Jake loved her.
He hadn't meant to fall in love with a patient. This whole situation was so...messed up. He'd only meant to find a job, pay his bills, try and forget.
You don't join the United States Army expecting to come back in pieces, discharged, thank you for your service but we can't use you anymore. You're broken. Unfortunately, that's what happened. He'd gone--three times he'd gone--and come back slightly more tan and none the worse for wear. The last time though…
It was the looks that really got to him. The looks of pity, of sympathy, the 'oh, I'm afraid we're not currently hiring, but let me make some calls.' All Jake had ever wanted to do was serve his country, have some fun, fight the bad guys, and be a hero. He'd skipped college without a second thought, and ignored anything and almost everything else but the Army.
Arkham overlooked the prosthetic, the limp, the terrible high school transcript and the DUIs. They couldn't afford to be choosy--Arkham paid well for anyone willing to work there. So Jake became the newest custodian, assigned to the Intensive Treatment facility--the place they kept the worst of the worst.
Mr. Cash was very nice, patiently explaining the general safety rules. That first night, the first tour of his rounds was given by Mr. Ferrer.
Jake hated him.
Ferrer was loud and obnoxious, posturing, showing off for him. Intensive Treatment was a horror show--dark, gothic, with distant screams echoing down the dimly lit corridors, begging, pleading, piss and vomit on the walls, patients glaring at him with bloodshot eyes through their shatterproof glass enclosures, leering at him, offering him everything from sucking his dick to cutting out his eyeballs, regardless of gender, as he passed them by. These were the no-names, the generally insane people Gotham and its nightmarish darkside created.
"Ok, bro, you ready?"
"Ready for what?" He watched Ferrer warily, wondering what was coming next.
"Time to see the Veeps, bro. The big guys. The ones the Bat brings in." He said the last part in a conspiratorial whisper.
"Well, I'll be working that hallway, right?" He indicated the electronically locked door, the sign over it reading: Intensive Care--Special Needs Wing. WARNING: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.
"Yeah, gotta clean up after them too. Some of em are pretty gross and deformed both in and out." He passed his key card over the lock, punched his passcode in, and the door opened with a hiss.
This part of the Asylum was old--part of the original house--and much of it was hundred year old stonework, bricks, even hardwood floors in places. He'd have to do a lot of waxing. In contrast, the patient cells were the highest of high tech.
He knew the names, of course. Dent, Harvey. Nygma, Edward. Fries, Victor's inclosure was a giant steel door, a little glass porthole leading to a frozen interior. Most ignored him. Dent--Two Face--stared at him as they walked past, his ruined eye red and crusty as it followed him, but the man said nothing.
"You're lucky. Joker is out right now." Ferrer indicated a large enclosure, the door open. The inside of the room was padded and nothing else was contained inside. "He has special rules. A couple of them do. You never interact with him at all. No talking. No touching. Don't even look at him. If he somehow gets out, you hit the nearest panic room and don't come out til Mr. Cash himself opens the door. Or the Bat."
"The Bat comes here?" He asked, kind of intrigued despite himself.
"Yeah, I seen him. Seven feet tall, huge. Voice sounds like a demon. He looks at you and it's like the devil himself has you."
Jake suppressed a shudder as they continued, listening as Ferrer talked about special rules.
"Ok, this is Quinn." The girl inside would have been pretty if she'd not been staring at him like a hungry animal, her big blue eyes dilated, lips pulled back in a rictus grin, the beginnings of a serious black eye and bruise on her cheek evidence of recent violence.. Her hair was a rat's nest, pulled into messy pig tails, and when she spoke her voice was nasally with an affected 'little girl' lilt.
"Hey there, stumpy. Wanna let me out? I'll give ya some of Joker's sloppy seconds!" She mimed a lewd act, and Jake felt his face burn.
"Shut up, Quinn," growled Ferrer, and slammed the glass with the end of his collapsible baton. The girl jumped back, then promptly flipped him off.
