Decades ago, in the halcyon days of the 1980s, I was obsessed with the Legion of Super-Heroes…and Swamp Thing.1 I had been invited to join a fanzine dedicated to the Legion and decided to blend my interests. The result was the short story below, which I recently unearthed from an old scan on my hard drive. Other than cleaning up some typos, I’ve not changed a word from the original. Please be kind: I was something like 14 when I wrote it…
“Passenger Starliner Solar Blossom — Current Status:
Starliner crashed today due to malfunction of Impulse Drive during reentry to Earth atmosphere. Malfunction apparently manifested after passing through Polymer Shield. The cruiser missed the Metropolis Spaceport and continued on to Metropolis Park, where it exploded and crashed. Pyronullification teams are currently in the area trying to salvage materials.” — U.P. News Wire
From the personal journal of Brainiac Five — July 5, 2987:
The Solar Blossom apparently developed difficulties with its Impulse Drive coolant fields immediately after clearing the earth’s Polymer Shield. The explosion and subsequent crash into Metropolis Park has caused fear and awe in the citizens. The Park is one of the few foliated areas of the planet that remain since the Great Blighting of 2765.
The Legion’s aid was requested immediately and Polar Boy, Lightning Lass, Wildfire, and myself responded. Polar Boy created ice which Wildfire and Lightning Lass then melted in an attempt to aid the pyronullification teams already on the site. I collected air samples for later analysis and took the standard heat and radiation readings. My immediate theory upon arrival was that no unshielded, non-powered being could have survived the devastation. A later check with the Blossom‘s flight plans revealed that it was carrying a group of tourists and scholars from my homeworld of Colu. None had metaphysical abilities of any sort.
It is impossible that anyone survived.
I…have survived. Despite the…fire and the scream… of dying alloys, I…have lived.
The ship went down…shrieking to the people…of Earth in a..language of rending steel…and burnt bodies.
I had been on…Colu attending a seminar…so many light years from…my homeworld of…earth. We were returning…and as we cleared…the shield, I heard…the belch of…an explosion. And then there…was the fire and…the melting flesh. And my mind…left my body and fell…into a pool.. of green…
Metropolis Park. We had…crashed in Metropolis Park. My mind…melded with the green of the…plants even as…my burned corpse…sank into the trees and…mud. I floated in…a verdant lake of…chlorophyll and…leaves. For hours I…waited. Then I began…to grow.
From the personal journal of Brainiac Five — July 5, 2987:
Two hours after the crash of the Blossom the pyronullification teams, aided by the Legionnaires, finished extinguishing the flames. The damage to the Park was extensive. Over 80% of the flora was destroyed and the first layer of soil was burned away. The Earth-Gov representatives began making arrangements for Chlorophyll Kid to re-foliate the Park as I took various soil samples.
The others remained with me, curious as to the repercussions of the explosion. Despite Wildfire’s constant complaints and sarcasm, I made some progress and was taking more rad-readings when it happened.
My portable diagnoscanner picked up a marked increase in the chlorophyll in a localized area. I examined the region, which was no more than a meter square, and thought it to be just another piece of scorched territory. The diagnoscanner, however, told a different tale. As I watched, the chlorophyll readings quadrupled and the ground began to shift. I turned on my force field instantly, out of discretion more than fear. As I watched, plants began to grow at an incredible rate.
The anomaly had come.
Pushing out…of the green that.. surrounds me, I begin…to knit a body…from the seeds and…verdant threads beneath the…benighted soil. The plants bend to my…will and sew themselves into…my new self. My body…is massive, two and a half meters tall…and heavy. Bizarre organs…made of sentient grass perform their…bizarre functions within…my form. My eyelids, made of creeping vine, slide back…ponderously to let the light enter my eyes and…encounter the strange neurons…of my brain.
Before me, there is a man…green and startled. He looks familiar…but I cannot remember him. I cannot remember…much at all. I can see the cells that…fit together in their biological…jigsaw to make him alive. Around him…there is a field of energy…pure and undiluted. He touches his belt…and the field fades into nothingness. He approaches me…warily, brandishing a blade of fire and…electrons. Bending cautiously, he…touches it to my…infant flora-flesh. I lose…control…
From the personal journal of Brainiac Five — July 5, 2987:
The anomaly manifested itself in a humanoid vegetable form, approximately 2.5 meters tall. The anomaly was constructed entirely of vegetation and soil, much to my surprise. It had simply sprung up before me with no visible warning. Later analysis indicates that it did so through manipulation of substrata flora, though this theory may prove to be incorrect.
