Chapter 13
Megan followed quickly behind Artemis, almost running headfirst into the archer as the blonde exited her bedroom rushing directly towards the kitchen. She ran out the back door, urgently searching for the speedster in all directions, but finding no visible sign of him anywhere, not even drops of blood from the freshly reopened wounds on his chest. Wounds she reopened, wounds she indirectly caused.
She closed her eyes and tried to search for the unique sonic distortion his speed caused as it tore through the open air, but all she could hear was the sounds of horns and engines from the vehicles that passed through Gotham West.
"Artemis," Megan yelled as she finally caught up to her, only to watch the archer ignore her again and burst back into the apartment, heading once again to her bedroom.
When Megan entered the room, Artemis was stripping off her clothes, searching for athletic shorts and tops that would fit under her battle suit, placing them on hurriedly as she opened the secret compartment in her closet to the weapons safe.
The telepath gently grabbed Artemis's shoulders and pulled her from the closet to directly in front of her with strength the archer didn't know the Martian possessed.
"What are you doing?" Megan asked firmly
"I'm going to find him," she answered coldly.
"Artemis he could be anywhere by now. Please calm down and let's think this through."
The archer ignored her and continued searching for the heavily lined socks she wore under her combat boots, digging through drawers, throwing clothes in all directions. Megan blew the hair out of her eyes, growing more frustrated by the moment by her friend's stubbornness when she heard the soft chiming coming from the den. She stepped out of the archer's bedroom and searched for the source, finally finding the Justice League communicator lying under the couch. She it picked up and recognized the designation code on the display; 02 - the Batman.
As soon as Megan activated the communicator, Batman immediately cut to the point.
"I'm in route, ETA 15 minutes."
"Batman, its Ms. Martian. He's gone."
To his credit, the Dark Knight never inquired as to why the Martian was answering Artemis's communicator, but the detective was very rarely non-plussed.
"How long?"
"About 10 minutes maybe," she answered
"Is everyone ok?"
"Yes but…"
"Batman out," and he abruptly ended the call. Megan's face contoured in frustration and immediately reentered his code and resent the signal, trying to alert Batman of Wally's true nature, but the Dark Knight never responded. Too much was happening too quickly and Megan needed a few moments to center herself. She was surrounded by volatile personalities which sometimes could pose a challenge to her mental shielding, especially when she needed to filter out the excess noise and chaos that those minds could produce. This was going to be a long night she worried.
Artemis Crock doesn't do frantic, but she does do angry. In the new life she made for herself, anger was and is a key component to survival, a useful tool to control and energize her when delivering justice, or something more final. She had learned long ago to leave her heart out of any scenario and focus squarely on the target. This situation would be no different.
She began pulling on her orange and black costume, sans weapons and Kevlar padding, as she hurriedly entered the code to unlock the weapons safe where those items lay. An error warning displayed on the screen as she realized she had pushed the wrong key sequence in her hurried state
She ignored the feelings of guilt trying to escape as she re-entered the code, denied the fact that this time he had not run off to save the world, but had run from her. From Her! Run because she had pushed him away and had broken one of the unbreakable rules of their relationship, whether he remembered it or not, she did. After months of deceit when they finally expressed their true feelings for each other, there would be no more lies, not between them, not again, not ever, and yet when presented with this gift, that's exactly what she had done.
In the background of her mind, Artemis could hear Tigress trying to persuade her to abandon this fruitless search and focus on the Falcone mission. Go to hell! her only response.
Lost in her train of thought she barely realized the safe had once again inputted an erroneous code and began again. Focus God Damnit she cursed.
This was just a mission like any other. Track the target, find the target, and kill the target. Tigress had accomplished this numerous times, and very few were better at it.
My god she screamed mentally, had she really just thought that. This wasn't some gang leader, some sex slave trafficker; this was Wally West, her Wally West. Her mind battled within itself as the safe once again denied her access.
Megan's breathing and pulse rate hit its optimal mark, and she was ready to deal with the challenges ahead, until she heard the glass shatter and a scream emanate from Artemis's bedroom.
She ran to the door to find the archer slumped on the floor, her bedroom vanity in pieces, blood tricking down the blonde's knuckles onto the half-dressed orange costume she was trying to put on.
"The fucking weapons vault locked me out!" she screamed, slamming her fist on the floor. "I hit the wrong fucking code too many times, and the fucking safety protocols locked it down for the next 12 hours. Why am I so god damn stupid?" she demanded, her body literally shaking in anger and sadness. Her eyelids closed, unable to keep the tears from escaping behind them.
Artemis ran her hand across her eyes, wiping the silent tears away as she regained her composure. The archer tried to deny the yawn that escaped and rose to her feet, stripping out of the Tigress battle suit and looking for her jeans and sweatshirt she had just discarded.
"Where are you going?" Megan asked urgently.
