Artemis reacted instantaneously, her eyes snapping shut before her brain had completely registered what she had heard. There was a panicked yelp from somewhere in the room. Perhaps, Robin's plan was actually going to work. After all, by now he must have heard about the siege on the Watchtower. He must have hacked the screen. How else would she have heard his signal?
As she waited for something to happen, she desperately hoped the screen was playing the recorded image of Sorrow's face.
"Here's how it'll work," Robin had told her through the birdarang. "You said he was headed to Queen Tower next, correct? The team will be ready for them. We need to make sure no villain but Sorrow is on the roof. I'll be there waiting for him. I can hack one of the security cameras and record an image of Sorrow's face without the mask. Based on JLA records, playing that recording in front of him should paralyze him long enough for you to attack him. It worked before." At the time, he seemed so sure of himself and she'd believed him but now that the most crucial part of the plan was unfolding, she realized how many ways it could fail.
Finally, the low whistle signaling for her to look rang through the room. Her eyes snapped open, searching for Sorrow. He was standing in the middle of the room frozen in the process of backing away from the screen, his arms stretched out in front of him.
Wasting no time, she struggled to her feet, preparing to attack. More than anything, she wished she could have shot him with her bow but her bound hands would have to do. She could almost see several arrows ripping into him, payback for everything he had done to her, to Ollie, to her mom. No, she could actually see several arrows hitting him in the back, a real one and three concussive tips. The red-suited villain collapsed to the floor but she wasn't focused on him. Her gaze fell on the doorway where Green Arrow stood. His bow was still raised and aimed but his arm shook with exhaustion.
"Stay away from my daughter, you sick bastard," he muttered, dropping his bow to his side and advancing on the villain. Artemis had never seen him this angry and it almost scared her. Ollie crouched near Sorrow, searching for something and came up with a key. Slowly, he approached her, his mask of fury replaced with concern. "Artemis, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," she replied as he unlocked the handcuffs and released her arms. "How did you get here? The Zeta beams are blocked."
"Caught a ride on Miss Martian's bioship." Oliver left her for a moment to place the handcuffs on Sorrow. He grabbed hold of the villain's shirt and threw him so he was propped up against the wall.
"So, the rest of the team's here?" She asked. He nodded, standing awkwardly in front of her for a moment before trapping her in a rib-crushing hug. For a moment, Artemis just stood there, completely unsure of what to do. So suddenly she'd been yanked out of a hopeless situation and into a new reality where she was no longer under Sorrow's control. Slowly, she returned the hug, glad to be back with heroes instead of villains.
When they broke apart, Ollie set to work readying his bow and preparing to leave. "I believe they still need a little help with Grundy and some of the others. Are you up for a little hero-ing?" As much as her body wanted to give up and rest, she wasn't going to miss a fight, especially up against her new former "teammates". "I picked something up when I ran into Sportsmaster earlier." Ollie reached back and pulled a folded orange bow and a quiver off his back.
Artemis smiled at the sight of her bow. Within seconds she had it in hand, ready to use.
They left Sorrow behind and headed out the way Artemis and Sorrow had originally come. Before the hero and his protégé could make it too far they ran into a familiar face and, for the first time in her life, Artemis was glad to see her biological father. He blocked their path with a javelin ready to be thrown. His mask covered his face but the archers could see a bit of purple skin forming around his eye. "Green Arrow," he muttered, paying little attention to his daughter. "No hero punk is going to take my job as a father." The javelin soared towards them.
The two heroes jumped aside to avoid it. Artemis rolled to a stop, landing on one knee, and had an arrow nocked and fired within seconds. The concussive arrow hit Sportsmaster in the jaw and caused his mask to fly off. While he was disoriented, she rushed forward preparing to attack. He saw her coming and struck out first, making her throw up her defenses. Before he could attack a second time she dropped to the floor, sticking her leg out to trip him. Once he was on the ground, she planted her foot on his chest to prevent him from getting up. She leaned down so only he could hear what she had to s-+ay. "If you ever attack my father again, I will end you," she whispered, finishing it off with a kick to his head to knock him out.
