A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! And thank you too to my amazing beta, AngelQueen.
Chapter Thirteen - The Rescue
When Sarah woke up, she quickly became aware that her head was aching and her left arm was stinging. Had she fallen out of bed at some point during the night? No, it hadn't been night, last she remembered. It had been lunch time. Alfred had made she and Nicky sandwiches and some fruit pieces, and then later caught Nicky flying to get to the cookies. Then there...had been... The sound of a helicopter...
The sound of the doors bursting open, slamming into the walls. The white smoke, the men in masks. The study. Alfred falling. Nicky throwing them both out the window. Being surrounded. The sting in her arm. Then, nothing.
Until now.
The sound of shoes squeaking on the floor reached Sarah's ears. Her heart pounded against her chest and she opened her eyes.
The room was all white. The lights were really bright. There were lots of machines around her. She even saw a long stand like those she saw in hospitals, only it was connected to her left arm. That explained the sting. Sarah began to breathe faster.
Another machine was just above her, with little sensor things sticking out of it and connecting to her head. Sarah began to tremble.
Squeaking shoes again. Sarah's eyes went down to the foot of the bed. There were three people standing there, all in white coats, like doctors. She didn't know any of them.
All the warnings Mommy and Daddy had given her and Nicky about strangers, and how they should never talk to them or go anywhere with them, flooded Sarah's mind. She couldn't keep herself from whimpering.
That turned out to be a mistake, because it drew their attention. The three people stared at her, their eyes widening. "Shit, she's awake," one of them said.
Sarah didn't pay them any attention. She was with people she didn't know. Her parents weren't there with her, and neither was Alfred. Nicky wasn't with her either.
It was all too much.
"Mommy! Daddy!"
When the Justice League attacked, they didn't do it by half-measures. Being a group full of metahumans who all had a wide range of abilities made them one of the most versatile armies on the planet. It was that fact that had scared quite a few people over the years, including the people who had built this place. Ironic, since Cadmus' worst fear seemed to be coming true - those metahumans were able to use their various abilities in different ways to aid in the attack. Very effectively.
The building itself was practically a cliché, Green Arrow thought as he followed just behind Wonder Woman down a series of corridors. Long, barren hallways, harsh, bright lights, everything looking pretty much the same. Why couldn't the bad guys be a little more original?
The teams assigned to actually storm the building had split up early on, each taking a different wing of the place. In the case of his team, it was really more like Wonder Woman was searching their assigned wing, while the rest of them followed behind and took out the odd bogey that she might have missed.
Suddenly, Wonder Woman stopped, nearly causing Green Arrow to crash into her back. He opened his mouth to demand what was wrong, when the sound began to register with his hearing. Crying, no, screaming. Someone was terrified out of their minds.
"Sarah," he heard Diana breathe. He didn't even get a chance to respond before she bolted down the hallway.
"Damn it," Green Arrow muttered as he ran after her. Behind him, Canary and Vixen scrambled to follow. He pulled out an arrow and got it ready as the screams grew louder. Diana suddenly came to a halt at one door in particular. Green Arrow was sure they'd found one of their targets. Sarah Wayne's shrill cries were loud and clear even if you didn't have superpowers.
One solid punch from the Amazon Princess was all it took to knock the door off its hinges and the four of them poured into the room. Green Arrow became aware of several things almost instantly as he took in his surroundings.
Sarah Wayne was strapped to a bed, her cheeks red and wet with tears and various machines connected to her.
She wasn't alone. There were three men in there with her, all looking like typical cliché doctors.
One was standing right next to the IV stand. He had a syringe in his hand, and he was raising it to the line.
"Whoa!" Green Arrow shouted. He raised his bow and pulled the string, ready to let the arrow fly. "Put it down, pal! Don't even fucking kid around with me!"
The man took one look at the four heroes glaring at him and paled. The syringe fell from his fingers and he raised his hands. "We just do what we're told," he started blabbing. "We're only doing our jobs!"
"Get away from that child," Diana growled from beside Green Arrow. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the other two men were practically cowering next to Vixen and Canary. It didn't escape his attention that their terror was directed at Diana.
She regarded them with eyes incandescent with rage. Her voice trembled with it when she spoke. "Now. Run," she hissed.
