Inside the warehouse teemed with electricity as the four stepped through the doors. Generators and wires ran from the rafters high above down to the floors giving life to TVs and lights. The building hummed with a gentle vibration. The last bit of humanity in Blüdhaven.
Wally gave an impressed whistle as he walked towards the wall of screens. The system was hardly state of the art, housing six televisions of various size and make. Each one showed a different area of the city, and even some of the more rural small grove where Artemis and Wally had spent the previous night could be seen in one of the bottom corners.
"So you guys must have a shitload of generators going to power all this." His eyes danced as they followed the wires up and up far above him.
"Yup, and couple of car batteries, some solar panels." Dick threw his bag down, talking as he closed the doors. "Kind of impressive how he did it really."
"That's because I did it," Barbara interjected. "Seriously, how would you expect Bruce to do any of this?" She sat down in an old chair in front of the screens.
"You did all of this?" Wally asked. He looked around, still impressed by his surroundings. "The center back home had a lab, but most of the electricity went to lights and very basic equipment. Nothing on this scale."
"Most of what lies outside is on solar, but they're a bitch to put together. Almost killed myself a half dozen times trying to get all the materials. What's in here runs on car batteries and even a couple of gas powered ones."
"That was my idea." The door finally closed as Dick rested against it.
"Yes, you're a true technological genius." Barbara swiveled around in her chair to face the screens. "No sign of Bruce on screen. Think he's home?"
"No way. If he were he'd be in that chair."
Their voices trailed off as Artemis walked around the building, totally lost in the mess of the wired building around her. There was nothing like this back home. Lights, basic refrigeration, and Barry's lab, that's where the power went. And sure they were allowed to watch a movie every now and again, mostly just for birthdays, really, but this was a whole new level. To be honest there wasn't even much to look at where she was, just wires hanging down from their sources above. Her foot dusted a couple of tools on the ground as she watched a patch of sparks come off some revealed wires. She backed up to avoid the sparks, but only managed to back into something else. Turning quickly Artemis found herself staring up into two very dark and very angry eyes.
"I didn't mean to," she blurted. The figure walked past as Artemis quickly followed towards the others. "Dick let us in and Barry sent us, he said you know him and could…"
"You brought them here?" His voice was deep and powerful and felt as if it shook the entire building. Dick immediately sat up from the floor as Barbara continued to turn in her chair. Wally's eyes locked onto Artemis's, his eyebrows cocked.
"We were being followed, besides you knew she was coming." There was a slight tremble in Dick's voice as he spoke.
"And now your pursuers know where we are."
"You're hardly a secret, Bruce. The entire east coast knows you're here." Barbara had stopped in front of the monitors.
His eyes narrowed. "You could have lead someone here."
"So what? I lead them through town and waste all the traps? This saved time and resources, and you know it." Bruce stared down at Dick who seemed to gaining some confidence. He must have struck some kind of cord as Bruce was now turning back to the two newcomers. Wally and Artemis had inched closer together, both pairs of eyes darting between Dick and Bruce. Barbara remained motionless in front of the monitors.
"That's not the point."
"No, I'm pretty sure the point is getting a car, so we can leave," Artemis mumbled. The older man turned to look at her, clearly having heard her comment. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wally palm his face. She rolled her eyes. "Well, it's true. We're not here for a field trip. You're supposed to help me get a car."
"Cars are hardly a plentiful resource, and most of the working parts have been scavenged." Barbara's voice floated over from the chair. The screens behind her showed mostly ruin, scrapped cars, and sleepers.
"But there are working parts somewhere? Or enough parts to at least get one started?" The blonde head turned from the other girl back towards Bruce, who's stone cold demeanor seemed to deepen after that question. From behind the chair, Barbara turned around, eyeing the man. Their eyes held a conversation that he was plainly loosing.
"Don't get too comfortable." Bruce said before turning for the door. Dick quickly got out of the way to let him pass, half-heartedly finding himself next to Barbara, who threw a quick wink to Artemis. The door shut with a large bang.
"He seems friendly," Wally offered. Artemis playfully bumped him and Dick chuckled.
"Don't take it too personally. He treats everyone that way, especially us."
"So what? He goes out and magically returns with a minivan or something?" Artemis had returned to looking around the old building, deeming it safe to pry. Barbara snorted.
