My life outside the Mythical World

The Fix

Nightwing studied the bottle in his hand with a raised eyebrow. Why in the world would Captain use a million-dollar device that could teleport people almost anywhere to send him a small, cheap-looking energy drink. Then he turned over the bottle and saw the label.

Oh.

"Lexcorp and the Reach," he said distastefully. "The fruits they harvested were turned into energy drinks. Drinks that contained unknown substances..."

"Exactly," CA answered.

Nightwing cranked up his wrist computer and pulled up the file the captain had just sent him. It was a commercial, more specifically, it is the commercial for the drink in his hand. He opened it, and projected his screen to the center of the room so everyone could see.

"Become a citizen of the Milky Way,

By holding out your hand!

Grab the taste that'll make your day,

When sippin', you'll understand.

Our friends have come from far beyond,

Friends have come from far beyond.

To help us and to teach,

To help us and to teach.

Quench your thirst while we all bond,

Don't wait, reach for a Reach.

Yeah, in strawberry, mango, or in peach,

Reach for a Reach! From Lexcorp and the Reach."

The video sanged out, much to the disgust of Nightwing. Apparently, he wasn't the only one with that thought.

"And I thought Apollo's haiku was bad..." Percy said, walking up next to him and intertwining their arms together.

"I wanna know who they hired to sing this," Bart piped up. "Cuz whoever that is, history sure doesn't remember him."

Nightwing turned his gaze down at the bottle then up at the new Martian. "Do you know anything useful about this?" he asked, holding up the drink.

"I'll do what I can," the martian responded calmly. Dick handed the drink to him, for a moment Green did not speak. "Ahh, I see. This consumable contains the Reach's additive, which combines microscopic quantities of two chemicals: one is a dopamine polymeras, the other, an adrenaline inhibitor."

"That is exactly what Flash got," Captain Atom said in Nightwing's ear, it was evident that he had been listening closely on the other end.

Green continued on, "Taken over generation, they will slowl addict the entire population to Reach and make the people of Earth placid, literally incapable of revolt."

Nightwing nodded. "That matches up exactly with Flash and Captain Atom's analyses of the additive sample acquired from Lexcorp." he told the martian.

"Ah...I see. Still I am tested,"

"Look, we're sorry, but-"

"No, it is wise," the martian replied. "As they say on your world, all cards must be off the table,"

"On the table," Jaime corrected automatically, then realized that all attention was now on him. "Uh...I mean, never mind, ignor me..."

Green nodded his head, "On the table," he repeated slowly. "Yes...That does make more sense. So here is my final card on the table: My scarab informs me that the additive also contains a mitochondrial marker which works as a meta-gene transfer, allowing the Reach to identify and isolate potential superpowered individuals."