[Case 88: Flight]
"So are you going to kill him?"
Mercedes leaned on the wall absently spinning around one of her trusty revolvers, her eyes locked on the computers before her.
"Sam's been here since I started the operation," Artie replied as he continued to watch the news feed, "It wasn't like he went rouge on his own."
"Don't blame me. I stayed with the 'copter, since you told me it required more stealth than firepower."
"And stealth didn't work did it? You could have avoided all this is you just waited."
Artie scowled at the screen, where Kurt was fitting a costume around a mannequin using the call in that was only supposed to be for emergencies and not social calls.
"I didn't buzz you in," Artie said, "Did you finally finished –"
"No not yet."
"I can't chat, I have to go meet someone in a few minutes."
"I know," Kurt took the measuring tape around his neck wrapping it around the mannequin. "That's why I called."
"You told him." Artie said to Mercedes.
"She told me and I mentioned it to him." Mercedes smirked. "About time you talked one on one. It's been going on three months since she joined our merry crew."
Artie abruptly rolled backwards as he snatched up his phone. "Don't even think of eavesdropping."
"I wouldn't dare," Mercedes glancing at the computer panel. "I'll probably launch something at the moon by accident."
"Naw, all those are password protected."
Mercedes pulled up a chair and as he leaves Artie hears Kurt's voice and knows the two had already started their gossiping.
He actually doesn't blame them in this case, he and Tina had a complicated relationship. From squabbling sidekicks to a crime fighting duo and everything between, the amount of strain in their relationship varied. Sometimes when they were working together it was very cordial and overly polite, and other times the wrong thing slipped out his mouth and she brings out the blades of equality on him. Yet despite that memory when Tina called asking to meet a local spot (for business only she had said more that once) he didn't hesitate in saying yes, because no matter their bad times he couldn't forget the good ones.
"You're late," Tina remarked as she sat at the table, twirling around a soda that had long gone flat. She flashed a quick grin as Artie rolled up to the table, to soften her words, "well things have certainly changed, since you're usually on time."
It seemed like she hadn't changed at all, he thought as he quickly glanced at her. She still wore the cheap layered necklaces, and while the streaks weren't as bold as they were before, the unnaturally blonde strands weaved through her hair though he the memory of them being blue or purple was vibrant in his mind.
"I got delayed," he offered in a way of apology, as he picked up a menu, "why here, we once found a claw in the lobster pasta."
"Neutral zone," Tina replied as she pulled a file out of her purse, and slid it before him. "This is strictly professional."
Artie spied the League Logo on the front knowing at once what this meeting was about. He had already hacked into the League's system that morning over coffee, and knew that inside was a reprimand not only about going outside the bounds of his operation, but a dressing down for Sam to cause the incident in the first place. Though the logic of this formality was Honey Badger levels of insane, he wasn't that surprised the League got upset that a mundane did a job now of their high profiled member could do, finally punching out General Hydra and dismantling her Cherrio bots.
He knew without looking up Tina was watching him closely, after all he knew that she knew that he knew what was going on with this, he was vastly disappointed. He should have known though the restaurant was more than just neutral territory with loud ambiance that meant you talk with little chance of being overheard as much as it was the one place they had not gone for a romantic outing before since the food was that bad..
"Let's not spoil my appetite," Artie said as he picked up the menu instead, "it's no Breadstix, but I wonder if they added anything new…"
"I didn't call you out here to eat," Tina remarked.
"I'm not in the mood for pasta, I wonder if they sell burgers?"
"Artie, we can't just talk about the latest attack or whatever flavor of the month that's in the streets."
"Why not? I saw in the news that the League is -"
"Because we're talking about people we know."
"It's no different than celebrities. Do we really know them after all?"
"You, -You're changing the subject!"
"That's what I do best," Artie said, "I wonder what the day's specials are?"
Tina rolled her eyes and sat back in slight defeat, in a familiar manner. As Artie pretended to study the menu, she coughed loudly, even going far to tap her spoon against her glass. She might not have an eidetic memory like he did, but she sure remembered that was one of his pet peeves. After a few minutes he stopped pretending otherwise, and tossed aside the menu to pick up the folder.
"I'm losing my fringe benefits," Artie remarked as he flipped through it. "All because of one little mistake?"
Tina jerked her head at the news feed that was playing on a television at the bar,
"You're running a secret operation. As in no one is supposed to know about it. Since there's that whole thing about Mundanes can't be Capers since it promotes bad ideas and your main operative doesn't wear a mask."
"I tried to convince him otherwise," Artie said closing the file. "I suppose the League doesn't like my hacking into their systems regularly. And to think how many times I saved the lot of them."
"You almost sent Rachel Berry right to their gates once."
