AN: Oh my gosh guys, you're absolutely amazing. I've had a not so great week and seeing all your reviews and how much you've been enjoying this story seriously made a pretty bad day better. As always, and especially after these last few days, a huge and heartfelt thank you for your reviews, favorites and alerts. So, I believe Justin the Constant Reviewer asked if Wally knew that Barry was the Flash and it occurred to me that some of you may be wondering the same thing. To answer your question, no, Wally is not aware of who he is; he only interacts with Barry when he is the Flash. Well, that's all I've got to say for now, so on to chapter fourteen!
Disclaimer: I do not, nor ever have (and most likely never will) own/owned Young Justice.
The inside of the building turned out to be a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. The main floor sprawled over almost two city blocks and was taken up by the Garden's themselves. It was here tourists and visitors could come in, look at and learn about various plants from around the world. Below that were the three basement levels that had been dug and cut from the ground below and spanned almost the entire area of the main floor and then some. Impulse and Artemis had been searching for close to an hour on the middle basement floor and still hadn't found anything. Constant telepathic contact with the rest of the team let them know that no one else had any luck on locating the missing scientists either.
Are they even here?, Impulse grumbled over the link as he looked through yet another empty doorway. All six members of the Team had headed right for the three basement levels of the building and had yet to see anything but darkened, empty offices and labs. How do we know they weren't abducted and taken somewhere else?
Their key cards never show them leaving the building, Aqualad answered.
So?, Artemis asked. Anyone even halfway decent at hacking could get past the system and edit the records. Hell, I could do it in a matter of seconds and I'm sure Bird Boy could get in just as quickly.
I'm not sure how I feel about the nickname, Robin commented offhand. It's not exactly whelming, though I guess it isn't as bad as it could be.
Back to the original question, Impulse interjected. How do we know these guys haven't been moved off site? Artemis and I have just about finished our level and we haven't seen anything.
We still have the main floor to search, Miss Martian pointed out.
I highly doubt whoever is behind this will keep these guys in a highly public area where anyone could find them, Impulse replied.
There are a few offices and back rooms up there, Robin said. And most of them are kept locked to keep the general public out.
All right, well Impulse and I are done here, Artemis sighed over the link. We'll just head up and start the search.
Be careful, Aqualad warned. It has been far too quiet for the length of time we've been here.
Maybe we just have awesome ninja skills and no one has noticed yet, Robin said, though there was a cautious edge to his thoughts that everyone on the link could pick up.
Perhaps, Aqualad conceded. Though if it is Poison Ivy, I find it very hard to believe that she does not yet know we are here.
We'll be careful, Impulse told the rest of the team as he and Artemis headed for the stairs that would take them back up to the garden's themselves. You guys just hurry it up so we can write this off and get to actually finding these guys.
Within a few minutes of reaching the main floor, the rest of the team filtered up from the lower levels to join them. It was quickly decided that they could cover more ground individually and the each set off in their own directions. They stayed in constant mental contact with each other, but no one could find anything out of the ordinary.
Artemis was just about to suggest that the team call off the search for the scientists and instead start looking for clues to tell them where they could have gone, when a huge wave of vertigo swept over her, very nearly causing her to black out for a moment. As it was, she stumbled slightly and had to place a hand against the rough bark of a tree to steady herself while her other hand came up and was pressed against the side of her head. For a moment, she struggled to breathe even as something heavy and oppressing pressed against her mind. Then, suddenly it was gone just as quickly as it came and Artemis had to take a few minutes to remember how to breathe normally even as she struggled to get her heart beat back under control. She had just managed to pull herself down off of the fear induced adrenaline high when a sharp lance of panic stabbed through her mind.
Artemis!, Miss Martian's frantic voice rang through her mind. Oh thank heavens! I was so worried!
Miss M, calm down!, Artemis ordered as she winced at the loudness of the tone reverberating through her already aching head. I need you to calm down and tell me what's going on.
