{Earth}

“I’ve seen nothing like this,” Karter repeated.

With every recitation, Chris’ concern for Jack amplified. Exponentially. “You okay, kid?”

Jack lay in a pool of his own sweat, wearing only gym shorts and his chain. They took him to the infirmary, the last car before the freights holding gold and iron for the foundry. The young man swallowed hard before shaking his head.

“Okay, fresh ones.” Ross set down rags and a bowl filled with cool water.

“Thanks.” Batman soaked one and patted the kids’ feverish noggin. “What’s the thermometer say this time?”

Karter retrieved it from his ear. “I’m not sure. Is 104.5 high for a human?”

Ross dropped the discarded bowl with her eyes wider than saucers.

Jack’s teeth nattered together, as if he were freezing.

Chris cursed. “How much longer for Tumu?”

“Before he reaches us? An hour, at least.” Karter gazed down at Jack’s flushed body and winced. “Too long, I think.”

“Okay. This is what we’ll do. Gather everything we need and take it to car fourteen.”

Karter and Ross exchanged an uncomfortable look.

It wasn’t like the Icarus’ ghost haunted the place or anything. Chris assured, “I know. I know. But it’s the only one with a bathtub big enough. Now go.”

An hour later, Batman carried Robin into what the Shadow formerly called the “Love Nest.” Xelan and Tameka’s old cabin. The black tile with white grout climbed a half-wall and sank into a substantial tub. The girls filled it with ice water.

Karter stood at the end, twisting her chain. Ready for her part. “Ross, can you please grab us some more towels? For a few minutes.”

Ross hesitated before nodding and following her orders.

“Robin.” Chris tried to get the kid to focus on him. “This won’t feel pleasant, but trust me. You need it.”

He lowered Jack into the tub. The young man screamed a ragged shriek. Karter took his legs, and Chris got his arms.

She called over the sound of his cries, “It’s almost as if his nacre stopped working. He’s not strong enough.”

Batman grit his teeth, but not because Jack fought too hard. But because somehow they were in this situation at all. That Jack was in this situation and in pain. Chris also suspected—

“Oh, my god. Will he be okay?” Ross returned and dropped the towels on the counter. “Can I help?” She put her face in Jack’s line of sight. “Jack, it’s okay. They’re helping you.”

The kid immediately relaxed. Hazel eyes fixed on her face, and his body settled into the ice. Sure, his lips were blue, but he didn’t fight anymore.

Chris damned near let go and walked out of the room. Seriously? Years of watching him. Almost taking bullets for him. Building a friendship. Earning trust. Did any of that calm him down? No. But one look at this girl, and the boy melted into a puddle.

Even Karter rolled her eyes at the end of the tub. That’s right, kid. Everyone knew. Oh, and he should fear when Ross wasn’t in the room. Because Chris would never let him hear the end of it—

Colton applied the train’s brakes. On the walkie, he confirmed, “Batman, this is Colton. Tumu is at the rendezvous, as promised. Over and Out.”

Chris started, “Ross, will you—”

“No, I got him. Let her stay.” Karter shot him a wink before heading out.

Stolen story; please report.

Ross continued whispering soothing phrases to Jack, who continued lying in a freezing tub. Chris rubbed the tension out of his neck and grazed the chain there. Was it time?

“Been a while since I was in this cabin,” Tumu confessed as he ducked to enter. He compressed down to seven feet of his normal height. It made for an uncomfortable fit, judging by the tightness around Tumu’s eyes and mouth.

“Thanks for coming. He’s in here.” Chris looked back to the kid and tried for reassuring, “Hey. Tumu’s here. Let him look at ya.”

Jack faintly nodded, but when Ross made to move, terror filled his eyes.

“Don’t go, Ross,” Chris encouraged. “You’re good company.”

The young woman smiled weakly and turned back to Jack. She scooted to make room for Tumu, but kept her face in frame for the kid.

The blue alien searched Jack with almond-shaped voids. A film blinked over those black disks. “He’s only been like this a few hours? Since the El Paso visit?”

“That’s right.” Karter leaned her side against the wall and folded her arms. “Have you seen anything like it, Tritan?”

He smiled gently at her. “I’ve seen many things.” In his ancient voice, the words sounded wrong and old. He pointed at Jack’s sternum. “The nacre he shouldn’t have is deactivated. Afterward, something or someone introduced him to a pretty nasty infection.”

