Ronnie was mid-way through pulling out his phone in an attempt to get the famous Thor to follow him on instagram when the men in black made their appearance. They moved like wraiths, swooping in almost completely unnoticed and taking control of the situation in a manner more fitting to spec ops agents than construction workers.
Many times in his life Ronnie had been standing at the wrong end of authority, whether he deserved it or not. If this was his first time making an appearance as a hero he was damn sure it wasn't going to end in them checking his record and taking him in for joyriding a year ago.
Following on from the tall, scatterbrained ginger man he began to step backwards, rubbing the back of his head as he spoke.
"Yeah, uh- I think I left the oven on? Or something? Maybe some other time!"Before anyone could answer he turned and shot off into the sky, dodging in and around buildings until he was sure he wasn't being watched. He landed gently in an alley and with a quick burst of nuclear energy he switched back to his normal form.
"I really don't think my car is going to hold together after another fight like that. I've got every light possible blinking on my dash right now."Patrick nodded as he fiddled with the radio, the speakers crackling like a dying campfire as he hunted for any station that wasn’t either static or weird religious programming about the End Times.
"Yep, this ain't exactly fit for battle either. Maybe we could get her fitted with some James Bond gadgets, guns in the front and ejector seats!""No way am I trusting you around an ejector seat. Plus anything out of the ordinary will only draw Alchemax to us more. They already know we're coming."Finally the radio crackled to life, a breaking news report broadcasting information from New York that sounded like something straight from a fantasy novel.
"The situation has very much died down now, with municipal forces taking control of the situation. Still, the people of New York are thankful for their larger than life heroes. Many New Yorkers were excited to see an appearance by Metropolis' Thor, and some have commented on an encounter with a new hero reportedly out of Queens some are calling 'Lighter Head'. More on this later."
The two let out an audible laugh after listening to the report.
"Lighter head! What a dopey name!""Geez and I thought Plastic Man was bad!"The rusted, sputtering car wheezed off the road and onto a dirt path that immediately sounded like it wanted to swallow the vehicle whole. The swamp around them reacted instantly: insects scattered, birds took wing, and even the hidden crocodiles seemed to decide the metal creature was not worth an encounter today. The deeper they went, the quieter it became.
Trees grew denser, gnarled roots jutting from mud like the ribs of some buried titan. Moss hung in heavy curtains. The air thickened. The headlights carved soft yellow tunnels through fog.
At last the car slowed to a crawl. It had reached as far as it could go without sinking. The two exited the car and continued on foot.
"This is it..." Patrick murmured.
"Last recorded location of Alec Holland." Plastic Man's usual breezy demeanor faltered. He scanned the tree line, stretching his neck slightly further than human, less than helpful.
"Feels like the kinda place horror movies start." he said.
"It does feel very Blair Witch, I can't lie..." She quietly spoke a backwards spell and an orb of light materialized in her hands, lighting their way.
Plastic Man followed, his head popping up on an elongated neck like a periscope as he peered into the murk.
"Uhhhhh..." he whispered, neck retracting with an audible
fwip "So quick question. Are we sure this guy lives out here and not, y'know, some sort of swamp demon? Seems par for the course after the last few times."Zatanna shrugged.
"It's all we've got to go off of. Watch your step, I saw a few crocodiles on our way in. Wouldn't want you to get eaten.""Well, excuse me for being deliciously marbled and extremely biteable!"They moved forward, the trees tightening around them like a vice. The smell of peat, rot, and rain-soaked wood thickened with every step. It felt like the trees themselves were moving, creeping upwards and over as if they were forming a trap of their own. Little did the two know, they were.
Then a sound broke through the silence. Something natural, but not meant to be heard by human ears. It wasn't the sound of a rabbit scurrying away, or the sound of a bird flapping overhead. It was the sound of growth.
Vines rustled, but not from wind. Moss shifted as if it was making way for someone. The darkness between two cypress trunks deepened, then rose, gathering shape, weight, and presence.
