((If you've read any of my other stories, you know that my fanfics are usually very, very short. This fanfic, however, is going to be my attempt at writing one that is actually of respectable length. I've written an outline and everything, so I should be able to achieve my goal. If you like this chapter, be sure to subscribe, because there's gonna be a lot more coming soon.))

Ivy handled the plant hybrid gently, careful not to disturb the delicate leaves and petals. Plants of such fragility required a caretaker with a steady hand, as even one severed leaf could mean the worst for the flower that was only just starting to blossom. If raised correctly, the plant would start developing thorns in a matter of weeks, thorns that would secrete such potent toxins, that one prick could paralyze a full grown man. Unfortunately for the budding flower, weeds were starting to germinate in the surrounding soil, a dilemma that Ivy was currently trying to remedy. 'You live in a toxic marsh and weeds still find a way into your greenhouse.' Ivy thought exasperatedly, 'Figures.'

To do her job well, Ivy needed absolute silence. Ivy hoped to whatever gods existed that there would be no distractions. The gods obviously didn't like Ivy all that much. A distinctive, high-pitched scream erupted from outside the greenhouse, jolting Ivy out of any semblance of concentration and almost causing her to damage one of the oh-so-delicate leaves of the plant. She looked up angrily and saw her friend and confidant come flailing towards the greenhouse, screaming as she ran.

"SWAAAAAMP MOOOOOONSTER!" Harley yelled as she burst through the door of the greenhouse, slamming into the door almost hard enough to break the glass frame, "Red, there's a monster in the swamp! I saw it, I swear on-"

Ivy clasped her hand over Harley's mouth, silencing her. "Harley, I swear, if this is another mutated toad, then I am going to-"

Harley pushed Ivy's hand away and resumed babbling, "No, I promise it's not another toad! It was as tall as I was and had these slits in it's face and it's eyes were closed, so I thought it was dead, but, but-" Harley paused to take a gulp of air and continued, eyes closed, "But then when I got closer to see what it was, it must of heard me, because right when I was an arm's length away, it opened it's eyes and looked right at me!" Harley screamed again, causing Ivy to clasp her hands over her ears. If Harley smashing into the door hadn't broken the glass, Harley's screams might do the trick.

"Are you quite done yet?" Ivy asked as Harley's scream subsided, "Or are you going to try and deafen me again?"

Harley took a deep breath and when she spoke again, she sounded much more serious, "I can show you where the monster is." She said, "I promise I'm not making this up."

Ivy did her best to keep looking as stern as possible as she relented, "Okay, Harley, I'll go see your 'swamp monster.' But this better not be a joke, or I'll have you be my test subject when I'm done developing my newest neurotoxin." Harley only nodded eagerly, before turning and running towards the swamp, Ivy close at her heels.

%

'This has to be the weirdest hangover ever experienced.' Zam Wessel thought as she lay against the acrid swamp, the mud sucking at her paralyzed form. Her memories of the night before were foggy and disjointed. She remembered bright lights, a nightclub, and two men chasing her around Coruscant, details that Zam's muddled mind instantly associated with the concept of 'PARTY.' Waking up in an unfamiliar place with a pounding headache and only vague details of what happened the night before all lead her mind to the word, 'hangover.' As for the paralysis and the costumed humanoid that had ran through earlier? Her mind was still puzzled at that. At least the paralysis was wearing off. Feeling and movement had returned to her extremities and was spreading to the rest of her body. Until she could actually get herself off the ground, though, she'd have to be content with lying face up in the muck while her mind tried to search for details of what happened and where she was. She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on something other than her aching head. At some point, it must have subsided, because she soon drifted off into a satisfyingly numb slumber.

