YJ- A Shot in the Dark (part 7)
After about seven more Flash stories, where it was getting harder and harder to keep up her appearance as the opposing reporter during interviews (and she was pretty darn sure that Wally was starting to piece things together), she slipped.
It had been a peaceful early December day. To everyone's surprise, it seemed like the rogues were either in jail or on holiday and everyone was breathing easy. Artemis had joined David and his family for a day at the Central City zoo across the river for the afternoon. She couldn't help being surprised that she actually was having a good time despite the chill in the air and the need to wear a thicker coat.
As soon as they got through the gate, she found herself being pulled in all directions by the little hands that had a death grip on her fingers unless she was carrying them. They'd only just gotten to the monkeys when the peaceful day broke.
"Linda! Look!" Xander had been shouting, tugging on her left hand as he pointed to the bored, and clearly not pleased to be in snow, orangutans. "Look at the orange one."
"Ooh, wow," she said to appease the boy while his sister toddled along beside her. Though, really, all that was going through her mind was the same memory that always popped into her head when she saw similar animals-fighting in the African jungle with mind-controlled animals and Superboy's adamant mantra of "I hate monkeys."
Which, of course, made her smile.
"Not monkey," Skyler declared once the little girl after a moment at the rail.
Artemis's gaze went down to the little hand first, then followed it up to the fake hill and she had to agree. "Nope," she agreed slowly, pulling the kids with her as she backed up. "That's definitely not a monkey."
Standing atop the hill of the orangutan pit was a man wearing some sort of renaissance outfit that almost reminded her of Green Arrow. Artemis couldn't curse fast enough before the man blew a whistle of some sort, instantly riling up the creatures within the exhibit as well as a few of those neighboring it.
"David!" She shouted, "Mary, take the kids!"
Even if Mary wasn't as used to taking orders from Artemis as David was, it was a relief that the woman proved to be fully on her game when it came to following directions. Instantly Mrs Blake had both her children and was taking off towards the gift shop nearby, only moments before "monkeys" of every kind broke free.
David, for his part, after running several paces out of the stampeding creatures, had activated video-recording app on his phone again, giving her a thumbs up when he started taping. Not even bothering to make sure her hair looked right, Artemis faced the camera.
"I'm Linda Park of Channel Four news, coming to you from the Central City Zoo," she reported. "Where, as you can see behind me, an uproar has occurred. Spurred by the shrill sounds of a whistle, the entire primate area is now over run with alarmed animals-"
"Linda! Move!" David yelped, darting to the side himself, though he managed to keep the phone's camera on her.
What happened next had been instinct, a reaction she'd thought that she had been able to bury deep within the corners of her memory, but thinking about past missions must have triggered it.
David's shout had been in a response to a falling structure that looked something like a totem pole, which was heading right for them and a kid who'd stumbled nearby. Without a second thought, Artemis had launched herself up into the air, and kicked off of the totem for momentum, which sent her practically flying towards the kid. In seconds she'd managed to pull him into her arms and roll out of the way, curling around the kid with her back to the debris as stone and wood shattered.
Even faster than that, she was on her feet again and a good twelve feet out of the direction of the stampede with the kid blinking in shock beside her. Standing in front of her was none other than the Flash.
"You two alright, ma'am?" he asked, surprisingly showing a good deal of concern through his cowl.
Artemis gave him a feeble wave-off, suddenly feeling queasy. It had been far too long since she'd been carried by super speed. "That's Miss to you, Baywatch," she retorted absently as she tried to fight down that woozy feeling. "And I'm fine. Where's-"
Her question was killed off by a distressed scream of relief as a woman came running to practically tackle the kid in a hug before turning to scold the boy for not holding her hand. The little boy, of course, had recovered from his shock to and was babbling in awe of the local superhero. Artemis rolled her eyes before glancing back at the Flash to share a smile, only to find herself still the subject of the scarlet speedster's intense gaze.
"What did you say?"