I don't know, Miss Martian said. The volume of her mental voice had dropped, though the panicked edge remained and clung to every word, pressing against Artemis' mind as well. I don't know what happened exactly. I can't reach any of the boys though! It's like the connection was forcibly cut and I can't even reach their minds anymore! It's like they're not here! What do we do, Artemis? Where are they?
M'Gann!, Artemis ordered, risking using the girl's real name in an attempt to calm her. I don't know what happened, but freaking out about it won't do us any good. We need to regroup, where are you? She waited for the Martian girl to pull herself together so she could tell the archer where to go. She tried to keep her own panic and worry from passing through their shared connection. If the Martian girl couldn't reach any of the boys that meant Impulse was missing and a deep seated fear began to claw at her heart. He couldn't be gone, he just couldn't be. She closed her eyes and took a moment to just breathe. When her grey eyes snapped open they were cold and filled with resolve. She would find him and whoever tried to rip him away from her would be intimately learning the meaning of pain.
About ten minutes later Artemis had located the small office Miss Martian had secluded herself in and slipped inside. "All right, so what exactly happened?" she asked immediately.
"I'm not really sure," the Martian answered, her voice steadier and not as panicked, though there was still an undercurrent of worry that showed in the way she kept her arms locked over her chest and her bottom lip was between her teeth. "One minute I had a link established with every one and then the next I feel the links with the boys being ripped away. I tried to keep them connected, but it didn't work and in my panic I think I may have pulled some energy from you across the link."
"Well, that explains my near blackout and the sense of vertigo," Artemis grumbled.
"I'm sorry," Miss Martian replied, instantly apologetic.
"Just make sure you don't do it again," Artemis replied. "An almost blacked-out archer is next to useless and dangerous if the bow happens to be drawn. Now, let's get out of here and see if we can find the guys; it's only been a few minutes, they can't have gotten far."
"Right," the green girl answered as she followed the blonde archer, both choosing to ignore the fact that Impulse could be well on his way to the other side of the world by now.
The girls left the room and worked their way through the building, methodically searching and trying to find their missing teammates. Miss Martian kept up a mental search for the boys and Artemis attempted to contact them over the comm links; she'd even gone so far as to try and reach Impulse over the personal link they kept on them at all times. However, despite their efforts, the lines responded with nothing but static and Miss Martian couldn't find a single trace of their minds. They stuck to the shadows as they searched, making sure to stay as hidden as possible.
Suddenly Artemis heard something fly past her ear and hit the tree behind her with a definite "thunk" before a loud beeping split the still air around her. She and Miss Martian spun around, eyes wide when the recognized one of Robin's exploding bird-a-rangs firmly embedded in the tree behind them. They had just enough time to throw themselves to the ground before the thing blew up, sending chunks of wood and metal shrapnel flying out in every direction.
Artemis got up, fighting against the ringing in her ears and the various wounds that now littered her body, and glared off in the direction the weapon had come from. "What the hell?" she snarled when she saw Robin step out of the shadows. "What was that for, Bird Head?"
Robin didn't answer as he pulled out two smoke bombs and tossed them at Artemis and Miss Martian. The look on his face was lax and blank, as though he didn't recognize either of them anymore.
Artemis, what's happening?, Miss Martian asked frantically.
No idea, she growled back over the link. But we better get out of here. You know him, the smoke screen is a cover so they can rush us.
They?, Miss Martian panicked.
They, Artemis responded. If Bird Boy is acting off, I think it's a safe bet the rest of them will be as well.
As if to prove her words true, a wordless yell sounded around them as Superboy same rushing at the girls the second they had cleared the smoke screen.
"Oh come on," Artemis groaned as she just barely managed to slip past the tank-like teen. Behind her, she heard the tell-tale startup of Aqualad's weapons and flipped out of the way just in time. She felt a thin, wet line open on her cheek and realized that the water blade had just barely glanced her. When she had put some distance between herself and the two power houses of the team she chanced a glance back and saw that Miss Martian had her hands full fending off Robin. Growling, she launched herself into a back handspring to put some distance between herself and the two boys. As expected, they chased after her and she soon found herself being herded backwards.
