See No Evil: The Price of Progress (ch. 29) (Patreon)

Pamela Isley was a beautiful woman. There was no way around it. A mane of vibrant red hair, and curves that belonged on the cover of a magazine. The fact that her skin was a light green didn't detract at all -- I usually wasn't into that, but she pulled the look off. What did detract from her natural beauty was the whole mass-murdering terrorist thing she had going. Admittedly, that pill was easier to swallow since I had already taken it once with Tifa, but the difference between Tifa and Poison Ivy was rather obvious.

One was willing to get blood on her hands but took no joy in it. The other arranged her own plots and killed countless more than the former had ten times over.

And she was here. One of the most wanted terrorists in the country due to her role in the Injustice League. Here. In Lowtown.

"Tifa, go get Waylon. He's in Pitstop at the moment," I said, practically leaping into action. "Tell him to meet me up top. And that he is so getting a phone. I don't care if I have to tape the thing to the side of his head," I said, trying to straighten out my hair while putting on my tie and suit jacket all at the same time. All the while, I could see Poison Ivy striding into Stairway, looking around the modest bar while everyone around her tried not to shit themselves.

Tifa rose from her seat uncertainly, “Vergil? What’s going on? Are they already here?” Tifa questioned, and for a moment, I could only wonder what ‘they’ she meant. Then it hit me.

I let out a small laugh, “I wish it was just the Street Kings,” I dismissed. Turning my attention to Sammy, I offered a nod. “Nice to meet you, but I have to run. Tifa can iron out the details with you, but you don’t have anything to worry about here. If a John gives you trouble? Let us know. If someone is taking advantage of you? Let us know. I have exactly zero tolerance for that shit, alright?” Just don’t take advantage of that fact, that went unsaid, but Sammy heard the message all the same.

Tifa sent me a lingering look, likely wondering what put me in ‘oh shit’ mode. “And the Street Kings?” She questioned before I could run out the door.

“I’ll meet with them, but if they try something, I will put them in the ground,” I told her, my tongue slipping, and I only realized what I had said when I was midway through putting my suit jacket back on. Looking at her, I saw her lips had thinned and she was wearing a grimace. I swallowed a sigh, wishing that I could take the words back, but I couldn’t. “I can’t let this become another Blackgater situation, Tifa. Not now. Those plans I was talking about? They’re almost ready to be put into action. And I won’t tolerate anyone taking shots at Lowtown.”

She didn’t like that. I knew that much, even if she didn’t show it. Over the past few months, I had gotten rather good at keeping the dirty side of me away from Tifa’s field of view. In the end, Tifa was an optimist that believed in the good of people. And even if she could accept that I had done things to keep this place going and flourishing like it had… that didn’t mean she had to like them. Or like me doing them. Or want to be someone that was willing to do them.

The pause she took before she answered could have lasted an eternity as far as I was aware. However, Tifa offered a curt nod, accepting the answer for now. She knew what was at stake. That Lowtown was on the precipice of becoming something really spectacular. And, in the end, you couldn’t treat risks with kid gloves. If the Street Kings made a move, if they tried to kill the people under my protection, then I would put them in the dirt. All of them.

“I’ll go get Waylon,” Tifa said, ending the conversation. For now, at least.

“Thank you,” I told her, before I started walking out of the train car. Revy was already upstairs, so I could snag her on the way. Maybe Cass too. I don’t think it would be good to let Ivy and Tifa stay in the same room -- neither were the type to back down, and they were similar enough that their differences in ideals would really stand out. Waylon being there to vouch for me would be a bonus.

I had hoped for more time to prep for this. Even better, a place and a time to meet so I could arrange it all before hand. Anything was better than meeting her at my doorstep, in front of hundreds of witnesses. Especially considering that Jason Todd dropped by every once and a while. In the month that Batman had been back, I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him and I wanted it to stay that way.

Publicly meeting with a terrorist was not helping that goal.