Oh crap, her thoughts screamed at the troubled look on Wally's half-hidden face. She couldn't remember what she'd said, at all. But it wouldn't have mattered if she did. All those years together that made it so easy to read him. Even with something like four years of being apart, she could practically see his brain piecing together everything he'd just seen. And if Mr Oblivious was able to put it together and David sent the video to the station-her cover was as good as blown.
"Linda!"
Speak of the devil, Artemis let out a sigh as David effectively broke the nearly electrifying tension by running over with his family.
"Are you alright?" Mary gasped with Skyler on her hip reaching for Artemis.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Artemis assured her shakily, taking the little girl who held onto her tightly as Xander attached himself to her leg. Then she turned to attempt one of her TV smiles on the Flash. "Guess I cant pick on you anymore," she said, forcing a small laugh. "So, uh, thanks."
"Right," Wally said, jerking a little as he was pulled from his thoughts so he could take on his cocky persona again as the crowd around him grew. "No trouble at all, but-uh-now it looks like I have to stop a re-enactment of Jumanji from happening."
A few of the bystanders chuckled and several cheered as the scarlet speedster practically disappeared from his spot, leaving only a ripple of wind to move Artemis's hair again.
.- .- .
It didn't take long for the Flash to round up the animals and deposit them into their correct locations. In even less time, Artemis had announced that she was fully done with the day, only to be waylaid by the Blakes and brought to their house just outside Keystone City to join them for dinner. So it wasn't until much later, after the kids were asleep and they'd watched David's footage on the news, that Artemis made her way home to her little non-decrypt apartment in the city's "young persons" area.
She waved absently to the one or two neighbors she passed as she jogged to the fourth floor and dragged out her keys. Her mind was spinning with panic. She'd been recorded acting like her old self. It wouldn't take a genius to see the relation. Especially if they were looking for it. And the fact that her neighbors were possibly still in the dark on it was the only thing that kept her from swearing aloud as she finally unlocked the door and swung herself inside.
In short order she kicked off her shoes and tossed her purse onto the nearby kitchen counter. She closed her eyes and rubbed the back of her neck as she leaned back against the door. Can today possibly get any worse?
"You called me 'Baywatch'."
Artemis could've jumped out of her skin as the statement cut through the still darkness of her apartment as swiftly as one of her arrows. Wally was leaning against the wall to her left, just inches away from the door's hinges. Inches from her. His cowl was pulled down around his neck, his green eyes were glistening darkly in what little lighting the moon provided against the white walls.
It was something she'd never told him, never told anyone, but he really was stunningly handsome at moments like this. When he had so much passion driving him and that intensity in his gaze... Granted, it was also frightening beyond belief to be the focus sometimes, but after so many years without it, she didn't care if coming back from who-knew-where had given him Superman's heat vision. She'd be vaporized but happy.
When his green orbs turned their burning gaze to her instead of her defenseless floor, narrowed with anger and hurt and the challenge they held for her to tell the truth, Artemis found herself blushing and her mind was instantly racing again.
"What are you talking about?" she croaked out, feeling more like her throat had never met the concept of water.
"You called me 'Baywatch'," he repeated. He looked like he didn't know what to do with himself. As though maybe he wanted to hit her or shake her hard or just take her into one of those crushing hugs that she suddenly remembered so well. "Artemis," he breathed, stepping closer and making that two inch height difference feel like he was towering over her. "It's you, isn't it."
She gaped. Cursing herself for an idiot. All that hard work she and Nightwing and Batman had put into her new identity and she'd blown it all because of an afternoon at the zoo. And if he'd been able to figure it out, there was a fairly good chance that Deathstroke had too. And he'd be coming for her. "Ar-Artemis is dead," she stammered, forcing herself to take a step further into her apartment. "My name is Linda Park."
"You're lying."
Of course I'm lying, she wanted to scream as the pain and confusion marred his face. It felt like all those times they'd fought during their first year as a team-all the guilt she'd had from hiding her parentage. But now it was magnified by a ten-fold.
"I was born and raised in Chicago," she recited. Another step, then two.
"You were not," he informed her as he followed, his voice tightening.
