I heard footsteps in the sand. They woke me up and I just laid there, keeping my breathing quiet and slow.
"Are you well?" came Kaldur's soft tone.
"Yes," I replied.
I heard him kneel in the sand or sit or whatever he was doing.
"How'd you find me?" I asked.
"It was a long search."
His hand rested on my shoulder.
"Are you able to come on the mission with us?" he asked. "If you need time."
I sat up.
"Time is something I have excess of. I can mourn later."
The team was already gathered when we got back. They seemed relieved at the sight of me.
"Ariel," Black Canary began, taking a step towards me.
Robin beat her, slipping in beside me.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
I smiled at him.
"You better believe it."
There were many things I'd never question. One was the existence of Santa Claus because we all know he's real. Another was that pink was the color from Hell and should only be used when color-coding STDs. And a third was that when Batman takes you into an asylum, you stay as close as possible to him as is physically possible without actually climbing on his back because that makes him mad.
"Why are we here?" I asked Robin in a whisper.
"No idea," he replied.
So helpful. Batman stopped outside a cell, turning back to us.
"Brace yourself," he instructed.
I heard a loud buzz and the cell door creaked open. Batman stepped in and the team followed. There was a single light in the room and it was focused on the Joker. My eyes widened in shock and my breath caught. Robin seized my hand, an arm going around my waist to hold me up. The motion did not go unnoticed.
"Visitors, how nice," Joker laughed.
"Let's not waste time with pleasantries," Batman growled. "You know why we're here,"
"Do I?" Joker asked.
"You're favorite henchmen broke into Cadmus," Batman said.
"Did they now?" Joker chuckled.
His eyes snapped to me.
"You weren't part of the team before," he declared. "What's your name?"
I glanced at Batman. He was watching me. Was that his silent way of asking if I was okay with all of this, whatever this was? I lifted my hand, grabbing hold of Sanchez. I pointed him at the Joker, careful to keep myself from shaking.
"An answer for an answer," I said.
To say the Joker's maniacal grin creeped me out was an understatement. I was shaking in my boots but managed to stay completely still, staring into the eyes of a man that made me look sane.
"Fair enough," he said.
He rolled his eyes, mumbling something to himself.
"Before my unfortunate arrest, I drew up a little contract with a girl who worked for Sportsmaster or whatever he's called."
"What was this girl's name?" Batman demanded.
Joker looked at me, meeting my eyes.
"Triple B, I believe. A Cadmus baby, really, like your girl there," he said.
The team looked at me but I kept my eyes and Sanchez pointed at him.
"What were your henchies doing at Cadmus?" I demanded.
Joker smiled and stretched his neck a bit to get closer to me.
"I was investigating her."
I let my own smile creep onto my face.
"You didn't find a thing," I declared.
"How do you know?" he asked.
"Because Aisha covers her tracks," I replied. "If it was necessary, she would have burned Cadmus to the ground."
"And you wouldn't?" he asked.
His smile stretched across his face.
"Ariel."
"Ariel!"
I sprinted from the building, doing my best not to fall because, let's face it, my legs were jell-o.
"Ariel!"
Batman's voice made me stop, just short of running into oncoming traffic. Slowly, I turned, staring at him.
"Did you know?" he asked.
"Which part?" I asked.
"All of it."
I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
"I knew I was born at Cadmus," I said. "I only found out last night though when Aisha told me."
"You've been in contact with Triple B?" Batman demanded.
"She was my friend," I said in my defense.
"She was a criminal," Batman growled.
"She's dead," I hissed.
He stepped back a bit.
"I need to know who created her," I said. "Who created me."
"What are you going to do?" Batman inquired.
That I hadn't really thought of. In depth at least. I looked up at Batman as if I had.
"I'm going to break into Cadmus."