Artemis remained silent as she slipped her last boot on and left the room, slamming her shoulder in the door frame as her exhausted mind and body attempted to navigate out of the apartment towards her motorcycle.
"Artemis?" Megan implored, "Try to think straight for a second, he doesn't know anyone, doesn't have anywhere else to go. He's scared; you have to give him some time to figure things out. He found you once, he'll find you again, but right now you need to stay here and get some rest. He'll be back, I know it, and you need to be here when he does."
Artemis paused for a moment, scanning her apartment for her Motorcycle keys, eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. Megan knew despite her training and skills, the moment the archer stepped on to that bike, she was going to be a danger to herself and others. The Martian bit her lip and took a deep breath, her friend was going to be pissed, but sometimes an Earth sister had to do what she had to do.
"Artemis I'm sorry."
The archer was strapping her back pack on when she glanced back, "Sorry for what?" she replied hurriedly when she noticed the Martians eyes begin to glow. The blonde's limbs went limp and Megan caught the unconscious body of her weary friend. In a strength that belied her small frame, the Maritain carried her back up the stairs and carefully placed her in her bed. She was no good to Wally or herself in this state. Megan would keep a vigil for the night, hoping for the speedsters return.
xxx
Dick slammed his fist on the dashboard of the Batmobile in disgust. "Damnit Megan knows too? God! All Artemis had to do was sedate him, that's it. I swear to god Bruce, I don't know the woman anymore," he spit, pinching his swollen nose courtesy of the archer.
"Dick Calm yourself," the Dark Knight responded in his cool baritone. "This isn't easy for her."
"For her? How about for me? She and all her god damn secrets," he cursed, "How in the hell did Wally put up with them for so long?"
Batman remained silent, focused on the road as the Batmobile swiftly navigated the street of Gotham, sensors searching for the unique signature of a speedster in motion.
"I just don't understand how she could do this; if Jason had somehow come back you sure as hell wouldn't have kept something like that from me."
Batman didn't answer, adjusting the calibrations on the dashboard for a wider scan.
"Bruce?"
Finally the Dark Knight acknowledged. "I wouldn't have told anyone, Alfred included, until I was positive. I wouldn't put anyone through that pain again. Perhaps Artemis kept it private for the same reason."
Dick remained quiet, calibrating the scanner readings for a certain sonic signature.
Batman continued, "I'm assuming Megan lifted the information from me when we were onboard the Watchtower."
"She wouldn't do …. ", then Dick stopped himself, "Yeah she probably would."
"It doesn't matter right now. We need to find it before it hurts someone else. We're going to have to call Barry and Bart in on this, we're just not equipped to deal with someone with the clones speed, but that's all for now. The circle must remain small."
"Not even Clark or Diana?" Nightwing questioned.
"No," Batman coldly replied. "This won't stay secret for long, but I'd prefer whoever did this not be alerted when an army of superheroes comes crashing on every cloning facility across the globe. Stealth is our weapon at the moment; the League will know more when I do."
Batman glanced back at the onboard computer. "I'm not detecting any speed signatures whatsoever, and the sensors scans are as wide as they can go. I've calibrated the computer to monitor traffic cameras and police frequencies as well. We'll make a few more runs and then head back to cave and see what other satellites we can tap into, and go from there."
Dick nodded silently, looking out the cockpit aimlessly for familiar signs of a copy of a man who left him so long ago.
xxx
Artemis awoke to the smell of coffee and muffins emanating from the kitchen. She felt rested and clear headed, not having slept like that in months. The archer realized the Martian was the culprit, but her irritation quickly gave way to silent gratitude.
She knew her cupboards were bare, and felt guilty for the trouble Megan must have gone to - to make breakfast; Artemis wasn't used to being taken care of. The feeling was as alien to her as the woman currently making use of her kitchen. She didn't deserve friends like her, she never had.
She stared at the ceiling, trying to gather her thought and formulate a plan of action. As angry as she was with Dick, he still needed to know what she and Megan had discovered. Artemis didn't want or need his help, not anymore, but she begrudgingly accepted he shouldn't be kept in the shadows regarding this issue.
Issue? Had she really just used that word? This was wasn't an issue, this was a person. A person she loved and had lost. She'd lived the past few days in a euphoric haze, a dream she knew she would wake from eventually, but one she wanted to savor for every moment she could. Now it was no longer a dream, it was reality and it terrified her. She had hurt him again, pushed him away when he needed her the most, it seemed like she'd done that her whole life. She'd find him, she'd have to.
Artemis opened her bedside table to retrieve a list of some nefarious individuals Jade occasionally did business with, criminals that might be able to aid her in her search for a reasonable price or a return of the favor at some point, either way she didn't care, the archer just needed their eyes and ears, speedsters being incredibly difficult to track down solo.
