บท 122: Chapter 122 Artemis's Stakeout
United States...
Gotham City...
October 17, 22:23 MDT
....
Artemis was clad in her midriff-baring costume that was colored in various shades of green.
Standing in front of the mirror, the blonde took a look at what she wore, her gaze lingering on her athletic build for a moment and gaze a curt nod.
Following which, she picked up her bow, loaded with quivers and strapped it to her back.
"Going somewhere?" The voice sounded in her ears, causing her to turn her head in its direction.
There, a Vietnamese woman with black hair and dark gray colored eyes sat at the front door with a worried look on her face.
The blonde's eyes drifted from her mother down to the thing she sat on. A wheelchair.
"Going out. On Patrol". She replied without providing any details and resumed her preparations.
Recently, she had been fighting crime in Star City under Green Arrow's tutelage. Now, she recently enrolled in Gotham Academy due to receiving a full scholarship even if it wasn't what she hoped for. Hence, she decided to go for a patrol around the city like she used to.
Partially to get some action after a day's hard work, but the main reason was to get her mind off the terrible week she recently had.
The week before this had actually gone quite well. She and her teammates successfully discovered that Red Tornado actually wasn't a traitor, fought off his evil siblings (were beaten effortlessly by Red Volcano) and saved the world from being destroyed by Red Volcano's evil plan.
A new female was added to the team. Her name was Zatanna and apparently, she was the daughter of a league member Giovanni Zatara.
It was nice to know that apart from Megan and Kara, there was another girl she could chat with.
The week following that, however, was terrible. The mental training simulation she and the rest of the team experienced had gone horribly wrong.
Due to a misfire of Miss Martian's telepathic abilities, the whole team had to deal with the trauma for the rest of the week.
When they doubted how this could happen under the Justice League's watch, Martian Manhunter went on to reveal that Miss Martian had telepathic capabilities much stronger than he possessed.
Add that to the fact that she was uncomfortable with the environment, it was especially hard for her to concentrate in class due. So much that the teacher had asked her to take the week off if she wasn't feeling well.
So this Patrol was much needed. Not really to ensure that crime was stopped but more of an opportunity to vent her emotions.
".... Are you ok? You don't seem to be in a good mood".
"It's team stuff. Can't clarify". She put on her utility belt and wore her boots.
"...". Seeing her daughter out on her mask, Paula resisted the urge to let out a weary sigh.
Her relationship with her daughter grew estranged ever since she went to jail six years ago. Now that she was back, it was hard to resume regular communication.
".... I see".
Donning her mask, Artemis took another look at herself and nodded with satisfaction.
She then turned to look at her paraplegic mother and fell silent for a moment.
"I'll .... I'll be back late. Don't wait up for me". Her father was a criminal, her mother was a retired criminal and her sister was an especially active criminal.
As the only one aspiring to be a hero in her family of villains, Artemis had a lot on her shoulders.
Her expressionless face and gloomy aura around her would let anyone sensitive enough to notice know that her state of mind right now wasn't calm.
".... I..... Be careful, ok".
Artemis, who was moving towards the window, stopped.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine". She said and continued to move forward after her brief pause.
Paula watched her daughter leave and once again sighed.
Her family truly was a mess.
...
And so, her night patrol began. Going through the familiar rooftops once again brought back memories.
It was exactly on one such patrol that she came across her teammates for the first time. Fighting against the Amazo Android.
Later, Batman and Green Arrow came to invite her to join The Team. She had spent the rest of her time studying under Green arrow, only returning recently.
She knew for a fact that the reason she had been fighting crime in Star City instead of Gotham wasn't just because she was learning from the Arrow, but also because her presence in Gotham wasn't particularly liked by Batman.
Queen mentioned it as a joke during one of their nighttime patrols.
Robin, however, testified to the feasibility within it.
The city tonight was quiet.
Gotham had experienced a lot of tragedies this year. Sometimes, even she was amazed at how this place was still functioning.