Karter’s eyes widened at Tumu’s revelation.

Chris figuratively cut at his neck with both hands. “Wait a minute. No one touched his nacre. How could—”

“There are a handful of ways to disable a nacre,” Tumu explained. “This was terribly deliberate.”

Batman cursed like a Bat-sailor.

Ross winced slightly as he carried on, spurning him to rein it in. She asked, “Is there anything we can do to help him?”

“Lay the towels out, ‘other human with a nacre that shouldn’t have one,’” Tumu observed.

Ross ducked her eyes, but did as he asked. Once she left his field of vision, Jack squirmed in the ice bath. Tumu lifted him out of it and onto the towel pallet.

The young woman sat on the floor over his face, smiling. Jack calmed with the mild trace of a shiver. Karter also connected her butt to the tiles close by. Chris stood over Tumu, who knelt over the kid.

“So, what’s the treatment, Officer?” Batman fought to keep the stress out of his voice.

“It’s always the blood.”

Karter nodded.

But Ross had the right idea with, “Huh?”

Tumu nodded to Chris’ thigh sheath. “Do you mind?”

Once he handed the knife to the Tritan, the man cut his wrist and put the black blood to Jack’s lips. As soon as he opened the vein, the smell of coconuts and pineapples filled the room. Like Juicy Fruit gum.

Jack shook his head a bit.

To which Tumu assured, “It will jump-start your nacre like a car battery and heal the infection. It’s only good for a few minutes.”

“Wait, would any of our blood work?” Chris would feel pretty fucking stupid if that were the case.

Fortunately, Tumu shook his head. “No. Gargantuan Tritan nacres exist on their own circuit of upgrades, kept separate from other nacres.”

“Oh, so his nacre won’t be able to retain your nanites because the OS can’t apply it the same,” Chris observed.

The Tritan turned all the way around to look up at him. “Are you sure your relationship isn’t open?”

Karter laughed as Jack’s eyes widened with a little snicker from Ross.

Unoffended, Batman patted the Officer on the back. “Only if you were Wesley Snipes. And only if you dressed as Blade.”

The Tritan’s sudden burst of laughter was warm and genuine. It sounded underutilized. He pulled his wrist from Jack’s mouth.

The young man already looked better. His coloring went from scalding red to pasty white kid. Those eyes of his focused properly, even if they only focused on Ross.

She announced, “His fever feels gone.”

Karter fell back on the tiles in relief. “Thank. Elden.”

“I certainly wasn’t looking forward to Rayne skinning me alive.”

At Chris’ confession, the Tritan flinched. He pressed, “We need to find who did it. And how. For the unforeseen future, Jack cannot interact with people outside of Story Circle. Understood?”

Ross muttered, “No. I don’t think you should move—”

Jack sat up and frowned heavily.

Chris prepared for a fight by pinching the bridge of his nose. “Please, kid—”

“It had to be those nacre human/natural human assholes.” Oh, thank god. That wasn’t what Chris expected him to say. Certainly nothing as rational as what came out.

What Tumu had for eyebrows were raised high as he asked, “Pardon?”

Karter explained, “At El Paso. Some people accused us of not controlling nacre integration. That those people who ingested nacres risked everyone at the mercy of your kind.”

Tumu blinked at her. “You come across as kinda racist.”

“I hate the Tritan governing body, not necessarily the individual.” Karter stared up at him from the floor. And he stared down at her from his great height.

An accord passed between them as the Tritan returned to the topic at hand. “I am authority on this planet, but I am not the enforcer of our restrictions. Eventually, they will come here pending my investigation into human compatibility with our technology. My recommendation only goes so far. Try to keep the ingestions to a minimum. And in the meantime, deal with the radicals. They shouldn’t have the technology to disable an alien nano-computer.”

Ross draped a towel over Jack’s shoulder and stood, offering her hand to him.

Chris put his hand on Karter’s shoulder. “We can go back.”

“No. Whatever you do, never take Jack back there. I’ll send a strikeforce. You dissuade the organization during your sermons.” He turned to the upright King Regent. “Can you do that?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I like you, kid. But I also don’t wanna find out what Rayne would do if anything ever happened to you.”