She reached in blindly, feeling for the small leather address book, when her finger tips touched smooth glass. She pulled out the frame and held it in front of her on the bed. She'd removed this picture along with a few others when the clone, when Wally arrived, to protect him or her, she wasn't sure.
Inside the sleek metallic frame stood a 16 year old Wally West holding Artemis in his arms in a quiet corner of Mt. Justice, days after a mental exercise gone horribly wrong. As she looked at the picture, memories of that period felt as fresh as yesterday.
xxx
Mt Justice
October 22 15:30 EDT.
It had been six days since they'd all regained consciousness. All upcoming missions had been cancelled and each team member had been mandated to attend multiple mandatory counseling sessions with Black Canary. Some had made progress, some had gotten worse.
Artemis was realist, ingrained into her at age when most girls should still be playing with dolls instead of weapons. Birthdays and Christmas had as much a chance of being ignored or forgotten as celebrated. It was just the way of things in Crock family.
The exercise was her fault, despite the denials of her teammates, despite the guilt that Megan carried, in her heart she knew the truth. She had been so desperate to show her worth, to prove her mettle she'd gotten careless, reckless.
Before the exercise she had actually started to feel comfortable, worthy of their trust and friendship. She'd even considered finally coming clean and telling them the truth about her lineage, but there was no way now, not after what she'd done to Megan. It was over.
"Damn you Canary", she cursed.
She'd run; move on, like she'd always done. Maybe it was time to finally accept the truth and join Jade.
'You can't hide who you are baby girl'.
Everyone had reacted differently. Some held resentment at the League for an attempting such and exercise with a group of inexperienced teens, some were upset with Megan, and some were just confused and angry with themselves.
All upcoming missions had been placed on hiatus or outright cancelled until counseling sessions were complete to the satisfaction of Canary. The cave had been semi empty for a few days, team members coming and going, gathering personal items, but mainly residing at their civilian homes. Megan and Conner being the only full time residents stayed mainly to themselves, avoiding the team and each other.
Artemis spent most of the days in her room, unwilling to return to her mother's apartment and the constant vigil and hovering her parent would likely present. Her bags had been packed for days, waiting for the archer to finally gather the courage to leave and not look back. She knew the end was near, but tried to fight the pain inside her at the idea of leaving people that had become so important to her in such a short period of time. People who had accepted a literal stranger, fought beside her, protected her.
The counseling with Canary had accomplished nothing to relieve her guilt. She walked out to the media room, finally hoping to see someone there, to give herself some sense of closure before she left the mountain for good. She expected Conner in his customary spot watching static on the TV, but he was gone.
'Figures' she thought.
She wandered the cave one final time, trying to remember every room, every memory. She swallowed hard when she finally made it to the trophy room, seeing each remnant of Wally's twisted sense of adventure placed carefully side by side.
'What a moron' she smiled, trying to deny the sadness in heart at never seeing the speedster again.
She was lost in her thoughts, hearing her father's voice taunting her inside, welcoming his failure of a daughter back into the family business, when a small voice cleared his throat.
"Uh. Artemis?"
She quickly set aside her melancholy and raised her shields back as the familiar voice of Kid Flash approached her.
She spun around quickly, her long pony tail whipping the air. "What are you doing here?" she snapped. "You finally going unload on me for all the shit I caused. You better do it while you can, go ahead fire away West, tell me what a replacement I am, how Roy would've saved the day or some such shit. Do it asshole, just do it."
Her fists were trembling, she was angry and hurt, she knew it had been coming; maybe this was the last step, the last tie to be broken so she could leave this god damn place and go back to a darker life. All she needed was the right push, and the resident loudmouth was just the person to do it. Once she thought they had finally made peace, but that was before she got everyone killed. Her body was tense, almost rigid when the speedster finally unloaded, in a way she never expected.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tight, cradling her head into his shoulder. Artemis was stunned, preparing to shove the speedster against the closest wall for violating her personal space, but despite her defensiveness, her body involuntarily relaxed and melted into him
He gently stroked her hair and whispered in her ear. "As much as you don't want to believe it, this wasn't your fault. It could have happened to any of us"
She swallowed hard when faced with his kindness "It didn't Wally, it happened to me, I was careless and stupid, and look what happened. I'm a liability; I've been kidding myself to think I belong here."
Tears were forming in her eyes as she tried to push the speedster away, but he refused to release her.
"Let go of me Wally!" she demanded. She struggled against his strength for a few seconds, until realizing she didn't want to anymore. It was the first time she's felt that good in days.
"Why do you even care, you hate me"
He had an odd nervousness to his voice, a vulnerability she had never heard before. "No I don't and you know it."
"You should," she replied guiltily, her small voice slightly cracking.
"Not gonna happen." Wally replied matter of fact.
She pushed harder into his warmth, "Wally I was so scared."
"I know I was too. The whole world was falling apart and all was I could think about ...was.. I was worried I'd...I'd never see you again."
She sniffled, "Really?"
