You all got lucky! I don't like making chapters this long, but the breaks made it impossible to put in a clean chapter ending without making it longer.
This chapter gets pretty intense, I hope you enjoy it!
When they pulled up to the crime scene the duo had to push their way through the crowd to get to the edge of the police tape.
"Special Agent Arthur Newton," Wally spoke up with his badge in sight, his face grave. Artemis held a deep frown beside him, having been a bit rough as she shoved her way through the curious crowd of bystanders.
"Yes I heard you'd be coming," A young detective with warm chestnut colored skin nodded at their badges, gesturing for the two hunters to enter the scene. Her hair was up in a very tight bun that did little to hide the growing wrinkles forming in the creases of her features, "I'm Detective Harjavti, the victim was found about an hour ago by a man walking past the alleyway,"
Artemis surveyed the surroundings carefully for symbols or clues as they made their way to the body. It was a middle aged man, twisted into an unnatural position and tossed only barely behind the blocking shape of a trash can. Blood was spattered across the asphalt multiple feet in each direction, including some that had been dripping from the brick walls of the alley. The poor man's face was scarcely recognizable under the swelling of his injuries.
Wally shifted on his feet uncomfortably for a few moments, his nose repelling the smell of the body. Artemis wasted no time squatting down to glare at his injuries with a close eye.
"Any witnesses?" Wally asked, stepping over to the brick wall where most could assume that the majority of the beating took place based on the blood trails. He held his hands in his pockets to resist poking around for evidence and searched for any sign of fur or creature remnants.
"None, which is odd because the coroner," Harjavti pointed to a man working with a clipboard of notes by the ambulance, "Puts the time of death during broad daylight. Lots of people would be around, and yet no one seems to have heard or seen anything,"
Harjavti turned away from them when a rather unruly reporter started yelling about for something to put in an interview, the woman sternly walking over to deal with the situation.
Wally strode over to stand next to the blonde who was still going over the corpse with a keen eye, "I haven't found anything new or particularly conclusive, how about you?" He spoke in a hushed tone. Artemis stood and turned to stand closer to him, watching other cops and workers to make sure no one was close enough to hear them.
"There aren't any defined claw marks; this was definitely a beating, not an attack. Which I suppose would fit under a gorilla sort of field, but that in itself is still odd,"
Wally nodded numbly and narrowed his eyes, watching the crowd with confusion, "Do you see that?" He whispered, catching Artemis's attention.
The blonde followed his gaze to catch the sight of a young red haired woman in a blue skirt and matching cardigan who was wildly trying to gesture for the two to come over to her, though without speaking. Which was unusual in the large group of chattering bystanders.
Wally looked behind his shoulder to ensure that they weren't mistaken and pointed to himself silently. The woman nodded fervently and looked around anxiously to ensure that she hadn't caught anyone else's attention. He turned to his companion and Artemis shrugged.
"Can't hurt," She decided, leading the way to the edge of the police tape where the woman was waiting, "Hello?" Artemis greeted; the uncertainty of the situation in her voice.
"Can we help you?" Wally asked, being more considerate than the blonde.
"My name is Megan Morse, and I have some information about the case," The red haired woman spoke quickly, her eyes darting around to check the placement of the other officers.
"Why are you so nervous?" Artemis asked bluntly, crossing her arms and sending Megan a glare. Wally frowned at his partner and nudged her lightly, a sign that he was adverse to her harsh tone.
"I don't want the other officers to be aware of our talk. I will tell you what I know, but you have to come to my house and hear me out. You won't like what you're going to hear," Megan bit her lip.
"How do we know we can trust you?" Artemis continued.
"You don't," Megan sighed, wringing her hands, "Look, here's my address," She pressed a slip of paper into Wally's hands swiftly, "You can come by anytime. But I don't think you'll be able to figure out what's behind this without my help, I'm sorry,"
"We'll be there," Wally spoke up confidently, tucking the paper carefully into his pocket. Artemis shot him a glare while Megan ran off.
"Don't make promises like that, We don't even know who she is!" The blonde hissed.
"So?"
"Agents?" Harjavti spoke up as she walked over, the two sharpened up quickly before facing her, "Have you made any progress?"
"Maybe," Artemis answered, "I think we're gonna head out to start doing some research," She told the detective, being vague on purpose.
