Better Living Through Chemistry (har har)

Caleb called.  That was bizarre enough.  The fact that it was another of his demon and drugs leads failed to throw Tara as much as the fact he had the cajones to do so and then follow it up by the playing the "I'm retired, and I know no one in Opal City anyway.  You go clean it up." card that reminded her why the pair of them had worked so well in the field and had been in a verbal sparring match the rest of the time.

Ah, be nicer to him, Tara.  She thought.  He's raising his kid and taking care of his wife and all that.  Considering what he and his sister could do if they went rogue - and with Hotshot's powers losing control - all of them are doing a world a service by staying away from this shit.

Green Shield, however, realized she had become hooked into the cape life for good.  Her body would never be normal, and, like all surgeons, having the power of life and death and knowing just how much you did changed you.  It was like the Tree of Knowledge.  Once you ate the fruit you knew your body and will and understood what they could do in the world.  Speaking of which...

An unmarked truck rolls up to the loading dock.  Workers scramble out to meet the driver and begin to load his cargo of tainted morphine.  Some would hit the streets.  Some would greatly shorten the lifespan of the critically ill or injured.  If Caleb's intel was correct (and the guy was rarely wrong about this stuff, sadly) all of the treated that died would rise as hollows, ready to work as demon hosts.

Slipping down the side of a neighboring building, she moved herself into the shadows.  First she needed the evidence, then she'll handle the truck.

They hadn't even opened the door when she showed. She'd brought notes home, surveillance tapes, whatever she could think of to show that Christie was now different. She said she'd do whatever she could to bring her little sister home. All it did was make Mom cry more. Dad was silent the whole time. She'd plead with him, but, ultimately he was the one that shut the door and locked it.

At least she was disowned with some support. Sand had driven and as much as she loved cars, Tara was glad he had.

That's why when she hears her phone play "Born to Run," in the middle of her homework two weeks after everything, she dives for it.

Damn. To quote the greatest movies of all time, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Connor wants us to have faith in Ollie. Okay, I'll try. The guy had his heart broken and I'm likely out $50 bucks if Connor's right.

Everyone's worried about Ollie on this. I'm a newbie to this drama but he's not the one I worry about. I worry about Pieter. His crush on Canary is to the point I noticed, and I'm not up on this stuff. Canary has to have some clue about that and with Ollie being seen like that. Either way, with Dinah, Ollie, and Pieter overseeing my training...well...I'm hoping for a drama free workplace and no broken hearts. I'm pretty sure I'm just not going to get it.

I was already headed for Confession after this hollow stuff is over. I'll do my best to pray for Pieter while I'm there. I hope everyone comes out of the ensuing drama okay. In the meantime I hope to catch this creep.

And I'm pissed at myself on this one. The Lady is a do-gooder dean at Star U. If it turns out I'm the catalyst for any of this there might not be enough Hail Marys or Grant bills to make things look good.

She's been lying to them for months now. At first, when she was dying, it was because they would demand she come home and they'd waste all sorts of money trying to keep her alive. She didn't feel like telling them she dropped out either and was working on her own cure. Since she started the whole superhero thing though it was mostly it's because she has no idea what to say. Sure, the Pope could pose with Superman and there were angels up here, but the Church wasn't clear on the whole superhero thing. Her folks were in the "no cape," camp, not the subject came up often or that they'd call for blood or whatever. They just believed that capes were dangerous unless reigned in by morality or governments or some type of big brother system. Don't get mom started on the Amazons either. She'd actually donated to groups trying to establish missions to their nation. It was a shared joke with her brother and sister. Well...it had been a joke.

She kept staring at the phone while the mental dialogue ran through her head.

Hi mom. Hi Dad. How's Cape May? Fine? Guess what? I just help save the world up here. Yeah, all in a days work. Me? Noooo...not at Star U, Mom. I got something rare that was eating my nerves and muscles up - something terminal. No...Mom...Mom...MOM...I'm fine, really. I injected myself with a ton and a half of chemicals and I'm fine. No, I'm not on drugs but I can stop bullets with my abs. Interesting side effect of it all. No. Cyndi's right. I'm not with her. I've been staying with a lady who wears fishnets to work, a Buddhist, an AIDS patient, and a LIBERAL! Cool huh? Mom, you're NOT dying of a heart attack yet? Wait'll meet my boyfriend. No. He's not a med student. He's 17 and living at a bar with a redneck Green Lantern...but he has no fear, ma, trust me. No, I haven't been to confession yet, but there's an angel up here on the satellite that says I don't need to...Did I mention the kung fu guy I'm going to be getting my med degree from who calls himself Mid-Night?

She calls anyway, planning to lying again. She needs to know they made it through okay.