Artemis: Chapter 3: Meetings

Author's note: Set about 2 1/2 weeks after the episode, "Things Change". Note: One or more lines in Italics are thoughts. If a word in a line of Italics isn't in italics, or vice versa, the word is being emphasized.

EDIT 6-16-07: I combined the two parts of this chapter, and I added much more description and detail to each one, seeing as before they were much too short (That's what I get for rushing them, I suppose). I did, however, put a line in between the two, both for emphasis and because of the major point-of-view change.

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Artemis' shoes clacked noisily through the parking garage as she sighed exasperatedly, pulling her fingers roughly through her hair. She felt so tired, and it felt like her feet were going to fall off of her legs- classic symptoms of a nonstop shopping spree at the mall. She scoffed, glancing at her arms, bereft of shopping bags. Some spree, right?

Oh, how she hated the mall- namely all the people in it. She wasn't antisocial, but crowds made her- antsy. There were so many people at the mall, and it was very overwhelming for her. She needed her quiet. She enjoyed shopping quite a bit, but not at the mall, no, definitely not. Online shopping, private little market places, they were all certainly better than the mall. And yet, against her will, she was forced here. Her informant, contact -whatever position she had hired him to do- had called her frantically at six a.m. that morning.

She glowered. She almost killed him right then, for daring to wake her up, until she heard what he had to say. He had reason to believe that Slade would be attempting something (he had not specified what) at the mall, and that if she wanted to catch him alone, now was her chance. So she put up with the crowds, and the nosy kiosk owners, and the desperate salespeople selling perfume, for what? Nothing, that's what. She had walked through stores aimlessly, earning the animosity of store employees when they saw that she wasn't going to buy anything. After what seemed like hours, she gave up entirely, planning to return home and plot exactly how to make her contact pay for waking her up so early.

Which brought her to the parking garage. The huge, multi-level parking garage, one of its puzzling labyrinth-like levels holding her motorcycle. She had scrawled the level and parking spot number on her hand, but thanks to someone attacking her with hand cream in the mall; the pen had washed off, leaving her very, very confused as to how she was going to leave the mall. She had wandered around aimlessly for the past hour and a half, straining her already tired legs. She felt like she was in a haze, trapped in it until she found her bike. She groaned inwardly. I can't think straight until I get home. Then I can kick back, relax with some Chinese takeout, and watch T.V. She sighed again, her motorcycle still nowhere in sight.

No one said this job is easy. I'm going to kill my contact.

After twenty more minutes of direction-less wandering, she saw a glint in the far corner of the garage. No... It is! Yes! She let out a huge cheer as she bolted down the parking lot, racing to her bike. She took her keys out of her pocket and jumped on, eager to finally leave this place. She pulled on her helmet, and gave a little sigh of satisfaction when she started the bike's engine. Finally, I'm done. No more mall!

Artemis was startled by a small beeping noise. Thinking it was the bike, she withdrew her keys. The beeping noise continued. She got off the bike and removed her helmet. She grabbed her pack and rummaged through it. It wasn't coming from her pack either. She set it on the floor, and got on her knees to examine her bike. There. Affixed to the gas tank was a small black box. She pulled on it, but it was secured to the tank with some gooey, green material. She grimaced as some of the goo got on her finger, rubbing it hard on the ground until it came off.

She rapped the box with her hands. Surprisingly, she heard a dull echo. Whatever this thing is, it's practically hollow. She ran her fingers down the sides. Feeling a small groove, she pulled open the box. The front popped off, and fell to the floor with a clatter.

A mass of wires and circuitry made up what was inside. There was also a small black view-screen with a red button. Hmm, to push the button or not to push the button? That is the question. Eh, what the hell. She pushed the button.

The screen activated, and started buzzing with static before settling on an image on a man sitting in a chair. The camera recording this zoomed in on the man until his face was visible. It was a face, or rather mask,that Artemis could recognize anywhere. "Slade," she breathed.

"Why hello, Artemis, long time, no see?"

"Not long enough Slade. What do you want?" Artemis struggled to keep her voice level and control her anger, but the facade didn't spread to her eyes, which seemed to be crackling with electricity.

