I love you alllll! You are fantastic! Here's the next chapter!
"There she is," Zatanna whispered, nudging the two boys who were sitting against the car. Artemis's car was parked across from the bar and the trio had been hiding behind it for the entirety of the time Artemis had been inside. Wally and Dick scrambled up to peek over the hood, watching as Artemis was pulled along by the two women.
"When do we strike?" Wally asked, keeping his eyes locked on Artemis's form and hating the knot in his chest that had formed from knowing that she was surrounded by the creatures.
"We'll have to wait until they reveal themselves," Dick frowned, "We have to be sure that they're vetalas,"
"Yeah," Zatanna laughed a bit, "They might just be a couple of horny lesbians,"
"We need to move the next car over," Wally hissed, pulling the two along as they followed Artemis, the blonde continuing down the street. Zatanna and Dick followed him silently, all three of them creeping behind the line of parked cars.
"They're going into that alley," Zatanna reported.
"Let's go," Wally stated, beginning to stand up and follow them. Dick, however, grabbed his arm and yanked him down.
"Not yet," He hissed, watching the alley where Artemis and the two women had disappeared to with a deep frown.
"We can't wait any longer," Wally retorted, the calm that he had kept thus far beginning to dissipate.
Zatanna held up the speaker that transpired what was occurring at Artemis's end.
"How long until we get there?" Artemis's voice sounded.
"She's trying to ask us that," Zatanna snarled, "Let's go,"
Wally got up and started to leave but Dick caught him and held him back, "Not yet!"
"I'm not waiting any longer!" Wally growled, fighting his friend's grip.
"Actually, change of plans, Honey," One of the women's voices came through the speaker.
"I'm going!" Zatanna declared loudly, panic rising in her tone.
"No! Zee stop!" Dick yelled out. The psychic stopped, turning back to stare at the two boys who were still struggling.
"Why?!" She shouted, torn between Artemis's safety and her trust in Dick's planning.
"Let me go!" Wally fought, their struggle growing serious.
"It's the only way!" Dick grit out, having trouble holding back the redhead who had begun to put all of his strength into breaking free.
"Hey!" Artemis's yell broke the speaker, making all three of the hunter flinch from the high pitched noise.
"HELP!" Her shout no longer came from the speaker, but rather echoed from the alleyway across the street, "WALLY!"
Zatanna didn't wait any longer on an explanation and ran.
Wally felt his blood pumping wildly, Artemis's scream ringing in his ears. She was in the hands of the vetalas, blood drinking devils, and he'd agreed to put her there. His anger and frustration at being unable to get to the blonde flooded his system and he didn't even register punching Dick across the jaw. His entire being focused on running to her. He passed Zatanna with ease, despite her head start. He was sure that he'd never run so fast in his entire life.
"Artemis!"
There wasn't any light in the alleyway and Artemis knew what was coming. She tried not to tense as Harley dropped her head onto her shoulder, not wanting to break cover yet. However, the two women slowed down their walk and Artemis realized that she was out of time.
"How long until we get there?" She spoke up, hoping that her friends on the other end of the earpiece understood that she was asking for them; informing them that it was time for her backup to arrive. Harley and Ivy still had her around the waist and Artemis was certain that she didn't stand a chance alone.
The arms around her waist gripped her a bit tighter and Artemis itched to reach for the silver knife hidden in her boot.
"Actually, change of plans, Honey," Ivy grinned, tilting her head over as she opened her mouth.
Artemis reacted instantly, twisting her torso to lurch herself out of their grip and pushing them away. The blonde rolled, taking the opportunity to grab the knife out of her boot and standing up in a defensive position in front of the two vetalas, "Yeah, change of plans," She said.
"Another hunter!" Ivy hissed, baring her fangs. Harley wasted no time and launched at Artemis, her fingernails having formed into sharp claws and her fangs out. Artemis moved out of the way just in time and grabbed Harley's arm as she passed, twisting it backwards. Harley's other arm lashed out and scratched her across the shoulder, making her cry out.
Artemis dropped Harley's arm and threw a leg out to catch Ivy when she attacked, missing the vetala due to their enhanced speed. She tried to slice her as her clawed hand flew out, but Harley was back again, latching onto Artemis's arms from behind and wrenching them back. She struggled, but Harley's grip was harsh and perfected to ensure she wouldn't break free.
"Hey!" Artemis called out, wondering where her friends were. Ivy brushed some dirt from her green dress and walked up the two blondes, her glare sharp.
And suddenly, she understood. The pieces fell into place and Artemis felt like an idiot for not figuring it out earlier, why Dick must have been keeping them away. It was ridiculous; really, he should have known she would have agreed to this anyway.
