Though nowhere near the size of Wayne Tower in Gotham, the tall metal and glass build that was Queen Tower dominated Star City's skyline. The large luminescent sign hung over the bay like a lighthouse, directing ships to the booming technological industries of Silicon Valley. Artemis had been in the building many times since she went to stay with Oliver, several times with Dinah, once with Roy, and many more times on her own. She remembered the view from Ollie's office. Through the large floor to ceiling windows, she had soaked in the beauty of the bay and observed the city below, plotting out patrol routes.
Tonight, she was studying the large windows of Ollie's office from the outside. She sat in the passenger's seat of one of the three jeeps headed towards the building. To her surprise, this mission wasn't a stealth mission.
"Set off all the alarms you want," Sorrow had told them back at the base.
On the ride to the city, she had gotten Cameron to explain. "This is our last scavenger mission, Arty. We grab the parts we need and head back to prepare. In a few days, we'll be living like kings!" Cam had refused to tell her what the final mission specifically was. He wanted it to be a surprise.
The jeep pulled to a stop, smooth yet quick. The occupants filed out as two other cars pull up next to them. Artemis shifted from foot to foot, hearing the birdarang knock against the metal tips of her arrows. Sportsmaster shot her a glare underneath his mask causing her to stand still. They headed through the double glass doors. The two security men at the front desk had noticed the group and sprang into action. Jade pulled out her poisoned daggers and headed towards the men. Artemis acted quicker, remembering the guards from her visits.
She had often stopped to talk with them while waiting for Oliver to finish his numerous late meetings. The older one was planning to retire at the end of the year and he enjoyed telling the blonde about his grandchildren and showing her copious amounts of photos. The younger one, who was working through college, had once told her of his new wife and his dreams of becoming a lawyer.
Before Jade could reach the men, Artemis trapped them in a net arrow, pinning them to the wall. She ignored the pointed stares from her teammates. If they wanted her help, they would have to deal with her non-lethal means. When nobody moved, she shook her head and strode to the elevator. "Let's just get this over with," she snapped. Artemis reached for the door to the stairwell only to find the whole building was in lock-down mode. All doors were locked and the elevator wouldn't work. They were stuck on the first floor until the police arrived.
"Allow me," a voice whispered in her ear as Gentleman Ghost slipped passed her. The archer shivered; he creeped her out. The phantom disappeared through the doors of the elevator.
While they waited for the specter to return, Artemis tried to focus her attention on anything other than the two still conscious guards. The others had all but forgotten about the men until one spoke up. It was the older one, Roger, who couldn't let them go without a quip. "Arrow will catch you," he called. Sportsmaster uttered a short laugh.
"I seriously doubt that," the blonde man replied as the doors to the elevator slid open revealing Gentleman Ghost standing inside. He beckoned for them to step inside. Most of the team filed in. Solomon Grundy didn't bother, instead turning to stand in front of the front doors like a large gargoyle protecting the building. The elevator doors closed, locking all of them in the small confined area. Artemis tried to wiggle to the front as inconspicuously as possible but her father noticed. "Anxious?"
"I just want to get this over with," she muttered, waiting for the doors to open. Finally, the elevator stopped at one of the upper levels. Before the doors could slide open more than a few inches, a small round object the size of a golf ball slipped into the crack. The smoke pellet came to a sudden stop when it hit Jade's foot. All occupants gaped as the ball erupted into a cloud of gas. By then, the doors were wide open, allowing the archer to jump out and avoid the choking fog. Behind her, she could hear the coughs and protests of the Injustice Society members. When she looked up, she was filled with hope and dread at the same time. Her mind was a whirl of worst possible scenarios. What if someone got hurt? What if Sorrow knew she betrayed him? What would he do to Ollie?
A glance over her shoulder revealed that the villains were already stumbling out of the fog. A vent in the elevator sucked up the gas, manipulated by Wizard's sorcery. Even so, the Injustice Society was to slow to react. That was all her former teammates needed.