They didn't need telling twice, and all three of them bolted. Vixen and Dinah rolled their eyes at each other, and then headed after them. Ollie heard the scream a few seconds later, and knew that the three doctors would need stays in hospital themselves.
He also knew that Diana hadn't even heard the Canary's cry. She was wholly focused on her daughter. "Sarah!"
"Mommy!" the little girl sobbed.
Diana wasn't far off tears herself, and pressed trembling kisses to her daughter's face. "Oh my darling, my little star, I'm here, you're okay, you're safe now, I'm here."
Ollie approached. "Hold still, Sarah," he said quietly, pulling the needle from her arm carefully as Diana removed the sensors from her head. He had to admit that she was handling it well – now that she knew she'd be rescued, the tears had stopped, even if the trembling hadn't.
"Mommy!" Then the little girl flew into her mother's arms, hugging her as if she'd never be pried away from Diana again. Ollie couldn't blame her. If it had been his son... He wasn't sure he could have shown Diana's restraint, and let them go.
Diana closed her eyes and just hugged her daughter, stroking her hair and smothering her with kisses. Both of them were shaking visibly, and though Sarah was no longer sobbing, tiny whimpers kept issuing from her mouth. Diana whispered lowly, in a tongue Ollie didn't recognise. Themysciran, he assumed. Whatever it was, it seemed to calm the little girl down, and gradually she relaxed, even managing a smile up at her mother. Diana beamed back. If ever there was a picture for the definition of 'relief', this was it.
When they pulled apart, it was Sarah who drew back first. "Where's Nicky? And Daddy?"
"Daddy's looking for your brother now, little star."
Sarah nodded, and then turned and hugged Green Arrow. "Thanks, Uncle Ollie," she whispered.
He raised an eyebrow at Diana. "Should I be surprised that she figured it out?"
The Amazon shook her head with a rueful smile.
Sarah let go of him and tugged on Diana's hand. "Come on, Mommy, let's go find Daddy and Nicky!"
Both adults heard the desperation in her voice, but neither of them wanted to break the thin crust of control she'd managed to put on. Diana only nodded and picked her daughter up. "If there are more bad guys, then you find somewhere quiet to hide until I come get you, okay?"
Sarah nodded. "Okay, Mommy."
"I mean it, Sarah. I'm not losing you again."
"I know, Mommy. I'll do what you said," she said earnestly. She wrapped her arms around Diana's shoulders tightly.
Diana closed her eyes briefly as Sarah's familiar weight settled against her hip. Oh Hera, she'd never take moments like this for granted ever again. They'd be a family – Bruce had Nicholas, she knew he did, and then it would be alright. They would take their children back to Gotham. No more broken homes. No splitting their time between the gate-house and the Manor. She and Bruce would have to talk once they were all home. The talk they'd been avoiding for years.
She opened her eyes to see Ollie looking back at her compassionately. "Let's go," she said.
Never fight in anger.
That was the rule. Once you lost your temper, you were vulnerable, and if the opponent had any level of skill, then it was only matter of time before you were unconscious or dead.
Batman had long given up any hope of keeping a rein on his temper. Unconsciousness was the only mercy these people deserved; broken bones and internal bleeding were simply justice.
Without Alfred's information, that Nick had Diana's powers and not Sarah, it might have taken twice as long to locate his son. Instead, all they needed to do was locate the source of the most power consumption in the complex. It took no time at all to hack into the computer and find it, and then they started moving in that direction. The guards had guns; Bruce had Clark. Neither of them bothered with subtlety. Wally disarmed most of the guards before they had a chance to fire, and the ones who did found their bullets literally bouncing off Superman's chest. Then they found their heads being slammed against walls, or their collarbones being crushed, their tracheas being compressed by Batman or Nightwing.
Thankfully, no one had questioned Nightwing's presence on what was, officially, a League matter, this being a former Cadmus base and all. Bruce had no patience for questions at the best of times, and this, certainly, was not the best of times. A guard tried to rush him; he went down with a shattered nose and probably a concussion.
The guards got thicker in number the closer the League got to Nick; the weapons got bigger, but nothing stopped them. He was protected well; by the time they'd got all the people out of the way, there were motion-sensor machine guns, nerve gas pellets that almost took down Shayera, and then a ten-thousand volt security field surrounding the cell.
