If There's Grass On The Field

[Hal Jordan]

Players: Hal Jordan & Pamela Isley
Location(s): Ivy's special place!
Plot Summary: Hal Jordan believes its time Poison Ivy got out of Bludhaven, but he isn't the woman's only unwanted visitor.



Hal found it absolutely ridiculous. The land of Bludhaven had been condemned and found unfit to live in because of villains who targeted the place and dropped a living nuke on it. And now there was a well known villain and eco-terrorist holed up in the place ruling it like her own little kingdom and keeping everyone else out. Apparently the Justice League saw nothing wrong with this fact because none of them had yet to appear and have Ivy vacate the premises. On his way over to Bludhaven Hal shook his head at that; the Justice League were still slow on bringing justice and putting criminals and villains where they belonged. Because of that, many people had died and some of those people were Leaguers. It would only be after Poison Ivy managed to put something into play that resulted in a hero's death would the Justice League take notice and go after her.

Hal Jordan was not going to fall into that trap, he was going to confront Poison Ivy before she had the chance to use her safe haven for any wrong doing. He flew through the night sky as a shining blip of green against a dark blue backdrop, his speed quick but not entirely urgent as he came upon the city that resembled a jungle. The flowers were bright and exotic, trees stretched to the heavens like natures own skyscrapers. The place actually looked very beautiful and enticing at first glance, but down at the root Hal knew things were not as peaceful as they seemed.

Unsure if he would be attacked or anything upon arrival Hal created a green translucent bubble around himself as he descended into the jungle that formerly was Bludhaven. Branches and leaves and rosebuds were gently pushed aside by Hal's bubble construct as he lowered deeper and deeper into the world tempered by Poison Ivy. He doubted finding her would be hard, intruders would obviously not be tolerated, and it was only a matter of time before Poison Ivy found him.

[Poison Ivy]

Poison Ivy was sick of it. She had established New Bludhaven without unnecessary harm to others - the only meat sacks that she'd killed in the process were trying to harm her people. Pamela wasn't endorsing any kind of vicious behavior in those that called her Mother - plants and humans alike. Eve was a paradise. She was finally teaching mankind to live as one with nature, and both she and those living under her protection were growing the better for it. Ivy thought that she had made one thing perfectly clear throughout: intruders would not be tolerated.

What did these heroes and government agencies think that they would accomplish by trying to infiltrate, or break into her kingdom? First it was Batman with his little wart, Robin. After that, Ivy thought that she had shaken the superhero community off of her shoulders for a while. Pamela had proved to the dark blight her intentions were noble - though, in Ivy's mind they always were - and the wraith had seemed satisfied enough to leave without attempting to harm her, or her babies. If Pamela could assuage Batman's concerns, surly the League would follow his example?

Apparently not.

Beyond the heroes that tried to force entry into New Bludhaven, there were a fair amount of more nefarious personas who had tried to move in on Mother Nature's territory. The Red Hood had cropped up just the week before, and had miraculously been there to warn her against an attempt to burn all of Eve to the ground. Then there was yet another flame-related attempt by the Joker, and only because he assumed in his psychotic psyche that Pamela had abducted Harley and was keeping the jester from him.

The list went on, and on.

Logically, then, Poison Ivy had trained her babies and her people alike to be cognizant of would-be attempts on a siege or intrusion. A comet of blazing green energy against the velvet backdrop of the night sky wasn't the hardest indicator to spot. One of the men working as a sentry on the border of New Bludhaven spotted the bolt of emerald light that was oncoming, and hurriedly told a nearby rosebush, which then relayed the message almost at once to Poison Ivy.

Pamela was in her private garden, where no human was allowed to enter. Shaped like a teardrop, with various tiers and levels of earth surrounding a crystal-clear pool of water, all in the shadow of a gargantuan flower at the pointed end of the scene, Ivy was surrounded in near impenetrable mist. Long tables ran all around her, in this recessed, nearly subterranean layer of her garden. Vines curled around beakers and test tubes, and the exotic pink mist that lay heavy among them was lit to a brilliant sheen by the luminous bulbs and fungi that shone all around.

Poison Ivy paused in the act of measuring ingredients, and her eyes slimmed wryly. "Will they never learn?" she questioned a blossom near her head. The petals of the flower fluttered in adoration at being addressed directly by it's mother. Pamela sighed, and arranged the elements that she'd been using so that she could come back to the experiment once this was sorted. "Though I could do worse than a Green Lantern," Pamela mused. She sat on a thick vine and crossed her legs demurely while it lifted her through the air. "His color-coordination is admirable, at the very least."

