Author's Note: In this chapter… Remy and Artemis team up. Sort of. You'll see (: I am finishing this in the car ride to Sacramento, since I have absolutely nothing else to do. We just passed Bakersfield and let me tell you… I will never live on a farm. It's crazy boring looking… no offense to those who lives on farms. Anyways, here's the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice.
Chapter Fourteen: Journey
There were too many people at the airport. Remy had never particularly hated crowds, but neither had she enjoyed being a part of one. The airport in New York had been a complete cluster fuck since Remy had gotten there. It had been raining when she'd taken a cab to the airport and, following the usual pattern, that added an extra fifteen minutes of sitting in traffic to her drive. Then, she'd had to figure out a way to get her weapons inside the gate without alerting the entirety of airport security. And finally, once she'd gotten through security, she'd managed to get stuck behind the most sloth like idiots on the planet, which had made her late in arriving at the airport diner to meet Artemis.
"I see you took your sweet time getting here," Artemis smiled wryly as Remy slid in across from her. Her tone was sarcastic, but not to the point of outright insolence.
"It's just one of those days," Remy muttered, rolling her eyes. If Remy weren't so damn tired, maybe she would've snapped back.
"Tell me about it," Artemis agreed. "My mother held me up for an extra twenty minutes this morning—luckily I planned for that—telling me to be careful andyou know all that mother stuff."
Remy nodded slightly. "Traffic was a bitch."
Artemis nodded and the two girls sat in silence until a waiter came over to take their breakfast orders. It seemed that neither of them was willing to start a fight this early in the morning.
Remy thought it strange to be sitting here with Artemis. Sure, they were teammates, but Remy thought Artemis was a complete and total bitch. She was also aware of the fact that Artemis probably thought the same of her. It was a cycle. To be sitting with her in such a casual and civilian setting—where they couldn't solve their problems with their fists—was just plain awkward.
After their food arrived, the pair ate in silence, making small talk about the weather and such things.
"We should probably head for the gate." Remy glanced down at her watch. They had fifteen minutes until the flight.
Artemis nodded and the two made their way for the airplane.
Five hours into their flight, Remy's patience was wearing thin.
Upon entering the plane, the pair had been informed that they were being upgraded to first class, a welcome announcement considering the flight to London was so long. Unfortunately for both Artemis and Remy, their two seats were in the back of the cabin and the chairs in front of them faced back towards them as well.
Remy had come to hate this little four people air plane pod very much.
Possibly, the most irritating and pig-like business men were seated across from them in their Armani suits.
Currently, the taller, more muscular one was droning about his house in the Hamptons and it had just about put Remy to sleep. His name was Theodore which Remy thought was a crime in and of itself.
"I didn't think it was humanly possible to have that much gel in your hair," Artemis whispered.
She sent a sideways glance towards Artemis, whose expression mirrored her own. Remy rolled her eyes and unbuckled her seat belt, pulling her legs up into half lotus.
"—and that's when I decided it was time to fire Madeline," the man said smugly. "I mean she really was a horrible housekeeper. Looked good in a skirt though." He smirked turning to his shorter—and slightly balding friend named Joshua—and shared a conspiratorial look.
"Well that's just fascinating," Remy said, fixing Theodore with a bored look, as she got up from her seat "but if you'll excuse me…"
"And me," Artemis said hopping up from the window seat, on Remy's heels as they made their way towards the bathroom in the first class cabin.
Remy was glad to see the sign said vacancy and opened it up, gesturing for Artemis to go in first. Glancing back quickly to make sure she wasn't seen, Remy stepped into the small cubicle.
"Oh thank God." Remy blew out a sigh. "That was getting ridiculous."
"I can't believe it," Artemis muttered, putting down the toilet seat cover. She sat and fixed Remy with a glare. "It's bad enough that I'm stuck with you. But those douches? It's even worse."
Remy hopped up onto the sink and yawned. "You're oddly hostile, all things considered."
Artemis scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean."
"Like you don't know. I know that you've been feeding pertinent information to the Shadows about our missions," Remy said flatly. "And not the bullshit kind of info Batman handed me to pass off to Ares. Real mission information. I know that you're the one who told the Shadows that the team would be in Bialya and that's how they knew to expect you all."
Artemis gaped at Remy, her mouth hanging open unattractively. Seeing the superior look on Remy's face, she quickly snapped it shut, collecting herself. "Don't pull the high and mighty act with me Remy. I know that you are the one who handed that Theta toxin to the Shadows. I saw you pull it out of your boot after the debrief."