"That was an accident, once."
Tina's lips twitched into a reluctant smile. "You were getting rid of her since everyone in Lima knows that's she been tracking Braveheart for ages since he rescued her. "
"How did you know the Lima's favorite reporter was tailing me?"
"Kurt mentioned that your codes went through five cycles of changes."
"Six," he corrected, and shivered a bit, "she's probably the most dangerous adversary to have."
"Not even Viperess?" Tina teased.
"She's going to hold that grudge to death won't she?" Artie grumbled, "We were drunk!" Artie exclaimed.
Tina lifted an eyebrow, "Fine, I was drunk, but Brittany was the one who approached me first, both times. Anyway isn't it bridge under water, they're girlfriends aren't they?"
"You know how poisonous she is," Tina quipped.
"She hasn't been bothering you a great deal other that has she?" He asked. "She switched sides so many times I just decided she's a loose cannon."
"Apparently working for one of the Big Two has it perks, despite being a Mundane." She paused. "I still think it's a flawed measurement."
"Superhuman reflexes, but average level of everything else," Artie murmured.
"If you can't shoot fire out your palms, read minds, or fly, you're worthless." Tina said with a shake of her head.
"Flying, I miss flying." Artie mused slightly resting his chin on his folded hands.
"You can't- oh you mean-"
Artie nodded and mimed the familiar gesture of casting of the line launcher. "For those few moments before the line grew taunt, it was the closest I felt to flying. I mean I can remember it perfectly-"
"But it's not the same." Tina finished.
"Yeah," he jested, "but as you recall I have the worse power of them all," he absently placed a hand on his wheelchair, "Perfect memory."
Tina looked down at her glass, then suddenly sat up, "I have a crazy idea. You know I bought back my parents' circus?"
"I read about it- you are insane," Artie interjected, "I'm not going go on a trapeze!"
"It's the closest you can probably get to flying without inventing something." Tina protested.
"There's also a higher a chance of me falling."
"Please." She said.
In that simple word he felt his resistance crumbling. That very same "please" was what got him out here in the restaurant, the very same please that had him considering this fool thing, since a part of him, much larger than he wanted to admit, wanted to humor her.
"Why not," Artie said, "it's not like we're going to eat."
They left the restaurant heading out to the parking lot, where Tina sheepishly looked around, "let's take my car I need to get it before the meter goes out."
He shrugged and followed her along the side streets.
"So I see some things haven't changed, I thought you went the other way?" He said nudging his head at the rooftop.
"It's my night off," she replied, "and I wanted to be on time."
"I wasn't late then," he said, "you came early on purpose!"
Tina looked away abruptly. "I did not-"
"Hand over your money and no one gets hurt."
As one they turned to see a young man with sock over his head and carrying a crowbar. Behind him there was a small ragtag gang of others slowly moved out the shadows waiting to ambush them.
"We should have taken my car," Artie remarked dryly as Tina moved behind him, "do we have time for this?"
"More than enough," Tina shoved his chair forward, spinning around to kick the nearest guy in the stomach.
As Artie rushed forward he yanked the sparing sticks from their hiding place in his armrest, disarming the first guy and dismissing the next with a series of practiced strikes.
A shadow flew over his head and Artie watched with a bit of awe as Tina expertly tossed a thug into a pair.
"That's only counts as one," he called, to which she stuck out her tongue before she executed a sharp elbow thrust into the windpipe of the guy coming up from behind her.
"You're welcome," she said cheekily.
He rolled his eyes and turned to find any leftovers, only to find the last of the group fleeing.
"They really did pick the wrong two people to jump," she muttered. "And I think I ruined my new shoes."
"We can go after the last one if you want if it makes you feel better," Artie proposed.
"No thank you," she pulled out her phone, calling Bieste's number quickly giving their location. "We're just lucky," she said putting the phone away, "none of them had a gun."
"Yes we are."
The expression on his face darken, and Tina felt like kicking herself, "I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine Tina." He said softly, "I know what you meant."
As they stood in the street, with the unconscious bodies around him, Tina suddenly felt transported back to the first time they had crossed past after his accident.
They had broken up nearly a month before it happened, some minor compliant that was symptom of the fact their readiness for a relationship was going at different speeds, that they were too young, and were living too much on the edge to make things work. In way she liked to blame the accident, as horrible as it sounds, for what happened to between them. A handy excuse to explain why after such an event they didn't try again. But it was just excuse that they were both using. Her to forget the past, and him to use it to avoid the future.
She asked him out tonight not just to hand over the packet, but because she got a sense that things had changed.
She had changed, he had changed.
