Wow… I broke my promise once again! SO sorry guys, I could go on about how I have school and stuff but the main reason this chapter is so late is that I'm just so lazy -.- sorry everyone! But this chapter is 2000 words so I hope it makes up for the lateness! And this chapter basically explains all of Midnight's past. BTW this is set in 2011 Season 1
WARNING: EVENTS MENTIONED MAY UPSET SOME PEOPLE; all of the stuff mentioned is completely fiction! NONE of the events have ever happened to me, this is just how I imagined Midnight fox's past. Sorry if it's a bit too grim…you've been warned.
…
Mt Justice 11:47 am Sunday
Whoosh! Thud!
Midnight Fox's eyes slightly narrowed as her black arrow hit close to just a centimeter from the complete center of the standing target 15 meters in front of her. Her and Artemis had been testing each other's aiming abilities with a bow for about thirty minutes now.
"Just admit it, I'm better then you in archery," Artemis smirked at Midnight playfully.
"Fine, archery isn't my specialty. But my knives can totally beat your wimpy bow!" Midnight Fox teased and give a small cackle that somehow reminded Artemis of the teams little bird.
"Wanna bet?"
"You're on!"
Artemis loaded her bow and quickly shot an arrow to another target, and smiled cockily at Midnight as it hit its center mark.
"Beat that." Artemis challenges.
Midnight rolls her eyes and plucks out a knife from her small poncho and swiftly throws it at the next target, this time hitting the center mark exactly, just like Artemis had.
Artemis narrowed her eyes and shot another arrow to another target, once again hitting bull's-eye. Midnight smirked and turned around, back to the target and threw a knife behind her back to the arrow Artemis had just shot and hit the middle of the arrows end.
"Ok, so you're better at throwing, I'll give you that." Artemis laughed, surprised on how much she didn't mind spending time with Midnight Fox. Midnight laughed with her, then stopped and held the smile on her face.
"I can't believe you haven't recognized me yet." Midnight beamed, "I honestly thought you would have noticed!"
"Why? Do I know you…?" Artemis stares curiously, quite confused.
Midnight Fox slowly takes off her dark half mask to revile a face that Artemis instantly remembers. Midnight's dark blue eyes study Artemis' shocked unblinking grey ones, trying to predict what her reaction would be.
"…F-Freya?"
"The one and only," Midnight Fox sighed as she stared at the floor, her smile slipping off her face. She slowly looked up to see Artemis still staring at her in disbelief, mouth agape.
Suddenly Artemis snapped out of her trance and launched her self at the thirteen-year-old girl, the girl that had been her best friend for almost six years. Midnight returned the hug, but is slightly surprised that Artemis is actually hugging her, which is something she normally would never ever do. After a while Artemis finally released her.
"I'm so sorry I never got to say goodbye…" Artemis explained, "But when my mum was released from prison we both just wanted my father out of our lives and-"
"Don't worry about it, if I were you I would have chosen to escape too," Midnight gave a small smile.
The two just smiled and enjoyed the others presence, which they had missed for almost a year.
"I like what you've done to your hair, the blue really bring out your eyes." Artemis reached out to lightly touch Midnight Fox's blue streaked caramel coloured hair.
"Thanks, I'm glad to see that you haven't cut your hair."
Suddenly Batman's monotone voice filled the training rooms intercom.
"Artemis and Midnight Fox report to training room immediately!"
The two girls looked at each other and sighed; Midnight quickly slipped her mask back over her face.
"We'd better go."
…
The two girls walked over to where Batman, GA, BC and the rest of the team were standing in the middle of the training hall. They were careful to make it look like no thing had happened between the two, since the team doesn't know Artemis' identity.
"Team you are able to entertain yourselves here in the cave while Black Canary, Green Arrow and I ask Midnight Fox a few questions, then after depending on the time you can resume your training." Batman stated, followed by murmurs of agreement from everyone.
With that the team wandered out to the lounge area and M'gann floated over to the kitchen to try a new cookie recipe.
Black Canary gently placed a hand on Midnight's shoulder, pushing her into the direction that Batman had started walking.
Soon the four of them reached a private conference room, inside there was just a large oval table with three chairs on one side and a single on the opposite end. The three leaguers locked the door then sat facing Midnight with serious expressions.
"Ok, so lets start with some less personal questions," Green Arrow started. "Had you been previously informed of this new Kobra Venom shipping taking place tonight?"
Midnight decided she would answer all the questions honestly as she could, since she really needs their trust if she doesn't want to be on the streets again, and she knew that she no longer was in allegiance with The Shadows.
"Not in detail, just that we would be needed to help and guard them," She picked at her bitten down nails, a habit she'd had since she was young.
"Do you know of any other Shadow HQs other then the warehouse?" Batman questioned.
"Not the exact locations, but I know that there are a few all over America and even a couple in other areas of the globe." Midnight Fox met his fierce glare.
"Ok, we have records of most of your old teammates except for one called Red Rose, could you just list a few points about her for example, age and weapons/powers ect," Black Canary asked carefully.
Midnight hesitated, she didn't want to betray her ex-best friend but it wasn't like Rose would ever forgive her anyway so what can she lose? "Um, she's 14 about my height, bright dyed straight red hair, she's just a human but was trained by her mother, who was an extreme martial artist and her weapons are a large sword and extra blade strapped to her back for emergencies. Oh and she's left-handed!"