"I moved to New York for college," she forced herself to continue and she crossed to the living room. "Majoring in journalism."
"Stop."
"Then to Keystone City to work for the Channel Four news."
"Shut up!" he shouted. "Stop lying to me!"
Her breath caught in her throat as a blink found her against the wall with his hands on either side of her head. And the faint buzzing sound told her more than her eyes ever could-he was vibrating in an attempt to restrain himself.
Wally West was coming unhinged.
"I know you!" he informed her with a passion that made the ground shake. "I know every inch of you! Every oddity. That scar behind your ear-from going on patrol with the Arrows in our first year at Stanford."
Self-consciously, Artemis's hand went to her neck, the tips of her fingers tracing that faint line behind her left ear. The same side that her hair had been blown away when Flash had left her at the Zoo.
"You were there," he continued, sounding a little choked as though his emotions were going to drown him. "You were there when they brought me back. They told me I dreamed it. That I'd imagined it! That you hadn't been seen or heard from since you retired... But you were there... You were freezing, but I had you."
Tears were prickling in her own eyes as his voice started to break and she could see the reflection in his emerald orbs grow glassy. She closed her eyes to it, unconsciously letting the tears spill over and onto her cheeks. Then his forehead was touching hers, adding droplets of moisture on her cheeks that were so close to her own.
"Why didn't you stay?" he begged in a whisper as his hands gently took up her hair.
Artemis took several breaths before she had the strength to open her eyes, only to see his chin and the red costume she formerly associated with his uncle. "I couldn't," she cried softly and gently moved out from the cage his body had formed, even though she desperately wanted to stay there. "You-you, uh-go to Grayson. He'll explain."
"Dick?" Wally asked, looking even more confused and slightly affronted. "What-?"
"Please, Wa-Flash?" Artemis asked, wiping at her eyes as she caught herself before saying his name. All of this would only be worse if she exposed his identity too. Or had it already happened? Had Deathstroke visited the apartment as soon as the news footage aired? Were there bugs? Cameras?
The pain on his face was evident again, winning out against every other emotion that was warring inside him, as he stared at her. She was starting to wish that the world would just open up and swallow her. How was it that by trying to save Wally's life, she'd undoubtedly made it worse?
"Fine," he said in a low growl, pulling the costume's fabric up to cover half his face again before reattaching his gloves. "Sorry to have bothered you... Linda."
And like that, he was gone. With nothing but a breeze and the crumbling woman as marks that he'd been there.
.- .- .
Artemis felt like she was going to be ill as she tied her hair back into a ponytail. This was the part of living on the edge that she didn't miss. Having to fear for your life when you were fighting blind and on your own. The rush of an open fight or going on a mission, being a hero-yeah, she loved that. What could she say, she was an adrenalin junkie. But this feeling of paranoia as she waited for a sign of Deathstroke.
It only made it worse, in her opinion, that she'd worked closely with him on that undercover mission years ago. She knew what to expect from him. Knew he was a hunter that didn't give up. In all honesty, she'd half expected him to show up as soon as Wally left. That the assassin had managed to hunt her down and had been sitting in wait outside her window for the speedster to leave before he made his move. But he hadn't. And he wasn't. Still, that didn't mean he wouldn't be there in the morning.
Or during the night.
When she'd gone through the steps of checking access points, taking a grand total of five minutes, Artemis had raced upstairs to her loft bedroom. First she crossed to the closet to pull a dark canvas duffle, her "go-bag" containing a change of clothes and some archery supplies, from the deepest corner which she set on her comforter. Then she knelt down to pull a sleek black briefcase out from under her bed. A gift from Nightwing, though she'd have placed money that it had first come from Batman.
Unlocking it quickly, her eyes trailed over the contents that had were safely packed in the foam interior. Blow-darts and their spitting tube if she could get the advantage. A couple of explosive throwing discs with delay timing, possibly left over from Dick's days as Robin. Small daggers that looked remarkably similar to her arrowheads. A paperclip incase handcuffs were involved. An emergency credit card under yet another alias, as well as a clip of hundred dollar bills. A stylish black vest, undoubtedly covered in pockets to store it all. And, lastly but definitely not the least-a small bottle of accelerated healing serum and syringe, in case she happened to be a little too rusty to hold out for help.
