Shot in the Dark (part 2)
"This is so crash!" Bart Allen declared, jumping at a hyper speed which made him look more like a blur. Despite being fifteen, the speedster was still shorter than most of the team and just as skinny. He'd eventually come clean about the future he'd come from, so the fact that he was perpetually underweight wasn't as big a surprise anymore. But his worldly awareness was that of a five year old, which Artemis found both amusing and frustrating at the same time.
She cast his enthusiasm a smile, it was going far to keep her from panicking. When they'd first gotten picked up from the Allens' house, Artemis had been fairly sure that getting on the bioship was going to kill her just because of nerves and old memories. But Bart had instantly redirected her attention in his attempts to make her laugh, even though she was trying to keep her spirits low just in case. It wasn't that she didn't trust Cyborg's or Nightwing's or the Flash family's logic surrounding this. But... well... even the best logic had ways of going wrong. And if her heart had to shatter again, she'd rather not have it fall from too high of hopes.
Even with Bart, though, she couldn't keep out the sense of dread when she looked at the rapidly changing view out the bioship's windows, unconsciously tearing up the paper in her hands. Green Arrow gave her shoulder a tight squeeze. She felt tears fill her eyes as she glanced back at him to give a shaky smile.
"We'll get him back and then the world will get back on course and we can go for chicken wizzies and..." The kid rambled on at a breakneck pace that, eventually, Artemis was sure only Barry could actually hear. Or at least understand.
There was snow outside when the kid actually stopped and the bioship only traveled a few more minutes before they set down at the north pole.
"Well," Nightwing said, getting up from the controls and running a hand through his hair (a sign that he was truly tense). "Let's go see if Santa'll give us an early present, huh?"
Bart let out a whoop of joy and darted ahead of everyone to the ramp. Green Arrow and Barry followed, exchanging bemused smirks, with Cyborg right behind them along with some large pieces of technology. Artemis hesitated, not sure if she wanted to go out into the cold and help them or stay hidden away.
Nightwing's gloved hand appeared on her arm, dragging her eyes up to the younger man's face. He analyzed her for a moment, then offered a comforting smile. She gave a meek one back.
"It's pretty cold out there," he informed her, catching her a little off guard. "And you're not exactly dressed for it."
Artemis glanced down at her leather jacket and jeans. It was perfect for fall, possibly very late fall, but not snow. That and it was probably his way of saying that she wasn't looking too good.
"Want to stay on board so you don't turn into an archer-cicle?"
She made a face at him. That had been a sugar-coated order, not a suggestion. "Fine."
Nightwing gave her a grin and the sheer hope behind it nearly made her blush for even wanting to doubt him. Then, "Good, 'cause your cold'll probably turn into Pneumonia in what little you're wearing. And we really shouldn't be endangering civilians-"
"Oh shut up!"
With a laugh so close to the signature sound of his youth, the troll known as Nightwing bounded down the ship's ramp to join the others in the snow. Artemis followed a few paces, a smirk still on her face, unable to fight the excitement, before opting to sit on the ramp itself instead of going back in where it was warm. If they really were going to bring him back, she didn't want to miss any of it.
They hadn't moved that far away, only five or ten yards maybe. So she may not have been able to hear everything clearly if they'd been in quiet conversation, but they weren't. And she watched as Bart darted back and forth between members of their group.
It didn't take long for Cyborg's machine to get set up, which must have been monumental though to Artemis it only looked like an oversized hamster-wheel, and even less time before Barry and Bart had started running on it. The whole structure turned into a blur of red, yellow, and grey as it spun. Nightwing, Cyborg and Green Arrow stood a few feet away, dealing with what looked like the command console of the wheel.
She wasn't sure what was supposed to happen, what she should be looking for as she shivered where she sat. But soon enough she gasped as storm clouds appeared, bringing strong winds that whipped her golden hair wildly. Any sound from the men was drowned out and Artemis soon had to cover her ears in an attempt to block out the biting pain of the wind, not that it helped her fingers at all. She struggled to stand up again, holding onto the joist of the ramp in an effort to seek refuge in the ship.
The thought of going back inside, though, was obliterated as lighting struck the wheel, lighting it up like a carnival ride. But the speedsters didn't stop. In fact, she was fairly sure they were going faster, even as another bolt struck. It was something like watching a train wreck, she just couldn't get herself to look away-even with the temperature sinking through to her bones.
