YJ - A Shot in the Dark (part 8)
Christmastime in Keystone was... well... better than Gotham. She could say that much. At least the villains seemed to take a bit of a holiday too, or at least not pull off big stuff. All of the streets were lit up with brightly colored lights and every figurine imaginable in the window-from miniature trees to menorahs to action figures of the Flash in a beard and hat. People were clustered everywhere along the sidewalks with nothing but compassion for their fellow man to go between each warm coat. Even music floated in the air from some stores, though each was kept nicely separated by the wall of silence that the gently falling snow created.
It was picturesque. Thomas Kinkade and Norman Rockwell couldn't have painted better. Something Artemis would've happily admitted at least a dozen times on any other day. But it was wasted on her now as she moved as quickly as she could through the dwindling crowds. She had to make it to the zeta before the city dwellers decided to call it a night, before they left her alone as the only mark against the snowy city landscape.
Before she became a bigger target than she could afford.
Not that it'd be easy. She couldn't loop back to her apartment, so she couldn't get her motorcycle-not that the machine would do well in this weather anyway, but at least then she wouldn't be going by foot. She'd thought of taking a bus, but that idea was quickly shot down. Not only would that put everyone else on it in danger, but with stops and complicated routes there was no way she'd get to the zeta fast enough. She'd thought of calling the team too, but Slade definitely would've thought about that. And there was no way she was going to let them get into trouble for her.
Her only other real option was a taxi, but you had to have good luck to find one on a week day. Tonight? Yeah, she was screwed. Not that she didn't keep an eye out whenever she saw one of those yellow cars, but actually reaching one before anyone else was quickly proving impossible for the small number there were.
"Whatever," she muttered to herself, wrapping her arms around herself to pull her coat tighter as she continued to make her way east towards the river that separated her from Central City. At least she didn't have a flag of blonde hair trailing behind her for Deathstroke to follow anymore. Even if it was one of the biggest things she missed about her old life.
"Dun-nuh-nuh-nuh-NUH-nuh-nuh! Dun-nuh-nah-nuh-nah!"
Artemis faltered in her stride as the sound of someone creating their own theme song came from a nearby alley way, but she continued on even as her training told her it was Trickster, the childlike villain of the two cities' rogues.
"Bum-bum-bum! Dun-nuh-nuh-nuh-NUH-nuh-nuh! Dun-nuh-na-Hey!"
Her heart tripped as she glanced towards the Rogue to find him staring at her with something of a delighted smile on his face. In moments he came galloping over to match her stride.
"I know you," he announced. "You're the lady on tv!"
"Uh-huh." Artemis groaned inwardly. She really didn't want to waste energy by talking to anyone, let alone someone who stood out like a neon crayon.
"You're the one who doesn't like Baby!" Trickster continued, frowning now and shooting her a sour look. "Linda Park. You're always yelling at him!"
Artemis gave him a look that clearly questioned his sanity as they rounded a corner. "Who?"
"Baby Flash," Trickster reported. "He's our hero, and you're not allowed to be mean to him!"
She slowed to stare at him for a moment, breathing hard. They were his rogues, his villains, but for some reason they were protective of the Flash. And not just any Flash. "You mean Wally?"
Trickster's eyes went large for a moment, before the man held a finger to her lips. "SHHHHHHH!" he hissed, leaning in close. "You can't say Baby's name out loud or the cops won't let us play anymore!"
Artemis moved away from him, then started walking again. Maybe Wally had been right on Halloween. Clearly this guy's reasonings were on a very kindergarten level.
"But if you know his name," the colorful man continued thoughtfully, following her as she started down the next block with quick strides. A moment passed before a smile spread across his face again. "Then you must friends with Baby, right?"
"Right," she confirmed with a sigh, but her eyes caught something moving on a nearby roof. "I've got to go."
"Will you be my friend too?" Trickster asked, trailing along behind her. "Baby doesn't usually bring friends to meet us."
Artemis bit back the want to tell him that she could see why. Why was she even indulging this conversation? She'd nearly made it to the bridge, then it was just four blocks to the rundown arcade and she'd be in the clear. Or, well, able to get a good couple hundred miles' head start.
"Did you know Baby back when he wore more yellow?" Trickster continued almost absently and Artemis couldn't help being astounded at how easily he managed to maintain a conversation and run. "I did! He was tiny when he first started running around. He's the only one who laughs."