"Great." BC smiled warmly at her after typing on a holographic screen what Midnight had just said.
"Now… Midnight Fox we're going to ask you more personal questions, you don't have to answer them but the more you trust us the more we trust you," Midnight rolled her eyes at GA's comment, they were treating her like a nine year old!
"Ok, shoot."
"Real Name?" Batman tests her.
Midnight exhaled and decided to trust the three heroes with her identity and she took off her mask once again. "Freya…Freya Vulpe"
"Italian?" Batman recognized the last name but couldn't remember where he had heard it.
"Half."
"Ok, birthdate?"
"May the 6th 1998" Freya says tentatively.
She looks over to Black Canary who was still typing down her birthdate just as she finished she looked up and gave Freya a smile.
"Last question, how did you first come in contact with the shadows and why did you leave?" Batman said still staring at her.
Freya's eyes slightly widened at the question and she absent-mindedly played with the end of her fake fox's tail, wondering if they deserved her truthfulness.
"What do I gain if I'm completely honest?" Midnight retorts back to the dark knight.
Batman thought for a while to himself, until deciding on a conclusion. "For your complete and utter honesty you gain a room to stay, here in Mt Justice for as long as you wish."
Freya defiantly liked the idea of not having to worry about where she was going to sleep the night and decided these heroes were much different then she had first thought, in a good way.
"Alright, deal. But I'm warning you that my past isn't a happy one…" She cautioned.
"None of ours really are." BC's eyes softened and with that Freya began the story of how Midnight Fox was made.
"The first five years of my life were the only few years where everything was ok, sure we were poor bit at least we had a small apartment and each other. We as in my father, my m-mother-" She almost chokes on the word. "-, My newborn baby sister and me. It was when my infant sister was born that everything started to go downhill, it wasn't her fault that she cried too much or that it happened to be the same time that my father lost his job and we went broke. But my father became angrier more often which then later turned to drinking and gambling then to abusing my mother and I, she became severely depressed and I was alone to care for my sister."
The conference room became deathly silent as the three league members stared at Freya, urging her to go on.
Freya began to pick at her fingernails as she continued. "It was like that for half a year, until one night when my father came home really drunk and angry. I had never seen him like this; sure I had seen him drunk, but never this angry. He had a fire in his eyes that I had never seen before so I grabbed my sister and hid in a closet so he wouldn't hurt us. But he found my mother staring off into space in the kitchen; this made him even angrier. I opened the cupboard a crack and I could see him yelling at her about how useless she was, I thought he would stop and just leave her alone but he didn't. He beat her, as much as I tried I couldn't tear my eyes away, and then he pulled out a gun from his waistband and I hugged my sister closer knowing what was going to happen."
Her voice became shaky, but she went on. She knew that if she stopped then she wouldn't finish.
"The gunshot shook the entire apartment and at this point I was balling my eyes out still watching the horrible sight unfold before me. My father dropped the gun with trembling hands realizing what he had just done, my sister squirmed and the cupboard door swung open. I was to terror struck to move so he did, he left."
Anger surged through Freya's veins as she recalled her father's cowardly choice and willed herself not to cry. By now the three leaguer's eyes were wide with shock and pity.
"He left me alone with an infant child and my mother's dead body on the kitchen floor! So I did the same, thinking that if I stayed then the police or child services would take away the only family I now had left. And now I regret destroying that option…"
"So at age six I was out on the streets of the run-down side of Gotham with my one-year-old baby sister, we were sleeping behind dumpsters for about a week before she got sick. I thought it was just a cold or flu, but it kept getting worse and worse until I could literary see the life slowly draining from her. She died in my arms…"
Black Canary gave a small gasp, amazed by how Freya hadn't broken-down crying by now.
"It was a few days later that Black Spider found me trying to fend myself from a group of large men, he told me he could help me and I believed him so I followed… I met Artemis at the training base; often she would stay with me when her father was out on long missions, we were good friends. The shadows educated me, trained me and taught me everything I know, yet I knew what they were doing was wrong. But I was to chicken to say anything or leave until last night." Freya finished and stared at her lap aimlessly.
Freya stood up from her chair still fighting to hold in tears, but she was determined. Black Canary stood up too and walked up to her and to Freya's surprise, hugged her. At first she remained stiff in the older woman's arms but soon she relaxed and hugged her back.
"You can talk to me anytime you need to, I'm also the teams councilor as well as trainer." BC suggested with a smile as they broke away.
"Ok thanks…for that," It had been a long time since Freya had received a real hug.
There was a long silence before Batman suddenly stood up and thanked her for her honesty as he exited the room. Green Arrow gave her a small smile and then a small nod towards Black Canary before following Batman's lead.
BC checks an analog clock on the pale wall and turns back to Freya. "It's almost time for mission briefing, Batman wants you present. I'll show you the way."
…
Vulpe means Fox in Italian by the way
So how was it? Good? Bad? I really have no idea so leave a review Thanks!
P.S. I made a new tumblr for all things to do with YJ!
It's called rise-batpotato . tumblr (no spaces)