"No, he's probably resetting all the traps. He won't be back till late, if he's back at all tonight. We'll most likely go car shopping tomorrow." Artemis nodded in reply.
"I'm gonna look around." She turned before anyone said anything else. Wally caught up to her in a matter of steps, and she could feel his eyes on her. "Yes?"
"Nothing," he said. He quickened so he could walk in front, turning around to face her. "You're getting nervous."
"I'm not nervous."
"You're getting defensive."
"I'm not defensive."
"Uh-huh. Remind me what the definition of defensive is again?"
"Wally, what do you want?" She continued followed him, despite him facing the wrong way.
"I want you to breathe…In, out…and stop worrying."
"I'm not worried."
"No, but you will be, and when that happens, I'd like to avoid becoming a punching bag, okay?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Well, I have about a dozen scars on my knees if you need a reminder all the same."
Artemis's eyes finally left his to look around. The area held less electricity, and looked like it was mostly storage. Spare ammunition and weapons laid scattered about amongst crates of odds and ends. Bricks, empty bottles, assorted hardware, it all had a purpose in Bruce's eyes, while Artemis couldn't even comprehend how it all fit together.
"You should get these guys to help out back home when this is all over," she said, her eyes following the ceiling as high as it went.
"You mean we." Wally watched her, his inquisitive gaze having never left her face.
"Right."
Silence enveloped the room as Artemis started up at the ceiling. Barbara had offered the room's only bed, instead lying on the floor on a second mattress. Somewhere down the hall, Wally was lost to Artemis, presumably sharing a room with Dick.
"So," her voice cut through the air. "What's it like? The infection and everything?"
Artemis shifted. "I'd hardly notice it if it weren't for everyone talking about it."
"Oh. Sorry."
"No, it's fine. It's not your fault." She exhaled through her nose. "How were you supposed to know?"
Barbara shifted across the room. "Well, after you've saved the planet, you should definitely come back through Blüdhaven. It's nice not being the only girl for once."
"You mean you don't like being with Dick and Bruce everyday?" she joked.
The redhead laughed and it filled up the room. "I mean, Dick's great to have around for all of the obvious reasons, but...Listen, Artemis, we are surrounded by idiots. We girls need to stick together."
Artemis was touched by her kindness and smiled to herself. That would have been the ideal - provide a cure, help clean up the country, kind of like those superheroes in all those old comics Wally liked to read. But things probably weren't going to go that way, at least not how Barry described it. She sighed.
"I uh…I think the trip out west is going to be a bit more of a permanent move for me. Wally could always come back though. It's close enough to home."
"He's not staying with you?"
"No, there's not really any reason why he would…I'm not going to be uh…" She paused trying to think of how to word her thoughts. After a few heavy seconds Barbara spoke.
"Oh." Artemis didn't respond. "I - Does he-"
"No," she said immediately. "I don't want him to." She rolled over onto her side, the one she assumed was away from Barbara. "He's all I got, and telling him would just..." Artemis let out another deep sight before rolling back over to look at Barbara. "Look, there are only about five people who know about this, and to be honest I hate talking about it, so you cannot tell him. That has to be something I do…hopefully before we get to California."
In the darkness the blonde could faintly make out a nodding motion from Barbara's area. She sighed as she laid back down, thoughts rushing through her head, mostly the surgery and Wally. Each time she drifted off a new worry came to mind, one by one until light slowly started filtering in through the window.
Bruce unfolded a map on the floor on the ground level. Before them old streets of Blüdhaven webbed out under hastily made notes and annotations. A large red circle surrounded a small area of the city, the part of the industrial district where they were located. Red X's marked out areas around them in what had been once densely populated areas.
"This should be easy enough for even the two of you so long as you stay close." He was marking routes on the map and circling new buildings, a few accompanied by question marks.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Artemis was cranky after two nights in a row of less than pleasurable sleep. It wasn't so much that she hadn't slept well the night prior, she just spent most of the night worrying about Wally and the trip only to be woken earlier than hoped.
"Most of the cars within the safe zone have been picked over in the last years. What remains is in poor condition and at least three to five miles away, and there is no easy way to get there. Sleepers inhabit most of the city…" His fingers gestured over the map as he pointed to various marked areas. "There are a couple colonies of biters, but most reside within old apartment and office buildings."
