Chapter 23: Resentment

Word Count : 9053

"Man, how much longer must we wait exactly?" a thug asked in irritation as he leaned against a wall inside the apartment he and his friends had rented.

"How the hell should I know that? I just started working last week," another answered with equal amount of irritation.

"Look, we'll wait until he shows up, got it?" the third thug stated to his two partners, though they were not all that pleased by his answer.

"But we don't even know how long he'll take. It could be hours before he shows up," the first one argued, backed by the second thug who was eagerly nodding along.

"It doesn't change anything, we'll still wait here for as long as we have to," the third one stated with finality before walking over to the windows that provided an excellent view of Star City bank. The plan was simple, wait for the shift in guards and then go in guns blazing. They would grab all the money they could and then get the hell out of there. Maybe not the best plan, but living in the same city as a vigilante had taught the criminals one important thing: Speed was always of the greatest importance. Get in, get what you were after and then get out before a cape showed up.

And that was what their entire plan hinged on, speed. They needed to be as swift as possible. This was why they were waiting for their fourth member, the driver. He was the one who possessed the escape vehicle, and without him, the plan would fall to pieces.

"Where the hell is he?!" but it seemed like their driver had decided to take his sweet time getting here, something none of them appreciated. The one standing at the window let out an annoyed sigh. While willing to wait for their fourth member, he was growing just as impatient as the rest of his gang.

"I swear, if he's stopped to eat a hotdog again, I'm gonna…." The rest of his sentence became destined to never be finished when a red arrow flew right through the window and into his shoulder. He promptly fell on his back, screaming in pain the whole way.

"What the hell?!" one of the other robbers shouted in alarm, flying up on his feet and drawing an Uzi. Just in time too, because a red and yellow shape suddenly burst in through the window, a trio of arrows already nocked and ready to fire. Without hesitation, he let loose with full auto, spraying bullets all over the place. The attacker nimbly avoided the barrage before firing the arrow. One knocked the gun out of his hand, the other went into his right shoulder and the last went into his left.

In the span of a few seconds, the attacker had reduced two of the robbers to bleeding and screaming messes on the floor and with only one robber still standing. Said robber had drawn his revolver and was trying to aim it at the attacker.

"Don't move, bastard!" he screamed in terror and rage. Faster than he thought possible, the attacker had spun to face him, grabbed hold of the hand pointing the gun and broke it at the wrist before slamming a fist into his stomach. He doubled over in pain and was finished off with an elbow to the neck. Only when he had crumpled to the floor an unconscious heap did Mia relax out of her fighting stance and throw back her yellow hood.

"Pathetic," she sneered at the criminals. Really, it was downright pathetic how easily they had gone down. With enemies like these, she could not help but wonder why the police even had such trouble with them. Then she always remembered just how many of them there were. 'Not that I'm complaining. Means more fighting for me,' she thought to herself viciously, her eyes finding themselves drawn to the growing puddle of blood on the floor. For some reason, she had been finding it ever more interesting. It appealed to her, made her smile every time she saw it. Sick as it sounded, she was starting to find some manner of beauty in watching rich blood flowing out of a broken body.

Absentmindedly, she began to wonder if maybe she could get more blood to flow out of her victims today. It would not be so bad after all, more blood was always a good thing. 'Won't he die if I spill too much?' a small part of her asked herself, but it was drowned out by another sound. 'Bloodforkillmainburnthebloodgodkillskullsformaimburnthebloodskullthronekillmaimforthebloodgodskullskillmaimburnfortheskullthrone,' a scratching, whispering sound, buzzing about in the back of her mind. It was her companion, had been for weeks. She was once concerned about it, but had grown to like it. It soothed her, seemingly made all her worries wash away, made her appreciate the now. It made her cut loose, even though she did not even understand what it was saying.

"W-what the h-hell are y-you d-doing? You've beaten me already!" one of the incapacitated robbers suddenly exclaimed in panic. Without having realized it herself, Mia had actually begun to approach him while having drawn and nocked another steel-tipped arrow, and was even now aiming it straight at his heart. 'Wait, when the hell did I do this?' she asked herself, blinking repeatedly as if she had woken up from a strange dream. She hastily lowered her bow and put away her arrow. Sure, she loved breaking bones and spilling blood, but she was not fully convinced about starting to kill off criminals left and right just yet.

"Really need to stop drinking all that coffee," she mumbled to herself, kicking the still conscious criminal in the head as an afterthought to knock him out. 'Need to get my act together,' she thought to herself. Whatever else she was going to do after that was put on hold when the door to the apartment was opened.

"Sorry I'm late, guys, I just had to stop for a quick hotdog, and I completely…" a cheerful voice had begun to explain as the fourth robbers stepped inside, but that cheerfulness vanished the moment he saw the carnage inside. Then he saw the culprit of said carnage, and he reached for something hidden in his jacket. Mia however was faster, and he ended up with an arrow through his hand and a boot to the stomach.

"Don't even think about getting back up, I'll just beat you up even more," she threatened the robbers as he kneeled on the floor, wheezing in breath. She was about to handcuff him and call it a day when the robber glared up at her.