And she was glad she didn't.
Within the third lighting-strike, something strange began to happen. The blur of colors widened. Flickeringly. As though there might be another person, but he wasn't always there. The machine by Nightwing and Cyborg was starting to spazz and smoke. Green Arrow, having turned and seen Artemis on the ramp, was trying to make his way towards her against the wind. But her eyes remained glued on the Allens, feeling almost pained by how her hopes were fighting to rise.
There was something of an explosion, a burst of light and the electronics getting fried with a cloud of dust-like snow. Then there was silence.
A strange sort of calm fell over the wintery scene as the air cleared to reveal the still smoking machinery and five heroes in the snow. No, Artemis's breath hitched, not five. Six.
Nightwing and Cyborg were rushing forward. Green Arrow looked torn between getting to Artemis and helping his long-time teammate for a moment, but was soon sprinting back across the snow to pull Barry up to his feet again. With next to no effort, Cyborg hoisted a dazed Bart to his feet with a teasing comment that Artemis's ears wouldn't register. All she could hear was her heartbeat as her eyes settled on Nightwing.
The ebony haired man was crouching over a third figure in the bright yellow and red of a speedster's costume. It was tattered and torn and dirty with who knew what, but even if Bart hadn't taking to wearing the outfit she'd remember the Kid Flash uniform anywhere.
.- .- .
Artemis stared. Her lungs had forgotten how to breathe and her heart couldn't figure out how to beat again. But, really, since her brain had stopped functioning, it didn't matter. For all she could tell, she'd just been struck dead.
The others were saying things, muffled comments and questions that she couldn't understand. She couldn't really see them either, though. All she could see was the tattered and torn uniform she knew so well. Blinding yellow clashing with ruby red against patches of pale peach skin.
He looked awful. His skin was paler than she remembered, but it also had more bruises and cuts than what had been there too. His large green eyes looked a little vague and confused (not that she could blame anyone for that one, she was pretty sure she looked just as dazed), but they locked onto her. Same familiar emeralds below short scraggles of red hair.
"Wally."
It came out as a whisper, but for all that was in her she wanted to scream it. Then the world started to tilt.
"Artemis!"
She wasn't sure who'd said it, or why. But he was moving again. Shoving off from Nightwing to get to his feet, despite his numerous injuries and other ailments, and before she could even register that he was standing, she was wrapped up in arms that were so heartbreakingly familiar.
Her own movements felt slow and sluggish as she forced her arms to "get traught" and hug him back. When they finally complied, though, a tear broke free from her eyes, bringing back all her senses and she hugged him more tightly than she ever had.
Which might have been a good thing, since scarce moments later his grip slackened a little. She moved to pull back, worried that she'd hurt him, but he quickly strained to keep her there. For all he cared, she was sure, they could just live out their lived like this. And she couldn't think of anything else she'd like more.
More mutterings and shouts took place, but she still couldn't hear them. She could hear her heart. She could hear his. And she could hear him breathing. That was all she needed in life. Well, that and maybe to be rid of these stupid heeled boots.
A set of fingers snapped in front of her nose, the sharp sound cutting through to pull her back enough to realize that Nightwing's face was only inches away. He looked anxious and far too stressed out. The kid needed to take a vacation, that much was obvious. "Artemis," he said in a controlled calm, but even through those white protective lenses she could see him searching her face for further distress. "Artemis, we need to get you guys into the bioship. You're going to freeze, you can hug it out later..."
His words faded to a senseless series of sounds, muffled by forces that Artemis couldn't name and a tiredness that came from out of nowhere. Her eyelids fought to stay open, which made Nightwing's shoot wide and he quickly motioned to someone else.
Vaguely she felt a set of hands reach under her arms and start to pull her upward while another set went for Wally. Then, even though it felt like her senses had been shorted, she was very aware of Wally being pulled away. And judging by the tension that returned to his hold, so was he.
"Wally!" she gasped, surprised how sore her throat felt, and tried to hold onto him even more. But whoever had taken hold of her was definitely stronger than she was and it didn't help that she was shaking.
"No!" Wally crowed, fighting just as pitifully to get back into her arms.
She reached for him, but barely seconds later her world had collapsed into darkness.
A/N: Yeah, a bit of drama lol I'm glad you guys seem to be enjoying this! But... sadly, I think there's only one more chapter to this (the bittersweet stuff)... and you may not like it *sidles off whistling*