Hack Ch. 8
3:02 A.M. March 25, 2012 Outskirts of a Public Campsite, Michigan City, Michigan
The clean air was thrilling.
Artemis rarely got shots of pure, clean air, growing up in the smoggy, dirty streets of Gotham, and then moving up to the equally busy capital.
It filled her lungs, made her head dizzy with adrenaline, and she felt so powerful.
Too bad she was stuck on monitor duty.
'Monitor Duty' consisted of a team mate sitting at the computer in the hovercraft, playing computer games as they waited for the rest of their team mates to return from the mission. Their actual job was to call for back up and be prepared to fly the hovercraft and retrieve his or her team mates if necessary, but the person on monitor duty usually ended up watching cat videos on Youtube.
Don't Bruce you know this, but occasionally, they would just proceed on their missions without a person on monitor duty, it just wasn't necessary, most of the time.
The reason Artemis had been stuck with this absolutely abhorrent task was because she had tripped in the shower the other day, promptly fracturing her wrist and bruising her knees and her other arm.
She tapped the dashboard of the hovercraft impatiently, hoping for something to happen, for some action.
She pitied herself when she nearly jumped when the com link crackled to life.
'Artemis-" Megan's voice said through the static, "We haven't found any good leads, so we're going to walk a couple more miles due east. We'll probably be gone for a couple hours, but if you want, you can move the hovercraft on the coast of Lake Michigan and we'll meet you there."
Artemis groaned, and she lowered her feet from the dashboard, closing the magazine that she had flicking through.
She tapped a few buttons on the panel, just like Megan had taught her to, and then she carefully steered the hovercraft next to the lake.
Nothing but the quiet twilight greeted her, and the rustling of the trees and bushes.
3:07 A.M. March 25, 2012 The Outskirts of a Public Campsite, Michigan City, Michigan
"What are we supposed to be looking for?" Wally whined, groaning as he dragged his feet along the dirt floor.
"Bruce said there has reports of some sort of strange entity disturbing the campers here," Kaldur said, shoving a stray branch away from his face.
Dick snorted, "Yeah, that's what he said last time. What he really meant was that this mission is supposed to get us back on our feet."
Wally grunted in agreement, "Amen to that."
Connor pushed some branches away from his face, and Megan followed behind him silently. The rest of the group followed, toting their flashlights in the air and illuminating the trees and the surrounding area.
"Maybe we should turn our flashlights off?" Megan said, "The light is probably scaring whatever it is away."
"Good idea," Dick said, flicking his flashlight off.
Kaldur and Connor followed suit, and soon the darkness enveloped them.
3:32 A.M. March 25, 2012 Border of Lake Michigan, Michigan City, Michigan
Artemis was awakened from her nap quite suddenly by a loud scream.
Her brow furrowed, and she swung her legs off the dashboard, standing up gingerly.
She grabbed a handgun, stuffing it clumsily into her holster, and hobbled out of hovercraft, groaning.
Artemis slowly made her way to the path leading through the trees and general wildlife surrounding the prison, and she walked slowly though the foliage.
She heard a rustling through the trees, and she whipped her head around, startled.
She held the gun up high.
"rrr…rrrrrr"
"F-F.B.I!" Artemis called out shakily, "Come out with your hands where I can see them."
The thing walks forward, and Artemis lets out a startled scream.
It's claws grab her, trapping her against a tree. She's stuck, and the humanoid-machine-monster creaks as it moves the other claw closer to her face.
The top part, the thing that resembles its face, opens up, revealing a thin, pale-faced man with spiky hair and a cruel grin, "Well, well, look what the cat dragged in!"
Artemis struggles, and she winces as she hears her arm bone snap. She bites her lip to keep from crying, but the man only chuckles.
"You've been in my way," the man says darkly, "I remember you from that old geezer's house."
Artemis frowns.
The man hops down from the machine, leering at her, "… Shame… If you were on the right side, I might've given you a chance."
Artemis hisses, and aims a kick at his head.
It connects, and the man is swiftly knocked to the ground, unconscious. The machine releases her, and she falls to the ground. She clutches her arm, letting out the groan now that the man is unconscious.
It was one of the things that had been beaten into Artemis at a young age. Don't show weakness in front of the enemy.
She placed the spare handcuffs on him, and started the long journey back to the hovercraft, the man in tow.