"That really all you can do? Shoot arrows and act tough? No wonder Green Arrow ditched you in favour of that other blonde girl. Compared to her, you're just useless," he mocked her. Mia froze up at that, a look of fury slowly beginning to form on her face.

"What. Did. You. Just. Say?" she asked slowly through gritted teeth. The robber suddenly began blinking drowsily, shaking his head in confusion.

"What?" he asked out loud in bewilderment, right before Mia's fist slammed into his face with all the strength she could muster. He went down with a broken nose, with Mia looming above him with a furious snarl on her lips.

"Don't you ever dare compare me to that harlot!" she shouted in absolutely fury before she straddled him and slammed another fist into his face. "I'm stronger than her!" another fist landed on his face. "I've been fighting crime longer than her!" another fist landed. "I've known Green Arrow the longest!" another punch landed. "I'm the better archer!" yet another punch landed. "SHE'S NOTHING COMPARED TO ME!" and a final punch to the face punctuated her statement, leaving his face bloodied and swollen up by the abuse taken. Mia hardly cared at that point, with heavy breathing and eyes still aflame with uncontrollable rage.

"Never compare me to her, never even think that she would be better than me. I'm superior in every way to her," she snarled out. 'Killmaimburnkillmaimburnbloodkillformimtheburnbloodgod,' she expected the robber to be down by now. But surprisingly, he still had enough strength to smile mockingly at her, displaying his broken and blood-spattered teeth.

"Then why's Green Arrow's sidekick Artemis, and not you?" at that point, Mia never even asked herself how a simply robber could actually know so much about her and Green Arrow, nor did she notice the tiny glow of otherworldly energy hiding in his eyes. For at that moment, rage clouded her eyes with visions of crimson red, and she lost control of herself. for the next few minutes, all she saw was this endless river of red, and all she heard was that scratching murmur at the edge of her mind, so silent and yet so loud. 'Bloodkillformaimthebloodburngodkillmaimskullsfortheburnskullthrone,'

Another day, another patrol. Another chance to protect the people of Star City. To Green Arrow, it had become a familiar routine, scouring the city in search of villains and other ne'er-do-wells. It was a routine that his newest protégé, Artemis, was growing to become familiar with herself. However, what was not familiar for the duo was the scene greeting them today.

"Any ID yet?" Green Arrow asked a police officer as they stood together in a small apartment, a few paramedics working on getting three of the robbers out. They had a bit more trouble with the fourth one.

"Just a bunch of smalltime robbers, definitively not the kind that deserves that kind of treatment," that statement was punctuated by a disturbed look sent at the fourth robber. Moaning in pain, the poor man had been crucified to the wall, with four arrows going through each arm and leg and keeping him pinned. His shirt had been cut open, and a crude symbol bearing the semblance of a human skull and the number eight fused together had been carved onto his chest.

"Do we even know who did it?" Green Arrow asked as he averted his eyes from the scene, repulsed by the sick display.

"No, nothing yet," the officer answered before walking off to oversee the investigation. Letting out a tired sigh, Green Arrow walked up to his protégé, standing by the window and observing all that was occurring. He had to admit, she was doing a remarkable job at keeping up her front of nonchalance, but Green Arrow could see that even she was mildly disturbed by what she had seen.

"There's not much else we can do here, let's go," Green Arrow announced before walking away, Artemis wordlessly falling in line behind him. They made their way up to the roof, where they surveyed the city spreading out in all directions around.

"Do we have any leads whatsoever?" Artemis finally asked, having already gotten over what she had seen. It had been disturbing to watch, but Artemis had seen worse in her life. 'Thanks for those mental preparations, dad,' she thought to herself bitterly.

"Normally, I would have suspected Merlyn to be behind it, but neither the targets nor the method follow his usual M.O., not to mention he's already locked up in prison," Green Arrow revealed. A few moments of silence passed between the two of them before Artemis spoke up again.

"Do you know any other villains around here that uses a bow and arrow?" the question was met with a shake of his head, drawing out a thoughtful look from Artemis. "So it's possible that we're dealing with a new player,"

"Unfortunately, it seems to be highly likely," Green Arrow agreed absentmindedly, his thoughts having wandered across a dark possibility. He knew no other villains who used a bow, but he did know two other vigilantes that did that. Roy was above all suspicion in his books, what with the boy being several states away last time he checked. Besides, he and Roy may not have been on the best of terms at the moment, but Green Arrow could never see the boy become that violent.

But he was not as sure about Mia's innocence, no matter how much he wished to think otherwise. He had not seen the girl since the… incident, but he had tried to keep an eye on her. From what little he had gathered, the girl was still active, working mostly in the Glades and using more brutal tactics than before. It saddened him, for he suspected that it was partially his fault. Why could he never do things right with kids? He had tried to explain things to her, but it was clear she did not even want to be near him, as she would always run away when he showed up. So far, he had respected her wish to be left alone, but that was no longer an option. He needed answers.

"Let's go," he finally announced before firing a grapple line, Artemis mirroring his move.

"You know where to start looking?" she asked curiously, but Green Arrow said nothing in return. 'Please let me be wrong in this, please let Mia be innocent in this,' he prayed fervently.

