Rachel had returned at some point, her cloak still fluttering in the wind. Worry filled her face, mingled with disbelief in her eyes.
She stared fixedly at Shane's platinum armor and the lightning still lingering around him, her steps unsteady.
Shane's expression softened a little, but he still frowned as his gaze swept past Rachel.
Aside from Mal and Mia, who were absent, even Tim and Cassandra had come running back. They were staring blankly at the adult version of Shane, their gazes wandering over the lightning breastplate on his chest.
To Shane, this was a serious act of disobedience. After all their time together, Tim, at least, should have known better than to do something like this.
But he did not question them.
The words Atlas and the others had spoken before withdrawing their consciousness still lingered in his mind.
Silence hung over the scene. Tim looked at the Justice League sprawled all over the place, his eyelid twitching, then stepped forward to explain.
"Mia's infection is strange. She hasn't shown any signs of turning into a zombie, so we didn't dare go too far. Then Rachel suddenly said she sensed something had happened to you—"
Shane waved a hand, cutting Tim off.
Biting her lip, Rachel slowly walked up to Shane.
The closer she came, the more the girl's body began to tremble.
She tilted her head back to look at Shane, who stood nearly two meters tall, and reached out to gently press a hand against his abdomen.
He instinctively reined in the white lightning surrounding his body, lowering his head to watch Rachel touch him with painstaking care.
The girl's first words were not a question about why Shane looked like this.
"Wh-what happened to you?"
Tears spilled from her eyes.
Her palm could clearly feel