Pamela's voice trembled as it echoed in the underground chamber. "Professor Jason Woodrue… he's been working on illegal experiments down here. Human experimentation."
Barbara's gaze swept over the damp concrete walls, then settled back on Pamela with a sharp edge. "Of course he has. He's probably some sick scientist who wants to merge people with plants or something. I mean, that makes the most sense—especially if you can already kinda talk to them now."
Pamela turned, her expression pale, her hands gripping her arms tightly as though to hold herself together. "I can feel it. My abilities… they're growing. Just from the time I woke up until now, I can sense the plant life outside this building. It's like they're… calling out to me. But I can't fully understand it yet."
Barbara gave a short nod, her tone flat. "Yup. Classic 'I've-been-experimented-on' behavior. Step one: weird powers. Step two: talking to flowers."
Pamela shot her a glare, her voice sharp. "Shut up, Barbara."
Barbara lifted her hands in surrender, the corner of her mouth twitching. "Okay, okay."
They moved further down the tunnel, Pamela switching off her phone flashlight as she noticed dim overhead bulbs flickering weakly to life. The deeper they walked, the brighter the corridor became until it opened into a massive chamber carved beneath the university. Pamela stopped dead in her tracks, her stomach lurching.
Transparent pods stretched along the walls, each one filled with bubbling green fluid. Inside, human bodies floated suspended, their skin pierced by vines that fused into their flesh. Limbs were tangled with roots, chests split by curling stems, faces partially overgrown with flower blossoms that looked disturbingly alive.
Pamela stumbled back, the breath knocked out of her lungs. She collapsed against the cold floor, her voice a broken whisper. "It's true… he's actually experimenting on people."
Barbara stepped closer to the tanks, her eyes narrowing as she studied the distorted figures inside. She leaned in, recognition flashing across her face. "These people… I recognize a few. They are homeless people from the streets Gotham. They've been missing for weeks." She turned back toward Pamela, her voice grim. "He's experimenting on the homeless. And I bet you're the perfected version, Pamela. You're the one that worked."
Pamela shook her head violently, tears pricking her eyes as denial surged through her chest. "No… no, it can't be…"
Before Barbara could answer, a loud hiss erupted from vents overhead. White vapor poured into the room, curling thick across the ground. Pamela coughed, her lungs seizing. Barbara spun toward the source of the sound, eyes wide. "It's a trap—he knew we'd come down here!"
She rushed toward Pamela, grabbing her arm, trying to drag her up from the floor. But the gas spread too quickly, the heavy fumes clinging to their skin, slipping down their throats. Pamela's vision blurred, her body collapsing back to the concrete as Barbara fell beside her. The world tilted, their strength draining with each ragged breath.
Through the haze of her failing vision, Pamela heard the echo of footsteps. Out of the shadows stepped Professor Jason Woodrue his eyes alive with calculation. He walked with the calm precision of a man surveying his life's work.
He knelt beside Barbara, lifting her chin between two fingers. His voice was quiet but filled with satisfaction. "Good… I've been needing someone with your skillset. Your technological knowledge will be… invaluable in the final stages of my work."
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