Her hands trembled a little, which ended when her irritation took hold and she quickly pulled out the vest. It fastened perfectly, to which she thanked God she'd continued having a workout routine, looking as though it may have been inspired by Zatanna. The thought made her smirk, building her confidence as she began tucking everything into seems and nearly invisible pockets until the briefcase's foam was empty.
Tucking the money into the front pocket of her jeans, Artemis felt around the top rim of the case's lid until she found a small lever which she pressed down, causing the upper foam to fall from its place. Hidden underneath was a small keypad next to what (to anyone else) looked like a mirror. Tapping the gleaming surface, the "mirror" came to life as a screen showing a login bar. Quickly she typed in a code she'd had the past five months to memorize.
The screen flashed once then turned into a black and green grid. Artemis placed her hand firmly on the grid and waited as the case scanned her palm. It took longer than she'd wanted it to. Practically five whole seconds, if not six. Yes, that was a meager amount of time to argue over, but if you're fending off an execution, yours or otherwise, every second counted.
Her name lit up the screen, with the words "voice key" blinking underneath. She quickly looked over the case again, wondering where the microphone would be. Finding nothing, she cleared her throat a little.
"Artemis Lian Crock." Her voice was clear, though as gravelly as ever, and felt strangely loud against the silence that had been meeting her ears. On a greater extent, that was probably a good thing, but it made her nervous. Terrified that she'd been too loud or hadn't been listening closely enough to her surroundings.
Green lighting edged the digital pad, signaling the go-ahead.
She took a calming breath. "Code November India X-Ray Zero Seven One," she said as quickly as she could. "Protocol Sierra Oscar Lima. Initiating 'may-day' on December seventh, twenty-one hundred hours forty-seven. Going dark in ten. Command Kilo ninety-four, relay to Green Arrow, Batman, Nightwing. Repeat, going dark, command kilo ninety-four, Green-."
Her message died with a muttered swear. Her hearing had tuned in on the sound of metal moving with the faintest scrape. Someone was picking her locks.
Instantly she slammed the case shut again, quickly saying, "Broken Arrow."
Then she moved as quietly as she could to get her black leather coat from the closet, pulling the strap of her go-bag across her chest. With a small glance back at the lower floor, where her white couch and favorite throw blanket practically glowed in the moonlight coming from her large windows, she climbed up to the angled window atop the stairs and pushed it open to step into the night.
She'd nearly closed the window again when the dulled "poof" sound of a controlled explosion reached her ears. The briefcase had self-distructed. And that was her cue to get the hell out of there. It didn't matter if she was heard anymore. The best assassin on the planet was on her trail, currently breaking into her apartment, and that briefcase just confirmed who she was.
There weren't alot of options and even less chance of a successful escape. But that didn't stop her from reacting on one instinct.
She ran.
.- .- .
"Dick!"
Dick Grayson, top criminal science student at BU, looked up from his homework and glanced at his clock. 10:30. Next he looked to the calender. December 7th. "Huh, go figure," he muttered, calmly closing his book. "He's early."
From the bed nearby, a lounging redhead raised her eyebrow at him, giving her boyfriend a speculative glance but knowing better than to actually bother questioning what the hell he was talking about this time. Especially since two seconds later, the stuido apartment's door was thrown in by a highly irate speedster that was practically vibrating in place.
"Dick!" the redhead growled again.
"Evening, Wally," the younger man said, turning to look at his friend as though stealing himself for an oncoming battle.
Wally let out yet another growl before taking up the raven-haired man's shirt in his fists and holding him close to seethe. "Start. Talking."
"Uh, what's going on?" The redhead from the bed asked, closing her own course books and shifting in case she needed to step in.
"It's fine, Barb," Grayson said, holding a hand up to put her at ease.
"Doesn't look it," Barbara Gordon retorted, folding her arms as she got to her feet anyway then marched over to close th door again.