"Please be sure to keep me updated on your progress," She spoke seriously, "And I will do the same,"
"Of course Detective," Wally nodded, following Artemis's lead off of the scene's premises.
The minute they were out of hearing range the argument started up again.
"What if she's connected to the creature, or whatever it is. And she's trying to trap us," Artemis hissed, being overly rough with the car door.
"Then we'll be prepared," Wally retorted, patting the car's dashboard in consolation from the blonde's harsh actions, which got him a glare, "What evidence do we have that someone like Megan would be involved in the creature's way anyway?"
"And who is 'someone like Megan'?" Artemis shot back, driving erratically through the city, "Monsters don't have to look ugly, Wally! It could be a ruse!"
"Well what else do we have to go on!?" He argued back, "We'll be cautious, treat it like an ambush, but it's the only lead we have!"
Artemis pulled into the motel lot with unnecessary speed and screeched into a spot near their room, stopping with a huff that sounded suspiciously like a growl with the car engine rumbling around them.
"I don't like this," She spoke lowly.
"What are you afraid of? We'll watch each other's backs," Wally grinned, lightening the situation, "Come on, I'll make you some noodles in the microwave and you can stew about this over the broth," He nudged her playfully.
The blonde deflated slightly and turned off the car, "Can I grumble under my breath and hiss when you get near me?" She asked under her breath, a slight smile growing.
"Yeah," The redhead laughed, hopping out of the car with her right behind him, "You can be moody and pissy and get it all out of your system so that you can be top notch when we meet up with Megan later,"
Artemis seemed unsure of his statement, her nose wrinkling, "I'm not moody,"
"No, you're right," Wally gave an exaggerated sigh, and shoved the door to their room open with his shoulder, "You're not moody, you're stressed. We should get another jacuzzi room," He spoke decisively.
"Make me my noodles, West,"
"It says that she's in apartment 23" Wally said, glancing up at the rather swanky apartment building that he and Artemis had pulled up to, "I was expecting something sketchier," He frowned.
"Yeah," Artemis breathed, her eyebrows raised, "Me too, actually,"
The blonde turned off the car and the two got out quietly, shutting the doors with slow caution in order to not make much noise. Quality or not, the apartment was still unknown territory that could still be part of a trap. They didn't want more notice than actually was necessary.
The main entrance was at the top of a sturdy flight of steps and an elegant lobby with a few couches was behind the glass doors. Wally held a hand out to halt his partner as she reached for the doors.
"Now remember when we get up there, control your temper. Don't attack until attacked or until certain that we are in danger. She could actually just be a citizen that learned something but doesn't want it public because she's worried people might think she's crazy," He reasoned, one hand on her shoulder. Artemis let out a breath of frustrated air and nodded stiffly, although while brushing her fingers reassuringly across her favorite semi-automatic that was snug inside her jacket.
Wally glared at her for a few extra seconds before relenting and pushing through the heavy glass doors. They took the stairs on Wally's account (He hated tight spaces) and quickly made it to the second floor.
"Room 23," The redhead whispered, reading the passing doors as they walked down the hallway.
Megan's room was surprisingly easy to find, the duo didn't even need to know the room number to find it.
"Wow," Artemis breathed, her voice taking on a sarcastic tint, "That's subtle,"
Megan's door was covered in very large cut out letters that informed everyone in passing that it was "Conner Kent and Megan Morse's Apartment," With a few pictures of a large white Siberian husky taped around the letters.
"My deductive skills aren't getting anything from that," Wally muttered in a mocking tone, leaning forward to eye the pictures, "Dog's cute though,"
"Get out of the way, I'm going to knock," Artemis smirked, fighting a small laugh when Wally turned to point at a picture of the dog with a pleading look on his face, "Yes it's cute, no we can't get a dog,"
Wally frowned and scooted over to allow room for the two of them to stand side by side in front of the door. Artemis knocked firmly a few times, her right hand by her side, prepared for an ambush.
The door opened and Megan's face popped around the edge, "Thank goodness you came! Please come in!" She chirped. There was a smile on her face but the two could easily hear the anxiousness in her voice. She brought them into the living room and a large white husky, the same from the pictures, rushed in to greet them, immediately taking to Megan's side. His ears turned back with warning. Wally pulled his hand back.
