black rabbit in the alley

“You don’t have any resistance to this strain.”“I have natural and artificial immunity to 32 of Ivy’s—”“32 of hers,” interrupts Slade, totally calm. “But not this one.”Dick rakes his hands up to his damp hair. His heartbeat is a dull throbbing that he can feel everywhere, his throat, his wrists, his skull.“Adverse effects on the experimental group included direct myocardial toxicity. Across-the-board heart failure among the patients who received 80 mg who went without intervention. How much do you think you breathed in during that little explosion you rigged back there?” Dick’s breath stutters. The cuts in his skin from the glass that shattered during the explosion sting as Dick remembers that they exist. “How long do you think a dose like the one you got is going to take? You’re that confident that Daddy’s going to get here in time? You even call Daddy for help yet?” Dick raises his head and meets Slade’s dark gaze straight-on, glaring.Slade just laughs. Laughs roughly.Inside his boots Dick’s toes curl at the sound, and not for the reason they should.“No,” Slade breathes in amazement. “Hell, kid. That chip on your shoulder is something else.”