AN: You guys have no idea how relieved I am that you liked that twist I pulled. I've known I was going to be doing it from the beginning (though I did have several scenarios as to how) and I've been worried how you guys would take it. I'm so glad that you seemed to like it :) As always, a huge thank you to those of you that reviewed, favorited or alerted. Seriously, you guys never fail to make me smile :) Also, I'm sorry this update wasn't all that quick. I've been on vacation in Southern California (hitting up Sea World, Disneyland and Universal Studios ;D) and running around all day really wiped me out. I've got a lot of time on my flight back home though, so I figured I'd use it wisely and get you guys another chapter ;D
Important Note: Usually this story is in Third Person Limited from the Wally/Artemis point of view, however, for the first little bit of this chapter, the TPL POV will be from the Team instead. Don't worry; we'll get back to Wally and Artemis for most of this chapter still :)
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own anything other than the plot for this story.
As much as Dick disliked using normal words to describe the world around him (seriously, that kid could get way into the word play sometimes) the only word he could come up with for their current situation was "awkward". Oh sure, he could have called it a "disaster", heavy on the "dis", or a not at all "traughting" experience, all we true. But at the end of the day, being completely ignored by two people he had considered close friends was awkward. It might have been different if he and the rest of the team were on the receiving end of heated, furious glares or malicious insults, but Wally and Artemis simply continued as though the other four teens no longer existed. It had been a week since the fallout and neither one of them had returned to the dorms. They both still came to school, attended all their classes, but that was the only place the rest of the team saw them anymore. Dick had a feeling they weren't coming back any time soon, if the cleaned out dorm rooms Wally and Artemis had once had were any indication, and he knew that once Summer break rolled around in a week, the four of them most likely wouldn't be seeing either of their friends at all.
"We have to do something," M'Gann said forlornly, glancing across the lunchroom to the blonde and red heads of her once friends. "We need to talk to them, try and explain."
"I doubt they will want to listen," Kaldur replied with a sad shake of his head. "We have hurt them deeply and they will not forgive us so easily."
"I don't see why they won't at least give us a chance," Conner growled.
"Think about it man," Dick returned. "Neither of them let people in very easily; we had to work at it to get them to trust us even a little bit and then in their eyes, we betrayed that trust."
"No," Kaldur interrupted. "We did not simply betray that trust. To them, we lied and manipulated them from the very beginning. I believe, for them, that is even worse."
M'Gann finally got up the nerve to talk to Artemis two days before Summer vacation began. The two were enjoying a free period between exams and the disguised Martian decided it was now or never.
"Artemis?" she asked tentatively as she stepped over to the table Artemis had plopped herself at in the back of the library. Her shoulders slumped when the blonde continued to thumb through the book in her hands, seemingly oblivious to the other girl's presence. Artemis, please, she tried again, sending her thoughts through the mental connection. That got the archer's attention. She sat bolt upright and looked furtively around before leveling a harsh glare at the girl in front of her.
"If you ever do that again," she hissed lowly, eyes bright with dark promises and accusations. "I promise you, you'll live to regret ever even trying to get to know me. I will strap you down and force you to live every single one of your worst fears in excruciating detail, over and over again until you're nothing but a sobbing, pathetic mess. Shut down the connection you have to Wally and me; we want nothing to do with any of you anymore." Without another word she snagged her bag, shoved her book inside and stormed away, not even sparing a look back at the crumpled face of the girl behind her.
Any attempts to get through to Wally were met with about the same amount of success. Both Kaldur and Conner had tried to talk to the speedster after their shared English class, only to be brushed off entirely after being on the receiving end of a rather nasty glare. Neither of them felt inclined to push the volatile boy any further than necessary and so hadn't tried to talk to him since their first attempt. Dick, however, was much more persistent. He refused to take the continued harsh silence as a sign to back off and kept trying to get Wally to talk.
"Come on man!" the younger teen complained loudly in the crowded hallways. "You've got to talk to me sometime!"