"Recognized, Krieg, B04," there were days like these that Krieg wished that he could just crawl into a hole and die. Or better yet, bring a nuclear warhead with him through the zeta tubes and take these accursed xenos and heretics with him to the grave. Thoughts like these always accompanied him every time he was summoned to the Cave for whatever reason. Carrying a newly purchased Benelli, wearing a repaired Kevlar vest reinforced with ceramic plates and having added some extra protection to his manhood, Krieg felt he was ready for whatever mission would be thrown his way.

Instead of a mission waiting for him, he found four of his teammates, Robin, Kid Flash and the two xenos waiting for him. Strangely enough, none of them were wearing their combat gear, instead opting for their civilian guises. Worse, Batman was nowhere to be found, a worrying sign, considering he was responsible for assigning missions to this team. Krieg instantly had a bad feeling about this, a feeling that was reinforced by their strangely smiling faces.

"What is the situation?" he asked monotonously, burying all his thoughts and worries under iron hard discipline. Now was not the time for those.

"We were planning on having a movie night with the team," Robin announced with a happy smile, mirrored by two of his friends. Superboy just looked like his usual angry self. And of course, Krieg had absolutely no idea what they were talking about, exemplified by the way he tilted his head in puzzlement.

"Movie night? I am unfamiliar with that term. Is it a code word for some manner of nighttime operation?" he inquired, already making calculations on what pieces of his equipment would be needed and which would not be.

"You could say that. We're gonna spend the night together as a team, watching movies, eating junk food, that sort of thing," Wally explained, doing absolutely nothing at clearing things up for Krieg.

"I fail to see a productive reason for such a venture, particularly concerning the inclusion of your aptly named junk food," he pointed out. He had seen the type of food Wally was referring to, he was not impressed by it. Naturally, his rather cold words did wonders at dampening the previous great mood, but Robin was not about to let Krieg have the last word.

"It's not meant to be productive, it's meant to be fun and give us a chance to socialize, something you're in serious need to," he argued, causing Krieg to raise an unseen eyebrow behind his gasmask.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"You heard me. You've been cooped up in that base of yours back in Los Angeles for days. You need to learn to relax and have some fun. Not to mention work on your people skills, you're even worse than Batman in that regard," oh great, another one who complained about such useless skills. Krieg saw no use in socializing with his team, because he would much rather kill them than befriend them. Alas, duty stayed his hand. Still, he could at least turn them down and head back the way he came. Not much, but it was something.

Of course, then he remembered a particular discussion he had with Black Canary not too long ago. It had without doubt been one of the most frustrating ones to date. 'Now how did it go now?' he mused to himself.

"Krieg, you need to learn how to socialize a bit more,"

"Why?"

"Because you're part of a team, and you should work on getting to know them better,"

"Why?"

"Why? Because it would help team dynamics. You're expected to work and cooperate with each other on the field, and you can't do that without having established a connection with them,"

"Agree to disagree,"

"Look, this coldhearted approach may have been the way you were raised, but it doesn't have to be the only way,"

"Why?"

"This is a whole new world for you. There's more for you here than simply fighting, you can make a life of your own here. But you can't do that if you keep distancing yourself from everyone around you,"

"I still fail to see your point,"

"My point is that you can't go through life alone. You're part of a team here, you have friends who want to help and understand you. You should try to open up to them, to give them a chance,"

"Why?"

"Just… just try to socialize more with your team, alright? Try to get to know them better,"

"Is that an order or a suggestion?"

"Is a suggestion enough to make you consider spending more time with your team?"

"No,"

"Then consider it an order, Krieg,"

"Yes, sir,"

"You're hopeless, you know that,"

"I will take that as a compliment,"

Why could these heroes not just leave him to fight crime in Los Angeles instead of dragging him into these kinds of useless events? Was that really too much to ask for? Well, either way, it was no point complaining now. Black Canary had given him an order, and so he had to follow it. 'For once in my life, I am actually praying that a villain will try his luck at conquering the world today,' he thought to himself in resignation.

"Very well then, what is required of me?" he asked. That seemed to brighten the mood significantly for some obscure reason among his teammates.

"We're just gonna choose a movie to start with. Sadly, Aqualad and Artemis won't be able to join us, busy with their mentors," Robin explained as the team began walking towards the living room, Krieg reluctantly falling in line behind them. 'Why must this always happen to me?' he asked himself.

"Oh, and did I mention that we brought M&M's as well?" Robin grinned teasingly as Krieg's pace became decisively quicker when he heard that, but Krieg did not care at that point. 'Maybe it won't be all bad,' he added to himself hopefully.

She should not have done that. It was stupid and reckless of her. Now people would be looking for her. Now he would be looking for her. This was so not what she needed right now. Worse, she did not even know why she even did it. When that robber had insulted her like that, she had felt such a rage overcoming her. It had flooded her mind, drowning out all sense and reason. All that had been left was a burning urge to kill and destroy. It had been like a primal urge, something wild and uncontrollable. She supposed then that she should be grateful that she at least had enough of a restraint, however miniscule it had been, to not kill that robber.