"That's Wolf, he doesn't like new people," A deep, gruff voice sounded out. Artemis followed it to a very buff man standing in the doorway to the kitchen, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Oh! Of course! This is Conner Kent! He's my husband," Megan grinned, leading everyone over to the couches in the living room that the entryway connected to, "Please have a seat,"
Wally took a seat immediately and seemed quite pleased with the situation, relaxing into the plush chair with ease. Artemis, however, was still on edge and sat very stiffly on the couch, her face grave, "I'm Spec-"
"Uh, don't bother with the fake names," Megan blushed as she cut him off with a wave, taking as seat on the second couch in the room, Conner walked up to sit beside her, his gaze stern, "I, um, I'm not quite sure how to start explaining everything, so I'll just wing it,"
Artemis sat rigidly when Megan mentioned their fake names, Wally putting his hand placating on her knee to keep her from making any rash decisions. His own nerves growing as well.
"I understand what you are. That you're hunters. I know what you do," Megan explained cautiously, "So I brought you here to share what I know about what's going on here in Metropolis. I've been collecting information as best I can, but I'm not a hunter so I can't do anything with what I learn," She frowned, relaxing a touch when Conner's arm slid around her shoulders.
"How do you know about hunters?" Artemis asked; her voice taut and her muscles tense. Though Wally's hand was still keeping her in relative calm with his warm grip.
"My family was largely involved with them, however I chose not to follow that path," Megan explained. The blonde narrowed her eyes, quickly devising that the woman was hiding something.
"What have you learned?" Wally spoke up, his tone much kinder and receiving a warmer response. His gaze distracted when Wolf settled across Megan and Conner's feet.
"They're skinwalkers," She said, "I think they showed up about a month or two ago, but their numbers are rising. Various kids of all ages are disappearing, adults are being found murdered. Animal control has started receiving more calls than ever about strange animals that are never found. Animals that should only be found in a zoo, and not walking around Metropolis,"
"Then the gorilla attacks started," Conner frowned, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Megan nodded in affirmation.
"People started getting murdered by the same culprit and a connection was made by the police and media, I think one of the skinwalkers broke off from the others. 'Went rogue' so to speak," She explained.
"What are skinwalkers doing in Metropolis?" Wally mumbled.
"Skinwalkers are notorious for attempting to turn entire towns," Artemis scowled, "I don't know why they're so intent on it, but they are. And they do show up in large groups,"
"I can't find out where they are," Megan frowned, "My skills in this kind of expertise are very limited,"
"You've done great so far Megan," Wally beamed at her. Conner sent the redhead a deep glare and Wally rose an eyebrow in confusion.
"So your family were hunters, Megan?" Artemis asked, hiding her suspicion very poorly in her tone.
The woman shifted under the blonde's steely gaze, "Ah, well, n-not exactly," She frowned.
"Psychics?" Wally offered helpfully, rather oblivious to Artemis's silent interrogation tactics. Conner, however, was not unaware and was sending the blonde a harsh gaze right back at her. Artemis ignored it.
"No," Megan squeaked.
"What are you Megan?" Artemis spoke lowly, her tone serious. Wally was abruptly aware of the change in the air and his pressed his hand harder atop Artemis's leg, hoping to control her.
"I'm trying to be normal," The woman whispered, her hands clenching in her lap.
"I think you should leave," Conner growled, sitting forward in his seat, his muscles tensing.
Wally threw an arm around Artemis's shoulders to speak directly into her ear, "We need to hear her out, Arty,"
"What. Are. You?"
"Artemis-"
"I'm not a monster!" Megan shrieked, her hands flying to clench at her head, her body curling in on itself. Wolf stood up at the noise and began barking at the two visitors.
"Time for you to go!" Conner boomed.
"What is she?!" Artemis roared, her hand reaching for the gun in her jacket.
But Wally was faster, snatching the blonde's wrist is his grip, "We're leaving," He told Conner, his face grave.
Artemis yelled when Wally dragged her out of the apartment, fighting his grip with curses spilling from her lips. Conner and Wolf followed them closely, shutting and locking the front door behind them.