In the weeks she had be running on missions with Sam and Mercedes and occasionally Kurt, she had thought the operation was what Kurt had joked it to be, a superhero rehab for those that were screwed up. A constant stream of guests filled their ranks that matched that description after all. Puck who burned so many bridges with Quinn and the baby, that cleaned up his image as a reputable superhero. Quinn who channeled her energies away from the destructive path she was headed. Santana who found something more than love to keep her from straying to the League of Doom by acting as double agent. Rory who almost became the new head of the Irish Mafia in Lima. Matt who had fallen to obscurity given his invisibility powers had found a some activity, and the list grew on. But the most remarkable change was not in the followers but in the head in the operation himself.
For the past five years Artie had worked at the library, occasionally in collaboration with Kurt on some device, he just kept researching on therapy on experimental studies that could help him walk again. But this year she had little heard directly or indirectly about it, Mercedes even said he was swimming instead of doing whatever dangerous thing with parts from a jungle gym. She would listen in on the conversation over the com link hearing the quick and rapid retorts between Artie and the all the rest, the voice modulation barely hiding the humor and wit that had always loved about him even when they were the farthest from friends. This organization had given him a purpose as much as it given her excitement in her life.
"My car's this way," Tina said as she stepped over a body kicking the guy in ribs as she passed.
Instead of the circus they ended up back in Artie's home base, with him giving the tour she kept putting off for ages.
"Virtual reality room?" she asked peering around the empty space.
Artie hit a button and a dinosaur charged at her, only to freeze as it touched her. "It's a work in process. I shut Sam and Puck in here once, and they came after me."
"I see why." Tina replied though she was impressed nevertheless. "How do you control it?"
Artie pointed at the panel on the wall. "There's of pre programmed designs inside, I working on a customization feature to expand-"
The surroundings shifted to familiar confines of the Big Top that Tina now owned, with lights shining on a trapeze.
"I thought you said it a crazy idea," Tina murmured.
Artie didn't say anything as she walked along the simulation.
"It's so real," she breathed, "I can almost smell the stale popcorn, it just like how I remembered."
"Remembered, you haven't been out there before?"
"I bought it not long ago, and I didn't feel like going alone."
I thought you've gone- I thought you would go out here all the time with – "
"We broke up." Even as a whisper her voice echoed in the simulated tent, as she looked back over to him, her expression steady, "months ago."
"Oh." He felt some sense of relief, quickly followed by guilt pass over him. "You didn't mention that."
She went back to the panel and changed the environment flipping through generic and familiar backgrounds, "You didn't ask."
"No I didn't."
A silence filled the room as she exhausted the landscapes and returned the room to the default confines of the room.
"You think that's special," he said clearing his throat, "I saved the best for last."
The control room filled with sleeping monitors was empty. Mercedes had vanished leaving a note about an emergency call to pick up one of the earth bound helpers, though it's more likely she got bored and went home.
Crumbling the paper aside Artie turn the machines back on, and had the pleasure of watching Tina's eyes widen underneath the soft glow of the monitors.
"No wonder it seems like you're everywhere," she said as she pointed to each screen, "local feed, surveillance, international channels, economic reports?"
"The world at my finger tips. Though it's a pain to update everything."
"Have you ever been hacked?" Tina asked as she perched herself on the table, idly pushing aside papers.
"No, but don't jinxed me."
She smiled. The light from the computer screen fell around like a nimbus as she removed her heels, each shoe falling to a loud clunk onto the floor.
"I won't then." She turned around to look again, smirking at the Jovial figurine Kurt had got him as a gag joke. She picked it tossing it over when she saw the picture frame shoved in the back out of reach.
Artie felt his breath catch as she picked up and turned it staring at the picture he she must have burned years ago. He wasn't sure why he didn't.
"Are you embarrassed?"
"Not quite."
She slid off the table, leaning in front of him, "Don't be. I still have the picture too. Right where you left it."
"I never asked."
"No, you didn't."
He leaned forward only to stop, his forehead nearly brushing hers, her hands on top on his.
"Was this all for work as well," Artie asked. "Or something else?"
"Possibly," Tina glanced into his eyes, and he saw a look he hadn't seen in a very long time. "Want to give it another try?"
In answer, Artie leaned forward planting a kiss on her lips that deepened as she responded in like. His hands roaming through her hair, hers hand around his neck, her leg swinging over the armrest of the chair as if she always known how to move around the chair….
It was hard to say, but in the passing moment it felt like a lifetime of memories passing through.
It felt like he was flying….
"Oh, you're busy."
They broke apart to see Kurt smirking at them through the computer screen, Mercedes was lurking behind him with a glass of wine.
"They looked to be both busy, if you don't me saying."
In answer, Tina lithely reached backwards to turn off the console, asked slightly breathily:
"You were saying?"