Location: Chinatown, Lost Haven, Maine. Gaia’s voice echoed in his mind as he glanced over at her spirit self floating next to him as they crossed the rooftops towards their destination,
“I mean, we’re basically letting two complete strangers know where we live...one of whom tried to kill you not even a couple of hours ago, in case you forgot?”“Well, when you put it like that, I sound like a brain-dead moron,” Evergreen retorted through their shared connection, causing Gaia to narrow her eyes at him and to which he sighed,
“Look...believe it or not, I understand how you feel...and under normal circumstances I probably wouldn’t even consider this...but as things stand right now, neither of us are in a position to be picky about whom we ask for help. Whomever took Nemesis is obviously gonna be well-armed and dangerous...so we need all the help we can get.”“I’ll give you that one, I suppose…” Still, Gaia rolled her eyes, obviously not liking the idea but going along with it anyways since she knew how much Nemesis meant to her partner,
“...And on the off chance either of them decide to backstab us?”“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” He said back with certainty,
“For now, let me just bring up a famous quote I once heard...the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”Of course, even their eternal conversation would be drowned out by the brash outbursts of the mercenary, running alongside them as opposed to flying above them, a calculated move to avoid any more unwanted attention by the authorities.
“I’m not going to lie, I would’ve pegged you for a woodsy type, hiding out in some hollowed oak in the middle of some thick forest, spending your time using spores or something to keep an eye on the city, yet that’s not where we are headed...your base is in the city, isn’t it?”Turning away from his current conversation, Evergreen glanced over at the mercenary. He didn’t trust the guy as far as he could throw him...but if he really was the same “War Pulse” whom had taken part in those other superhuman incidents then he felt he could at least give him the benefit of the doubt...for the time being anyways,
“You’re sharp, I’ll give you that much, mercenary…”“I ain’t just a handsome mug, Greenpeace.” The merc responded, offering a cheeky sneer from behind his torn up face mask.
“But that doesn’t answer my question.”While the two metas were running to where they were going to hunker down while making the next set of plans, Fletch had finally reached the place where she had parked her motorbike. Fortunately for her, the bike was undamaged from the explosion that tore down the block.
It is a good thing I parked you here than closer to where everything happened, she thought, jumping onto the saddle of the bike and fired the bike up. Wasting little time while the metas were approaching where they were meeting, she rocketed out of the alleyway, tires screeching before gaining traction. From there, it didn’t take long before she caught up with the mercenary and plant-man.
He motioned for his posse to follow him down an alleyway,
“Outside the city’s what you’d expect, right? Hide out somewhere that I can constantly be at my full strength? But the thing is...if someone were trying to track me down, the forests would probably be the first place they’d think to look, don’t you agree?”
“I met you like 20 minutes ago why the hell would I know--”Without waiting for an answer, he turned and headed off down another path,
“They would likely try to burn and poison the forests just to force me out into the open...and let me tell you, my friend and “employer” would not take that well...at all…” He let those words hang in the air for a second before continuing,
“So, I figured that if I set up shop within the heart of town, I would be right under everyone’s noses...and it would be the last place anyone would think to look for me,” Despite how proud he sounded, he scratched the back of his neck,
“I kinda used that principle of how when you look for something, it’s usually in the last place you think to look for it…anyways, we’re almost there.””It makes sense to think like that,” Fletch commented, pushing the bike as she trailed behind.
”And I would assume that if the people tracking you were to use fire in the woods, you would not only think about keeping the hideout secret, but make sure that anyone caught up in the conflict is safe. Having your hideout here eliminates one area of focus.”“The commute totally has to be a major bonus as well.” The merc chimed in, his signature swagger as present as ever.
“Wouldn’t want Lost Haven’s favorite leafy green to spend an hour trying to ride seaweed crossing the bay while the town’s suffering the latest metahuman causing a scene in the cit-”It hit the mercenary mid comment that the scenario he was describing was the exact scenario he had just caused with his own bravado and violent antics. A momentary blank stare emanated from War-Pulse as he tried to think up a non-sequitur so as not to bring up their recent situation.
“Right, how about that secret base?” He came up with, completely failing at the idea of subtlety.
“We should talk about that now and nothing else.”He finally came out behind the buildings to what looked like a fence closing off a large space and stretching on all around the area. The plant man stopped and turned to face the others,
“Before I show you what lies beyond here, I need your solemn word that you will not breathe a word of what you see here to anyone, agreed?”Fletch observed the area as she pushed the bike close to the fence. As Evergreen asked for a vow to not reveal what he was about to show, she looked at the area around her.
Definitely one of the last places to look, she thought before turning her gaze to the plant-man.
