Artemis opened the heavy metal door, the rusted hinges creaking slowly as the door swung open. Inside the bland room, a girl with messy blonde hair and a dress made of vegetation sat at the one table in the room. She sat positioned away from the door so she was facing the empty chair on the other side of the table. Her pale fingers were intertwined in her blonde hair and her chin rested in between her two elbows. Her dirty and bare feet tapped nervously against the concrete, and Artemis found herself smirking.
Too easy.
"Got yourself into quite the mess here, Rosy." The archer said as she made her way to the empty chair. She didn't sit down, however, instead choosing to lean over the chair. She still had her crossbow in one hand, and she placed it underneath her palm when she leaned over.
The young girl looked up at her, eyes full of fear disguised as hate. Or possibly she hated and feared Artemis. But Artemis was always told hate and fear equal respect, so in a way she was glad. "My name isn't Rosy." The villain-in-training said.
Artemis scoffed, crossing her arms and purposely waving her weapon in the other girl's face. "Well since you haven't told the police your real name, and I don't care enough to remember your fake one, it is."
"You're one to talk about fake. Your hair is way too blond for an Asian girl." She said bitterly, toying with her own hair. "Besides, no one asked me what my real name was." The girl pointed out.
Considering Gotham's police weren't exactly competent (excluding the Commissioner), it was likely. They don't really get new villains that often. The thought probably just hadn't crossed their minds.
"Okay, I'll bite." Artemis said, ignoring the comment about her hair. She leaned against the wall, still waving the crossbow around. She watched Rosy's eyes follow the gleaming point of the electric arrow loaded into the weapon, and her smirk grew. "What's your real name?"
"Jessica."
"Jessica who?" Artemis asked.
"Jessica Martin." The girl replied, annoyed with Artemis' questions.
"Well, Rosy," Artemis continued, starting to pace with the crossbow hanging loosely from her hand. "It would really help your situation if you would tell us every single detail about what happened." Now she was in Jessica's ear, whispering dangerously. It was the same voice she'd seen her sister use when interrogating people on the Shadow's hit-list. Low and smooth, but entertained. Artemis felt a sickness in the pit of her stomach at the mere thought of using the interrogation techniques her father had taught her, but she needed to find Robin.
"I-"
"No," Artemis interrupted smoothly. She had her elbows perched on Jessica's shoulders, one finger on her green-painted lips and the other hand holding the crossbow dangerously positioned towards the younger girl's throat. "You do know what happened. At least some of it. And if you tell me something I don't want to hear, no one is stopping me from getting to the bottom of your little lies." She left her unspoken threat at that, knowing it would be enough.
The girl thought for a moment, biting her lower lip. The hatred was gone from her eyes. Artemis began circling the table, walking around it twice before stopping and leaning onto it across from Jessica once more. She sighed, rolling her eyes in faux impatience.
"Do I have to," she pulled an arrow out of her quiver before the other girl knew what was happening and slammed the tip into the table a mere half inch away from Jessica's right pinky as she finished her sentence. "Repeat myself?"
A voice inside Artemis' head told her that Batman would be furious if he were in here, just as he was probably furious from the other side of the glass. But he hadn't come in yet, so Artemis pushed just a little further. Within five seconds, Jessica still hadn't answered. In the same phony impatience that she had earlier, Artemis grabbed Rosy's already knotted hair and pulled it back, forcing the girl to look at her. Only now did Artemis notice the pure fear in the girl's eyes. But she had to know where Robin was.
"Tell me!" she shouted.
"I didn't see much!" Rosy sputtered. "I was giving him a bath because he was gross, and then Ivy came in yelling about Catwoman knowing something. She tried to drown him and when that didn't work she gave him some sort of drug." Rosy stopped mumbling now, catching her breath. Artemis allowed her that. "Then there was some sort of knock out gas and I was out cold. When I woke up, Ivy was throwing things around and mumbling about stupid cats."
Artemis clenched her fist a little tighter, listening to the girl whimper. "And why did you get involved with Ivy in the first place?" Artemis asked.
"She said when she got the information from Robin that I could have him all to myself." Jessica admitted.
Artemis stared, anger and shock pumping through her veins. "You kidnapped my friend over some stupid crush?" she asked. Without waiting for a reply, she slammed Jessica's face into the table, grabbed her arrow, and headed towards the door. "Have fun in jail, moron."
And then she was gone.
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"So, where does that leave us?" Artemis asked as Batman drove through Gotham at such illegal speeds that Artemis was appalled he had passed his driver's test. Then again, she doubted he had a license as Batman. Whoever was beneath the cape and cowl probably had a sparkling driving record.
The perks of being Batman #564,660: you never get pulled over no matter what. Artemis thought wryly, and a tad bit enviously.
"Jessica said there was a knockout gas, which would imply the fact that whoever took Robin had to use it." Batman said. He probably had a list of his most popular villains memorized in his head. Robin had once called him a computer with pointy ears. "That means the culprit was likely human, with no powers."