"What are we going to do, Artemis?" Miss Martian asked when she and the archer had been herded close together. "We can't fight them."
"We need to get out of here," Artemis growled back. "This whole set up seems like Ivy's MO and we're not going to get anywhere with the boys herding us like this and all these plants watching our every move." She suddenly launched herself into a roundhouse kick that sent Robin flying back into Aqualad and Superboy before she turned around and grabbed Miss Martian's hand, dragging her along as she took off at a dead run. "Well, at least now we know they aren't operating at 100 percent," she said aloud. "Robin could have blocked that kick if he was himself and there's no way Aqualad or Superboy would have just stood there and let him slam into them even if it had."
Neither girl said another word as Artemis pulled them into an abandoned office and immediately went about barricading the door. When she was satisfied with her work she spun around and pointed to the air vent. "Get the cover off," she commanded Miss Martian. "That's our way out of here but make sure to put the grate back once we're through."
Miss Martian only nodded silently and did as she was told, quickly following after the blonde archer as the two girls made their way through the air vents and back up to the roof. "Now what?" she asked once at least fifty feet and a concrete roof separated them from their current problem.
"Now we try and figure out where Ivy is hiding," Artemis said as she carefully made her way over to the glass roof and sat down at the edge.
"Shouldn't we call the League?" Miss Martian asked as she joined her. "We're in over our heads here."
"No, we can handle this," Artemis replied. "We've just got to find Ivy and take her down."
"How can you be so calm?" Miss Martian demanded suddenly. "These are our friends! We can't fight them like we normally do and we haven't even seen Impulse at all! Aren't you worried?"
"Of course I'm worried," Artemis bit back, her calm facade completely gone as a cold rage took its place. "We've seen Robin, Aqualad and Superboy, but Impulse is still missing and he's really the only one I care about, so of course I'm worried. I'm also pissed because this bitch seems to think that he and the others are puppets to play with and use as she sees fit. However, I don't have the luxury of allowing these emotions through because, of the two of us, I'm apparently the only one capable of keeping my head and we need at least one of us coherent right now!"
Miss Martian regarded the archer for a moment, her large brown eyes blinking slowly. "You're...you're right," she said at last. "I'm sorry."
"You're just worried," Artemis sighed. "I'd probably be lashing out right now if Impulse was here to keep a cool head for the both of us, but he's not so I've got to," she added in an attempt to placate the Martian girl. The irony of it all wasn't lost on her either and her lips quirked upwards in a wry smile even as a harsh laugh escaped her up through her throat.
"What's so funny?" Miss Martian asked, confused.
"Just that, of the two of us, Impulse is able to stay calm and collected a lot easier than I can," Artemis replied with another harsh chuckle. "His powers basically cause him to need to be in constant motion and sitting still has become the most difficult task imaginable, but he's still the more level headed of the two of us. On the other hand, my abilities with the bow basically demand focus and concentration and yet I'm the one that's more easily riled up. I usually rely on him to keep the level head in situations like this. It just amuses me, I suppose."
"Don't worry, Artemis, we'll get them back," Miss Martian assured her.
"I know we will," Artemis said as a steely glint entered her eyes. "Now let's find this bitch and get our boys back."
"Right behind you," Miss Martian responded, her voice much more steady than it was just a few minutes before.
It didn't take too long for the girls to locate Poison Ivy from their position on the roof; after they found the boys and tracked them back through the jungle to the woman controlling them.
There she is, Miss Martian relayed telepathically even as she pointed down below them to the redheaded woman.
And there's Impulse, Artemis replied, her eyes trained on the boy standing almost docile next to him. It unnerved her to see him so still, it seemed so wrong. All right, let's go, she added as she stood from her flat position on the roof and stalked back towards the door that would allow them back into the gardens below.
Wait, Artemis!, Miss Martian called as she raced to catch up. We don't have a plan yet!
I'll distract her, keep her busy, Artemis replied. Maybe we can break Impulse free if I keep her distracted long enough.
How?, Miss Martian asked.