"Yeah really. If you were gone who would I get to argue with, who'd bust my chops and tell me what a moron I am, point out my horrible table manners and such," he laughed with one of the nicest smiles she had ever seen from him, his green eyes shining in the dim corner of the cave.
She rubbed her eyes and smiled back, "I have become the voice of the team when it comes to keeping you and your massive ego in check."
"You are the goddess of congeniality after all," he smiled before a sincere expression draped across his face. "Artemis you mean a lot to this team, you mean a lot to me, you're just going to have to accept that ok? You 'are' one of a kind and that's one of the things I….I like so much about you."
"You liking me?" she questioned bemused.
"I know, must be some form of brain damage. Don't tell anyone ok, least of all that loudmouth blonde archer, she'd never let me here the end of it. Deal?" he kindly grinned.
She blinked away the forming moisture in her eyes away, her heart beating faster; sometimes the annoying red head could be so full of surprises. "Deal," she agreed
He slowly released his hold on her and wiped a small tear from her cheek.
"Let's get out of here. How about some ice cream on the boardwalk, just the two of us, my treat."
"Shouldn't we, you know, ask Conner and Megan maybe?" the archer asked.
"Nah, I think they'll be fine, they might need a talk like this as much as we did. Come on, this offer has an expiration date."
She smiled. "I'll be right back, let me get my wallet."
"I told you it's my treat," he reminded.
"I pay my own way Kid Mooch, be right back."
She ran to her room feeling light hearted, as if a weight had been lifted from her young shoulders. Canary was right, the person she had been most worried about was Wally, and if he was alright with her, maybe the rest of them would be too. She entered the residential hallway trying to remember what bag she had placed her wallet in during her hurry to pack her belongings. She opened her door and her heart began to ache all over again.
All her belongings had been unpacked, placed back in their proper place, even the Alice in Wonderland poster was back on her wall. She had just been in there 20 minutes prior. She shook her head in happiness, pursing her lips trying to deny the smile. Artemis grabbed her wallet and ran out, before turning back one final time, hoping this wasn't a dream.
Wally was waiting by the door as the archer approached both acting as if nothing had happened, both trying so hard not to smile.
"Ready?" she asked
"Yep let's do this."
He opened the door to the tunnels leading outside, when suddenly she reached past him and shut it abruptly. Wally looked at her confused; when unexpectedly she wrapped her arms around him and held on for dear life. He rested her head into his shoulder.
"Thank you Wally."
"Anytime beautiful."
They remained like that for almost a minute until the grumble of a stomach interrupted the moment.
"Let's get you fed," she rolled her eyes and Wally shrugged.
"I like the way you think," he answered and he opened the cave door once again.
Artemis walked past the chivalrous red head as a smirk crossed her face. "Baywatch, you better not have touched my underwear."
Wally shivered. "Hell no," he laughed, "I'd rather go one on one with Bane," but his face grew bright red, and he grinned. "However I never pictured you as the white lacy type," he laughed and took off in a blur with Artemis in hot pursuit. "You are so dead Kid Perv," but the smile on her face betrayed her.
Megan stepped quietly out of the shadows, digital camera in hand and smiled. "They'll laugh about this someday."
xxx
Artemis put the picture down and placed it back to its rightful spot on her bedside table. In that one picture captured so many important moments in her life. It was when she actually started to believe in her own importance within the group dynamic, when she no longer felt like stranger around established friends, when she finally felt the light shining on the shadows of her former life. There would be bumps and potholes on the roads ahead, of that she had no doubt, but she would face them head on, no more hiding in the darkness.
Most importantly she finally stopped lying to herself and accepted the truth, one she had tried to deny for so long. She was head over heels for the speedster, not a mild infatuation like she'd had for Conner, but something more. She had no idea what it felt like to be in love, but she was beginning to wonder if the strange feelings inside her were the beginning of something beautiful.
Megan walked in and smiled. "That's one my favorite pictures of you two. I hoped you still had it."
"Yeah," Artemis sighed, her eyes still locked on to it.
Megan took her hands, and pulled the archer towards her. "We're going to find him ok? Even if we have to get every Leaguer, auxiliary member, or even retirees if we have to."
"Ok," Artemis sighed and nodded, appearing convinced, upbeat even, but inside she was still sullen. After that…. what? she worried.
xxx
Alfred Pennyworth quietly opened the door to the master bedroom and made way his inside, placing the Kale protein shake on the side table in preparations of the needs of the slumbering occupant. Bruce Wayne had arrived back at Wayne Manor at approximately 5:52 that morning after three straight nights full of obligations both as the CEO and vigilante hero. His clock was set for 7:15; until the Englishman turned it off, giving the exhausted Dark Knight the two extra hours he needed but would never take on his own.