Dick rolled his eyes at her before he was jerked by the hold on his shirt to return his attention to the livid man in front of him. "Wally, calm down."
"Calm down?" the speedster repeated, his hands shaking faster. "Calm down?! I'll calm down when you tell my why you and everybody else have been lying to me!"
"What?" Barbara asked, looking between them in confusion as she returned to the bed.
Dick bit back a groan. "We had to-"
"No! No, you didn't," Wally snapped. "You hid her from me! You told me she retired when I disappeared and went off grid!"
"She did-!"
"I remember her there!" Wally screamed, releasing Dick's shirt with a shove that sent the younger man crashing back onto the bed alongside Barbara, who'd rolled out of the way. "I remember seeing her standing in that biting cold. I remember running to her when she was going into shock. Talking to her in the Watchtower sickbay... Why did you get me to think I'd imagined all that?"
His tone had dropped by the end. In fact, the whole form of the new Flash seemed to deflate by the time he'd asked the final question. Dick got back to his feet and Barbara knelt as they guided their friend onto the bed. Where he stayed, staring up at the ceiling and vibrating with the effort to reign in the emotions that were wreaking devastation on the poor man's mind.
Barbara pulled the speedster's cowl back and gently hushed him as she ran her fingers through his matted red locks. Dick, instead, crossed over to the kitchenette by the door and poured the last of the coffee they'd been working on into a mug, which he set atop his best friend's chest.
It took Wally a moment or two, Barbara's cooing doing as good as Dick's silence, before he moved to take the mug between his hands and he sat up to lean on his knees over the edge of the bed. He hung his head for another long moment, staring into the dark liquid of the well-used mug.
When enough time had passed, Dick shifted from leaning on the support post dividing the bed area from the kitchen to reclaim his desk chair. He scooted closer until he was directly in front of the speedster, pointedly ignoring how his own girlfriend was rubbing soothing circles on the man's red-costumed back.
"I take it you've seen her," Dick muttered, nodding even before Wally answered. "I told her not to stay in Central."
"She's in Keystone," Wally amended.
Dick's eyes widened briefly before he frowned. "Even worse," he said, then sighed. "How much as she told you? How much do you know?"
"Next to nothing," Wally said, taking a sip of the coffee. "She's going by Linda Park, a reporter for the Keystone City Channel Four news. She's been the thorn in my side during interviews-" He paused to blink, then let out an incredulous laugh and shook his head. "How did I not see that sooner? Even with the different hair, she was acting just like when we first met!"
"You weren't supposed to recognize her," Dick pointed out. "The fact that you have is a problem."
"Why is that a problem?" Wally snapped, some of his vigor returning. "Why was it so important that I be kept in the dark?!"
"Because she's got a price on her head!"
Wally stared at him, all the defensiveness and anger draining out of him to leave a look of horror on his face. "What?"
Dick sighed and pushed a hand back through his hair. "The best that we can guess is it's because of Sportsmaster," he said, looking fairly haggard as he thought back on all the work he and the rest of his family had put into protecting Artemis. "Her dad's built up a long list of enemies, it was just an added bonus that Artemis made enemies with a few of the same people."
Wally continued to stare, looking more mortified with each passing moment. Barbara gave his arm a tight squeeze. "How did you find out?" she asked gently. "How did she give herself away?"
"The zoo," Wally said, shaking his head. "She was at the zoo."
Barbara and Dick exchanged glances. "Want to expand on that?"
The speedster pushed out of Barbara's grip and started pacing the length of the bed. "I don't know why she was there," he started. "I only got a report that one of the Rogues was letting loose animals at the Central City Zoo and got there as she was trying to protect a kid from getting crushed by a pillar. I pulled them out of the way and she-she called me B-Baywatch."
"That's how you knew?" Barbara gawked, hold her knees to keep her feet out of the way. "Because of a nickname?"
"It's not exactly a common nickname," Dick defended with a shrug.
Wally, though, shook his head. "Not just that," he admitted. "That's just what glued everything else together. And the family she was there with-the man was her cameraman. He'd taped it and posted it to Channel Four's site."