She looked back to see Green Arrow watching her. He looked ready to say something but ultimately stayed quiet. "Let's go," she muttered, continuing forward. A moment later she heard his footsteps behind her as they finally approached the open area by the Zeta platforms. The Justice League had arrived and the fighting seemed to be near its end. Artemis spotted Red Arrow and Kid Flash taking on Gentleman Ghost and Cheshire. She sent a concussive arrow flying, using it to push Cheshire away from the redheads. Gentleman Ghost managed to land a punch to Roy's jaw but, with Artemis keeping Cheshire at bay, Wally was able to turn his attention to the specter.
The ghost swung around using his momentum to fuel a punch that should have landed on Wally's jaw. Instead, the phantom's arm passed through the speedster's head. With Gentleman Ghost thrown off balance, Roy attacked. Around them, the fighting was dying down. It was clear to all parties that the Injustice Society would lose this fight. Artemis managed to trap her sister with a net arrow as Gentleman Ghost disappeared through the floor, escaping the fate that awaited his teammates.
"How come he didn't hit you?" Roy complained to Wally, rubbing his jaw. He joined Artemis as she approached Cheshire. The older girl was tangled in the net but that had never stopped her before. "Do us all a favor and stay down, Jade."
Artemis examined their surroundings. The now defeated Injustice Society was being rounded up and placed in constraints befitting their respective powers. Several key Leaguers were gathered in the center having a rather intense conversation.
"I don't like the look of that," Ollie muttered as he joined the other archers. He put a hand on Artemis' head reassuringly. "I'm going to go talk to them." He left her standing around awkwardly, unsure of whether or not she was allowed to the gathering group of Young Justice members. After all, she had betrayed the League.
Before she could come to a decision, she was hit by a blur of red and yellow formally known as Wally. The force of his attack sent them both back into the hallway and out of sight of the others. She was prepared for his anger but instead, he only pulled her into a constricting hug. His hold on her was almost too tight for comfort.
"Wally," Artemis cried. "Calm down." Wally let her out of the hug but kept his hands on her shoulders. There was a brief pause where they just stared at each other. And then, he kissed her. It was quick, barely lasting more than a few moments. He'd pulled her closer but the kiss was over faster than it began.
"If anyone asks, I didn't just do that. Ok, beautiful?" Artemis was too stunned to speak and simply nodded, trying to keep from putting her fingers to her lips. Wally smiled and until now, she hadn't realized how much she loved that smile. "Let's go join the others. There's a spot on the team waiting for you to come back to it.
"Nice outfit, by the way, but I prefer the green." Artemis looked down suddenly reminded that she was still wearing her Tigress uniform. She preferred the green, too. Wally's hand found hers, their fingers lacing together as they headed back to the main room much like they had when their memories were gone in Bialya.
The two of them met the rest of the team who were holding a conversation of their own away from the League. As they approached, M'gann noticed them first but the whole team's attention was soon focused on her. For a moment, no one said anything or moved, most were ambivalent about how to greet her. Finally, Robin smiled and held out his hand to shake hers. She bypassed it entirely. In a totally non-Artemis move, she pulled him into a tight hug. It was his genius plan that had saved her butt. He was the reason Sorrow failed. "Nice to see you too, Artemis," he laughed as she released him.
The others followed the Boy Wonder's example and welcomed her back. M'gann tried to greet her calmly in a withdrawn sort of manner but in the end gave up and, squealing, attacked Artemis in a bear hug. Even Red Arrow threw his arm around her shoulders and gave her a sort of half hug.
After a while, Green Arrow broke away from the other League members. His face was shadowed by his hood but Artemis could read his emotions on his body language alone. Arms crossed and stomping away from the others, he was less than pleased and that didn't bode well for her situation. She watched carefully as he stormed over, worrying at her bottom lip hard enough that it began to bleed.
"What's the verdict?" she asked when he was close enough. The two of them pulled away from the others to talk.
"The League is split. On one hand, yes, this was the biggest security breach in League history but it's not like you had a choice. I argued that we wouldn't have stood a chance without your intel but some members are stubborn. You have Superman's vote, Batman's, Dinah's, and mine. The Flash will probably vote your way too, but you'd need a majority vote to stay." He heaved a sigh and rubbed his temples. "The politics of this stupid club... it kills me." He looked back at the heroes, most of which were still conversing with each other. "I told them I gave up the access codes and threw my member card at them. Maybe if I'm lucky, they'll kick me out. I've been meaning to go rogue for some time now." He chuckled in his usual make-any-serious-situation-humorous way and a smile finally touched his lips. "There's no use worrying about it now."