Moving through the shadows, Artemis completed her patrol through several parts of the city. Thankfully not encountering the creepy Batman in the process of any Supervillains worthy of attention for that matter.
At most, a few thugs that were easily handled.
'Alright ... Let's call it a night'. Hours had passed.
Just when she was thinking of ending her patrol....
It happened then. A large building in the distance suddenly went completely dark.
This phenomenon immediately caught her attention.
Perhaps anywhere else, this could just be attributed to a random power outage or a blown fuse or something similar.
Unfortunately, this was Gotham.
If a building suddenly lost power, it usually meant something bad was about to happen.
Artemis frowned. With the changing of circumstances, she moved towards the building that was Strader Pharmaceuticals.
.....
4616 N Moore Street, Gotham City (Corporate Headquarters)
A fair skinned, muscular man patrolled the surroundings with a relaxed expression on his face.
He was the guard on Night watch duty.
At that moment, a silent bullet was shot, piercing accurately through his skull. The guard was stunned for a second and a piercing numbness instantly assaulted him.
Blood rushed from the hole in his head and his eyes dimmed. After which, his body fell to the ground with a thud.
A second later, two black shadows dressed in combat suits emerged and moved the body to hide under the bushes.
They had barely finished when the sound of objects tearing through the air fell into their ears.
Two special arrows with no sharp edges landed firmly on their backs. Before they could react, sparks of electricity were emitted from them, shocking the two men with high volts of electricity.
Their bodies twitched rapidly as they fell to their knees before falling unconscious.
Artemis leaped down from a nearby building and approached cautiously.
Looking at the unconscious men and the corpse that had been buried, the frown on her face had never been so prevalent.
She clenched her fists with a bit of rage within her eyes.
'Great. Just as I thought, a break-in. Now who are these guys?'.
Her eyes drifted from the laying bodies to the entrance.
The huge logo and the sign that read, Strader Pharmaceuticals in all caps let her know what exactly this building was.
'A medical facility? Probably not the type that sold regular drugs if they were being targeted by whoever these guys are'.
The situation reminded her of the story Aqualad told her about Cadmus industries.
Then, she raised her head and looked up to a high point.
As a junior league member trained by black Canary, Green Arrow and her father Sportsmaster, Artemis would always follow rule number one of successful infiltrations.
If you can, never go through the front door.
Taking an arrow from her quiver, she drew against her bow and aimed upward.
An arrow was fired from a distance away, accurately penetrating through the cement wall, slightly above a glass window.
Pressing a button, she was pulled up and passed through the narrow window space in one go with extreme agility and flexibility.
Her landing was as silent as she could make it. The whole building had lost power, with the only source of light being the emergency lamps attached to the ceilings.
She took the opportunity to examine her surroundings and began to move.
Pushing open a door, she found herself in an empty hallway.
"Ok... Now which way do I go?" Artemis felt herself developing a headache.
This wasn't a regular Infiltration mission. She didn't know what was happening here exactly and therefore, didn't know where exactly she was supposed to be.
'Some blueprints would be nice'. The thought fell and she picked a random direction and quietly advanced.
....
"Sir..... You wanted to see me?"
"Yes I did". Seeing the doctor step in after him, Lloyd gave a curt nod and pushed the button for the elevator.
His face remained expressionless as the lift began to rise upward from the hidden lower levels of Strader Pharmaceuticals.
"I wanted to inquire with you on the results of the newest experimentation".
"That….". The doctor paused with slightly puzzlement on his face and continued.
".... But…. you've just checked the results for yourself sir. The Pheno Drug is still under...". The doctor stuttered a bit but was interrupted by Lloyd's cold tone.
"I don't mean the Pheno Drug..... Dr. Williams".
"..... Oh!" A look of realization appeared on Williams face. To still be at the company at this time, there could only be one thing that Lloyd Waite could be here for.
He couldn't help but feel slightly hesitant to mention the results of his research on the..... Other project Lloyd had given him.