"I bet," Artemis mumbled, finally catching sight of the white stone bridge. It was one of three that connected the twin cities, each was a quarter mile long and two lanes each direction with very little coverage. In other words, if Deathstroke was going to kill her with a sniper's bullet, this would be it. She could only hope that she hadn't seen him a few moments ago. That maybe he was still a good five or six blocks back.
She paused at an alleyway to catch her breath, even taking a handful of the cleanest snow could find to cool her burning throat. Seventeen blocks. She'd just gone seventeen city blocks on foot. There was no way she could object with the parts of her body that wanted to kill her.
Next to her, leaning against the wall as though this were a perfectly normal way to interact with people, Trickster was still babbling on. This time, about some new weapon that spit quick-drying cement. "Okay, Trickster?" she said as he got into describing his firing tests on rodents. "Trickster, listen to me. You can't come with me anymore."
"I can't?" He blinked at her, giving her the same bewildered disappointment that her niece had the last time she'd had to say no to ice cream.
Artemis found herself giving him an apologetic smile. "No," she confirmed. "No, you need to stay here. The Flash-uh-Baby might need you. Okay?"
"Why?"
She sighed. Patience was a virtue that she really had issues with. "Because I need you to tell him something," she tried. "I need you to tell him I'm sorry and that I don't want him to try to save me. Okay? Can you do that?"
Trickster nodded, happy to have a task even though he still looked entirely confused.
"Thank you," she said with a sigh, nearly wanting to follow up by telling him to be good once she was gone. Clearly she'd lost a marble or two in her head.
Without much other than a quick glance at the surrounding rooftops and a deep breath, Artemis surged forward.
Get over the bridge, her mind screamed at her in an endless mantra. You can still make it. Just get over the bridge.
"Look out!"
It was amazing enough that his voice had cut through the muffling effects of the snow, but the fact that a Rogue was warning her was enough to screw up her senses a little. Still, the shout came none too soon and she narrowly missed a sword blade that swished past her shoulder. Or maybe not quite past, her heart tripped as the duffle's strap split and the bag itself dropped over the rail into the slowly freezing river.
An involuntary yelp escaped her as she staggered backward, staring at the two-toned mask of the assassin Deathstroke.
"Such a lovely sound," the older man chuckled. "But you'll be screaming for death by the time I'm through with you."
"Don't do this, Slade," she appealed, backing into the stone railing. "Please. Whatever they're paying you isn't worth it."
"Isn't it?" he asked coyly.
She tried to ignore the way his voice sent prickles over her skin as she dodged another swing. Glaring at him, Artemis pushed down her panic. Having lost most of her supplies and with no back up coming, there was only one thing that could happen.
Her training kicked in. All those hours with Oliver, Dinah, and the Bat brought their unforgettable presences to her mind.
If you can find an opening, take it, Oliver's voice reminded her as she flipped under Deathstroke's arm.
Use your size to your advantage, Dinah advised as the sword missed her when she crouched lower than the rail.
Longer weapons are harder to use in close combat, Batman droned. Smaller weapons can be concealed on the body. Her hand had gone to the hidden pockets, trying to at least get one of her daggers out, but it was beginning to feel like a futile effort. If you can't get to your's, make sure he gets rid of his.
Artemis's eyes took in Deathstroke's apparel. It was still the same suite as four years ago. Which means she knew where most of his hidden pockets were. But then it also meant she knew some of the dangers that lurked inside.
Ducking another blow, her mind quickly tallied through what she remembered. Two knives, one on each forearm. A dagger on his right thigh. Gun, a M1911, on left hip while throwing stars were on his right. Extra bullet magazine in either of his boots. Poison darts on right forearm. Collapsible crossbow next to the stars.
Her mental tally was cut short as pain burst in her thigh, she'd move just a moment too slow. Artemis bit back a cry of surprise, but couldn't stop herself from dropping to her knees as she clutched the new wound. Cursing herself for not having thought to bring a scarf, she glared up at Deathstroke for a moment. Then rolled out of the way and back to her feet as he lunged for her.
Landing closely she quickly pulled crossbow free, but with the milliseconds counting against her she went for the dagger instead. Another quick movement helped her pay him back with a slice under his arm. She was rewarded with a grunt of pain and found him glaring when she managed to put a little bit of space between them.
