In a cemetery in Houma, the mist rises from the ground and lights flash in the darkness. Swamp Thing comes to investigate and a figure appears out of the mist, calling for Anton.
At his lab, Anton is working on an anti-aging experiment as Graham records it on posterity for posterity. Graham interrupts to say that he's honored that Anton has finally figured out the secrets of human aging.
At the gate, a ghostly light approaches and the watchmen run off.
In the lab, the power goes out and the backup systems don't respond.
The light enters the complex through a security door.
Anton complains that his experiment is ruined and leaves. The light comes in and all of the assistants but Graham run off.
An aide is massaging Anton's brow when Graham comes in and tells Anton that he thought Anton would enjoy eliminating the engineers himself. Anton insists that he's in no mode, and Graham says that he thinks that the experiment was sabotaged. He finally says that there were reports of unexplained lights and sounds, and suggests that a poltergeist attacked them. Anton doesn't believe in ghosts, but Graham shows him the surveillance footage of the light. He plays back the tape's audio at digital speed, and the spirit says that he wants Anton. Anton realizes that it's Sunderland's voice, and figures that discovering life after death could be his most amazing discovery. Graham suggests that they share credit on it because he did the preliminary work, but Anton figures that they're trying to contact him. He'll contact Sunderland and get instructions on mastering the afterlife, and leaves a disappointed Graham.
Anton drives to the cemetery, where Sunderland was buried, and scans the area with an EMF device. He calls on Sunderland to come out, and Swamp Thing emerges from the shadows. He tells Anton to leave, explaining that something violent is waiting for hm. Anton leaves to call Graham and have him check it out, and his radio comes on. It emits static and the light appears in the car with him. It disappears and the car engine stops. Anton figures that Sunderland is responsible and pulls over. Sunderland's spirit appears and disappears as Anton tries to scan it with his device. Drawing a gun, Anton goes after it.
The trail leads to a warehouse, and Anton goes inside. The readings lead to a storage room and Anton calls on Sunderland to signal him. Sunderland says that Anton is going to die, and the door slams shut. Anton reminds Sunderland that he activated the self-destruct in his complex, and objects fly at Anton as Sunderland appears and brings forth the other ghosts from the cemetery. Anton fires at them without effect, and Sunderland yanks the gun out of his hand.
Swamp Thing breaks in and says that the spirits are upsetting the balance of nature. He warns that he has limited power over them because they're not of the material world. Sunderland starts a fire and Swamp Thing puts it out. The ghost blasts Swamp Thing with a fireball, knocking him out the door and breaking apart his body.
Anton escapes and bloody letters appear, spelling out "Die Arcane". Blood appears on his hands, and a night watchman arrives. Anton claims that he's injured and the watchman orders him to step out. The man sees the blood on him and Sunderland stuns him down with a blast of lightning. As Anton runs off, the ghosts appear and the watchman runs.
Swamp Thing slowly reassembles himself.
Sunderland and the other ghosts appear to Anton again, and Anton says that he only wants to be his ally. The ghost insists that he wanted Tatiana and he is going to even things up between them, and brings a pile of crates down on Anton.
Once that he's reassembled himself, Swamp Thing goes to find Anton.
Sunderland says that when people die, they suffer all of the pain that they inflicted on others. Anton crawls free and runs, and Swamp Thing finds him. He tells Anton that he has to face the ghosts, and may be able to destroy their ectoplasmic forms with heat. Anton sees a nearby tanker and runs over, while Swamp Thing confronts the ghosts and tells Sunderland to go back. While he delays Sunderland, Anton takes a dinghy to the tanker and lights a flare. Sunderland attacks him and Anton drops the flare. It falls into a pipe and the tanker explodes. Swamp Thing assumes that Anton is dead.
When Swamp Thing checks the wreckage, he finds an injured Anton washed up on shore. The creature says that the spirits returned to their world, and Anton takes credit for restoring balance to the swamp. He insists that the swamp is indebted to him, and Swamp Thing advises him to think about that for a long while.
Written by Gadfly on Dec 10, 2017