"Wally!" Artemis shouted furiously, her features feral when the redhead wrestled her against the hallway wall and forcefully took her gun from her jacket, "What are you doing!?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing!" Wally yelled back, his face red with anger, "What the hell was that!?" He gestured to the decorated apartment door where Wolf's barking could still faintly be heard.
"She's a monster, Wally!" She argued, struggling against his grip.
"How do you know that?!" He yelled back, "What did you see in her that told you she was a killer!?"
"They're all killers! Have you ever met a creature that wasn't a killer!?" She asked rhetorically, her eyebrows raised in competition.
Wally got closer, getting into her face even though they were certainly yelling loud enough to hear each other, his freckled face warped with the wrinkles that formed in his anger, "Well how would you know if you'd met one!? You'd kill them before they ever got a chance to tell you!"
Artemis's face filled with terror and Wally took a step back. The blonde stepped away from the wall slowly, wavering slightly on her feet. Wally swiftly brought his arms out to catch her by the shoulders, his face losing its harsh edge. "No," She whispered, "I've been doing the right thing. They're monsters. I'm saving innocent lives,"
The both heard the underlying "Aren't I?"
Wally pulled her close when she shuddered in disgust and pressed her tightly against his chest, her arms wrapping hesitantly around his torso and her head falling into the crook of his neck, "There are humans in the world that aren't innocent. There are thieves, killers, and rapists in the human race. So why should it stand that monsters are only bad? You've got to keep an open mind, Arty," He whispered, pressing a chaste kiss to the top of her head.
"What if I have killed an innocent monster before?" Artemis spoke up hoarsely, her throat was constricted, "What if I did, and I never knew?" She sighed and pressed her forehead into his collarbone, "I don't think I have enough hope in the world to see past what I've been trained to believe," She admitted with regret.
"Then I'll do that part for you," Wally smiled, pulling away from the hug to make sure she could see his grin, "But you have to make sure you'll listen to me when I need you to,"
Artemis nodded with a sigh, her frustration ebbing, "But if she isn't innocent..." She whispered.
The redhead tensed a bit, his hands which here still on her shoulders getting a bit tighter with their grip.
"If she is like the rest, will you listen to me?" Artemis questioned, "Can you look past her sweet exterior? Past her pretty face?" Her voice was tight as she spoke up and Wally caught on.
"Yes. And I suppose I can be prejudice as well," He admitted.
"Then we will keep each other objective," She decided, smiling a little.
Wally grinned and held out his hand for her to shake.
"Geek," She smirked, shaking her partner's hand.
"We should listen to Megan's side of the story now," Wally spoke up, pointing a thumb at the door. Artemis nodded reluctantly and followed the redhead to the door. He knocked and it took a moment before Conner opened the door a fraction, his glare just as fierce as when they had left.
"I've calmed her down," Wally explained, "We're here to listen,"
"How do I know you won't try to hurt her when you get in here?" Conner snarled, sending an evil eye towards the blonde standing behind Wally.
"You can take our weapons," The redhead offered, "Anything that might hurt her, or all of them,"
The raven haired man nodded roughly and opened the door farther, allowing them into the entryway where the two stripped themselves of their weapons.
Conner's eyebrows rose when the two filled up the whole entryway table with their weapons. An assortment of knives, two guns each, and a couple odd objects that they kept because of their iron quality. The sound of pans clanging around in the kitchen was the only conflicting noise as they de-armed themselves.
"She likes to bake when she's upset," He explained, emphasizing the fact that her emotional state was their fault. Wally had the decency to look sheepish, Artemis was doing her best to keep a blank face, "Megan, they're back," Conner called out.
Megan's bright red hair and then half of her face peeked out behind the kitchen door, "Oh?"
"They have no weapons," He explained, "They want to hear your story," His voice softened. Wolf padded slowly into the living room from behind Megan, standing guard.
"Alright," Her voice was light, "I'll just be a minute,"
Conner gestured to the same couch the hunters had sat on before and the two awkwardly situated themselves among the cushions. Conner sat where he was before and kept a hawk-like watch on Artemis as they waited for Megan.
The woman popped out of the kitchen with false cheeriness and a plate full of cookies. A grin split across Wally's face at the sight of them. Megan settled on her couch and placed the cookies on the coffee table between them, "Please, help yourself," She whispered.