Jack tried to wave me down, but I just nodded to him. My expression must have given it away that I knew exactly what was going on, because he just offered a nod of his in response. I practically sprinted down the hallway, watching Ivy take a seat at the bar, turning her nose up at the prospect of getting something to drink. Her eyes were on the door that more than a few had walked through to escape being in the same room as her.

There weren’t any plants down below, so she probably couldn’t tap into them to tell where they were going, but it should be obvious enough. Still, she wasn’t descending. That was good-

I was so distracted, that I nearly ran straight into Cass when she stepped out in front of me. Her eyes were narrowed, likely picking up on my panic. She held up one hand, her palm facing her chest before the other went up, curled into a fist with the thumb sticking out, and pointed to herself before she made a small circle with it. The sign for danger.

>Maybe. Hope not.< I signed back to her, continuing to the staircase to Stairway. Cass fell in step right behind me, absolutely soundless. There were scared looks as we neared the entryway, people looking at me with wide eyes as I started to head up. They said nothing, but they didn’t need to.

Straightening out my tie and using a camera to look at myself, I fixed my hair as much as I could. A bad thing about gel was that once you lost the form, there was no getting it back. Still, there was no time to really dive in and fix it. Rolling my shoulders, I headed up the steps to the bar.

Pamela Isley sat at the bar, a painted red nail idly tapping at the surface. A wooden surface. Shit. Was she pissed about that? She looked over me lazily, a cold expression on her face, as if she was annoyed with the audacity I had to be in the same room as her. I looked at her for a moment, before my eyes slid over to Ron, the bartender. I nodded at him, and he couldn’t have left the bar fast enough.

“Dr. Pamela Isley, it’s good to meet you. I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect you to answer so quickly,” I started, walking behind the counter. The few others in the room lingered before I jerked my head to the door, telling them to get lost, and they descended down the stairway. “Waylon should be here in a moment.”

Ivy looked at me for a moment, her gaze sliding to Cass, who eyed her warily. “It’s not often that Waylon reaches out to anyone at all, so I thought it was at least worth a look,” she responded. Her voice had a naturally husky edge to it. Seductive. Something that she likely used to wrap men around her finger. “I was also curious -- I’ve heard about the mythical Saint Vergil through Catwoman. I didn’t expect to find a boy pretending to be a man,” she remarked lightly.

I smiled patiently, “I’m flattered that Catwoman thinks highly of me,” I returned, letting the insult slide off my back. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“No,” she answered curtly.

My head dipped in acknowledgment, “I figured. Thought it would be rude not to ask,” I explained. If I had to guess, that was a holdover from her most known origin -- getting roofied and experimented on by a doctor. And possibly raped. So, I turned to Cass and signed, >Thirsty?<

Cass nodded, >Milk.<

I turned my back to Ivy to pour Cass a glass of milk, but I watched her through the cameras in the room. Her gaze lingered on my back, before flicking to Cassandra. Thankfully, Cass was bundled up so none of her scars were visible. I did not need that kind of misunderstanding. Turning back around, I slid the glass to Cassandra, who drank it quietly. Finally, I turned to Ivy.

Her eyes were a deep, almost unnatural green, I noticed. “So, I’ll just cut to the chase -- I’m hoping that we can help each other.” I started, earning a haughty and thoroughly unimpressed look from Ivy in response. She didn’t believe I could help her with a thing. She didn’t even need to say as much to tell me that. To that, I pulled out my deck of cards and set them on the counter. Taking the first card off the top of the deck, I unsealed it to reveal the plans I got from the architect.

She didn't give a reaction to the small act of magic beyond raising an eyebrow. An unimpressed one at that. Nevertheless, I continued as I uncapped the plans. "I'll try not to bore you with the details. The gist of it is that unless Lowtown, the community of homeless people downstairs, expands rapidly in scope, I'm going to have to turn people away. It's overcrowded as it is and our reputation is back in the black. So more people are going to come." Ivy didn't seem like she particularly cared, "What I wanted to speak to you about is for your help constructing this network of tunnels."

