An ornate foyer

You tentatively follow Barbara, and are astounded by the luxury you see. The foyer you enter has a high ceiling, with a large crystalline chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Small orange flames adorn it, and sconces located on the walls provide the rest of the lighting. A wide staircase takes up the majority of the room, leading up to a second floor flanked by mahogany railing. Dark brown hues dominate the room, from the hardwood flooring to the accents surrounding all the artwork.

Barbara has clearly been here before, and you follow her up the stairs, and enter a maze of hallways. It doesn't take too long until you reach a door cracked open, which leads into what you assume is the master bedroom.

Inside here is a king-plus size bed with a large canopy. Red silk sheets cover it, and are wrapping around the lovely Zatanna. With closed eyes and a sweaty forehead, it is clear that something is wrong with her. Barbara rushes to her, and you're close on her heel. Zatanna blinks wearily upon seeing the two of you and tries give a brave smile to indicate that she's alright, but you can tell its futile. You walk up to her and take her hand to comfort her while Barbara starts setting up a laptop computer and attaching the measuring devices to Zatanna.

Barbara grimaces once the computer boots up, and starts typing a way rapidly, the keys clattering in a rapid fire manner. You sit on the bed, and ask the two of them, "What happened? What caused your condition to deteriorate?"

Barbara answer you, "It appears that chemical W reacted poorly with Zatanna's Homo Magi DNA. It's causing her to crash, and she'll pass out in the next couple hours. **** will follow not much later than that."

You're speechless. Zatanna is dying, and there's nothing you can do. Worse yet, it was on a mission with you that she got ill. If you hadn't become a super hero, this never would have happened to her.

Zatanna sees the turmoil on your face, and squeezes your hand. "Hey. It's not your fault. It could have happened to anyone. I should have been more prepared. Please don't blame yourself."

Her words ring hollow in your mind. As long as you live, you will regret failing Zatanna. You decide to ask Barbara, "Why can't she just use magic to cure herself? Wouldn't that be the easiest option?"

"Already tried," Zatanna answers you. "Doesn't seem to have worked."

"We told you not to try and cure yourself. The chemical W bonded with your magical DNA, meaning every time you cast a spell, it was hindered by chemical W, accelerating your sickness."

"I know. I know...It's just.. magic has never failed me. I figured I just needed the right spell to fix myself. But evidently, I was wrong."

"Don't worry, Zatanna, this would have happened eventually." Barbara soothes. "This just gives us a shorter window of time to fix this. But don't worry, we'll find a way." The look Barbara gives you indicates that's a lie. There's nothing you can do for Zatanna except hold her tight and pray.

That's how you spend the next thirty minutes, holding Zatanna's hand and thinking. You wish that you could have gotten to know her better. Well, you suppose, there was no time like the present.

"So, Zatanna, tell me about yourself. How did you become a stage magician?"

By the look on her face, she can tell that you're just trying to distract her from her current situation. She smiles softly in appreciation, and replies, "Well, Shad. My father was a magician before me, and just like me was a homo magi."

"What is a homo magi? I've never heard of it before."

"I'd be surprised if you had. We're a secretive bunch. We're an offshoot of your typical homo sapiens, and our altered DNA allows us to cast magic. Where was I? Oh yes, my father. I followed in his footsteps, and became a magician as well to honor his legacy."

"His legacy? So...he's gone?"

"Yes. He sacrificed himself saving a cruise ship full a civilians while at sea. He drew too much power and the cost was his life."

You stay silent, taking it all in. Just as you're about to respond, Zatanna continues.

"That's what I'm going to do, by the way. I'm going to find a villain, and erase them. No matter how much power it takes."

You haven't witnessed this kind of reaction from Zatanna before, and Barbara is equally as stunned. Barbara quickly interjects, "No you won't. That's not going to happen. We're going to fix you, and you'll be fine." Under her breath she mutters to herself, and you can barely hear it, "That's so unlike her. Maybe chemical W affects the decision making process in the brain."

