A very kind reader pointed out to me that they were confused about some things in this story! First, I would like to thank them for telling me! Underneath I am putting an explanation of this world (also in bold). If you don't wish to read it, the story will continue when the bold stops.
To begin, the story is set in modern times with all the wonderful technology that comes with it.
The Superhero Kingdoms:
Every superhero is a king/queen or a lord/lady. So, while not all superheroes will be royalty they will all be some sort of nobility. Whether they are a King/Queen or Lord/Lady is decided on what fits the plot the best. They superheroes all have their original powers or skills because they are a distinguishing mark of the family line.
For example, in the Flash Kingdom the king and his heir have superspeed. In the Arrow kingdom the royals all have excellent aim. Finally, in the Bat Kingdom the royals are extremely smart and resourceful.
None of the superhero's have secret identities. If their superhero name is used, it is used more as a title. Everyone knows the real names of the royals and nobility.
Why they go to Gotham Academy:
The Bat Kingdom, while the most dangerous, is one of the most influential. The royals and nobility want their children to gain connections in Gotham. Going to this school allows them to do so. Gotham Academy is also an excellent private school, so all of the children receive a proper education.
There is no Justice League, and formal alliances between kingdoms are nonexistent, which is what makes Wally creating one such a big deal!
I hope that explains everything! If not please ask me questions so I can aim to be clearer in the future!
Artemis spent the next week stalking Prince Wallace, discovering his schedule and the schedule of his entire household. She needed to know exactly when the house was empty and would be for a while. It wasn't easy for her to find that time. Prince Wallace was the only person in the household who had a set schedule, everyone else had no permeant schedule that she could follow.
She learned that when the opportunity presented itself, she was going to have to move quickly and be prepared to leave at any time. She knew which room Prince Wallace's was as well as the fastest way to get to and from that room. She also knew all about their security outside of their home, but she wasn't sure of what lied inside. She would be taking a risk going in without knowing exactly what security they had, but she didn't have the resources to find out the inside security. She would have to cover her face, wear gloves, and pray for the best.
Her opportunity presented itself on Monday, after their training in the cave. Prince Wallace and his uncle were going on a tour of their kingdom to check on their subjects. Most of their staff would be accompanying them, and only one or two would remain.
As soon as Prince Wallace and his Uncle were out of sight, Artemis went to work. She threw her hair into a baseball cap and pulled a scarf up to cover her face. As she pulled her gloves on she made her way towards the house, climbing over the wall when the coast was clear.
The camera's that covered the yard were almost too easy to evade, and Artemis wondered if that reflected her training, or Prince Wallace's lack of brainpower. A tree was conveniently situated by Prince Wallace's window and it took no effort for her to climb the tree and perch next to Prince Wallace's window. She held a small device to the window, waiting for it to tell her if there were any camera's or listening devices in Prince Wallace's room. When it gave her the all clear, she pried open the window and made her way into Prince Wallace's room.
It was cleaner than she expected, but still unmistakable Prince Wallace's. Comics lay scattered on the bed, and science trophies covered his shelves. Photos of his Uncle, Dick, Roy, and the rest of the team decorated the room; Artemis was surprised there weren't more of M'gann. With the way Prince Wallace flirted, Artemis would have thought that M'gann would be covering his walls.
His desk was organized, papers and pens neatly put away, the computer resting in the middle of the desk. For the moment, she ignored this and began to place small cameras around his room. She made sure to cover every angle and keep them hidden. With the cameras in place she turned back to the computer. She cracked it open and put a sticker over the camera before she fully opened it; she didn't want to risk there being any evidence of her being there. Surprisingly, the computer asked for a password. She mentally cursed, she had hoped that there wouldn't be a password, so she could search the computer. She couldn't risk trying to hack it, she knew she wasn't skilled enough to attempt to do so without announcing she was there. Artemis pulled carefully placed another camera on his lamp, angling it so it could see the computer screen. This way she could see what he did on his computer without having to hack it. She shut the computer, taking off the sticker, and went through the papers on Prince Wallace's desk.
It was mostly schoolwork. The few papers that weren't schoolwork weren't of any interest to her. Artemis growled, she knew that she would now have to look at the rest of the house and that would be risky. The more time she spent in the house, the greater chance she would be discovered. However, it couldn't be helped.
She cracked open Prince Wallace's door, immediately spotting the camera in the hallway. This camera was much more sophisticated than the ones outside. This camera had been designed by the Bat Kingdom and had no blind spots. In the event the camera's view was blocked, it recorded all sound and contained motion sensors as well. This camera was nearly impossible to get past, and Artemis knew she'd only be able to do so once. She would have to pick the one room she wanted to search, and that would be all she could do.
She pulled out another device, pressing a small button on the side. The device would give her exactly ten seconds to get to the door across the hallway, Prince Wallace and his Uncle's shared office. From there, once she gained the information she needed, she would have to exit from the office's window. That was a much riskier escape, but she didn't have a choice.