The respite didn't last long, only two seconds or so, before Deathstroke lunged again with a growl. Artemis ducked, kicking out and catching his knee. Then she twisted herself around to cut the pocket on his arm, spilling the poisoned darts into the snow where they were quickly covered and lost.
Artemis smirked in victory, but it didn't last long before revenge came in the form of a fist that sent her sprawling a few feet away. She quickly rolled back to her feet, tasting blood from a now split lip. At least her jaw wasn't dislocated or broken from that. She'd had plenty of repair work done since her last fight and really didn't feel like botching it all.
Needing the upper hand and knowing what she had to get rid of next, Artemis was the first to move this time. Deathstroke was quick to counter, swiping his blade towards her middle, but she dropped to a slide and this time cut the gun away from his hip.
Getting to her feet near the rail, Artemis gritted her teeth against the throb of pain in her leg and pulled the gun free of it's holster. But she only had time to grip the handle before the wind was knocked out of her as Deathstroke crashed into her. Luckily she managed to keep a hold on the gun, but judging by the assassin's grip he wasn't going to let it stay that way for long.
He had the blade of his sword pressed dangerously against her throat, only not moving to kill her because Artemis had managed to get a grip to hold his arm in place. She wasn't sure that taking his weight was exactly a better idea, but she kind of preferred it to beheading.
Deathstroke leaned his face close to her's. Even with only one eye visible, Artemis picture his leering grin.
"There's only so long you can keep this up, girl," he growled at her. "You've lost blood and are about to loose oxygen. I'd say your grip will hold for only five more-ah!"
Artemis gasped for air as she was suddenly jolted free. She felt her throat for a minute, her legs feeling momentarily wobbly against the rail, before she remembered that she should be holding a gun. The small splash told her enough of where the weapon went.
Better there than in his hands, she thought grimly. And, honestly, she could easily see that as a better idea. She'd already gotten rid of his poison darts (somewhere) and now his gun. The only thing she was unmatched by was his sword.
Her gaze went back to the assassin. Deathstroke had pulled off the sleeve of his right arm, which was smoking with a strange looking slime even as he held it away from himself. Artemis couldn't help staring for a second before her gaze went back to the Keystone side of the bridge.
Standing a good twenty feet away, looking torn between determination and shock at his own actions, was Trickster with his strange colorful pistol pointed toward them.
"Trickster?" Artemis breathed, her eyes going a bit wider. Who'd have guessed that he was a good shot? The fact that she'd only narrowly missed getting doused with the acid herself hit her only a moment later and sent a shudder down her spine.
The rogue's eyes met hers and Artemis's mind jolted back to the task at hand. Without wasting another moment, as Deathstroke tossed the smoldering fabric away, she moved in-kicking the blade from his hand with as much force as she could muster.
It dropped into the snow with a soft thud and even as Deathstroke practically tackled her for it, Artemis flung the weapon further away.
"No," Deathstroke growled, struggling for a secure hold on her.
"Screw you," Artemis gritted, kicking him hard and digging her hand into the cut she'd given him earlier. He wasn't an amateur, of course, and didn't release her, but his hold loosened enough to let her father's training enter her mind.
It's kill or be killed, little girl, Sportsmaster's teasing sneer echoed. And she pulled one of his favorite moves to flip the assassin off her, then bolted for the Central City side of the bridge.
She didn't get very far before a throwing star tore through the shoulder of her coat.
"Don't hurt Baby's friend!"
Trickster's voice was closer now and a brief glance told her he was running to join her. But Deathstroke was nowhere to be seen.
"Trickster!" Artemis shouted to the Rogue, looking for any sign of the assassin as she fished a dagger out of her vest pocket. "Trickster don't!"
The movement came too quickly. She'd barely been able to get an arm up to defend herself before Deathstroke pounced. In less time than she could've anticipated, he'd spun her around and pinned her arm behind her back, effectively hyper-extending it and knocking the blade free. Artemis gave a garbled cry as she bit back the scream and he pulled her to his chest to apply more pressure. Bursts of stars appeared in front of her eyes with the new flood of pain.
"Stop it!" Trickster shouted, still several feet away.