Pamela's smile became poisonously cunning. The Lantern wasn't dim, at least. He had flown well into the heart of New Bludhaven before he began his descent. Therefor, Poison Ivy was upon him almost at once. The sphere of energy encompassing the wretched hero was cumbersome, to say the least. Pamela didn't think that her pheromones or toxins could have penetrated the silhouette of light that always coated the Green Lantern, but the added force bubble made any form of attack foolish. The superhero didn't look in a very pleasant mood, but Ivy was used to such probing by the League to remain at relative ease.

Hopefully, with a few sentences exchanged - and possibly a few threats - the Lantern would be on his way. And, if worse came to worst, Poison Ivy was confident in her ability to win a fight. How entirely arrogant, that all of those who had tried to harm New Bludhaven thought that they could best Pamela. Mother Nature herself, at the seat of her power. The redhead was raised, hair shining in the moonlight, smirk prominent like the goddess that she was on the flat top of a trunk to stand before the hero.

"You are not welcome here," she said, with purpose. Her voice echoed in a thousand different layers and octaves through every rustling leaf, every groaning branch, and every closed flower. "Be gone, or state your business." Poison Ivy marveled at how she was offering amnesty so easily. Months before she would have done nothing short of attack Green Lantern outright. Now she had Eve, and the plants and people therein to worry about, though. A monumental battle at the city center should be avoided, if possible.

[Hal Jordan]

Hal hated to describe the place as such but Ivy's Eve was a wonderland. From the air the place looked beautiful but now that he had dove in deep into the heart of the city he could see it was much more than that. It was magnetic and comforting and a living work of art. Hal found himself mesmerized as he stared out at this world created from Ivy's own mind and will, the green hue of his bubble making the green world around him a touch duller than what it truly was, but still Hal could appreciate the view. He was safe within the confines of his bubble construct so Hal knew he was not under the influence of any sort of toxins or mood altering pheromones; this place was simply gorgeous. However, that would not and could not deter him from the manner of his visit and his true feelings of what Poison Ivy was doing there.

Visually stunning wonderland aside this woman was still technically trespassing and holding onto land that did not rightfully belong to her. Hal's ring alerted him to the hundreds of people living in the area, he had not known of them all staying there prior to arriving in New Bludhaven but that did very little to change the man's mind. Obviously they were not thinking rationally and Poison Ivy was taking advantage of them by letting them remain in her quarters. Hal drifted down from the heavens and he remained in that one stationary position, he would not drift any further in the woman's city looking for her or attempting to draw her out; there would be no need for it. The exotic flowers and trees around him seemed to quake in his wake, longing for there mother to arrival and deal with the one who had disturbed them.

Hal didn't speak plant but he could understand that these plants were in communication to the one responsible for their existence. Hal's eyes scanned from side to side behind his green mask, searching the thick of plantlife for any signs of the approaching woman of green sky and red hair. And then there she was. Her face graced with a soft, yet somehow grimly sinister, smirk as she stepped up upon a tree trunk before the Green Lantern. The mad woman had the nerve to tell him that he did not belong there; had he not been so upset by the entire situation at hand Hal would have laughed at the comment.

"You aren't welcome here either. This is not land that you can just claim as your own and think everything's fine. Things don't work that way. You're squatting on American soil and you've attacked intruders who happen to be American citizens. There's a long list of people I know who'd consider that an act of war. Consider this your final eviction notice, Poison Ivy. I'd rather not use force against a lady but I do intend to get you out of Bludhaven, one way or another." Who says Hal Jordan always shoots first?

[Poison Ivy]

With every word that the Lantern uttered, Poison Ivy's gaze narrowed and sharpened. Once he was finished with his monologue - concluding with a threat, no less - there was a moment of powerful intensity that trilled through the air. At last, through the silence and the anxiousness of the plants looking onto the scene, Pamela's mouth curled into an amused, poisonous smirk. Unexpectedly, the woman upturned her head, and let out a deep, sultry laugh that echoed through the plant life as ever. After several seconds, Ivy mastered herself, and turned to glare at the hero with harsh, scornful intrigue.

"You speak with authority and knowledge that you do not possess," she warned darkly. "Are you really so ignorant that you don't know-" Poison Ivy looked at the Green Lantern critically, as if trying to come up with the answer to her own rhetorical question. With a more sickly sweet glimmer to her lips, Pamela seemed to reach one. "When Bludhaven was destroyed, it was denounced from the United States, and declared no man's land. The American government has not influence here, because they ostracized the unfortunate souls who managed to survive the explosion, and subsequent carnage."