As the anomaly sprang up before me, my initial reaction was to test it. Turning of my force field, I extracted a laser slicer from my medikit and approached the being. When I began to shave off a few cells of the epidermal layer, the anomaly struck me with a tremendously powerful back-handed blow. I staggered backwards, put up my force field, and shouted out to the other Legionnaires. It was too late, though. The anomaly began to run off towards downtown Metropolis with surprising speed. Vision blurred from the attack, I could not follow.
By the time Wildfire and the others arrived, it was gone.
I walk through…a city of inorganic buildings that flawlessly house…the citizens of Metropolis. Above me, aircars…flit across the encapsulated sky in a useless ballet bounded by the…aero-traffic lans. I once lived in this city. Once…so long ago.
A scientist. I had been a scientist…named Alec Holl— no, Alan Hayden. Holland…who was he? I do not…know yet it seems…important.
The city is…confining and smells of steel…and civilization. For some reason…the odor is unappealing to me…and I must leave.
A Science Police…officer sees me, stares. He snaps down the visor on his helmet…demands to see my passport. When I try to reply…my voice issues forth thickly like blood trickling slowly…down the back of a…throat. He cannot understand me, calls…for help on his communicator. What have I…become? I have changed so…much since I survived the fire.
Like long ago when I…found the bomb under the…table and ran, flaming out into the…swamp. Abby, oh, Abby. Who is Abby? Who is…Holland? A million lifetimes seem…to press down on my consciousness irrevocably. My mind…seeks release and sinks into the…web of infinite emerald. Not truly knowing…what I am doing, the plants in the…city begin to twist and…grow. The body is abandoned, a lifeless…husk and I am suddenly in…every plant in Metropolis. Every plant begins…to grow and I hear the screams of the people…as though within each one of them. Chaos controls my mind and…the green expands in Metropolis. Just like before…in Gotham. Abby, oh, Abby. I believe that…I am going insane.
And the growing plants…go insane with me.
“Metropolis, Earth: All citizens are recommended to remain indoors while SP and Legion forces deal with the sudden acceleration of plant growth in the city. President Desai has declared a formal state of emergency, but has yet to announce any military action.” — U.P. News Wire
From the personal journal of Brainiac Five — July 5, 2987:
After recovering from the anomaly’s blow, I followed Wildfire and the others into Metropolis. The sight that greeted me was mind-boggling and very close to impossible.
All the plants in Metropolis had begun growing at an accelerated rate, twisting and crawling across the flawless metallic flesh of the city’s buildings. The concept that the anomaly sighted in Metro Park was not involved with this was absurd. Using the irreplaceable diagnoscanner, I traced the anomaly by comparing its recorded chlorophyll levels with those in the area. The anomaly, it seemed, was located near the SP barracks. I radioed to the others that I was going there and then flew off.
The anomaly was standing in the midst of the chaos and the plant growth was denser there. I left my force field on and maneuvered through the growth to the anomaly’s body. The amount of plant growth was amazing. Since the Great Blighting of 2765, there have been few areas on Earth with dense plant growth, South America being a primary example of a “green” area. However, Metropolis was quite overgrown at this point. I suppose the anomaly controlled the flora in the Botanical Section of Metro U’s Science Department. We may never know for sure.
My scanners indicated that there were no life functions in relation to the anomaly. I approached and switched off my field. I had to be sure that this thing was not alive.
Removing my telepathic plugs, I placed them in the head of the body, where the ears should be. My scanners indicated no brain activity. They could tell me virtually nothing. They could tell me that the enhanced plant growth was emanating from the anomaly, however. I put in a spare set of telepathic plugs and tried to communicate with the anomaly. Nothing. If it had been alive, it was no longer.
Confident and now knowing what to do, I called in Lightning Lass and Wildfire.
Reeling, I am reeling in the endless…green. Holland, Olsen, who.….are they? Memories of things…that I never did assail me…mercilessly. I am lost in the twisting plants…of Metropolis. I know that I am choking the city, but…I cannot stop. I must…regain my body and try…to get help.