"Let's take this somewhere more private, shall we?" his voice grumbled in her ear.
She'd barely opened her mouth to respond when she felt the sharp prick of a needle in her neck. The sudden head-rush made her swoon and she felt the chill of snow on her cheek before the world faded to black.
.- . -.
Wally practically dropped Nightwing as he skidded to a stop in front of the door he'd left barely an hour ago. It looked fine. Like nobody inside would have sent up a distress flare. But someone had and the knob turned easily beneath his hand, swinging wide to show the vacant apartment.
Zipping inside, Wally's frantic eyes swept over the open floor-plan and he mentally sorted through whether it belonged there or not. By the time Nightwing had closed the door behind them, Wally was already starting to panic. Nothing was out of place or broken. No signs of a struggle. Hell, if he hadn't been here yelling at her earlier, he's have doubted that Artemis was even the one who lived here.
The memory of what had been said between them earlier didn't help things and Wally found himself very nearly punching a wall.
"Flash!" Nightwing hissed, frowning at him in that way that showed his lineage as a Bat-Brat. "Pull it together, you're vibrating into the floor."
Wally growled at him, but forcibly took a few breaths to help him stop shaking as he watched his best friend check out the apartment. It was painstakingly slow work. Every few feet or so, Dick'd peer at something, then analyze it on his glove's projected computer. Then move on to something else. Maybe run a scan of the ground.
"Urgh! Why are we even here?" Wally demanded, taking in details of the apartment that he'd missed earlier before he followed Dick up to the loft. "If she's running, she'll be as far from here as possible."
It was a nice place, a really nice place, but he couldn't help feeling that it wasn't really Artemis. It was missing everything about her. Yeah, when they'd lived together they hadn't had a ton of furniture, but there'd been pictures. Lots of pictures, mainly in the hall to their bedroom.
On that note, the bedroom had actually been a room. You know, with four walls and a door. What was this whole "open to whatever's below" thing?
Nightwing was kneeling next to a silver briefcase that was heavily charred inside, working the tools in his gloves on the locking mechanism. Wally frowned.
"What are you even doing?" he complained.
His friend glanced up at him before returning his focus to the briefcase with an agitated sigh. "Built-in tracking system," Nightwing reported. "As long as she's wearing the vest that was in here, we'll be able to follow her. Problem is, the frequency can only be picked up by the reader in the briefcase."
"That makes no sense," Wally said flatly after a moment's thought.
"Does if you don't want the signal intercepted," Nightwing countered. There was a loud click and the raven haired hero smiled as he held up a small silver square disc that could've passed for a battery. "Bat-tech."
Wally rolled his eyes, not giving Dick the satisfaction of a smirk, but it felt like his heart was rising from the dark pit he'd been living in for the past five months. He was working with his best friend and Artemis was closer than he'd ever thought. All they had to do was get to her before Deathstroke, then he was going into hiding with her again. Because, hell or high water, he wasn't letting go of his spitfire ever again.
Nightwing opened a panel in his glove to carefully place the small metal disc into the technology within. Then he quickly closed the panel again and tapped his wrist to bring up the holographic screen that Wally remembered so well. A few screens later, Wally was pretty sure they were staring at a map of Keystone with a blinking green dot moving further and further away from where they stood.
"Artemis."
"North-east, heading over the Chapel Street bridge," Nightwing reported. "She's on foot."
Wally studied the screen as his friend talked, as though staring at the green light would make her materialize in front of them. But then he noticed something.
Nightwing tensed, a clear sign he noticed too.
The light had stopped moving.
"Let's go."
.- . -.
Only minutes' worth of travel, though he was pushing for less even with Nightwing on his back, they'd made it to the bridge. Snow was still swirling around, though more vigorously with the strong wind. What scared him, though, was the lack of heat signature.
The lenses in his costume couldn't pick up much of any form of heat. Had she been out here so long that her body temperature had dropped? Had he been too slow?
He tripped, staggering to a halt. The mere thought that he, as the undisputed fastest man alive, hadn't been fast enough might as well have turned his blood to ice in his veins.
Nightwing had vaulted through the air to land a few feet away before Wally's misstep with his holographic screen already up and scanning the area for any sign of her. Wally turned his gaze over the length of the bridge, frowning at a strange lump within the snow.