Remy was silent then. "You're the one so tied up with the Shadows that you got Sportmaster of all people to sponsor us for membership. How do you explain that one?'
Artemis sneered. "Hold on a minute here! I'm not the one who went on a shooting rampage in the park the other night. So which one of us is really tied up with the Shadows."
"Ugh," Remy groaned as someone knocked on the bathroom door. This so wasn't the place to be having this conversation. "This isn't the place. We can discuss this when we get off the plane."
"Fine," Artemis growled, standing up. Remy hopped off the sink and unlocked the bathroom door to find an irritated old flight attendant.
"Only one person is allowed in the restroom at a time," she informed Remy, throwing a withering glance at both she and Artemis.
"We don't swing that way lady," Artemis snorted, pushing past Remy and the flight attendant, walking back to their seats.
She rolled her eyes at the flight attendant and followed the blonde back to their seats. Theodore and Joshua had ordered drinks for them apparently.
"Glad to see you're back ladies," Joshua grinned. "We ordered some refreshments, on me of course."
Remy scowled at the blonde as she slid in next to her as she watched Artemis covertly check the drink for poison, before taking a long swig.
"That's not non-alcoholic," Remy informed her.
The blonde's eyes widened and she spit it out immediately, coughing and sputtering. She glared at the two men. "That's it. We're underage you asshole."
Theodore's face contorted into a slightly disturbed expression. Joshua didn't look surprised, merely annoyed.
"Can you say jailbait?" Remy asked.
Joshua groaned and smacked Theodore on the arm, whispering quickly to him. Remy caught the words "told you so" and "idiot."
"Sorry girls," Theodore said, putting emphasis on the age-tinged word. "Our mistake."
"We'll forget it if you just shut up for the rest of the flight." Remy smiled wryly, glancing at Artemis before adding, "We're on business."
"God I forgot how cold it is here," Artemis muttered, watching as her breath dissipated into the air.
Remy had to admit that it was cold. No, not just cold. It was ridiculously cold. She pulled her black coat tighter around her, though it did little to help the cold she felt seeping into her bones. Remy definitely missed California at that moment. Even if she had to be neighbors with Roy Harper.
"Where exactly are we headed?" Remy asked Artemis, the irritation returning to her voice.
On top of the biting cold, Remy was aware of the fact that she would have to stick with Artemis for an extended period of time while they were in Bhutan. That being said, she did not feel like talking to Artemis after spending almost twenty four hours straight with the girl.
Of course, it would've been a hell of a lot easier for Remy and Artemis to get along if the both of them weren't expecting a stab in the back from each other.
"This is Uvenk," Artemis explained to Remy as they walked through the small village. Tiny huts cluttered the area around them, however, none of the inhabitants seemed to be outside. It was probably too cold, even for them. "This village has been here since the Shadows first congregated hundreds of years ago."
"So you've been here before?" Artemis glared at Remy and huffed, ignoring the question.
"Our contact's hut is just up ahead," Artemis pointed to the last hut on the outer edge of the village. It sat at the base of the mountain, somehow separate and different looking from the other huts nearby.
Artemis rapped on the hut door three times and she stared at Remy out of the corner of her eye. "Advice? Let me do the talking. No offense, but you don't know what we're doing."
"And you do? You've never—" Remy was cut off as small eye slit was opened through the door.
"Vahām̐ kauna jātā hai?" a male voice asked. Remy recognized the language as Hindi but could not make out more than the word who. "Aura tuma kyōṁ ā'ē hō?"
"Artemis aura Remy. Hama prakāśa kī talāśa," Artemis answered back, her tongue rolling over the syllables expertly.
The eye slit closed as Remy turned to Artemis. "What'd he say?"
Artemis rolled her eyes. "He wanted to know who we were and what we wanted. I answered that we were seeking the light. It's the key word that gets us in, basically."
Remy nodded as the wooden door to the hut swung open, revealing an older-looking— although Remy thought he looked ancient —man who probably only measured up to her shoulder.
"Artemis," he greeted with a bow. The blonde returned the bow, her hands resting at Namaste—a position Remy knew well from yoga. "And you?"
"Remy," she answered, bowing as Artemis had. Thank god he's speaking English now, Remy thought to herself.
"I am Hareesh. Come in please," the man said gruffly, "I have no wish to delay you on your journey."
Artemis pushed past Remy, entering into the hut, her stride confident. Hareesh shut the door behind them and Remy was instantly grateful as she found a large fire pit in the center of the hut. It dominated the center of the room and Remy was immediately struck by how bare the hut was. Save for a stove and a pile of blankets she assumed to be a bed, the hut was completely empty. A small pile of books sat on top of a wooden chest next to the bed.
