Disclaimer-Sadly, I don't any of the rights to the DC universe, just to my thoughts.
Go vote on the poll! I put a poll up on my profile.I'll be able to probably make it to thirteen chapters if the overall answer is no. If yes, it'll be at least fifteen chapters. So, vote! And, as always, reviews are welcome! And, because of the poll, there won't be another update until after Christmas. So, yeah. I do have a life outside of writing, actually so that's where I'll be until I've got enough votes to decide what to do. Until then, later!
Warnings-Contains blood, slight torture, and mild language. I think the teen warning should cover the story.
6:43 P.M.
They were almost there. As the entered Metropolis, Robin immediately pointed them in the right direction.
"Just because Batman doesn't like others in his city doesn't mean he won't go to others' cities." He explained with a shrug. Two minutes later, they were nearing the abandoned lab.
More drones appeared, about half as many as last time, though. Still, everyone sighed as they touched down on the roof of the lab.
'Another welcome party just for us.' Red Arrow thought sarcastically. The others turned to him.
'We can still hear you.' They thought before launching themselves into the fray again.
They fought noticeably harder than last time, the thought of being so close urging them onward. They knew this was the place. Star City had only been a distraction. The Shadows had likely not thought that they'd get the truth from Ra's. They'd hoped to be able to take them by surprise but the drones showed that it wouldn't work.
Fifteen minutes and four hundred drones later, their transmitters buzzed and the remaining approximately six hundred drones stopped. Everyone practically growled as the video started, Artemis looking even worse than they last saw her. She was far paler and they had to watch very carefully to see her chest moving at all. Besides that, with all the blood staining her uniform and even her body itself, they knew she'd need medical attention as soon as possible. It was a good thing Mount Justice was fifteen minutes from Metropolis at top speed.
Still, it was not an encouraging sight.
Nonetheless, it didn't stop the mystery man from appearing and trying to wake her up. He slapped her ten times before Cheshire stepped in. With no warning, she plunged the arrow into Artemis's right upper arm. The archer started ever so slightly, eyes barely opening, before falling into the grip of unconsciousness once more. They could only watch as the message was revealed.
She won't last long.
They knew it was true and as soon as the video shut off, they were back to fighting. However, it was mostly one-sided. The drones had only tried to take down the ship, not kill them. And when they'd disembarked, both times, the drones had only come closer, only swarming around them. They hadn't used lasers.
The Shadows wanted to delay them enough so that Artemis would die. They wanted the Team to watch her suffer. The Shadows knew Artemis would die in a few hours without help.
And they wanted to keep it that way.
7:23 P.M.
They were finally gone. Every single one of the flying robots had been defeated. Everyone sat for a moment, catching their breath so they'd be ready for what was next.
'Conner, how many are inside?' Aqualad asked through the link.
The clone switched to infrared vision and his eyes widened. 'There must be at least fifty of them throughout the building!' This facility was five floors above ground. They all knew it was likely more below. 'I-I can't tell how many are below. The walls must be lined with lead. I can't tell what floor they're on; there're too many people.' He 'said', frowning.
'Well, we'll just have to work our way down.' Aqualad 'said', turning to everyone. They knew this would cost them precious time, but they could only hope Artemis would be ok until then. 'Superboy, how many are on this level?' He asked, obviously indicating the fifth.
'Seven. It gets more crowded the farther down we go.' He 'said', frowning again.
'One for everyone, then. Do not go to the next floor until we are all ready.' Aqualad instructed. Everyone nodded and he pulled open the rusted door that would lead them into the building.
The entire floor was empty of any furnishings and the walls between rooms and cubicles had been knocked down so that there only left a large, open area. Well, mostly open. Seven rather ugly men rushed towards the group of teenagers. These guys were armed, but Kid Flash took care of that very quickly. Guns in their own separate pile, it didn't take long for the guards to be subdued.
'Superboy, how many on the next floor?' Aqualad asked.
'Ten.'
'Let's go!' They rushed down the stairs to the next floor. It was much the same as the last floor. In fact, the only real difference was the three extra guards. Kid Flash once again ran around, taking guns from the guards. One got a lucky shot in before he could take it. The bullet hit Robin square in the chest. They all turned to him. But the Boy Wonder didn't fall, only showed the slightest recoil, smiling.
'Kevlar vest.' He thought quickly before going back to the fight. Before long, the guards were again tied up. Still, three more floors above ground and then who knew how many below to go. Someone looked at the time.
'Five minutes until the next video.' Red Arrow thought and it echoed in everyone's minds.
'We'll stay put until it's over.' At the look Wally gave Kaldur, he continued. 'We don't want to be distracted and I know it costs time but we don't have much of a choice. We have to wait.' The rest of them nodded reluctantly.