The pair froze in place, watching the figure grow in shape and size. From the shadows emerged a silhouette vast enough to blot out the moonlight with bark for skin, roots for sinew, mud and moss dripping from its form. Twin embers opened where eyes should be, glowing with life.
The Swamp Thing stepped into view, towering, terrible, and yet, sorrowful. When he spoke, the entire marsh seemed to react, almost stretching itself to listen.
"You do not belong here."Plastic Man lifted both hands.
"Alright, alright, nobody panic. The big swamp thing says we don't belong, so maybe we just - Zee, stop walking forward - Zee??"Zatanna ignored him, steeling herself against anxiety as she stared up into the orange dots burning like fire through the green mass.
"Alec Holland." she said as confidently as she could.
"We're not here to destroy your swamp. We're here because Alchemax plans to. And you know exactly what they do to anything in their way."The wind hissed through the reeds. Swamp Thing stared back at the black-haired woman, the seconds between them stretching into eternity.
"Alchemax has already trespassed." he rumbled, voice like cracking branches.
"They poison the soil. They harvest what should not be touched. They seek to bend nature to their will."Plastic Man gulped.
"Cool, cool, cool. So we're all on team 'Alchemax sucks' then."Swamp Thing stepped closer. Zatanna's sphere of light flickered violently.
"You come seeking information." he said.
"But the truth you want is rooted in pain - mine, and The Greens. To know what Alchemax has done...you must witness it."The swamp shifted around them. Roots curled upward like fingers. Fireflies went dark all at once. Zatanna subtly shot a worried glance at Patrick. Plastic Man leaned closer and whispered
"Please tell me this is the part where he gives us a helpful monologue and not the part where we get turned into mulch."Swamp Thing's eyes brightened.
"Follow."The vines parted, forming a path deeper into the swamp, a path that had not existed a moment ago. They followed behind the lumbering mass of plantlife, neither of them daring to speak a word for fear of nature itself taking umbrage with their intrusion. Vines closed behind them as they walked, sealing off the path so cleanly it was like the swamp had swallowed the world behind them. Fireflies drifted in slow spirals, illuminating the way with a faint green glow in formations that could rival fighter jets.
Plastic Man stepped gingerly around a patch of mud.
"Y'know, if the fireflies ever start spelling messages, I'm out. We've gone from Blair Witch to Bridge to Terabithia in record time."Zatanna elbowed him, not noticing it indent his form slightly.
"They're guiding us. Be polite.""They're bugs, Zee!""They're magic bugs.""Everything's always magic with you!"The path opened into an hollow surrounded by trees. It felt almost entirely out of place in the swamp, like it had been picked up and placed here by some unknown force. A perfectly still pool sat at the center reflecting nothing, not even the trees above it, like it refused the concept of light.
Swamp Thing stepped forward towards the pool and gazed into it, his visage not being mirrored in the water benath.
"This place." he rumbled,
"is where the Green remembers its pain." Swamp Thing raised his arm, and the pool began to glow.
Not brightly, but with an old, sickly luminescence, as though dredged up from the bottom of a poisoned well. Ripples twisted outward in slow spirals. The two decidedly more human individuals took a few steps closer and gazed down into the pool. The ripples continued, getting slower and slower, and as they did an image began to take shape, like an old home video.
A facility took form in the water's reflection, its surroundings almost the antithesis to what was around them. It was metallic, sterile, glaringly out of place amid swamp and root. Alchemax insignias stamped every surface. Scientists in environmental suits catalogued samples.
And on one of the tables lay something vaguely humanoid.
A proto-Swamp Thing form. Unshaped, writhing, confused, half-roots and half-flesh, as though it was trying to rebuild itself but wasn't being allowed to.
Zatanna's eyes widened. Plastic Man leaned forward, his usual quippy attitude escaping him.
"Is that you?"Swamp Thing didn't answer. The proto-form thrashed. The humans pinned it down with industrial restraints. They injected accelerants, fungal catalysts, biogenic fluids. The creature screamed, if you could call it that. It sounded somewhere between a human shriek and tree bark all at once.
The scientists chattered among themselves, none of them even flinching at the creature they were torturing. "Growth stable. Continue with sequencing."