"I guess he's into minimalism?" Remy muttered to Artemis.
The blonde shushed her, pointing at Hareesh who was making his way over to the pile of books. He shoved them off and they fell into the floor in a clutter.
As he opened the chest, he waved Artemis and Remy over. "Come closer girls."
They obliged and walked closer to Hareesh who had taken out two sets of heavy black clothing sets, held together by a gold chain adorned with a medium sized pendant.
"Change into these," Hareesh instructed, handing a set to each girl, "and leave all of your belongings behind. You may collect them if you return. I will avert my eyes." On cue, Hareesh made and about face and stared at the wall as the girls started changing.
Hold up, Remy thought, fingering the clothes. If we return? Remy shared a loaded look with Artemis as she slipped on the black pants. Surely, the journey to the Shadows base of operations couldn't be that dangerous. Remy and Artemis were perfectly capable to handle anything that hit them, so there was no reason for Remy to be worried.
That didn't stop her of course. She would be cautious once they reached the Shadows, as Ares had advised.
"Even our weapons?" Remy whispered, pulling her shirt on.
"Chill out," Artemis whispered, "you can keep your stupid knives. I'm sure as hell not relinquishing all of my possessions." She yanked her shirt on and turned to Hareesh before tucking the medallion into her suit. Remy followed suit, feeling the cold metal slide against her chest. "We're decent Hareesh."
The man turned to them and glanced at their attire. Does he think we're incapable of putting our clothes on? Remy snorted.
"Forgive me," he said, walking towards the door. "I must retrieve your shoes and headwear. Wait here." With that, the old man disappeared out into the snowy village, the door of his hut swinging closed behind him.
"Is this normal procedure?" Remy demanded quietly, warming her hands by the fire before deciding to put her gloves on.
Artemis was fiddling with the hood on the back of her black suit before glancing over at Remy. "How the hell should I know? I've never witnessed the membership rites myself "You said I should follow your lead," Remy said flatly.
Artemis pulled the hood up and followed by wrapping the black scarf around her neck and up to cover her mouth and nose. "You should put your hood on. We'll be hiking up the mountain."
Remy sighed, pulling the hood up and wrapping her scarf around her neck as Artemis had done so.
Hareesh chose that moment to return, his arms full of black leather boots and furry winter hats. He set them at the feet of Remy and Artemis and nodded approvingly at their clothing.
"Put those on quickly and you may depart," Hareesh informed them.
Remy took her time lacing up the boots, as she did not want Hareesh to see her stuff her knife into the side of her new boot. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Artemis doing the same.
"Come, come," Hareesh beckoned for them to follow him out of his hut. "You must make decent progress before nightfall or you will starve on the mountain."
Remy turned to Artemis, who shrugged and the two of them followed Hareesh out into the freezing cold to the foothills of the mountain. Bending over, he plucked two blue flowers—Remy recognized them as the flower typically associated with the Shadows—and handed one to both Artemis and Remy.
"Journey to the top of the mountain," Hareesh told them, "and deliver the flower to the Shadows. You will find what you're looking for there if you can manage to survive the elements."
Remy and Artemis stared at each other as Hareesh left the two of them. Remy shrugged and yanked her fur hat on, watching the old man return to his hut. She secretly wondered why he had been chosen as a sort of gatekeeper for the Shadows. He didn't seem particularly extraordinary, as far as Remy could tell.
Then again, as she considered Artemis, neither she nor Artemis seemed particularly extraordinary either. And appearances were most oftentimes very deceiving.
"At the risk of this sounding like a total cliché," Remy started, glancing up at the mountain, "we've got work to do."
Two days. Two days trekking up the mountain in a blizzard without food or water. Without anything except for the weird black ninja suits Hareesh had given to them.
"We should stop for the night," Artemis panted, turning back from their trail to look at Remy. "It's going to be especially cold tonight. I can feel it."
Remy nodded, feeling her stomach grumble, reminding her of the fact that she hadn't eaten since the airplane ride to Bhutan. Remy wasn't exactly a huge eater—keeping her frame lithe and small was essential to her fighting style—but even she would feel the pain of starvation.
And she was definitely feeling it now.
Remy and Artemis sought shelter in the back of a cave, a little further up the trail they were on.
Shivering, Remy curled her legs into herself and sat against the wall, across from Artemis. "How much further do you think we have?"