”And for me to risk my non-meta life with the pinnacle of the stone age as my only protection, you won’t have to worry about me. I’ll keep this quiet.” The ‘weapon of the stone age’ comment was a slight jab at the mercenary, letting him know that she hasn’t forgotten that comment. At least she still has an inventory of possible arrows to design for future use, though she needs to figure out what to do with the quantity of the types of arrows.
“Oooooo, someone’s got a bit of a chip on her shoulder.” War-Pulse jeered, offering a cheeky grin towards Fletch with taunting gesture of a finger gun aimed in her direction. His brash sneer wore off quickly when he turned his attention back to Evergreen, reaching out with a free hand in an attempt to grab the hero’s shoulder and turn him around to force eye contact.
“But we can get to Robina Hood and her bow and arrow later. In regards to your question...Greenpeace, Veggieman, Flowerboy, buddy, let me level with you. I’m tired, I’m wearing about one fifth of the clothes I started with today because most of them got blown off by a missile, and I reek with a mixture of daffodils and brimstone due to numerous conflicts, and I have no information because my contact has been offline since I grabbed a live wire to recharge myself. If you can offer me a bath and a change of clothes, your little base is safe with me. So long as that change of clothes fit me and aren’t made of hemp or something, so help me if I have to wear leaves!”Evergreen actually had to take a moment to digest all the merc was ranting about. By now, he got the sinking suspicion that War Pulse was not all there in the head...then again, he did mention grabbing a live wire to recharge himself so that wasn’t helping his case. Finally, he sighed and gently removed his hand,
“Ok, I’ll believe you...follow me…and try not to be too overwhelmed by what you see...” He turned and waved a hand to the wooden fence, causing it to seemingly liquify and reshape itself into a gate-like structure.
He gestured to his guests to follow him through as...well, to put it bluntly, it was like walking into a whole other dimension. They left behind the hustle and bustle of the city and arrived in what looked like a chunk of the Garden Of Eden cut off and put in its own self-enclosed space. A massive glass roof was above them letting sunlight shine down on large fields of greenery and rows of flowers, a number of which were so colorful and large that it was likely they didn’t exist in any books.
The trees were massive and majestic, some of which looked big enough to stick an entire house in its branches. The chirping of birds could be heard along with the squeaks of squirrels as they rustled through the trees. A bunch of other rather strange-looking plants lied strewn about the area, and seemed to be...quietly breathing somehow. There were even shadows within the trees, as if silently observing the newcomers.
“Holy crap…” The mercenary exclaimed under his breath, slowly spinning in a circle as he walked in behind the plant-based hero, getting a full panoramic view of the incredible landscape hidden away within the confines of Lost Haven.
“I feel like we just walked into that forest in Lord of the Rings where all those walking trees came from...only if that forest were in someone’s basement.” War-Pulse’s tone belied his sarcasm, it was rare to see the mercenary legitimately in awe at something, but this organic grandeur displayed before the mercenary certainly was impressed by sight.
“You sure know how to grow a garden, Greenpeace. What do you use? Miracle Gro?" He joked placing his hands on his hips as he glanced at a particularly large tree, nearly looming over him.
“Where the hell do you even get the fertilizer for this many plants?”Evergreen paid no mind as he walked towards an apple tree,
“Welcome to my home. Please, make yourselves comfortable…” He arrived at the tree and waved to it,
“Hey Sam. What’s up? Looking great today as always…” For a moment, there was silence, before he snickered for no reason,
“I know, I know, I missed you too, bud. Listen, you mind helping me take care of our guests?” Another moment of silence,
“Great! Thanks, man,” “Is he...is he uhh….talking to the plants?” The mercenary mused aloud, mostly to himself but loud enough for the archer to hear as he gestured towards Evergreen.
“I mean I’ve seen my share of tree-huggers in my time, but that...that’s a new one.”He jumped up to the branches and removed a couple of red apples, jumping down with them. They were twice as big as normal apples and gave off an inviting aroma, similar to apple pie,
“Dig in, guys! Don’t worry about me, I don’t really need to eat all that much…”Fletch ignored the mercenary’s jeer, sneering at him in return. Once everyone agreed to not reveal everything, the plant man waved his hand at the fence. Her eyes looked on in disbelief as it morphed into a gate, her expression perhaps betraying a little bit of her reaction. As she followed the group through the newly-erect gate, she looked around in awe at what was on the other side. Obviously, there was one person who was overwhelmed by what was here. This reached a head when the plant man spoke to one of the trees, her eyes having the ‘what the hell’ look through the yellow-tinted glass.