Inside the manor Bruce Wayne might be the owner and heir, but Alfred ran the show. The older man's intention was to give the sleeping hero an hour or two more, but after the third call from Ivy College came in, Alfred relented and awoke the man in his care who he had watched over since childhood. Ray Palmer was not a man prone to exaggeration, and his urgency convinced the old Englishman of its importance.
"Master Bruce, so sorry for disturbing you sir, but Dr. Palmer needs to speak with you rather urgently."
Bruce looked over at the clock and frowned at the butler, but knew better than to correct him, no one knew him or his needs better than Alfred and arguing with him on any matter was a fruitless endeavor.
"I'll take it in the cave, are Dick and Tim still sleeping?"
""Yes sir, I thought it best."
"Good. Let them sleep. I'll be back up later," and Bruce grabbed the protein shake and took it with him to the sliding panel of the secret elevator to the bat cave.
Moments later Bruce sat behind the master control panel in front of the main monitor and activated the com system.
"Computer, secure channel please."
Acknowledged, the metallic voice answered and within seconds the hero known as the Atom appeared on screen in his civilian identity.
"Good morning Ray."
"Morning Bruce, rough night?"
Wayne smiled but went straight to the point.
"Did you receive the package?"
"Yes, around 2:30 this morning. Tim scared the shit out of me when he knocked on my window. Anyway I've been studying it all night."
"And?"…"
"I've never seen anything like it," Palmer replied.
Bruce expression hardened as he prepared for the worst.
"What do you mean?"
"Well the guys at STAR results were accurate; the sample has been altered but..."
"But what?"
"Bruce whatever did this, well…the technology just doesn't exist."
"I don't understand Ray."
I'm not sure I do either, not yet at least. The guys at STAR were good, but Ivy has a next generation microscope called an Electron Ptychography System. It dispenses with the lens and instead forms the image by reconstructing the scattered electron-waves after they have passed through the sample using distributed computing systems that can simulate protein folding, computational drug design, and other types of molecular dynamics. It sees things at a sub atomic level. A few hours ago it constructed a 3D model of the sample and….well we're talking about functionally relevant modifications to the genome that do not involve a change in the nucleotide sequence."
"You've lost me," Batman replied. Bruce Wayne was a highly intelligent man, but when it came to Ray Palmer's expertise, he was out of his league, way out.
"I'm sorry. It's called Epigenetics, a lot of it is pure theory, but in this case there is no change in the underlying DNA sequence of the organism; instead, non-genetic factors cause the organism's genes to behave or express themselves differently. Gene expression can be controlled through the action of repressor proteins that attach to silencer regions of the DNA. These changes may remain through cell divisions for the remainder of the cell's life and may also last for multiple generations, but they cannot be replicated. There just too fragile, if someone attempted to recreate the DNA sequence the helix would literally fall apart."
"Ray in English please."
"Sorry I got a little carried away, seeing something like this is very exciting. Bruce it all comes down to the structural integrity of the new cell's quantum atom which should not exist in this…"
Bruce sighed loudly in frustration, hoping the non-verbal message would reach his overly excited Nobel winning teammate.
"Ok message received. Bruce I'm not a microbiologist, but it was my minor in grad school until I changed my field of study. This sample it's definitely Wally's DNA, there's no question about that. It matches up perfectly with the JL database, but it's been modified in such a subtle way, but incredibly complex in another. I've never seen anything like it before, as far as I know no one has. It's just…"
"It's what Ray?"
"Bruce bear with me, because this is pure conjecture, but no matter what Flash and Impulse saw, you can't just destroy energy, you can change it, displace it, but not destroy it. I…I think Wally's body went… somewhere. Now I'm just hypothesizing here, but Barry said he was hurt, probably critically, but Bruce something repaired him. I'm guessing whatever it was that fixed him, did it in the only way it knew how. It's like whatever he came face to face with, knew how to repair a speedster, and the way it fixed him is as much a mystery as how he's here. Look I know how it sounds but it's the best theory I can come up with. I'm sending this model off to a friend over at Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Germany for his opinion, but I'm almost positive he'll have the same results."
"So….
"There's no way it could be cloned. That person out there, that's Wally West."
Bruce heard a deep breath exhaled behind him, the almost imperceptible sigh of Dick Grayson who had silently made his way to Batman's side."
"You're sure Doc?"
"Dick you're never sure of anything in my line of work, but I'm convinced that's our friend. So what's the plan?" Palmer questioned.
"We find him, let him know it's time to stop running and come home. If he's lost his memories, we have to do this carefully, delicately. We'll need Barry and Bart's help tracking him down, but for now Ray we need to keep this between us, I don't want the Wests or Allen's hearing about this through the rumor mill. We'll begin the search immediately and if we don't find him in Gotham we'll contact the Flash's privately. In the meantime call me as soon as you get confirmation from Germany."
"Consider it done. Good luck Bruce, I'll be here if you need me. Atom out."