The redhead in question ignored the darker headed boy and kept pushing his way through the thickening mass of student bodies. It seemed like every single one of them was determined to stop and watch the drama unfold, blocking his escape. For a moment he seriously considered using his powers to just vibrate through them and damn the consequences. Suddenly he felt something smack into the back of his head and he turned around, snarl on his lips and a growl building in his throat.
"Finally!" Dick huffed as he stowed a second wad of paper in his pocket. "Look, we need to talk."
"Like hell!" Wally snarled, fed up with dodging the boy and deciding that fighting it out in the middle of the hallway just might be enough to get him to back off. "You lied to us, tricked us, and had the gall to pretend like you were actually our friends. I'm going to tell you once, and only once, piss off before you make me do something I promise you will regret."
"Please, is that the best threat you can come up with?" Dick asked with a roll of his eyes. "I've heard way worse than that. Besides, I'm not giving up until you listen to me and get you violent blonde girlfriend to listen to. She threatened Megs you know."
"And you think I really care?" Wally asked. "As far as I'm concerned Artemis had full rights to react the way she did."
"Do you know what she threatened to do?" Dick asked incredulously.
"It wasn't a threat, it was a promise," Wally replied darkly. "And I am more than happy to help her do it. Maybe we can link you all up and send you off into your worst nightmares together," he added, a touch of smug achievement at seeing the normally stoic teen pale considerably. "I think we owe you at least that much and I have to admit, a rather large part of me really likes the idea."
"Wally, man, come on, this isn't you," Dick tried again after taking a moment to compose himself, pushing back memories of a failed mental exercise as harshly as possible. "This isn't either of you."
"And how the hell do you know who we are?" Wally demanded. "What do you know about either of us? Oh, right, I forgot! You've been spying on us and figuring out our entire life's story behind our backs and then lying to our faces about it!"
"Look, I swear we didn't mean to hurt you," Dick tried to placate.
"Bullshit!" Wally hissed before deciding enough was enough and taking a swing at the younger teen. He wasn't all that surprised when he managed to dodge, but it annoyed him that he hadn't managed to even clip him. "Consider that a warning," he said dangerously. "Come anywhere near me again and I won't hesitate, understand?" He turned and almost violently shoved his way through the congregated mass of teenagers around him and marched down the hallway, out the front doors.
After a few minutes Conner, Kaldur and M'Gann managed to fight their way through the crowd to the youngest member of their team.
"I fear we have irreparably damaged our friendship with them," Kaldur said softly after a moment.
"Neither of them will listen to us," M'Gann added, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes.
"So we make them listen," Conner replied as though it was obvious.
"It won't work like that," Dick said with a sad shake of his head. "We've hurt them and only pissed them off further by pushing this."
"Then we can only hope their retaliation is swift and painless," Kaldur interjected solemnly. "If they retaliate at all."
"Dude, have you watched them fight?" Dick asked. "Sometimes I think they only come alive when they're causing pain. When they hit back, and we all know they will, it'll be drawn out and as painful as they can make it."
The school year couldn't end fast enough for Artemis and Wally. By the time the final bell rung after their final exam they were both thoroughly fed up and ready to just get away. After Wally's confrontation with Dick, none of the other teenagers tried approaching them again, though they could feel them watching everywhere they went. Finally they were freed from having to attend classes and had the time to just disappear for a few months. Almost the minute they had left the Mount for the last time they had a plan on where to go and what to do from there and, with school being out for the summer, they finally had the time to put it into action. A few well-placed lies and cover ups had their mothers believing that they would be on a school sponsored trip the entire summer, therefore leaving them almost three months to go where they needed to go and do what they needed to do to put their plans into action.
"Are you sure this is the way you want to do this?" Wally asked quietly into the darkness of the rooftop he and Artemis were hiding on. Though neither of them had bothered to suit up for this, Artemis made sure to bring her compact crossbow and plenty of bolts while Wally made sure his sneakers had been modified to withstand his extreme speeds. They had come out tonight looking for a very specific kind of fight and neither of them could be suited up for it. "I'm sure there are other ways."
