Chapter 12
Artemis sat alone on the stone stairs outside her apartment lost in thought, but with weapons ready if the Kid Flash clone chose to make a move or attempted to leave. The police had finally taken down the ropes of the crime scene and had exited the park. Residents and gawkers had long since left, and the street and the solitude were once again hers.
She had left the message for Bruce almost an hour ago and had still gotten no response.
He's contained. Get here now. Get it over with, her message read.
The Kid Flash clone she laughed bitterly. How easy it was now to use that name now, to finally accept the truth she'd known all along. It didn't hurt anymore; Tigress had taken care of that pain, like she had for all the others. She kept her safe, she kept her warm. She was the only one who took care of her; the only one she could count on to never leave.
Along with the blowgun, she had a Taser sitting between her legs at a voltage that might be able to incapacitate even Conner if need be, the Kid Flash clone would never have a chance. She glanced at her watch, it read close to 3:12 a.m, what was taking so god damn long she cursed.
She didn't want to see him…it again. To safely remove it, they would have to tranquilize it, sedate it. She didn't care as long as it was out of her life, as well as the judgmental eyes of the two men she once respected and aspired to be like. Not anymore.
Her eyes grew heavy, but she couldn't sleep, not till it was over and it was gone. The city was quiet for once and she was ready for it to be finished and go back to her old life. Just the two of them. Just she and Tigress.
Her mind traveled to an image of Carmine Falcone, and the satisfaction she would feel when they were finally face to face. With his death, she would wait patiently for the next call, for the next name. Then soon after someone who preyed on the innocent, someone who killed without conscience would awake to the vision of Tigress standing over them, and the circle would begin again.
Then soon after she'd find out who had done this, who had sent this thing after her. Hell hath no fury she smiled, hoping only that she found them before Nightwing did. He'd probably want to do something asinine, like arrests, or trials. Something weak. What she would unleash would be something much more delicious and final.
Deathstroke would have been a strong lead, but the clone had taken care of that loose end. Maybe the Light weren't as stupid as she originally thought. She slowly formulated a plan. Tigress begrudgingly admitted Nightwing's superior detective skills rivaled hers, so she would keep close tabs on him; let him and Batman do the legwork. When they had some strong leads, she'd follow up in a way unique to herself. Nothing could drive a person better than good old fashioned revenge, but Falcone first. That had to be taken off her plate.
Those thoughts soothed her, but were suddenly interrupted by a quiet voice that echoed through her mind.
"Artemis?" Megan's psychic voice whispered.
"Megan?" Artemis spoke out loud, glancing around before seeing glowing green eyes standing off in the distance in the shaded shadows of the park staring at back her.
Ms. Martian stepped out of the darkness in her civilian identity, green skinned superheroes being an inconvenient skin to wear in public sometimes.
"What are you doing here?" she asked alarmingly, stroking the Taser out of reflex.
"I'm here for you." She said calmly, walking up and kneeling down eye level with the archer.
They both stood for seconds staring at the other, trying to read the other, faces they had known for what seemed a lifetime.
"How'd you find me?"
"I may have borrowed the information without asking. You don't have to hide you know."
Artemis sighed, "What do you know?"
"Everything," Megan answered.
Artemis just shook her head in defeat, it didn't matter anymore.
"Batman and Nightwing came aboard hours ago without any prior notification and immediately went straight to the Watchtower labs. Not even so much as a hello. That and Dick's attempt to override the Zeta Tube with Wally's old transport code, and I knew something was up, so I peaked."
'You know they don't like that," Artemis smirked.
"Well I don't like it when my friends are hurting and won't let me in to help."
"I'm fine Megan," Tigress lied. She knew it was futile lying to a telepath, but anything else would have shown weakness, and that was what had gotten her in this position in the first place.
Megan frowned and Artemis knew the Martian saw right through her.
"They did it with Clark, they did it to Roy why should Wal…," she paused composing herself, "Why should he be any different. There's just cruel dangerous damn people out there Megan, that's why I do what I do."
Megan remained silent.
"So I'm going to find them and make sure they never do anything like this to anyone ever again, and if you and your friends are smart, you will stay the hell out of my way."
"They're our friends Artemis, not mine but ours."