Ivy drew her face close to Artemis's and she tried to keep her chin tucked down, attempting to block the unprotected skin of her neck. It was a useless effort and Artemis abruptly didn't like this idea any longer.
Her mind turned to Wally, her partner and (if she really thought about it) her best friend. He wouldn't have agreed to this secret plan of Dick's. Artemis knew he'd be furious about it. Harley was giggling loudly in her ear and Ivy was teasing her fangs across the skin of her neck.
"Gotta get your blood pumping," Harley explained with a laugh.
Artemis continued to struggle against Harley's grip but she couldn't gain an inch. She flinched when Ivy bit down, her fangs painful and the skin of her neck sensitive. The blonde blinked slowly, trying to maintain consciousness as long as she could. Her mind grew muddled and her vision became unfocused, her muscles relaxing.
"HELP!" Artemis shouted, her mind turning into a jumbled mess that only allowed a few working thoughts. She fumbled with her lips some more, straining them to work as only one thought was left, a singular thought that echoed in her mind over and over again, so strong that it compelled her to scream with the last of her energy, even as her eyes closed.
"WALLY!"
Zatanna ran into the alleyway and found Wally kneeling on the ground; she jogged over to him to look over his shoulder. Her heart fell at what she saw.
Wally turned the silver knife over in his fingers a few times, his emotions pulling him somewhere between anger and despair.
"We can track her," Dick spoke up, having walked into the alley, a guilty scowl on his features.
Wally stood up silently, turning to face his friend, "Of course we can," He said quietly, tucking the knife into his jacket pocket, "This was the real plan, wasn't it?" He asked with a frown. Zatanna stayed silent, worry for her friend and concern over whether Wally was going to snap clouding her thoughts.
"It's the only way to find Bruce," Dick confessed, his eyes on the ground, "They never would have told us,"
Zatanna watched him carefully, noticing the bags under his eyes and the way his shoulders were slumped in shame.
"You knew," Wally snarled, stepping up to Dick and grabbing his shirt roughly, "You knew why we were here the whole time. Why didn't you tell us?!" He yelled, his teeth barred. Zatanna ran up and placed her hand on Wally's shoulder, grounding him. The redhead loosened his grip but didn't release him.
Dick took the roughhousing silently, a look of firm resolve on his face, "You never would have agreed to let her be captured,"
Wally bristled, "Of course not!" He hissed, his grip retightening. Zatanna stepped quickly in between them before Wally could do anything else, pushing them back from each other and sending them each a harsh glare before turning to Dick .
"Did Artemis know what she was getting into?" She questioned; her tone stern.
Dick shook his head, "It needed to be real. I didn't want them catching on and we only had one shot,"
Wally opened his mouth to say something else but his throat constricted, his mind conjuring up what Artemis had screamed.
"WALLY!"
Her voice echoed in his head and he pulled his hands up to tug at his hair, "She didn't know," He whispered, sending a glare to Dick, "She thinks we abandoned her!" He yelled.
"No!" Zatanna shot back, "She'll know that something went wrong!"
"She called for me!" Wally shouted back, one of his hands tugging in his hair against, attempting to relieve the frustration and distress, "Artemis needed me!"
Zatanna strode over and slapped him, her features fierce as the redhead focused on her in surprise, "Artemis still needs you. So get your shit together, because we're going after her,"
Wally let Zatanna's words settle into his mind, washing away the worry and letting determination take its place. Dick walked up to join them, pulling out his phone to reveal a map with a glowing green dot.
"Right," Wally nodded, his composure returning, "Let's go,"
"Artemis,"
The blonde felt her head roll to the side as her consciousness returned. She squeezed her eyes shut as a pounding in her head became more prominent and she tried to move her hands, unsurprised to find them restrained.
"Artemis,"
She groaned a bit and slightly opened her eyes, discovering that she had been tied down to a chair in a damp warehouse full of machinery. Her muscles ached and a sharp pain in her neck reminded her of the situation she was in.
Artemis turned her head to find the source of her name and discovered the object of their search tied to a chair next to her as well.
"I found you," Artemis scoffed wearily as she tugged experimentally on her ropes. It was no use.
Bruce harrumphed and gave her a look of exasperation, "Dick called you for backup?"
Artemis tried to shrug but her muscles protested and it turned into a wince.
"They drank some of your blood while you were out," Bruce explained. The blonde nodded wearily, glancing over at her fellow hunter to assess his condition. To her, Bruce had always looked sharp, immovable, and mysterious in a way that made you unsure of just how he might be deciding to kill you. But after two days in the company of a couple of vetalas, the man was looking a bit worse for the wear. His skin was ashy pale, dirt and blood caked his clothes, and there were dark bruises gathering underneath both of his eyes.