"The serum you gave me is.... Remarkable. My research team and I have tested it in minimal quantities in animals implanted with cancerous cells and the results are truly phenomenal". Williams began to go on about his findings.
The more he spoke, the more excited he became.
"Cured... All of them. And not just from cancer ...".
That point immediately held Lloyd's attention.
"Explain".
"Like you ordered, we only used a drop of the serum in the test subjects and not only did the serum cure the cancer cells, it made even more adjustments at the cellular level". Swiping on his tablet, he attempted to show Lloyd the results of the testing.
"From my analysis, this might not just be a cure for cancer, but a cure for all diseases. I think that if you can allow me to incorporate this serum into the Pheno Drug, we might finally be able to complete the project we've been working on".
There was a moment of silence.
Williams excited expression gradually cooled down when he saw the unchanging face of the company CEO.
Oh! wait! Last time he checked, Lloyd was now the acting CEO and held no actual decision-making control over the company affairs anymore.
Lloyd truly wasn't all that surprised. The possibility of the Super Serum being completed was enough to elicit a reaction, but that didn't matter to him anymore.
The company wasn't his. He was just the temporary caretaker. As a result, he had to make good use of the little resources still at his disposal.
"Have you been able to analyze its formula?"
Whatever trace of excitement was left disappeared immediately.
"... No". He replied with his head slightly lowered.
Finally, a frown appeared on Lloyd's features.
"Why is that? You have the access to the best equipment the company can provide. Is it not enough?"
After his meeting with Amari, Lloyd knew that his time was over.
He had sold his shares without receiving a dime with the serum being the only compensation.
In his situation, Lloyd knew that the serum was worth anything Amari asked for. After all, if it wasn't, then the only thing left for him was death.
However, that didn't mean he would just take his new circumstances with peace of mind.
Losing millions of dollars in shares had instantly transformed Lloyd's status. From a businessman approaching bankruptcy, he was now only slightly well off.
In simpler words, he was no longer rich. With everything, he once had taken away and no way to start afresh due to insufficient capital, he was in a bitter dilemma.
Hence, he decided to use the only thing at his disposal. The same Serum Amari had given him.
If he could analyze it and have it reengineered, his situation would change for the better.
The formula for the cure to cancer within his possession. If he sold it, he would instantly make a fortune. Hence, after weeks had passed, he still hadn't injected himself with the cure and instead, handed it over to the company biologists for testing.
But all that hinged on the possibility that the serum could be deduced.
"No sir..... That's not the problem". Following which, Williams swipe the tablet to show the serum.
"We've run exclusive tests on each drop of the serum….". Lloyd's face grew ugly.
The serum was his last hope. Both financially and literally.
If they used everything up, then he would lose his cure. Lloyd was taking a gamble.
"And the issue doesn't lie in The equipment or our abilities... But the serum itself".
"What?"
"We've checked all databases. It isn't made from a mixture of elemental compounds but from something that doesn't exist on earth. It's alien…. Meaning.....".
"We can't reproduce it".
He finished the doctor's words with an ugly face.
Ding!
The sound of the elevator reaching their destination fell into their ears.
"Stop the research". Lloyd uttered coldly. "You will return the formula to me before this time tomorrow. And I better not get news that this information leaked".
Gulp!
His threatening time made Williams swallow a mouthful of saliva.
At that moment, the elevator doors opened. Lloyd, who was about to walk out was, frozen in place at what was before him.
"A leak? I think it's a bit too late for that?" With his mask covering his face, Slade said with a chuckle I'm his voice.
"This..... You….". Lloyd backed away in fright.
"Who the hell are you guys?"
Deathstroke and his men stood in front of the elevator entrance. One of the masked figures squatted on one knee and held a laptop connected to the elevator controls.
Through which, he hacked into the elevator to know exactly how many floors there were within this building. Coincidentally, he also hacked into the elevator surveillance cameras.
Deathstroke and his men had seen and heard everything concerning their conversation.
....
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