I displayed them onto the table. Ivy gave them a look. Cass seemed far more interested despite the fact I knew she couldn't read, or understand the value of numbers.

"Why would I do that?" Ivy questioned, looking back at me. "As far as I'm concerned, the more humans that die, the better."

That was a tactic I saw coming a mile away. "If that were true, then your body count would be a whole lot higher," I pointed out. As I did so, the elevator door opened up and Revy stepped into the room. Her eyes widened when she saw Poison Ivy, a hand going for her guns, but I stopped her with a gesture.

The sound of Ivy tapping her pointer finger seemed to echo through the empty bar. She cast a lingering look at Revy, either sizing her up, or checking her out, before she looked at me. "Quite the thing to say when I've killed hundreds of your kind," she remarked.

"And if you really wanted it to be, that number would be in the thousands. The hundreds of thousands," I argued. "Between your powers, and based on your doctorates, your intelligence -- I'm betting it would be a rather simple task for you to wipe a city off the map. Or you could just move west, go from small town to small town wiping them off the face of the earth. You have all the tools you need and the knowledge to do it. Or am I wrong?"

A deadly glimmer seemed to enter her eyes, but it wasn't anger. "That much is true, I suppose." She allowed, "Though, I am curious -- just because I don't go out of my way to kill pesky humans, I don't see how that equates to me helping you with… this." She gestured to the plans, which Revy snagged as she strode over and gave them a look.

I had a few tricks up my sleeve, and a few offers, but in an ideal world, I didn't want to have to use them. "Because it works towards your bottom line -- reducing the impact done on nature." Ivy tried to hide it, but I could tell that caught her interest. "At a precursory view? In winter, the homeless will burn whatever it takes to get warm. Clothing, plastics, trash -- doesn't matter. Here? They don't have to."

And with nights as cold as these, people were burning absolutely everything that they could.

Ivy seemed to consider that while Revy let out a low whistle, looking at me from over the plans with a look in her eyes as if she were seeing me for the first time. "You don't bother with half measures, huh?" Revy remarked, passing the plans to Cassandra, who in turn passed them to Ivy. The redhead looked down at them again, truly studying them this time.

"What," she started, her eyes flicking up to me, "exactly do you have in mind?"

She was nibbling at the bait. I hadn't hooked her just yet.

"My wishlist? A root of some kind that can make the tunnels with minimal activity, that'll be strong enough to endure an earthquake. While also being able to act as a renewable source of clean air, food, and water," I answered, and Ivy didn't react to the demands, so they were at least in the realm of possibility. "And I want a guarantee that you will never use the roots provided to harm those that live here. No taking them hostage. No using the root system to collapse the city. Nothing. Ever." There was a sharp edge that started to slipped into my tone that I tried to keep out, but I couldn't quite manage it.

To that, Ivy met my gaze with one of her own. "And if I decide to anyway?" She questioned lightly, the edge of her lips quirking into a smirk. I didn't return it.

"I'll murder the Green," I answered instantly, and that sure made her smirk drop. "Every single spec of plant life on this planet -- I will poison it all. I will turn the Earth into a barren rock of dust and sand." I held her gaze, and I tried to convince her with my eyes that I meant every single word. I would do it. I'd do it without a second thought.

It was just a question of how much weedkiller I had to combine to do it. When it came to Lowtown… just like I told Tifa minutes ago, I wouldn't tolerate threats to this place. None. At all. If I could convince them to not be threats and be the best of friends instead? Great. If not? Then I would put them in the dirt. And that was that.

My expression must have convinced her that I was serious, because her eyes narrowed into a glare. I just didn't give her a chance to talk. "I get it. Plants? They're yours. You care about every single one of them to the last blade of grass. I'm not judging you for it. I get it. I do. You kill because people are a threat to the Green. Deforestation, global warming, littering and so much more. You care about it all, uncategorically and without reservation," I continued. "That's exactly why I'll set this entire planet on fire if you harm the people below us, because that's exactly how I feel about them."