For an instant, I shift back into the…body that I built in the Park. I look through…my odd eyes and see a woman who…crackles with electrical might swooping…down towards me. Beside her, there is a synthetic…suit filled with…consciousness and energy. The suit speeds up, bypassing its companion. The gloved hand…raises, touches the… underside of the helmet. The suit’s flat face…glimmers in the sunlight, hinting…at the anguish of the thing…trapped within. The face lifts up and…the thing trapped within rages out, a dragon’s…breath.
And then the thing in the suit…destroys me…
“Metropolis, Earth: Plant expansion crisis is ended due to actions on the part of the Legion of Super-Heroes. SP and Legion teams are currently working together to clear the debris and left-over plant growth. City is now declared safe and President Desai has lifted the state of emergency.” — U.P News Wire
“Charges of murder of an alien life form have been dismissed against Wildfire due to testimony by Brainiac Five that the destroyed entity in Metropolis was not alive at the time of the Legion’s attack.” — U.P. Legal Wire
From the personal journal of Brainiac Five — July 5, 2987:
After the defeat of the anomaly in Metropolis, I returned to LSH HQ to research the anomaly as the Science Police and several Legionnaires began to “clean up” Metropolis.
In all the records that I had access to, I found only four references to anything remotely resembling the anomaly. Unfortunately, Wildfire’s anti-energy burst decimated the anomaly, leaving me with no samples.
Oddly enough, three of the four entries I located were dated circa the Late Atomic Age on Earth. The first referred to a plant being that overwhelmed Gotham City by accelerating the growth of plants, much in the manner of the anomaly this afternoon. However, I find it difficult to believe that they are one and the same. Perhaps a similar species…?
The second entry was from the planet Rann and recorded the visitation of a vegetable lifeform that re-floriated a Rannian desert. Details were scarce.
The third entry came from the plant world J586 and told of a “horror” that came to their planet and melded thousands of the vegetable inhabitants into one being. Apparently, the “horror” was simply misguided and the Green Lantern at the time defeated it and exiled it from the planet.
The fourth entry, of course, was dated a mere two centuries ago and related the tale of the Great Blighting of 2765.
However, none of this information helped me deduce the nature of the anomaly that manifested itself today. Perhaps it doesn’t really matter, the crisis is ended, the anomaly gone. There are other matters that demand my attention.
At least the insanity is over.
The insanity…is over. The anti-thing in the suit…vaporized my body and I was forced to flee. Once again…I have come through the fire.
The plants of…Metropolis are inadequate for my needs. They are…houseplants and…science experiments, not…the pure green that I …crave. I slip away from them, my intellect melting with the cool…jade of the earth’s flora. The chartreuse envelops me, comforts…me, leads me. I push forward, covering kilometers…in seconds. I am heading south.
Louisiana.
“Louisiana Sector, Earth: One of the few places on Earth with its natural ecosystem intact. Comprised of the former states of Louisiana and Arkansas, Louisiana Sector is a swampy bog that serves primarily as a tourist spot for offworlders from desert planets.” — Encyclopaedia Galactica, 2987 Edition
Louisiana. Why is it…so familiar? I lived here once…did I not? Yes, in another life…when I was Holland…
No! I was…never Holland. He is a dead man…someone else. What is it that we share together? What is our…bond?
Almost instinctively, I construct…a body from the dirt and loam and…vines. I am in a swamp, there is the…wet thrash of a…’gator’s tail and the…cry of a bird. It almost feels like…coming home.
But something is…wrong. Nearby, there is a place of…dark soil and decayed nutrients. I move with a speed… that belies my bulk and push…through the beautiful chaos of the…bog. Something is calling to me, enticing…me, and I cannot resist its call. I must…follow.
The trees before me part…revealing a plot of clear…land and clean grass. There is a marker standing…upright in the soil. A memory of digging…a grave in the howling rain sparks…briefly to life before returning…to whatever place it came from. A grave, here. The marker…is proof enough. Whose?
The air becomes misty and…then the mist consolidates into a..man’s form. Holland? He is gaunt and pale…yet smiles at me. Who…?