Pamela's tone steadily transformed with every additional syllable. Originally she had started as being plainly informative, if not a bit cruel. Now, Poison Ivy was obviously growing frustrated and resentful at the truth behind her elaboration. "Eve is a safe haven for all those who wish to live at peace with nature. I took in all the refugees from the destruction and adopted them as my own children. The only harm I've inflicted was..." Pamela paused to weigh the word, "necessary to protect Eve, and it's inhabitants."

Poison Ivy's alluring words were almost mesmerizing. In reality, while her tongue wove an enthralling tale, the plants around her were on the move. When Pamela paused, it was to show a whole arsenal of lethal hybrids primed and ready to assault the Lantern. "But why am I defending myself? Shouldn't you be doing that?" Another chorus of laughter bounced through the greenery. Abruptly, every plant went completely still, and shivered. Pamela paused, and looked to the east in confusion. "Wha- Aah!" Such a tortured sound coming from someone so dazzling was beyond pitiable. The leaves unleashed shrill noises in unison.

Mother Nature shuddered, her hands curled into fists and pressed against her chest. Instinctively, Pamela pulled into a fetal position, thereby losing her balance on the stump that was already shuddering itself. While Poison Ivy fell, there was a pronounced disquiet rolling through New Bludhaven from the direction that Pamela had looked toward. Like a giant, earthbound thunderhead, loomed a bank of sinister, crimson mist encroaching on the eastern border of Eve.

[Hal Jordan]

Deranged, arrogant, maniacal laughter: check. Hal stared at the crazed botanist as she cackled, with the plants around them vibrating as if they were joining in on the laugh fest. Hal remained floating before the Gotham villain as she regained her composure and finally addressed him with more than amusement. "That's unfortunate. A safe haven sounds nice but any place that is hosted by you is not safe for very long. I don't know if these people are staying here because they trust you, or they're scared, or if it has anything to do with your pheromones. What I do know, is that allowing you to continue operating here and controlling this land will only end with everyone else getting bit in the ass - and lady, I hate getting bit in the ass."

Some might say that Hal was being paranoid or maybe just unreasonable in his pursuit of Poison Ivy, but neither was true. Hal knew from experience that if something looked or felt wrong it was most likely because it was definitely wrong. For too long he had been in a position that was purely reactionary and that meant losing many lives when something could have been done prior to events going their worst. Though his own Justice League hadn't worked out all that well in trying to stop Prometheus Hal still knew this was the correct path to take. He'd much rather a preemptive strike against Poison Ivy than sit around in space waiting until after the woman killed hundreds or thousands.

As the woman before him spoke, her voice seemed to intensify and take on a darker tone. Being that he was already surrounded Hal was paying close attention to every vine, log, plant, seed, and tree around him. At any given moment he could have been attacked by Ivy's plants, his construct would protect him but Hal needed to be ready to go on the offensive as well. Hal's power ring began to glow brightly as Ivy laughed again, obviously she wasn't in the mood for words and instead she wanted a fight with the Green Lantern. Hal already had a list of gardening constructs in mind to hack through this forrest and all he needed was for Ivy to make the first move.

His waiting would be elongated it appeared, as suddenly Poison Ivy became visibly overwhelmed by something Hal was not yet aware of. Hal's brows lifted in confusion as the woman shuddered and collapsed, the plants around her vibrating violently as they made odd noises that hinted at the agony they were all sharing. Slowly the walls of Hal's bubble shrink back around him returning to just the thin emerald aura that surrounded his body. He was confused as to what had just happened but he did not lose any of his caution. Quickly Hal dropped down from the air and caught Ivy in his arms before his boots touched the floor of Eve's jungle. He bounced Ivy lightly in his arms and looked into her face, "You still with me, Ivy?" She was still breathing but that was about all Hal could tell.

With his brow closely knit together the Green Lantern turned and looked toward the east where Ivy had previous glanced before her collapse. For a moment Hal just stared at it, completely caught off guard by the bright red mist that rolled toward them from the east to the west. Ivy's plants that were caught in the wash of the crimson mist receded and lost luster and shriveled up. Snapping back to reality Hal quickly took to the skies with Ivy cradled still in his arms. "Ring, scan."

::Anomaly:: "Yeah I know that much, but what the hell is it?!" Hal wasn't sure if the mist was some sort of toxin that would affect him as well but it was obviously causing Ivy damage and he could not just leave her to die by some strange poison. As he thought about it Hal realized it had to be a very strong poison to effect the woman who was reportedly immune to all toxins. ::Scans inconclusive:: Hal frowned at his ring's reporting, it wasn't often that a Green Lantern ring scan came up inconclusive. "Okay Poison Ivy, time to wake up and tell me what the hell's going on here."