"Probably," Artemis agreed, eyes flicking back and forth into the darkened alley below, straining to catch even the slightest movement. "But we both know this is fastest. Besides, I think I'm going to enjoy the tables being turned for once," she added with a wicked grin.
"It will be a rather nice feeling," Wally agreed with a dark, eager chuckle.
"There!" Artemis suddenly hissed, eyes focused down the street.
"Go get into position," Wally said, even as he got up into a low crouch and began moving around her. He stopped for a brief moment and tugged her close, pressing a kiss to her hairline. "And don't do anything too reckless, Beautiful."
"The same goes for you," Artemis murmured back before gently breaking out of Wally's hold. "Just be ready and this should go off without a hitch," she added with her usual wild smile before a fight.
"Famous last words," Wally said, though the eager, feral light in his own eyes betrayed his otherwise serious warning.
Without another word between the two of them, Artemis carefully and quietly slipped over the side of the building and made her way down the fire escape to the alley below. She didn't have to look to know Wally was busy circling to a better vantage point to watch and corner their prey when the time was right.
"It would be smart to step back here," Artemis said conversationally as their prey began to pass by the alleyway. "Unless you like the feeling of a crossbow bolt tearing through your flesh. In which case, keep moving by all means."
Their prey, a tall, broad shouldered blonde man with bright blue eyes chuckled, clearly amused, before stepping into the darkened alley. "I was wondering when this little confrontation was going to happen," he said, his voice deep. "Ever since our little run-in in South America. I see you're all alone though. Has your little red headed sidekick left you?"
"He's not my sidekick," Artemis growled, her crossbow held in a calm, steady hand, pointed right at the man's heart.
"And I'm never far from her side either," Wally added in a dangerously low as he landed behind the man, his fist connecting with the back of his skull before the man could turn.
"Ah, an ambush," Sportsmaster said, his voice still light and annoyingly conversational even as Wally shoved him to the ground and kept his head pinned to the grimy, rough ground below. "I suppose I should have expected that. You two have never been far from the other. So, what's it to be? Drag me to your Justice League superiors? I think you'll find that just a little difficult I'm afraid. You see, you're not the only ones who never travel alone."
Artemis tensed, almost imperceptibly, when she felt the sharp point of a knife press against the back of her neck.
"I'd lower your weapon, baby sister," a smooth female voice sounded right in the blonde's ear. "And call off your attack dog while you're at it."
"Jade," Artemis acknowledged even as she brought her arm down and lowered her crossbow. "I thought you left to get away from this bastard and yet here you are, playing house cat for him."
"I suppose I'm just fickle that way," the other female purred. "Now how about you call off your pet?"
"He's not my pet," Artemis hissed.
"Don't bother trying to explain anything to her Artemis," Wally snarled, his eyes locked on the dark orbs of the girl standing behind his partner. "We both know she's a fucking lunatic and wouldn't get anything you try to say."
"Oh, such harsh words," Jade laughed. "I guess the little boy finally grew up and grew a set. However, I'd really rethink your strategy if you want to keep dear little Artemis here alive."
Wally's eyes narrowed dangerously before he levered himself off of Sportsmaster with a harsh, animalistic snarl, making sure to shove the older man's face into the rough concrete rather violently as he got up. "Happy?" he hissed at the darker haired woman.
"Absolutely ecstatic," Jade purred back even as she removed her sai from the back of Artemis' neck and stepped away.
"I really thought I trained you better than this, Artemis," Sportsmaster said with an aggrieved sigh as he stood from his position on the ground. "I thought I trained both of you better, really. Oh don't look so surprised," he added with a dismissive wave. "I've known all along you were teaching your little friend everything I taught you. I never said anything because it would give me two new tools for the price of one. Now, back to business. You're going to have to try a lot harder than that if you want to drag me back to your precious League. I admit, the ambush was a smart move and you did well to track me down, but it seems you didn't bother to fully check your surroundings to make sure you wouldn't have the upper hand taken from you."