Impulse has a fast metabolism, Artemis answered. Whatever she's using to control them will spread through his system fast before wearing off just as quickly. That's why she's keeping him close, so she can keep dosing him when he starts to come back. If I can distract her enough so she forgets to dose him, or better yet get him moving so the drug will spread even faster, we might be able to bring him back.
But that's assuming the drug isn't airborne, Miss Martian pointed out.
It's not, Artemis returned. If it was, she wouldn't need to keep Impulse close. It's either spread by touch or by injection.
Okay, so what do I do?, Miss Martian asked.
You'll need to keep the other three off me, Artemis replied. You don't have to outright fight them physically, she added when she began to feel the other girl's panic. Just keep them busy, lead them on a chase through the gardens. You can turn invisible and fly, right? Use that to your advantage.
I can do that, Miss Martian answered resolutely. But that will still leave you facing Impulse and Poison Ivy.
Impulse won't be a problem, Artemis replied, completely certain. I can bring him back easy enough. Besides, I know him and I know his moves. Especially if he's acting on muscle memory and not thinking at the moment.
If you're sure, Miss Martian replied before she pulled up the hood to her cape and shimmered out of existence. Good luck.
You too, Artemis returned before she made her way as quietly as possible down the stairs. She paused at the doors to the main floor and waited for Miss Martian to make her move. She didn't have to wait long before she saw all three boys shoot past her hiding spot behind the door, chasing after the green skinned girl as she wove through the trees. "Keep it up, you can do this," she whispered after the other girl quietly, not wanting to draw attention to herself or distract the telekinetic girl. When she was sure they were far enough away not to cause her problems, she carefully eased the door open and slid out onto the main floor. She darted through the trees and over low growing plants until she found herself in the center of a small clearing, staring down the sights of her arrow, trained on older woman.
"So there were two of you," Ivy drawled. "I thought so. Clever, to try and split the forces, but you'll find yourself severely outmatched, regardless."
"Please, a few plants are nothing," Artemis snarled. "They're nothing but a minor annoyance."
"Perhaps to you, you uncultured brat," Ivy hissed before a dangerous smirk graced her lips. "But that's not what I meant. That little green girl may have led the two bigger boys away, but I still have speed on my side and that's all I need to take care of you quickly. Then I can sit back and wait for the others to get rid of the other one."
"Really?" Artemis scoffed. "That's all you're threatening me with? He's hardly a threat to me."
"Bluffing won't work, brat," Ivy replied.
"Fine, suit yourself," Artemis retorted with a slight, unconcerned shrug of her shoulder. "Just don't say I didn't give you fair warning."
"Get her," Ivy snarled and Impulse shot forward almost immediately.
That brief delay between the order being given and Impulse following it was all Artemis needed to brace herself for the punch that she knew must be coming and get ready to react. She had dropped her bow and arrows before Impulse had reached her and forced herself to remain as loose as possible. What she was about to do was something they had been practicing lately, for no other reason than it made Artemis react more quickly and honed her instincts, though she had yet to get it right. First time for everything, she reminded herself as she felt Impulse's fist slam into her gut. Even as she doubled over and tried to breathe normally she brought her arms up, hoping to catch him before he sped away. She was both surprised and pleased when her hands locked around his wrist before he could jerk away. "It's me," she told him, looking him right in his blank and emotionless eyes. "Wally, it's me," she added in a whisper that only the two of them could hear.
"Artemis?" Impulse asked after a moment, his eyes clearing a little.
"Yeah, it's me," Artemis responded with a small smile. "Come on, fight it. Ivy's got something in your system to put you under her control. Vibrate your molecules or something, but get moving to burn it out faster."
Unfortunately for the pair, a loud boom from somewhere in the forest behind them drew their attention away from their surroundings.
"Probably Superboy knocking over a tree," Artemis said aloud before she felt Impulse being yanked from her grip. She looked up to see a large, thick vine tightening around his body even as it pulled him back beside Ivy. She watched as he struggled for a few moments before Ivy placed a hand on his cheek and he stopped moving entirely, the blank and emotionless look coming back into his eyes.
