Summary:
This is the start of part two of three of this story. In the last chapter Hailey was taken. I left the ending open ended. Who the woman was, what she did with Hailey, and how she ended up in the new predicament we find her in this chapter will slowly be revealed.
Hailey wasn't sure if she was caught in some bizarre dream but everything felt very real. The fall. The screams. Strong arms catching her. And the soothing words coaxing her to wake up.
She was laying on a hard surface. Machines were beeping in the background. Hushed hard voices could be heard close by. And her body felt like it was made of lead. It was heavy and stiff. But she was breathing. And the beeping was in sync with her heart. She could feel her heartbeat on her wrist because someone was holding it.
"¿Donde 'stoy?" she asked in Spanish without realizing it. She hadn't attempted to open her eyes. The lights were bright in the room she was in and she knew it would not feel good to open her eyes.
"She speaks Spanish?" a voice that sounded a lot like Dick said.
"¿Qué pasó? ¿Por qué 'stoy aquí?"
"No te preocupes," said a very young sounding Tim. "Estás seguro."
Hailey giggled. "A salvo," she corrected.
"Right," Tim said, sounding affronted.
Hailey sighed. "Siempre listo pa ofenderte. Le dije a papá que te mimaba demasiado."
"Uh...what?" Tim said, sounding confused. He released her wrist and moved back.
Hailey sensed that the two other figures drew closer. Dick and someone else she had yet to identify.
"Nada," Hailey said with a sigh and managed to lift a hand to cover her eyes. She turned her head and squinted in the general direction of the other people in the room. "La luz tiene un brillo fuertísimo. ¿Me quieren cegar?"
"I think she thinks I'm her brother," Tim said in a stage whisper to Dick.
Dick looked at the other boy and then moved towards the light switch. He dimmed the lights in the room and Hailey sighed in relief.
"If you don't mind, we would like to know your name and where you come from," said a deep voice that Hailey didn't recognize.
Hailey frowned and shifted as best she could to face the speaker. She slowly removed her hand and opened her eyes fully. Her sight was blurry at first and the light, however dim, still stung. But after a few blinks, her eyes adjusted. It was then that she noticed Dick wasn't Dick but Nightwing. And Tim was a lot younger than she remembered and he was dressed as Robin. But the dark-skinned boy with stern eyes and blond hair, she had no idea who he was.
"¿Acaso no es educado presentarse primero?" Hailey said, narrowing her eyes at the young man.
"Oh. You're right. Sorry about that. I'm—" Tim tried to say with a smile but Hailey cut him off with a wave of her hand.
"Robin. Eso es obvio," Hailey said and gestured to his outfit. Then she pointedly looked at the one out of three she didn't know. "¿Pero quién es él?"
Tim translated what she was saying to Aqualad who nodded in understanding.
"I'm Aqualad."
"¿Aqualad?" Hailey said, frowning and sitting up with a bit of trouble. She removed the heart monitor tabs fishing out the wires that dipped beyond her—what she presumed to be a—shirt and went for the I.V. on her arm but Tim's hands stopped her. She turned to look at Nightwing.
"Mi memoria está un poco borrosa pero 'stoy segura que no había un Aqualad en tu equipo," Hailey said and rubbed her forehead. But she began to speak a little faster. "¿Es-el-reemplazo?¿Acaso-se-murió-el-otro?¿Donde-demonios-'stoy?"
Nightwing only caught a few words but understood what she was asking. All it did was make him more suspicious of her. She seemed to be very familiar with them all. As if she had contact with the superhero community. But as far as he knew, no one knew who she was.
"¿Estamos en el base de Los Titans o la torre de Los Teen Titans?"
Nightwing and the others exchanged confused glances. Then a blur of red and yellow came into the room with a burst of air.
"Woah," said the youth excitedly. "She' -who-is-she?Does-she-know-how-she-got-here?What's-her-name?"
"Kid," said Aqualad in a reprimand. Impulse was firing off questions too fast and it was hard to understand him when he spoke so fast. But to the surprise of everyone in the room, the girl answered just as fast.
"Lo-dices-como-si-he-estado-dormida-por-mucho-tiempo," Hailey said looking at the kid amusedly. "Y-les-pregunte-donde-estaba-pero-parece-que-es-un-super-secreto-dado-que-no-me-contestaron. Hubiera-pensado-que-siendo-un-familiar-me-daría-una-ventaja. Quede-corregida."
