Chapter 14 - Story of My Life

"Wake up, my dear."

My eyes opened slowly. I didn't know where I was. It looked as grand as Wayne Manor, but nothing was white, nothing was antique and soft and real. Everything looked like gold, mixed with an otherworldly shadow. I didn't like it.

"Samantha."

A lady's voice. I turned my head to see a woman, probably only in her twenties, with soft, silky hair and a face like an angel's. I didn't know whether to like her or not. She seemed human, but then again… maybe not.

"You've been asleep, my dear," the lady said. "You need to give your mind time to right itself. Just rest and wait until my face is clear to you."

I closed my eyes and waited a moment, until my limbs didn't feel quite so far away, then opened them again. The lady was still there. Her face was less shimmery now. But it was still beautiful. Maybe not an angel, but definitely not ordinary.

"Where am I?"

"Safe," the lady said.

My brain was having trouble processing things. I knew I had been in the tv room at Wayne Manor a minute ago. I fell asleep, and then… I didn't know. I had no idea what had happened… how long I had been asleep. I was so confused, and had so many questions, so I went for the obvious one.

"What happened?"

"You fell asleep."

"How did… I get here?"

"I brought you. You were in urgent need of help."

"Bruce can help," I said vaguely. My head still felt fuzzy.

"He could not help you with this."

"Who are you?"

The lady smiled. "My name is Talia."

Talia. Talia al Ghul.

I gasped and scrabbled at the blankets. If I knew anything, I knew the al Ghuls were bad. Damian told me so.

"What do you want with me?" I asked, grabbed onto the pillows with determination. I could use one to bat her away, then run…

"Sh…" Talia put a hand gently on the bed, her voice soothing like silk. "Be calm. I will explain everything to you when you wake up again. But you're still tired and weak. You need to rest."

"I'm not weak. Get away from me!"

"Sh. Sleep."

"I don't-"

Out of the blue, my head went light. I lay back on the pillows and closed my eyes to wait for the dizziness to pass.

/

When I woke once more, Talia was standing at my bedside. She looked much more human now, and the room was much less intimidating. Definitely still gold, though. Talia had some kind of colored cloth draped over her arm, and across the room I could see a table with food on it.

"You can get up now, Samantha," Talia said. "Your body should be restored to proper health."

I slowly rose from the bed. But, to my surprise, the caution was unnecessary. I felt as if I'd never been tired. As if my body had never been tested or damaged in any way before. I could have run a mile and still felt this strong.

"This is… amazing," I gasped. "Did you do this? How?"

"Calm down," Talia said. "Your body may have new strength, and a lot of energy, but you aren't ready to use it. You still haven't eaten a full meal in days."

I rushed to the table and shoveled food into my mouth. A quick smile darted across Talia's face. Then she laid the colored cloth across my bed. I saw now that it was an outfit, a pair of loose pants and a matching top.

My hunger aside, my memory noticed something it hadn't before. "Did you say days? How long have I been out?"

"Five days, I believe."

"Five…!" I dropped the piece of bread I was holding. "I thought… I just fell asleep. What happened?"

"When you fell asleep, it… triggered… something. Your body went into shock and slowly fell into a comatose state."

"I was in a coma?"

"Not for long."

"Okay… but…"

"Eat! Questions later."

I nodded and finished eating. Talia gave me a check-up, gently testing my body, to see if my limbs and joints worked, my eyes and ears, my breathing. She declared me perfectly well. Then she took the loose shirt and trousers I had been wearing and helped me put on the new outfit. The fabric was thick and durable, but also soft and light. Sort of like how I'd always wished pajamas would work.

"I think your body is good as new," Talia said. She gave me a dazzling smile. "It seems my treatment worked."

"Treatment?"

Talia didn't answer, so I let it go. For now. I still couldn't quite believe what was going on. I was with Talia al Ghul. Just thinking that made me feel jittery, like I should turn and run as far away as I could. And yet, she had apparently done something to me that made my body better. I felt better than I ever had in my life. Should I thank her?

"Miss al Ghul…"

"Talia."

"Alright, Talia… I just… have a question… if… if you don't mind me asking… why?"

Talia raised an eyebrow. "Why what?"

I bit my lip nervously. If I offended her, would she set ninjas on me?

"It's just… no offense, but… you're supposed to be one of the bad guys. And it seems you've done something nice for me. I mean, I feel incredible. But why would you do that for me?"

Talia was silent for a moment. "You are important, Samantha. More than you know."