Not waiting for any more explanation, Dick quickly spun back towards his desk and shoved his books out of the way as he woke his computer. Mere moments later, the three heroes were gathered around the 13 inch screen. It was a case of mixed emotions as the three sets of eyes watched this newest version of their friend reporting on a rogue's activities. But Dick visibly tensed as the Artemis's report was interrupted.
"Linda! Move!" the man behind the camera shouted.
A strange emotion flickered through the young woman's eyes as she started the run and the camera jostled along, trying to keep on her. Then her gaze went to something off screen before she looked up towards the falling totem pillar. Barbara's jaw went slack, though Dick's clenched as they watched Artemis pull off a move that could tell anyone who was watching that she was either a champion in something like martial arts (which could feasibly work with her backstory) or she had a hero identity. Unfortunately, especially for those in the "business", it was almost painfully obvious which one was right.
Even before the video clip ended with a blur of red streaking across the screen, which reeled until it landed on the reporter beside the Flash, Dick had his secured cellphone out and pressed to his ear. "Nightwing to Watchtower," he said lowly as Barbara did a quick surveillance of the night outside the window and then went to check the door. "Protocol over-ride Beta-zero-seven Lima India Delta. Message to Hunter's Keep: the crescent moon possibly compromised. I repeat, crescent moon possibly compromised. Priority Alpha. Nightwing flight eta two hours-."
"I'm coming with you," Wally said flatly.
Dick raised an eyebrow. "I di-."
"You don't have a say in this," Wally informed the boy wonder, his narrowed gaze looking far more lethal than his friend could have imagined.
Clearing his throat, Dick turned his attention to the monitor again. "Nightwing and Flash responding, eta-."
"Forty minutes and counting," Wally finished for him, pulling the cowl back in place. "Dick, you've got five minutes to change. Batgirl, take over coordinating tech."
"On it," Barbara responded with a nod, easily scooting herself between Dick and his computer. As practiced as you please, the redhead had plugged in a headset and was typing out commands like she was in full gear. "GA and Bats have message received. JLA Watchtower in-oh crud."
"What?" Wally demanded, spinning to face her as he waited for Dick to get into costume.
Barbara was frowning at the screen. "She's activated the case," she responded absently, typing furiously before speaking clearly into the mic. "Arrow six nine four. Relay transmission... Override eight eight two seven."
"Override?" Wally repeated.
"For real time," Barbara answered, pulling the headset free of the ports.
Instantly a soft crackling came from the computer speakers, followed by that voice he couldn't get enough of. Not light and twittery like what he heard when she was reporting news, but that slightly deeper rasp of the woman he loved.
"Code November India X-Ray Zero Seven One," Artemis's voice reported through the static. "Protocol Niner Beta Rolex. Initiating may-day on September seventh, twenty-one hundred hours forty-seven. Going dark in ten."
Flash and Nightwing exchanged glances as the latter rejoined them at the computer, in full costume save his gloves. "Protocol Sierra Oscar Lima," Artemis continued. "Initiating 'may-day' on September seventh, twenty-one hundred hours forty-seven. Going dark in ten. Command Kilo ninety-four, relay to Green Arrow, Batman, Nightwing. Repeat, going dark, command kilo ninety-four, Green-."
A hissed curse barely cut through the static, making Wally's pulse race, but that was nothing compared to what the next two words did.
"Broken Arrow."
Then there was nothing but a deafening swell of static. Wally's gaze met Nightwing's, leaving little question of how they were going to get there. Barbara wasted no time in replugging her headset, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she barked commands and overrides. She didn't even glance up when she heard the door click shut across the apartment. It didn't take a genius to know the boys were gone.
A/N: ...Yeah... that was quick... ^_^ Ummm So I may have written this part ages ago... It's a bad habit I have-I really am not good at doing things in order lol So, honestly don't know which Rogue let loose the monkeys, but it's either Trickster or Pied Piper *shrug* Couldn't decide, but as it doesn't matter, I'll leave it up to you. :D Happy reading, everyone!