Still, since she did not desire to be put in prison over such a trivial matter, Mia decided that it might be best to lay low for a while. And what better place did there exist in Star City for laying low than in the Glades. And it was here that she was currently residing, hiding out in one of the many filthy and barely standing apartment complexes that made up the Glades. Currently lounging on the couch with her hood and domino mask off, she was playing around with one of her arrows. But in truth, she was hardly even aware of what she was doing, her mind was stubbornly fixating on that moment with the robber.

Most would probably feel ashamed of their actions, but not Mia. There was no remorse or sympathy in her. He had been a criminal, and he got what he deserved. What really had her attention was the feeling she had experienced. Words alone could never do it justice, not by a long shot. But when she had lost control, when she had given in to her sudden bloodlust, she had felt free. That was the best way to describe it, she had felt liberated. No morals, no conscience, no rules, no nothing. For a fleeting moment, she had tasted what it felt like to be truly free in this life. But it had come at a great price.

Whether she was a prime suspect or not did not matter, for Green Arrow would undoubtedly inspect every known vigilante and villain in town that used bows and arrows. And if there was one person Mia did not want to see at the moment, it was him. Without warning, rage began to pump through her veins at the thought of the elder archer. It came as a quick burst, and for a few precious seconds, Mia lost control again. When her senses returned to her, she found that she had flown out of her couch and driven the arrow in her hands straight through the floor.

Teeth bared like an animal, she took deep angry breaths while her eyes glaring at everything and nothing at the same time. She wanted to kill, she wanted to maim, she wanted to burn. Why she suddenly had these urges, she had no idea, and she forcefully brought them back under control and straightened herself out. Yet despite losing control like that yet again, Mia was not scared or worried. That feeling, it had been exhilarating to her, to just let go and let loose. Though it had great risks. Who knew what she would do next time she lost it like that? Faced with this, she began to wonder if it was safe to let loose like that again.

In the end, she realized the better question was: would she be able to resist the temptation of letting loose next time?

The Glades, the depressing slums of the rich and pristine Star City. A scar on an otherwise beautiful face, filled to the brim with the poor, the desperate and the unwanted. Artemis had most certainly seen worse in Gotham. Heck, she lived in worse. So it came as no surprise that patrolling this part of the city came naturally to her. After all, with a few differences, it was just like home.

"Almost even smells as bad," Artemis commented to herself as she leaped from rooftop to rooftop, constantly on the look-out for crime. Strangely enough, there were no such occurrences. Wherever she went, she found no trace of criminals of any kind. Most would take it as a good sign, but not Artemis. There was a feeling in the air, a sense of fear and tenseness. Having lived in the seedy underbelly of Gotham, with less than stellar citizens as neighbors for the most part, she could easily interpret the signs. Something, or someone, had the people here spooked. And it was not Green Arrow.

"Damn overpriced beers and damn overpriced painkillers," someone suddenly grumbled in an alley beneath Artemis. Peering over the edge in curiosity, she found a dirty and ragged man hobbling down the street with the aid of a crutch. 'First person I've run into so far,' with that reason in her head, Artemis leaped down and landed in front of the man. His reaction was… amusing, in some ways.

"Holy mother of all shit!" he shouted in shock as he stumbled back. He ended up tripping on his own crutch and landed painfully on his ass, spewing such vulgar profanities out of his mouth that it would make a priest faint.

"You done now?" Artemis eventually asked once the man has calmed down somewhat, hands placed on her hips.

"What the hell do you want, girlie? I ain't done anything this time," the man questioned as he struggled up on his feet. Artemis arched an eyebrow over his choice of words.

"This time?" she repeated suspiciously with a glare matching her tone. If the man felt threatened in any way from that look, he showed no sign of it.

"Yeah, I used to be a criminal, then I took an arrow in the knee," he explained while tapping his left knee. "Courtesy of that Robin Hood wannabe," she supposed that this was where most people would try to comfort or help him. But Frankly, Artemis did not care all that much about a scum like him.

"Do you know why there's so quiet around here lately? I would have expected someone to be out and about by now," she inquired.

"Simple, they're scared. Someone's been running around and beating people up left right and center. So far, only criminals have been attacked, but I'm the only one who dares take my chances and go about my business. Now if that's all, I need to get home and drink myself into a stupor," with those words, the man hobbled past Artemis and continued on his way. She let him go without trouble, she had learned everything she needed to know from him anyway.

"Hey, Arrow, can you hear me?" Artemis called through her earpiece, seconds later hearing the voice of her mentor on the other end.

"Loud and clear, kid. What's up?"

"You were right, our mysterious target is somewhere in the Glades," she reported. A few seconds of silence followed before an answer came.

"You sure?" was it just her, or did Green Arrow sound a bit stressed and nervous? Probably just her.

"Haven't seen either hair or hide of a single crook so far. Someone's spooked them so bad they don't dare to come out and play anymore," she reported. A resigned sigh came from her mentor in response.

"Just as I feared then," Artemis got the distinct feeling that he spoke more to himself there than he did to her.

"What do you mean?" that did not stop her though from prying. She was his protégé, therefore she should be part of whatever plan or knowledge that he was hiding under that hood of his.