I blinked. Not really an answer I was expecting. I looked down at my hands, searching for more questions. She was clearly willing to answer them.

"How did you heal me?"

"Have you heard of Lazarus Pits?"

"I have. Jason said you used it to bring him back to life."

"Not entirely. I don't know what brought him back from the other side, but when it did, his mind was… not entirely right. I used the waters to bring it back."

I cocked my head. "So… I wasn't dead, right?"

"No."

"That's good."

Talia smiled. "The Lazarus Pit is a dangerous power. My father keeps one to himself, to stay young. It's why many believe he is immortal. But the water, while it heals, can also drive a person mad. I have reason to suspect young Jason was affected by such a curse."

"Are you saying that's why he went crazy after he came back."

"In part."

I caught my breath. "Am… am I going to go crazy?"

"No. I've been… experimenting, on my father's orders. Testing diluted samples of the pit's water to see if I can reproduce its healing effect while keeping the patient's mind safe."

"So, I've been your guinea pig."

"Not the only one. I've had quite a few people come through my laboratory. You are the third successful test case."

I relaxed. "So, I'll be okay. Have I been… completely cured?" My spirits began to rise. "My disease. Is it gone? Am I… am I healed?"

Talia looked at me with unreadable eyes. "Your infirmity isn't… physical."

I blinked at her. "What do you mean, it's not physical? What, is it a figment of my imagination? Or… do you mean it's artificial? Like, a poison of some sort? Or mechanical? Is it nanites?"

"All will be explained in due time. But I cannot keep your infirmity at bay with medicine alone. That's why you've been brought here."

I looked down at my hands. I felt so healthy. So strong. But now a cloud of doubt had settled over my joy. I could have a relapse any moment. I could fall ill anytime. I wouldn't always feel this strong.

At least… for now. Apparently, Talia had something else in mind for me.

"I'm willing to try anything if it means being cured of this."

"Good. Then I will alert my father, and tonight, we will meet to discuss further plans."

Talia left me alone with my thoughts. I almost laughed out loud. I was going to meet Ra's al Ghul. I had already met his daughter. What a wild and dreamlike day this had been.

But it was not without a tinge of dread. I knew these people were bad news. I knew their beliefs, their concepts of right and wrong, were askew. What if their solution to my illness was something I didn't agree with? If I disagreed, if I refused to do it, would they turn on me–kill me?

I returned to my bed and lay down, not to sleep, but to think. There had to be a way I could work with them and get what I wanted, without compromising my sanity or my morality. I just had to be careful. Very, very careful.

/

Talia returned several hours later, wearing a silk evening dress and carrying another. She held the second out to me.

"Put this on. It's time for dinner."

"Why so fancy?" I asked.

"Because tonight is a special occasion. And you must look your best in my father's presence."

Oh. I was going to meet Ra's. Lovely.

I sighed out loud when I put the dress on; it was the softest thing I had ever felt. It fit perfectly, too, as if Talia somehow knew my exact size. I felt beautiful. Watching Talia as she stood and moved, I tried to mimic her posture, the silent power and grace she exuded.

Then I slouched on purpose. What was I thinking? I didn't want to mimic Talia al Ghul. Suddenly, the dress felt like a mockery. Like I was her paper doll.

I followed her down hallway after hallway, until I was almost dizzy from all the twists and turns. We ended up in a cavernous dining hall, with a single table spanning the entire length. I had seen something similar in Wayne Manor's main dining room, but not on this grand a scale-and certainly not covered in gold.

And sitting at the head of the table was Ra's al Ghul.

He sat straight in his chair, his broad shoulders draped with an emerald green cloak. He didn't seem old, but his thick black hair was accented with streaks of gray. Just a glance in his direction was enough to catch the heat of the fire in his eyes.

I was tempted to curtsey. He looked so authoritative, so grand, so commanding, that I felt I should show some sign of my respect. But Talia made no such move, nor indicated I should. Anyway, it was Ra's al Ghul. I wasn't bowing to him.

"Welcome," Ra's said, rising from his seat. He motioned to two chairs on either side of him. "Come. Sit."

Talia took the seat on Ra's' right, so I sat on his left. Ra's nodded to a server standing at the side of the room, and the server bowed and left.

It made me think of Alfred. If this had been Wayne Manor, Bruce would have talked with Alfred, instead of just coldly signaling that the meal should start. And Alfred would have sat and eaten with us.

I missed him.

"Your thoughts wander home," Ra's commented, looking at me. "Am I right?"

"Yes, sir," I said, looking down at the table.