Slade chuckled, picking up on her latent hostility. "I'm gloating. What use is a victory if I can't enjoy myself?" He laughed quietly.

"Silly Artemis, you think I would let you kill my apprentice, and escape unscathed? It was rather hard getting a hold of you, I must admit. But your contact is so very forthcoming in information when threatened. Of course the vast funds I have at my disposal don't hurt either. Like I would attempt something at the mall, child. That would be rather 'B-action movie' of me, don't you think? Your 'tip-off' was a red herring, Artemis," Slade explained. "A distraction that allowed me to place a little something on your bike. I think I'm going to leave now. I have other matters that need attending to. Farewell Artemis, I doubt we'll be seeing each other again."

The view-screen shut itself off, leaving a very puzzled Artemis. What the hell was that? I am going to kill that contact. I'm going to kill him, bring him back to life, then kill him again. He is going to pay for crossing me. She cursed him and Slade both in several pungent oaths, getting louder and louder until the box distracted her once more.

Small green lights flickered on the box's surface. She leaned closer to the box. The green lights turned red. No, they weren't lights. They were numbers going in a backwards countdown. Artemis gasped. She realized with horror that she was in the presence of a car bomb. She smacked her forehead, wondering if in the next few seconds, she could be endowed with bomb- diffusing abilities. She quickly sobered up, assessing the gravity of the situation.

She had a little over a minute to think up of a plan. Only one came to mind. It was her best course of action. She held her pack in her arms. She didn't want it damaged in the blast. She turned and ran, trying to cover as much distance between her and the bike as possible. Sadly for her, she didn't get very far before the countdown reached zero.

The bike exploded, flipping in the air and crashing on to the ground. The twisting metal collided together with a sickening screech. Violently orange flames burst from what remained of the bike, sending shrapnel spinning into the air. She felt cold, cutting, metal slice into the flesh in her temple. The force of the blow sent her reeling into the cement floor, coming down hard on her knees, her pack still held tightly in her arms. Then it was over. The loud crashing noises and boomings ceased. Artemis stood up slowly, relieved it was over. She coughed, trying to get the dusty air out of her lungs. Her ears were throbbing, but slowly the pain was receding. She brushed her finger against her temple, not surprised that it was wet with blood.

She sat up, preparing to get her bottle of water from her pack, when suddenly the lights went out. Why would somebody cut the lights? A loud creaking and rumbling from above distracted her. She looked up in horror. The ceiling's caving in! She had to get away.. too late. A large piece of something hit Artemis in the back of the head. She collapsed, but weakly got up. She started to sway when she did so. She knew that she was losing consciousness, as tiny dots of black had started to eat away at the corners of her vision. She finally gave in, and fell insensate to the floor.

Starfire exited the mall with an exuberant smile on her face. Her arms were laden with eight shopping bags and her jade eyes were full of joy. With her every step, her bags swayed with her. They were full of big things, small things, chocolate-y things, and things most people could not name a use for.This journey to mall of shopping has been a most profitable one! I am sure Silkie will like her new collar of the bejeweled variety. I only wish they had such wonderful places on Tamaran.

She crossed the street, practically skipping down the sidewalk. Many people looked at her strangely, but by now most of them knew she was an alien and didn't particularly care. I wonder if Robin will enjoy these clothes I have selected for him. Many civilians agree that he looks much like a 'walking traffic light'. The shirt I bought for him did say 'Real men wear pink.' Robin is 'real' yes? He does not seem to be be a simulation of any kind. She smiled. Yes, I am sure he will pleased with my choices.

While she was walking past the parking garage however, the mood changed drastically. There was an earsplitting boom emitting from one of the lower levels. It was there for a few seconds, before wavering into nothingness.

Smoke began to pour out of the garage, and many people crowded around the structure, wondering what was going on. Mall security quickly formed an unbreakable barricade, preventing any curious shoppers from entering.

Starfire's hand went to her belt, fingering her communicator. She quickly pressed a button, signaling her location, and left the communicator alone. Her friends would probably be there shortly to investigate the disturbance. In the mean time though, she could find out what she could to aid the impending investigation. She ran to the area quickly, politely excusing herself every time a citizen got in her way.