Every few seconds, she stopped, panting.
Drag…..drag….. drag….drag…
Finally, she could see the sleek white exterior and she felt energy surge through her again.
She threw the man into one of spare holding cells in the back of the hovercraft, dragging herself to the dashboard. She typed in the security code and leaned back into the soft chair, sighing.
She could use a good nap.
4:21 A.M. March 25, 2012 Border of Lake Michigan, Michigan City, Michigan
"Hey. Harpy. Wake up!"
Artemis blearily opened her eyes, startled, "What. Is the mission over? Can we go home?"
Wally smirks, "Yeah, princess, there was no one here."
Suddenly, Megan's voice rings from the back of the hovercraft, "Artemis? Whose this guy?"
Wally whips his head around, "What guy?"
Artemis stand up from her chair, "Oh. That's the guy I arrested earlier. He had this big machine."
"Where's this 'big machine' then?" Wally asked, annoyed.
"I left it in the forest. It was too big to carry," Artemis said, shrugging. She turned away from Wally's accusatory glares, "Do we have any food?"
Megan hands her a bag of chips, "Here."
"Thanks. Can we go home now?"
"I believe that Bruce will want us at the Cave for debriefing," Kaldur says, walking in.
Connor crosses his arms, "This late?"
"It'll only take a few minutes," Dick says.
"Still… It's, like, four in the morning," Artemis says drowsily, yawning.
"All engines checked and ready to depart," Megan says smoothly, sliding into the pilot's seaet, "Take your seats and fasten your seat belts."
4:24 A.M. March 25, 2012 The Cave, Happy Harbor, Rhode Island
Wally yawned loudly, "Why do we have to the debriefing at four in the morning?"
"Wally. It's nine o' clock," Artemis hissed irritably.
Wally grumbled, angry.
"Anyways. That perpetrator you arrested, Artemis, is a psychopath that calls himself, 'Klarion the Witch Boy.' He's eluded capture for a long time, and he's wanted in three states, and Mexico. Good job bringing him down," Bruce said smoothly, pulling up the picture of the man from earlier in cuffs.
"But what was he doing in Michigan?" Dick asked.
"That machine he was using that he brought back, had large bags inside that had some kind of synthetic drug inside. It was suspicious white powder, and it seems that Klarion had been giving it to the animals and generally causing havoc in the forest."
"But why was he doing that?" Artemis asked, her voice hard, "I mean, no one does that kicks. Who's he working for?"
"We don't know. He refuses to speak," Bruce said, "Until the next mission, you are dismissed. You may relax for the rest of today, and I will give you a new assignment tomorrow."
Kaldur nodded, "Thank you."
Meanwhile….
2:21 A.M. Rooftop of Grayson Enterprises, Gotham, New York
Roy positioned the telescope carefully, placing it securely on the ledge. He peered into it, and he could finally get the clear image of Lex Luthor.
"What are you doing?" he muttered to himself.
"Well, if it isn't little Red?" a voice drawled behind him.
Roy whipped his head around.
He recognized her, the striking features and messy black hair, "Cheshire."
"Ah, ah, no assassin's mask, means I'm Jade," Cheshire said, grinning.
Roy's expression hardened, and he glared at her suspiciously, "What do you want?"
"…A favor."
Roy raised an eyebrow, "What kind of favor?"
Jade tugs on her hair, "You and me. We're gonna rob a bank. Tonight."
"Excuse me?" Roy says, "I happen to be a federal agent."
"Ex-agent," Jade drawls, "You in?"
"What?" Roy says, outraged and now confused.
"We. Are. Going. To. Rob. A. Bank." Jade says.
Roy just stares at her.
Jades releases a sigh, and rolls her eyes, "Come on Red. Just do this one thing for me."
Roy doesn't say anything, remaining silent.
Jade hefts another sigh, "I'm… I'm thinking of leaving… the Light…. And….. I'm going to need my dad's key."
"What key?" Roy finally says.
"My dad has this keycode in his safebox over at Gotham Trust Funds and Financial duties," Jade said, "I…I need it to get out."
"What do you mean 'get out?'" Roy asks, suspicious.
"I mean 'get out' get out. Leave. Turn my back on the Light," Jade said. She was avoiding Roy's gaze.
"Fine. I'll help you."