Artemis thought about Gotham's biggest bads. It was unlikely that some low-life criminal would want to take Robin, or could for that matter. Especially from someone like Ivy, who was a leaf short of full-blown genocidal. "So, maybe it was Scarecrow? He uses gases and stuff like that right?"
"Not his MO." Batman said curtly. "He uses fear toxins that even Ivy isn't immune to, and her blood sample came back negative for whatever remains were still in Jessica's stream."
The archer tried again. "Maybe it was-"
"It was Catwoman." Batman said. "If Ivy was complaining about cats, and she knew Catwoman knew, and the culprit was human, it had to be her." He said.
Artemis deflated slightly. She sunk back into her seat, sarcasm covering up her embarrassment of not thinking of that. "Well maybe the World's Greatest Detective shouldn't interrupt." She humphed quietly, mentally scolding herself for not getting the answer. It was so obvious she should've seen it as soon as Jessica mentioned cats.
"Don't sulk." Batman said. "We don't have time for self-hatred." His monotonous voice and know-it-all attitude were hard to deal with, and Artemis was getting tired of it.
"I'm not sulking, or hating myself." She snapped. "God, I don't know how Robin puts up with you all the time."
Batman stopped the car. She didn't know where they were, and she didn't know why he felt the need to stop so abruptly. But now he was turned in his seat and glaring at her.
"Artemis, you're a bright girl. You're good in the field and you're a quick thinker. You remind me a lot of Robin, but you aren't as experienced as he is. You're reckless compared to him, and you never notice when you mess up. Robin doesn't put up with me, he works with me, and I suggest you start doing the same." He said before getting out of the car.
The blond sat in the Batmobile for a moment, completely dumbfounded by what he had just said. Was that Batman's version of a complement, or Batman's version of 'Mind what you say because I could kill you if I wanted to'?
She sighed, shaking her head and guessing she'd never know. Opening the car door, she finally realized where she was.
The Batcave was much different than she'd expected. Yes, it was still a cave. The floor was made of stone, and there were stalactites and stalagmites surrounding the edges. The car was parked near a tunnel, one that most likely led to the outside world. It sat on a grid that she didn't even want to think about looking down through. A little ways to her left there was a giant computer (probably the Bat computer) with a single rolling chair in front of it. Robin probably had to stand when the Bat was at work.
She could hear rushing water somewhere off in the distance, but she couldn't see some anywhere. Perhaps that was what lie in the dark abyss beneath her feet. On the right side of the cave there were stairs carved into the stone walls, leading up to an unknown area. A little further towards the back of the cave – beyond the stairs – was a room that appeared to have medical equipment and operating tables. Beyond that, an open space was littered with workout equipment, complete with a hanging punching bag (though from what it was hanging she didn't know, as the chain it hung on seemed to disappear into the darkness as her eyes followed it up) and what appeared to be another computer. Possibly a holographic one, just like in the Cave.
"Oh my God…" she whispered to herself. The entire place seemed to glow in a dark and moody way.
"Don't be too loud, Miss Artemis." Artemis jumped at the British voice. She turned to see an elderly man approaching her with a towel hung over his forearm. He wore a tuxedo, and seemed incredibly out of place in the dark cave, but he also seemed as though he belonged more than she. "You'll wake them." He glanced upwards, and Artemis' eyes followed his own.
Only then did she see the sleeping bats hanging from the ceiling several feet above her head.
"Did he really bring me to the Batcave?" she asked the Englishman.
"I'm afraid so, though I strongly advised against bringing others here." the old man said, shooting a glare at Batman over his shoulder. Said man was at the computer, his still-gloved fingertips tapping away impatiently at the keyboard.
Artemis studied the man's face. He seemed familiar, but she couldn't place his face. The balding head, the pointy mustache the lined his upper lip, the wrinkled smile, the eyes that had seen too much; it all seemed too familiar. She just stared at him for a moment, observing his motions and his bickering with Batman.
"Miss Artemis, would you like any snacks while the Batman is at work?" he asked politely, almost turning to go up the stairs.
Artemis was still in shock, but she managed to sputter out a 'no thank you'. She pulled her mask off, the fabric smothering her face. "What are you doing?" she asked as she slowly stepped off the grating that held the car. Her nervous footsteps echoed loudly throughout the cave.
Maybe that's how the Dynamic Duo got to be so stealthy, she thought absentmindedly. It must take some serious effort to be silent in this place.
"Looking up Catwoman's most recent address." He replied. He kept hurriedly glancing down at his fingers, as though making sure he was pressing the correct buttons. Then his head would pop back up and he would stare at the screen for a moment or two before glancing down again. He wasn't sitting in his comfy-looking chair, but rather hunched over the back of it. Clearly, he didn't plan to stay long. "It should be her current one, but she's good at not being found. Especially by me," he grumbled.