She strode purposefully to one of the officers blocking the garage entrance, and asked to be let inside. After a little resistance from the guard, she was swiftly ushered in, the barricade quickly reforming as distraught bystanders tried to make it back through to inspect any damage to their cars. The strain was evident on the policemen's faces as they held off all the people (the elderly women were proving to be a bit of a challenge). Starfire was about to cross the threshold when she realized she still had her bags. What am I to do with my bags of shopping?

Spying a young security officer nearby, she approached him. "Would you be pleased to hold my bags of shopping?" The officer merely gaped at her, seeing as he was keeping a tide of people from breaking in. Starfire took that as a yes and dumped her 'bags of shopping' at the young man's feet. "You have my many thanks!" Starfire shouted as she ran down into the garage. The first level appeared normal, but as she rode an elevator down a few levels, she quickly noticed the atmosphere of the garage change abruptly. She stepped out the elevator, walking forward until she came to a hole, at least seven feet wide. Smoke drifted out of it lazily. Without hesitation, she flew down the hole silently.

The whole level was black, devoid of any lights. Starfire created a starbolt in each hand, surrounding herself with a green glow to see by. She could smell the acrid smoke even before she saw the blast site come into view. A burnt metal chassis of a motorcycle lay overturned in front of her. A circle of charred soot went across the floor, encircling the bike and anything within a twenty foot radius. The odd flickering flame still found it's way across its burnt surface. Crumbling chunks of ceiling fell to the ground and broke into pieces at the contact. The cars nearby had their windows smashed, hunks of debris sitting in their seats. Debris was scattered across the floor, some even smashing into the windshields of the nearby cars. As far as she could tell, no one was on this level of the garage. A good thing, for casualties made investigations last so much longer.

No, but wait, there was someone lying behind what was left of the motorcycle. She approached the motorcycle (or what remained of it) cautiously. Her eyes alighted upon the small, prone figure of a girl, lying spread-eagled on the ground. White powder was coated near the base of her skull. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving. Is she..

Her thoughts were disrupted when the 'mystery' girl jerked slightly. She is not dead then, thank X'Hal. She must be in a state of not being conscious. The girl's black hair was obscuring her face. When Starfire bent down to brush it behind her ear, it revealed a thin bloody gash starting at the tip of her ear and ending at the base of her temple. Blood slowly crept out of it, sending crimson drops down the side of her face. Starfire drew a quick breath. The gash certainly didn't look fatal, but it was still a nasty wound that needed to be treated.

This girl needs medical attention. I should take her back to the tower. Starfire observed the girl that lay before her. She was dressed normally, with a green long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans. Near her arms was a well worn leather pack.

It was a deep brown, with intricate designs of stars and moons on the straps. It was average in size, but something inside stretched at the fabric, sending two points up in the leather, at top and bottom. That alone was enough to entice curiosity in her, not to mention the fact that she needed to find something to take the blood off of the girl's face. Perhaps this pack will hold some form of identification, and more importantly, some bandages to dress her wounds properly. I shall do the 'investigating' and find out. With that thought in mind she opened the pack and began to rummage through it.

A thin wallet fell out, plopping onto the ground. Starfire snatched it up to examine it closer. She propped open the wallet with her free hand, keeping one of the starbolts lit in the other. The wallet was devoid of credit cards or identification, holding instead a some money, and a folded slip of stiff paper. She picked the paper up curiously, opening it with her thumb, focusing her light on it.

The 'paper' turned out to be a photograph, glowing in the greenish half-light. It was the girl that lay before her, but maybe a few years previously. With an arm wrapped around her was a brown-haired boy of about the same age. They appeared to be standing under a tree near a cliff. One of the girl's arms were obscured, seeing as it was the arm holding the camera up. Starfire flipped it over looking for a date on the back, or maybe a name. It simply read: Artemis and Teraan, the Sanctuary(where else?). More words were scrawled near the bottom of the photograph, written hastily in pencil. Nice picture of you and your boy toy! Ha! Hehe, please don't kill me for saying that! Shoot, you are, aren't you? Ahh, I can hear you coming closer. Bye! - Your darling sister, whom you adore above all things, and whom you would never dream of killing. Right?