[Poison Ivy]

The initial shock of the pain that radiated through Eve had been too much. It swept up Mother Nature in it's blistering touch, and dragged her down, drowning her in darkness. Even in the dusk of unconsciousness, Pamela could find no refuge. The red-hot agony that seared through her veins, and the veins of all New Bludhaven were not satisfied by the botanist blacking out. Poison Ivy felt like the tendrils of that torturous sensation speared through the haze that her mind had fled to, and wrenched Pamela into the waking world just to further her torment.

Poison Ivy's eyes flared open, and she gasped as if she'd been saved from drowning, and was desperately trying to reintroduce her lungs to oxygen. Amid the blur of colors, and the feeling of being submerged in blazing coals, Pamela didn't even register that she was not where she had once been. Indeed, she could have cared less. On some primitive level, Ivy realized that there were strong arms holding her aloft, and a sturdy chest pressed against one side of her body. That alone is what her nerve center focused on. Pamela's hands reached out blindly, and grabbed onto the figure's shoulders tightly.

Mother Nature buried her head against the powerful chest, as every muscle in her willowy body tensed and contorted into horrendous knots. Tears streamed unceasingly down Poison Ivy's face, and the whimpering gasp that she gave shook her gasping chest. As Mother Nature, Poison Ivy was unparalleled in majesty. Just moments ago she had been standing like a queen or empress, speaking with such controlled, regal poise that the thought of feeling anything but awe or contempt in regard to her was unfathomable.

Now, in this twisted vision of torment, Poison Ivy was pitiable to the point of heartbreak. To see something that was so beautiful, so surreal and exotically breath-taking now in a vision of woe instead of might would have caught even the dark knight off guard. "Make it stop!" Pamela whimpered in a broken plea to the man that held her. "My babies," she whispered through her pain, pressing even harder against the musculature that cradled her.

[Hal Jordan]

Things had a way of working exactly the opposite of the way you wanted and planned them to from time to time, and that time to time was fairly often if you were a Green Lantern by the name of Hal Jordan. His flight to New Bludhaven was for the purpose of getting Ivy out of the city and shutting down the operation she was trying to run right under everyone's noses, and now he found himself smack in the middle of a troubling puzzle that he could not even begin to piece together; thanks to the expert of all things plant being unconscious in his arms.

Keeping away from the odd mist that swept through the region and defied definition under the scans of his ring Hal watched as the plants in Ivy's kingdom continued shrinking and shrieking. They weren't completely dead just yet but it was evident that this invading toxin the floated in their habitat was causing them to die painfully slow deaths; thats if Poison Ivy was to be any indicator. Hal wasn't sure how good of an actress Ivy was, her reputation would have him believe she was pretty good, but he doubted the woman would sacrifice her own precious babies (the only things she cared about) just to trick the Green Lantern. Something was definitely wrong and it was not under Ivy's control.

Before long the plant princess began to stir in Hal's grip and in a shocking twist the woman actually clutched to him and moved closer into his hold. If Hal wasn't alarmed before (which he was) then he was definitely alarmed now. Poison Ivy was not the type to get close to a man unless she was using him and had him under her control, right now the woman was horribly out of character and Hal could clearly see in her face why: she was afraid. However she was not fearful for herself but for the plants she cared for dearly, even as the strange mist below seemingly had the same effect on her as it did on her plants it was the latter that she cared about and wanted saved. Hal's brow furrowed as he looked at the woman pleading with him and then the plants being agonized below.

He shifted the woman's slender form slightly so that he could support her with just one arm as the other pointed downward, directing the green flow of his ring's power to create a vacuum construct that quickly began sucking up the red mist. Hal's grimace tightened, his efforts were proving futile; while he was collecting a lot of the mist it was still somehow spreading, as if there was more being put out at a quicker rate than Hal could absorb. His strategy needed a change but he wasn't sure what it was he could do that would be effective against the foreign toxin. "I...don't-"

Before the Green Lantern could say more there came a blinding flash of overwhelming white light. The light was powerful, causing Hal to use his forearm to shield his eyes, yet there wasn't any discomfort to associate with the sudden surge of brightness. Everything grew warmer, more serene in a way and Hal felt like he knew that the issue at hand was now suddenly rectified; somehow. Just as quickly as the white light had taken everything over, it was gone. Amazingly, the spreading crimson fog was gone as well. Hal parted his lips to speak but no words could be found, he didn't even dare to pretend to understand what had just happened. Snapping his mouth shut Hal glared down at the ground below himself and Poison Ivy, the earth seemed to be shifted and moving on his own accord; alive?

