Diagnosis: Blood is infected with NW5


History: NW5 was recently formed several months ago. It is a toxic chemical that is active in densely watered substances.


Phase 1: Subject usually experiences bursts of anger and rage. A dizzy, weak, and painful feeling overcomes the subject forcing him/her to collapse.


Phase 2: Subject loses control of his/her aggression and may have violent tendencies. This phase ends when the subject falls into unconsciousness.


Phase 3: Subject appears normal and then goes into a series of joint pains causing subject an inability to move without immense suffering.


Phase 4: Subject experiences pain-filled headaches and excruciating muscle aches.


Phase 5: Subject dies.


Time span between Phase 1 and Phase 5: 4 days in human subjects.


NW5 has been tested on humans for future use in biological warfare. NW5 works effectively within 4 hours of contact with the subject. The disease travels through touch of one being to the next. The process will either speed up or slow down depending on the amount of water in the infected being.


"So wait a min." Superboy spoke up staring at the screen. "If a human's about, what, 80% water? Then what can have more water than…" He trailed off turning behind a little and looked at Marina. "Oh." SB turned back to the monitor feeling sorry for Robin and Impulse right then.


"Do…do you think they did that test on my brother?" Marina asked a worried look in her crystal eyes.


"I don't think the D.E.O would do anything that would make their 'wards' die." Arrowette murmured.


"Yes, they would." Secret shuddered remembering that part of her dark past.
"What are we going to do 'bout Rob and Imp?" Superboy inquired cutting the tension.
"How did they get it?" WonderGirl thought hard to herself whilst leaning against Arrowette's chair.


"I don't know how Robin got it," Secret began, "but, I do know how Impulse got it. When we were on our way back to the MedLab, he grabbed Robin by his elbow. That's when Impulse's fingers touched Robin's skin." The girls nodded when they heard a loud curse word by Kon. They looked at him with a curious stare on their faces.


"I think I might have got it while we were all fighting in the MedLab." Superboy stood there a little in shock at what he said.


"Yeah!" Cassie exclaimed replaying the battle in her head, "After Robin threw that gas pellet in your mouth, he elbowed you in the nose." Suddenly, WonderGirl realized what had happened after Kon went out and she was alone with him. "And I've got it too." She muttered.


"What?" Arrowette question suspiciously, "How did you get it?"


"Just, don't ask." Cassie turned away leaving the others confused.


"What if I have it too?" Marina looked very fearful at Cissie. "Impulse slipped up on me! What if he touched me with his skin?"


"It's a very good chance that we're all infected! Except Secret. We should all probably take a blood test. We have about 4 hours, right?"


"What if after the disease got into Impulse, it became mutated?" WonderGirl placed her fist underneath her chin and tilted her head to the side. "I think it has happened with other sicknesses. The virus could have become mutated by Impulse's blood. His super-fast metabolism or whatever could speed up the infection. I mean, he came in contact with Robin only an hour or two ago before he started going crazy." This thought scared the rest deeply.


"If that's true," Marina started, "that means me and Arrowette, if I passed it to her, are in the most risk. If I have it, I got it from Impulse."


"Listen," The Kid butted in, "First things first. We gotta check to see if we even have it. I'm pretty sure I do. I don't know about Cassie or the rest of you, but I say we better test first." They nodded in agreement. Secret volunteered to get the needles from the MedLab.



* * * *


"Do you think he'll make it, Doctor?"


"I don't know, nurse. It's borderline in this case." The voices of a nurse and doctor hovered lightly in the air above the boy's head. He could hear them. He knew the sound of their voices. He had heard them as he came in.


The two of them had been there for a few minutes as far as he knew. He had been slipping in and out of consciousness for the past couple of hours hearing tidbits of conversation from the visitors in his hospital room. Sometimes though, sometimes there was nothing at all. Just silence. It wasn't entirely quiet. A hospital never is. He could hear the sounds of nurses scuffling through the halls with medicine carts or rolling some poor person in a wheelchair or just flipping through their charts. The intercom was going on and off constantly. It spewed names of doctors he didn't know…and probably would never know.


He wanted to scream. He wanted to scream so badly. All he could do was think. Think about his friends and family and the incident. He could remember it so clearly. He could see his legs walking along the street in his mind's eye. He could hear himself whistling so happy and carefree. He watched himself turn the corner. In his mind, he observed the shock on his face as he watched two gangs shooting it out. Guns blaring, horrible screams, and hate, that's all he could remember.


He thought about his family. Would he ever see his mother or his father again? What about my friends? He thought to himself. Will I ever see Bill or John again? Or what about Rachel? Or Tim? Why hasn't Tim come? Depressing thoughts entered his brain. He's probably too busy for me. We were close too. I wonder if he visited me when I was asleep. He helped me when my Mom was in the hospital. But what about when I'm in the hospital? I wonder if I can hear him before I…His thoughts drifted off as he slipped back into unconsciousness.