Zane blinked against the harsh ceiling light as it flickered back into view. His vision swam, but slowly, shapes came into focus — metallic trays, glowing monitors, the faint scent of antiseptic and scorched wiring. He tried to sit up, but his body felt like rubber.
Sterling leaned over him, arms crossed, wearing a smug little half-smile. Seemingly very pleased with her handywork.
"Well, good news," she said, popping a piece of gum into her mouth. "You're alive. No drooling. No twitching. Pretty sure I didn't lobotomize you."
Zane let out a groggy groan, then smirked despite himself. "Aw, I was kinda hoping for the twitching. Chicks dig the haunted look."
Sterling rolled her eyes and wrapper in a nearby tray. "You should've seen the crap Cadmus stuck in your brainstem. They weren't cheap. Industrial-grade micro-tracker, some nasty redundancy failsafes, and enough shielding to fry most scanners."
Zane's expression darkened. "So it's out?"
She gave a casual nod. "Tracker's toast. But before I yanked it, I spoofed its signal using a pulse relay and scrambled location feedback. For the next 48 hours, anyone tracing you will think you're hitchhiking through Keystone with a limp."
He blinked. "You can do that? Sounds like movie stuff!"
'Is technology so inpressive these days? Umm, well this is the DC world, so anythings possible.'
"I'm a genius," she said flatly, chewing her gum. "I built a synthetic nerve simulator when I was sixteen. Figuring out Cadmus tech is just Tuesday."
Zane let out a low whistle. "That's terrifying. I mean that in the nicest way."
Sterling smirked, then her gaze turned more serious as she leaned back against the nearby table. "Look, I didn't just do this out of charity. I already pinged the Justice League."
Zane stiffened. "Wait, what?"
"I masked your trail, sure. But if I get caught harboring some mystery patient with Cadmus gear in his head and no government file? That's federal trouble." She shrugged, as if it were obvious. "Tipping off the League gives me deniability. 'Oh no, I didn't help a criminal, I was trying to be a responsible citizen.' Clean hands."
Zane exhaled slowly, then gave a small nod. He didn't blame her. In her shoes, he'd have done the same.
Going so far for a stranger was already a testament to her goodwill, he wasnt ungrateful.
"Still," he said, pushing himself upright with effort, "you didn't have to go this far. So… thank you."
Sterling blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity in his voice.
"I mean it," Zane added. He reached toward his worn duffel bag in the corner, rummaged around, then pulled out a thick wad of bundled cash — a mix of worn bills and street-earned funds. He tossed it onto the table near her elbow.
"For the tools. And the trauma."
Sterling looked between the cash and him, her brow lifting. "You know you don't have to bribe me, right?"
"I know," he said with a grin. "Just think of it as a little gift for the trouble. Not that you need it."
A beat passed. Sterling snorted. "Okay, fair."
Zane slung the bag over his shoulder and moved toward the back door, careful not to knock over any of the makeshift equipment. Just before stepping out, he turned back.
"I owe you. If you ever need help—anything—you call me. No questions asked."
Sterling hesitated, then gave a soft smile. "You're welcome, Zane. Try not to die or get re-implanted."
"No promises."
With a final nod, he stepped out into the shadows of the alley beyond, vanishing into the urban sprawl—free, for now.
.
.
.
.
"Umm...he didn't give me his number did he?" She asked to herself, brows furrowed.
....
Half a block away, Zane crouched behind a trash bin, face in palms and muttering to himself.
"…Shit."
His entire face cringed so hard!
"I don't even have a phone. What the hell was I thinking? 'Call me'? CALL ME?! What is she supposed to do, send a freakin' carrier pigeon?!"
He groaned and slapped his forehead. "Cool guy line wasted. That was my 'Batman exits the conversation' moment and I just—"
He made finger guns at the air. "—Call me. Who the hell do I think I am?"
He looked back toward the building, genuinely tempted.
"Do I… go back? Just knock and be like, 'Hey, so… I don't actually exist in the phonebook yet'? No. No, it's too late. That'd be worse."
He stood there silently, nodding like he was attending his own cringe funeral.
"Okay. Whatever. Still nailed the vibe. Mostly. Ninety percent nailed. She probably thinks I'm mysterious."
.
.
"…Or unstable. Definitely one of those."
With that, he vanished into the night, leaving behind only a faint trail of secondhand embarrassment.
Despite the embarrassment, he was actually feeling much better now. Knowing that Cadmus isn't tracking him anymore, he felt a sense of freedom.
The world is officially his oyster, and he has no Idea where to start.
.....
20 Minutes Later
Serling sat on a stool, cleaning off her surgical instruments with methodical precision. The hum of cooling fans filled the silence, but her eyes flicked toward the doorway every few seconds — expecting someone.
She didn't have to wait long.
A sharp thump sounded on the window above the stairwell, and then the door creaked open. A man in green stepped inside, bow slung across his back.
"Doctor Sterling," said Green Arrow, his voice calm but tight with tension. Right behind him, Speedy entered — silent, arms crossed, red and impatient.
"You're a lot less dramatic than I expected," Serling muttered, placing a cleaned scalpel into its tray.
Green Arrow gave a faint smile. "We're trying subtle this week."
He stepped further into the lab, gaze scanning the half-cleaned equipment, the vaguely bloodstained sheets, and some hairs on the floor.
"So where is he?"
Serling shrugged. "Gone."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Speedy glanced around, annoyed. "You called us, remember?"
Serling walked over to the counter and leaned against it, arms folded. "Yeah. Because I didn't want to be harboring a fugitive when someone eventually figured out what I did."
Green Arrow raised an eyebrow. "So what did you do?"
Serling shot him a tight smile. "Removed a tracker. That's all. No experiments. I did my job."
"Was he dangerous?" Speedy asked, eyeing the cluttered lab.
Sterling considered that. "...Complicated."
Green Arrow stepped forward, his tone more serious now. "The League got a report. Cadmus site in Blüdhaven got destroyed, only two made it out."
Seeing the surprise flash in Serlings eyes, he continued, "One of them is being tracked by Manhunter, and I think this is our second guy. He could be dangerous, so I need you to tell us everything you know...now."
He didn't leave want to sound forceful, but he can't take risks. Cadmus has always been a potential threat for the Justice League. Officially, it was just another government facility, but recent events have given them reason to dig deeper.
Sterling didn't answer immediately.
"...He didn't seem like a monster," she said at last. "He was scared. Paranoid. But... considerate. Whatever happened to that place, I don't think he started it."
Green Arrow frowned, not entirely convinced. "Maybe, but we still need answers. Right now, he's one of the few we can ask."
Sterling smirked. "I hope you get what your looking for."
He looked around the lab again, expression unreadable. "So he left willingly. Not under duress?"
"Yeah. Told me he owed me, dropped some cash and disappeared out the back."
Speedy arched a brow. "He gave you cash?"
Sterling snorted. "Like I charge for illegal brainstem surgery."
Green Arrow gave a small sigh and turned to Speedy. "Let's sweep the area, see if we pick up anything."
Speedy nodded and started up the stairs.
Before following, Green Arrow turned back to Sterling. "If he contacts you again…"
"I'll let you know," she said.
But as the door swung shut behind them, she exhaled, glanced toward the exit Zane had taken earlier, and muttered under her breath—
"...Eventually."