"Come in here an' make me, Furry. I gots a place to put yer stick." Ferrer hit a button on the panel labeled "Quinzel, Harleen F. and the glass darkened.
"Can't let em get to you like that, kid. You won't last a week. That one? She'll slit your throat in a second to get to the Joker. Obsessed. She's sexy as fuck, too, when she's not in here. Such a waste. Things I'd do to her…" he started to trail off, but then stopped, eyes gleaming. "Ok, wanna see the pit?"
"What's the pit?" He'd been staring at the darkened glass.
"UV Light Controlled Cells. It's where they keep Croc and the other female inmate." He nodded, and Ferrer led him to a small, ancient elevator. The thing rattled as it took them down, and they were underneath the Asylum, in the oldest part of the place. Crumbled masonry and the damp, dank, musty smell of old building around them was cloying. The elevator opened up into a single hallway. To the left were old stone steps going down. The right was narrow and twisty, everything lit only in red light, like a photo lab. Even Ferrer seemed quieter.
"Ok, look. There are special rules here. That way," he indicated the steps, "leads to Croc's enclosure. Never go down there. He can wallow in his own filth, you have no reason to clean anything. That thing will eat you...that's what happened to Cash's hand." He made a snipping motion. "He bit it off, dude."
He nodded. Ferrer continued. "This way leads to Poison Ivy. You don't look at her. Don't speak to her. Don't nothing. Bitch is a stone cold killer and she'll make you her own personal piss boy in a heartbeat. That woman will turn you into plant food. You can turn on the real lights to clean around her containment unit, but you have to remember to turn em back off. She gets minimal light...tryin' to keep her weak enough to keep her locked up. She's got actual powers." He nodded, curious now.
"Come on, I'll show you. If Quinn is a shame, she's downright criminal. Hottest bitch I've ever seen. Compared to Quinn who's a 10, I'd say Ivy is 1000!"
They came to a security door with a plaque that read:
Isley, Pamela L
Alpha Level Security
Access Granted only by Cash, Aaron or Arkham, Jeremiah
Ferrer accessed the panel, scanned his retinas and punched in a passcode, and the door opened into an ancient chamber. It was dark, lit only by the eerie green glow of computer screens. There were a bank of them, monitoring the containment unit that dominated the center of the floor. It looked like something out of a sci fi movie--a large, circular chamber with 360 degree visibility on the occupant within. Pipes and cables ran along the floor to it, and it slowly hissed over and over, like it was breathing. The woman sat up when the door opened.
That's when Jake fell in love.
She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, even when Ferrer flipped on the lights, the enclosure was suddenly flooded with glaring fluorescence and she held up an arm and squinted. Her hair was blood red, her skin pale. She'd knotted her Arkham issue shirt up under her full breasts, baring her toned midriff and had stripped off the pants altogether, leaving her long, sinuous legs bare. A perfect brow was arched and she watched them, waiting.
Ferrer was oddly subdued. "Ok, that's her. She can't hear us, and we can't hear her. There's an intercom switch on the wall panel, but you don't ever need to touch it. You'll have access in here to clean, we'll get you set up in the system once all your background checks go through." He flashed an uncomfortable look at her, then scurried toward the door. "Come on."
Jake stared at her, meeting her gaze. Her green eyes were intense. Her full, pouty lips moved...she was saying something. Then she smiled at him--a sensuous curl up of one corner of her mouth.
"Bro, come on. Don't look at her, seriously."
Jake turned to follow, his heart hammering in his chest as Ferrer flipped off the lights.
He already couldn't help himself.
As he looked back at her she was still looking at him.
The next day as Jake did his usual clean up route around the Special Needs Wing where all the big timers were they all made their usual crappy comments but Jake did nothing to provoke or encourage more from them.
Then he made his way down to the pit where she was.