Revy shifted in the corner of my eye and Cass looked between us, both appearing as if they were wondering if this would come to blows. And it just might. Ivy wore a stormy expression, one that promised wrath and retribution. I held her gaze unflinchingly. There was an uncomfortably long silence that dragged on and on.

"And you would trust my word if I gave it?" Ivy broke the silence after a minute that felt like a lifetime.

"If you don't give me any reason to? Yeah, I would," I lied through my teeth. There was absolutely no way in hell I would ever trust her with anything, much less the lives of everyone in Lowtown. "As far as I can tell -- people like me and those below? We aren't your enemy. The ones that decide to poison the environment for a quick buck? They're your enemy."

Her lips thinned, "I detest smug men." She was saying just that because she knew I had her number.

"And I don't like uppity bitches," Revy pitched in with a huff. Ivy glared at her, but said nothing. I'm glad that Revy said it. If I had, I'd probably be dead.

"I'm not trying to be your enemy. Don't want to be either," I added. "I've told you what I want. So, is there a way we can meet in the middle?" As odd as it sounded, I was getting used to negotiating at a disadvantage. In the end, Ivy had the leverage. The power to say no and walk away from the table -- I would be the one screwed, not her. Yet, she remained because I gave her something to gain.

"To start?" Ivy began, meeting my gaze with a cold look. "No pollution of any kind. If my plants are going to feed, water, and give your people air, then they will be treated with respect. They will never give more than they have to give and your people will never take more than they need. Should you, the deal will be off." She warned me, her voice a low growl.

That much, I expected and prepared for. "We can do that. If the roots reach out to the ocean then they can act as a filtration system for us. The root wouldn't be responsible for providing the water," I offered an idea. Ivy's eyes flashed with momentary surprise -- I'm guessing for taking her point of view seriously. "And we can pave over sections of the root to protect it from harm and so it won't be necessary to cut into it to install air-conditioning and wiring."

She nodded, perking up ever so slightly that I had meant what I said about meeting her in the middle.

"Additionally," Ivy added, "I will require compensation. Ten payments of ten million dollars, and for each payment, I will construct a tenth of the tunnel system." All things considered… that was probably a somewhat reasonable price. A hundred million for a self-sufficient tunnel system that expanded across the city? Honestly, all things considered, that was probably cheap. A fraction of what it would cost to get it done legally.

Revy sounded like she was choking on air, alarming Cass while I just crossed my arms as I leaned back. "Is the price negotiable?" I questioned -- as nice of a deal it might be, it was well out of my price range. I had hoped that the prospect of helping the environment would be enough to convince her. But, I guess Ivy was a bit like me in that regard -- we wanted to help, but we also wanted to get something out of it.

Ivy tilted her head and cocked an eyebrow, "Do you have something in mind?" She drawled, sounding unimpressed with whatever it was.

I didn't want to do it. I really didn't. But I didn't have many cards up my sleeve that could tempt her away from a hundred million dollar payout. "I do," I told her, leaning off the counter while my cards flew to my hand. They never felt heavier before. "These cards of mine? They have a bit of a secret, you see. Everyone believes that they're just for storage… but that's not entirely true."

It didn't escape me what I was about to do. The irony of it all. How long ago was it that I drove to Bludhaven with Jeremiah, going to an arms deal that I planned to sabotage from the start? A few months? It felt like yesterday.

It was clear that I had her attention, "My cards can combine things. A handful of beat-up junkers to a single functioning car. Or a bulletproof vest and a suit," I explained, fingering my threads. Or fifty million of cocaine into a single kilo. I pulled out two cards -- a rose and dye. I unsealed them both before I resumed speaking, "I can improve a base object, or I can infuse an object with another and give it properties from the absorbed object."

Case and point, I combined the flower with the lavender dye. What came out was a purple rose.

And… just like that, I saw her bite the hook.