"Listen, I think it's best if you go home for the night. I'll fix this myself," now that was most certainly not what Artemis had expected to hear, not to mention the last thing she wanted to hear.

"Hey wait a minute here, you can't just send me away like this. We're supposed to be partners here, right?" she tried to argue, but Green Arrow's decision was set in stone on this one.

"Look, I don't want you to get involved in this. It's quite personal, and it could get really messy. So please, go home, and we'll finish patrolling some other time," normally, Artemis would have persisted in her arguments, being the stubborn girl that she was, but she had caught on the tint of desperation in his voice. Whatever this was about, it was very upsetting to him, and Artemis instantly got the feeling that her presence would not be much appreciated on this one.

"Yeah, sure. Some other time," Artemis answered somewhat awkwardly before disconnecting. Well, no point hanging around for her, just head back to Gotham and find something else to do. With that thought, she was off again, heading to where the nearest zeta tube was supposed to be located.

"Maybe I should pop over to the Cave, see if anyone's there," she mused to herself as she went. Sitting at home with her mom was not all that appealing to her. She dearly loved her mother, and had missed her so terribly during her time spent in prison, but there was still that small sense of… awkwardness between them. Like it or not, Paula had been absent during most of her daughter's life, and they were both still adjusting with living as a family again.

But as she headed towards the zeta tubes, she had no idea what was waiting for her.

Could her day possibly get any worse? Coming up on the roof of her apartment, Mia had hoped to vent some anger at target dummies. Instead she found Green Arrow's newest protégé moving from rooftop to rooftop a few blocks away. The girl had not noticed her presence, and Mia made no effort to correct that error. Instead, she hid in the shadows and glared murderously at the girl. Once again, she found herself asking that question which she had already asked time and again.

"What do you have that makes Green Arrow think you're better than me?" no matter how hard she thought, she could not find an answer to that. What did this newbie possess that made her special enough for Green Arrow to accept her without any hesitation? A headache began to develop as she kept looking at every possible angle to find the answer, and her frustration mounted.

"It's all her fault," Mia had no idea where that thought came from, or if it even was her own, but she liked the sound of it so far."It's her fault that you've been discarded like this. She's no better than you, she doesn't deserve the attention she's been given. Attention that rightfully belongs to you," each word spoken filled Mia's soul with rage. Of course she deserved it! After all that she had done, she deserved to be beside Green Arrow, not that slimy little pretender! At that point, her anger took over, and all sense of rationality went right out the window.

"You're not better than me! Never was and never will be! And I'm gonna prove it!" with those words, Mia snatched up her bow and quiver of arrows before setting off after Artemis. That bitch would learn her place. No one stole what belonged to Mia Dearden and got away with it.

"That was so easy, that it was almost pathetic,"

What was even the point of all this? Krieg kept asking himself that question again and again as he sat in the Cave's living room with four of his teammates. Seriously, what was the point of watching these movies in the first place? They were nothing more than a waste of time, particularly the one they had just finished about sparkling vampires. He really should have expected that greenskinned xeno to have weird tastes in entertainment.

At least he had found some entertainment from the movie Wally had chosen, Full Metal Jacket, if memory served. Though to be honest, Krieg had taken one look at Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, compared him to the drill masters back on his homeworld, and had only one thing to say about him.

"Amateur,"

At least they had allowed him to choose one of the movies to watch. He had picked one called Starship Troopers. At least that movie showed xenos for what they really were; disgusting, animalistic and only deserving of extermination. But now it was Robin's turn to pick a movie to watch, and Krieg was silently dreading what that shrimp desired to see. Well, if nothing else, he had one last comfort to draw strength from.

"Hey, you really gonna eat all those M&M's?" Wally asked as he eyed Krieg's scarred face as he kept eating M&M's with an expressionless face.

"Yes," Krieg answered before he threw another handful into his mouth.

"Then I want some before they've all run out," Wally announced before reaching towards the bag held in Krieg's hands. The reaction was instantaneous, as Krieg held the bag protectively away from Wally's hands, glaring threateningly at the speedster while one of his hands began to stealthily creep towards his kukri. Wally quickly got the hint.

"Alright, alright, bad me, M&M's only for Krieg," he said awkwardly as he backed off, Krieg's suspicious eyes following him every step of the way. Watching the entire exchange, Robin was torn between amusement and worry. After all, Krieg could get pretty violent when he felt provoked. 'Nah, I'm just worrying needlessly. Krieg couldn't possibly be so crazy that he'd start a fight over some candy,' he tried to reassure himself, though that look in Krieg's eyes made him doubt somewhat.

"Have you chosen the next movie yet?" Krieg asked impatiently, still not taking his eyes off Wally. Even if there was M&M's present to soothe him, he was still wishing for the night to be over so he could go back to Los Angeles.

"As a matter of fact, I have," Robin proudly announced before holding up his choice for all to see.

"The Expendables?" Krieg read. 'This sounds promising,' he thought privately to himself.

"If you're all done arguing over who gets what, let's continue our movie night," Robin stated as he inserted the movie, and they all settled in for another few hours of senseless entertainment. This time however, Krieg was making sure to keep an eye open for anyone trying to steal his M&M's.