As Jake made his way down the steps with his mop in his hand he knew already that killer croc's enclosure he'd never go to but turned towards the others. As Jake walked down the hallway he was telling himself to stay focused and do the task at hand. After getting the tour and seeing her the first time he went home and did the research on her Pamela Isley otherwise know as Poison Ivy an eco terrorist who was mutated into a humanoid plant hybrid of some sort was once a scientist who preferred plants to people. She dedicated her whole life to saving plants and trees and overall nature no matter what it cost her. She ignored everything and everyone else except her motivation and devotion to preserve and protect and regrow nature. He found himself interested by that common interest between himself and her. That they both sacrifice and ignore the world in order to fulfill their desires and missions. But it struck him when he found out that she can manipulate the so called green of nature and as well as plant toxins and pheromones that trigger men's spawning instincts. In other words he found out she can basically she can control men by making them fall in love with her.
But what made Jake very worried was when he read about how her kiss is fatal that any person she touches through concentration of her toxic-kinesis or anyone she kisses dies from ingested poisoning.
Finally Jake arrived to her enclosure as he entered in the pass code and the door opened to the enclosure he saw her through the glass window awake and sitting on her bed. He flipped on the lights and saw the pink mist that surrounded her cell but it got lower as he entered her cell with his mop and water pale Ivy kept looking at him as he kept mopping the cell floor. Then she smiled at him seductively he looked at her as he stopped mopping looking nervous as his face was beet red.
Ivy giggled at his reaction as she continued to smile.
"Well someone's nervous today!" Ivy finally spoke to him, Jake found her voice beautiful to sweet seductiveness and low tone but not to low.
"Uhhhh!" Was all he got it.
"Well handsome your the asylums new janitor right!" Ivy asked normally.
He couldn't get his words out be he did somehow.
"Yeah am I the Asylum had a opening and I took it given the situation I'm in though." Lowering his head a little in shame and sadness as he continued to mop the floors.
Ivy couldn't help but notice his prosthetic this human had on his left leg.
Jake acknowledged this, and decided to explain what happened to her anyways.
"Yeah it's not much to look at, but then again neither am I as well!" He said trying to hide the depression in his voice.
She look at his face more curiously leaning forward a bit showing off her cleavage of her concealed DD-cups sized breasts.
"Well that I can agree with most humans aren't much to look at and they don't even realize it, that there absurd savages that don't even take the time to enjoy the blossoming children of the green that grow around them!" Jake was at first insulted by this starting to understand what Ferrer was trying to warn him about with her. About thirty minutes later after finishing up he was about ready to leave but looked back at the cell and there was Ivy against the window smiling at him. Jake didn't know what to do but decided to just tell her something he so desperately wanted to tell her.
Jake slowly made his way over to the cell entrance his heart was beating like a jackhammer in his chest the closer he got to her until he was eye level with Poison Ivy. She had neon emerald green sea eyes that were beautiful. He hit the button on the wall to communicate with her. He sighed to himself for what he was about to say. "Excuse miss Ivy but if I may say something for what it's worth I'm sorry that an inspirational woman like you being locked up like a psychopathic killer!" He told her sincerely with a look of remorse on his face.
After hearing this these words he saw the her face looked completely shocked at his comment.
"You think I'm inspirational!" Ivy said softly and in complete disbelief, no one has never said that about her before. Ever!
She looked at him still a little shocked, but actually felt deep down a spark of kindness that she hadn't felt in a very long time.
Jake noticed her giving him a sweet smile that was now showing more respect and passion than seductiveness.
"Look I know I don't know anything about you or how you became like this or why you see plants as living people but I do know what it's like to dedicate yourself and your identity and your entire life to who you desire to be and the cause you believe in!" He felt proud of himself for speaking up about how he truly feels about how he sees her.