"Hal Jordan. Poison Ivy." The earth called out to them.

[Poison Ivy]

Relief - sweet salvation - came in several mediums, but all of those traveled through the light that suddenly encompassed Pamela. Distantly, she understood that there were arms of another encircling her. Poison Ivy was not one to take solace or reassurance from physical contact. She used that against others, or as a means to an end. Pamela was so overwhelmed by everything, though, that she couldn't even fully comprehend the absurdity that, just then, she was grateful for the sturdy chest pressed against one side of her body and the arm about her waist. Rather than dwell on facts that were insignificant to herself at the moment, Poison Ivy released one long breath in contentedness.

The presence that had swelled throughout New Bludhaven wasn't altogether foreign. Poison Ivy recognized it just as someone might see a certain style of handwriting and know who had put pen to paper. The power to dabble in the majesty of the Green wasn't a popular trait. There were really only two others in the entire world that could have inspired such an instantaneous change, and one of those wouldn't have lifted a finger to save Pamela. That left only one plausible option then, though admittedly Ivy wasn't betting too greatly on the 'logical' variant.

Poison Ivy basked in the glow a little longer before she went beyond her state of relief. Reaching through the power that had appeared so suddenly, her lips twitched in a hint of a wry, terse smirk when her assumption was proven true. Slowly, Pamela opened her eyes, and looked up, almost apprehensively to the figure that was holding her. So the Green Lantern wasn't all talk, was he? Or did his 'moral' instincts simply take over when Pamela was ravaged by pain? Regardless, Ivy didn't pay him much attention other than that initial glance.

Her attention, and gaze, was leveled toward the heart of the glare, that in itself was dimming considerably with each moment. Poison Ivy still wasn't so recovered that she felt up to being her usual, distant self. Her voice came as a croaking whisper. "Swamp Thing," Pamela sighed with a touch of irritation. So maybe more recovered than she thought.

[Hal Jordan]

Hal had no clue what or who was down below writhing around slowly on the ground level of Eve but it had unmistakably called out to Hal and Poison Ivy. Hal frowned and his ring flashed a brilliant green in anticipation of a fight. After the appearance of the odd mist that threatened Ivy's life and home Hal was not going to approach disembodied voices too chummy. For the moment he held his position, floating above the green terrain, with his body and mind ready for anything that may be thrown at he and Ivy within the next few moments. Poison Ivy was a criminal and the whole reason for Hal's being there in her haven was to give her the boot, but even with that in mind he could not let another person be attack as long as he was around. Hal hadn't originally planned to play Ivy's protector but it appeared that things were no longer going to his planning, he now had to take a role that was purely reactionary. The situation was painfully and annoyingly ironic.

Though Ivy seemed to be coming back to a conscious state Hal did not let her go, the mist had obviously taken a lot out of her and for the time being she was being considered his responsibility. The Green Lantern's main focus was locked down squarely below his feet at the moving lush of green beckoning them. It was then that Ivy parted her full, rosy lips and spoke back to the stirring earth below. "Swamp Thing?" It was a name Hal hadn't expected to hear and for a moment he was almost uncertain if he had in fact heard the name, but against those feelings he knew it was Swamp Thing down there. But why? Why was Swamp Thing shacked up with Poison Ivy and why was he now calling out to them? Hal pondered those questions in silence but he didn't honestly care for any answer, no matter Swamp Thing's reason for being Hal still had a job to do.

His grip on the ecoterrorist Poison Ivy loosened considerably (though not enough so to drop her) and Hal floated back down to the ground. Amidst stumps and leaves and traveling roots was the large mossy body of Swamp Thing, only about knee high raised out of the very ground itself. Hal watched the plant life as his feet touched ground and Poison Ivy was gently released from his arms. She seemed better now, or at least no longer in any direct harm from some outside threat. For a small moment longer Hal looked over Swamp Thing, the very creature that the white light had chosen to bond with, but he soon turned to face and address Poison Ivy once again. "I dunno what that was all about or what's going on with why he's here," Hal jerked a thumb over his shoulder in Swamp Thing's general direction. "But I don't really care either. You're coming with me." At the wrap of Hal's sentence a pair of green shackled clamped themselves around Ivy's wrists and kept her tethered to Hal's ring.