A blur of red and yellow circled Killer Wasp, slowing only to deliver a momentum filled punch which threw the villain back against the wall and knocking him unconscious. Cheshire was quick enough to knock away the arrow headed towards her with a flick of her wrist but she couldn't fully block the hand-to-hand attack that quickly followed. Wizard conjured a shot put out of thin air and dropped it into Sportsmaster's hand. The blonde took aim and threw it at one of the attackers but the weighted ball stopped midair, turning back and hitting the magician in the head as Miss Martian appeared. Sportsmaster had glanced back to see his comrade fall and, while distracted, he was tackled by the charging Kryptonian.
A frigid hand grabbed Artemis' arm and pulled her forward. "We've got to get the objective," Cam called back to her as she dragged her passed the fight. No one seemed to notice their absence. The pair raced down the hall until Icicle Jr. pulled her to the side and into a room. She hesitated in the darkness but Cam knew what he was looking for. He rushed over to a metal table and grabbed two silver cylinders. When he returned to her side, he shoved the cold metal into her arms and pushed her back out the door.
They burst into the hall, almost knocking over Sportsmaster. "Most of the brats are taken care of," he informed them causing the archer's stomach to drop. "But the elevator isn't an option anymore. We have to get to the roof the hard way." Artemis nodded and turned in search of the stairwell. "Head to the end of the hall. I keep the hero-wannabes back."
Artemis and Cam ran down the corridor together and burst through the door leading to the stairs. Without missing a beat, they flew up the stairs as fast as their legs could take them. Three levels passed by before they were joined by another person on the staircase. Artemis peered over the side of the railing and watched as the blur from before sped up the stairs. Wally. Right behind her, Icicle Jr. was encouraging her to keep moving. She had just placed her foot on the next step up when Kid Flash flew past her and stopped several flights up, staring down at them. "I'll take these," he teased as the blonde realized the cylinders were gone. Wally held them up, letting the other two see.
"Then, I'll take them back," Artemis replied. She yanked out an arrow and let it loose, sending it straight for the speedster. Beneath his tinted goggles, Wally's green eyes flew open wide as the arrowhead exploded in a fury of sticking foam. The green foam trapped KF's legs and most of his torso. Taking the steps two at a time, Artemis closed the distance between them and grabbed the metal cylinders. "Thanks for holding onto these for me, Baywatch," she murmured, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. He wrinkled his nose and turned his face away. She bounded up the steps, leaving him behind.
No one else disturbed them as they approached the roof. Artemis reached the door leading outside first with Cam on her heels. Stepping out into the night air, she paused to asses her surroundings. A cool breeze running off the bay raised goosebumps on her bare skin. The buzz of an incoming helicopter cut through the noises of the traffic below. The black chopper landed on the roof, allowing Artemis to see Sorrow waiting inside. Her eyes caught on a dark mass on the floor of the helicopter but she concentrated on Johnny Sorrow. He stepped up to her and grabbed the cylinders out of her hands. "Very good, Tigress," he purred, inspecting the objects as if searching for damage. "I'm glad to see you're beginning to accept your role in this. It's too bad it's so late in the game. I almost have no need for you anymore."
The door to the stairwell flew open as Wally joined them, pieces of the green foam still clinging to the red and yellow of his uniform. The speedster rushed them in an attack. He hit Icicle and Tigress knocking them backward. Artemis fell to the ground as Cam and Kid Flash kept going, the two boys already throwing punches. Sorrow let out a sound of astonishment as he was jumped on from behind. The archer looked up and saw Robin sitting on the villain's shoulders. Johnny Sorrow stumbled forward heading towards the concrete wall of a small maintenance shed. Based on the smirk on the young hero's face, this was exactly what he wanted.
Artemis couldn't help but smile as Robin's plan unfolded without a hitch. Once the wall was close enough, the Boy Wonder reached down and plucked the scarlet mask from the criminal's face with a yell, the signal for them not to look. Artemis shielded her eyes, unsure of what would happen or what she would need to see of his face for it to kill her.
