Welcome to Earth-0 (Redeux)

Chapter Four: A Sense of Comfort and Answers

Keystone City
1:35 AM

Wally is stirred awake in the middle of the night, when he hears a blood-curdling scream. He quickly jumps out of his recliner and stands next to the source of the scream. He sees that his "guest" is tossing and turning on the couch in front of him.

She is shouting in a foreign language. Vietnamese, to be exact. She is calling out for someone in here sleep--crying for him to come back.

"Wally!!!" she cries, painfully.

By now, Wally is starting to freak out. He notices that his friend, Dick Grayson, is standing on the other side of the couch; also awakened by the screaming. Wally looks toward his friend for what to do.

In response, Dick nervously states, "Don't look at me, man! I'm not the one she is shouting for."

Wally sighs and kneels down next to couch, placing a hand on her head. He brushes some of her hair away from her face. Immediately, she starts to settle down. Her eyes flutter.

"Wally...?" she questions quietly. "Baywatch...?"

Her face twists as she tries to squint to see his face.

After a few seconds of silent contemplation, Flash grimly replies, "Yes to the Wally. No to the...umm... Baywatch? I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Tigress apologies as she sits up and leans back on the couch. "It's my fault for letting my emotions get the best of me."

The archer and the speedster lock eyes for a few seconds.

"It's just that you look almost exactly like him, and my heart..." she starts as a few tears pool in her eyes. "And my hear--mind...my mind thought..."

She reaches out and places her hands on both sides of his face; drawing him in for a closer inspection in the dim lighting.

"You have his powers, his warmth, his fiery hair," she runs her hand through his fiery red curls, "his cute freckles..."

He smiles modestly at her compliments.

"...his cheeky smile," she chuckles softly.

She pauses as she squints at his eyes.
"But not his eyes. His ar--were--emerald. Yours are turquois."

She releases her grip on his face, sighing, "And your voice is, slightly, too deep. It's more like seeing a ghost, than a reflection."

Wally sits next to her as she leans back into the couch. Both of them are contemplating what to say next. As usual, the speedster breaks the silence.

"Who are you exactly?" the redhead asks boldly.

"Don't you guys recognize me?" she replied concerned.

"Yeah," Nightwing answers. "But I don't believe that you are the Tigress that we are familiar with... So spill. Full name, aliases, and affiliations."

Tigress sighs and confidently states, "My name is Artemis Lian Crock. Daughter of Lawrence Crock, the Sportsmaster, and Puala Nguyen, the former Huntress. I have one older sibling, Jade Nguyen-Harper also known as Cheshire..."

"Wait!" Wally exclaims in surprise. "Cheshire is your sister, and Arsenal is your brother-in-law?"

"Well, actually, that Roy goes by Red Arrow, and there's another one that goes by Arsenal," Artemis answers. In response to the confused faces that are staring at her, she sighs, "Look, it's a long story that involves cloning, mind control, and an obsessive immortal warlord bent on world domination. Why are you so surprised that I have a sister?"