"We didn't find you to drag you back to the League," Artemis replied defiantly.
"Really now?" Sportsmaster asked as though he already knew the answer. "Then why are you here?"
"You already know," Wally bit back.
"Perhaps," Sportsmaster conceded, his amused good humor still coloring his voice. "But I want to hear you say it," he added, looking right at Artemis.
"We're here to switch sides," Artemis growled.
"I see," Sportsmaster replied thoughtfully. "And what makes you think we'd want you?"
"You said yourself you were training the two of us as tools," Wally snarled. "You finally get to cash in on your investment."
"We'll see," Sportsmaster responded vaguely. "Now, I assume you're not doing this because you've finally realized this is where the two of you belong, where you were meant to be. What are your terms?"
"You don't split us up," Artemis replied automatically. "We work better and we're more valuable as a team."
"Is that is?" Sportsmaster asked. "Done. It would be a lesson in futility and foolishness to split you up as a team. Besides, the Shadows always operate in pairs."
"We get the Young Justice team as well," Wally added. "Whatever you do with the Justice League is your business, but we get to take out the sidekicks."
"Four on two?" Sportsmaster asked. "Isn't that rather unfair to them, given what the two of you can do? I think it will be a massacre for them."
"That's exactly what we're counting on," Artemis responded, her eyes lit up with a dark glee for a moment; the look mirrored perfectly in Wally's own eyes.
"Your…unique talents may be required against the League as well, but I believe you can be spared long enough to settle your debts with the young sidekicks," Sportsmaster said. "Anything else?"
"Yeah, we're free to operate how we want," Artemis replied.
"We'll take missions and we'll do as we're told, but we get to complete them our own way," Wally added.
"That may be a bit more of a problem," Sportsmaster said. "You see, there are rules you're expected to follow, ne exceptions."
"Whatever," Artemis hissed. "Are you taking us or not?"
"Well now, that all depends on whether or not you pass the tests," Jade laughed, a cheshire grin tugging at her lips. "You don't just get in because you want to baby sister."
"Fine, so what are these tests?" Wally demanded.
"Not so fast," Sportsmaster replied. "First, I want to know why you're here, looking to join the League of Shadows when you were happily playing lap dogs to the Justice League a few months ago."
"We have our reasons," Artemis growled dangerously. "And that's all you need to know."
"If you're worried about divided loyalties, you can be sure that we want nothing to do with those sick, manipulative bastards any longer," Wally added darkly.
"Very well," Sportsmaster replied. "The tests you face will determine whether or not you'll be of use to the Shadows anyway. Come," he added as he turned and headed back out of the alley.
Wally and Artemis watched for a moment as Sportsmaster and Jade stepped back out onto the brightly lit, busy streets and rejoined the throng of people hurrying around on the sidewalk.
"Well, no turning back now," Wally said aloud.
"Do you want to?" Artemis asked.
"Of course not," the red headed speedster snorted. "Those pricks won't know what hit them."
"Nothing will stop us," Artemis added, her grey eyes turning stormy as a wild smile graced her lips.
"Not with the two of us working together," Wally agreed, a feral glint turning his eyes a poisonous green and an answering smirk on his face.
"Forever and always," Artemis promised as she linked her arm with Wally's and started towards the sidewalk.
"Forever and always," Wally returned, allowing the volatile blonde to drag him from the alley. "Now let's see about beating these tests."
The pair followed Sportsmaster and Jade through the streets at a leisurely pace, a careful distance behind them. They quickly left the city center and made their way through the winding streets of the suburbs before coming to a stop outside the high stone walls of a compound. Trees grew along the inside of the walls, keeping any prying eyes from seeing within and even the pathway leading from the thick, wrought iron gate was carefully wound through the trees to limit how much the average passerby could see.
"Looks innocent enough," Wally commented offhand as he and Artemis came to a halt a few feet from Sportsmaster and Jade. "I confess I was expecting something a bit more sinister. Definitely not the cream colored sandstone walls and the tasteful, simple gate."