Tigress just smirked, and moved on.
"Megan I'm fine, it's over. It happens in our line of work, you know that. We just have to be smarter, colder than they are. I was weak, it won't happen again."
Finally the Martian had had enough. "You know, you can hide behind this person all you want to everyone else, but not to me. I've been in there," she said pointing to the archer's head, "I know who's really inside, I've known since you were 15. You're not her no matter how much you wish you were."
"Things change."
The atmosphere was tense; both women rarely saw these sides of each other, both were used to projecting an image that was expected of them. Artemis just wanted to be alone, but Megan wouldn't allow it. She had come to be with her friend and wasn't leaving until she did. It was one of the rare time Tigress knew to give up, knew she'd been beat.
"I'm sorry Megan, I'm sorry about a lot of things."
Megan sat down and pulled the tense archer into her shoulder, Artemis resisted as she brought her arms around her knees and held on tightly trying so hard not to break, but when Megan's hold never waned the archer gave up and broke down, Tigress be damned.
"Artemis I can't imagine what this has been like. You shouldn't have gone through this alone. I wish you'd called," she said sadly
"I didn't call Megan because I knew it was wrong. I knew he was wrong, I just….I just didn't care."
She dabbed at her eye and continued.
"He was so much like him," she spoke softly, her voice so full of sorrow and regret. "Tender, funny, innocent. I should have known. Hell," she laughed, "I did know, but the lie just felt so…good. I knew miracles didn't exist, I just missed him so damn much I wanted it to be true."
"I know," Megan answered, cradling her head, combing her untamed locks out of her eyes, "I know."
Artemis pinched the bridge of her nose, damming the tears trying to escape. She spoke quietly, her husky voice full of regret. "That was never supposed to be my life, going to school, sharing an apartment, owning a dog…"her voiced tightened, "being in love, like normal people. I'm not normal, I'll never be normal. I should have realized that before I ever agreed to go out to California. It never would have lasted anyway" she said sadly.
Megan tried to think of some kind of response to the archer's self-loathing when a light groan escaped the small crack Artemis had in left in the door.
"What was that?"
"He…it...has nightmares. Some flaw in the programming I guess. Who knows? Dick and Bruce should be here any minute, they're going to take it...somewhere...I don't even want to know. You may not want to be here when they do; it's not going to be pretty."
"I'm not going anywhere," she answered firmly. "Conner has my shift; I'm staying as long as you'll let me."
Artemis nodded slightly in appreciation, built her guilt was written all over her usually unreadable face. "I've been such a shitty friend to you."
"No you haven't. No matter what anyone says, no one knows what it's been like for you unless they've walked a mile in your shoes."
Artemis sniffled slightly and looked up at her friend and smiled at her wisdom.
"You and Conner just had Chinese Food didn't you?"
"I love fortune cookies,"' she smiled back. "They're so tasty and wise at the same time." Megan kissed Artemis's cheek and pulled her in tighter. This time the archer didn't resist. She'd missed her earth sister.
Another groan lightly echoed through the apartment. Artemis ignored it, but Megan couldn't.
"Can I see him?"
Artemis looked out to the moonlit park, shrugged her shoulders and frowned, 'Sure go on in, just be quiet."
"That's not what I mean," and the Martian's eyes begin to grow bright
xxx
Projecting one's consciousness into another's mind is disorienting every time, even for a telepath as powerful as Megan. On Mars in was the norm, the standard form of communication done with an expected openness and welcome, however on Earth it was a much different experience. It could range anywhere from extremely intimate to a personal and painful violation.
She had melded with all of her original teammates at one time or another and the experience between them had been as unique as the person she connected with, but with odd similarities from time to time.
The experience with Conner was very primal, but once she got past the anger, she found a very scared and quiet man inside who sought only acceptance and peace.
Dick and Artemis were somewhat similar in that were both motivated by fear. Dick's being of failure, constantly concerned with the safety and well-being of others over himself, and of course the fear of disappointing the closest thing he had to a father.
Artemis's was of discovery, discovery of her darkest secrets, be it about herself, her family, her feelings. Fear for her sister, mother, or friends being victim to her abusive father. The fear that one day she would lose herself and the darker parts of her psyche would finally win out.