Bruce tuned the chair to face his former partner, but Dick walked away, the news hitting him like a gale force wind. He remained silent for minutes as memories and truths flooded his mind. He walked to the glass display case that held Jason Todd's uniform, staring at it intently, his emotions bubbling up inside.
"I…I can't believe it."
"Are you ok?" the Dark Knight inquired.
"I'm...I'm not sure," he spoke hesitantly. "I don't know what I am…it doesn't seem real. I…" he swallowed past the lump in his throat, "I don't ….I don't know what to say. It was so easy to be angry, so easy to hate him when I thought he was a clone. I don't know what to do, what to feel."
"It's a lot to absorb," Bruce said solemnly
Dick rolled his eyes in disbelief. "People just don't come back from the dead."
"I agree, but it appears he has, and we have a job to do."
Dick didn't acknowledge the statement, but quietly made one of his own. "I think I understand how she felt. Why Artemis did what she did."
"If your roles had been reversed I think she would have reacted the same way, you and she are similar in so many ways, especially when it came to….Wally."
"It's hard to say in the present tense isn't it?"
Bruce nodded. "This is going to be difficult on his family. Letting go is hard enough, but welcoming him back, it's possibly going to be harder. They're going to need you, both of you."
"He doesn't remember me," Dick sadly stated.
"Well you'll just have to remedy that. From what Artemis told you, he is much the same as he was, minus the memories. He's your closest friend no matter if he remembers you or not."
"I'm nervous, I don't' do nervous."
"About what?" Wayne asked.
"It's been so easy to be mad at him all this time. It was easier then…missing him. I just assumed over time it would fade away, even when I was dragging him to the hospital all I felt was…..god Bruce I felt hate. How fucked up is that? I don't know what I'll say to him."
"Tell him the truth."
"I don't know how he'll take that especially if it comes from a stranger."
For the second time in so many weeks Bruce affectionately placed his hand firmly on his old partner's shoulders.
"Dick, you're going to have to have faith. Even if you don't realize it now, you've probably rehearsed this moment in your mind consciously or sub consciously. It's time to let go of the guilt and take that leap. When the time's right, you'll know what to do. You always have."
""How do you know?"
"Because I have faith too Dick, faith in you. You're going to do fine. You two couldn't have been any different when you first met, complete strangers, both sitting at the opposite end of the spectrum and both of you hit it off immediately. It seems like fate has put you right back to the beginning."
Dick chuckled at his logic. "When did you become so wise Ke-mo sah-bee?"
Bruce grinned. "From years of mistakes, but I always go back to something my father said. He would ask why do we fall Bruce?"
"So we can learn to pick ourselves up." Grayson replied.
"Exactly. Days ago you came to me broken, empty. You came home to find yourself and what you'd lost. Well I think you got more than you bargained for. Even if he didn't mean to be, Wally is the missing piece of that puzzle. It's time to put it and him in their proper place. So where do you suggest we start?"
"With an apology to an old friend," Nightwing answered, "If anyone can find him, she can."
xxx
Megan had left hours ago, going home to shower and make her way to the Watchtower to find someone to cover her monitor shifts. She swore her silence to Artemis and Artemis took her at her word.
The archer had her gear packed and ready, not finding it convenient to be in uniform during the daylight hours. Transportation was going to be a hindrance. She had open ended access to any of the private jets owned by Oliver Queen, but she needed something faster and transportation like that was no longer available to her.
Artemis knew she had to leave Roy and Jade out of it. She already had had enough of Dick Grayson, and the last thing she needed was Red Arrow's bullshit attitude battling against her for keeping the return of one of his closest friends a secret. She didn't know if he'd ever forgive her for it, but frankly she didn't give a shit.
Her first destination would be the West Coast, San Francisco to be precise. Through connections of Jade's, the gang leader of the 14K Triads would begin a search for a young redhead that seemed lost or out of place, with strict orders from the mercenary Tigress to observe and follow only. If any harm came to him, one bruise, one laceration, if a single hair on his head was out of place, Tigress would bring upon them a world of shit, and the Asian gang had no intention of pissing off the deadly assassin. The estimated travel time form New York to California was approximately five and a half hours conservatively, but Oliver's new Citation X corporate jet could probably make it there in less than four. She turned to lock the door and headed towards her bike when she came face to face with the tall brunette.
On the sidewalk stood Dick Grayson in civilian clothes, large back pack hanging off his shoulders, eyes shaded by his trademark sun glasses.
She stood on top of the stairs of her apartment, staring down at him in fury.
"You're an asshole," she hissed.
Her body tensed, every muscle preparing to strike.
"I know," he confessed with genuine remorse. He paused, his words almost causing him pain. "It's him," Dick spoke his voice tainted with regret.
"I know," she curtly responded. "How did you find out?"
"Ray Palmer," he answered, mentioning the Nobel physicist by name was all the answer needed.
He approached her slowly; Tigress ensuring Artemis's guard remained sharp, deadly.