"I'll give you a seed with the effect of your choosing," I told her and I was painfully aware of what I was doing. At how wrong it was. And how many levels I had skipped from wanting to avoid selling guns to… to giving what could amount as a nuke to a terrorist.

And that's why I didn't want Tifa anywhere near this deal. She wouldn't be able to go through with it. But I could. Because, in the end, my people would be safe. Still… I couldn't say it wasn't frightening, in its own way. Just how fucking broken my moral compass was.

"Ten seeds," Ivy haggled, trying to stick to the payment plan that she had planned on.

"I'll meet you in the middle -- five seeds," I offered. "I just kindly request that you don't choose anything too… inhuman."

The smirk that Ivy sent me made a shiver race down her spine, "I make no promises," she warned. "Except for one, I suppose. Your people, Lowtown as it were… you have nothing to fear from me so long as you uphold your end of the bargain." That was nice. Because now I knew she meant it.

Before, the threat I had given was a mostly empty one as far as she was concerned. I was just a guy, and others better than I had already tried to destroy the world. Now she understood that my threat was backed with power. That it came with the reality of it being followed through.

"The map will be divided into fifths, a seed for the completion of each fifth," I decided. Ivy seemed faintly annoyed, but she couldn't argue with the offer she had made. "And I also request that you keep where you got them a secret." That had probably played my hand a little too much, I reflected, judging by the smile that Ivy gave me.

"My lips are sealed, Saint Vergil," she reassured, her tone colored by amusement. "I must say, you aren't anything like I expected."

To that, I scoffed. "I've never once called myself a saint," I answered, letting that speak for itself. "And the effects of the first seed you would like? Depending on what it is, it could take me some time to create it." I reminded, wanting to make that clear.

Ivy thought about it a moment before she stood up. "Vines that are invisible to x-ray and other detection methods," she decided. That, I'm guessing, wasn't something she could create with her powers and extreme knowledge in plant cross germination. As far as requests went, it wasn't a bad one, but I could all too easily see what she could do with it. What she had planned for it. And while I could hope that would be her most extreme request, I knew that it wouldn't.

"Okay, you have a deal," I confirmed. Ivy looked at me for a long moment, searching my face for any sign of deceit. She wouldn't find any, because I intended to follow through. She would get the seeds. All five of them. No matter what she requested.

No matter what she requested.

In the end, I had been an idiot with Jeremiah. Oh, that had ended about as well as it could have for me, but I had been lying to myself. I hadn't… understood something about myself. I hadn't… accepted it.

This was who I was deep down. This was who I've always been. A man who would sell weapons to terrorists if it meant that I benefited. I could do all the good that I wanted, but it wouldn't ever change that fact. I could do good… but I would never be good.

"Waylon told me what you wanted, so I came prepared," Ivy said, holding out a hand -- a vine snaked up her arm, growing in size, before a seed about the size of a gumdrop grew at the end. "All you have to do is drop it at the point where you would like the center of the tunnel system to be. Perhaps this 7th Heaven I've heard so much about?"

Reaching out my hand, the vine dropped the seed into my hand. I guess so she didn't have to touch me. "Not going to make me wait until I pay in advance?" I questioned, looking at the seed with no small amount of suspicion, especially when it was given to me in advance. I didn't trust it. I didn't trust her. Not in the slightest.

"Waylon vouched for you. It might be the first time he's done so for anyone. At least it is to me," Ivy responded, her answer catching me off guard.

I looked down at the pale tan seed. I wasn't sure what kind it was. "You know Waylon well, then?" I asked, starting to wonder exactly what kind of relationship they had. When he had reached out, Ivy had practically come running. I thought it might be weeks before I saw her, if at all. Now she's willing to extend an olive branch, because Waylon was willing to go to bat for me?

Ivy's expression twisted into a scowling sneer, "I don't know how that's any of your business." It wasn't, not really.

