After the talk with Harley, now I stand in front of Poison Ivy's cell. I grabbed the door handle, ready to go in, when the voice of the escort stopped me.
"Mr. Reath, this time, please listen to my warnings. For the creature that lies on the other side is one of the most dangerous inhabitants of Arkham Asylum," the man in the white coat said irritably. But I had no intention of interrupting him. He's really pissed off... I myself want to hear what exactly he has to say to me. But I don't like the word "creature" that this man used. It's extremely impolite towards a patient.
Apparently sensing my indignation, he turned his head to the side.
"Ahem, listen carefully... I think you already know that Pamela Isley is able to control plants, as well as release certain types of pheromones that allow her to subjugate others. Thanks to the device that suppresses the abilities of meta-humans, we managed to deprive her of the ability to control vegetation. But, unfortunately, it could not remove the power of her pheromones, only weaken them. Therefore, when you are inside, stay at least five meters away from her, and here," he handed me something resembling a gas mask. "This will protect you, but only for thirty minutes, and even with this, there is a chance of falling under her spell. Strengthen your will, do not let this devil seduce you, and under no circumstances let her touch you. Her touch is deadly. These are just the main points that you should pay attention to."
"I understand, thank you for the interesting lecture, but I don't think I need this thing," I refused to put on the gas mask.
"Were you not listening to me at all?" the man yelled, not hiding his indignation.
"No, I heard everything I needed to. I know what I'm doing. Open up," I stood in front of the door, crossing my arms over my chest. It seemed that I had completely annoyed the attendant, since he fulfilled my demand without further ado.
It seems to me that now he sincerely wants Ivy to teach me a proper lesson, up to and including a fatal outcome. Let's hope that it doesn't come to that. I took a step inside and instinctively turned around to make sure that I was still in the hospital.
The place where I found myself was not at all like the cell of an evil mentally ill patient. Before my eyes, an amazing flower garden was fragrant and sparkling with all the colors of life. The walls were covered with vines, various hanging flowers hung from the ceiling, and the floor was covered in lush vegetation.
To be honest, when the hapless apothecary mentioned that they had suppressed Isley's abilities, I assumed that there might be two or three flowers growing here at most. But what I saw truly surprised me and, of course, delighted me. Even if they had suppressed her powers, she was still able to recreate an oasis anywhere.
An amazing gift. Having admired nature, I turned my gaze towards the owner of the botanical garden. She stood with her back to me, ignoring my presence and continuing to watch the yellow flowers. I took a step towards her, and when the grass under my feet made a faint rustle, she turned her face towards me.
At that moment, I forgot how to breathe... Beautiful... It was as if the most perfect creation of nature was looking at me, and only one word was spinning in my thoughts - Dryad. Heh, she really is one of the most seductive and charming women.
She is even better than the perfect image I had built in my head. Bright red hair, slightly greenish skin, and the vegetation that wrapped around her body and served as clothing made her an ideal representative of the world's flora. The eyes slid lower, and my attention was drawn to the tech bracelet she was wearing on her leg. Apparently, it was what suppressed her metahuman powers. Enough daydreaming, time to introduce myself.
"I am truly glad to meet you, Pamela. My name is Alex Reath…"
"Are you the new doctor?" she asked in an inviting voice. "Although it is a little strange, usually those who come here wear masks on their faces, they want to avoid the influence of my pheromones."
"No, I am not a doctor, and in no way do I belong to Arkham Asylum," I began to approach. "And I do not need a mask, because I wanted to talk to you face to face. And besides, it would be extremely impolite."
"Hm, and you are quite a brave boy. Do you mind if I play with you a little?" An indescribable aroma hit my nose, so bright that it suddenly seemed to me that I smelled a thousand flowers at once.
"Who are you and why did you come to me?" Ivy asked in a commanding tone.
"Lord, and how am I supposed to use regular perfume after this? Pamela," I turned to the girl.
"You're wasting your potential! You could have created a fragrance that would have simply blown up the cosmetics market. Millions would be falling on you from the sky, and you're making a living off all sorts of robberies."
"Ho?" she made surprised eyes, and the attack on my nasal receptors doubled. "Very interesting...You have a strong will, but how long will it last before it falls under my charm?"
"Um, it kind of happened the moment I saw you. One look, and I already fell under your charm. Pamela, you don't need your pheromones with me, because I'm already under the power of your natural beauty."
"It's impossible, even though I'm weakened, the power of the pheromones should have captured you. How did you avoid it?" There were notes of nervousness in her voice. Apparently, she began to worry that people could develop immunity to her ability to seduce. After all, no one wants to lose one of their key powers.
"You subjugate people thanks to the unique function of the pheromones released from your body. To subjugate others to your will means to capture their minds ... But to your great regret, my mind is a gigantic fortress. No force will ever be able to get into it."
And now I again bow low to my "Player's Mind". What would I do without you?
"You …"
"This is one of my talents. But as I already said, you should not be sad about this, because I am already smitten with you. And my words are absolutely sincere."
"Did you just compliment me?" Isley asked, her expression unperturbed.
"I indeed did."
"Ho, I'm flattered," she said sarcastically. "But even if my pheromones were useless, you'll still have to answer my earlier question. Who are you, and why are you here?"
By all indications, she'd never heard of me. The data Bruce had provided said that Ivy had been in the asylum for over seven months. I'd only been in this world for a little over five months, so she had no way of hearing about me. And besides,I'm still not that big of a celebrity, I have a long way to go.
"As I already said, my name is Alex. I came here to ask for your help. At the moment, I'm working on a project that desperately needs a brilliant specialist. Ivy, you are one of the best, and maybe the best expert in the field of botany. This is a very complex study, and I need your knowledge." So I told her the purpose of my visit. My interlocutor, as I expected, did not change her face at all.
"Not interested," a sharp refusal. "I did not expect that you would agree right away. Harley already warned me about this."
"Harley? Did she talk to you about me?" asked the dryad, clearly not expecting this.
"Yes, I visited her before visiting you."
"Do you know Harley? I find it hard to believe? What connects you with her?"
"She is my fan."
"What? In what sense?" Isley did not understand. I told her about my profession, or rather about several of them. I told her about my books, songs, games, and I didn't forget to mention the incident at the Penguin Hotel. Judging by the expression on her face, she didn't believe me at all.
"That story is highly questionable," she voiced her decision. "So you're saying that in one meeting you and Harley managed to get so close that she's ready to tell you about me? Why would she do that?"
"I have my reasons."
"Maybe so, but there's no way I'm going to work for you. Find someone else for your team of villains."
"I'm not a villain, Pamela. I'm on the side of the good…"
"Good? That's a very subjective concept. What makes you think that the so-called villains don't consider themselves and their actions good? Everyone has a goal, and they're justified. At least for them."
"Like your actions?" I asked, stepping on an explosive mine. "Are they justified?"
"Yes," the temperature in the room dropped sharply.
"I don't condone your actions or methods, but I approve of your goal. To save and protect the environment is quite noble... I can help you with this," I gave a fierce smile.
"Help? We don't need your help," she ran her hand over the blooming buds. "I can protect my children myself, and give them a better world where they will be safe."
........
........
........
........
Thank you all for reading, your support means alot.
Please vote with power stones since we are in the new week.
One more thing, does anyone of you know any text to video AI gen?