Impulse smiled widely. Looking more excited than he was when he first entered the room. The girl talked just as fast as he did. Well, he could talk even faster but she could keep up no problem. And that was just so crash.
"Woah! I-don't-know-that-much-Spanish-but-I'm-taking-a-class-to-learn-and-I-understood-half-of-what-you-said. The-important-half-I'm-certain-of-that-and-it's-so-crash! Who-are-you-related-to-in-here?" he said and looked at the other three. When he looked at Aqualad he shook his head. "Not-him."
"No," Hailey said with a chuckle. "Definitivamente-que-no-pero..." She let the statement hang as she looked at Robin.
"No-way! So-crash!" He looked at Robin. "Your sister's hot!"
"What?" Robin said not having caught what Hailey had said. And if it hadn't been already, it was more than obvious now that she thought he was her brother.
"I'm Impulse, what's your nombre?" he said the last word with a thick accent and smiled.
"Ginny Weasley," she said as if it was truly her name and smiled back.
Tim snorted in the background. Impulse not understanding she'd lied about her name grinned happily.
"¿De verdad estoy hablando en español?" Hailey said looking at Nightwing who looked at her quizzically.
"You weren't aware you were speaking Spanish?" Nightwing said after a moment. Robin drew closer to look at her eyes.
"Espero que esa fue una pregunta retórica," Hailey said with a roll of eyes and pushed Robin aside. "No hubiera preguntado lo obvio."
"She doesn't have a concussion," Robin said looking to Aqualad to confirm.
"No, she doesn't."
"Try to say something in English," Nightwing said looking at her and stepping closer.
Hailey opened her mouth and then closed it. She shook her head.
"You can't?"
"Déjame concentrarme," she said closing her eyes.
They gave her a moment to focus and they looked at one another. They had no idea what to make of the girl. She knew who they were and from the way she spoke, seemed to be more than a little comfortable being around heroes. She felt safe with them but they weren't at ease with her. It could all just be a front to get them to lower their guard before she went in for the kill. They couldn't trust her. Not yet. Not until they knew more about her.
"Alright. That's enough. Who are you? And where are you from?" Dick said suddenly.
"Dude!" Impulse said loudly and started speaking fast but slow enough for the others to understand. "Weren't you listening? And how is it you don't already know? She's his sister," he pointed at Robin, "Ginny. And she has no clue how she got here or where here is!"
Nightwing looked over at Tim who shrugged. He crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Try again."
Hailey's eyes widened. Dick didn't recognize her? What the heck was going on? She looked at Tim and again she how much younger he looked.
She turned away from them and yanked the I.V. out of her arm. She made to stand up but Tim's hands hovered over her and Impulse told her to be more careful. And she suddenly became very aware that she was only wearing a hospital gown.
"¿Y mi ropa? Se que ustedes no son médicos así que, ¿quien demonios me encueró?"
The boys looked away awkwardly. Aqualad caught on that she was asking who placed her in the hospital gown since she had her hand fisted on it while looking outraged. But it was Tim who reassured her. He placed a hand on her arm. If the girl thought they were related, he could use that. He never had a sister before but it had a nice ring to it.
"You sort of fell into our place from some weird portal," Tim told her in a soft voice. "And you were, sort of…naked."
"No manches."
"Uh, don't know what that means. But I'm guessing something like really, right?"
Hailey closed her eyes tightly and concentrated hard on speaking English.
"Um...it...means...something...like...no...shit," Hailey said stuntedly and then frowned worriedly. It had taken too much concentration just to say those few words.
"So you can speak English," Tim said and smiled slightly. "And don't worry. Nightwing covered you up right away. And he put you in the gown. It was Aqualad that hooked you up to the monitors. He's had a lot of practice in the med bay. You were dehydrated and have been out for like six hours."
Hailey looked down in shame for a moment then sat back on the bed. She looked at Aqualad then at Nightwing.
"Thank you," she enunciated carefully and spoke slowly.
"You're welcome," Aqualad said.
They were silent for a moment because it seemed like Hailey wanted to say something else. She was scratching her arm as she looked up in thought.
"A portal?" Hailey said thoughtfully and nodded. "Sounds 'bout right."
"What do you mean?" Tim asked curiously.
"I know you. But you...do not...know me," she said carefully. But it was getting a little easier for her to get the words out in English. "Quizas," she pointed to herself making a face, "not from here."