"I did however read you backstory and I didn't get the origins but I did get that you were once a brilliant and dedicated botanist Dr. Pamela Isley PHD in botany and toxicology. You spent your whole life studying plants and collecting rare ones that your cared for every day of your life and you were recruited by Dr. Jason Woodrue who convinced you that he could help your caused to save our planets environment, and ended up at some point Poison Ivy and nobody looked at you the same afterwords as nothing but an ecoterrorist and psychopathic killer that seeks to obliterate the human race and remold the world in nature's image, but your not in my eyes, you may not have the sympathy and respect but you have mine Dr. Isley!" Jake concluded smiling at her proudly with admiration. He was about to turn the switch off until Ivy's voice came over.
"Wait!" She pleaded.
He stopped in his tracks retracting his hand as she looked at him as if she was about to cry and she almost did as a tear escaped from her eye.
"Are you naïve or just plain dumb, because nobody would ever say something like that to me and truly mean it, why are you respecting me so much you said it yourself you don't even truly know me as a person!" Ivy complained as best she could at him but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't bring herself to loathe this meat sack.
Once again Jake sighed deeply looking down in sadness and his mind was going down memory lane.
"You're right I don't know personally who you are but I do know what it's like to devote your life and shut everyone and everything else in your life out except those thing and people in your life that will help you achieve you goal and support the cause that gives you purpose in life, like you I was once devote to one thing to be a heroic solider in the U.S. Army and I dedicated my money, time, education, everything to become a hero and serve for God and country I even gave up college for it I don't even have a high school diploma, but eventually I joined and I felt like you I was just see as an expendable I didn't care but three time I went into combat and saved hundreds of lives including the men I served with, but the fourth time I saved lives I nearly lost mine and something else!"
He paused his story to lift up his left pant leg up to the knee to reveal his prosthetic leg which Ivy looked at believe it or not with remorse for him.
"As much as the army took to heart what I willingly sacrificed they didn't take to well to cripples in combat though, and just like that I became a discharge and was given permanent relief from duty, everything I worked for and fought for my purpose and who I was was gone, I wouldn't stand for it but they said that in exchange though that they'd make some calls for a job given my low level education and told me they'd hook me up with a stable paying job in Gotham City at this place Arkham Asylum as a miserable crippled janitor who is a loser with no future!" Jake concluded shedding some tears without noticing.
Ivy couldn't help but feel sorry and she couldn't deny that he had a point about their failed devotions in their lives, but she didn't want to admit it because she knew it would make her look weak and vulnerable.
"Only difference in all this is in the end when we were betrayed but our causes you had the guts to keep fighting and stand for something and continue to try to make a difference, and I didn't because I could even stand up literally anymore."
Even though she hated men she knew that this young solider who had fallen didn't deserve to be this hard on himself. She put her hand on the glass and he put his against the glass over hers as they both lost themselves in the gaze of each other's eyes.
"You might be a miserable dumb janitor who's a complete nobody, but your not in my eyes though!" Ivy told him in a tone of complete respect and compassion as he did for her.
Jake couldn't help but smile shedding another tear only it was out of joy.
"Thank you!" He said softly.
She didn't need words her smile was all he needed to see that she was saying your welcome.
Jake starting to realize that she'd been the only person who truly showed sympathy and respect for him since he lost his leg and knew that she didn't deserve this he wanted to give her a second chance.
Before hitting the com button he deactivated the chemical suppressor to stop the flow of the pink mist in her cell and kept the lights on.
Ivy was completely confused now as she felt her powers starting to flow through her once more.
When she looked back for the janitor but he was gone. Ivy smiled to herself as she felt her babies answer to her calls and then beneath the concrete two large roots bursted out of the ground knocking the walls down of her cell and she was free as she walked to the outer door to exit the enclosure but saw a note on the door that was without a doubt left their by him.
The note said 'Thank you Ms. Ivy for your kindness I know I could never have a second chance but I can give you one that why I'm helping you, now go serve nature as it's hero it needs! P.S. my name is Jake McVenger'
Ivy felt more touched than she ever felt in her life right now. She was going to find him and show him what true love feels like.