If he'd had Kent's strength, Bruce would have smashed straight through the door; as it was, he had to make do with an exploding batarang. Inside was a cube constructed of steel and glass, medical devices of every description pointed into the centre, only some of which Bruce recognised. There were a lot he didn't too, including some kind of drilling detachment that could have come straight out of a horror film.
In the very centre of the cell was a steel table. Strapped to it, as well as being wrapped in some kind of straitjacket, was Nicholas. He wasn't conscious, and his face was white. He looked like–
No, no, no, no, no, no…
When Batman ripped the restraints off, and found Nick was not only warm but breathing too, it felt like every bone in his body melted with relief.
"Nick? Nick, can you hear me? Open your eyes? Nick!"
Nothing, but that could just mean sedation. They'd have had to sedate him — a terrified child with Diana's strength could break bones, even kill, effortlessly. To be on the safe side–
"Diana to Batman."
"Here," he said quickly. "Sarah?"
"I have her, she's safe. Have you found–"
"Yeah, Nick's here. He's out of it, but he's okay."
"Thank Hera. Where can we meet?"
"We're at opposite ends of the complex; I'll meet you in the middle."
"On our way."
He had no doubt that Diana would be flying as fast as she could to get to them, but until Nick woke up, Bruce wouldn't be sprinting anywhere. He gathered his son up, and felt another little surge of relief as Nick's limbs wrapped unconsciously around his father's shoulders. It wouldn't be long before he woke.
His best friend was smiling when Bruce turned around, his posture and expression much more Clark than Superman. Bruce couldn't stop the echoing smile. "Come on. Let's get out of here."
Clark shifted back again, and nodded shortly. "I'll scour the rest of this place for anyone we've missed. Then when everyone's evacuated we can burn this place to the ground."
"After we scour it for evidence and anything we've missed," Batman reminded him.
Clark sighed, another slightly wistful grin on his face. "Yes, Batman. After we scour it for evidence."
Bruce nodded, and then carried Nick carefully into the corridors of the complex. They didn't get very far when Diana appeared, cradling Sarah like she was the most precious thing in the world. The moment she saw her son, unconscious but safe in his father's arms, she flew towards them, pausing only long enough to set Sarah down. "Is he alright?" she demanded tearfully.
Bruce's voice was shaky, but his relief hadn't yet faded. "He's fine."
"Oh thank Hera," Diana whispered, taking her son.
Sarah waited only until her brother had been transferred from one parent to the other before throwing herself into her father's arms. "Daddy!"
He knelt down and hugged her to him tightly while her composure finally broke, and she burst into tears. "I woke up and I didn't know where I was and Nicky was gone and there were all these strangers and there was a needle in my arm and sensors on my head and I was so scared, Daddy, and is Alfred alright, oh God they killed him didn't they, they killed Alfred, Daddy–"
He shook his head and made gentle shushing sounds. "No, Sarah, he's fine. He's okay, sweetie, I promise."
She sniffed. "Really?"
"Really," he smiled. "He's at home, waiting for you."
"And… you and Mommy are going to get us out of here, right?"
His mouth thinned. "Right. We're all getting out here now."
She nodded, but didn't release or lessen her hold on him. He had to strain to hear what she whispered. "I was scared, Daddy."
He felt another surge of fury at these Cadmus bastards. Scared. Sarah was scared. Sarah never got scared. She got frustrated, she got hysterical, she got enraged, she had not once, in her entire life, gotten as terrified as she was now. These monsters had damaged her sense of safety, possibly in a way that could never be fully put to right. He pulled her closer. "It's okay, Sarah. People all get scared sometimes."
Like when you're told your children are gone...
In Diana's arms, Nick stirred and slowly opened his eyes, squinting in the bright lights of the hallway. Having never seen his mother without her glasses or in her armour, he frowned. "Mom?" he asked uncertainly.
She nodded with still-watering eyes. "It's me, little sun."
He swallowed hard, refusing to admit he was crying, but put his arms around his mom's neck tightly. "Why didn't you tell me you're Wonder Woman?" he asked. "I mean, we already knew, but –"
He cut off Diana's question when he caught sight of his sister. "Uh, Sarah? Why're you hugging Batman?"
