It seemed like Harry wasn't even out of the compound for about two seconds before he saw some vines moving around. His eyes narrowed as he looked around and two words came to mind rather nicely.
'Of course.'
The giant plant monsters were moving on their own accord and Chloe opened her mouth, before shaking her head.
"That looks like something out of my worst nightmares," Chloe said and she saw a strained residue coming off of the plants. She didn't know what it was, and at this rate, she didn't really want to know.
"Well, they're going to be mulch right now," Kara said, aiming her heat vision and shooting at the vines, preventing the plants from moving. The heat vision cut through the vines at a sickening manner and she stopped.
There was no dice, the plants were bleeding but they repaired their vines and new plants grew from them. Harry looked at the plants, mouth hanging open before the obvious conclusion became obvious.
"Okay, we can't destroy them with heat vision," Harry said and Cir-El and Karen combined their attacks, using their super cold breath to freeze the plants in their tracks.
"Well that works nicely…..or not," Cir-El said, wincing as the plants broke free through the ice. The cracks were subtle at first and they shot through.
Imra used her telekinesis to try and keep the plant monsters at bay. There was sweat rolling down her face, she was breathing heavily but somehow she managed to hold them off, just a bit more. The woman was nearly forced to her knees as they worked through.
"I don't know about these things, they seem to be…"
"Nothing is impossible," Diana said, as she dodged the attacks. The spikes that shot at her were deflected by her wrist bands.
She knocked them back towards a building, causing said building to topple down to the ground. It was about ready to fall over.
"I did warn you that it was a jungle in Gotham City, didn't I?" Chloe asked and Harry shook his head.
He couldn't worry about this, even though there was a lot to worry about. He saw the plants frail around, the monstrous vines threatened to crush the members of his team.
Harry muttered underneath his breath, he hoped that this worked. In the back of his head, the formula for weed killer was formed.
Were the plants too evolved that normal herbicides did not work?
Kara, Karen, and Cir-El caused a cloud of super powerful wind but the plants could survive in the winter time. So that did not leave them with a very favorable option that they could make them survive in something else.
"You know, I'm open to suggestions if you have them," Zatanna said, as she was dangled up in the plants, the vines going underneath her costume. This was starting to become extremely uncomfortable as the plants were getting very touchy-feely with her.
Zatanna tried to escape the plants but they were not done feeling her up. The woman closed her eyes, trying to channel some mystical energy through the vines and make them release her. That was easier said than done to be honest.
Kara dodged the plant vines and she grabbed one of them, with a large spike at the end. The blonde pivoted in mid air, took the large spike, and spiked the plant in the heart, causing it to give a blood curdling shriek in agony.
The blonde stopped and stared, there was something that hurt these plants. The blonde could not believe it, but never the less it was there.
"Well, I think I found a weak spot," Kara said, following Cir-El's progress.
"Given these readings the plants are vulnerable to one thing….themselves…" Tess said and she paused.
"Yeah, but they're going to figure out that weakness and how to avoid it, so we best move quickly," Harry said, creating a purple shield around him. The plant was knocking but it couldn't come in.
He pushed the plant back, causing the limbs to fly everywhere. It began to hack up its fellow plants like a helicopter blade.
Chloe grabbed onto one of the plants, avoiding the vines. She stabbed it with one of the spikes that she picked up. Poison caused the plant to explode into a gooey mess.
"And they're not reforming that way, brilliant," Chloe said with a wide smile on her face. She was starting to feel like an extra out of a very bad Hentai.
"Yeah, it is," Harry said and he could hear the pained moans nearby. It was almost like a woman, crying out in distress because of the loss of the plants.
"Well, let's not let up right now," Imra said, levitating several of the broken plant spikes into the air, and handing them to Luornu who split into three distinct parts.
She hurled the spikes like javelins, impaling the plants with one solid shot. Their screams could be heard and it was like a horrific symphony of terror.
The plants getting spiked left them in an extremely vulnerable position. Harry could not help but smile at what was going on now, and they were just getting warmed up.
"Are they retreating?"
Harry watched them, that was very curious. One of the remaining plants threw its vines into the air, as if it was a human who was throwing up the white flag, claiming that it was surrendering. That lead to very many questions.
Chloe slapped a tracking device on one of the escaping plants. One could not be too careful with a situation like this.
"Never can be too safe," Chloe said and that was agreed by all.
The question was where did the plant go in the chaos? That was something that all of them wanted to know and that's something that they would all learn when they regrouped.
It was back to the warehouse, which seemed to be the most secure place in the Badlands or Gotham City. It didn't make any sense but hopefully after a little investigation of what they were up against, they would hopefully find out some answers.
Hopefully, with Barbara downloading the last remains of the Oracle system onto the Legion computer and getting an information dump from Tess inside. Hopefully she would have that valuable insight on what the hell was going on.