"We find the less you show of, the easier it is to hide in plain sight," Jade commented. "For someone supposedly so smart, you'd think you'd be able to figure that out."
"Back of psycho," Wally hissed dangerously, his eyes narrowing at the older woman. "I'm not the same kid I was when you left. Kicking your sorry ass would be a pleasure and I wouldn't even have to try all that hard either."
"Oohh, scary," Jade replied with a roll of her eyes.
Wally growled lowly in the back of his throat, but didn't move when he felt Artemis squeeze his arm.
"Let it go," the blonde girl told him, her eyes never leaving her older sister. "She's not worth it. She never was." She turned when the gates opened and took a step forward, Wally falling quickly into step with her.
It took almost fifteen minutes to reach the large mansion-esque building and even longer to walk through the deserted, darkened hallways. Thick, red carpeting lined the floors and shadowy painting hung from the walls, spaced perfectly apart, though neither Wally of Artemis could make out the details. They finally stopped outside of two large, ornate wooden doors. They opened slowly, almost menacingly, each creak echoing loudly in the otherwise silent building. The room beyond was just as dark as the empty hallways and Artemis and Wally were quickly shoved inside before the doors closed behind them with a loud bang.
"What's going on?" Wally demanded, warily turning about the room trying to see through the inky gloom.
"Your test," Sportsmaster's voice answered over an unseen intercom. Suddenly a set of lights flickered on, blinding the pair in the room momentarily. When they could finally see they found themselves in an empty ballroom with two people sitting tied to chairs, dark sacks over their heads, situated perfectly in the center.
"You've been expecting us to come here, haven't you?" Artemis hissed. "That's why all of this is here."
"Perhaps, perhaps not," Sportsmaster returned dismissively. "However, that is not the point at the moment. You two want to join the Shadows? Then prove it; prove you will be useful to us."
"How?" Artemis pressed just as another set of lights flickered on, revealing a cold metal table with two guns sitting on top.
"I realize they aren't your usual weapons of choice," Sportsmaster began. "But I'm sure you're familiar with them none-the-less. Now, each of you pick up a gun, pick a target and shoot to kill. It's entirely up to you whether or not you want to drag it out or end them quickly."
"Who are they?" Wally asked. "What did they do?"
"Does it really matter?" Sportsmaster returned. "You say you want to be members of the Shadows then you need to learn to follow orders up to and including assassinations we deem necessary."
Wally and Artemis exchanged a quick look, nodding to each other once, before walking calmly over to the table and each taking a gun.
"I suppose it really doesn't matter," Wally said as he raised his gun and aimed at the person on the left.
"I was expecting something harder though," Artemis added, already sighting down the barrel at the person on the right.
"Welcome to the Shadows," Sportsmaster smirked to himself as two shots rang out through the otherwise quiet room and the two targets in the chairs slumped forward. "Two shiny new tools for our use."
AN2: Well, there's chapter sixteen; looks like Wally and Artemis have switched sides… I actually had different ideas for their test, but this one wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it out and, as horrible as this sounds, it actually works better than anything else I had planned before… So, a few of you have mentioned the confrontation between the Flash and Wally was anticlimactic. I agree and I wholeheartedly apologize for that. I actually had more of a fight planned out, but I couldn't find a way to work it in without ruining a scene I have set up later. Thank you for letting me know though, it really helps me know where to go and what to work on/fix
Important-ish note 2: All right, so, a few of you have mentioned keeping the artificially super powered teens, or at least a few of them. I think one of you lovely people mentioned something about the "cure" backfiring in a few of them and allowing them to retain their powers safely. I honestly haven't put much thought into it, but it's obvious that you guys have so, I opening this up to you guys If you have an idea for one of these teens, PM me the details and you'll get a cameo in the story The more detailed the better (i.e. personality, powers/abilities, physical description, etc.). I feel like I owe you guys something for being so patient with me and after the comments I got on the teens, I got thinking this might be a good way to say "thank you".
Don't forget to review and thank you! :D