While she had to admit that the zeta tubes were cleverly disguised, Artemis could not help but wonder why they were placed in such open and public areas where anyone could just waltz in by accident. Of course, she knew that unless they possessed proper clearance, they would not be going anywhere through the network. But Artemis was pretty sure that most folk would get suspicious if a supposedly broken phone booth suddenly said "Access denied" if they stepped into it.

Oh well, no point complaining or anything. It was not like she was responsible for building these things. She was about to step into the zeta tube, but she thought better of it when an arrow embedded itself in the ground in front of her. Instincts took hold, and she leaped back while nocking an arrow in preparation. Only taking a second to verify her target's position, she let her arrow fly. No hit occurred, but at least it forced her attacker out of hiding and into the open.

"You again?" Artemis asked in annoyance once she got a good look at her assailant.

"You don't sound very happy to see me," Mia stated coldly while nocking an arrow.

"Considering you just tried to shoot me, I think I have a good reason not to be pleased to see you again," Artemis countered as she too nocked an arrow. A tense standoff ensued as the two teenaged archers began to circle each other, waiting to see who would make the first move.

"Why are you even here? Why are you attacking me?" Artemis finally broke the silence with her question. A snarl of anger was what she received from Mia.

"I can't stand it. I can't stand watching Green Arrow train you as his protégé," she answered hatefully, glaring at Artemis with fury burning in her eyes. "I was meant to be his protégé, not you! Why? Because I'm better than you, in every way! You don't deserve the spot that you've stolen from me!" now normally, Artemis may have been a bit more tactful, considering this was technically an issue that was between Mia and Green Arrow, but the girl had just mocked Artemis' skills as an archer. And that could not be allowed to stand.

"I don't know why you're taking your anger out on me, but don't you dare accuse me of stealing anything. I won this spot thanks to my skills alone, not through trickery. And if you still don't believe it, then I'd be more than happy to prove it here and now," Artemis challenged. A feral grin instantly split Mia's face.

"Gladly," she spat out before firing her arrow. Artemis leaped aside while firing her own arrow. Mia dodged it with a limbo move before jumping into cover behind a container. She nocked three arrows before poking out of her cover and firing. In an amazing display of flexibility, Artemis avoided all three arrows, though one of them did nick her side. She had suffered far worse in her time. Retaliating, she nocked an explosive arrow and let loose. Mia saw the danger approaching, and leaped clear just before the container she had hid behind went flying into the air with a loud boom. She landed with a roll, and came to a stop on her knees with another arrow nocked and ready.

As she fired, Artemis tried to get out of the way. But she was caught completely by surprise when the arrow exploded into a net and ensnared her, sending her crashing to the ground as an ensnared heap. She wildly flailed and struggled like a fish dragged out of water, but could not get free. Believing the fight to be over at last, Mia relaxed her stance and approached her trapped opponent with a cocky grin on her face.

But Artemis was not down for the count just yet, as she managed to draw her repeater crossbow and opened fire on Mia. Though inaccurate due to firing from the hip, the sheer volume of bolts that was spit out made Mia backpedal in a panic, trying to avoid getting hit. With her enemy temporarily distracted by the surprise attack. Artemis acted quickly to get free. She managed to draw a pocket knife from her belt and cut herself free.

Free at last, she sprung back up on her feet, drawing another arrow as she searched for her opponent. An arrow suddenly came at her from nowhere, and would have struck her in the side had she not dodged it. Acting quickly, she returned fire with her own arrows. And so, the two of them kept exchanging arrows like that, with Mia's anger mounting with each second spent dodging and shooting. 'No! This should not be happening! I'm better than her! She can't beat me!' she thought fervently to herself, her rage overflowing.

"You're not better than me!" she screamed as she fired another arrow.

"Then how come you haven't beaten me yet?" Artemis asked cheekily whilst dodging the arrows fired at her. That did it for Mia. The feeling of bloodlust came over her yet again, a primal urge to rend and tear, and all sense of reason and restraint was drowned in a tide of rage. With an animalistic roar of fury, Mia charged straight at Artemis. Caught off guard by the sudden display of raw aggression Artemis tried to back off, eyes wide with shock. But Mia was not about to let her get away that easily, and swung her bow like a club at Artemis. She managed to block the strike, but staggered back from the blow as shockwaves of pain travelled up her arms and into her body. 'Damn, that girl has some serious muscles!'

Unfortunately for her, Mia was not done just yet, as she attacked again and again, throwing out blow after blow. There was no style of fighting or finesse to her attacks, she just swung her bow back and forth like a berserker. She did not need to use any finesse here, the sheer ferociousness made it impossible for Artemis to strike back. Step by painful step, Mia forced Artemis back with her relentless onslaught. There was barely a human consciousness left behind the reign by that point, she was just a rage-driven monster out for blood.

Then, with one final blow, she broke Artemis' bow in two and landed a strike to her head, sending the archer down to the ground as a groaning heap. This would have been the point where she walked away. After all, she had proven her point. But there was no restraint left in her, no sense of morality or even mercy. Blood needed to be spilt, and blood would be spilled. Eyes aflame with maniacal hatred, she threw her bow aside and drew an arrow. Straddling the dazed Artemis, she raised her weapon above her head, ready to plunge it into the bitch's heart. A phrase suddenly came to the forefront of her mind, and before she knew it, she was shouting it at the top of her lungs.

"BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!" she stood ready to end it all then and there, but she never got that far before another arrow struck her in the back, sending voltages of electricity pumping through her systems. As if plunged in ice-cold water while having slept, Mia was jolted out of her murderous rage, only to collapse to the ground while screaming in pain. Through sheer force of will, she remained conscious, but her body refused to obey her, leaving her lying on the ground like an invalid.

"Dear God. Artemis, are you alright?" Green Arrow shouted in worry as he rushed over to his protégé and kneeled at her side, not even sparing a single glance at the girl he just shot in the back. In response, Artemis blinked her eyes sluggishly up at her mentor.

"Like someone just tried to bash my head open," she grumbled, her head still spinning from the blow. A relieved smile spread across Green Arrow's face.

"If you well enough to joke around, then you'll be okay," he announced, giving Artemis' shoulder a comforting squeeze. Then his eyes found themselves drawn to Mia, and all traces of humor vanished.

"Mia, why?" he found himself asking of the still conscious and seething girl.

"I wanted to see what made her so special that you'd discard me in favor of her," she answered while sending a glare at Artemis, one she gladly mirrored. A look of hurt appeared on Green Arrow's face, and he tried to explain it to her.

"Look, it's not that simple. If you would just…"

"Why do you waste your time with her anyway?" Mia interrupted him harshly, now glaring at him instead. "I'm better than her, as our fight just proved. I won, I beat her, that makes me better," here a sneer spread across her face before she resumed speaking. "Heck, I was even about to kill her when you interfered," at her guiltless admission, something changed in Green Arrow. He no longer looked sad or hurt, or even angry. He now looked at her with disappointment, and that stung far worse to Mia than anything else.

"And that's why you could never be my protégé, or even a hero," he declared gravelly, before he stood back up again and reluctantly drew another arrow. "Mia Dearden, you're under arrest," those words completely shattered Mia's world as she stared up at the face of the one man she respected.

"You can't do this to me. I was just trying to help you," she pleaded with him. Though it hurt him, Green Arrow had no choice in this matter. Mia was growing out of control.

"Please don't make this harder than it already is. Surrender peacefully and I promise I'll make sure you receive the help you need," he tried to reason with her, but she was deaf to his words.

"I helped you! I dedicated my life to you! And now you just throw me aside like I'm nothing!" she screamed at him, tears of betrayal running down her face. It just made it worse for Green Arrow, but he put up a strong façade and nocked his arrow.

"Like I said before, it's a lot more complicated than that. Now please, make it easy on the both of us and surrender," he pleaded one last time, but it was all for naught. Intentionally or not, Green Arrow had shattered Mia completely. Now she had nothing left to fight for. Nothing, except her raw hatred.

"DIE!" she screamed in absolutely rage as she forced her body up and lunged at Green Arrow, intent on snapping his neck. She never even reached him before an electric arrow struck her down again. Only, it was not Green Arrow who had fired it. Spinning around in shock, he found Artemis standing behind him, bow still raised and arm still held next to her head.

"Guess we're even now, huh?" Green Arrow murmured, trying to joke a bit. He only sounded hollow and broken.

"Yeah, I guess we are," Artemis agreed tonelessly while her eyes refused to leave the crumbled form of Mia, who had finally passed out from that last arrow. Mia still had her mask on, but there was no hiding the tears that had poured out of her eyes and drenched her cheeks.

When the credits finally rolled on their last movie, Krieg could not have been happier. He had finished all his M&M's half an hour ago, and had nothing else to do but endure the movie. But as he glanced at his teammates, he found to his great irritation that he had been the only one to stay awake all this time. Robin and Wally lay sprawled out on the floor and couch respectively, while the xenos had somehow found a way to share an armchair with M'gann resting her head on Superboy's shoulder.

"No discipline," he grumbled to himself in irritation. What if Krieg had not been present, and an enemy had found a way to infiltrate the base? Well, either way, it was not his business anymore, considering this weird gathering of theirs was officially over. So Krieg swiftly donned his gasmask and helmet again and strode out of the living room, not even bothering to keep quiet. Then again, these guys were sleeping so heavily that Krieg suspected that he could have fired off his shotgun and they would have never reacted.

Making his way towards the zeta tubes, he hoped that this was the last time he was requested to participate in a "movie night". Nothing but a waste of valuable time that could have been better served training or patrolling. Seriously, what did they even find so entertaining with a fictitious story that included a cast of made-up characters anyway? Did these guys not have a life of their own or what?

"I will probably never understand them," he muttered to himself as he stepped into the zeta tube and vanished in a flash of white light.

Tokyo. The beating and glowing heart of Japan. Even in the dead of night, the city had enough lights on and people up and about that one could easily be forgiven in thinking it was in the middle of the day. Of course, like all great cities, it had its darker parts where only the desperate or the cruel went. It was in such a place, a Yakuza hideout to be specific, that a frenetic battle was taking place. Dozens of armed men were engaged in battle with a lone woman dressed in sleek black and silver samurai armor with a mask colored after the Japanese flag.