Barbara was just done getting brought up to date and the woman frowned as she heard what happened.
"Well, Gotham City did go downhill after I had been put to sleep," Barbara said, sighing. She worked as Batgirl several years, Oracle for several more, and finally Gotham City Police Commissioner. The Joker had ended her career as Batgirl in the most sadistic way possible, but she didn't let that take her down.
"So, all of this happened…"
"Yes, I tried my best to clean up the city as Commissioner," Barbara told him. "It was in my final years that I built that program and I assume that I died peacefully in my sleep at a ripe old age, content that the city was back to normal."
"But you should have never assumed something like that," Chloe told Barbara and Barbara gave the most exasperated sigh that she could manage.
"No, I'm obviously an idiot for assuming something like that," Barbara told Chloe, shaking her head. "But anyway, these plant monsters…..it's the reason why Gotham was inhabitable for so long according to the Legion."
"So you got brought up to speed?"
"Yeah, the information drop was rather mind numbing, but yes, I'm up to speed," Barbara said with a smile on her face. "If nothing else, it shows me how messed up things were….."
"I'm not sure if it would be any better if we had a complete set of information,' Chloe warned Barbara and Barbara smiled.
"Right, right, yes, right," Barbara said, shaking her head and giving a long sigh. "So we've got….."
She figured that there was only one person behind this.
"Isley's really gone further off the deep end than I thought," Barbara said and the Legion females looked at each other.
"Of course, Poison Ivy, it makes sense," Cir-El said. Needless to say she had some memories of Poison Ivy essentially using her powers to use Clark her puppet against Batman. Good thing Batman never left the cave without that Kryptonite.
"Yes, it does make sense, a disturbing amount of sense at that," Chloe continued, the evil plant monsters going around Gotham, that really did show what they were going up against.
Harry paused for a second and looked at her. "They evolved."
"After all the attempts from Joker, Scarecrow, and god knows who else to gas and poison all of Gotham, there has to be some elements that finally twisted the city," Barbara said, shaking her head. "And Pam…..well she was as much as a genius as she was kind of insane. So she would be able to manipulate those elements to her benefit."
Barbara spent some time getting herself back up to speed. Poison Ivy was in Arkham during her last known records. Then there was a huge Earthquake that went through Gotham City, but things got rather murky. Mostly because there was no one who was willing to keep historical records.
"The only thing that I can figure out about what happened is rumors and hearsay," Barbara commented, frowning as she bit down on her lip and combed through the records. They were immense with what she had in front of her. "And let's face it, that doesn't do us any good."
"Well no, rumors are like blowing smoke out of your ass," Kara said.
"Yeah, and a lot of urban legends, which have to start somewhere," Barbara said, and she moved forward, completely mobile. "They say that crime fighting is like a bicycle, you never forget, no matter how many times you get hurled off of it."
"But it's an addiction as well," Harry warned her and she smiled.
"You'd know well and good about that, now wouldn't you?" Barbara asked him and Harry would not confirm or deny that statement. But she had a pretty good idea where he was going with that one.
"Very well, yes," Harry said, no matter how many times he wanted to get away, there was no escaping it for long. At least that's what he really figured. It was an addiction, some might call it an illness. Then again, an addiction and an illness was not mutually exclusive by any means. "But, you know what we're going to have to do now?"
"We're going to actually have to go in there in Gotham City, aren't we, that's what you're going to say?" Chloe asked, and giant plant monsters were not her idea of a good way to spend her Saturday Night. Especially ones that had this uncanny valley quality that made her shiver.
"Is there some kind of traumatic incident that you'd like to share with us, Chloe?"
"Well…..there was this time…." Salu started and Chloe side stepped her.
"I thought we'd agree that none of us we're going to bring that up ever again," Chloe said and the newer members of the Legion looked at each other. "It was a lifetime ago."
"Not too long ago, actually," Imra commented lightly. "If it's still causing you stress."
"Look, I'm fine but….why are we going in there anyway?"
"I hate to say this, but she does have a point," Tess said over the radio and Barbara chimed in with a few words of her own.
"Well there's nothing left in Gotham City to save," Barbara remarked, nervously biting down on her lip but Harry decided to point out the painfully obvious.
"Maybe," Harry told her and Barbara's eyes popped towards him, raising her eyebrow. "But now that she's stirred up by us being here….."
"She'll send reinforcements later, and she might get the idea to run the world," Barbara said. "So, you woke her up."
"Well, Harry has a habit of waking things up," Karen said, unable to resist herself. "There wouldn't happen to be any Ancient Runes in Gotham City, is there?"
"Probably, why?" Barbara asked and Karen gave a slight groan at the thought.
"Well, Harry and Ancient Runes of all types don't get along," Kara said and Harry looked at her, with a scowl. The younger blonde planted a kiss on her husband's cheek, barely keeping herself from grinning. "Just telling you the truth."
