k i haven't been active bc my google storage was too full and docs wouldn't let me edit or create new documents. BUT i paid $2 for 100 gb so things should be good for abt a month? anyways here's me trying again
"Where could they have taken her?"
The team gathered around the table. They had printed out all the information about Artemis and Sportsmaster and laid it all on the surface, trying to get an idea of their next move.
So far, they had no plan.
"Sportsmaster had owned a total of sixteen warehouses," Kaldur spoke, "As far as we know, his properties were relinquished to Ra's Al Goul once he was incarcerated."
"Do we know where the warehouses are? These guys aren't original. There's a good chance they took her to one of them," Conner shrugged.
"Maybe," M'gann worried her lip. "We've never seen all of these villains work together before. Who knows what resources they have or can gain altogether?"
Dick still roamed through files on the computer. Most of them were corrupted or severely locked down. It would take him way too long to get past all the firewalls.
"It's too hard to tell. Too many variables in this. She could be anywhere by now." Dick spoke, never looking away from the screen.
"Then let's search them all. We'll search everywhere and everything. Every warehouse, every city, every state. I'll run across the country if I have to. I can search through all of Central City in twenty minutes. Fifteen, if I have a quick snack." Wally paced from side to side, every sentence coming out his mouth faster than anyone could comprehend.
"Slow it down, Wallace," Zatanna said. "We have to find somewhere to look first."
Wally let out a frustrated groan. Every second they wasted trying to come up with a plan was time that could be spent looking for Artemis. She could be right under their noses or halfway across the world by now. She could be hurt. Or, if Sportsmaster's the kind of dad who parents by example of his actions, worse.
It's moments like this when he wishes he had pushed her more into talking about herself with him. Anytime he indicated any interest in her past, she'd steer the conversation in a different direction.
When he had asked how her random "work" trip back to Gotham City went: "Good. How was the crime-fighting today? You didn't get your ass kicked, did you?"
Or about the early morning phone call with her mom. "Boring. You know, we haven't visited your parents in so long. I miss your mom's casserole!"
And when he'd begged her to show him pictures of when she was younger, she simply smirked and said, "What's up with you always wanting to know about my life? You obsessed with me or something?"
Sure, he loved being able to rave on and on about himself at any given moment and he appreciated that she listened. When she didn't find him overly obnoxious, of course. It was one of the things he loved most about her; her ability to make him feel heard.
But he should've pried more. There were two people in the relationship. It shouldn't have been all about him.
His friends. His family. His problems. His past.
He should've asked.
"There's a warehouse in the fields of New Mexico. I'm assuming that because I can't find any information on it besides some very questionable coordinates she could be there?" Dick offered.
Zatanna walked over to glance at the screen. "That doesn't look like a lot to go from. And it seems sketchy."
Kaldur stood from where he was sat at the round table. "It is your call, Wally. We will follow behind you."
It was a stretch, but it was a start. It's more than start.
"M'gann," Wally's voice was hard as he spoke. "Start the BioShip up."
The screaming had gone on for hours.
It took Artemis two of those hours to realize she was the one screaming.
The pain in her head was excruciating, like a thousand sewing pins stabbing at her central nervous system. Fire shot down from her head to her spine, spreading out along her back. She sat straight and stiff with her chin up to the roof. The slightest movement of resistance made everything hurt more.
Artemis wasn't a cryer. She wasn't even one for emotions before she met Wally. Right now, though, she could spare a tear or two. There was pressure at the back of her tightly shut eyelids, and she couldn't tell if it was Psimon's doing or from the overwhelming need to release her pain another way besides screaming unintelligible curses at her father who had since left the room.
She knew what they were trying to do.
"The best way to take someone down is to start from within."
Psimon was prying. It felt like he was diving deep into specific parts of her brain, stripping away the parts that allow control. Bits of her resolve, her resilience…they were falling apart. They wanted to break her from the inside out.
Her father had trained her for this. He brought the best physics to tamper with her and Jade's minds. So good in fact that every session ended with temporarily broken minds and bloodied ears and noses.
Apparently, those sessions were on level "easy."
While Jade was always more successful with the "mind games" as her dad liked to call them, Artemis was never weak when it came to her own head.
She…it had never felt like this before.
"Artemis, please. Is the screaming necessary? You nearly made me lose focus those last few minutes," Psimon sighed. He's a condescending bastard.
"Fuck you," Artemis sneered between clenched teeth. The rims of her eyes were red with exhaustion, blood gathered around her nostrils.
Psimon placed a hand on the side of her cheek. She tried to jerk away, but she couldn't move.
"What a filthy mouth on such a beautiful girl," he dragged the tips of his fingers down her cheek. They were cold and clammy and smelled like cement and despair. "Don't worry. I'll fix that, too."
The door opened and Psimon dropped his hand. Sportsmaster walked in glaring at the scene.
"Is it done, Psimon?"
"No."
"What the fuck is taking so long?" Sportsmaster growled.
"Now I see where you get your language from," Psimon mumbled as he reluctantly broke his gaze from Artemis and paused his ministrations. "Patience–"
"We don't have fucking time for that patience bullshit. Can you do this job, Psimon? Or should I find somebody else? Trust me when I say, you don't want me to fire you."
Psimon's eyes hardened, his head cocking to the side. "Careful, Lawrence. Remember, what I am doing to her, I can certainly do worse to you. If you don't want your daughter to end up braindead, you'll let me take my time."
Artemis' eyes shifted between the two of them. Tension between villains wasn't anything new. They both knew that they'd betray one another in a heartbeat if it meant ending on top.
"Your daughter is very strong-willed. Her mind is as powerful as it is delicate. To do this right and effectively use her to our advantage, patience is required. Can you handle that, Lawrence?" Psimon challenged.
Sportsmaster glared at him. The silence was unsettling.
"Just get it done," Sportsmaster growled before leaving the room. He didn't even spare a glance her way. That fucker.
"Looks like it's just me and you again, Artemis," Psimon turned back to face her, his hands taking their place back at the sides of her head.
Her screams filled the room before she even thought of pleading with him to stop.
The BioShip was quiet, Wally's worry filling the entire space.
His leg bounced up and down, and he silently wished M'gann to drive faster. Maybe he should have run. He would've been there already if he had gone on foot.
Dick was still going through the printed information when Wally turned his chair to look at him.
"You don't think…would he hurt her?"
Dick looked up from the papers. His brow furrowed in thought for a while. "I'm not sure."
"I mean, he's her father. Could he hurt her? Villains must love their kids, too," Wally looked up at the ceiling in frustration.
"Just because he's her father doesn't mean he loved her, buddy."
There was a reason Artemis didn't want him to know about her life before Central City. It could've been because she was embarrassed or ashamed. Or maybe there were certain memories she didn't want to relive if she told him.
Could he have actually hurt her in…that way? Could even villains be so cruel as to cause their own children pain?
"I won't lie to you, man. The bits of info I've gathered…there was a reason Paula made Sportsmaster leave. And it wasn't just because he's a villain."
"You're saying he–" Wally couldn't even finish his sentence.
"About ten minutes to arrival. Get ready everyone." M'gann's voice interrupted their conversation.
If what Dick implied was true, Sportsmaster was going to have a hell of a time dealing with Wally.
He won't let that man hurt her again.
let me know what you guys think!