"Not that much farther," Artemis said, wrapping her arms around herself. "If we get up when the sun is rising and climb like there's no tomorrow, we might make it to the top by nightfall."
"That's good because I think I might drop dead of dehydration." Remy coughed, rubbing her hands together. "This has to be the worst conditions I've ever lived in."
Artemis scoffed. "Try growing up like this."
Remy stared at the blonde archer. "You grew up here?"
Artemis looked away hastily, snagged. "Well not exactly—you know what? No—I hate all this touchy-feely crap." Remy laughed, eliciting a harsh glare from the archer.
"Did I ask you about your past?" she hissed.
"No need to flip out," Remy snorted. "You're the one who made the comment. I just asked a follow-up question."
Artemis groaned. "Whatever."
Remy rolled her eyes and took to staring at the ceiling of the cave. Icicles hung just above their heads, some of them looking as if they were about to fall right on top of the both of them. If I should be so lucky, Remy thought placidly.
"Death by icicle is actually very common," Artemis said out loud suddenly.
Remy stared at Artemis, disbelief clear in her eyes. "Right. And Bruce Wayne is my father."
Artemis shot her a dirty look. "Have you ever thought about capping the sarcasm every once in a while? It's so irritating."
"Oh I'm the irritating one?" Remy raised her eyebrows. "You're the one who drops cryptic little hints about her past and the never bothers to explain them to her teammates. I think it's safe to say that it's because you're ashamed."
"Well isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" Artemis smirked, standing up in her spot. "You've pushed everyone on the team away from you. No wonder you don't have any friends."
"Oh and you're so popular?" Remy scoffed. "Last time I checked, everyone besides M'gann tolerates you."
Artemis smiled wryly. "Just like they tolerate you? Might be hard in a couple of years when you start going cuckoo."
Remy narrowed her eyes at Artemis. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh I think you know," Artemis said, glancing down her nose at Remy. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I followed you one night after training. To the asylum. I have to admit, I was a little surprised to find out that your mother was stashed in the loony bin. From what I've heard of your family, they were picture perfect before that horrendous fire."
"What makes you think you would know anything about my family?" she demanded hotly. "You don't know me."
Artemis continued as if Remy hadn't said anything. "They told me why she's in there. She suffers from horribly vivid delusions. I even heard she tried to stab her only daughter, blaming her for that fire that killed her husband."
Remy let out a feral scream and lunged for Artemis pinning her to the ground. Artemis laughed, not even bothering to struggle. Remy let her fists fly, hitting Artemis over and over again until she had drawn blood from Artemis. A small cut had opened up next to Artemis' eye, a small river of blood beginning to slide down her face.
Chest heaving, Remy got off of Artemis and returned to her previous seat. She watched as Artemis sat herself up.
"Feel better?" Artemis raised her eyebrows.
"Information concerning my family is none of your business," Remy hissed. "But yes, I do feel better now."
"Good," Artemis nodded, "because if we both want to make it out of this alive. We're going to have to make peace with each other to a certain extent. Now you know that I know about your family, it's all good."
"Okay, what the hell?" Remy demanded. "Are you bipolar? One minute you're goading me into a fight and now you want to work together? What's the deal?"
Artemis smirked. "I'm not bipolar, I just move on quickly." She rolled her head to the side, stretching out her neck, before fixing Remy with a languid gaze. "So, we good now?
"We're not even close," Remy sneered. "You looked into my past without my permission and I still know nothing about you."
"You haven't earned the right to that information," Artemis said coldly. "Besides there are still a lot of questions I have for you."
"And you never earned the right to mine," Remy countered.
Artemis and Remy stared at each other, both measuring each other's emotions. Remy on the one hand was furious, at Artemis for finding the most shameful thing about her and at herself for leaving herself open to this kind of personal attack.
Ares had been right. Remy was going soft, getting sloppy.
Artemis broke the silence first, wiping the blood off of her face. "It would seem we've reached an impasse."
"Apparently," Remy said.
"Then let's make a deal." Artemis sat forward. "We make it through this. Together. And then we work out our issues. Familial and otherwise."
Remy narrowed her eyes. Artemis' body language said that she was being truthful, but in her heart Remy knew there was absolutely no reason for her to trust Artemis. It would be foolhardy.
Nevertheless, Remy leaned forward and shook hands with the archer, sealing the deal.
Author's Note: Sorry, another one. Well, there it is. Why Remy never visits her mother, maybe why she's so stand-offish. Whatever you want to believe it reveals about Remy. Hope you enjoyed.