"Well we won't accomplish anything standing there and waiting for her to come to us," Cir-El said, intensity flashing through her eyes. "Let's bring the fight to her."
She was bold, she was intense, she just hoped that wouldn't get the better of them. Never the less it was out of the Badlands and into Gotham City.
"So, what happened?" Harry asked Chloe and Chloe flinched, turning slowly towards Harry.
"I'd rather not talk about it, please," Chloe said, biting down on her lip and Harry smiled.
"Okay fair enough."
Pamela Isley had been asleep so long that she had little knowledge of how the world had changed around her. All she knew and all she cared about was how Gotham City became a safe haven for her and her babies. The woman's lips curled into a bright smile as she got excited with what was going to happen.
Then she felt sorrow. Every plant that suffered, she felt it's pain.
"No, no, no, LEAVE THEM ALONE!" she yelled at the top of her lungs but her voice was only a whisper in the wind.
Gotham City big business cut down more forests for their factories than the big business of any other city in the world. Precious flowers were stomped on, destroyed.
It was just getting worse, as she saw in her mind's eye her precious babies being destroyed. But then, once she got access to the temple, she made them stronger, more secure. Yes, they were more secure. They would thrive in Gotham City.
When her plants got stronger, her connection to them grew. The people who were left in Gotham City…..well they did have certain qualities that allowed her to nourish her plants. Some were mutated to a higher stage of evolution. They should feel privileged, they added beauty to Mother Earth.
The dark temple was something that offered her sanctuary, and the juices in the pits, well they increased the strength of her precious children. The woman licked her tongue over her mouth, moistening her lips and smiling.
Suddenly, she could see one of her poor plants drag its way back inside. It was essentially limping, mangled.
"Poor baby," Ivy whispered as she leaned down touching it. She could see the scorch marks from heat vision on it but that should heal. And stab wounds. "Don't worry, Mommy will make everything better."
She caressed the plant like a wounded child and it twitched, it looked completely worn down and absolutely wrecked.
"They don't understand the perfect world that I've built but no one did, no one ever will," she whispered as she continued to run her fingers over the top of the plant.
She stood up, using some of the chemicals within the pit to heal it. It had addictive properties that she noticed but it returned the plants back to life.
"Yes, grow, thrive, get stronger, strong enough to gain revenge on those who done this to you," Ivy whispered in an excited, seductive voice.
She nearly shook as she nurtured her poor baby, bringing it back to life. She had to coax it back to a state where it could thrive, survive.
"You're going to be all better now, trust me," she cooed in a low voice and smiled as the plant twitched its vine a slight bit.
It was growing all better already and she knew that sooner rather than later, they would come to her.
"Heroes, they don't change much, thinking they do good, even though they harm the innocent."
Batman protected scum in Gotham City but he wouldn't protect that which was truly important. It drove Ivy mad to see everything suffer, when the monsters who caused these problems should be the ones suffering.
"It's okay, just thinking about the torment that you'd go through," Poison Ivy whispered, her voice getting excited. No one had entered Gotham City, was it six hundred years? Maybe seven hundred years, perhaps eight hundred, she couldn't recall off of the top of her head.
Poison Ivy knew of the creature that roamed the area along the Badlands but he didn't attack her plants. He was only interested in fresh meat, which allowed them to live a peaceful coexistence.
Or as peaceful as anyone could live with a beast like that.
She could sense them coming closer into the city. The pit bubbled, it had changed in the past several hundred years since she had been asleep.
"It's okay, it's okay, we'll thrive, they aren't going to hurt us," she whispered, cradling her killer plants and stroking them like they were a kitten.
She got to her feet and the larger Venus Fly trap turned towards her, nodding its grisly head, with sharp teeth jutting out towards her.
"Yes, behave yourself," Pamela said, her smile growing rather wicked. She sensed that her guests were drawing even nearer.
It would be rather rude not to welcome them. Even though they were rude attacking her children in their own domain, where it sickened her so much. The woman's eyes flashed as she prepared to greet them.
It would be delightfully amazing what she could see and she lifted her hands, rubbing them together as she prepared to give them a greeting that they would never forget.
Shedding her leaf like skin, she allowed it to form a second duplicate of her.
"You have your orders," Ivy whispered and the duplicate inclined its head towards her.
"Yes," it whispered and turned around, walking off.
The world was in her hands and now all she had to do was wait. It was with a heavy heart that some of her babies didn't return home. They would never experience nourishing sunlight ever again. They would never bring new beauty to the world.
Callously killed, just like the rest. They will pay for that one. They will pay.
She closed her eyes and waited for her duplicate to report back. Her plants would feast tonight.
They were inside Gotham City, which was not really an ideal position for them to be.
