“So how do we cure him, Doctor?” asked William.
“Therein lies the problem,” replied the Doctor. “No cure exists. We’d have to design a cure that destroys the plant cells and reconstitutes the animal cells. A blood sample won’t cut it, we’d need uninfected flesh.”
“…I think Damian might have accidentally provided that,” remarked Bruce.
“How’s that?” asked the Doctor.
“Well, during Ezar’s attempt, Damian cut off his finger before he woke up the pod. We’ve kept it in cold storage.”
“That may very well work, provided there’s no damage to the cells,” said the Doctor.
“There’s plenty of insulation, there won’t be any ice damage,” said Alfred. “Master Bruce’s paranoia ensured that.”
“Vigilance, not paranoia,” argued Bruce.
“We’ll discuss that later,” said William. “Doctor, do you even have anything that might help in that regard?”
“In the TARDIS laboratory, yes,” said the Doctor. “Speaking of which, where’s that box I told you to bring, Bruce?”
“Jason said he, Stephanie, and Dick brought it into the garage,” replied Bruce. “This way.” He led the Doctor and William into the garage and there was the TARDIS.
“Perfect,” said the Doctor. “William, how good of a surgeon are you?”
“I’ll have to be a great one,” replied William.
“Good enough. With me. Bruce, bring the finger and see if you can get a tissue sample from Ezar. We’ll need a control group.”
“Right,” confirmed Bruce. He wasted no time. He briefly opened Ezar’s pod, got the tissue sample, and left. …Unbeknownst to him, Ezar opened an eye…or was it Ezar anymore?
The Doctor led William to the TARDIS laboratory once Bruce and Alfred came in with the tissue sample and finger. “My god!” breathed Alfred.
“We can gawk at how the TARDIS breaks our understanding of the laws of geometry six ways to Sunday later,” replied William, going full doctor mode.
“Yes, priorities, good man,” said the Doctor. “This way.” She led everyone to a room filled with all sorts of gadgets and chemicals.
“TARDIS lab?” asked William.
“Yes, and it’s here we need to try and find a cure before Ezar is totally consumed and the Krynoid breaks out.”
“Doctor, you said you just came from 2025, why not-?” asked Batman.
“Travel back in time,” interrupted the Doctor as she got machines up and running, “and stop Ezar from getting infected? Well, several laws of time prevent me from messing with established history for a start and those laws spawn from the simple fact that doing that is the messiest of quick fixes that just create paradoxes out across time and space.”
“It’s that much of a minefield?” asked William as he brought out various chemicals and drugs.
“Minefield doesn’t begin to describe the nature of time,” replied the Doctor as she got cell samples ready. “The point is that we must tread very…very carefully.”
A young boy with Arabic features walked by the medical ward and looked at the door. Mentally, he was kicking himself. He trained Ezar during his time in the League of Assassins, he clearly failed as a teacher. As he berated himself, he heard some sort of noise. …It almost sounded like breathing, but it was too rattly for human breathing and it was coming…from the medical ward! “Ezar?!” asked the boy. He opened the door and a monster stood in the door! It was made of plant material and had tendrils where the hands should be. The boy briefly saw the remains of the pod Ezar was in before the creature wrapped its tendrils around his neck. The boy broke out of the creature’s grip and ran to the TARDIS.
Inside the lab, the Doctor and William worked tirelessly to try and develop a cure. “Still negative results,” remarked William.
“Let’s try a combination of-!”
“FATHER! ALFRED!” came a voice. Bruce and Alfred looked up.
“Damian?!” asked Bruce.
“I don’t like the sound of that,” William muttered to the Doctor.
“Come on,” said the Doctor. “We better go see what he wants.” She led everyone out of the lab.
“So many corridors in such a tiny box!” complained the boy, Damian, as he ran through the TARDIS. “They all look the same! FATHER! ALFRED!”
“YES!” called Bruce as he and his group rounded a corner. “Yes, Damian? What is it?”
“It’s Ezar! He’s fully changed!” explained Damian. “That plant stuff-!” A crashing noise then interrupted him.
“Console room!” whispered the Doctor. “That thing’s broken in!”
The Doctor was correct. The creature formerly known as Ezar was in the console room, steadying itself and reveling in the warmth. It then felt a presence similar to itself, but less mobile. “OI!” came the Doctor’s voice. She and her group entered the console room.
“Oh my god!” gasped William. “That’s a Krynoid?!”
