Dr. Nygma was still unconscious a few hours later, and Dr. Joker had been occupying himself by drawing on him. He had just finished placing Dr. Nygma's hand in a bowl of warm water when the door to Dr. Quinzel's apartment suddenly opened.
"Hi Doc, need something?" asked Dr. Joker, but she didn't respond. Her blue eyes were glazed over as if in a trance, and she headed slowly toward the stairs. Dr. Joker followed her.
"Doc?" he called. "Hey, Doc!"
She still didn't respond, and Dr. Joker was about to shake her as she had asked, when Dr. Tetch and Dr. Crane intercepted him. "Don't wake her," whispered Dr. Tetch, putting a finger to his lips. "It's very dangerous to do that to a sleepwalker."
"But it could be this ghost thing possessing her!" whispered Dr. Joker.
"It undoubtedly is," replied Dr. Tetch. "And I, for one, would like to observe what it does. It will give us a better idea of what we're dealing with."
"But she could be in danger!" retorted Dr. Joker. "I ain't risking her life for your scientific curiosity!"
"Joker, please trust me!" snapped Dr. Tetch. "If it makes her do anything too dangerous, we will intervene. Until then, we're going to keep silent and observe her."
Dr. Joker obeyed reluctantly, and watched as Dr. Quinzel headed into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator slowly, stared at it with unseeing eyes, and then picked up a handful of fruit. She held these up and whispered something, and they were shocked to see the fruit suddenly moving. Dr. Quinzel turned, carrying them toward the front door and heading outside. She knelt down on a plot of grass on the front yard and began digging with her hands. She dug a shallow hole in the earth, and then lay the fruit carefully down inside it. She covered them over with dirt, and then stood up, raising her hands and muttering some more strange words in an unknown language. To their astonishment, the ground began to writhe, and plants slowly began to sprout from the grass, their roots twisting and spreading along the lawn. The plants grew at an alarming rate, going from saplings to giants in a matter of seconds. They began to sprout thorns and teeth, twisting from regular plants into monstrous, nightmarish plant-creatures.
"Can we stop this now?" whispered Dr. Joker.
"I think that would be wise," agreed Dr. Tetch. Dr. Joker strode across the lawn and suddenly seized Dr. Quinzel by the shoulders.
"Dr. Quinzel, wake up!" he shouted, shaking her. She just gazed back at him blankly, and he saw no other alternative.
"Sorry to have to do this to you, toots," he muttered, raising his fist. His arm was suddenly seized in a vine of thorns, digging into his wrist. Dr. Quinzel was glaring at him, her eyes suddenly wide awake and bright green.
"How dare you try to hit a woman?" she hissed.
"You told me to!" he protested. "If you got possessed…"
"I am not possessed, you pathetic human fool!" she shouted. "I am free! Free to conquer this world and destroy every last pathetic meat sack on the planet! Starting with you!" she growled, as the vines surrounded him, their thorns coming closer and closer to his body.
Dr. Quinzel suddenly went rigid, and then fell limp in his arms, her eyes shutting again. The plants mirrored her response, suddenly dropping to the ground and slithering back into the earth, until no trace of them remained.
"Thanks," gasped Dr. Joker, as Dr. Tetch came over to him, holding up a dart gun with a tranquilizer in it.
"I figured we might need some extra help," he said, checking her pulse. "She's sleeping peacefully again, and will likely have no memory of this when she wakes up."
"Wish I could say the same," muttered Dr. Joker, wincing at the pain in his arm. "Does anyone know what the hell that was?"
"I think I might have an idea," said Dr. Crane, slowly. "I came across something earlier tonight which all makes sense in light of this. But let's return Dr. Quinzel to her room first, and then I'll share my findings."
Dr. Joker nodded, lifting her up gently and carrying her back to bed. He tucked her in carefully, and then joined Dr. Tetch and Dr. Crane in his study.
Dr. Crane had several books open on the table. "This is a translation of an ancient Roman text," he said. "It speaks of a cult native to Greece who worshipped a primitive deity similar to the goddess Gaia, or what we might term Mother Nature. But while we use that term as a metaphor, this cult believed there was an actual female goddess who created and controlled nature, specifically plant-life. She was said to be both woman and plant, and incredibly beautiful…"
"That doesn't seem likely, when you think about those two things mixing," interrupted Dr. Joker.
"Nevertheless, she was said to be very beautiful," continued Dr. Crane. "The members of her cult worshipped her and all nature, never daring to cut down a tree or disturb any of her creations, for her wrath was said to be as powerful as her beauty. If she was ever angered by a group of humans, she would send her plants to utterly destroy and consume them, leaving no trace of their existence. Her sect died out in the modern age, as nature was further destroyed by progress, but had a revival, according to this book, in the early 20th century," he said, turning to a different book. "After the First World War and the substantial loss of life due to modern advances, many people believed that technology did more harm than good, and were looking for a return to a simpler time. This sect re-emerged from the shadows, and used human sacrifices in order to appease this goddess and have her cross over from the spirit world to purify and destroy the world of machines with nature. A man called Mr. Jason Woodrue was head of her cult at this time. I managed to go through the census records, and guess where he resided?"
"Dr. Quinzel's apartment," replied Dr. Joker.
"Correct," replied Dr. Crane, nodding. "Mr. Woodrue was eventually arrested and executed for murder, but before facing the electric chair, he gave his final statement as follows: 'She will purge all foul and imperfect humanity and replace it with pure and perfect plant life. She will eradicate all that humans have built and return the earth to nature. She will reign over centuries, her floral children will consume all, and the earth will once more return to the Garden of Eden, free of humanity's poisonous influence.'"
"Cheerful guy," commented Dr. Joker.
"So you think Dr. Quinzel is being possessed by this ancient goddess?" asked Dr. Tetch.
"It would explain how she can control plant-life," replied Dr. Crane. "But I only really made the connection when I read the name aloud," he said, pointing to it. "This goddess's name was Toxicodendron Radicans."
"Toxic bender radical!" exclaimed Dr. Joker, snapping his fingers.
"Exactly," replied Dr. Crane. "Said aloud, they sound very similar."
"Toxicodendron Radicans," repeated Dr. Tetch, thoughtfully. "I know that name."
"So do I," replied Dr. Crane, opening yet another book on botany and pointing to it. "I knew it sounded familiar. Toxicodendron Radicans – it's Latin. For Poison Ivy."