Wally quickly grabbed a cookie while Artemis made no move toward them, "We want to hear your side of the story, Megan," Wally explained before biting into the treat, his face instantly melted into ecstasy, "Oh my god these are amazing," He gushed without shame.
Megan smiled and seemed to relax a bit at his statement, recognizing that he wasn't acting or trying to suck up to her.
"By the way. My name is Wally, this is Artemis," He introduced, gesturing proudly to his partner, who nodded.
"I'm a shapeshifter," Megan blurted out, her gaze on her lap. This caught the hunter's attention.
"I've never seen a shapeshifter..." Wally mused, looking at Megan as though he'd just noticed her.
"But you know about them?" She asked. The redhead nodded, "I was raised mostly by the kind of shapeshifters you're familiar with. A group of them, training me how to survive through murder and deception," She spat out, shaking her head, "I didn't' want any part of it though, I didn't want to hurt anyone.I didn't see why I had to," Megan's eyes got a bit glossy and her hands grasped uselessly at the hem of her skirt, "I may have been born a monster, but that doesn't mean I have to act like one," Her voice was sharp.
Artemis set her gaze to the ground, her memories stirring; Wally set his hand on her knee to keep her attention in the present.
"My Uncle John, though," Megan said fondly, "He noticed me, noticed that I didn't want to be like the others. So he stole me away, raised me as best he could to fit into society," She explained proudly, "I have a job now, and a home. I have a normal life. I met Conner and we started dating pretty quickly," A blush rose to her cheeks and Conner smiled for the first time since the two hunters had first arrived, "I didn't know how to tell him...what I am. But he figured it out. He figured it out and he waited for me to tell him," Megan's gaze was far of at this point, her memories stirring behind her bright eyes, "We moved in together, got married. We even got Wolf," She smiled.
"But what about the shifting?" Artemis asked, her eyebrows drawn down in confusion, "Whose form are you taking?"
"There was an old show I used to watch with my Uncle when we were assimilating to society, I'm taking the form of an actor on the show. My kind must shift out of their skin every once and awhile, however," Megan gulped and shifted in her seat, embarrassed to talk about her shifting, "If I don't, my old skin will fall at the faintest touch, it's very unpleasant," She explained, "I go out to the woods every weekend and shift into the same form, sometimes adding changes that occur with age,"
Megan took a deep breath and leaned into Conner's side, "I don't want to be what I am; and I'm doing the best I can to be normal. We both are. We're even looking into adoptions," She smiled, turning to gaze into Conner's eyes. He smiled back and tightened his grip on her waist.
Wally turned his head to glance at Artemis, attempting to gage her reaction. The blonde was still slightly frowning but he decided that it was just out of minor confusion than instead of intense suspicion. It was progress.
"Thank you for listening," Megan spoke again, her features relaxed, "But what I am really concerned about is the city. Will you be looking into the problem further? The children are in danger," She fisted her hand against her bosom.
"We will look into it," Artemis told her, "But we'll need to affirm that these are actually skinwalkers. If it's not, and this is the work of humans, then we can't stay,"
"Thank you," Megan said again.
Wally stood, signifying that he and Artemis were to leave, the blonde following his lead, "I'm sorry, about earlier," He apologized, a nervous smile in place.
"Just save the city," Megan smiled, her and Conner leading them to the door, "And we'll still be here, if you need anything,"
Wally nodded gratefully, rambling off the name of the motel they were staying in whilst guiding Artemis out the door.
They were walking down the hallway when Artemis spoke up.
"I think I understand her," She whispered, causing Wally to lean closer so that he could hear, "If she's telling the truth,"
"How so?" He pressed lightly, knowing that the blonde was only on the edge of revealing any of her history.
"Being raised to do something you don't want to," Artemis continued speaking quietly, as though the words didn't want to leave her lips, "I understand that..."
What do you think? Leave me a review!
Note: I finally got Wally's fake name right! In the show Supernatural Sam and Dean are always using the names of rockstars on their fake badges. The first fake name I gave Wally was Tom Hayes. This was a mistake! I was supposed to be Tom Richards and John Hayes, but I screwed up. Wally's fake names are all past Olympic runners. Artemis's fake names are all Olympic archers! Kudos to you if you noticed!
Look to the weekend for the next chapter!
Love, Veg