Pamela's lips curved faintly as she met Barbara's steady gaze, the last sparks of static still dancing across the walls. The shriveled husk of the seedling behind them crumbled to dust, the smell of burnt chlorophyll hanging heavy in the corridor.
Barbara gave a small nod. "Well, we only have one way to go. Let's team up and keep moving. We have to find that professor."
Pamela's expression hardened, her hand brushing over the Midnight Rose wrapped around her wrist. "When we do, I hope you won't stop me from killing him. He's murdered too many homeless people from around Gotham University to be allowed to live."
Barbara's eyes narrowed, her voice firm. "I wouldn't dream of it. These seedlings he's created are abominations. Human monstrosities. He hat to die no question."
Pamela exhaled, the faintest flicker of a smile breaking through. "You and I think alike."
They pressed forward, the dim glow of overhead lights stretching their shadows long against the walls. The corridor narrowed before ending at a massive steel door braced with rust-streaked plating. Pamela paused, tracing the cold metal with her fingers. Heavy bolts secured its edges, and a digital interface blinked faintly near the handle.
Barbara crouched to inspect it, strands of red hair falling loose around her face. "This thing is industreal-grade steel," she murmured. "Sealed tight. Probably to keep something nasty inside."
Pamela tilted her wrist, letting the Midnight Rose coil up her arm. Thorns flexed outward, eager. "Want me to blast it open?"
Barbara's lips tightened, amusement sparking in her eyes. "No way. Let me show off a little."
She straightened, placing her hand over the console. Blue static crawled from her fingertips into the device, the glow spreading until even the edges of the steel door hummed with faint electricity. The screen blinked red—then green. With a hiss, the locks disengaged and the door slid open, the metal groaning as it retreated into the wall.
Pamela's eyes widened. "Holy shit, that's impressive."
Barbara tilted her chin, pride clear in her stance. "I know, right?"
The two of them stepped through, only to freeze. The hallway beyond stretched wider, shadows pooling across the floor. At the far end, crouched low and waiting, were several massive wolves. Their eyes burned an unnatural yellow-green, fixed squarely on the intruders.
Pamela's stomach twisted. "Holy shit… he even experimented on dogs?"
Barbara's gaze sharpened, her fists tightening at her sides. "Not dogs—wolves. These are the local wildlife he's been kidnapping. He's not just targeting people… he's experimenting on Gotham's entire ecosystem."
The creatures shifted, muscles rippling beneath patchy fur. Their bodies were distorted—sinew wound together with vines and moss, patches of ivy creeping along their shoulders. Their tails ended in root-like clumps that writhed as if alive. The smell of damp soil and blood wafted down the corridor, thick enough to sting Pamela's throat.
Her fists clenched, the Midnight Rose tightening around her arm. "Then we'll take these things out too."
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