"Where are you from? And why did you come here?" Nightwing asked.
"Gotham," she said honestly.
Nightwing frowned but Tim nodded.
"And I didn't come here. I don't have the power to conjure up a portal, dumbass," she added with a roll of her eyes.
Impulse snorted and Tim smiled at him. Aqualad gave him a glance that made him say an automatic, "Sorry, sorry."
Hailey could almost see the paranoia rolling off of Nightwing seeing how wary he was of her. "I have no idea how I got here or why I'm here. But I'm like one hundred percent certain that I'm not from here. Because I've known you for five years and you don't recognize me."
"Five years?" Nightwing said and was still having a hard time believing her. "I haven't been Nightwing for five years."
"When I met you—the other you—you were already Nightwing," she told him and rubbed her hands on her thighs. "The day Gotham suffered a cataclysmic earthquake, you found me and took me to Bludhaven with all the other survivors." She made certain not to mention her connection to him. He wouldn't believe her anyway. The way he was looking at her, with no recognition, was heartbreaking. She had to swallow back a sob that was rising in her throat. Impulse was at her side, a hand on her back to comfort her.
Tim was staring at Nightwing. And if she didn't know any better, they were talking with each other. Nightwing then looked at Aqualad. The other boy tilted his head as if he was listening to something carefully. Nightwing nodded subtlety. Hailey pretended not to notice their exchange.
"So unless everything I believe about my life and my family is a lie, you are not the same Nightwing and this," she gestured to her surroundings, "is a very different world. I'm not sure what's easier to believe; that I'm in another world or that I'm suffering some sort of delusion and all of this is a figment of my imagination."
"No, this is all happening. And we are very real," Tim said and placed a hand on her forearm for reassurance.
Hailey nodded and then looked at Nightwing. She knew he would decide her fate. So she had to wait to see what he believed from what she'd said. Did he still believe that she was a threat? From the way he was looking at her, he very much did.
Nightwing decided that it was best to let Batman know about her. He wasn't sure what to do with her. And perhaps Tim and Bart could get more information out of her without him around. She seemed to let her guard down around them.
"Robin, keep her company."
He turned around to leave but not before making eye contact with Aqualad. The other followed after him without a word.
"Uh, sure," Tim said with a slight frown.
"You are so tiny," Hailey said looking at Tim.
He sighed but didn't respond hating the fact that she was commenting on his height.
"I'm not used to seeing you so young. This is all so weird." She looked around the room and didn't see any computers or anything other than medical equipment. "Hey, do you think I can see the footage of me falling through that portal thing?"
"Oh, um," Tim said and scratched his head. He knew he shouldn't. But he didn't know what it was about the girl that made him trust her. He brought his arm up. He had computer access on his gauntlet and started to download the footage there. He figured it would be okay for him to show her.
"You know what?" Hailey said suddenly and then lay back on the bed covering her eyes with her arm. "It's probably best to wait to hear from Nightwing first. I don't want you to get in trouble for my sake."
"I doubt he'd be—" Impulse started to say but Robin cut him off.
"She's right," he said quietly and brought his arm back down. "Come on, Impulse. Let's find out what we can. And maybe bring her some food. Are you hungry?"
"No," Hailey said and let out a small sigh. "I'll be fine, Ti—uh, I mean, Robin. Thank you."
"Yeah, okay," he said and walked out while pushing Impulse ahead of him.
She almost called him Tim. He was sure of it. She really did know him where she came from. She kind of looked like Jason a little too. He wondered if they were related. But first things first, where did she come from? Her theory of being from another dimension wasn't so far-fetched. Bart came from the future. Hailey seemed to come from some other universe similar to theirs. Tim wanted to know what Nightwing found out about her. The girl was from Gotham. Did she exist in their world too?
"Did you find out anything about her?" Robin asked as he walked up to Nightwing who was looking up information on the computer.
"Yes," Nightwing said with a worried look in Robin's direction. "I started a facial recognition search earlier. There weren't any results until I deaged her. I got a hit. Her name is Helena Gadd. She is from Gotham but she died at the age of six."
"That's why we don't know her," Robin said thoughtfully.
"What do you mean by that?" Aqualad said.
"She's from an alternate dimension in which she survived. And grew up knowing us."
"Or she's a clone," Nightwing said arms crossed.