"Wait just a moment, Hal Jordan. What I have to say is of grave importance and it is not something you would wish to ignore." Swamp Thing spoke slowly while keeping himself balanced on his green knuckles as he teetered sticking out of the earth. "The mist that I expelled from this place is not the last of its kind, it is only the beginning." Swamp Thing's eyes looked toward the redheaded villainess, the true focus of his words.

[Poison Ivy]

With the dispersing of the venomous crimson mists, and the appearance of Swamp Thing, the situation was moving steadily back to where it had been previously. While Poison Ivy grew stronger - at least enough to remain conscious - the contact that she was sharing with the Green Lantern became less and less pleasant an experience on both sides. So, once the unlikely pair came near at hand to the Swamp Thing, Pamela couldn't wait to be let down from her... dare she say... savior? Poison Ivy stumbled for just a moment once her feet touched the mossy ground, but righted herself without having to depend on the Lantern for assistance.

How weak was she that the hero had been forced to safeguard her? Pamela was not in the most grand mood, for more reasons than the attempted siege on New Bludhaven. For a moment, Ivy stood opposite Swamp Thing, and the two pressed against one another through the Green. Questions came from Pamela hot and biting, Why are you here? foremost among them, given in near-disgust. Within milliseconds, Mother Nature reached the irrevocable truth, though. Swamp Thing had saved her, and her babies. Grudgingly, Poison Ivy accepted that. At least with an entity like Swamp Thing, she was easier put to admit to it. "Thank you," she whispered forcefully.

Then, the hero began to speak. Pamela was in agreement with the Lantern, at least about divining answers from Swamp Thing. There were several key points that Ivy and Green Lantern disagreed upon, unfortunately. Most prominent among them: her incarceration. Initially, Pamela turned a narrow, harsh gaze upon the intergalactic hero when he began speaking. Admittedly, when the emerald shackles materialized around Ivy's wrist, fastened resolutely to the Lantern's ring, she was caught off guard. That shocked surprise turned swiftly to offended rage. "How dare-?" Both were cut off by Swamp Thing, as it happened.

Poison Ivy turned her angry glare toward the other creature of nature then, but it did not last. After Swamp Thing began to elaborate, Pamela forgot why she had been so furious. Indeed, she didn't even pay any mind to the shackles still fastened stubbornly around her wrists. Ivy was alarmed, and shaken by what had transpired, and what Swamp Thing had to say. When he spoke of attacks to come, Pamela finally ventured to speak. "The beginning of what?" I'll stop this menace, Poison Ivy thought despite herself. Even while the words echoed through her turbulent thoughts, the botanist realized how futile it would be. Something that could harm her babies, and knock her soundly unconscious... How would she face it?

[Hal Jordan]

It was starting to look like Poison Ivy would be taking the backseat to something by the way Swamp Thing was delivering his ominous message, and honestly Hal wasn't too happen about that. "Wait, what exactly is happening here?" Swamp Thing was not someone Hal had usual or often contact with and he was definitely not someone that Hal was keen on taking orders from - at least he wasn't, prior to Swamp Thing being chosen by the embodiment of life.

"Appropriate question, the both of you. What's happening is an attack on the planet Earth. Poison Ivy, your haven was only the first in a wide scale assault - I can feel it. The plant life is foreign and not anything that I can familiarize with but it is undoubtedly something faintly connected to the Green that is behind this. I have been living beneath the floor of New Bludhaven since you arrived and I have been feeling the prod of this other associate of the Green for close to a month now. I can tell that it wants complete destruction of the planet and it aims to kill Earth at the very root. Through my connection to all life on the Earth I can feel more of the mist now appearing in the Amazon, but more important..." Swamp Thing paused as his dark eyes began to glow bright white.

Hal frowned slightly before glancing at Ivy, attempting to see if the plant woman was following any of this. "I know where the culprit behind this is located. I believe that only Poison Ivy can deal with this threat, as I unfortunately cannot leave this place as of yet." "And why's that?" "Unimportant. Ivy, you will need to do this." Whereas when Swamp Thing spoke directly to Hal it seemed short and authoritative, when addressing Poison Ivy the entity of the White light seemed to be asking for her cooperation instead of demanding it.

[Poison Ivy]

Poison Ivy had not forgotten about the Green Lantern's presence. Nor had she discarded the fact that he had intruded on New Bludhaven and consequently attempted to defeat Pamela - the emerald constructs fastened like shackles around her wrist could attest. Rather, Ivy realized that there was something more important at present than the little hero who had foolishly ventured to contest her. Despite Mother Nature foregoing her grudges, in the next few moments she nearly did forget that the Lantern was standing beside, and slightly behind her.