I must be dreaming, she concluded, holding back to literally pinching herself. This spellbound dream was broken when an apple was offered to her. Not wanting to be rude, she took the apple and thanked him for it. However, she refrained from eating it as her cowl was still on. Even now, she was not 100% sure if one of these guys were working for the Penose so she had to be careful.
Before Evergreen even finished his sentence, War-Pulse had already snatched up an apple in each hand and viciously was tearing into one from behind his torn up face mask. Up until that point, War-Pulse had not realized how hungry he had been until his instincts took over. He had been fighting non-stop and while he tended to utilize raw energy as a sustenance, his body was still capable of transforming food into energy as well, to which these oversized fruits would hopefully satisfy his sudden, rabid hunger.
“Right, now,” The mercenary began in between another sloppy bite of the apple, tearing another chunk before even finishing his first bite.
“We’ve satisfied one need, but I have two others...bathing and clothes…which I need both of.” He gestured to his form, still covered in what remained of his battle attire.
“I’m not usually one for flaunting what I got, so I could really use a pair of clothes or something. I know I said no leaves on the surface, but I’m really starting to feel underdressed and would totally settle for hemp...and a bath. Seriously, I’m surprised the two of you can stand being within smelling distance of me, because I can smell me. And it is...pungent.”The plant-based superhero had to do his best not to roll his eyes at the merc’s rudeness, deciding to focus on more important matters.
“I might be able to at least provide you with that much…” He turned and gave a loud whistle, causing the fluttering of wings to be heard within the trees...as what looked like several big butterfly-like creatures, each easily the size of blood hounds and made up of moss and various chunks of plant material with wings made of plant matter, fluttered down before them and tilted their heads.
He bent down to pat each of them on the head,
“Hey guys. Mind helping my friend here? He kinda needs a change of clothes and…” He stopped to sniff the air around him, “..A bath, and fast.” The creatures all did swooping bows to their creator before flying off.
Evergreen turned back to address his guests,
“Do not worry. As long as you do not intend any harm to me or this safe haven, you will not be harmed in turn….now then…” He waved his hand again which caused two cozy-looking wooden chairs to form from a pair of nearby smaller trees,
“Have a seat.” Another tree formed itself into a table and waltzed over to its master as he tossed out a bunch of seeds which quickly grew into various fruit.
“You probably picked up on the fact that this place is far more than just a secret lair by now…” He went to the table and started messing with the fruits through several hand gestures, causing them to splinter apart and spiral together,
“Creatures that have no place to call their home are allowed here. We don’t turn away anybody in need of help...and as you’ve seen, I experiment here a fair bit…” To prove his point, various other plant-based creatures began to awaken all around the area and step out of their hiding places to observe the newcomers.
The ingredients poured into a wooden bowl as he stirred them together,
“As to how all this is possible...well, the short version is that you would be surprised just how much plant life gets buried beneath tons of steel and cement when humans build their cities. If you have any other questions though, feel free to ask.”“Yeah, I’m beginning to see that.” The merceanry added in, plopping down roughly into the wooden makeshift chair before wincing realizing he just slammed himself into hard wood.
“You’re a regular Lorax, kid. Though to be honest, I bet if you really wanted to you could uproot this town from its foundations with this plant arsenal...Not that you would, but hey, if you ever went rogue? Would make for one hell of a ransom, wouldn’t it?”This had been overwhelming for Fletch. While the plant-man and the mercenary had been doing what they have been doing for a while now, she had only been a vigilante for less than a week and still had to learn every crazy thing that is going on in the city. Still holding the apple in her hand, she watched as other creatures that lived in the hideout emerged and tended to whatever they needed, their host giving an explanation about making their home here.
She would have lost her mind with everything that was going on until the plant-man mentioned that he experimented in the hideout. Now talking more her language, seeing that she was also experimenting with new arrow types, she turned to him,
”You said that you conduct some of your experiments here. Apart from the… creatures here, what other experiments that you do here?” If there was the possibility of improving her arsenal to further her agenda, she would certainly seize the opportunity.
“I hate to be the one to say this, but maybe we should save all the questions for later, we have much, much bigger fish to fry.” The mercenary said, ripping another chunk of apple off with his teeth.
“You said that you knew where that truck was going, and knowing what kind of power is in that van you spoke of, we don’t have a lot of time before someone turns that little lady into some kind of superweapon.” He leered at the two vigilantes, leaning back in his chair as he spoke. “Which means I need to tell you what I know, and you need to tell me what you know, otherwise we’re all going to spend way too much time in a super-powered pow-wow while this place gets threatened by the superweapon of the week.”He crossed a leg over another, tossing one of the apples absent-mindedly in his hand while continuing to fix his gaze on the two heroes.
“So, who’s going to start talking first?”
Punished GN