At this, both Diana and Bruce's relief caught up to them, and they burst into laughter. Sarah only looked furious when she looked up at her twin. "Why do you think, Nicky?! It's Daddy, you idiot!"
The flashing lights of squad cars could be seen almost from miles around, as could the parked Javelin aircrafts. It was a rural area, so the only people that should have been anywhere near the place were the occasional farmer family, but most likely all of those families were safe and asleep in their beds.
Amanda Waller watched the scene in the distance from her car. She'd left the place just in time, mere minutes before the Justice League had started their raid. She sighed. That resource was gone. The place would be picked clean by the end of the week by the League, the local law enforcement, and probably the government as well. Still, it wasn't the last of its kind. There were still a few little places squirreled away around the country.
This was a serious setback. Waller was under no illusions that she'd be able to get a hold of the Wayne twins again. Wayne and his princess were on to the fact that someone wanted their children, and she had no doubt that Wayne was going to turn his house into a veritable fortress in order to protect them. It was almost a shame. If the few test results she had seen were any indication of those children's potential...
On the other hand, Waller could admit that a part of her was glad that the League had found the place. Most likely Wayne and Her Highness had gotten their hands on the twins by now. Maybe now her conscience would stop bothering her.
Her cell rang. She glanced at the caller identification, and then picked it up. "Waller." She paused, and then, "Yes, I know. I'm watching it happen right now." Another pause. "They aren't looking for me. Batman has no idea that I'm involved." Which was probably a good thing, or else this night might be the one time that Batman would resort to murder.
Waller nodded. "Yes, Plan B's been scrubbed. We'll have to go to Plan C. Tell our people in Portland to get ready." She then closed the phone, not waiting for a response. She watched the movement in the distance for another moment, and she finally started her car up. She drove away from the place, careful to keep her lights off until she was back on the main highway.
Sarah didn't want to let go of Daddy. She didn't want Mommy and Nicky to go anywhere either. All four of them could stay right together now, and then they could all go together to get Tim and Dick and Alfred. Then it could just be the seven of them. Maybe Auntie Babs too.
Still, Sarah had to admit, she was curious to see what was happening as Mommy and Daddy carried she and Nicky out of the building. As long as she didn't have to move from where she was, wrapped in Daddy's cape, Sarah felt safe enough to look around.
She had figured out who her parents were some time ago, but it was one thing to know her parents were members of the Justice League, and quite another to see the other League members all milling about.
There was Auntie Shay, shouting at someone while hauling one of the bad men in white coats towards one of the waiting police cars. She knew that Auntie Shay was Hawkgirl, knew the story Mommy had told her and Nicky about how Hawkgirl had gotten hurt saving Mommy once and how Mommy had helped her until they could get to a hospital and how they'd become friends and how Mommy had made Hawkgirl Nicky's godmommy. Sarah shook her head. That Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl were friends and Wonder Woman wanted her friend to be godmommy to one of her kids made more sense.
Then she spotted Uncle Clark coming out of the building, carrying two slumped figures. Her eyes widened. So it was Uncle Clark that was Superman! Sarah couldn't help but feel a little disgusted with herself for not making the connection before. It wasn't as if they looked all that different.
She'd probably best not mention it to Nicky. He'd just laugh at her.
Sarah closed her eyes and leaned her head against Daddy's chest. She knew she'd been sleeping for a while, that the bad men had been making her and Nicky both sleep for a while now, but she was tired.
"Batman?"
Sarah's eyes shot open and she peered in the direction of the voice. She recognized him. It was Commissioner Gordon, Babs' daddy. He helped Daddy fight crime in Gotham. What was he doing here? Sarah was pretty sure they weren't anywhere near Gotham.
The old man caught her looking at him and smiled gently at her. "We can take them from here if you like," he said. "I know Mr. Wayne and Miss Prince are probably on pins and needles for these two to come home."
Oh. That was right. No one knew that they were already with Mommy and Daddy. Sarah didn't want to leave, but there were their secret identities to consider. She bit her lip.
