Profession

Fight club

"Who is it?" I asked. Well, barked. She shook her head.

"I don't know. I wouldn't have woken you, but you have the kit and the training. The ETA is about ten minutes out."

"Ok," I said, reluctantly getting to my feet. It wasn't even dawn yet. I was going to sleep for a week. "How are the patients?"

"I sent Red Hood up to run a scanner over them. It's a new Star Labs gizmo, I haven't seen one here, so I'll leave it for you. It monitors vital signs on the fly, so we'll be able to tell if anyone's in distress." I sighed and the Cloak gently floated me over to the stairs and down to the basement. 

"Your father is sending over a physician from the Avengers facility," Mom said, keeping pace. "The doctor will take over your patients and address your needs as well, Lysippe. What do you need?"

The Cloak drifted me over to the table, and I turned on the scanner so that it would be ready whenever the patient arrived. "The kryptonite kit in in cabinet C, it's the black case with the green handle." Mom retrieved it and gave it to me as the door alarm went off; I opened it and we all peered in. It was as I remembered, and I took out a container of powder. "I'm going to need this made into a solution," I told Dr Lance. "Fifty grams per liter of deionized water, you can mix it in one of the plastic squeeze bottles with the long thin neck. We may need more, depending on how much kryptonite there is, so don't put it away just yet." I took the last mask and put on a smock before sterilizing my hands and placing the instrument tray in the slots. There was a round lead pan with a cover that I would put the kryptonite in after extracting it, and that went on a separate tray.

The door opened, and all three Kryptonians came into my nook. Jon was carrying his father. Kara looked around, took Clark from Jon, and placed him on the table. The scanner went on and within seconds I had the 3D view of the location of the kryptonite fragments and the path of the projectiles. I took a long and careful breath. I'd only get one chance at this, and I frankly wasn't sure I could do it. I was feeling weak and the room was spinning a bit.

"What are you waiting for, Lys?" Jon asked. Well, barked at me. I glared at him and Dr Lance started cutting off the costume for me. Then the area, upper left abdominal quadrant, was sterilized, and I picked up the first instrument. It was about six inches long, about the diameter of a thick pencil lead, and it was the world's tiniest speculum. The wounds caused by the kryptonite wouldn't heal until it was out, so I watched the display as I eased it into the path of the projectile. When it was almost touching the first fragment, I opened it slightly and inserted a probe with tiny pincers on the end, easing it down, and clamping it on the first dangerous mineral, carefully withdrawing it. I tossed the fragment into the lead bowl.

"Solution, doctor," I said, and Dr Lance gave me the bottle. I squirted fluid into the wound. It came out all thick and sluggish, mixed with blood.

"What is that?" Kara asked, grossed out.

"It's a chelating mixture," I said absently. "Kryptonite fragments on impact; there are tiny pieces in the wounds that I can't see to get out. When the liquid thins out again, all the kryptonite is out." I saw a couple of tiny pieces caught at the ragged edge of the wound and lifted them out carefully. The Kryptonians edged back, well, except for Clark, who was fortunately out of it. "Has anybody called Lois and Arie?" I asked, easing the tool closed and out, rinsing it quickly, and inserting it into the next one. Then I ignored everybody as I worked; the first wound was closing itself. Superhealing must be nice. The kryptonite was slowly working itself in deeper, and there were a lot of organs in that area. I was going as fast as I could, but I was running out of energy. A few hours wasn't enough to rev up my depleted state.