The men were armed with modern weapons, she carried a mere katana. Logically, she would have been nothing but a red stain on the floor by that point. But that was not the case here. Already, countless bodies littered the ground, sliced apart by this deadly woman, and more bodies kept on piling up as she cut them down one by one. Finally, all of them were dead, and the woman was left standing on a carpet of blood and bodies.

"Another dead-end," he said to herself as she cleaned of her katana and sheathed it. "No matter, I won't rest until I have found that bastard and killed him,"

"But that is not what you desire the most, is it?" someone suddenly asked before the speaker stepped out of the shadows in front of her. The second she laid eyes on the giant in armor before her, she drew her sword and made ready for battle. The giant merely raised a placating hand towards her.

"I can assure you, there's no need for that, Katana," he reassured her gently, but the now identified katana did not lower her sword any bit.

"So you've heard of me then, but I don't know who you are," she stated as she glared at the imposing giant, drawing out a light chuckle from him.

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Azkillon, at your service madam," he introduced himself with a courteous bow.

"Since you haven't attacked me yet, I assume you're not with the Yakuza. But that begs the question; why are you here?" Katana questioned suspiciously with narrowed eyes.

"Simple, I have come to offer you a deal, one that will benefit us both greatly," Azkillon spoke smoothly. It caught Katana's interest, but she was still cautious.

"Then speak, and I will judge whether what you say is true or not," she eventually answered as she lowered her blade, though Azkillon did note that she did not sheathe it.

"You've been tirelessly searching for the man who killed your husband and caused the death of your children, seeking vengeance," Azkillon began speaking, before being interrupted by Katana.

"I know full well about that, I do not need you to tell me," she snarled out in anger. Discussing her husband, slain at the hands of his own brother with the very same sword she was wielding today, was not a topic she enjoyed.

"But vengeance is not what you desire most, is it?" Azkillon continued, ignoring her outburst. "What you truly desire is to be rejoined with your beloved," a tense silence followed as Katana glared suspiciously at Azkillon, who was content to patiently wait for her answer.

"Yes," she eventually confessed. "But that's impossible, so I do the only thing I can do for him; I will avenge him," that had been her mission for over a year now, to claim the life of the one who took her family away from her, to kill him with the very same cursed blade he used to kill her husband.

"What if I told you that it was possible?" Azkillon suddenly inquired, snapping Katana out of her thoughts.

"I'd say you were a madman," she answered, refusing to allow herself to feel even a glimmer of hope. Hope was the first step on the road to disappointment.

"Perhaps I am," Azkillon freely admitted. "But as they say, there's a fine line between madness and brilliance," he paused momentarily to point at the blade still held in Katana's hands. "That sword of yours, Soultaker, I believe its name was. It steals the souls of the ones it has slain, imprisoning them forever within its depths," it was meant as a statement, not a question, but Katana still nodded her head in confirmation.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked, causing Azkillon to spread his arms wide.

"It has everything to do with it, child. His soul is still trapped here on the mortal plane, that means I can restore him to life," he exclaimed. Katana had sworn to herself not to feel hope for this, but she could not extinguish that small spark that had sprung to life in her otherwise dark and empty soul.

"How?" she found herself asking.

"By finding a new body for him to inhabit. I can then draw his soul out of the blade and bind him to that body. He will be whole again, and you can be together again," Azkillon explained. It sounded so tempting to Katana's ears, but she was still skeptical about this stranger.

"Prove it. Prove that you possess the kind of power you boast about," she challenged. She suddenly got the distinct feeling that Azkillon was smiling at her behind that helmet of his.

"As you wish," he simply answered before holding out a gauntleted hand. That hand became encased in crackling, multicolored energy. The very fabric of reality almost seemed to retreat from this power, as if revolted by it. Then, Azkillon pointed at one of the more intact corpses and let the built up energy surge from his fingertips and into the body. Once the last bit of energy had seeped into the corpse, it gave a sudden gasp while its back was almost bent at a ninety degree angle.

Like a puppet on strings, it rose off the ground and back up on its feet, the sound of bones popping back and forth inside that body.

"What… what happened…" the corpse began speaking, right before his body was engulfed by eldritch flames, reducing the screaming man to ashes in a matter of seconds. During the whole demonstration, Katana had only watched slack-jawed.

"What you saw was a crude and rushed resurrection, hardly the most pleasing or effective. But with the right preparations, and more time to set things up, it can be done with far better results," Azkillon explained to his stunned audience, but katana barely heard him. That small spark of hope had been ignited into a raging flame that filled her entire being with strength and determination. It was possible, they could still be reunited in this life.

"However," Azkillon added, drawing Katana's attention back to him. "Such power does not come freely. I do not engage in charities, madam, and I expect payment for this," here, he paused to stare straight into Katana's eyes, but it felt to her like he was staring straight into her soul. "So tell me this, Tatsu Yamashiro; what are you prepared to sacrifice?" Katana never asked herself how he knew her real name. She never even asked herself what the price for this man's aid would be. Her answer was still the same no matter what.

"Everything,"