"Biters?" Wally yawned. He scratched the back of his neck as he listened.
"The big ones with the teeth," Dick explained
"We're going to want to head towards this area," Bruce continued. "Parking garages, apartment buildings. More cars means a better chance of finding one that still works."
"Didn't you just say that is where all the biters are?" Artemis was now leaning on the table in an effort to not fall asleep.
"If you're not willing to get dirty you might as well turn around and go home now other wise you might be able to do some good in this world." His dark eyes flashed to her holding some kind of sadness that she couldn't quite see. Quickly, he turned back to the map continuing the plan. "We're going to bring some basic tools and a battery with us, but nothing that will slow us down. If we go this way," his fingers once again traced a route on the map, "we should hit minimal trouble and reach the area before nightfall."
It seemed simple enough to Artemis. Get in, grab a car, leave, but Dick, Barbara, and Bruce were packing for a war. Ammo, rags, and alcohol went in one bag while the second held the car battery, various auto parts, and a couple jugs of fluid. The third, Bruce's pack, held even more ammo and basic supplies, along with some even more complicated looking objects - compressed cans of who knows what and bottles of clear liquid.
Wally and Artemis still had their sacks from home which contained little more than a change of clothes and a few days provisions. On top of Wally's bag was his pistol, still unfired, though Artemis couldn't say how much longer that would last. A quick tap on the shoulder caused her to turn, finding herself face to face with an intimidating weapon.
"Crossbow," Barbara said. "You don't look like the gun type." She winked before showing her how to load it, puling back on the strings before loading in the bolt. "Safety, aim, shoot." The arrow flew out, hitting one of nearby crates. "But they can also be a pain in the ass, and don't load quickly, so just to be safe," She reached behind her and brought out a rifle. "Fairly similar if you think about it. Bullets go in here, pull on the bolt, safety, aim, fire." Once again she walked through the steps, this time not firing.
"How old is this thing?" Artemis asked. Her hands were careful to not go near the trigger.
"I have no clue honestly. I think Bruce said it belonged to his dad or something."
"And he doesn't mind me using this?"
"Let's just assume he doesn't know," Barbara winked before walking towards Wally, giving him a similar talk and a box of ammunition.
They were out the door less than twenty minutes later, and back out into the wild. Bruce lead the way followed closely by Dick and Barbara. Wally and Artemis brought up the rear, neither one knowing what to expect. The route had them going about five miles out, but Artemis found herself hoping it would be closer to three. Going farther out meant wilder territory and sorer feet. The morning dragged on, most of the time spent avoiding traps than infected. There were no stops for breaks or food. A couple of times Bruce would peek into a building for supplies, but often came out empty handed.
The sun was starting to make its way overhead when they finally left the safe zone. Alleyways filled with traps soon gave way to mess and decay with makeshift barricades blocking most of the roads. Their only reliable option was to make their way through the abandoned buildings which unfortunately meant nests of infected. Most were easily avoidable, preferring the lower levels, forcing the group to trek up stairs to avoid them.
It wasn't until the fourth building out of the safe zone that all hell broke loose. Sneaking low to the ground, Bruce lead them to the stairs, Dick and Barbara quickly following with Wally and Artemis watching each step they took. It was in that brief moment of looking up that completely screwed her over. Artemis winced as her foot made contact with an old aluminum can, sending it rolling across the floor. The tinny noise echoed across the building, sounding louder and louder with each second. Artemis opened her eyes. Dick, Barbara, and Wally all looked pained. Slowly she adjusted her gaze to Bruce, who looked ready to kill. In the distance snarls and growls hurried towards the source of the noise. Biters.
Bruce only needed one word.
"Run."
First off, I want to thank all of you for your patience and awesomeness with how long this has taken me. I could give you a million reasons why, but long story short, fanfic wasn't the most mission critical thing on my plate, and for that I apologize.
Second, a HUUUUUGE thank you to Opaul and Geekdad for proofing this for me. They're both way nicer about this chapter than they should be and very supportive, so definitely check them out or say hi because they're ~AMAZING~!
This chapter was the much needed world building and transition, and once chappy five gets up, we'll start seeing a real change of pace (as I'm sure you can tell). Thank you all so much for kind and supportive words!
-mags :D