A/N: This kind of failed. Felt longer when I was writing it, although that may have been because it was insanely late at night.
Disclaimer: I don't own.
Helpless, Hopeless
"We're dead! We're sitting ducks, fish in a barrel, a mouse in a cat's paws, this isn't going to end well!" Artemis was practically hyperventilating as she sat beside Robin in the air ducts, the two of them taking a quick breather before running for their lives again. It wouldn't take much to flood the air ducts if their attackers really wanted to. They didn't want to take the risk of waiting to see whether these opponents would do it.
"Come on, Artemis, just stay focused." He had his head between his knees and was just trying to get a plan in his head. Generally, it only took a few seconds. But then again, he was working with an unfamiliar partner in still unfamiliar territory against unfamiliar enemies. Drop him in Gotham with the Joker and Batman at his side, no big deal. Even Kid Flash or Red Arrow would've been a better partner than this archer. He didn't know her strengths or weaknesses or even how close to the brink of death she was willing to go. He knew Roy would go all the way and that KF would always get close but pull out last second, but Artemis was foreign to him. "No time to screw this up. We've got friends at stake here."
"Then make this work," she said quietly, voice getting calmer. Yet he could sense a hopelessness that she wasn't trying very hard to hide. "You'rethe leader this time, not Kaldur. I heard you wanted to succeed him." Her blue eyes found his slightly shivering form. They were both soaking wet, hair dripping, skin cold. "Now's your chance."
"Obviously." He rocked his weight forward so that he was up in a crouch. Droplets of water fell from his ebony locks. "So I need you focused. It can't be just me fighting." Behind the mask, his tired, broken eyes looked to her helpless, desperate face. He reached a gloved hand out to the archer, offering to pull her up as much as possible in an air duct. Of course, being in an air duct was a limit in itself. "You with me here?"
He was so focused. It was almost chilling how serious he was, how good he was at all of this. The way he knew how to track, how to avoid specific attacks, exactly what was where, what paths to take, where all the machinery in the whole mountain was. He knew everything. If anyone needed an encyclopedia, they could just call on him. He was like a walking talking dictionary too. She looked him over and saw the way his body language screamed "I'm scared" and how he couldn't keep his lips perfectly straight as he usually could when they weren't wearing a smile. A pitiful frown tugged down on the corners of his mouth. Artemis took his hand. Because if she wasn't with him, who was? Certainly not the rest of the team. Not when they were prisoners of war. "Let's go." Her voice cracked; she was ashamed of it, but what could she do? They were fighting a losing battle and were practically signing the suicide note. "I'm hoping you have a plan?"
An emptiness sank into his heart like lead in water. Dread drove through his veins. "Still working on that." He crawled on his hands and knees down the duct, looking into all the rooms for any ideas or any signs of their enemies. He felt bare without someone he knew watching his back."Hope I can figure it out soon."
Artemis, perfectly aware of their heavily impending doom, followed close behind him, watching his cape swish at his ankles. "Me too." She kept shuffling through the duct, her ponytail banging against the top of the metal space. "But at least we're in this together." Being left behind by her sister felt like a lifetime ago. It was better to be with Robin than to be alone. At least he wouldn't leave her alone.
She wouldn't see it, but a sad smile was perched on his broken, hopeless face. "At least we're in it together." He kept moving, praying for something to go his way, just for once. He couldn't let them down. Not this time.
A/N: I felt like the episode needed a calm moment. We had, like, one, but it wasn't nearly enough to balance with the action. Anyways, review? I've got more coming up, just not today.
~Sky