Artemis smirked. Everyone knew about Batman's soft spot for the kitty.
The butler returned, stealthy and silent. Yeah, years of practice. Artemis thought.
"Sir, are you going to require your Cat suit?" he asked, a small smile on the old man's face.
The archer looked between the two, confusion illuminating her unmasked features. "You have a Cat suit?" she asked.
"I'm afraid the Batman has a bit of a soft spot for Catwoman, and he was forced to make an extra Bat suit in the event that he should face her." The butler explained with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "It has a stronger fabric, so her claws may not cut so deep into it. It really is quite troublesome to sew the cuts up."
I know I have seen him before! She thought while she laughed. Batman almost looked embarrassed. He muttered a quick "Let's go" before storming off, despite his butler' and makeshift partner's laughter. But suddenly it hit her.
"You're Bruce Wayne's butler!" Artemis shouted randomly. She heard Batman turn on his boot and the butler (Alfred, if she remembered correctly) ceased his chuckles. She almost felt embarrassed, but at the same time she was increasingly proud. She had just discovered Batman's secret identity.
She turned on her heel, smirking and pointing at Batman. "And that makes you Bruce," she stated excitedly. "And Robin would be Dick. Right?" she placed her hands on her hips, smiling smugly at her recognition.
Her smile was wiped away completely when she saw the Dark Knight smile at her. "Took you long enough."
********************************LINE BREAKER!*******************************
"Well that was a bust." Artemis stated, completely deflated after discovering the lack of Catwoman at an empty apartment. It looked as though it had been vacated approximately a month ago, according to Batman (or Bruce, she should say).
She was already climbing out the window and loading an arrow when something caught her eye.
Another pair of eyes, bright blue, just like Dick Grayson's.
She did a double take but she only was able to see the fleeting form of a boy's butt (a pretty nice butt, she should add) running off a fire escape and into an apartment. Re-aiming her grappling arrow, she shot across the small space between the buildings and leaped across.
Glancing into the window, she saw the same butt running out the door of a dark, empty apartment bedroom. Hastily, Artemis climbed through the window and pursued. She reached up and tapped her comm. unit (the one Batman/Bruce had reprogrammed to Bat frequency) and began talking to the Dark Knight, who was either following or didn't care that she'd run off.
"Batman, I think I just saw him. He's running and I'm pursuing." She shouted as she ran through the doorway. "We're heading down the stairs of the apartment building next to Catwoman's fake one." Turning the comm. back off, she compacted her bow and placed it into her belt, enabling herself to run faster.
"Dick!" she screamed through her heavy pants. She could just barely hear his footsteps as he raced down the several flights of stairs.
She stopped on the floor she was on, using her elbow to break a window and peer out. She saw a boy in a blue hoodie with the hood up race out the door of the apartment and run down the street. Artemis pulled her bow back out, loaded it, and fired. She sailed on the line across the street onto a lower building, and running across the rooftops. Her stony gaze was glued to the top of the blue hoodie that continued running through the crowd. Once, she saw the head turn and glance at her. The same sapphire eyes met hers for just a second before he made his way towards the street.
He was at the very edge of the sidewalk, merging into a crowd before a large semi truck drove by, obstructing Artemis' view. When the truck was gone so was the boy.
Artemis stopped running for a moment, catching her breath and looking around rapidly at the crowds below her. But there was now boy in a blue hoodie.
********************************LINE BREAKER!*******************************
TA DA! An update!
Really I am so sorry this took so long. But I actually had it written and ready to be updated several weeks ago, but then I settled down to watch Supernatural for an evening and guess what?
I GOT A STUPID VIRUS.
The computer was on total lockdown for like, ever. I just got it fixed last night at like two in the morning and I really wasn't up to updating then. So here I am.
Anyways, I really appreciate all you guys who waited for me to get off my ass and write and stuff, and I'd like to apologize to everyone because this shouldn't have taken so long and I'm a horrible person for making you wait. So I am very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, VERY sorry.
So I also just saw Iron Man 3 a few days ago, and I want to know who saw it and what they thought. I personally thought it was really good, but I'll withhold my opinions because I don't know if everyone has seen it or if someone hasn't and still want to. I'm trying REALLY hard not to give away spoilers.
***REVIEW ANSWERS*** (I don't know if I did review answers for Chapter 8 and I'm too lazy to check so I'm just going to assume I didn't.)
SuperNerdDC: First of all I love your name. C: and thank you, I hope you love this chapter as well. :D
TSRowenwood: I love Selina too! She's so bad ass and she's just a perfect lady. Because she's badass but she's also sexy. It's amazing! Thanks, I had a hard time thinking of all those rules. Yes I know there were only three. XD Yeah, I didn't particularly like 'Real Roy'. I preferred Red Arrow.
Master Derpy: I'm not really sure what you're going for here…
Beachlover470: Thank you!
REVIEW!
~Charlie~