Kaldur and Wally were much different than the others. When entering Kaldur's mind it was immediately overwhelming, his thoughts teaming with life, movement, and majesty. She could fully understand the vastness of the oceans and his tiny place among the billions of lives that existed in that realm, never once feeling out of place but connected as if part of something bigger.
Wally was just as she expected, a blur but so full of joy, represented by a landscape of open roads that stretched on forever. She could literally feel the sights and sounds of the world that passed by her at the blink of eye and giggle uncontrollably like riding on a roller coaster that never stopped.
But in between the sensations, pain existed that would never see the light of the day. The sadness of living basically alone in a world surrounded by seemingly unmoving statues that were once your friends and family, so easily passed by without a thought as the roads ahead called.
Inside the clone's mind she stood in a pale opaque existence, a figurative cathedral of emptiness. She could sense feelings of confusion and loneliness, but not the joy that once existed in the original speedster's mind.
Megan found the few memories that existed there. They were scattered, brief flashes of images and feelings; An ocean stretching for hundreds of miles, the Golden Gate Bridge, the apartment he found, the feeling of emptiness when the door was opened and nothing stood inside it. The world flying by as familiar landmarks and landscapes came into focus briefly. Finally she felt this person searching, a blonde ponytail whipping across the busy streets of Gotham, rain, pain, relief, Deathstroke, but in his mind the most important one was her. It was always her. Artemis.
What should be a lifetime of memories lasted only seconds. She searched his mind for any kind of implanted memories, instructions, programming. Nothing. When she and Conner paired, when she cleared Roy's mind, she could immediately feel the unnatural implanted memories, see the unconscious programming that literally stood out like a beacon. Inside this clone there was nothing, perhaps Artemis was right about his programming being interrupted, incomplete.
Megan floated in the sea of emptiness when off in the distance she heard the low rumble, an odd sensation for a place so hollow. She floated in the direction it came from when another sound echoed nearby, and it became more identifiable as thunder. When she looked at her feet she found that she was no longer floating, but standing on solid grass. In a mind so desolate this shouldn't be happening she worried.
The void around her began to morph and change. In front of her rolling hills and fields of tall grass began to appear and stretch out as far as she could see. Lightning struck a few miles off to her right and that's when she saw him. A large oak tree with a solitary figure standing under it. A small boy. A small red headed boy.
Artemis sat silently on the stoop while her motionless friend investigated the clone's mind, staring off down the streets looking for the unique lighting array of the Batmobile. It was taking too long and sooner or later she would have to sedate the clone herself, a prospect that made her stomach churn.
Without warning or permission Megan invaded Artemis's mind. "You need to see this."
Suddenly Artemis's mental projection appeared next to the green skinned image of her former teammate on the hillside, dressed in the orange and black battle gear of Tigress. The archer stumbled slightly as the disorientation faded and she adjusted to her new surroundings.
"What the hell Megan, what do you...think...you're..." but the blonde was unable to finish her sentence.
Artemis stared all around her in wide eyed astonishment, when Megan carefully reached for her face. Instinctively Tigress grabbed her hand in response, but in this realm she was powerless against the strength of the Martian telepath. Megan gently removed the mask and tossed it on the ground.
"You don't need to be her here. The archer looked down as her uniform faded away and the jeans and sweatshirt she previously wore appeared back on her body.
"Are you doing this?" the archer asked.
"No," she answered and pointed to the tree and the small child. "He is."
Artemis immediately recognized who the boy was, how could she not? Megan took Artemis's hand and led her down the grassy hillside. When they got within feet of the child the archer stopped and dug her heels in dirt, pulling free of her friend.
Megan reluctantly let go and calmly walked next to the small child. He was dressed in small faded jeans with holes in knees. He wore an oversized Keystone Elementary hoodie, with his Flash baseball cap turned backwards. The boy never looked up at her, but past the mop of fiery red hair she could see his lips quivering.
She cautiously walked up behind the boy who was completely mesmerized by the storm off in the distance. A crunch of the dry grass alerted him to her presence, but he never moved, never flinched.
He looked up at her with sparkling green eyes, a tear rolling down his freckled cheek. He reached up and took her hand, turning back to watch the tempest that was slowly growing closer and more violent.