"With implanted false memories?" Aqualad added. "Why make her think she knew the two of you?"
"Uh," Impulse said looking at them warily. "I think Robin's right. If she was a clone, why'd she fall into the room through a portal? Wouldn't we have found her out in a mission or something?"
"Hmm."
"Why don't I ask her—?"
"No," Nightwing said cutting Robin off. "I will."
"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Aqualad said having sensed something off between the two of them.
"Yes," Nightwing said with a sharp nod. "If she is from an alternate dimension where she knows me, she's expecting me to question her and she'll be less inclined to lie. If she was sent here by the person who created her, she'll become defensive."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Robin asked softly.
"Sure," Nightwing said. "I mean, according to her, you're her brother, right? It's best to go in together."
Robin smiled.
"Let me know as soon as Batman arrives," Nightwing told Aqualad.
"I will."
"Ready?" Nightwing asked Robin.
Robin nodded and together they went to the medic bay to talk to the girl. Nightwing wanted to talk to her privately just in case she said something revealing about their civilian identities. Or anything else incriminating about the team.
"Back so soon," Hailey said without removing the arm she laid over her eyes.
"I have a few questions for you," Nightwing said.
"Figured as much," Hailey said and sat up. She looked tired and a little down but nobody commented on the fact. "Do I even exist here?"
Nightwing looked at her surprised for a second then schooled his features.
"Helena Gadd?" he said waiting to see her reaction. But she didn't react to the name.
"I've never heard of her," Hailey said and yawned. Then she noticed how Nightwing's frown deepened.
"Could you tell us a little more about yourself?" Robin said with a small smile. "Cause we ran a search and that's the name that came up."
"I never knew my birth name," Hailey said with a shrug. "My father changed my name when he found me at the age of six."
"Why?" Nightwing said taking note of the age she said. Which was when she'd supposedly died.
"I was in a car accident. There were ten vehicles involved. Everyone died."
"Did you die?" Nightwing asked and Tim looked at him with a slight frown.
"Obviously not," Hailey said. "I was found two days later. My step-mom told me that the doctor didn't know how I survived being out in the snow for two days. I had no other permanent injuries other than amnesia and hypothermia. My biological father took me in after I was released from the hospital. I lived with him until I was eleven."
"Your biological father?" Tim said softly and curiously.
"Yeah, my biological parents had an affair. My mom broke it off before she found out she was pregnant. So I grew up with her and her husband. But I don't remember them. My biological father found out about me later and when he heard about the accident, he put a rescue party together. But he never told me he was my real father. He just made me believe he'd adopted me. I found everything out when I was older. Either way, if it wouldn't've been for him, I would've died out there in the snow. Well, him and Robin. He was the one who found me."
"Robin?" said Tim.
"Not you, Robin. Or him, Robin," Hailey said pointing at Nightwing. "A boy named Robin."
"Really?"
Hailey nodded.
"Why did he change your name?" Nightwing asked.
Hailey shrugged. She had no idea.
Nightwing nodded. So far she seemed to know more than he'd found out. He hadn't known about her parents' affair. But the accident she mentioned was how Helena died. Though her body was never recovered even though a search party had been assembled. A man named Jasper Collins lead the search party. And according to a newspaper article Nightwing uncovered, the man was said to be her biological father. He was murdered years later when Helena would have been eleven.
"Can you tell me your parents' names?"
Hailey shook her head in annoyance. "If I wrote you an autobiography, would that make this easier?"
"Please," Tim said softly taking her hand in his. "It helps—"
"To know more about your captive than she knows about you."
"That's not—"
"It is," Hailey said and looked at Nightwing. "I'm not opening up for your sake. I know Batman will be here soon. And I don't want to be on his bad side. Especially since I don't exist here. My counterpart died, didn't she? Can you at least answer me that?"
Nightwing nodded.
"Oh goody. Now you think I'm a clone or something," Hailey said with an exasperated sigh. "I'm not from here. You are close to the same age you were when I first met you. And he," Hailey pointed at Robin, "was older and a few inches taller."
"Maybe you're remembering a different Robin," Nightwing said thinking she was talking about Jason.
"No, my brother was killed by the Joker. Then he," she pointed at Tim, "became Robin. Three of my years ago," Hailey said softly and sighed.
Nightwing's face tightened. "Your brother?"
