James Sie: Ryan Choi • The Atom

Journey to the Center of the Bat!

Ryan Choi • The Atom

The Atom: Dr. Choi. Hello?
Aquaman: Doctor! Aquaman here. What's new, old friend?
The Atom: I was just in the middle of conducting a delicate tachyon detection experiment, "old friend".
Aquaman: Tachyons eh? Splendid! Atta boy!
Batman: Get to the point

Aquaman: Outrageous! What miracle is this?
The Atom: As The Atom, I can shrink to the size of a sub-atomic particle and ride electrons along the phone wires.
Aquaman: Do it again!

The Atom: The human lung, mother nature is truly our greatest architect. Look, dendritic cells, alveoli...
Aquaman: Yes, yes, all very interesting. But how small are we?
The Atom: About 15 microns. Small enough to slip between Batman's cells without damage. And uh, that's Batman's cilia you're hanging from.
Aquaman: Cilia an sillier! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Alley-oop!

The Atom: As we travel through the villi the CP4 barium sonowave will indicate any monoclinic phylosilicates in our vicinity.
Aquaman: English, man, English!
The Atom: This little doo-hickey beeps when the cooties are near.
Aquaman: Ah, I... cooties, yes.

The Atom: There's no way they could have spread this quickly unless... Unless Batman disregarded my orders for bed rest and went after Chemo.
Aquaman: Of course he went after Chemo, he's Batman!

Aquaman: Good boy. You were magnificent. Yes, big hug!
The Atom: He's not hugging you. "He" is merely interpreting you as a foreign body to be surrounded and destroyed.
Aquaman: Sure feels like a hug to me. And since we found you in Batman's blood stream, I think we'll name you Platelet.
The Atom: Except that's a lymphocyte.
Aquaman: Platelet it is!

Aquaman: Come on doc, write us a heroic prescription.
The Atom: I don't know... every course of action I can think of leads to unacceptable consequences.
Aquaman: Then this is not the time to think, but the time to act!
The Atom: What are you doing?
Aquaman: Drawing their forces so you can destroy the seed cell.
The Atom: But you'll never survive!
Aquaman: Perhaps, but at least I'll have one heck of a story!

The Atom: [after Platelet the lymphocyte is destroyed] Platelet! Now you've done it.
[with a scream, he starts punching a phylloscilicate]
The Atom: Outrageous. Evildoers, beware my wrath!
Aquaman: Uh, what about the plan?
The Atom: Blah, blah, blah! Let's punch 'em!

The Atom: This goes beyond medicine. Batman's cells are mutating. Before long, they'll overwhelm his central nervous system, causing a loss of motor control, then paralysis, and finally...
Batman: Then we don't have much time. Chemo's headed out to sea, straight for the Bialyan nuclear test site.
Aquaman: Forget Chemo, old chum. The Navy can handle him.
The Atom: He's right. The only way to halt this process is for me to go into your body and destroy the organisms myself.
Aquaman: Sounds like an adventure. Think you might need a strong swimmer along? One with the heart of a beluga whale?
The Atom: Oh, I don't think...
Batman: Take him. You'll need the muscle.
The Atom: [sighing] Oh... then promise me you won't do anything foolish. Activity makes the virus spread faster, okay? Say "ah", and remember, stay put.
[he shrinks himself and Aquaman]
Batman: [opening his mouth] Ah.
[thinking]
Batman: I thought they'd never leave.

Aquaman: You know, this can't help but remind me of the time I ventured into the belly of a giant squid to retrieve the enchanted pearl needed to save the Falkland Islands.
The Atom: Let's stay focused on the mission at hand, shall we? Finding those silicon compounds?
Aquaman: Yes, professor.

Aquaman: I've not seen heroics like yours since the time I saved an elderly merman from a pack of great whites. Good show. But, you know, coming to my aid like that was not the rational course of action, doc.
The Atom: Let's call it a momentary lapse in judgment.
Aquaman: Our victory, though, has come at a great cost. Ah, Platelet.
The Atom: I'm so sorry, Aquaman. He was a valiant steed. But lymphocytes never last long.
Aquaman: Come, then, let us honor Platelet and live as heroes. Take us home, old chum.
The Atom: [cut to a few minutes later] There's only one way out. Left at the jugular, then on toward a tear duct.
Aquaman: Tear duct? But surely... Batman never cries.

Aquaman: What in Davy Jones' locker is happening?
The Atom: They're mutating. Growing bigger, stronger. It's as if Batman's been exposed to Chemo's toxins all over again.
Aquaman: Tell me you have a plan.

The Atom: Now's the time for thinking, not fighting.
Aquaman: Ha! The problem with you, Atom, is that you think when you should feel.
The Atom: Time to try things my way. A simple electromagnetic shock will destroy them and cure Batman in the process. Observe.
[firing a weapon at the phyllosilicates]
The Atom: See? Thinking's not so tough. Maybe you should try it sometime.

Aquaman: I'm calling about Batman. He's... how shall I put this? Shipping a bit of bilge.
Ryan Choi: Describe the bilge.
Aquaman: We were fighting that toxic torment Chemo, and the Caped Crusader... well, he took one in the face.
Ryan Choi: I'll be right there.

Aquaman: Worry not, Poindexter. I shall lead us to safer ground.
The Atom: Wait. At our size, blood vessels are raging rivers of death.
Aquaman: [sending out a telepathic beam] Not if I summon us a sturdy steed.
The Atom: And what exactly are you going to summon? This is not the ocean. There are no fish in Batman's...
[a lymphocyte squeaks]
The Atom: I stand corrected.