Part III: Plant Food

Xxx

There it is.

The beeping signal led her ear to this train station to find the source planted on the back of Gotham City's Mayor Hill of all people. He was facing a tall man in a trench coat as a train pulled up and gave him a case filled with money. Seeing something wrong with this Batgirl lowered her scope and pulled out her communicator.

Xxx

In a laboratory fashioned much like green house filled the exotic plants, the beautiful red headed eco-terrorist Poison Ivy was working carefully on her favorite plant, trimming away any dead branches. Her work was interrupted by the sound of glass breaking and she immediately stood up, seeing a hole in the glass wall.

"Who's there?" She called out.

No answer.

Carefully but confidently Poison Ivy walked up to the hole and saw a glowing vial on the ground. She picked it up and noticed a label on it.

GOTHAM CHEMICAL

She placed it under a microscope, analyzing it and took a good look at the chemicals. The chemical was filled with a form of worms she had never seen before. Poison Ivy looked up, seeing this chemical was made as enhancement drug of some kind, the likes of which she had never seen before. She looked over to a cage, holding a plant and a rabbit inside.

She picked up the vial and walked over to it. Leaning over the cage she opened a vial and let out a single drop into the plant. The effect was immediate as the plant started to grow, its roots and branches lashing out as the frightened rabbit trembled in the corner. Poison Ivy watched as the plant's limbs turned to the rabbit…

And grinned at the results.

Xxx

"I found that transmitter you gave to Harley which she was wrapped up in her Mary act. Someone tagged on the mayor and I just saw him pay some trench coat heavy a big stack of cash."

Batman was cruising on patrol through Gotham in the Batmobile when Batgirl had called him. "Mayor Hill? What's he buying? How did he get the transmitter?"

He last saw it in Harley's hands during that night on Gotham Bridge.

"I'm not sure. Wait, Trench Coat just got on the northbound train. I'm tailing him." Batgirl reported.

Batman listened as Batgirl boarded the train.

"Oh…Oh no. Batman, I need back up! Now! They're…They're not even human!" Batgirl cried out before the call was abruptly ended.

Batman immediately sped alongside the train and grappled onto the rear car. Batman already was aware this train had security in the form of electronic doors that would automatically lock if triggered. Batgirl was at the front of the train which was locked. If he was going to get to her in time he needed to destroy the circuit breakers for the locks and find the proper switch to open the doors. Luckily having known about the security system on the train he knew where circuit breaker was and where the switch would be.

Finding the switch and the breakers were not the problem.

It was the green skinned monsters that had somehow taken over the train.

As soon as he entered one car or climbed onto the roof a creature was waiting for him, firing acid at him. Luckily he knew their weaknesses and it was quite easy to down them with Electric Batarangs. Along the way he found the circuit breaks in cars 2, 6, and 9. The final lock was the switch up in car 11.

As Batman made his way through the train he could hear the sounds of Batgirl grunting and fighting over the speakers.

"Get here, Batman!"

"Batman, where are you?!"

She was holding up but if the man in the trench coat was what Batman thought he was then Batgirl wouldn't hold out forever. He made it to car 11 and pulled the switch, opening the final lock on the door of the front car. He rushed forward and opened the door just in time to see the thug had cornered Batgirl, trying to grab but she ducked and crouched down. The thug stopped, seeing Batman at the door and jumped out of the car, falling onto the street below.

Batman rushed over to Batgirl as she stood up. "Are you all right?"

Down on the street the thug stopped a car and pulled the driver out.

"Let's go." Batgirl said simply.

She and Batman leapt out of the train, landing on the street just in time to see the thug drive away in the stolen car. The two turned around to see the Batmobile driving up to them on auto-pilot and stopped just a few feet from Batman who stood perfectly still in its path.

Talk about confidence.

Both quickly got into the bat-themed vehicle and sped off through the streets of Gotham after the thug. It was easy to catch up but the thug deployed plant bombs to try and stop them from catching him.

"He's not stopping." Batgirl said to her partner.

"Smoke him out." Batman told her.

With that Batgirl used a scope and bombarded the car with smoke bombs. The car filled with smoke so much it drove off the road and crashed down below. Parking the Batmobile Batman hopped out and glided down below. The car was on fire and upside down but the radio was working as he could hear the news as he slowly approached.

"…a car chase through the streets of Gotham involving Batman. Crime is at an all-time low following the death of the Joker who was killed several weeks ago on Gotham Bridge…"

Batman ignored the radio as he inspected the crashed car and found nothing…

Except for an apple.

A simple fruit but in Batman's world it was likely much more than that.

Batgirl approached as he looked over the apple. "How does Harley fit into all of this?"

"I don't know." Batgirl answered, sounding as puzzled as he was. "She was nowhere in sight. Just the transmitter you gave her."

Batman faced her. "From the look of the thugs on the train, I'd say Poison Ivy's behind this. Maybe Harley planted the transmitter to lead us to the crime. But why?"

Xxx

Back at the Batcave Batman was at the Bat-Computer, tracking the mayor through the transmitter placed on him.

Just as he found the location he heard Batgirl. "Whoa."

"You find something?" He glanced at her.

Batgirl turned around, looking back at him. "Yes."

"Botanical." Batman guessed knowingly.

"Not your average house plant." Batgirl stepped aside, allowing Batman to see an actual plant growing inside the apple that had been cut in two. "But yeah."

"Do you think it could survive inside a human stomach?" Batman asked.

"It's got a pretty thick hide. You think the mayor ate…" Batgirl trailed off, looking disgusted now. "Oh gross!"

"He's gone to what's left of Gotham Chemical." Batman stated. "Try to figure what Harley's role is in all this. I'm going after the mayor."