"Yes, my brother. The second Robin. Had a penchant for being ruthless and had a wicked sense of humor," Hailey said slowly. "His name was Jason Pe—"
"She's from an alternate dimension, Nightwing. She knows a lot about us," Tim said cutting her off. It was for the best that she did not say their real names even if they could delete the conversation from the feed.
Nightwing looked at Tim then at the girl. He hadn't reacted when she'd mentioned Jason's name just in case. She did know too much. And that wasn't good. There was no reason to trust her either. How could he be certain she wasn't sent there to win their trust and pass along even more information about them to whoever placed her in their midst?
"She also knows my name," Robin said looking at Nightwing with a pleading look.
Robin was compromised. She'd already won him over. And Impulse. "Give us a minute, Robin," Nightwing said in a tone that brooked no argument.
Robin nodded but before he walked out he gave the girl a small hesitant smile.
"Do you know my name?" Nightwing asked to figure out how much she knew.
Hailey nodded. "Yes."
"How?"
"I figured it out when I heard your voice," Hailey said. "I would recognize your voice anywhere since I lived with you for a year."
"Lived—?" Nightwing blanched and Hailey smiled knowingly.
"Not like that. You took care of me when our mutual daddy was too busy to look after a teenage girl."
"So he took you in?"
"Yeah. I was in his care for two years. After the earthquake, I lived under your roof until I decided to go back."
"You decided?" Nightwing frowned. She was leaving so many details out. Was it on purpose? Did she want him to assume more than what she said to make it seem real? It was a good tactic. "Care to elaborate?"
"Look, Di—uh, Nightwing. I told you enough already. If you still can't trust me, fine. Whatever. But can I get a change of clothes? A shower? A decent cell? I can't take this room anymore." She grimaced. "The smell."
"You're not a prisoner. We just need to make sure you're not a danger to us."
"I'm not," Hailey said with an amused smile. "I mean, maybe I am." If they were going to treat her like a threat… She saw him tense for a fight. "For fucks sake, I'm a scrawny teenage girl. And you're, well, you. How big of a threat can I be to you?"
Nightwing searched her eyes and saw nothing but the truth in them.
"You'd be surprised." Nightwing sighed and shook his head. He decided to drop the interrogation. She was right. He was treating her like a villain. And so far she hadn't done anything to warrant that. "Alright," he said and helped her to her feet. "Let me show you my old room. And I'll find you something decent to wear."
"Thank you," Hailey said grabbing hold of the gown and pinching the pieces together in the back so that her ass wasn't hanging out. "But seriously, where am I?"
"Mount Justice," Nightwing told her easily.
"Mount Justice?" Hailey said in confusion.
"Yeah," Nightwing told her and then saw the confusion in her eyes. "You didn't know about this place?"
Hailey shook her head. "Are you still a Titan?"
"A what? You mentioned that before. Something about Teen Titans."
"Oh god," Hailey said. "I really am in an alternate dimension."
Nightwing looked at her frightened face.
"Don't worry, we'll help you get back home."
Hailey nodded.
"So what's a Titan?"
Hailey smiled. "The Teen Titans are a group of young superheroes. You were one of their founding members and leader when you were Robin. Then when you all grew up, and you took on a new identity, you were simply known as Titans. But now there's a new group of Teen Titans. Robin. Your Robin," Hailey added quickly. "Leads them."
"Really?" Nightwing said with a smile. "That sounds kind of cool."
"It is," Hailey said and rubbed her arms. "But they don't exist here do they?"
"Well, we do have a team," Nightwing said and gestured to the place they were in. They had gone through a hallway that led to a room. Nightwing opened it and she noticed that it was bare of anything personal. "We just don't go by that name."
"Right," Hailey said and looked around. "No windows?"
"We're sort of underground."
"A bunker?"
"Something like that."
"Weird."
"Make yourself at home. I'll bring you a change of clothes then Impulse will show you around."
"Thanks."
"No problem," Nightwing said and walked out.
Once he was in the hall he let out a strained breath. Batman was not going to be happy about this. She knew too much. And he still didn't know her name.
Notes:
To answer the comment in the last chapter, the convo between Nightwing and Barbara. I wrote it up but forgot to save it and lost it. I will try to write it again and post it as an interlude between this chapter and the last. But it might be a minute before I can upload that. This chapter was already finished and I haven't been posting regularly, so I decided to post this first. Hope ya'll don't mind. Anyway. That's all for now.