"It's all right, younglings," Mommy spoke up. "Commissioner Gordon will get you home to your parents." Sarah could see the shaky look on Mommy's face and knew she didn't want to let them go either.
Several moments passed before Nick nodded shakily, swallowing as his mother put him down. He knew that they had to go with the Commissioner. Sarah knew it too, but for once she didn't seem to be acknowledging what she knew. Instead, she whimpered and tightened her grip on their father. Nick knew that if push came to shove, Dad would reveal who he was rather than make his little girl let go.
"Sarah, come on," he whispered. "We need to go home."
He stretched out his hand, and when she took it, hers was trembling badly, and tears were still pouring silently down her cheeks.
Nick managed to look up at Batman and Wonder Woman – he had to keep calling them that, or he'd never make it – and nod. "T-thanks for rescuing us," he stammered.
He saw Mom bite her lip and she nodded too. Sarah, apparently, couldn't help herself. She ran back to Dad and hugged him tightly. "Thank you."
Nick just barely heard what else she whispered. "Be at the airport, or else."
Nick almost wanted to laugh, but he took his sister's hand again and tugged her over to where Commissioner Gordon was waiting. They got into the squad car without looking back at their parents.
Sarah's breathing was erratic for most of the trip to the airport. Nick kept a close watch on her. He could tell she was a hair away from completely losing control. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. Sarah, in turn, buried her face in his shoulder. "Want Daddy 'n Mommy," she mumbled against him.
Nick nodded. So did he. He wasn't the only one who heard her though, and Commissioner Gordon turned around from the front seat. The white-haired man smiled gently at them. "Don't worry, kids," he said, "the plane ride isn't too long from here to Gotham. Your parents will be right there waiting for you."
"Yes sir," Nick replied. He felt Sarah nod too, but she didn't say anything. He had a feeling she would probably fall asleep pretty soon. He didn't think he was too far behind. His eyes kept getting heavier.
Vicki Vale was pretty sure that just about every member of the press in Gotham had turned up at the airport, along with a fair number of out-of-towners too. It hadn't taken long for word to leak out that the Justice League had, in the midst of investigating rumors of an old Cadmus lab, found the kidnapped Wayne twins. That's when things started happening really fast. Old Man Gordon had taken the first flight available to Central City and now was rumored to be coming back with the kids in tow.
Given the fact that both Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince were standing at the gate with expressions of mingled impatience and desperation, Vicki was betting that it was far more than rumor. Neither parent had so much as blinked in quite a while, nor had they released their grips on each other's hands.
The plane had landed a few minutes ago and the flight workers were now just opening the doors. Vicki could feel practically everyone holding their breaths. First Gordon appeared, with Renee Montoya just behind him. There was a moment – everyone tensed – and suddenly two little children appeared, clad in grubby little scrubs. Few people noticed Harvey Bullock bringing up the rear as cheers broke out among the press.
Still, that was nothing compared to the blissful cries Wayne and Prince let out at the sight of their children. Both adults rushed forward at the same moment that the twins bolted past Gordon and Montoya, each child leaping into their parents' outstretched arms.
Vicki watched for several moments, and felt her eyes begin to sting with tears. Next to her, her photographer lifted his camera, but Vicki reached out and pushed it down. "Give them a few moments, Phil," she said, loud enough for him and her other colleagues to hear her. She was glad they took her advice, and no cameras began to flash rapidly.
There was a time and a place for getting the scoop, Vicki knew, but there was also common courtesy. This family had just walked through an unspeakable hell. They deserved a moment to collect themselves as they walked out of it. Besides, it just didn't seem...right to take pictures of Bruce Wayne crying unashamedly into his daughter's hair.
"Come on, Sarah," Bruce whispered, tears still running down his cheeks. Batman was safely stowed away; now as a father he could let the emotion out without compromising anything. To be honest, he wasn't sure that he wouldn't be crying even with the cowl still on. "Let's go home."
She nodded tearfully. "Thanks, Daddy. I..."
"What, sweetie?" he asked, stroking her wet hair.
She sniffed, wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "I don't wanna live in two places anymore. It's not- It's not safe without you and Mommy there. Don't... You can't waste time anymore," she whispered.
Bruce nodded, hugging his daughter again. "I know, sweetie. I know."
A/N: Review please!