A canister bubbles in the swamp.
In his lab, Arcane tells Graham that they are planting algae in nature and he’ll make a fortune.
Swamp Thing finds dead wildlife around the canister and figures that Arcane is responsible. He grabs the cylinder and tries to pull it out of the ground.
Arcane tells Graham that he can simulate the wildlife to eat anything. A thermal indicator shows a rise in temperature, The tech warns that the system is overheating and Arcane shoves him out of the way. The safety overrides fail and Arcane is electrocuted. He collapses and the tech confirms that Arcane is dead.
Arcane finds himself in the swamp and no one answers his calls. Lightning flashes and someone laughs in the distance. Arcane comes to a courtroom and finds himself in a prisoner’s uniform. A man with an eye patch tells Arcane that he’s not in Hell--yet--and laughs. The tech, now the court bailiff, grabs Arcane and calls the court to order. Tressa is the judge, and Will is Arcane’s defense attorney. A jury appears in the jury box, and Tressa reads off the charges. Will pleads guilty on Arcane’s behalf and the jury applauds.
Arcane insists that it’s a nightmare and says that he’ll defend himself. Will becomes the prosecutor and says that Arcane is cruel and insensitive. Arcane objects and says that the jury is unacceptable because they’re biased. Tressa overrides him and Will continues, reciting Arcane’s crimes. When Arcane tries to leave, one of his creations blocks his path.
Will calls Arcane’s mother, who says that Arcane was rotten even as a child. Others testify, including Arcane’s hairdresser. Arcane then addresses the jury, saying that the prosecution is wasting their time. He insists that Will has proven nothing and that he’s innocent until proven guilty. Will says that Arcane has already proven himself guilty, and presents images of Arcane’s crimes, including kidnapping Jim. Tressa breaks into tears and tells Arcane to do something about his hair.
To close his case, Will calls Alec Holland to the stand. Alec testifies that Arcane was obsessed with his bio-restorative formula. He sen;ot thugs to steal Alec’s formula and failed, and then he had them eliminate the competition. Arcane objects and realizes that his life is being judged. He insists that his experiment would benefit mankind, and insists that he will stop global famine. Will shows the jury images of Arcane’s conversation with Graham, saying he would make a fortune off of his algae. Alec testifies that Arcane killed his wife and damns Arcane to hell. The jury joins in, and Arcane grabs the bailiff’s gun and shoots the mutant, Tressa, and Will. Alec transforms into Swamp Thing, and Arcane runs out of the courtroom and into Houma.
Arcane finally grabs two downed power lines and orders the pursuing jury back. The laugh and Tressa congratulates him on a nice try. The jury declares Arcane guilty, and Arcane backs into a water puddle. He’s electrocuted and screams… and wakes up in the lab. Graham has resuscitated him, and tells Arcane that the experiment was destroyed. Arcane tells him to give it a rest, takes Graham’s comb, and tends to his hair.
Written by Gadfly on Aug 29, 2017