Thanks to some helpful suggestions some minor changes have been made to the general information about this fic. I find the rating system hard to understand and was worried about some overzealous person putting me in. Also I wasn't sure whether this chapter or the next one would qualify for T rating. Let me know what you think and I will adjust. Thanks for reading.
Artemis launched an arrow, hitting the building on the window just above the meeting room. As soon as it was secure she handed Superboy a thin piece of metal. He threw it over the zip line and pushed off from the side of the building. Artemis followed right behind him. Superboy used his feet to shatter the glass and landed inside the room. The business men were all cornered in the back to the left. Apparently the main exit was locked. Artemis landed next to him taking a quick scan she noticed Ollie on the floor. Bruce Wayne was kneeling beside him; they were at the front of the group and Black Spider was leaning over them. Her first arrow hit its mark. Black Spider found himself wrapped up in foam.
"Well, look, the kiddies are here." Cheshire announced.
"I thought there were more of them?" Hook said.
"There are but let's finish these pair off." Sportsmaster gave his orders and the fight was on.
Hook went straight for Superboy, leaving Artemis to a family matter. Both Artemis and Superboy were on the back foot from the start. Sai's and arrow's being traded on one side of the room, punches and charges on the other.
"What is your ETA?" Artemis called out. It was taking all her concentration to hold her own against her family. Superboy wasn't having much luck either. They were forced into dodging and blocking. Artemis knew they were being forced back towards the businessmen so that the job could be finished. They weren't going to let that happen.
"Almost there." was the response she got from everyone. It wasn't reassuring.
Artemis was running out of energy. Two beatings in one day was too much. Trying to dodge Jade's sai's and her Dad's new baseball bats was becoming a problem. She was covered in cuts from the glass that was everywhere. Superboy was using that to his advantage against Hook. Being near invulnerable apparently had its advantages. He was gaining the upper hand and driving Hook back through physical strength alone. Artemis was still struggling. Too many hits and not enough openings. In those first five minutes she had lost her composure. Where were her friends?
"ARTEMIS!" Superboy shouted, right before her father's baseball bat connected with her mid section. Artemis was thrown back several feet; she struggled to her feet just in time to watch Superboy get knocked back with enough force to put him through the locked boardroom doors. When he didn't reappear she knew they were in trouble. Artemis had unfortunately left herself open; Jade took the opportunity to send her flying with a well placed roundhouse kick.
Artemis struggled into a kneeling position. She really needed to go home and rest for a month. Looking around she noticed that the enemy had regrouped at about the halfway point of the room and that she had landed right next to the businessmen. Bruce Wayne was giving her a look that said he noticed her struggling and that they were going to be talking about his later. Right now though there were more important things going on. Ollie then slowly began to regain consciousness.
"How is he?" She asked.
"He is alright, nothing too bad. Anything we can do to help?" Bruce Wayne responded, at once allaying her fears and finding an opening to help without revealing his identity.
Artemis slipped her crossbow out of its pouch and handed it to him. She noticed that the Shadows hadn't moved, they seemed to be arguing.
"It's loaded, just in case. If I provide a distraction can you get everyone out of here?" Artemis asked they were her priority. Everything else could wait. Bruce Wayne replied by nodding his head.
"What are you thinking of doing?" He wanted in on the plan, not going to happen.
"I am going to keep them busy; you're going to get them out of the building." Artemis said, it sounded like an order she hoped. He was supposed to be a normal citizen, not the Batman and the person who had thrown her a life line when she needed it most. Right now she had to be the hero. Even if right now she didn't feel like it. Her plan was shaky and she was pretty sure that it would end in disaster for herself. Ah, well if back up arrived soon she would be fine.
Artemis watched as Bruce Wayne nodded reluctantly. He and the other businessmen headed for the busted door. Then she launched her plan.
Artemis started by letting fly with two arrows, both of them hit their mark, right at the feet of Hook. Both let out a smokescreen, Hook as predicted became distracted by them. Cheshire and Sportsmaster dodged backwards as Artemis let her third arrow fly. It hit Hook who was too busy looking at the smoke. The foam immediately began to encase his body. Without waiting for it to finish Artemis went for her family. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the businessmen leaving, with Bruce covering their retreat.
Artemis caught Cheshire with a left hook before vaulting over her to avoid her Fathers swinging bats. She was now between them and the busted windows. Leaving Bruce's firing line clear. He took the opportunity to fire off several parting arrows at Sportsmaster. Who became enraged at the site of the last businessmen leaving for safety. Artemis didn't see him coming as she was engaged in close combat with Cheshire. Avoiding those sai's was proving difficult. So when her Father started swinging his bat she was caught unaware. The first swing hit her shins and effectively knocked her feet out from under her, the next several were delivered to her back and front as he alternately kicked her across the floor. During the brief periods when she could see her sister, she thought that there was a look of regret, guilt and determination on her face. Artemis didn't particularly care.
The final kick sent her over the edge of the building. At the last second she was able to grab the edge of the building with her right hand. Luckily there was no broken glass, she was already hurt enough. Her Father then leaned over to look at her.
"We have to go. The mission was a disaster." Cheshire announced before taking off. Leaving Sportsmaster alone with his youngest daughter.
"You're useless, weak and pathetic, just like your Mother was. Do the world a favour and let go. This time you might succeed. Who knows maybe you will see her again." Were his parting words before he disappeared leaving Artemis alone, barely hanging on to the edge of the building.
He was right, she should just let go. No one could stop her and no one would care. It would be so easy. Too easy perhaps. Artemis had contemplated it before. A few times she had gotten the necessary items together to do it but she could never go through with it. Something always held her back. She didn't know what it was or why but it had stopped her. Then her father would say that she was useless and couldn't even do that right.
It hurt. The pain was welling up inside her again. All of it. Past and present. She couldn't stand it anymore. She didn't want to hurt, to feel. All she wanted was... She didn't know what she wanted. Right now though she wanted to make it stop. Maybe he was right. Letting go would be easy and ... maybe, she could see her mum again. So Artemis Crock stopped thinking and just let go.