"They'll find us," Artemis spoke up; uncertain of whom she was trying to reassure.
"I was already certain of that," Bruce responded evenly, "Be sure that you remember it as well,"
"I call the pretty one!" Harley's voice caught the two of them off guard, her and Ivy's form coming into view from behind a rusted machine. Bruce and Artemis quickly grew silent and unresponsive.
"You got more of her earlier," Ivy responded, her voice tight. The vetalas stepped into the main room and began eyeing the hunters as if they were choice pieces of meat. Which, Artemis figured, was not too far off from the truth.
"But you got more of his blood yesterday," Harley retorted, bouncing on the balls of her feet when they'd stopped in front of the chairs.
"What," Artemis snorted, "You can't share?" She rolled her eyes, drawing attention to herself. It was a simple idea that had formed quickly in her head once the two vetalas had taken interest in having another meal. Based on Roy's information, you could only last a few days with vetalas before they drank you dry; and Bruce had been with them for two. Artemis didn't know how much blood he had left running through him, but she could be damn sure that she had more.
Besides, Artemis had absolute confidence that Wally would find her soon. All she had to do was ensure that Bruce would last long enough for the rescue.
"Hmmm," Ivy drew a sharp claw to her lip as she considered the two hunters before her, "I suppose just because we have two meals doesn't mean we can't share one,"
Harley smiled widely at the idea, her posture straightening in anticipation. Artemis caught Bruce turning his head to glare at her out of the corner of her eye; she wasn't surprised that he'd caught on to her plan. Bruce had always been a self-sacrificing bastard and he was probably just upset that she beat him to the starting line. Artemis just figured that she was being the logical one.
"So can we share the tasty one?" Harley questioned Ivy, batting her eyelashes to try and convince her.
"Who's the tasty one?" Artemis piped up once more, pulling out her acting to seem genuinely curious.
"You are, Honey," Ivy answered, leaning over to drag a claw lightly down Artemis's cheek, "Women are always more appetizing than men,"
"Come on, Ivy," Harley whined, "I'm hungry,"
"I've got a better idea, Harls," Ivy said with a twitch of a smile on her lips. Artemis narrowed her eyes, wondering where the vetala's thought was going and if there was a way to change it without being obvious.
"I'm listening," Harley cooed, sauntering around Artemis's chair and taking the blonde's ponytail in her grip, toying with it.
"We'll have half of our meal from him," She pointed to Bruce with a smirk, "And then finish off with the yummy blonde,"
"Ohh!" Harley grinned, "Dessert!"
"Yes," Ivy agreed, sliding over to Bruce's chair and grabbing the collar of his shirt, "But dessert comes last," She reminded Harley, who had been eyeing Artemis's neck.
Artemis grew tense, trying to figure out a way to get them away from Bruce as they bit down. She blinked a few times, her mind still a bit foggy from the blood loss she'd had before she even woke up.
"No," Artemis spoke up, her voice barely a breeze in the large building. Her mind could think of no tricks, so bluntness became her only weapon, "Stop!" She yelled, managing to conjure up some force. The blonde watched Bruce with growing worry, she couldn't see his face, but his hands were growing slack, no longer gripping the sides of the chair.
"Stop it!" Artemis shouted, her hands fisting and her features rolling easily into a sharp scowl. The words echoed off of the walls of the abandoned factory and Artemis grew relieved when the two creatures stopped, turning to glare at her. The blonde glared right back, ignoring the blood dripping from their bright red lips, "Leave him alone," She demanded.
"What was that?" Ivy hissed, letting go of Bruce to stalk over to the blonde, her eyes sharp with anger. Harley followed right behind her, both creatures getting close to her face. The metallic scent of blood filled Artemis's senses and she grit her teeth.
"I said, leave him alone," She growled, leaning forward as best she could while tied to the chair, "You fucking assholes,"
Artemis didn't know how long they drank her blood. The two attacked her at first; biting her a few times before eventually they each settled on a spot. Her neck hurt all over, sharp, stabbing pains from the bitemarks and a growing, throbbing, ache that slowly enveloped her distracted all of her senses.
Her mind filled with fog.
Ohhh! What did you think? Did I do a good job of portraying how desperate Wally was? And did you all catch on to the fact that when Artemis was out of hope, her last thoughts were for Wally to help her? I tried to mix both the confrontation from failsafe and Artemis's undercover job into the situation here, could you all tell?
I hope I inspired lots of feels, that was the goal!
Love, Veg