"Okay, we've got to find Poison Ivy," Karen said, and she knew by now that saying it and doing it, were two different things. The blonde could see the jungle in Gotham City and while the plants were not moving, there was a sense that they taunted them, almost dared them to come inside.
"Yeah, about that….." Chloe said as she could see the vines sway around them. Imra grew rigid and pointed forward. "What is it?"
"She's not happy," Imra said and one didn't have to be a telepath to figure that much out.
There was a loud rumbling, extremely dangerous sounding and Ayla decided to say what they were all thinking.
"And by not happy, we mean….."
"Kind of pissed off, yes," Salu said, her gaze locked forward. The vines swayed and she followed their progress, her heart skipping a few beats as she saw what was going on in the distance.
"Wonderful," Harry said, as he scanned to see if there was something.
There was a loud grunt and something nearly poked its hand from an open manhole. Quickly, Karen levitated the manhole cover up and slammed it down on the hand, slicing it off at the wrist.
"Well at least the levitation spells are going as planned," Karen said, trying to keep her thoughts positive.
"Yeah, that's a good thing, really," Harry said, looking towards Karen with a smile but there was a loud grunt.
"Well, not that good," Diana said, as she could hear the grumblings in the sewers beneath them.
Barbara stepped forward, scanning. She was glad that she used a more mobile source, because otherwise she couldn't move around.
Not too much of Gotham City changed, other than the big parts of Gotham City that changed. Like there were these vines and it looked like a jungle out there.
"The Titan canisters must have busted open and leaked into the water supply…..mutating some of the survivors, homeless even, they must have taken refuge in the sewers," Barbara said and she shook her head. "God only knows what else is down there as well…"
She could see some vapors in the air. Thankfully the Legion members wore air filter masks, because traveling in a different number of environments throughout space, that was a must.
"Lazarus," Harry whispered, sensing it immediately.
"You noticed it too, huh?" Barbara asked him and Harry nodded.
The Lazarus Pits were all over the world, although Harry and Kara had to knock a fair few of them out. Including one that was too close to where the Forbidden Zone zombies were. Harry shuddered to think what would happen if she dunked into one of those.
The point was kind of moot now but it was a horrifying case of what might not have been.
"And here comes my worst nightmare again," Chloe said, seeing a giant twelve foot plant monster with vines and large of sharp teeth. It was kind of shaped like a vagina, if they were honest with themselves.
"Yes, I can see, that's something that would give anywhere nightmares," Imra said and she closed her eyes. "And it's kind of bloody pissed off."
"Only kind of?" Harry asked and he could sense that Ivy gave her baby a healthy dose of the Lazarus Pit, which made this all sorts of fun and games. The sorcerer dodged the attacks. It had armor which would prevent them from stabbing its own poisonous spikes into it again.
"Damn it, it has to have a weak spot," Kara yelled, she winced as she was left with nothing but sore knuckles after hitting the hard spot.
"Yeah, we're finding it, trust me," Diana said and she managed to hook her lasso around the head, for lack of a better term, of the creature. The creature's feral growl caught her off guard and Diana was nearly whipped back.
She ducked her head, doing a forward roll, and landed on the ground.
"You cannot fight Mother Nature!"
Harry got Karen's attention and pointed her forward.
"Sheldon Park is where she's at," Harry said and Karen nodded. One of the vines shot towards him but Harry caught it, and jumped into the air.
Karen grabbed another vine, Kara grabbed a third, Cir-El grabbed a fourth, and Diana grabbed a fifth.
The females on the ground wondered what they were doing, but they all flew in separate directions.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
There was a loud scream of anguish as the plant was torn to pieces, causing its green blood to drip onto Gotham City.
Harry dropped down, and the vines around him began to attack. He used a slicing spell and vanished the remains before they grew back.
"Harry has the right idea, let's do a little gardening," Kara said and she used her heat vision and Karen used hers as well.
The heat vision burned through the plants, Harry was hoping, perhaps against hope to drive Poison Ivy out into the open to face him. The loud screams could be heard as more precious blood spilled to the ground.
'Any second now, it's going to happen,' Harry thought to himself, waiting for it, he waited a little bit more.
"YOU DARE!"
Poison Ivy showed up in the flesh.
"You thought that you could beat me, but Gotham City is mine and soon the world will be in the palm of my hands," she whispered, as the plant vines shot at him.
They caught the vines and destroyed them, which caused her lots of pain.
"You must be sucking down the Lazarus fumes a bit too hard, Ivy," Barbara said, walking forward.
"You dare….."
A loud growl had brought their attention elsewhere and another growl showed that there was trouble coming.
It was big trouble, a term that might have gotten redefined with each passing moment. The large beast approach them and the entire group turned toward him as he approached.
Urban legends did have a lot of truth to them, at least this one was looking to have truth.
To Be Continued on August 23rd 2014.