The creature convulsed, then exploded in green fire.
The memory burned away.
The pool went dark.
The trio didn't say anything for a while, each of them avoiding each others gaze - staring up into the sky or back down at the pool.
"That thing." Patrick said quietly.
"That was alive! Or it was trying to be."Swamp Thing did not move. His massive silhouette loomed over the pool like an old tree refusing to break in a storm.
"It was not alive." he corrected.
"Not yet. Not fully. The Green formed a vessel. A guardian. But Alchemax prevented its becoming. At least fully." He gazed at the back of his hand, made up of twisting roots.
Zatanna interjected.
"Alec Holland. Does that name mean anything to you?"For a long moment, Swamp Thing said nothing. The swamp seemed to pause with him - the fireflies, the reeds, even the distant insects.
"Alec Holland..." he repeated.
"When you speak that name, the Green stirs. The soil aches." His bark-covered brow furrowed.
"But I do not know him. Only I feel like I should."Plastic Man whispered
"Wow. That's existential on, like, three levels."Swamp Thing turned away from the pool, pacing a few heavy steps as vines trembled beneath his feet
"These experiments." he growled.
"These attempts to force life where it was not ready to bloom...the Green remembers them in pain. This is why your enemy cannot be allowed to continue."Zatanna nodded.
"We need to stop Alchemax. We can't do it alone."Swamp Thing's glowing eyes regarded her in silence. He was chosing his words wisely, considering every option. Humans had hurt him before, what made these two any different?
"For years humans have come into this place seeking to use me. To bind me. To weaponize the Green for their wars."Plastic Man raised his hands.
"Right, right, but see we're not trying to weaponize anything. Zee here throws sparkles at bad guys and I turn into rubber furniture. We're not exactly a black ops unit."Zatanna shot him a look but didn't disagree.
"We're asking you to fight with us." she said.
"Not for us. Because this, what they're doing it's hurting you. It's hurting everything. We won't force you to join us, but we really need your help. Alchemax won't stop until someone puts a stop to them."The wind passed through the clearing, bending reeds in a circular sweep, as though the swamp itself was listening for the answer. Swamp Thing stood very still.
"You come with questions, but without corruption. Without the stench of greed." He lowered his head slightly.
"I...I think I trust what you're saying."He looked at the dark pool one final time, the memory of the tortured creature flickering across its black surface.
"I will join you."Zatanna exhaled in relief. Plastic Man let his entire torso deflate in a comedic wheeze before snapping back upright.
"But listen well." Swamp Thing continued, voice like thunder rolling through earth.
"The world of humans is not one I am apart of anymore. Whoever this Alec Holland is - he's dead. Once Alchemax is gone I too will disappear back into The Green."Zatanna nodded.
"Then let's make sure Alchemax is gone for good."The vines around the clearing parted on their own, revealing the path back to the car. Swamp Thing stepped aside, letting them pass and following them as they approached. They trudged back toward the rickety old sedan, Zatanna's light bobbing in her hand, Plastic Man humming nervously, and Swamp Thing following behind, towering over the two like a moving tree.
They reached the car and Plastic Man opened the back door, glanced at Swamp Thing then slowly looked back at the car, then at Swamp Thing again.
"...Soooo" he said, scratching the back of his neck,
"Uh, you got a Swamp Van back there? Maybe something that you can fit in?"Swamp Thing stared down at him.
"I do not."Zatanna pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Right. Okay. Great. I was looking for an upgrade anyway, We'll figure out transport.""Yep. Totally. Easy problem. No big deal."The car groaned under its own weight as if praying not to be involved in whatever happened next. After a long beat, Plastic Man, with his hands on his hips, thought this was the best time to mangle a movie quote.
"We're gonna need a bigger car."Swamp Thing rumbled
"I will walk.""Not across three states, you won't."The three of them stood there in awkward silence as the swamp creaked and croaked around them. Plastic Man clapped his hands once.
"Road trip's gonna be weird, isn't it?"Zatanna shot him a glare but didn't answer. Swamp Thing did.
"Yes."
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