“It’s a grotesque parody of the human form!” said Alfred. The Krynoid then lumbered towards Alfred. Bruce grappled with the mobile plant and kicked it away. The Krynoid stumbled and went down a corridor.
“It’s heading for the TARDIS Conservatory!” said the Doctor. “Quick! We have to lead it to the incinerator!”
“You mean kill him?!” protested Batman.
“Father has a no-kill rule!” argued Damian.
“Laudable in combat against humans, I’m sure,” replied the Doctor as she led the chase, “but that’s not a human being anymore! COME ON, YOU LOT!”
The Krynoid was lost, there were no two ways about it. It needed to find the Conservatory so it could rally its green brethren against the animal scum! The plants must win! But these wretched artificial corridors all looked the same! It was like it was lost in a maze! It then heard a high-pitched whistle! An animal! It turned to see the Doctor. “Ezar, if you’re in there, please listen to me!” No! Ezar is gone! It will consume this animal! The Krynoid clumsily swung its arm, but the Doctor ducked. Damian then appeared and kicked it into a room. Bruce shut the door and the lock engaged. The Doctor typed in a command on the control console outside the door and bright light filled the room. Everyone could see the shadow of the Krynoid thrashing around before falling. The light then died and a message appeared on the console.
“Incineration of contaminant complete,” it read. “Safe temperatures in 30 minutes.”
“…It’s ashes now,” sighed the Doctor.
“…Ezar was my student,” remarked Damian. “This mistake was his, but I failed to properly teach him to pay attention to his surroundings.”
“You did what you could, young man,” replied the Doctor. “But that’s only half the trouble. Mr. Wayne, you said your company had two pods and that Poison Ivy attempted to steal one.”
“That’s right,” remarked Bruce. “The scientists under my employ believe that the pods are grouped in pairs for maximum survival.”
“Your scientists have drawn a frighteningly correct conclusion.”
“So what would this Poison Ivy want with the second pod?” asked William.
“Control over the adult plant, I would believe,” replied Alfred. “She’s become plant-like and can control plants.”
“The Krynoid would be a magnificent weapon in her arsenal,” agreed Bruce.
“If she wins the mental battle,” remarked the Doctor darkly.
“I think it best I tell my employees,” said Bruce, “that the USDA deems that pod to be an invasive species that must be destroyed before it spreads.”
“Do you have herbicides?” asked the Doctor.
“We can whip one up or just toss it into our incinerator,” replied Bruce.
“Good man.”
“But Mr. Wayne, our research isn’t conclusive!” protested the head botanist of Wayne Enterprises as Bruce spoke to her. “…There’s no way the USDA can draw that kind of-! …Oh, all right. We’ll destroy the pod at once. …Goodbye.” She hung up.
“Did I hear that right, Dr. Channing?!” protested a botanist under her employ as he stood up. “We have to destroy that pod?!”
“The USDA thinks it’s an invasive species,” replied Dr. Channing. “Mr. Wayne’s ordered us to destroy it before it spreads seeds that would destroy the Eastern Seaboard within decades.”
“He doesn’t like any member of the current administration!”
“Nevertheless, our orders stand. We can’t waste time making an herbicide from scratch.” Dr. Channing turned to two other botanists. “You two, get the incinerator fired up.”
“Gee, Ms. C,” remarked one of the botanists, “if you’re sure.”
“…Ms. C?” asked Dr. Channing. “Dr. Kasey?”
“No, Dr. Quinzel!” replied the botanist as she threw off her lab coat to reveal Harley Quinn! She turned to her friend. “I’ll hold them off, Red!”
“Good luck, Babe,” replied the other botanist as she threw her coat off to reveal Poison Ivy!
“HEY!” shouted Dr. Channing. She grabbed Ivy as her coworker went after Harley. Ivy then kissed Channing and a pink mist surrounded the two. Channing relaxed and released Ivy.
“Now, sweetheart,” cooed Ivy, “where’s the pod?”
“…Over in…that room…Mistress,” sighed Channing happily as she pointed out a room. It was locked with a steel door. Ivy snapped her fingers and vines grew from the ground, tearing the door off its hinges. On the other side of the door was a walk-in freezer. The seed pod was covered in ice thanks to the temperatures. Ivy commanded a vine to grow, grab the pod, and bring it to her. The pod, still frozen, was placed in Ivy’s hands just as the sound of sirens filled the air. Ivy smirked with satisfaction.