Artemis spared a glance towards her team, watching as they laughed and chatted with each other. Even Roy seemed to be enjoying himself for once. Sure, if she was kicked out by the League she could still do the whole hero gig with Ollie but she'd have to let go of the team. That wasn't something she could handle. She, Artemis Crock, finally had friends that cared about each other, not ones bonded by mutual hate of being put in jail. She finally belonged.
She motioned for Ollie to stay where he was and, against her better judgment, approached the Justice League. Artemis had never really been one for proper etiquette. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she cleared her throat to gain their attention. One by one, all eyes turned to her and she stood there in front of the Justice League, most staring with intrigued curiosity. She had no idea what she wanted to say but it was too late to turn back now.
"My background is the epitome of unclean. If it weren't for my mother's stay in jail, I probably would be fighting your protégés instead of helping them. I was a dangerous bet to begin with but not only did Green Arrow decide to trust me, Batman did too. They trusted me to stay on the right path and until this incident I have. I've earned my spot on the team time and time again. I've proved to all of you, the whole world even, that I would sacrifice almost everything to help the League. However, I wasn't going to sacrifice my mentor, Green Arrow. I don't doubt that any of you, put in my position, would have chosen differently. If you choose to never trust me again, fine. If you keep me under such a close watch that I can't blink without everyone knowing about it, fine. But don't kick me off the team.
"For the first time in my life, I've been a part of something for the greater good of society. The team is the closest thing I have to a family and I don't want to lose them. I finally have something worth fighting for and I am going to fight for it with every fiber in my being."
Artemis could have monologued at them for hours, presenting her case and using every trick in persuasion she knew to try and sway their vote; anything to stay on the team. But Batman interrupted her before she could continue. "Not many people have the guts to speak to the Justice League that way. That was quite the speech... and you're right." For a moment Artemis was shocked. Oliver had told her Batman was voting to keep her on the team but she hadn't expected him to react quite like that. "There isn't one of us that would have chosen differently. Arthur, would you have sacrificed Mera? J'onn, would you have let M'gann die?"
"You're hardly one to talk, Bruce," Wonder Woman spoke up. "You're the one all about the mission and personal sacrifices."
The Dark Knight's stare was intense enough to make Artemis glad it wasn't directed at her. "I would let all of Gotham burn before I'd let Robin die. You should know that better than anyone, Diana." The two stared each other down for another moment before his expression lightened and he turned to the archer, still severe but not angry. "You will stay on the team for a week-long probation period. After that period of time, if there is not conclusive proof that you will betray the team and the League, you will be an official member again. If anyone disagrees then speak now." No one moved. A small smirk appeared on Batman's lips but it may have been the lighting or even her eyes playing tricks on her. It was too hard to believe that he had actually smiled at her. "I believe the team is waiting for you."
She whispered a quick thanks before turning and heading back to Ollie and the team. The young heroes were staring at her as she approached. The unasked question hung in the air. "There won't be a vote. Unless I show suspicious behavior, I'm back on the team." Smiles split the faces of the team members, some high-fived her, others hugged her. Artemis couldn't help laughing with happiness. She'd never been more at home and she couldn't believe it had taken this whole ordeal to make her realize this.
Oliver moved to hug her but collapsed before he could reach her, cutting the celebration short. "Ollie," Artemis cried, kneeling beside him. With everything else going on, no one had noticed the blood stain that had appeared. The bright crimson seeped through his tunic. "You must have reopened your bullet wound." Tears pricked her eyes as she realized Ollie hadn't gotten a proper chance to heal because he was constantly being abducted by Sorrow or running after her. He'd been shot and beaten within an inch of his life with little to no medical care and he'd still come to her rescue. "We're getting you to a hospital."
"Someone get Black Canary. There's a doctor in the city we always go to and she'll know the number," Roy murmured as he helped her lift Green Arrow. They each placed an arm underhis shoulder and helped him walk while one of the team members ran off to find Dinah. The two of them directed Ollie towards the Zeta platforms.
"We're going to have a picnic," Oliver stated decidedly as they stumbled to the platform. "We'll act like a real family. You, Dinah, Roy and I. I'll even make some of my famous chili." Artemis couldn't help but laugh at the older man's babbling.
"Sure, Ollie," she answered. "But first we're getting you to a hospital."
"It's all over, Artemis. This whole ordeal is finally over."
She smiled. Yeah, it was finally over.