Worst Case Scenario

Chapter 5: Bioship Down

7...

Superboy landed hard. Fortunately, by virtue of being Superboy, he was pretty much unharmed and quickly leaped to his feet.

The Bioship was another story. One didn't need Kryptonian super-vision to see it falling from the sky, flames leaking out as it broke into pieces.

One thought filled his mind:

M'gann.

Superboy ripped open his pants pocket (literally) and grabbed the palm-sized case containing Luthor's shields, the little stickers that suppressed his human DNA. He only had four left, but he needed the ability to fly now more than ever.

He thumbed the button, causing the shutter to retract, and grabbed one of the patches.

Or rather, he would have.

But there weren't any.

The case was empty.

And in the second he spent staring in disbelief, the Bioship's remains slammed into the ground.

Rocket opened her eyes, which was odd, considering the fact that the last thing she remembered was falling to her death.

The second thing she noticed was that she couldn't move.

"I've got her!" shouted Red Arrow. Rocket tried to say something but she couldn't breath. There was something pressing on her chest. From what she could see, their fragment of the ship had landed right on top of her.

Red Arrow heaved and pushed the rounded organics-infused-metal husk off of Rocket. It rolled a few feet away before stopped. The archer reached down and ripped Rocket out of the pink, sticky foam she was coated in.

"Is this yours?" she asked, shaking off the foam that was stuck to her arms.

Red Arrow nodded. "It absorbed the shock, kept us alive. Looks like it kept the ship from crushing you, too."

"Lucky me" muttered Rocket as her eyes settled on the other two people present.

Robin looked okay, with a few scratches and holes in his costume. He was kneeling over Zatanna. She wasn't moving.

"Is she...?" asked Rocket, not wanting to ask the question, not wanting to consider the possibility that the member of the Team who had welcomed her, had always been the nicest to her, even more than M'gann, was actually...

Red Arrow shook his head. "She's alive. But barely."

Robin stood up and turned to face Rocket.

"What happened to her? Right before she collapsed? What were her symptoms?"

"Well, uh, I don't really..."

"You were the one right next to her. WHAT WERE HER SYMPTOMS!?" shouted the boy. Rocket squeaked and took a step back. The younger boy leaped forward and grabbed her by the collar.

"You were right next to her! What happened!?"

Red Arrow grabbed Robin by the cape and pulled him away.

"Robin!" the archer said sternly. "This isn't the time. Zatanna needs medical attention and, if you hadn't noticed, we just got shot down in the middle of hostile territory! We've only got half of the Team as it is! We all need to work together!"

Robin glanced down at the ground and took a few deep breaths.

"I... I'm sorry. I just, well, you know..."

Red Arrow looked at him and Rocket.

"She was poisoned" he said.

"That seems likely" agreed Robin. "Either that or some kind of magical feedback thing only she was sensitive too."