Silence

Chapter 8

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I wake up groggy, not quite aware of what's going on. I can't remember much from last night. Then I realize I'm not in my usual shackles.

I'm in a hospital bed, but I'm strapped in. It's leaned up slightly. I open my eyes. I'm in what looks like a regular hospital room. There are IV's in my arms. There's a digital monitor near me. No surgical tools, at least none that would be unusual for a hospital room. The room is completely white and small, but not cramped. Why would they put me in here?

Unless, I think, someone rescued me.

No, I can't have been rescued. That's impossible. Suddenly, a memory comes back to me.

A girl with red hair, lighter than mine. She had freckles. She saved me from the experiment. There was fire, and she looked familiar. And she was... green?

I must have been dreaming. I shake the thought from my head. I just have to sit here and wait for one of the scientists to explain this to me.

The door opens, and I look up to see who it is. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but they are not it.

The first one is a man dressed in all black. His dark cape reaches the floor. He wears a cowl with pointed ears, and a scowl on his face. A symbol of a bat is on his chest. I look into his cold eyes as mine widen. I know immediately who he is, but I'm in such disbelief that I wonder if I'm hallucinating.

Two more people walk in with him. One of them looks familiar, and I realize why. It's Nightwing, the super hero I met all those months ago. He probably doesn't even recognize me. Behind him is a girl who makes my eyes widen more.

I was right. She is green. She has red hair that reaches slightly past her shoulders. She has freckles on her cheeks and wears a white shirt with a pink sweater and skirt. She avoids my eyes, but looks friendly enough. Despite that, I'm still in too similar a situation as before to let my guard down.

Batman walks towards me, but too many bad memories resurface. I start panicking and tugging on my restraints, trying to get free. My feet aren't strapped, so I start kicking, trying to get out. He reaches to hold me down, which only makes me flail harder. Even though my mind is telling me I shouldn't be fighting them, I'm too confused to think clearly, and tears start to form in my eyes.

"Calm down," he says, somewhat forcefully. "You're safe here. You're not in Milo's lab anymore."

"Wait, I remember her!" Nightwing says in triumph, as if finally being able to recall it. "I met her a couple months ago when Riddler attacked Gotham North." He pauses for a moment in thought. "I think her name is Willow."

He comes towards me, but I don't stop struggling.

"Is your name Willow?" he asks, his calm voice comforting. I nod, but my struggling continues, though it's with less vigor. "It's okay, you're okay. You're safe. You're in the medical bay in Mount Justice. We're not gonna hurt you. You can trust me."

He places a hand on my arm, and though I flinch, I don't fight it. I calm down enough to realize what I'm doing. I stop fighting. I nod, allowing Batman to continue doing whatever he was going to do before I started fighting. He undoes the straps, leaving me free. I look at him, somewhat confused.

"She's mute," Nightwing says to the other two. "I don't think she can speak at all."

"We'll work around it," Batman says.