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The elevator opened and unveiled pure chaos. Shattered tables, bullet shells dispersed across the main area, blood prints on the floor. The colossal windows had been breached, allowing a powerful gust to stir inside. This was not the Tower she remembered. Yet it made perfect sense: the team was, too, ruined.
Artemisia strolled in like it was the first time, gaping at the catastrophic environment. Three familiar faces deleted the disturbance from her face. Rachel reached her midway, winding her arms around her neck. She took a deep breath, feeling at home. "I got here as soon as I could. I'm glad you're all okay."
They pulled away, beaming at each other. Seeing the teen doing fine made joy craze in her soul. It was the one good thing she could have. Kory, Donna, and Dawn stepped up to them, greeting her, too. They looked uncertain of how to proceed with the welcome. Artemisia opened her arms.
The women wrapped one another in a crushing, shared embrace. Artemisia leaned her head on Kory's shoulder, drawing Dawn closer with her other arm. No place felt safer than among them. Nothing could harm them; not Cadmus or Deathstroke nor anything that the world threw at them.
"Okay, I think we're good now." Donna stirred out of the circle, detangling the rest of the hug. They composed themselves in silence, hardening their spirits for what was about to come. Rachel walked up to them and Kory slung an arm over her shoulder protectively.
The black woman looked at Artemisia, considering her off-season clothing. She sighed and ripped off her jacket. "Where did you go?"
"Wyoming," she answered simply, cruising towards the kitchen's isle to sit down. The rest of the women joined her. She glanced at Dawn, seeing in her eyes the events she had tried to leave behind; they were impossible to escape. "I ran into Hank. He's still an asshole."
Dawn nodded slowly, lowering her eyes. Her hand stretched for the tablet, fidgeting with the edges. "Five days can't change that."
Artemisia understood Dawn didn't want to keep talking about Hank. It wasn't hard to leave the man behind and change subjects. The mood of their reunion shifted once again. "What's our situation?"
"We know Cadmus stormed into the Tower and took Gar and Conner. We don't know anything about Dianna. Look at this." Dawn pushed the tablet in her direction, showing the footage of that night. Dianna and Conner had been cornered by several soldiers. They were backing up, moving towards the corner of the camera. "They enter that blindspot, then only Conner walks out. We don't know what happened there."
She cursed under her breath. How could someone like Dick or Bruce allow a blindspot among their cameras? It didn't make sense. Dianna's fate was a total mystery because of this stupid slip-up. Bruce would be hearing about this.
Donna hesitantly placed a confronting hand on her back, patting her. Artemisia appreciated the attempt. "We know she's alive. There were no bodies when I walked in."