"What's your name?" the Martian kindly asked the child.
"Wally, what's yours?"
A chill shot up the archer's spine.
"I'm Megan. She knelt down to align herself with his height and lovingly wiped the tear away. "Wally why are you crying? What's wrong?"
A powerful lightning bolt stole the boy's attention as he turned away from the telepath and back to the closing storm. He sniffled, "I'm gonna die."
Megan's eyes went wide with fear. "Why would you say that? I don't understand."
Artemis stood frozen, unable to speak, barely able to breathe. Her heart was pounding, and for the first time in years she felt completely powerless as what to do. Her blonde mane began whipping her face as the storm around them grew more violent.
Another lighting strike drove the small redhead into the Martian's arms, and he hugged her tight, trying to wish the storm away. Megan squeezed back trying to comfort the terrified child currently trembling in her embrace.
Artemis tried to move forward, wanting to take the small boy in her arms and protect him, but her feet wouldn't obey her commands, remaining frozen in the tall grass.
"I….I can't move Megan," some unknown force was holding her at bay.
Off in the distance the dark clouds began to meet and swirl around each other, the very beginnings of a funnel cloud starting to form.
"Megan end this!" she yelled.
"I'm scared," the young boy shivered, trying to bravely wipe his tears away. Megan could feel his fear, feel the terror stripping away at his innocence. The funnel cloud swirled in jagged directions finally slamming into the landscape, eating away at the fields and anything else in its path.
"Pull us out now!" Tigress demanded over the roar.
"We can't just leave him here." the Martian yelled back over the howling storm.
Megan ignored the archer and cradled the boy's head and held him tight. Dirt and debris flew at them like a jet stream and knocked the two women off their feet. Just as suddenly a thick curtain of rain enveloped all around them, the deafening sounds of the tornado drowning out any words they tried to yell back and forth.
Artemis rubbed at her eyes, trying to wipe the dust and rain from her vision. When she opened them a second later the small boy was gone. In his place stood a lean muscular man, dressed in a yellow and crimson costume, a cowl pooling around his neck, red goggles perched on top of his head.
The storm started to ease somewhat, as underneath them the landscape began to change. What once was tall thick green grass slowly morphed into ice and snow. Both women stared back at each other in disbelief; their new environment becoming eerily familiar. The thick swirling darkness that was once a tornado became the shimmering rotation of the chrysalis energy vortex.
From the southern horizon of the frozen tundra, two streaks of red joined the blinding energy storm, spinning circles around it in opposite directions.
Artemis swallowed hard. This was the moment; this was when he left her. She had heard the stories, even cried in the solitude of her apartment imagining the moment. She tried to stand, tried to reach for him, but something held her back, some unseen force that kept she and the Martian at distance. Artemis immediately knew who was behind it.
She tried to yell to him over the deafening energy waves of not only the vortex, but the two speedsters attacking it, but to no avail. She glanced at Megan who knew immediately what she was asking for. The Martian's eyes once again began to glow and she reached out to the speedsters mind.
Before Megan could project her thoughts, his voice echoed into theirs.
It's no good Barry. Oh man Artemis is so going to kill me for this, and don't even get me started on mom and dad.
His eyes grew heavy as he clearly understood his fate.
Just tell them ok?
For the first time he turned and acknowledged Artemis's presence, his gaze meeting hers.
"I love you so much" he spoke through tear-filled bloodshot eyes, "and I'm sorry."
Before the archer could answer, he disappeared in a streak of lightning, joining the other two speedsters in their rotations.
The vortex begins to grow brighter and brighter, enveloping the two in a painful blinding light. A burning sensation attacked them both and Artemis looked at her hand as it began to fade into nothingness.
"Megan!" Artemis screamed and suddenly her eyes flew open, adjusting to their new, dimmer surroundings as the two abruptly found themselves back on the stone staircase of Artemis's apartment.
For a moment they sat in stunned silence, unable to process into words what they had just witnessed.
"Oh my god," Megan exclaimed "Artemis he's not a clone, that's Wal.." but when she turned the archer was gone.
Artemis sprinted into her apartment, "Wally!" she screamed and slammed open her bedroom door, but the blood splotched bed was empty