There was also the chance that there was another camera is in the office. However, she suspected that there wouldn't be. Her look though Prince Wallace's room proved that he, and most likely his uncle as well, did all their official work in the office. Alliance or no alliance, no ruler would allow another kingdom to know exactly what was happening in their kingdom. And since the security was created by the Bats, anything the cameras saw, the Bats would know.
Pressing the button once more, she ran across the hallway, closing the office door behind her. She quickly scanned the room, relieved to see no cameras, and looked around the office. There were two desks, and the room was almost split down the middle with the mess from Prince Wallace's side. Papers were everywhere, books covered every surface, and the only clear space was the desk. She didn't bother with Prince Wallace's Uncle's side of the room or either computer, knowing it would be password protected as well. Instead she began to examine the papers that covered the office.
The papers didn't appear to be in any order, and they covered a wide variety of topics. Artemis read quickly, trying to find some information she could use. There wasn't much useful information, but one pile of paper under the desk looked promising.
The papers contained detailed histories of the other kingdoms. They also had list of every alliance in the Kingdom's history along with why they worked or didn't work. There was no mention of forming an alliance, but Artemis believed that this stack of papers was evidence enough that they exited.
She continued to look through the papers, but found no other evidence of an alliance. Artemis glanced at the computer. There had to be more information on the alliance, and the computers had to hold all the answers. But the risk was too great, the computers were no doubt Bat protected and even the best hackers can't get past Bat Security.
Throwing a final glare at the computer she took pictures of all the relevant papers and planted cameras around the office, once again angling the camera to view the computer screens. She hoped she would be able to find some more information on the alliance, or information on how Prince Wallace and his uncle ran their kingdom. With everything done she made her way to the office window. Unfortunately, there wasn't a tree at this window so climbing down would be much more obvious. The only benefit was that she wasn't facing the street, so there was a lesser chance that she would be seen.
She pried the window open and made her way out, closing the window behind her before making her way down the wall. It was far less graceful than she would have liked, but it was quick, and she was confident that she had been unseen. Her feet had barely hit the floor when she heard voices outside of the house. She immediately recognized Prince Wallace's and mentally cursed, trying to figure out her best escape route.
Artemis waited, listening to the voices get softer and softer until they were inaudible. Then she quickly made her way out of the yard and onto the street, pulling her scarf down to seem less suspicious.
As she turned the corner she bumped into a man, his gruff "Watch where you're going," following her.
She walked more quickly, recognizing that voice. It was Roy. Keeping her head down she turned another corner, praying that he hadn't seen her face. All her other recognizable features were covered, but her face had been open.
The bus ride back to Gotham was tense. She feared that she had been seen by Roy, and any minute now they could come after her. She only relaxed when the bus entered the Bat Kingdom. As she continued on her way home, she grew more confident that Roy hadn't recognized her.
Once in her apartment she opened her computer and pulled up the camera feeds. King Barry was working in the office, and Prince Wallace napping in his room. Artemis could help but roll her eyes at Prince Wallace. The way he was sprawled over his bed was ridiculous and lacked all dignity a royal was expected to have.
Artemis and Prince Wallace both jumped as Roy burst into the room.
"Roy? What are you doing?" Prince Wallace asked groggily as Roy stalked around his room, obviously looking for something.
Artemis held her breath, knowing her cameras were well hidden, but suddenly anxious they would be discovered. However, her luck held, and Roy stopped his patrol of the room, obviously not having discovered anything.
"Nothing," He spat and walked out of the room, Prince Wallace staring after him before flopping back onto the bed.
Artemis watched as Roy walked into the office, nodding to King Barry and looking around the room.
"Is everything ok, Roy?" King Barry asked, looking up from his paperwork.
Roy nodded, turning to fully face him, "Everything appears to be fine."
"Appears?" King Barry asked.
Roy nodded, "I don't have any proof yet, but there may be another threat to Wally's life."
King Barry straightened, "Is he in danger?"
Roy shook his head, "Not yet. As I said, there's no proof that there is a threat."
"But you'll keep an eye on it?"
"They won't get to Wally,"
"Good."
Artemis turned away from the computer, glad the cameras were already proving useful. So, Roy knew that something was going on, but was she a suspect?
Her computer rang with an incoming message form her father. Artemis groaned, and answered the call, her fathers face staring expectantly at her.
"Report."
"I broke into Prince Wallace's house today. There is no direct evidence to an alliance, but there is plenty of research about them. If I had to guess, I would say that he is trying to form some form of alliance, but I can't say when, where, or with who. I planted cameras in the house to try and get more evidence."
Cheshire appeared from behind her father and asked, "Are you still undiscovered."
Artemis hesitated, "Roy is suspicious of me. He ran into me as I was leaving Prince Wallace's house."
"Did he know it was you?"
Artemis shook her head, "I don't think so."
"I'll take care of Roy," Cheshire said smugly, "Keep your mind on your mission."
With that, the call was ended, and Artemis leaned back in her chair, taking a deep breath. She shut off her computer and went to bed, knowing her mission wasn't going to get any easier from this point on.
Thank you for reading! Please tell me what you think and what you would like to see from me in the future!