"Remind me, Miss Meyers, what is your connection to Gotham?"

I glanced up. He already knew my name, and that I lived in Gotham. How much did he know about me already? Was this a test, or did he really not know?

"I… grew up outside the city. And lived there later. I live there now. That is… I was…"

"I see. Do you have relations there?"

My face grew hot as I tried to think of a way out of his questioning. A server placed a dish in front of me-some kind of meat in a steaming sauce. It looked foreign, not like anything Alfred had ever made.

"My… parents used to live there. They've passed away since we moved to the city."

Ra's nodded, as if this were perfectly normal. Did he know about my parents? Talia seemed to know about my illness, more than I did; maybe she knew that my parents had it. Had she told her father? Had she learned it from him?

"And with whom do you currently live?"

I picked up a fork and busied myself with cutting my meat. "I… work for the Wayne family. They give me room and board."

"Ah. And how is Mr. Wayne these days? I have missed watching the Detective."

"Who?"

"The Detective, my dear. Batman himself. Surely, you know that Bruce Wayne is Batman by now?"

My face felt red hot. So, he knew. Or did he? Was he baiting me into giving away Bruce's secret? What should I do?

"I don't know what you mean."

Ra's observed me for a moment, then smiled a knowing smile. "You are loyal. I'm impressed. Yes, I know Mr. Wayne's secret. I also know that you know. I've been keeping a close eye on you, Samantha Meyers, and I must say, I have been quite impressed. You were clever enough to discover his identity on your own."

I kept my head down. He did know about Bruce. And he had been watching me. What all did he know?

And why me?

Ra's took a bite of his food and chewed slowly, then swallowed. "You must be wondering by now how I know about you. That mystery is easily explained. But it may be prudent to wait until after dinner."

I set my fork down. "Sir… I want to know."

Ra's smiled. "You're curious. Good. Very well, then, I will explain everything. If you don't mind, though, I will continue eating, even if you do not."

He took another slow bite, and I watched shamelessly, my curiosity burning too badly to be polite. Finally, he set his fork aside and turned to me.

"Years ago, I took a fancy to the extra-human. I was interested in studying, testing, and even attempting to recreate super powers. At the same time, I met a man who was exploring the realm of technology and its ability to enhance the physical and mental capacities of ordinary human beings. He had worked for STAR Laboratories for a decade when they fired him for… the death of a few of his test subjects, and suspected hazards in his work. When he met me, he was out of resources and desperate to continue his research. We decided to collaborate on a project.

"The idea was to synthesize an advanced brain without having to fully reinvent the human cerebral makeup. I suggested that he invent not a new brain, but a way to open the mental floodgates, and allow a greater flow of information. My partner caught onto the idea and invented a microscopic chip that could be inserted at the very base of the cerebral cortex, which would act as a second, more powerful processor and enhance the flow of information between the nervous system and the brain. But the genius of the thing was that it would be organically based and would meld with the biological matrix of its host, so that metal detectors, x-rays, and other scanners would be unable to tell the chip from human flesh. We had the technology; now we needed test subjects."

My heart was pounding. It felt like Ra's' speech was leading up to something massive, something looming like a raincloud. I rested my arms on the table, completely engrossed.

Ra's turned to me. "We couldn't conduct a very large test-not yet. We needed to see how the subject would respond to the chip, if their body would accept it, and most importantly, if we had missed anything. We would have to keep a close eye on the subject for a prolonged period of time, preferably a period over which they would experience mental growth and change. In the end, we decided a child, between five and ten years, would be prime subject material."

A child… five to ten…

"I sent Talia to Gotham City, where she might be able to find a child of the proper age that wouldn't be missed or searched for. She happened to arrive in the middle of a crisis-the Joker was attacking the city, and even better, the Detective and his allies were occupied."

Joker… a Joker attack… a child, five to ten…

"Talia found a small boy, just old enough, who had wandered alone into an alleyway."

A boy, five to ten… the Joker…

Ra's was watching me closely. "I believe you already know who it was."

My hands were shaking. I knew who it was. I had known five minutes ago.

"You took my brother."

Ra's simply smiled, as if he didn't care that he had just torn apart every belief I had about what had happened to my brother. He continued quickly, not giving me a second for questions.

"Well guessed. Talia brought the child back to me, and we performed the chip insertion. The whole thing went smoothly and flawlessly, and when I saw how well we had done with the first test, I realized that it might be advantageous to have multiple test subjects at once. So, at the same time I was watching your brother, my partner was watching you, and waiting until the right moment."