"So," you continue, "What's it like to perform as a magician, in front of all those people?"

"Invigorating, at least for me. Crafting a non-magical illusion is just so satisfying, to use sleight of hand and the audience's expectations against to fascinate...there's nothing like it. Seeing the crowds eyes alight without the use of any true magic keeps me connected to my father, honoring his legacy like he would have wanted."

"So, you never use magic, and all of your tricks are legitimate illusions?"

"Well, I may have used true magic a time or two for a grand finale, but no I don't make a habit of using any spells during my shows. People expect that when you're Zatanna of the Justice League, but the real enthusiasts know that I'm legitimate, and that gives me pride in what I do."

"Is it weird having your superhero identity be your citizen identity? It must be a different dynamic than most other superheroes face."

"I don't think its any different than being a celebrity to be honest. I know you haven't decided on your secret identity, but it's important to choose something you care about. It's unhealthy trying to be a hero and save the world all the time, so it's good to find fulfillment elsewhere, including your daily work."

"Thanks," You say. "That's really good advice. I appreciate it."

"Call it the last token of advice that I give you before I pass on."

"You're not going anywhere. I'm not going to let it happen." I assure her, trying to act more confident than I am.

"I like your moxie. It'll definitely serve you well." There's an awkward silence for a moment before Zatanna beckons me closer. I lean in, and hear her whisper, "I know you fucked that security guard. Mia was her name? That was so fucking hot."

Your embarrassment causes to jerk back, but Zatanna takes a firm grip on your hoodie, preventing your motion. "Don't worry, I'm not mad, and I didn't mention it in my report. Just make sure you don't do with on a mission with a stick-in-the-mud like Superman or Batman, and you'll be fine."

"H-h-how did you find out?"

"Used a spell to make sure I always maintained visual on you. Wasn't going to let a rookie go solo without keeping an eye on you. How was she?"

"Not bad. Didn't get to cum though."

"I noticed that. Poor you. If only I wasn't sick, I would properly appreciate you." she says, letting the properly hang in the air for a second.

You redden once more, and this time Zatanna lets you retreat. A teasing smile is the last thing you see before Barbara coughs for your attention, which causes you to whirl around. She's holding her laptop computer that's been monitoring Zatanna's vitals, she motions her head to indicate that she wants to talk to you in the hallway. Seeing no reason not to go, you follow her out of the lush bedroom and into the empty hall.

The instant you shut the door behind you, Barbara turns to excitedly show you the screen to her computer. You peer down and it's not Zatanna's vitals; it's the analysis of your sperm. You look over in question of Barbara about how this is important?

"Your sperm contains nanobots. I thought that they couldn't leave your body due to the fact that they weren't present in your blood test, but their presence in your sperm means that you can give them to other people."

"So we could give Zatanna my sperm in order to counteract chemical W. Of course. That totally makes sense. It's also probably why women's vaginas expand to the size of my cock."

"Wait what? They do? Why didn't you tell me that before?"

"I didn't know it was important. Anyway, we don't have any time to waste. I need to give Zatanna my sperm."

"You're right. I'll grab a collection cup and you can get to work." Upon noticing my deflation on her words, Barbara smiled and replied, "Sorry, stud. But I'm not going to prescribe sex to cure a fatal illness. We'll do this nice and safely and who knows, maybe the two of you'll celebrate together."

You smile, grinning through any reticence you might have. You finally had the opportunity to help more people, and it would start with Zatanna. And maybe Barbara was right, you did feel some chemistry with Zatanna, and it could go somewhere. But that was a story for after she was better.

"I'll go talk to her first, then I'll call you in Shad." You nod in agreement, and Barbara slips into the room. After a few seconds Barbara calls you in, and Zatanna is nowhere to be found. She has, however, left a note. Barbara wordlessly hands the note to you, and you read it.

Shad and Barbara,

Going out with a big bang. Remember me well,

-Z

"Shit" the two of you curse under your breaths.