Chapter 2: Freedom?

I woke up to the constant, steady beeping from a machine. I opened my eyes and blinked away the sluggishness that comes from sleep, and as I did so, my surroundings came into focus.

I lay in a clean hospital bed in a white room, hooked up to an IV, and blinked with the beeping heart monitor. My side had been patched up with heavy bandages, and the numerous bruises on my body had also been attended to. I could hear the heart rate monitor speed up as my panic rose. Why was I in a hospital? Where was I exactly, and how did I get here? Did the Delta arrange this? Were they preparing me for a new torture? Had I tried to attempt escape again?

My breath and pulse quickened, and I bolted upright, ripping away the IV and the heart rate cord. The monitor instantly went dead, buzzing from the lack of pulse, and I hurriedly slid out of bed, rushed to and opened the door, and…

Screamed.

A tall young man in a red and yellow supersuit I didn't recognize stood in the doorway. His eyes narrowed, and he frowned at me. "Going somewhere?"

I slowly backed back into the room, and he continued to glare menacingly from the doorway. I didn't have to ask to know that he was guarding me, to make sure I didn't try to run. I gulped. The Delta's guards had never been lax on the beatings.

Just then, there was an attention-getting cough from behind him, and the man moved to admit Nightwing. "It's fine, KF," he said, addressing the man but looking at me. His uniform showed no signs of the torture he'd endured, and he still wore that mask. "Let me talk to her."

KF, the man in the strange suit, scowled, but shut the door, leaving me alone with Nightwing.

Nightwing seated himself on the visitor's chair beside the bed. I cautiously sat on the edge of the bed, tense and ready to fend off an attack if necessary. I hoped it wouldn't be; I had no doubt that he would have no trouble fighting a scrawny girl like me.

After a few tense moments, he smiled, a crooked, disarming sort of half-grin. "You're pretty jumpy."

I said nothing.

He let out a sigh, sitting back in his chair. "What's your name?"

I was hesitant. "...Emma."

Then he leaned forward, smiling, but his mask made the expression just slightly chilling. "I won't hurt you. You can trust me."

"Where am I?"

"Mount Justice. I brought you here after you saved my life." His expression darkened. "Those guards, they beat you pretty badly. You could've died."

"You killed them?"

"No. We don't kill; we only... disarm."

I scowled. "They deserved death." Then I realized what he'd said, and I gaped at him with surprise. "Wait… Mount Justice?"

"Base of operations for the team."

I blinked, feeling stiff with disbelief. "I'm… I'm not at the Delta's headquarters?"

His mouth twitched. "No. Not anymore."

My eyes widened, my lips parted, and my mind tried to wrap around what he'd just said. Free? How…? What…? "This isn't a trick, is it?" My voice sounded raspy with longing.

"No. You're safe." He was watching me with silent confusion, searching my face with questions I know I couldn't answer. Not yet, at least.

Safe? How long ago had I really been safe? I'd spent years as the Delta's slave, and I'd been fifteen last I'd been outside in the sunshine. But my whole life, I've never been completely safe. Living on the streets, among crime and poverty and corruption… not to mention the whole… incident… in the abandoned warehouse when I was nine… My mind told me not to trust anything so impossible, but my heart desperately pleaded for it to be true, for it to be truly… safe.

I looked up at him, and he gave me another smile.

I felt like I still owed him something. Not just because he'd saved my life (twice now), but because he'd given me something I'd always desired but could never have, till now. Freedom. I had a sudden compelling urge to tell him something, something I rarely told anyone, especially these past few years.

"Sarah."

"What?"

"My name isn't really Emma. That was a con. It's Sarah. Sarah McCullough."

He grinned a full grin this time, showing white teeth. It would be a lie if I said that that grin wasn't just a little appealing. "Nice to meet you, Sarah."

"Nightwing." KF had returned, opening the door and stepping in. "Can I talk to you? Alone?" He sounded a tad miffed.

Nightwing glanced at me, then back at him. "I'll be there in a sec."

KF sucked his teeth, clearly impatient. "I'll be in the control room, then." He left, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Sorry. Kid Flash is just a little… suspicious. But don't worry. This isn't the first new girl at Mount Justice he's had to get used to."

"Kid-?"

"Yeah, Kid Flash. You know, the Flash's old sidekick? My best friend." He stood. "Sorry, but I gotta go. I'll get someone in here to keep you company, okay?" He winked and left.

I sat there, still stunned, hardly able to believe that I was free. But… what if I wasn't? What if I was just another suspect to keep under close watch for the Justice League? But, no, I couldn't believe that. I couldn't allow myself to believe that the one hero I'd allowed myself the luxury of trusting would do something like that. Right? Nightwing wouldn't be that duplicitous… would he?

Author's Note:

For all who tried to read this chapter before I readjusted it, I AM SORRY! I have no idea how the text managed to turn out that way, but it should be fixed now. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Did you like Chapter 2? I know it wasn't as exciting as chapter 1, but there'll be more of that soon enough. I apologize about the hospital tech; I was on a bit of shaky ground there, as I have very little knowledge on exactly how IVs and heart monitors and hospitals in general work. I gave it my best shot, though.

Another thing that was bothering me while I typed this: Sarah told Nightwing her true identity after he revealed to her she was safe. Was that believable enough, or was that too soon for her to start trusting him? I mean, after all, she's had a hard life. Take the abandoned warehouse incident for instance… **COUGH backstory COUGH**

Please review!