Within moments it was over. Robin gave a low whistle, signaling that they could look again, that the mask had been put back on again. The blonde opened her gray eyes in time to see Kid Flash deliver the final blow to Cameron's jaw, sending him backward. Icicle Jr. hit the rooftop with a thud, instantly falling into unconsciousness. Sorrow shook off Robin, throwing the boy into the wall unexpectedly. "Rob," Wally exclaimed, running over to aid his friend. Artemis pushed herself into a standing position, joining the fray.
"So?" the red-clad villain hissed. "You want to see my face, do you? You should have just asked." Sorrow grabbed the edge of his mask, staring down at the two heroes in front of him.
"No!" Artemis sprinted at the villain, barreling into him and knocking him away from her ex-teammates. They fell to the ground in a jumbled pile. Sorrow's mask skittered across the roof and away from Artemis's grasp. Squeezing her eyes shut, she reached out blindly, her hand desperately searching for it. She could hear Wally calling out her name but all that mattered to her now was getting the mask back onto Sorrow's face. Her shaking fingers brushed across the smooth cold metal of the mask a moment before something grabbed it out from beneath her touch and she was yanked to her feet from behind.
"You can open your eyes now, little archer," Sorrow's voice whispered in her ear. A chill ran down her spine. A rough arm caught her neck, holding her in a chokehold. "I put my mask back on." Cautiously, the blonde opened one eye, then the other, and looked around. Robin and Kid Flash stood frozen a few steps away. The tension in their faces confirmed her fears. The cold metal of a gun brushed against her temple. "I told you I would not except mutiny on this team. It's a shame, you were so close to earning the freedom of your mentor and yourself." Sorrow paused dragging her back a few steps towards the chopper. "Oh, well. I still have one last use for you and fortunately, you don't need to agree to it." They had reached the helicopter. The leader pulled her up onto the platform. Wally and Rob had followed them at a careful distance.
Sorrow's foot reached out and pushed the dark mass out of the helicopter. It hit the rooftop with a thud, lights from the city catching on what looked like blonde hair. The villain reached down and grabbed a small box underneath one of the seats and threw it out after the mass. "Your choice, heroes." The box came to life with a flash of a countdown timer. "Save your old teammate-" he gestured to Artemis with the gun- "or save the League member?" The mass groaned and rolled over as if on cue, revealing Ollie's bruised and bloodied face. The helicopter lifted into the sky, dropping Artemis' heart into her stomach.
As they flew away from the building, the blonde archer watched as Wally and Robin rushed over to the fallen hero. Wally set to work on the bonds that held his arms and legs while Robin dove straight at the bomb, working to disarm it. Artemis tried to blink away tears. At least now, Oliver was safe.
Sorrow's voice rang out again, behind her and over the comms. "Sportsmaster, gather the team and get out of there. We have what we need." Anger rose through the archer's body and clouded her judgment. The villain had just given up his one hold on her loyalty. From here, he could do nothing to harm her friends or Ollie. Her hands reached up and grabbed the arm around her neck, leveraging it to drag the rest of the villain's body over her head. Sorrow hit the floor of the chopper full force, shaking the frame. "You little brat," he sputtered. She grabbed the front of his suit and hauled him to the still open door, looking down at the busy streets below.
"I wonder if you can survive a fall like this," she snapped. "I doubt that mask will do anything to stop the fall."
"Then what will you do? Once you kill me?" The was a sharpness in his voice like he was asking a question with an easy answer, a question she should have thought of before attacking. "The League won't let you back in. I'm your only choice in life unless you want to spend your days in Belle-Reve."
"I don't care what happens to me. You killed my mother, at least you'll be dead."
A force filled kick connected with her stomach, forcing both of them back into the safety of the helicopter. He broke her grasp. He threw his leg out and tripped her as she tried to regain her balance. Artemis fell flat on her back, the air in her lungs leaving in a painful rush. Sorrow planted his foot heavily on her chest, pinning her to the floor. "You know Artemis, I was just beginning to like you. But, no matter, I still have a use for a mutinous archer."