Speeding over, Wally took a step back in surprise before kneeling down next to the prone figure. "Trickster?"
The colorful rogue groaned as Wally urged him to sit up and Nightwing jogged over to help station the man against one of the stone pillars of the railing. Trickster grimaced and put a hand to his head. "Ow."
"Trickster," Wally repeated, stationing himself in front of the prankster. "James? What happened?"
The man in question blinked at seeing the Flash in front of him for a moment, seeming a little too dazed to form an answer. But then his eyes pulled to a little focus and the rogue started looking around urgently. "Where'd they go!"
"Where'd who go?" Wally urged. "James! Who was here?"
"Your friend," Trickster answered, still looking around but now looking fairly distressed. "The reporter lady."
"Ar-you mean Linda?" Wally pressed.
Trickster nodded. "She said don't follow," he moaned. "But she was in trouble! And you weren't here yet. And he's not one of us-he wasn't going to follow the rule."
"Rule?" Nightwing asked.
"Rogues do not kill," Trickster recited, then shook his head. "I shouted for her to watch out, but he didn't stop even when I shot him with my acid gun."
Wally and Dick exchanged glances. The son of the bat moved towards where the rogue's gaze fell while Wally tried to get a little more information. "Who was it? James, who was attacking Linda?"
Trickster shook his head. "I don't know him," he admitted, sounding even more distressed. "Half his face was dark."
Wally's stomach cartwheeled. "Deathstroke."
Helplessly, Trickster shrugged. Then gave a shiver.
"Thanks, James," Wally said with a thin smile as he clapped a hand to the rogue's shoulder. "We'll take it from here."
Trickster blinked at him with wide eyes. "She said to tell you not to save her either."
He laughed, he couldn't help it. That was the Artemis he knew. "Yeah, well, she's gonna have to deal with being rescued. Go get warm, I'll let you know what happens. Okay?"
"Okay," Trickster agreed, smiling as he got to his feet. "Good luck, Baby Flash."
"Thanks," Wally sighed as he watched the strange man jog back towards Keystone. Clearly he was never going to live down that nickname. But at least his villains weren't all like Deathstroke.
"She put up a fight," Nightwing reported with a frown as Wally joined him.
The speedster nodded in agreement, surveying the disturbed snow that ranged all over the highest point of the bridge. And he wished he hadn't. At some point, there'd been bloodshed.
He looked to Nightwing. The dark-haired hero looked uncomfortable, but passed along the information. "A good portion's hers," he confirmed, making Wally's stomach plummet. "Deathstroke's is there too, but hers left more."
"How much more?" Wally heard himself ask. But Nightwing had barely opened his mouth to answer when he was interrupted.
"Batgirl to Nightwing or Flash."
Sighing, Nightwing looked away from Wally as he pressed the com link in his ear. "Nightwing."
"You've got company coming," Babs informed him. "Eta as follows. Batman twenty minutes from the northeast. Green Arrow five from the west. Aqualad, Superboy, and Miss Martian fifteen from the east."
"What?" Wally crowed, turning to blink at his friend.
"They were in the watchtower when the distress call came in," Batgirl explained. "And when I said you were already on it I got the response of, in the words of Superboy, 'Like hell we aren't going.'"
"Right," Nightwing sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was going to get complicated and fast if they didn't move now. "Tell them to meet us-."
"At Washington and seventeenth," Wally cut in. "North west side of Central."
"Roger that," Babs affirmed. "Over and out."
The silence that followed when the link dropped practically made the air ring around them and Wally found himself staring at the quickly disappearing splashes of red on the snow. Reinforcements were on the way, great. But all the help in the world wouldn't do much if they didn't find her soon.
"Hey. She's still alive," Dick promised. "This fight didn't kill her."
Wally nodded. He didn't have to point out that this meant next to nothing.
A/N: Tada! Another tidbit! Okay, so I should probably explain some things. I kinda don't follow one specific DC universe. I kinda mash my knowledge together from all over, namely since I wasn't allowed comic books when I was little. *shrug* So, yeah, Trickster's probably not as simple minded as this in the comics, but oh well. ^_^ And the song he's, uh, singing I got from an early episode of Castle (Hurray for Nathan Fillion!) Other than that, thank you all so much for your love! I'm really happy you're enjoying this so far! :D Hopefully they can find her in time...