%

"C'mon Red! It's just a little further!" Harley said excitedly as she sprinted through the sludge, barely even dirtying her signature red, black, and white attire, while Ivy followed at a more subdued pace behind her. She was still waiting for Harley to turn around and tell her it was all a joke. Swamp monsters? Ivy had been living here for years without seeing anything that fit the description Harley had given her and the fact that Harley was a certified nutcase didn't help the credibility of the story either. Ivy heard Harley squeal excitedly from further ahead, "I found it! I found it!" She said, jumping up and down and pointing like a child. Ivy followed closely behind her, scowling. The scowl was replaced by a look of shock as she saw what Harley was pointing at. The creature that lay face-up on the ground was humanoid, but definitely not human. Its skin was a dark greenish gray and pulled taut against the "monster's" skeletal face. The sunken sides of the creature's visage had strange slits in them, almost like gills on a fish. Another deeper slit split the upper part of the face into two halves, perfectly down the middle. The creature's eyes were closed, but the eyelids were thin enough that Ivy could see it's slit pupils darting in REM sleep. The creature was clothed in a complex mix of purplish cloth, metal armor, and machinery. The layout of its apparel somehow seemed feminine, though Ivy couldn't be sure. It looked like something out of a science fiction film.

"I told you so." Harley whispered triumphantly.

Ivy ignored her friend, instead motioning her aside and carefully approaching the creature. She nudged its shoulder with her boot before quickly stepping back. "Wake up." She said hoarsely, still stunned at what she was seeing.

The creature groaned and its huge eyes fluttered open. It blinked and looked around, a disturbingly human expression of confusion on its face. Ivy took several steps back as the creature got slowly and unsteadily to its feet, leaning on a dead tree for support. It looked up at them in bewilderment and stared for a few moments before smiling suddenly and speaking in a dry, hissing voice. "That must've been some party, huh?"

Sometimes Ivy thought Harley just liked the sounds of her own screams.

%

Zam frowned fiercely at her mud caked armor as she sat in what seemed to be the living room of her new acquaintances small rustic home. The place was cozy enough, but either these people were very poor or the planet very backwards, because they seemed to lack the most basic of items. Not once had she seen any sort of droid and she had only received puzzled stares when complaining of her broken comlink. Besides their lack of technology, the duo also behaved quite strangely. They stared at her constantly, a disbelieving look on their face as if they had never laid eyes on a non-human before. They all sat in silence, Zam fidgeting uncomfortably as she avoided their wide-eyed stares.

"So…" The redheaded human female began cautiously, "What kind of mutant are you?" Zam started, surprised at the hostile term. Mutant? Only backwater yuks still used that term to refer to non-humans. "I'm not a mutant." Zam said indignantly. She glanced at the other humanoid, a blonde haired, blue-eyed female wearing a striking red and black costume. The human just stared back, mouth slightly open. She had been the same human who had screamed and ran away when she saw her in the swamp and who had screamed even louder when she had tried to be conversational. Zam was beginning to suspect that she had some sort of mental disability. The redhead crossed her arms, still staring intently at Zam.

"Then what are you? You obviously aren't human."

"Congrats, you've passed your eyesight test." Zam said sarcastically, "Kriff, are you telling me that you have honestly never seen an alien before?" Alien wasn't popular among the more politically correct folk, but Zam figured cruder meant easier for this outlandish populace.

"No, I've never seen an alien." The redhead replied, "Is that supposed to be strange or something?" Her suspicions confirmed, it was Zam's turn to stare, "What, have you never left this house? Humans aren't the only species in the galaxy you know. I mean, what do you-"

"Have you come to abduct us?" The blonde chimed in fearfully, "I don't think I'd be a good abductee or whatever. Long distance flights make me queasy and I don't know the president or anything-"

"I'm not here to abduct you!" Zam snapped, "Aren't there aliens anywhere on this kriffing planet!"

"How did you end up here?" The redhead asked sharply, "Do you have a spaceship or something?"