He slowly made his way up the stairs and stood even with her on the landing. He carefully extended his arms and embraced her, drawing her rigid form into his body
"I'm a prick."
"Yes you are," she answered angrily, but finding her body easing by the moment.
"I'm sorry. Artemis, I'm sorry I didn't believe you, …believe in you. No one knew…knows him better than you, I should have trusted you. It's just things like this, they just ….they just don't happen. I've spent the last year looking for the worst in people, taking advantage of their weaknesses and flaws, I just assumed when it…he came back, it was my turn to be screwed with, made to pay for my mistakes. I can't seem to stop fucking up no matter how hard I try. I'm really sorry."
Her arms snaked around his muscular shoulder and she hugged him back.
"I know Dick, I am too."
"I don't know what to say Artemis. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. Since he's been gone, instead of mourning him, really being thankful for the time we had, I've spent the last months being so…"
"Angry at him?" She answered.
"Yeah," he answered honestly.
She sighed, "Me too," she answered and rested her head on his shoulder. They each had their reasons, they both knew as to why.
"So where were you headed?" he asked.
"West Coast, I was going to check out some old stomping grounds. When he….arrived, that was the first place he remembered. I thought it would be a good place to start."
"Want some company?" Dick hoped.
"Yeah, Yeah I'd like that," she answered
"So no Central or Keystone?"
"No. He has no idea where he's from, where he grew up. He described our old apartment to a T, so that's where I'm headed. I have some uhh …associates on the lookout for him."
"Should I ask who?" Grayson asked curiously.
"No probably not. They're just supposed to identify him, but when it comes to actually approaching him, it's gotta be me."
"Us," he corrected, taking her hand in his.
"Us," she smiled. "I have one of Oliver's jets prepped and ready at Gotham International, but it's still going to take hours."
Dick beamed, "Ok well why don't you head out and I'll be waiting for you when you get there, or I suppose you could Zeta with me, Batman reinstated your account this morning, or did I forget to mention that."
Artemis smirked, "You're still an asshole, you know that right?"
"I do, I've been reminded of that by most of the women in Blüdhaven, and quite a few in Gotham recently. Come on the Zeta Station s five blocks up. You ready?"
She smiled and in mere seconds, at a speed Wally would approve, all anger and resentment she'd held for one of her oldest friend's disappeared into the wind, business as usual. Separate they were formidable, together they were unstoppable. She was ready.
"Yeah, I am." she replied confidently.
"Let's go find our speedster, "he smiled as they began the jog up the street.
xxx
Megan sat at a private video console on the recreation deck of the Watchtower, away from fellow team members on board during the day shift. She needed a favor, and Conner was the only one she could trust, he always had been.
She entered in his private commination I.D. and waited for the computer to analyze the code and seek out the recipient hundreds of miles away in the town of Smallville.
The League computer acknowledged the code and began to send out the signal when a dark glove reached over, pressing a button and cancelling the call.
"We need to talk."
"Uh…Ok?" the Martian nervously replied.
Batman glanced around, making sure they were alone. "I need you to stop."
"Stop what?" Megan asked.
"You know exactly what I'm referring to," Batman answered coldly, reminding Megan how intimidating he could be with just his words.
"But Batman this is great news, beyond great."
"You invaded my privacy, stole information that did not belong to you. We'll put a pin in that for the moment and move on.
"I.. I'm sorry," Megan said remorsefully.
"Megan this is very important so listen carefully."
"He's real Batman, It's really Wally."
"I know, but he may be dangerous, not on purpose, but he could be to others but more importantly to himself. I've got a call into Barry, but until we find him and get some answers it has to remain between the five of us."
"But?..".she interjected.
"Think of his family; put yourself in their shoes for a moment. I don't think it's wise to give them hope until we know more about the how's and why's. God forbid if something happens, do you really want them to lose him twice?"
She sighed. He was right, Batman usually was.
"Fine, but I want to be a part of this, Artemis is my sister and I don't want to be left on the sidelines." The Martian answered, making her intentions perfectly clear. Not so much a suggestion as a demand.
"You won't, you have my word. Work your shift as normal, then I need you in Happy Harbor by evening, blending in, with eyes and ears open."
"Ok, but doesn't it make sense for someone to be covering Central City?"
"I already have people in mind for that."
xxx
Rudy West lay sprawled out on the couch in his den, a large bowl of buttered popcorn resting precariously on his protruding stomach. The snack was not doing his cholesterol or his weight any favors, but watching football had always been a guilty pleasure, even before the NFL had finally expanded and bestowed upon Central City their own franchise.
The Central City Storm were about to begin summer training camp, and in honor of the upcoming season, The NFL Network was repeating last year's playoff final between the Storm and the Gotham Knights. It had been a heart breaking defeat, but in its third year of existence, the Storm had been 4 yards away from going to the Superbowl, an impressive feet for any team, but especially for an expansion team with a budget almost half of what the rich owners like Bruce Wayne spent on their New York teams. All the money in the world can't buy heart, and the Storm reflected the strength of its fans, underdogs but scrappy till the end.
