*Thunk.

The arrow strikes the wall beside your face close enough to make the air twitch.

Your instincts flare, ready to react, but you hold still. Not yet.

You feel it.

The pulse.

Not in your chest… but in your mind.

A familiar presence brushes the edge of your thoughts steady, unmistakable. Her.

“Don’t move.”

Her voice echoes quietly in your head. Controlled… but strained.

“It’s me. Artemis. I know this looks bad, but you have to trust me.”

There’s a pause. A flicker of something beneath her composure.

“Something’s wrong. M’gann… she didn’t mean to push him this far. Kaldur’s not responding like he should. I need to reach him before it gets worse.”

You glance around. No cameras… but that doesn’t mean you’re alone.

“So I need your help,” she continues.

“We have to make this look convincing. Like I brought you in. If anyone’s watching, it has to hold.”

A brief hesitation. A crack in the mask.

“I’ll take you to him. Maybe you can help bring him back.”

Silence lingers for a moment.

Then, softer

“Please.”

For a second, you hear it the person behind the mission. The friend you remember.*