artemis stared at it for a moment, knowing someone in the building knew they were there, before yanking out an arrow and firing it at the camera. When it landed it exploded into a sticky foam that covered the lens and stuck.
Jade didn't seem to notice her sister's actions so, Artemis didn't say anything. The blonde waited for a siren or signal or the sound of running security guards, but none came. Cheshire motioned for Tigress to follow her as she slipped forward. They stepped into a similar looking hallway. It was completely empty. They cautiously strode forward. At the end of the hall was a door leading to a stairwell. Jade made a beeline towards the door, signaling for Artemis to keep up. As they ran down the corridor, the blonde caught sight of another camera following their movements and dispatched it as she did to the last one. This time Cheshire noticed.
She put her finger to her ear. "We need to hurry this up." Distantly Tigress could hear the rest of the group clambering through the hallways. "Come on," Jade commanded as she took off towards the door. When they reached the halfway point of the hall, the door burst open, revealing a guard aiming a gun at them. Artemis was already ahead of him. She nocked an arrow and sent it flying. It was a simple blunt tipped arrow but when it hit the man's jaw it delivered the force of a well-aimed punch. The guard stumbled backward and almost tumbled down the stairs behind him. Tigress had another arrow notched before he could recover and quickly aimed and fired. She hadn't paid attention to which arrow she'd pulled from her quiver, but she soon knew when the tip exploded on impact and sent him flying backward. The younger girl skid to a halt when she saw what she'd done. Cheshire grabbed her arm and pulled her forward.
When they reached the stairs, Artemis stopped and checked the man's pulse. By some sort of sheer luck, he was still alive. A wave of remorse fell over her as she realized what she could have done. Jade didn't even bother waiting for her sister, forcing Tigress to pour on the speed to catch up with her. After they flew down two flights of stairs, the older girl kicked open the door, allowing them to see two more guards waiting there for them. Cheshire rushed at one of them, dodging bullets, as Artemis pulled another arrow from her quiver. This time, however, she was careful about which arrow she sent flying. A net sprung forth from the arrow capturing the guard. Jade had already finished off her opponent by the time Artemis was done with hers. The raven-haired girl glanced at the still conscious man caught in the net before knocking him out with a kick. "Softy," she muttered with a glance towards her sister.
She stepped forward, examining the doors along the hall as she went. After a moment she stopped in front of a plain white door with a key card lock. Her finger went to her ear and she informed the rest of the group that the way was clear. Less than a minute later, Sportsmaster appeared at the stairwell door with the others behind him. He stepped up to the door and inspected the lock. "Grundy," he murmured as he stepped back. Solomon Grundy gave him a glare before ripping the door from the frame. This action set of the alarm Artemis had been waiting for. A few members looked around nervously. "Let's just get what we came for." Icicle, Count Vertigo, and Sportsmaster disappeared into the room while Grundy, Cheshire, and Tigress stood guard.
A familiar sound hissed through the air. At first, Artemis wasn't even sure she hadn't imagined it but when the distinctive clinks followed the hiss she knew exactly what it was. "Get down," she shouted instinctively over the beeps. She and Cheshire dove to the ground just as the birdarangs exploded. Grundy was too slow to react and took the full force of the explosion. At his size, the force barely fazed him, but he was knocked off balance and stumbled around before getting tackled by a black blur Artemis recognized as Superboy.
The two sisters hopped up immediately, ready to fight. An arrow sped towards Jade who knocked it away with one of her blades. Tigress glanced towards the stairwell to see both Red Arrow and Robin standing there. "Time to go," Cheshire called the members in the room before turning her attention towards the two heroes. The older girl got into fighting position and motioned for one of them to attack her. Artemis followed her sister's lead and nocked an arrow, preparing to aim for whoever didn't go after Cheshire. Red Arrow was the first to move. With the speed that only came from years and years of practice, he fired off arrow after arrow, each flying towards Jade with deadly precision.
Knowing her sister could take care of herself, Artemis turned her aim on Robin and released her arrow. It pained her to watch her arrow spiral towards him. She had no doubt that he'd dodge it but the act of shooting at a former teammate- and the youngest one at that- was unbearable.
Sure enough, the arrow flew past Rob and embedded itself in the wall behind him. The boy barely had to move to avoid it. He let two more birdarangs soar towards Artemis, both were non-explosive. Tigress spun to evade them as she pulled two arrows from her quiver. By the time she was fully facing Boy Wonder, he was already advancing quicker than she expected. Her fingers slipped from the string and the arrows began to escape from the bow, but Robin was already there, kicking the bow upwards and sending the arrows into the ceiling. Artemis blocked most of his attacks with her bow, but it was obvious that she was holding back and he wasn't. The blonde drew in a deep breath and tried to pretend she and Robin were just sparring. It worked enough for her to keep pace with him.
Her comm. link crackled to life. "The Martian girl has found the helicopter," the pilot of the helicopter informed them. She hadn't seen him much and had barely heard his voice but now she realized that Wizard was the one piloting the chopper. "Our planned pick up will not happen." Sportsmaster sighed heavily over the link, sounding like static in her ear.
Out of the corner of her eye, Artemis saw the other members of her new team appearing from the room. She also saw Aqualad, Rocket, and Zatanna enter the hall from the stairwell. Tigress got in a lucky kick, sending Robin back a few feet and giving herself time to notch two other arrows. She barely had time to send them flying towards their targets when Rob attacked again. The two arrows exploded into two identical nets that caught Raquel and Kaldur. Zatanna opened her mouth to help but Jade somersaulted over Roy and ran after the girl, keeping her too busy to cast any of her spells.
Artemis managed to push Robin away again. Once she did, her father was at her shoulder. "It's time to go."