Starfire chuckled at the 'darling sister's' words, though she was confused as to what a 'boy toy' was. Something else to ask Robin, she supposed. So this girl's name is Artemis. But where is she from? And what is this 'Sanctuary'? Starfire put the photograph gently back in the pack, and returned her attention to the rest of the bags contents. There was a pair of black boots, a black shirt with red sleeves, red armbands with gold edging, and black pants. There was also a water bottle, a black cell phone with green and blue rhinestones, and two long items wrapped in a soft, cloth.

Suddenly, the lights were back on, somebody finally finding the emergency generator. Starfire quickly extinguished her starbolt before returning her attention to the g-Artemis' pack. She found a travel pack of tissues, which she opened eagerly. Taking a bundle of tissues, she dabbed at the girl's forehead, wiping off the blood; and applying pressure to the cut so the bleeding would cease. She did not have any disinfectant, but she felt that the tissue would be enough for now, since the wound was not all that serious, though it might leave a scar. 'Crisis' averted, her gaze drifted to those things wrapped in green fabric, her curiosity still there. Perhaps one peek...

Starfire picked up one of the items by an extending piece of green fabric. It rolled out and fell to the floor with a thump. She picked up tentatively. It was a long, black sheath made of molded leather. The highly polished hilt of a sword peeked out from within it. Starfire grasped the hilt and pulled upwards.

What lay inside the sheath was one of the most magnificent weapons Starfire had ever seen. The blade of the sword was a dazzling, iridescent black. The blade sparkled, playing off the light from Starfire's hand. The hilt was a glittering steel with an intricate design. It was of a pure black circle, and contained within it was an indigo crescent moon. Instead of a pommel, there was a diamond shaped, pale green crystal. The sword was incredibly light, but Starfire could feel power and strength radiating from it.

She lowered the sword and moved to put it back in the sheath. She wrapped up the sword again and put everything back in the girl-no Artemis'pack. She held the pack in one hand, and returned her attention to the girl. The gash seemed to have almost stopped bleeding, but small drops still trickled out. Starfire put a hand on the girl's wrist, intending to sit her up.

Her eyes flew open, her pupils dilating in the near darkness. The deep emerald eyes widened in shock. She shakily got to her feet. "Who are you?" she demanded. Starfire lifted her palms, a gesture of peace. "Please Artemis, be calm. My name is Starfire. I only wish you peace. I was merely trying to examine your wound."

Artemis relaxed, but only slightly. It's alright. Starfire.What an unusual name. Then again my name is Artemis, so maybe I shouldn't talk. "How do you know my name?"

Starfire blushed, a light pink dusting her face. "I did, um, some investigating in your pack. Do not worry, I did not do much." She pointed to the cut on Artemis' temple. "Does this wound not bother you? Should I treat it? I have dabbed off most of the blood," she said, holding up the bloodstained tissue.

Artemis touched a hand to her temple. "Oh- thank you," she said. "You didn't need to do that." She reached over and picked up her pack, pulling out a half-drunk water bottle. Artemis unscrewed the cap and placed her hand over the mouth of the bottle. She closed her eyes and appeared to be concentrating.

A thin ribbon of water shot upwards and gathered in a ball around her hand. She moved her hand to her temple, where the gash was located. The water wound it's way lazily through the air, and when it found the cut on her temple, absorbed into her skin. The cut faded away into nothingness, without as much as a scar. Stafire looked on, interested. Her actions are similar to Raven's healing powers.

Upon seeing Starfire's puzzled look, she merely replied, "I can use the water to heal, with a little focus. It's no good for broken bones and the like, but for cuts and bruises it does just fine. Thanks for trying to help me; I'm sorry I snapped at you. I guess I'm just a little tense; this kind of attempted murder- thing annoys me. Slade always seems to know how to push my buttons." She chuckled, trying to find humor in the situation.

Starfire's eyes widened. "You know of Slade, Artemis? He is the one that did this to you?"

She nodded. "Yes, he did. How do you know him?"

"My friends and I have been fighting the evil man Slade for quite a while now."

"Something we've got in common then." Man, she talks weird!