"I have a starship," Zam started, "But… that's not how I ended up here. I just don't remember." She closed her eyes trying to recall how she got here. She felt strangely light-headed as she searched her mind for memories. Speeder, lights, bar, severed arm. Wait, what? The sudden mental image of her own detached arm prompted Zam to glance anxiously at her limbs. Of course, they were all there. "I don't feel so good." She mumbled. She got to her feet and paced back and forth. Severed arm, alleyway, yelling. Her hands flew to her head as more images came unbidden. The redhead jumped up and grabbed her to keep her from falling as her legs buckled beneath her. Yelling, Jedi, interrogation. Her thoughts became fainter and fainter, as the realization of what had happened hit her like a blaster bolt. The last coherent thought that filtered through her mind before she lost consciousness came in the form of a name; Jango Fett.

%

"Is she alright?" Harley asked, watching the humanoid's chest rise and fall steadily as she lay on the couch where Ivy had placed her.

"What makes you so sure it's a 'she?'" Ivy replied evenly.

"Clothes, mannerisms, body language…" Harley stopped and put her hands on her hips, "You're changing the subject. You always do that when you're worried. Can't you tell what's wrong with her?" Ivy sighed. Harley was right; she was worried. "Well, I don't think it's the fumes from the marsh. She would've died a long time ago if that was the case."

"Maybe you should give her the vaccinations anyways…" Harley suggested hesitantly.

Ivy shook her head, "She's an alien. We don't know how her body would react to vaccinations." There was a reason besides that, but it went unspoken. Besides protecting against the swamp's toxic fumes, the cocktail vaccination also gave the receiver immunity against the toxins secreted from Ivy's lips and most of the poisons she created in the lab. Basically, it rendered Ivy's powers useless against whoever received it. The only person Ivy had ever trusted enough to give the vaccination to was Harley and that wasn't about to change.

"Her breathing is steady." Harley observed, "That's a good sign."

Shaken from her thoughts, Ivy looked back to their patient. "I don't understand it." She muttered, "She was talking about how she got here without a starship and then suddenly fainted."

"She wasn't talking about how she got here. She was talking about how she forgot." Harley corrected her. The blonde paused, a thoughtful look on her face, "She closed her eyes and was thinking. Like she was trying to remember."

Ivy shrugged, "You're the one with a degree in psychology." She said, "But why would remembering something cause her to pass out?"

"The human psyche is pretty messed up." Harley said with a slight smile, "It will do a lot to avoid a bad memory." The alien stirred, its eyes flickering open, causing both Harley and Ivy to look over.

Ivy cast a worried glance towards Harley before walking over to the alien. "Hey, uh alien, are you okay?" Ivy asked hesitantly.

The alien looked over at her, "My name is Zam Wesell." She said. Her voice sounded strangely hollow now. The sarcastic lilt it had earlier had vanished. She looked over at them, mouth twisted in what looked like a bitter smile, "I'm dead. I guess that makes me some sort of ghost." There were a few moments of silence before any of them spoke.

Finally, Ivy spoke up, "First you tell us you're an alien. And now you're saying you're some sort of zombie?"

Zam shook her head, "I don't know how I got here, but I know I'm dead. " She looked away, a visible shudder running through her body, "I remember being killed."

"You look pretty alive to me." Harley said, leaning forward. Ivy could tell she was getting ready to go into psychologist mode, taking in and analyzing whatever the Zam said.

"I don't know how." Zam said, "I know I'm dead, but somehow I ended up here." She looked around with a newfound interest, "It's as if this is the afterlife."

"Do you remember how you were killed?" Harley asked, her hands searching for something to write on, "Or who killed you?"

"It's a long story." Zam said reluctantly.

"I'm listening." Harley said.

Zam hesitated before beginning. "The man I was killed by was called Jango Fett. I guess you could say that we were dating. If you count going out on assassinations together and splitting the bounty as a date."

Ivy cast a meaningful look at Harley, "Oh great.'" She said dryly, "Another Mr. J."

"What?" Zam asked blankly.

"Ignore her." Harley said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "Tell me about Jango Fett."

"Jango Fett; Human male, legendary bounty hunter, gallows sense of humor-"

"Wait a second." Ivy interrupted, "A human male? But you aren't a human."