"I suppose I should congratulate you," Ivy said as she stepped away from Impulse. "You certainly did better than I thought you would, but your best will not be enough."
Artemis watched as the large, ugly purple and yellow flower at the head of the vine opened wide to reveal a big, thin, needle-like thorn. It shifted slightly and came to a stop near the base of Impulse's neck, not quite pressing through the suit and into the flesh, but certainly close enough.
"Speedsters have always presented a problem for me," Ivy continued conversationally. "They burn through my toxins too quickly for them to do any lasting damage or for them to make effective puppets. But, you see, I've been working on that problem. The poison in this plant will work with the fast metabolism of the speedsters to spread its toxins quickly; first incapacitating them and then killing them. I haven't had the chance to test this in the field quite yet, so this boy will make the perfect test subject," she added as she grabbed onto Impulse's chin.
"Like hell!" Artemis snarled and threw herself forward. She made a faint towards Ivy, but changed course at the last minute to dive at Impulse, intent on putting herself between the plant and the boy. They both went crashing to the ground and she felt something sharp prick her side before she turned and all but ripped the flower from the stem. She rose to her feet, ready to face Ivy, when she noticed her vision was starting to get blurry.
"What have you done?" the older woman screeched as she rushed over to the destroyed plant.
At that point Artemis was finding it increasingly difficult to keep herself steady on her feet and finally felt herself pitch forward just as her vision went dark. She thought she heard M'Gann call her name and she was almost positive she heard Dick radioing for back up, but that just didn't fit with what had been happening and suddenly she didn't think at all.
When Artemis woke up, the first thing she noticed were the scratchy sheets and the hospital-like smell. Well, I'm not dead then, she thought to herself. Unless I've gone to hell. Which, now that I think about it, is a very real possibility and the most likely place I'll end up. Then the steady beeping of a heart monitor cut through the fog and she knew she wasn't dead. She cracked her eyes open and the first thing she saw was a bright, vibrant head of red hair. As her senses began to come back she felt a tight, firm grip on her left hand and for a moment she was content to just watch the steady rise and fall of her best friend's shoulders as he breathed deeply and evenly in his sleep.
"Wally," she finally croaked out around a surprisingly dry throat. Almost instantly, his head was up and his vibrant, alert green eyes were trained on her. She smiled softly at the relief she saw within their depths, though a frown quickly took its place when a dark look entered Wally's eyes and his lips narrowed into a flat, harsh line. She watched as he dropped her hand as though it burned and rose from his chair by her medical bay bed before he stalked off to the bathroom, angrily grabbing a plastic cup along the way. When he came back a few seconds later he shoved a half full cup at her and barely waited for her to take it before he let go. "How long was I out?" she asked after she had gulped down most of the water and her throat didn't feel as scratchy.
"About three days, almost four," he bit back with a glance at his watch before falling back into a sullen and moody silence.
"What's going on?" Artemis asked, more than a little worried by this point. She had seen Wally angry before; she'd even seen him well and truly pissed, but never at her. Sure, they'd had their fair share of disagreements, but they've never been flat out pissed at each other, like Wally was now.
"You almost died," Wally snarled at her and for a moment he felt bad when he saw her flinch back. Then he remembered waking up from that trance, for the second time, just to learn that Artemis was in the medical bay and they weren't entirely sure she was going to make it out alive.
"Okay, and?" Artemis challenged, her own hackles rising.
"And?" Wally parroted incredulously. "You're seriously asking that? You almost died!" he yelled, bursting to his feet, his hands clenched tightly at his side. "You almost left me," he added softly, refusing to meet her eyes.
The hard glint in Artemis' eyes vanished and she lifted one hand to reach for Wally. "Come here," she told him. When he resolutely remained where he was, staring furiously at the floor, she sighed. "Please Wally, I'm cold."
Wally didn't say a word, but climbed onto the bed next to her and let her wrap her arms around his torso to hug him close.