Artemis was about to say more, but a sizzling bolt of orange energy interrupted her. Both Artemis and Starfire turned simultaneously. About a twenty or so drones stood before them, One stood in front of the rest, his laser still smoking. Artemis had but a few seconds to raise an air shield before they all fired at once. Starfire sighed exasperatedly. "Why have they arrived here?" she muttered to herself. Meanwhile, Artemis narrowed her eyes, understanding. He sent them to finish the job. Bastard.

All the lasers bounced off simultaneously, all hitting different spots across the garage. The level was filled with the din of car alarms and breaking glass. Artemis sighed. You've gotta be freakin' kidding me. Why can I not catch a break today?! She returned her attention to Starfire. "You think we can handle these guys?" Starfire handed Artemis' swords off to her, her eyes glowing a light lime green. "I think we shall do just fine Artemis."

Artemis smiled. "Then let's do this so I can go home."

Artemis lowered her shield and all hell broke loose, the drones swarming them in seconds. Artemis admired the strange redhead in combat. Many of the drones wilted in heaps before her and the green lasers that burst from her hands and eyes. She destroyed many of the drones at once, barbecuing their circuits. Artemis went the opposite direction, either slicing the droids open with her swords, or setting them on fire. After long minutes of intense combat, the last drone was destroyed by Starfire. After catching her breath, Artemis went over to Starfire. "You- you shot lasers out of your hands," she said, awestruck. "And you flew." Artemis pointed up to the ceiling, dumbfounded. "Flew. In. Mid-air. Nothing holding you up. Just- flying."

Starfire nodded. "Is this a surprise to you? Many people know I am capable of this."

"Oh, no," said Artemis, "I see that alll the time."

Starfire smiled. "It is nothing, I assure you."

"Thank you for your help, again. Look, I need to go back to my place and pack. Slade got too close this time. I was so close to death, it's frightening. I need to move right away. Do you, want to come? We could talk or something. It's the least I could do."

Starfire beamed. "I would be delighted to Artemis!" Her face darkened slightly, "But how will we get there? Your motorcycle is in no condition to be driven."

Artemis only dipped a hand into her pack and pulled out a black cell phone. Whipping it open, she dialed in a number and pressed the phone to her ear. "Hello?" She smiled. "Why yes, I am quite aware as to what time it is," she said brightly. Her tone became more serious. "I'm calling in the Big One, pal. You know the deal. I want a full tank, two helmets, and the one with the red flame decals." She pulled the phone away from her ear as the voice on the other line became louder. "Yes,now, please. No exceptions. Soon, I'll even pay the cab fare. I'm at the Jump City Mall parking garage. Wait outside, I'll be there soon. Bye." She snapped the phone shut.

"Please, Artemis, who is this person of whom you just spoke with?

Artemis took a second to answer her, as she was still trying to figure out Starfire's strange way of speaking. "Just the owner of a motorcycle shop who owed me one. C'mon. Lets go."

The two of them walked outside, past a police barricade and a few news vans, who tried furiously to snap pictures of the wreckage and the two girls before being chased off by the police. "Hey guys." said Artemis casually, waving at the nearest cop. "There's a heck of a mess in there. I hope this place is covered." It was at that time that a motorcycle pulled up, a middle-aged man at the wheel.

"Hey, my ride's here!" she exclaimed. Pulling Starfire along, she ran over to him. "Thanks, soo much. Here's for coming out late, and here's for a cab to get you home," she said, handing over two bills to him, smiling as she did so. He hopped out and Artemis rushed to the bike. She gazed at it in awe, the itch to test out the new ride overwhelming. Grabbing the two helmets and the keys, she handed one off to Starfire. "Put this on and hop in. We're outta here."

And with that, she put the keys in, gunned the engine, and drove off whooping down the highway; leaving a huge mess, and a still befuddled security officer still holding eight shopping bags all behind.

End

Ha, I would never kill off one of the main characters. Don't worry. Also, I know Starfire didn't just fly alongside Artemis on her bike. As she said in one of the episodes, her powers are driven by emotion. I figured she'd be too concerned about Artemis' well-being to be able to fly, but that's just me. Thank you all for reviewing. I hope I am keeping your suggestions in mind.

Artemis out.