Electric Flame

2.16

"What happened?" I gasped as I calmed my erratic breathing. My heart felt like it was beating a million times a minute and I couldn't slow it down. The room was almost completely white, with the exception of the cream colored tiles and metal tables.

"Calm down," an older man in a white lab coat said as he fixed the firm white pillow that originally rested underneath my head. 

Damian approached me and climbed onto the mattress. "Try not to move."

I felt fine, other than my racing heart. Though, I could sense pinching under certain parts of my skin. "But, what--"

"Lay down," he shushed me. "You had a seizure, so take it slow." The man walked over to his computer and began typing. "You have many internal..." He stopped and knit his eyebrows. "Well, that's strange," he disclosed. "You seem perfectly normal. Heart rate, normal. Blood pressure, normal. Wait," he squinted, hiding his dark brown eyes. "Your white blood cell count is off of the charts! You seem to be healing yourself!" He began to type frantically.

"Only I have that ability in the entire Justice League," Superman, now in his civil clothes, shared. "How does--"

"Clark, may I speak with you?" Bruce practically ordered as he entered the infirmary. "You too, Diana." Each of them gave nods. "(y/n), I will need you as well."

The doctor opened his mouth. "But she still hasn't--"

"Now," Bruce demanded, giving him his signature Batglare. I nearly shuddered.

"Well, would you look at that," the man in his white lab coat stated looking at his nonexistent watch. "You're free to go!"

I uncloaked the thin sheets from over my body and stood up, almost tripping as I straightened my knees. I didn't know how long I was unconscious for or the last time I had used my legs. I followed the superheroes out through the door and into the empty hallway. Nothing passed by except for the occasional fly or gnat.

"I conducted a blood analysis," Bruce jumped to the point.

"Whose did you test?" Wonder Woman began to ask.

"Your child's," he started slowly. Bruce turned toward me and looked me directly in the eyes. "And yours."

"Mine?" I questioned, curious as to where he retrieved my blood in the first place. "How?"

"It doesn't matter," Bruce waved it off.

"Why are you telling us this?" Superman inquired.

"Because the baby and (y/n) have identical DNA," he revealed. "I compared every single sequence, chromosome, nucleotide, codon, everything. I scanned through each and every amino acid and I couldn't find one difference to set them apart. They are the same person. How? I have yet to answer that question myself."

My heart stopped mid-beat. I couldn't breathe. My mouth was open wide, but I was unable to speak. It was as if my voice had been stolen from me, ripped from my very throat. If anything, I felt deceived, abandoned in a dark alleyway with no sense of direction.

Had my entire life been a lie? I was frozen, except this time, I wasn't in control.

"Who's the father?" Somebody stormed into the hallway, out for answers.

"Dick, now's not the time," Bruce tried.

"Yes, it is," Dick fought, though I wasn't invested in the conversation. My mind was drifting far away from here. "Diana, who's her-- their-- father? You're going to have to tell us eventually. Why not now?"

"Son, stand down," Clark suggested.

"No!" Dick wouldn't back down. Instead he took me at my side, wrapping his strong, long arm around my shoulders. "She's probably confused as hell right now. I know I am. The least you could do is tell her who her father is! Or how she's here!"

"Dick," Bruce warned.

"It's Clark," Wonder Woman whispered, feeling defeated. "Her father is Clark Kent."

I swallowed hard, my eyes suddenly so wide I thought they would pop out of their sockets. Everyone else in the room had the same reaction. It seemed as though a rock was lodged down my windpipe. I felt emotionless and dead inside. I didn't know what was right or wrong anymore. I felt hopeless, helpless.

The distant sound of wailing caught my attention.

"Ms. Prince," the doctor interrupted as he carried the crying baby girl. "Your child."

"Thank you," Diana showed her appreciation as she accepted the baby in her arms. All I could do was stare at her. I knew it was me, but my arms felt like heavy weights at my sides. I glanced up at my biological mother, but I accidentally caught her eye. They held sadness and regret but also pity. "You should hold her-- or you." Wonder Woman said solemnly as she handed the child to me.

I looked down at her-- my-- face. She-- or I, I guessed-- seemed so peaceful as she slept. Her crying immediately stopped as she felt my touch. I couldn't help but smile, thinking how much of a full life lied ahead of her. The baby opened her eyes and revealed a color indistinguishable from mine.

"As much as it pains me, I can't keep her," Diana spoke. I creased my forehead, not sure of her reasoning. "It's too dangerous for her to be raised here and with all of us." She directed away from Dick and me and toward Bruce and Clark. "I want Flash, now. I have something I need his help with. It's urgent."

"Diana," Clark Kent refused.

"Go," Wonder Woman urged happily, though her smile was melancholy.

"I'm so sorry that you had to find out this way," Dick told me as he held me tighter. I rocked the baby-- myself-- back and forth as she grew sleepier. "I didn't discover it until a few minutes before I got here. Even then, I refused to believe it."

I didn't respond. How could I?

Unsure of what to do next, I simply stated, "I need some air," as I delivered the baby back to her mother and slowly trudged down the hallway, tears threatening to build with each step. 

I didn't hear a single 'wait' from my so-called mother or the man I was almost positive I loved as I turned the corner. I forced myself not to look back, despite any strong urges, as I set toward the home I grew up in, questioning cynically as I reflected on what I thought was my childhood.