"Because if Waylon is willing to vouch for you, then that changes things," I responded. There was a string that I didn't expect. At least something that looked a lot like a string. And my first thought was how to use it. Because I didn't trust Ivy. Not in the slightest. The first thing I was going to do was make sure that this root would never be able to harm the people of Lowtown, even if she tried to make it. But, if she had a vested interest in the place -- like Waylon -- then that did change things.

I wouldn't ever trust her, but I didn't have to if I trusted Waylon.

"It is of no concern of yours," Ivy responded testily, telling me that I had pressed too hard. Either because I was a man that was asking, or because something was there. Friendship, lovers, or just mutual respect. Didn't matter to me in the slightest.

I fell silent before I dropped the seed into a blank card, watching it ripple on the card's white surface and a picture appear.

Seedling. S-Rank.

My highest tier card so far. The surface of it was a pale white with sparkles scattered about in the background. It was good to know that A-Rank wasn't the highest. Still, it raised some questions as to how much cocaine I had to combine to get S rank stuff. I'm sure that Snowflame would want to know.

"It's not," I agreed. "Are you going to stick around until Waylon shows up? He should be on his way." It was tempting to offer to walk her down, but that was a no go. Even if I could use her, Ivy was still a wanted terrorist, and being seen all buddy-buddy with her was a recipe for disaster.

Ivy seemed to think about it for a moment too long, telling me her answer, but what came out was a lie. "I have no interest in spending another moment here," she dismissed, earning a scoff from Revy who believed her as much as I did. And, as if to prove that point, Ivy stood up and began walking to the door. "The root will take three days to complete its growth cycle. I will have my seedling on the third day."

Ivy used the vine to push open the door, letting a blast of cold air in. She didn't stop to hear me respond and simply walked out of the building. Only when she was long gone did I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"You are one crazy motherfucker, you know that?" Revy questioned with a shake of her head, practically diving behind the bar to grab a bottle of whiskey. "Do you even know who that is? That was Poison Ivy," she added as if that had somehow escaped my notice. She bit out the cork and took a swig with a small river dripping down her chin.

"Fuck me," Revy muttered, wiping off her chin. I sent her an amused look. I hadn't ever seen her like this. "Ever since I met you it's been ninjas, gods, and supervillains."

"Regret sticking around?" I asked, recalling my cards while Cass rolled up the plans.

"Hell no. This shit is way more fun than ripping off gangsters, or robbing shit," Revy didn't hesitate with her answer as she flashed me a dangerous grin. I returned it with a waning one of my own before I sealed the plans away. After grabbing Cass' empty glass of milk, I gestured to the door and both girls followed.

The descent down was just long enough to let it sink in what I had done. The deal that I had made. Five seeds to an internationally wanted terrorist. If that news ever saw the light of day, then I was done for.

As we walked through the tunnel, I saw Waylon's hulking form as we neared 7th Heaven. Tifa was in front of him, and Sammy was behind him, openly wearing an expression that told everyone that saw it she was reconsidering a lot of the life choices that led her to this point. Waylon saw me first, his eyes flickering over the group. "Ivy already leave?" He didn't sound surprised or broken up about it.

I nodded, "Yeah. I offered to have her stay, but I think that made her mad," I confirmed. Waylon nodded, seemingly expecting nothing less. I ignored the look I got from Tifa in favor of unsealing the seedling. "She gave me this, though. But…"

"You don't trust it," Waylon spoke up, guessing my thought process. I nodded, confirming as much, so he continued. "Ivy isn’t what anyone would call a good person, but she doesn’t lie about things like this. She's been on the other end before, so she doesn’t."

So, he was vouching for her. I could only guess at their relationship, but it didn't matter. In the end, I trusted Ivy about as far as I could throw Waylon. But I trusted Waylon significantly more.

"Alright then," I said, stepping until I was about dead center in 7th Heaven. Looking to the others, I saw hesitant looks, but Waylon's word was enough to convince them.

So, I dropped the seed. It hit the ground, laying there for a moment before it began to sprout as it sunk into the floor.

And with it, Lowtown began to change.