"I'm still alive, you know," Artemis said after a few minutes of silence. "See?" she added as she gently grabbed one of his hands and placed it on her chest, over her heart. "It's still beating Wally."
"It almost wasn't," Wally said at last, pulling her as close as he could without hurting her, almost like he was trying to mesh them into one being. "I almost lost you Artemis."
"I could have just as easily lost you," Artemis reminded him gently. "She had you trapped in that vine and drugged up and she was threatening to kill you; poison you with the stuff that got me," she shuddered at the memory of the needle-like thorn pressing against Wally's neck and listening to Poison Ivy talk about him as though he was nothing more than a lab rat. She paused and clung to him tighter for a moment. "I acted without thinking about it. You're mad at me because I almost died, because you don't want to lose me, but think about it for a minute; I can't lose you either Wally. If it means I have to die to keep you alive then that's what I'm going to do. Don't try to argue with me on that," she added when she felt Wally tense. "I know you feel the exact same way I do."
For a moment the room was completely silent until Wally started laughing. "What a fine pair we make. We promise each other forever and always and yet the second one of us is in danger we're ready to abandon that and die on the spot."
"That's the way love works Wally," Artemis replied. "But that doesn't mean we can't have forever and always and still keep each other safe. We just need to keep doing what we have been; watching each other's backs and keeping each other safe."
"Just promise me you'll be careful, please," Wally said as he buried his face into her hair. "I can't lose you, Beautiful. Not now, not ever."
"You won't Wally, I promise," Artemis replied as she snuggled in closer. "You're stuck with me."
Wally didn't say anything in return. Instead, he grasped her chin and gently tilted her head up to place a kiss on her lips. "I think I can live with that," he whispered to her when he pulled back for air.
"Good," Artemis whispered back before she pulled him back in.
A few minutes later the pair sat curled up beneath the blankets on Artemis' hospital bed. Artemis was carefully ensconced in Wally's arms, dozing on and off as she listened to the steady beating of his heart.
"What did I miss?" she finally asked.
"Whatever Ivy was using to drug us was short lived," Wally replied, knowing immediately she had been talking about the mission. "I suppose it helped that M'Gann had the rest of the guys running around trying to catch her. That loud boom we heard the first time I was coming out of it was Conner breaking down a wall Ivy had hidden the scientists behind. The rest of them got them out and came back for us in time to see you falling. I was still out at that point, but Dick had radioed for back up and the Leaguers in the area came in, did what they could to get you stable and then sent us packing back here while they cleaned up the mess Ivy made."
"Any reason why Ivy went after those scientists in the first place?" Artemis asked.
"I was still shaking off the effects of the drug when we were herded outside, but I think I heard one of the scientists talking about being forced to make a long lasting compound similar to what she uses that can be mixed into a solution and not be diluted," Wally answered. "It also can't affect anything in the solution either."
"Well that sounds fairly familiar," Artemis said. "Would I be correct in assuming that no one is telling us anything? Again?"
"Give the lady a prize," Wally grumbled right back. "Batman's giving us the usual BS that they're still running tests of their own and Black Canary is continuing to play dumb to the whole thing."
"This is ridiculous," Artemis growled. "If you had a sample I'm sure you could have it broken down and analyzed within the week."
"Actually, I might be able to," Wally replied thoughtfully.
"What are you talking about?" Artemis asked as she straightened in his arms to look him in the eye.
"I managed to pocket a small vial of the stuff we found in South America a few weeks back," Wally replied. "I stashed back in my lab that weekend after we got back. We've been busy with a lot of other things since then, so I let it slip my mind, but I'm sensing some free time coming up and I don't know about you, but I'm sick of fighting this thing blind."
"Bats can shove it for all I care at this point," Artemis replied with a dangerous smirk. "I say it's high time we found out what's really going on."
AN2: Well, chapter fourteen is done. I don't have much to say this time around, except to thank all you wonderful people once again for all the alerts/favorites/reviews. You guys seriously make me smile and I love to read the theories you guys come up with :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please don't forget to review!