He points south…looking firm despite his…insubstantiality. Before he fades…forever, he whispers two words. “South America.” Yes, it seems…that I must go there. After all, it makes…sense.
Letting the body collapse onto the roof of what…I now know to be Holland’s grave, I…merge again with the infinite jade of this world. I must go south…to the continent where the plants still live. To the…place where the…Great Blighting was…stopped.
“Great Blighting: The Great Blighting of 2765 was an endeavor by a semi-barbaric, post-nuclear war culture to destroy all plant life on Earth. After Nuclear War III, the culture began a planetary movement to eradicate all plant life for hitherto unknown reasons. However, the plants of South America seemed particularly resistant to the humans’ attacks and could even apparently fight back. A form of life that was apparently composed entirely of vegetation met with the humans and explained that it was a representative of a “Parliament of Trees” that controlled the plant life in South America. The being threatened worldwide repercussions if South America was not spared. Negotiations continued and the continent was spared. Several months later, the primary proponents of the plant destruction movement were found dead from a plant extract poison.” — Encyclopaedia Galactica, 2987 Edition
The world is…a giant organic computer and I…am a datum pushed through its…living wiring. I am nearing South America…and I feel something tug…at my discorporate intelligence. I vaguely remember Constantine, whom…I have never met…saying, “Don’t worry…get your consciousness within a hundred miles and it will pull you like a magnet.” It seems that he spoke truthfully. The something pulls…at me and I go…along with it. As I get closer, I feel…the green becoming greener…the life becoming…richer. When I reach the source of the tugging, I…knead the earth like soft…dough. The huge…leaves sew themselves together with…vines, while the shell…fills itself with grass and…loam that mimic the functions…of organs. My unhuman eyes…open and I see a sight that…is not to be believed.
All around me there… is a grove of rooted beings…like myself. They are all different…colors, browns, reds, oranges, mostly…greens. As I contemplate this marvel, one…of the green beings opens his wooden mouth to…speak.
“Flesh speaks. Wood listens. Where is evil…in all the wood?”
I stare at it, the ancient…tree. It appears as if it…has lived over a millennium. It turns its elder eyes to…my green form and…speaks again.
“We are… the Parliament of Trees, I was Alec…Holland, before the fire…claimed me and…made me one with the Green.”
Holland! There are…so many things to…ask…
“The time… for questions is not…now. That time will come…two hundred years. ago. You must travel… backward in time, to the years of…the Great Blighting. There, you shall be our representative…in our dealings with Man.”
But…I cannot…
“You can. It is already…your destiny to do so. When you manifest in…the past, you will be able to ask your…questions. Go.”
And then there are a thousand minds… in my mind and they are…ordering me to go…back, to slip through the…gossamer curtains of time and become their history, Their minds are too powerful, and…I must obey…
“All time trips are temporarily suspended due to an unidentified disturbance in the time stream. The temporal anomaly has been traced back to the year 2765. The difficulty is not expected to last long and time visas should be returned soon”. — Report from Circadia Senius’ Desk (July 5, 2987)
Emerging green…from the polychromatic blur…of time travel, I reform my body. I am still in the…grove where the Parliament of Trees…holds its bizarre audience. Holland is…before me, looking younger, but…nonetheless ancient. He promised me…answers and I ask him…what I am…
“You are the…champion from the…future who will end the Great…Blighting. When sour times touch…the word, the earth calls…forth an elemental to defend itself. Yet, this time…something went…wrong. The nuclear weapons prevented the Earth… from building its savior. So we summoned you…from the future to perform…that function. You are the last hope…of the world.”
I believe that…I will never understand fully…what has transpired, or what…will transpire. I do know…that I will succeed in saving the…plants because I have studied…it in the future. Yet that does not make the mission…any less urgent. I am an elemental, a force of…nature. That uch…I comprehend. I see now that my…life is destined to end before my…birth. I see now…that my life is an eternal circle, never ending, never beginning. But this…does not disturb me, for I know…what to do and when to do it. My life has purpose…endless purpose.
I shuffle off…into the woods, away from the grove…of the Parliament to fulfill…my prenatal destiny… Whatever it…may be…
“It’s really a story. A special circular story that goes round and round…” — Abel (Saga of the Swamp Thing #33)