The conversation shifted from cryptic threats into genuine exposition. Poison Ivy listened with rapt attention while Swamp Thing elaborated. The more that she heard about this threat, though, the less favor she held for it. The fiery focus in Pamela's eyes was made all the more ferocious by the look of murderous offense that her expression steadily condensed into. Ivy and Swamp Thing stood opposite each other, and as they communed the sheer magnitude of their respective abilities seemed to fill the atmosphere, charging the air and twisting it with tension.

So, the creature had been dwelling beneath Eve all this time? No wonder her children seemed to be so lively, even when business had taken Poison Ivy elsewhere for brief periods. Had the situation not been so dire, she would have been flattered. As it was, the imparted knowledge that a foreign threat was about to launch an assault on the earth's plant life - the Green itself - turned the mood sour, and grave. Poison Ivy didn't play well with others. Her record against her, no matter how many Injustice Societies, Gangs, Leagues and so on she joined, Pamela's time on the roster was short-lived.

The only time that Mother Nature had actually semi-enjoyed an alliance was when the Gotham City Sirens were in full swing, and even then she had spent much time to herself. Pamela didn't work cohesively with others because she had no need. She was powerful, cunning and brilliant enough in her own right not to have to depend on such partnerships. On this occasion, though, preference was forfeit. The fate of every son and daughter of Pamela was in the balance. She would unite with Swamp Thing. Even did what he requested of her, because the two were of like mind at the moment.

Swamp Thing explained how he knew where the culprit behind the crimson mist was residing, but that he could not campaign his power against it yet. He could not leave New Bludhaven. The Lantern questioned why that was, and Swamp Thing promptly disregarded an answer as "unimportant". Ivy knew why. The creature opposite her was even more rooted to the earth than she. While Poison Ivy was both plant and human - though she might have preferred one over the other - the Swamp Thing was deeply connected with the Green. A part of it, even more than Pamela was.

There were certain concessions that had to be made with that in mind. Poison Ivy knew the gravity, and the danger of what she was about to agree to. Even so, she took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Where must I go?" Pamela hadn't registered that Swamp Thing might have had reason to herald the Green Lantern as well as herself. In the botanist's mind, the superhero's presence was an unfortunate inconvenience. The thought that fate, or something else, might have had a hand in the Lantern being present was lost to her...

[Hal Jordan]

Well Hal was certainly feeling like a third wheel, which was certainly not something ordinary for him. And that wasn't ego talking. It was just that usually whenever or if ever there was a large scale problem on the horizon Hal was commonly the man for the job as of late. That wasn't ego talking either, but the hard truth of matters for at least the last twelve months or so. Hal felt the need to speak up and interject but he didn't want to be that guy who tried opposing nature and the essence of life; not even Hal Jordan's ego was that huge. Much to his reluctance Hal found himself releasing a deep sigh as the green shackles on Poison Ivy's wrists dissolved into nothingness. He was against freeing the woman but it was clear that Swamp Thing would not want her to remain in chains.

The Green Lantern felt he needed to cooperate with Swamp Thing as best he could but still he could not just simply ignore his whole reasoning for being there and allow them to brush him off as if he were the insignificant human just hanging around. "I'm going with this because you're the entity of the white light but understand that I'm not just going to be on my merry way now - I'm going with her." Swamp Thing's eyes left Poison Ivy and for a short moment they regarded Hal's determined and unwavering stare. "Excellent, I do believe you will of use Lantern Hal Jordan." The collection of vegetation nodded to the Lantern. "And she will be coming with me when this is all said and done." To this the Swamp Thing did not respond.

Instead the creature deeply connected with the Green turned its sights back to Poison Ivy to finally address the question she had asked of him. "I will show you. Swamp Thing's words bounced around like an echo and immediately Hal knew what was coming next, but he was too slow to shut his eyes and still got momentarily blinded by the sheer brightness of the flash of white light. In the next moment the light was gone but Hal still held his eyes shut, the brightness lingering behind his lids for a few shy moments as colorful dots floated about within his vision. Finally opening his eyes the Green Lantern blinked a few times before glancing around at his newfound scenery.

No longer were they in the green haven of Ivy's own creation. There were no more mammoth sized trees, or beautifully colored flowers that rivaled the elegance of grand paintings; in fact there was nearly not sight of a plant anywhere, except for a lone cactus in the distance roughly thirty meters away. "The desert?" Hal's green protected aura around him kept him sealed off from the dry warm air of the place but the location was unmistakable. For as far as the eyes could see there was sand, sand, and guess what - more sand. "You gonna be okay in a desert?" He turned toward Ivy, who was still in her same position relative to before Swamp Thing teleported them. Teleportation; Hal mentally marked it down as another power of Life's. "So what now?" Hal was virtually and literally lost. Swamp Thing was supposedly sending them were the threat was located but as far as Hal could tell there wasn't any big bad in the area, and they hadn't been sent off with much of a map or instruction guide on how to reach their target and stop it. Perhaps Poison Ivy, having the same connections as Swamp Thing, could provide some insight that Hal was missing.