My hand jumped to the back of my neck, nervously feeling the base of my skull. "You… you did it to me… I have a… oh my gosh, I'm…"

Talia walked around the table and stood behind me, putting her hands on my shoulders. "I know this is a lot to take in. Do you need a minute?"

Even though I felt like crying, I shook my head. I had to know. I had to understand. I was too intrigued to stop.

Ra's continued. "My partner found his opportunity when you had your surgery for removing your appendix. Do you remember? When you were almost six."

I nodded. "Yes."

"I had an ally in the hospital who carried out the surgery, then secretly inserted the chip. You wouldn't be able to feel it; it melded with your system almost instantly. With two test subjects going at once, we could get result from our own labs with your brother, and from the real world with you, and compare and contrast."

I felt sick to my stomach. There was a chip in my brain. There was an actual piece of technology in my head. Why hadn't I noticed anything?

"If… if I've had this… thing… in my head this whole time, why didn't it do anything? Why aren't I… super smart or something?"

"Because the chip was only dormant. It couldn't enhance you without your consent–and that would require you knowing about the chip."

"Now that I know…"

"We will pursue that topic at a later date." Ra's took a leisurely sip of his wine. "We would have stopped with you two, but my partner was not content with waiting for results, and he decided to conduct a second experiment with adults, to see if they had a faster response. So, around when you and your brother reached your teen years, he went searching for adult test subjects. He unexpectedly met your parents in Beijing and decided he might as well keep the experiment limited to one family. Then, if something went horribly wrong, it would seem like a genetic issue, and hopefully not get traced back to him."

Horribly wrong… oh, no.

"It did go wrong… didn't it?"

Ra's set his wine glass down. "You're learning. Yes, it did. My partner explained it to me as the body reacting to the unexpected surge of mental action. Their brains were sending more signals than their bodies could handle, so they started to translate the signals incorrectly. Sometimes, they wouldn't be able to translate them at all. For example, their brain would suddenly be unable to get signals from their eyes or ears. Or it would understand unexpected heat as coming from the body itself and start trying to cool itself down."

"But… but you said the chip didn't do anything unless you knew about it."

"I didn't say it did nothing. I said it could not enhance you. But… unfortunately, we only discovered when it was too late that the chips had a slight malfunction. When dormant, the chip would occasionally interact with outgoing signals. That's why the attacks, as you call them, were so erratic; the chip was not in control of itself."

I was feeling so strange, like my breathing was all wrong and my head was light. "So, all that stuff that was happening to them, that was your chip. They… died because of you."

"An unfortunate setback. But we still had you and your brother, both of whom were maturing quickly and beginning to show signs of physical deterioration like your parents. It was Talia who realized that you were fading too fast and decided to bring you here, so we wouldn't lose you."

The word "setback" kept ringing through my head. Setback… My parents' death was just a wrench in the gears to Ra's. He didn't care what it had done to me.

"How could you do this?" I gasped, trying not to cry. "How could you ruin our family like this?"

"Sometimes, the few must make sacrifices for the greater good…"

"You never asked our consent!" I jumped to my feet, so fast that my chair fell over backwards. "First you kidnapped my brother, forcing us to mourn him as dead, and then…"

Through the haze of my rage pierced a ray of clarity. I froze in my tracks.

My brother hadn't died in the Joker's attack. He had only been taken.

"My brother." I turned to Ra's. "Is he… alive?"

Ra's raised his eyebrows at my sudden topic change. He looked to the doors at the far end of the room. "Well, that would bring us around to our other guest. I thought it would be best if he didn't come until later, for your sake. But we can bring him in now."

I turned to the doors to see another server bow and walk out. He returned with a young man. From this distance, I could tell he was heavy set, fairly tall, with dirty blonde hair. He was dressed in black robes, tied at the waist with a green belt.

As he got closer, my heart started to pound. I knew this man. It was the same man who had been watching me at Tim's party, the one that tried to carry me off. But it was more than that. Now that all was calm around me, and I could finally observe the details of his face, something else was stirring in my head-a new kind of recognition.

And suddenly, I knew who he was.

I knew that face, the familiar nose, the big brown eyes framed by sandy locks-all so much like Dad's. It could have been Dad's face, except I also saw bits of Mom, like that constant half smile, as if the wearer were privy to some wonderful secret. But more than that, it was the face of an old friend, one I hadn't seen since I was a little child, one I had imagined looking older each day, one I had missed for so long.

Jeremiah Meyers.

My long lost twin brother… was alive

End of Part One