The two heroes looked up at the huge tube. They were miles below the surface, in some underground lab, sponsored by Wayne industries. The entire lab was dark but the tube cast a bight enough glow that no light was needed. The huge tube filled to the brim with glowing, glittering pink red water, cast the entire place in an eerie angry glow. However, that was not what the boys had come to see. They were focused solely on what was inside the tube.
Hair flowing out and rapping, tendril like around the tubes that were pumping pure oxygen into the sinfully pouty mouth. The boy was nude save for a pair of simple black jocks. However, even in the red/pink glow the slight pale green tin to the skin could be seen. He was young in appearance. 16 or 17 by the look of him even though the two boys who looked on at him were reaching their mid twenties.
He had been floating in that tube for quite a few years now. After the epic battle, after he had tried to go back to a normal human life, after he had begun to be come less than human.
He was like an eternal doll held in a glass case seeming to sleep forever.
"How are his vitals?" said the dark skinned youth with the heavy dreads to the lab tech beside him.
"He's steady as always. Every now an then his heart rate will rise and his pulse will quicken but we think its just dreams he's having."
"You've been keeping the water filled with the right minerals and sugar?" ask the blonde-haired person you next to his partner.
"You can't give him too much or too little."
"No disrespect sirs but we have been looking after him for years now. We know what to do. You don't need to worry."
The two heroes smirked and looked at each other.
"When it concerns Ivan, we've learned that worry is all you can do.," said the blond known as Gear
"When we think he'll do one thing, just as we get comfortable and lax about him, he'll do something unexpected and we'll have to run after him again." Said the Static.
"Batman says he will sending in a group of young heroes to look after him while you two are off doing whatever it you need to do." said the lab tech staring just as adoring at the beauty in his glass coffin as the other did.
Ever male in the lab was just as protective if not more so as these two everyone of them had fallen in love with the flower child over the years and wanted only to care for him till such time as he could be awaken. Until he could be cured.
"The serum seems to be keeping the plant D.N.A passive but every now and then a flower or plant in the rooms above will go berserk and try to kill its owner, usually when he's having his nightmares. We have stopped all employees from having entire of flora on the premises.
The two heroes said nothing. They just continued to stare up at the tube. Hearts heavy.
Suddenly alarms started to blare glaring green lights began to flash.
"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" said the computerized voice.
"Poison ivy?" asked Gear
"No this intruder is human, completely and utterly human… in a red and black suite" said one of the other lab tech from a computer monitor. He tapped a few buttons and sure enough a big burly blond was back flipping and somersaulting over the guards in the main passage leading to the lift that went down to the lab. He wore a skintight jumpsuit one-side red with black diamond and the other side red. A small black mask lined his eyes and he carried a huge cartoonish wooden mallet.
"Call Batman now." said Static. "We'll take care of the clown."
He and Gear turn and rushed doff leaving the lab techs to hold down the fort.
They were armed; they could handle any one who came through the lift. They would die before they let anyone hurt Ivan.
Precious was the poison that they protected.