[Poison Ivy]

Pamela knew, whether by some enlightenment that Swamp Thing had imparted upon her, or by sheer instinct that she would need to be prepared. The woman hardly registered that the shackles had been removed from her wrists. On the contrary, Ivy had forgotten that they ever were there, in light of all that had been discussed. Now Mother Nature stretched out her hands and closed her eyes while the Green Lantern spoke directly to Swamp Thing. In the next few moments, Poison Ivy appeared to transform with all the beauty of a flower growing.

Vines spiraled down her arms, carrying on their twining arms countless seeds that glistened like emeralds which they held fast against Poison Ivy's body for safe keeping. Her skin took on a vaguely greenish hue, as if she were bruised on every visible surface, then it returned to it's previous, human tinge. Pamela disregarded the Green Lantern's threat that after this crisis was resolved she would be in his custody. That was unimportant. She was unimportant right now. All that truly mattered was stopping this menace. Afterwards she would teach the Lantern his lesson, and maybe get a few night's entertainment out of it, depending on how many pheromones she had the chance to pump him full of.

"I'm ready." And so was Swamp Thing. The light was blinding, but Pamela was mostly unaffected. When the glare dimmed and turned a harsh white-yellow, Poison Ivy scoffed in disgust. The desert. Home to some truly astonishing plants - the most persevering in the world - but mostly detested by Pamela. She preferred the wet humidity of the Amazon, not the dry, unforgiving heat that glanced off of the dunes. Had she been anything less, Pamela's living gauntlets would have begun to deteriorate then and there. But she was Mother Nature. Funneling the life-giving power of the Green was difficult with so few plants in the vicinity, but she managed.

Poison Ivy was what kept the plants that made her attire luscious and vibrant, even in the light of the desert sun. Pamela cast a look of distaste over her shoulder at the Green Lantern. The only thing that kept the botanist from refusing his aid was that Swamp Thing thought it necessary. She would play nice, if just for the sake of her children. "We walk," Ivy said in a cruel, matter-of-fact way.

[Hal Jordan]

He wasn't sure for how long it had occurred but something definitely changed about Poison Ivy for a moment, as if she'd gone through some sort of metamorphosis right before the man's eyes, though the end product was not quite different from its beginning. Hal looked the redheaded woman over with slightly narrowed eyes, his trust in her was flimsy at best. This was only something he was going along with because of Swamp Thing's urging, and if the most powerful force in the known universe hadn't latched itself to the sentient pile of plant life Hal wouldn't even listen to this vague semblance of a plan then.

Hal didn't like this, the way that Poison Ivy looked at him like he was an insect out to pester and annoy her, the way she spoke to him as if she led this charge and he was but a spectator along for the ride. So they were walking then. Hal frowned as he stepped up to be in pace with the living Mother Nature. "I don't really know what's going on here but I don't want you getting anything confused. I'm here to look into whatever it is Swamp Thing was talking about and he may think you're the woman for the job but as far as I go - and us working together - you're still a criminal in my custody. Got it? Don't get any ideas." Hal doubted she'd be getting any ideas that didn't involve going after whatever it was that threatened the Earth but he had to make sure that he'd laid down the law for the woman.

They weren't actually a team and she was hardly a free woman, she was just enjoying a bit of extended time in the open thanks to Swamp Thing's urgent message to them. Hal didn't need Ivy thinking that she really was some sort of hero who was doing her best to save the world, because he knew it'd only give the woman more leverage against him and a stronger stance in her belief that what she was doing was right. The woman needed to be kept on a short leash and she needed to be well aware of her role in this outing; she wasn't a hero and she wasn't in charge.

Continuing their walk Hal spared short frequent glances in Ivy's direction, though his aura was up around him and protecting him from anything she may decide to throw at him Hal liked to be able to see any attacks coming beforehand. "And don't look at me like you wanna kill me. You heard what the green guy said, you need me." So that wasn't exactly what had been said but Hal was certainly allowed to paraphrase if he was going to be dumped out in the middle of the desert with his only backup being in the form of a deranged woman who belonged locked up deep in the bowels of Arkham.