Zam nodded, "No, I'm a Clawdite and Clawdites have the ability to change their appearance. Watch, I'll show you." Ivy and Harley both looked on in amazement as Zam's appearance changed rapidly. The first change was in the general shape of her face. The slits disappeared and her skeletal face became fuller until it was about normal. Her eyes and nose shrunk down to human proportions and the bones and muscles rearranged themselves to form a human shaped head and face. The greenish-gray skin changed into a familiar tan and smoothed to a normal human consistency. All of this and the rest of the transformation took place in the space of a single second. Harley and Ivy stared, stunned at the sudden change. Instead of an alien, a young human woman sat in front of them. She had coppery orange hair, styled into a short spiky pixie. Her eyes were a rare shade of dark forest green. There was a puckish charm to her appearance, like some character from a fairytale. "This is the form I usually took when I was with him." She sighed, her sadness now even more evident on a human face, "I can't believe he killed me." She said.

"Don't worry about it." Ivy said, "If he's like most males, stupidity and insensitivity are to be expected."

Harley shot her an annoyed look before continuing with Zam, "If you two were 'dating,' then why did he kill you?" She asked.

"To protect himself." Zam said heatedly. The next words were spoken with a little less anger, "And to protect his son as well. There were these two Jedi who had been chasing me through the streets. Eventually they caught up to me and cut off my arm. They dragged me into an alley and were interrogating me when I saw Jango looking down at us. I thought he was going to rescue me." She shook her head, "Once the Jedi started asking who I was working for, Jango fired a poisoned saber dart into my neck."

"What's a Jedi?" Ivy asked, "Another type of alien?"

Zam shrugged, "More like a cult. Jedi are people from any number of species who use the Force; I don't know much about it, but it gives them the ability to move objects with their minds and some limited telepathy. They are the 'keepers of peace.' They killed Jango's entire family and then 'unknowingly' had him sold into slavery." Zam sighed. Why was she still feeling sympathy for Jango? He had killed her. 'I hate him.' Zam told herself vehemently. She wished she really did hate him. It would be a lot simpler that way. Maybe it would take time for it to sink in.

"Sounds like your typical self-centered male to me." Ivy said. Harley just bit her lip. Ivy knew Zam's story must've hit close to home for Harley, who was dating a criminal of her own.

"Did dying… hurt?" Harley asked, breaking her psychologist's hold.

Zam shook her head, "No. Jango must've used some sort of painless toxin. Just a needle prick in the neck and I was gone."

"So," Ivy started, "If your story is true and you did die… then how did you end up here in Gotham."

"I have no idea." Zam said, "Does stuff like this happen often in 'Gotham?'" Ivy shrugged, "Well, I've never met a zombie alien if that's what you mean. We have 'super heroes,' though."

"Super heroes? Like in kid stories?" Zam asked.

Ivy pondered for a moment before smiling, "They're kind of like your 'Jedi.' They claim to be the keepers of peace… But it rarely works out that way." She gestured at Harley, "My friend Harley and I, we're on the opposite side of these 'heroes.' We've been deemed clinically insane, ostracized, and forced into hiding." Ivy placed her hand theatrically over her heart, her voice mockingly sincere, "All of those heroes, they all say they want justice. So what do they do? They lock us up, the real justice bringers. We're just ordinary folks who want justice in the world." She smirked at her next words, "The heroes just don't understand that death is the best justice there is. No paperwork, no bureaucracy, and definitely no chance of it ever happening again." Ivy grinned, "What more could one ask for?"

Harley burst into applause, "Nice monologue, Red!" She said with a laugh.

"Spoken like a true bounty hunter." Zam added with a small smile.

Ivy gave a dramatic bow, before looking challengingly at Zam. "So, what do you think?" Zam thought for a moment. There had to be a reason she was here. After all, isn't what all the spooks and mystics said? That the dead were sent back to life to complete certain goals? Well, maybe her new life was supposed to be spent as accomplices to these two. After all, what were the chances that fate would place her here, on the toxic doorstep of two other criminals, if the powers that be didn't want her to be a part of it?

"Okay," Zam said, "I'm in."