Poison Ivy

"Where's Harley?"

After a brief silence, Catwoman lowered her voice.

"Looking for her? She's off in another world, enjoying being God." Damon chuckled.

"Never mind, then." After a pause, she hung up.

He glanced at his phone and clicked his tongue. His little kitty was in trouble, wasn't she?

"Gideon, find out what's happened to Catwoman."

A moment later, Gideon answered.

"Catwoman is currently in Gotham. Since the attack on the Red Room, Parademons have been appearing in large numbers and abducting people. My analysis suggests that her friend, Miss Pamela Lillian Isley, may have been taken. That would explain why she is seeking help."

"Kitty doesn't have many real friends. Outside the Birds of Prey, there's Harley and..." Damon's eyes lit up as a name came to him.

Poison Ivy.

Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy.

The Gotham City Sirens.

Damon stood and turned to June Moone. "A Red Lantern named Mera will be arriving soon. She may have someone injured with her. Take them to the medical bay and have Gideon handle treatment."

June nodded.

Once again, Damon left the Disciple.

Gotham.

The streets were far emptier than before. Doors and windows were shut, giving the city a desolate look. Gunshots and shouts rang out in the distance. Here and there, he could make out winged Parademons carrying people away.

Was Steppenwolf building up his army?

He might be hiding, but his Parademons were still busy. Damon used his powers to search the internet and found reports of attacks throwing cities into chaos. After skimming a few, he had to give Gotham's people credit. Human or monster, whether they could win or not, they fought first and worried about it later. At least they had the nerve to resist.

Thud!

A noise came from a nearby rooftop. Damon looked up and saw Batman loop a line around a Parademon's neck and slam it down. But the creature was no pushover. It broke free easily and fought back.

"Tsk." Even one Parademon could trade blows with Batman. Damon almost felt sorry for him.

"Damon! Give me a hand!"

The cry hadn't come from Batman. Damon turned toward a nearby alley. Talia was fighting a Parademon with a dagger, her clothes in disarray. She looked decidedly worse for wear.

She had trained with the League of Shadows. Her fighting skills weren't far behind Batman's.

Smiling, Damon strolled over and pointed at the creature. A beam of rainbow light pierced its head.

Bang!

The Parademon's head exploded, spraying Talia with blood. Its body slowly toppled.

She wiped her face, leaned against the wall, and caught her breath.

Her heaving chest was hard to miss.

"Got the Black Lantern ring?" he asked casually.

Talia nodded. "S.T.A.R. Labs has a decent security system, but it couldn't stop me. I have the ring. And don't worry. Nobody knows I took it."

"I'm not worried. If they find out, you're the one with a problem." Damon shrugged and smiled. "I saved you. How are you going to thank me?"

"However you want." She snorted, apparently beyond caring.

He said nothing, only glanced up. Talia followed his gaze. A dark figure was descending the fire escape above them. A few quick jumps brought her to the ground.

Tap.

Catwoman straightened and started to leave, then stopped short.

"Damon? Miranda Tate? What are you two doing here?" Then she noticed the dead Parademon.

"I came to find you." Damon walked toward her, smiling.

"What for?" Her gaze shifted. She knew perfectly well.

"If you're happy to let Poison Ivy turn into one of these things, by all means, keep pretending." He grinned.

Catwoman frowned. "You can help. But I'm warning you: no touching me, no getting ideas about me, and no getting ideas about my friend."

"With legs like yours, who am I to argue?" He chuckled. "Any leads?"

She shook her head. "No. I was going to find out where the Parademons are hiding."

"Too much trouble. Take me to Ivy's place. I'll find her directly."

"Fine."

She nodded. Damon stepped closer, put an arm around her waist, and flew off with her.

"Didn't she just say not to touch her?" Talia put her dagger away and left.

Before long...

Following Catwoman's directions, they reached Ivy's home: a shabby little rooftop room filled with flowers and plants of every kind.

"What are you going to do?" Catwoman asked.

Damon looked around, smiling, then went to a corner and picked something up.

"Pervert! What are you doing?" Catwoman bristled at the sight of the green bra in his hand.

"This is Ivy's, right? Quite a bit bigger than yours. I need something of hers to get a fix on her." He activated his vibing ability.

A low rumble.

He closed his eyes and felt a pulling sensation. When he opened them, the scene had changed. He stood in a dim space that looked like a large warehouse. People of all ages were crowded inside. Some trembled. Others sobbed. Among them, he spotted a red-haired woman in a long green dress, her figure striking even in the gloom. She was far calmer than the other prisoners. She looked neither distressed nor pleased, and not remotely worried.

"Found her."

He smiled, released the vision, and tossed the bra aside.

"Already? Where is she? Is she all right?" Catwoman asked anxiously.

"Why not see for yourself?" He opened a breach. Catwoman rushed through at once.

Damon followed. The noisy crowd had fallen silent. People huddled together in a corner, staring fearfully at the breach.

"Pamela!" Catwoman hurried over and hugged Ivy.

"You were quick. I haven't even worked out the layout yet. Wait. Is that Damon?" Ivy pushed her away, fixed an intent gaze on him, and strode over.