𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐘 ― d. grayson ¹

⤿ thirty-five

"She got injured during the fight, someone shot her, but she got up and continued fighting," Dawn reassured her. She showed her the footage of her description. She wasn't lying.

Donna hummed along with her friend's evidence. "She's probably at one of those clandestine medical shelters downtown. They're neutral ground. Nobody touches them. She's safe."

Artemisia bought their every word. It all made sense. Her accountability kept her in negation. If she hadn't run away like everybody else, the teens would be bothering her right now. Hell, maybe Dick would have lingered around and guarded them.

"What about Dick?"

Rachel jumped into the counter, sitting down with her legs crossed. "When we went to break him out of jail, he was already gone. He scrawled Jericho is alive in his cell wall. Like caveman-style."

"Wait, Dick was in jail?"

Kory sighed loudly, hands folding over her chest. "Apparently he attacked the airport's security for no reason. He has lost his mind or something."

"But I keep having these dreams about Dick being killed by Deathstroke. And they're not going away." Rachel glanced at the group, making them emphasize with her. Artemisia cocked her head, troubled. "We need to do something about that."

"I believe you. But we have bigger problems right now. Gar and Conner." Donna's gaze moved from an understanding Rachel to Artemisia. "Dianna will have to wait, too. She's not in danger."

She nodded. It was the right thing. . . Guilt flushed over her body; Dianna could be anywhere, maybe even in peril. But Garfield's menace was bigger. He had been programmed to injure and kill innocents. She swallowed the acid taste in her throat. "Okay. What's the plan?"

Dawn displayed the blueprints of the facility before them. "The main CADMUS building closes at nine and security drops down to ten. It's two at each gate and six roaming inside." Donna tapped on the labs, asking for more information about their point of concern. "It's a twenty-four-hour operation and in the last week they've doubled up the guard. Four six-hour shifts, twenty bodies around the clock."

"Sounds like that's where the party's at," Artemisia commented as she pricked her neck. If only they had more time to inspect every aspect of the plan. "Between us, we have plenty of fire power to blast through the front door."

"About that. I've got some bad news," Kory started, glancing at her fidgeting hands. "My powers have vanished." They turned to the woman in wonderment, showering her with inquiries. Kory groaned, amassing enough valor to look at them in the eyes. "I don't know what happened. But they're gone and I haven't been able to get them back."

Donna exhaled in frustration. "Well, that's fucking great." She turned to Rachel, the last person who their plan relied on. Artemisia couldn't do it all on her own, though she was willing to try. "What about you?"

"Fully loaded." The girl glowed back, straightening her back. "But I can't promise that I won't go a little bit overboard. Um, things have been getting. . . dramatic."

An alert popped on the screen. Kory picked up the tablet and stated: "a disturbance at Golden Gate Park. Units responding. People are injured. Reports of a wild animal."

"Phase two. It's already begun." They peered at each other. It sounded like Gar. Their former plan was hurled out the window that moment. Artemisia took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was to come.

"Okay, let's stop them," Donna declared. The rest of the women heeded her orders, spreading out for their equipment and costumes. They raced to the lift, crowding inside. Distress saturated the small square; these were their teammates they would battle against. It didn't feel right. It wasn't right.