The D.E.O was unusually quiet that night. Strangely and terrifyingly silent. All that could be heard was the small cries of a few "wards" of the D.E.O. The lights flickered on and off at times. A loud screaming sound was heard. Like the sound of a boy crying in pain. The lights flickered again. The scream was heard once more. Then, nothing but silence echoed throughout the halls of the department.


Lutwidge grinned looking down at a boy curled up in pain shivering intensely. "He should tell me what I want to know now." The boy closed his eyes and shuttered as Lutwidge glared at him sinisterly.


"I-I won't t-tell." He stuttered gripping his arms with all his might resisting the formula given to him. "I-I'm n-not g-going to tell you!" He exclaimed as an outburst of pain shot through his body. The horrid agony was nearly unimaginable. Beads of sweat formed on his watery brow. He was barely keeping his liquid form together.


"But you must tell." Lutwidge paced around the container with the subject 7AHSDD shaking inside of it. "Do you even remember what happened after you went unconscious?"


The boy shook his head and clutched himself tighter as pain gripped his whole body in a tight fist. It hurt to move and to talk. It was almost impossible for him to do so. But he held on. Forcing him to stay awake. He closed his eyes tightly and wondered exactly why he wouldn't tell him. All he knew was that he shouldn't tell.


"You went on a rampage!" Lutwidge yelled at the boy cringing on the floor. "You don't know how many people you could've infected!" He raised his hands to the sky. In reality, 7AHSDD hadn't touched anyone, as far as they had seen. They had watched him since he went mad, but before then was a blank. 7AHSDD knew that other piece of the puzzle. It was extremely important if he infected anyone else. It could turn into a worldwide epidemic if they didn't get it under control now. "Tell me how you escaped. Tell me what happened." He raised up a small electrical device.


Fear touched his very heart staring at the machine. "I-I…w-won't!" The electrical device was turned on and the boy prepared himself for the pain soon to come. The lights flickered as the device was used upon the child. He whimpered and shook wishing there were some way he could escape. But, the container was locked up tighter than a bank vault. The walls were too high to get out, the apparatus turned on circuits that made the entire cage electrify.


"Now, how did you get out of the building?" Lutwidge stood over him turning on the electrical device again. 7AHSDD struggled against the truth serum but it was no use.


"O-OK…I'll tell you what you need to know." A weak defeated voice came from an unidentifiable face.


"Good boy." Lutwidge smirked demonically as the boy began to stutter whilst he spoke.


"I-I had just gotten out t-to take that test. I knew that w-whatever you guys put into me, it was bad. That's why I-I jumped on that s-scientist guy. T-Then-"


"Stop your stuttering!" Lutwidge snapped standing high above the shivering child. "Now continue."


"Then that guy ran out into the hallway with me on him. He got really scared for some reason. Whatever you put in me must have scared him pretty bad. Then, I heard the alarm start to sound and I got off him. I climbed up the wall and—" He struggled again trying to beat out the serum. He clenched his teeth and tried his hardest to fight it.


Lutwidge turned on the small gadget and used again upon the boy. The child screamed in pain and tears ran down his cheeks. He lay limp upon the floor slightly twitching every now and then praying to be left alone. "Finish the story," Lutwidge coldly held the device in his fist, ready to press it at a moments notice. Shallow breathing came from the boy's throat as he coughed up some water upon the floor. He wanted to plead mercy and beg them to stop. But, there was no pity in the D.E.O, not with Lutwidge anyhow.


"I crawled into the air vents." He sputtered. He continued fearing the gizmo in Lutwidge's sweaty mitts, "I noticed the exits were all blocked off and I couldn't escape. I could only cause a few distractions for my sister to get out."


"That's how she escaped." Lutwidge muttered.


"I stayed up there for hours knowing one of you would get me. You'd find me. Suddenly, I saw someone crawling around in the air vents."


"Who was it?" Lutwidge asked quickly.


"I-I'd never seen him before. He wore a green and red suit with a long black cape. He had a green mask on and he had black hair." The boy stopped and took a deep breath.


"Robin." Lutwidge concluded. "Tell the rest of it. Now!"


"Since the air vents were already wet from the air conditioner, he didn't notice when I got on him. He was already soaked from crawling around up there. I think, I think he spied on you guys and left. He left on some weird vehicle I hadn't seen before and I got off him when he was moving along this black ground and—" He was cut short by a powerful electric burst coming from the cage. He howled in pain and fell unconscious.


"Good boy. That's all I needed to hear."



* * * *


"What are the results Cissie?" WonderGirl flew over to Arrowette. "Good news?" Arrowette shook her head sadly.


"I'm 'fraid not Cass." She frowned and pointed to the screen which read: "Diagnosis: Infected with NW5." The information they had read before crossed the screen evilly. "I'm afraid you, Kon, and Marina got it. Secret and I are uninfected."


"Oh Zeus." WonderGirl moaned unhappily.


"How did you get infected, Cassie?" Arrowette inquired.


"Well..." Cassie began when The Kid interrupted her.


"This is a lot more serious than we think, you guys." SB was leaning back in a chair near Arrowette. "It's not Oh shoot we're going to go bonkers. That isn't all folks. We are going to die unless there's a cure. But, I didn't see any in that file, did you? Didn't think so."


"Oh man it's already changing Kon!" Cassie shook her head slightly, "Even though, he has a point. We are officially messed up. We have, what, four days to live?" They all thought about it for a minute. Great Cass, WonderGirl thought to herself, just depress everyone, that is just what they needed!


"I don't think some of us are that lucky." Cissie said scrolling down the computer screen.


"What's wrong?" Secret asked floating over to the screen. Arrowette appeared fearful and saddened as she looked back at the four others who's concerned expressions made Cissie feel worse.


"It's Bart. He only has one day to live." Arrowette hid a tear away as the others mouths dropped open in shock. The sorrowful moment was cut short when they heard the videophone ring downstairs. "Wait, didn't Bart trash all the monitors?" They all looked at each other and ran carelessly off to the meeting chamber.


When they arrived, a lone monitor in the midst of the other destroyed ones, blinked to be answered. They looked at one another with confused eyes. To think he missed just one monitor. That was lucky or planned. Arrowette skeptically thought to herself. It blinked and Superboy approached the monitor and noticed the destroyed keyboard.


"How am I gonna answer it?" He shrugged and tried to press the "Except" key. It seemed futile, but he tried anyway. Miraculously, the call was answered. Superboy was surprised not only that the call had somehow made it through, but at the man on the screen.


"I have a proposition for you." Lutwidge grinned maniacally at the dumbfounded young heroes.