Rudy remembered the game well, but considering all that was left on most sports networks was baseball, a rerun of the most famous game in Central City history left him salivating for the season to start.
When the commercial came on in between quarters, the pudgy man walked to the kitchen to refill his popcorn and drink. As he closed the refrigerator he caught site of his wife outside, staring blankly at the sunset, lost in her own world once again, closing herself off to everything around her. He closed his eyes and drew in a sorrowful breath.
The therapist they used to see encouraged them to find hobbies and passions they both could share. Hiking, camping, travel, something that could draw them together as a couple, and event they could share, but with the distance that seemed to grow between them every day, it became harder and harder until eventually they both went about finding their own by themselves.
Rudy put most of his time and energy into carpentry. His father had been extremely handy and he passed on that skill and passion to his sons. Rudy had had every intention of passing that down as well, but soon discovered his son was much more interested in science than home improvement. Being a teacher himself he wished his child had shown more interest in being well rounded, but it was hard to argue when you had a son who was a brilliant science prodigy. It's not like Tesla or Einstein were particularly well versed in poetry or little league baseball.
Mary West had always been a gardener, a very special hobby she spent years doing alongside her grandmother when she was still alive. The two women, despite the age difference, spent years in the dirt sowing seeds and telling stories. In all honesty Mary was closer to grandmother than she was to her own parent.
Gardening represented a new beginning, bringing life into the world. Now it was an opportunity for solitude, away from the constant are you all rights, and the you and your family are in our prayers. Gardening now meant being away from the crowds of well-wishers, and living quietly in her own world. A world shattered long ago.
Rudy and Mary barely spoke anymore, two strangers sharing a home and a bed, but nothing else. Even marriage counseling had not helped and before long Mary stopped seeing her therapist all together. Divorce was never an option, but it tore at Rudy's heart that this was the way they would probably spend the rest of their days.
In his most private of moments, he quietly blamed someone else for their predicament. A young man who recklessly carried out an experiment he was told not to attempt, by parents who had no idea what he was trying to accomplish. Rudy and his wife were both educators, but history and English were their fields of study, not chemistry and physics. Who knew a 13 year old could be planning such a potentially life threatening experiment. Rudy knew there was something different about his son Wally, but he prayed it was a phase and that someday he would leave his make shift lab and run the neighborhood with friends, perhaps even put on the pads and join the school football team. It turned out that his son had much bigger plans for himself.
Rudy never understood what made Wally choose the life he did. He doubted his son ever understood that every bruise he would bring home, every scar that would show up on his body would tear into his parents' heart. Neither Rudy nor Mary could completely understand what it was like to be a hero, but when their son saved lives on a regular basis and felt an unselfish joy in his heart for doing so, it was hard to chastise a young man who only used his gifts to help others. Despite the stress it caused, Rudy took pride in that. He and Mary had raised their son right. Wally and his friends had saved the world, but Rudy never had time to appreciate it. Despite the text book definition of unselfish act, his sacrifice had destroyed his mother; Wally had taken the most loving women in the world and reduced her to shell of her former self. When his son died that day, Wally had taken his mother as well.
The two year anniversary of their son's death was still months away, but he knew every day that Mary was aware. She was aware up to the minute he ceased from this world. All Rudy had to do was look at her lost in her thoughts to know the silent countdown she kept in her mind. No matter his age, Mary had lost her baby, and her heart would never be the same.
The redhead took the scarlet Vincas out of the tray and placed them in the pre-dug holes. The corner of the house was in constant sunlight and after many a trial and error she discovered the colorful flower was the only thing that would survive the non-stop heat. Once the plant's roots were properly broken apart and covered with dirt, Mary poured gallon after gallon of water over the new flowers encouraging them to spread and thrive. To live.
She took three steps back to admire her handy work. Her honor's English class would soon be turning in their final essays which would require hours and hours of grading, then summer would finally arrive. Iris and Barry would no doubt offer invitation after invitation to come over and spend time with the twins, but sometimes being around those beautiful babies just reopened a wound that would never heal. She wiped a tear from her eye when a voice behind her caused her heart to stop.
"Are you….are you Mary West?"
xxx
It was third and four, and the Storm were 12 feet from going to the Superbowl, but this was the moment that the superior talent of the Knights came to play. Rudy already knew the outcome, all of Missouri did. Two consecutive goal line stands and the Knights were victorious. He hated this part of the game, but watched anyway, until he heard a blood curdling scream coming from outside.
"Mary!"
The popcorn bowl spilled all over the floor as Rudy ran as fast as he could throwing open the front door to see his wife sobbing, arms wrapped tightly around another redhead. His son.