Dr. Jonathan Crane:
Injecting the final Atlantean with the vaccine, I hold his head as I slowly lower him back into the cot.
"That was the last one," I say, turning to Ms. Iris as she walks up to me. "Are they doing any better?"
"They're doing the best as they can," Ms. Iris replies. She sighs and leans closer to me. Confused, I freeze. My legs, arms, and body turn into stone, and my head goes blank. As Ms. Iris gets closer, the first thing I notice is her smell.
"She smells...pleasant," I think.
"Honestly," Ms. Iris whispers, "I don't think they're going to make it much longer. Where are The Man and Oliver?"
Shaking my head, the feelings returning to my body, I look back at Ms. Iris.
"I'm sure they're coming back right now," I answer, reaching out and putting a hand on Ms. Irisi's shoulder. "The Man may not seem like it, but there's no way he would let all of these people die."
"Thanks," Ms. Iris says. She places her soft, warm hands on my head. For a second, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. It disappears when we hear screaming.
"Scarecrow," Mr. Slade yells, "Scarecrow, get over here now!"
I pull back my hand and walk toward Mr. Slade.
"It's Dr. Crane," I say. "Please. I'm saying please here. Stop calling me Scar--"
I stop talking when I see one of the Atlanteans throwing up violently. He turns to his side and throws up slimy, smelly, black, and green vomit. Mr. Slade, Ms. Iris, and I all step back. Stepping around the vomit, I reach into my pockets and pull out a pair of gloves to examine the Atlantean.
"His eyes are white," I start, "They become filled with potassium."
"Is that bad?" Ms. Iris asks.
"I think so."
"You think so," Mr. Slade repeats.
"When a person, uhh, surface dweller's eyes filled with potassium, it usually means one thing."
"What's that?" Ms. Iris asks.
"It usually means the person is dead."
"Ohh..."
"But that doesn't seem like the case for Atlantean."
I look up and down the rows of sick Atlanteans, all of them sweating, tossing, turning, and groaning while on their cots. I look back at the one Atlantean who threw up.
"Besides his cloudy eyes, most of his skin is covered in rashes, and he's gasping for breath."
"Scarecrow," someone else yells. I get up and turn to see Ms. Selina running up to me. "I hope you got some more of that vaccine on you because one of the guys I was watching over just started shaking uncontrollably."
"Shaking uncontrollably? He was having a seizure?"
"I think so."
I look down at the empty syringe in my hand before turning to Ms. Iris.
"I'm out. Do you have another one?"
"No," Ms. Iris says, showing me another empty syringe.
"Darn it. That was the last of the vaccine. We're out."
Spotting a nearby silver bin, I take the empty syringe from Ms. Iris and throw it, the one I was holding, and the disposable gloves into the trash can. I then turn to Mr. Slade and Ms. Selina.
"Go to the Junker sub and get all the medicine in the infirmary. Mainly fever reducers and painkillers."
The two nod and walk away. Looking at them as they head to the sub, I notice Ms. Dinah standing nearby, staring into the ocean. Walking up to her, she turns to me, and I give her a wave.
"Sorry, I'm not helping with the patients," Ms. Dinah says. "I'm just a little distracted right now."
"You're worried about Mr. Oliver, right? Well, don't be. Mr. Oliver is with The Man. Honestly, I think he's in a safer position than the rest of us."
I let out a little laugh, and thankfully, Ms. Dinah also smiles slightly.
"I mean, what's the worst thing that can be happening to Mr. Oliver right now?"
Green Arrow:
"Arghhh!"
I scream as loud as I can while punching the glass window.
"Hey," I shout, waving my arms up and down. I try to grab The Man's attention, but I think he's too busy fighting Spectre. I watch as Spectre shoots out his glowing green hand. The floor beneath The Man folds in on itself. Two large stone pillars almost swallow The Man, but he escapes by quickly swimming up. Swimming up and then toward Spectre, The Man pulls back his hand before throwing it forward, punching Spectre and knocking him back.
"Ahhh...."
I shake my head and fall back down into my seat. Looking at the manual The Man gave me, I roll my eyes and start reading it.
"Congratulations on your Amelloan 'Seahorse' submarine, built by blank. What?"
I look further down and see a cartoon picture of a man in overalls, with a hard hat and a pair of sunglasses, waving at me.
"Really?"
I roll my eyes and continue reading.
"Your Amelloan 'Seahorse' submarine comes with a wide variety of features, including those for offensive, defensive, scavenging, and other. Offensive features include rockets, lasers, sonic cannons, EMP explosives--"
I look at the long list of offensive features and pull back my head. Skipping ahead a few pages, I move to the next section.
"Defensive features include shields, smoke screen, electric shock--I don't need to know any of this! Just tell me how to drive this."
I flip past a few more pages before stopping on one page with bold letters. On the page, the man with a hard hat, overalls, and sunglasses is printed, with a speech bubble.
"In the event that I let you steer, and you do not have time to read the whole manual, please go to the final page."
I flip to the end, and another cartoon is there, with the man, another speech bubble, and a clear plastic test tube.
"To activate voice-control, please insert DNA into the test tube, then insert the test tube into the Seahorse."
"Really? You couldn't have put that part in the first few pages."
I grab the tube and spit in it. Sealing the tube, I look around for where I could put it.
"Oh, come on. Where do I put this? How do I activate voice control?"
"Voice control activated," a computerized voice says. I scream and jump, almost dropping the test tube. The screen in front of me changes. The radar disappears, and is replaced by two pictures of me, one showing a front view and the other showing a side view.
"Voice of Oliver 'Green Arrow' Queen recognizes. Please insert the test tube with DNA into the slot."
A part of the control then moves, revealing a single test tube holder. I place the tube with my spit into it. The holder disappears back into the control. A few seconds later, another panel moves. It flips over, with a bright-red soda cup and straw on top. A platform raises itself with the soda cup, reaching and stopping when it reaches my shoulder.
"Awaiting orders," the computerized voice says. "Please enjoy the soda."
"Uhhh, thank you," I slowly say, "But I'm not thirsty at the moment."
The platform with the soda quickly falls back down, flipping over and disappearing.
"Uhh. Scan the area for any trace of orichalcum."
The radar reappears on my screen, with a spinning green line. It runs along the radar, revealing a red dot not too far away.
"Orichalcum burial site found. Distance. 187 miles away."
"Yes, yes, yes! Go to the burial site. Go to the burial site! As fast as you can."
"Understood."
Hearing a whizzing sound, I look around and see the fans in the back spinning by themselves. They shoot the Seahorse forward and push me back into the seat. I have to fight against the momentum to grab the seatbelt and buckle myself in. Raising my head, I look back at the radar as the distance quickly goes down.
"176 miles. 170 miles. 164 miles."
While rocketing through the sea, I grab the manual and start trying to read it.