Will heads out into the swamp and waits for Swamp Thing so he can attend a lesson on communicating with the swamp. He admires a large flower and as he walks on, the flower twitches and a vine grabs Will by the leg and drags him away. Swamp Thing arrives and frees Will, and tells the teenager to stay back. He goes over to the Carson flower, which sprays pollen into his face. Swamp Thing then tells Will that it doesn't belong there and threatens the swamp. Will hacks at it with a machete, cutting it off.
At the complex, Graham returns from his Hawaiian vacation at the lab and admires the plants in as sealed habit tank. As he starts to open it, Anton tells him to stop and says that Graham was close to immortality. He leads him to a cavern and explains that it goes back two kilometers. He gives Graham a device to sense energy fields and an organism's evolutionary potential, and it goes off the charts. Anton explains that each plant in there is mutating a hundred times faster than normal, and many of them are deadly. Graham realizes that the plant in the lab could have killed them, and Anton explains that they've all been mutated using his DNA. He's already planted one in the swamp, and it will lead Swamp Thing to them... and then his world will destroy them.
The malfunction alarm goes off and Anton goes to the control panel. Meanwhile, another plant like the one in the swamp grabs Graham's discarded detector. Graham goes back and looks for it but doesn't find it. Anton shows him a bush that his mutated Carson flower has overridden. He figures that once he plants it, it will take over the swamp. They discover that the biosphere environment responds to Anton's thoughts, and Anton summons rain and laughs in triumph. The rain stops and Anton pricks his hand on the flower
Swamp Thing and Will discover that the strongest plants in the swamp are dying. Swamp Thing looks weak, but he says that he has to find the source of the destruction. He senses that the plants know they're in great danger, and Will figures that it's Anton. Swamp Thing can't go any further in his current condition, and Will insists on going ahead and scouting.
That night Will approaches the complex and hitches a ride on a van entering the gate. Workers are brought in and Will bumps into one, taking his badge. He uses it to go through security but the badge sets off an alarm. The guard tells him that it expired the day before and to get a new one from Personnel.
Swamp Thing continues to weaken.
Anton spots Will on the monitors and tells Graham that Swamp Thing isn't far behind. Meanwhile, Will finds the biosphere and joins in with the workers. He notices a rock covered in reddish goo and goes to the door. Anton and Graham are waiting, and Will shows them the rock. There's a dead worker nearby along with the detector, and Anton confirms that it's been cannibalized for parts. As they talk, a robotic creature watches them from the shadows.
Swamp Thing wavers in and out of consciousness.
Anton examines the dead worker and has Graham turn off the electric fence so will Swamp Thing will come to them. He discovers that the flesh was cut apart and cauterized. Graham discovers analyzes the DNA test results and tells Anton that it's from the genetic base that Anton created. Anton is happy that he's created a plant that kills like a machine, and figures that since it feeds on human flesh they can use Will as bait.
Soon Anton ties Will up to a tree in the biosphere. He yells to Swamp Thing.
Swamp Thing realizes that his body is falling apart, and senses Will calling to him.
Anton and Graham watch Will and discover that the plant creature is mutating. They realize that the organism has used the components from the detector and evolved, and Anton insists that it's his creation. He figures that it won't kill him since it's his creation.
The mechanical creature emerges from the shadows shoves Will aside, and heads through the wall to the swamp. Swamp Thing smashes in and Will tells him what happened. He says that the creature has inherited Anton's "soul" and is evil incarnate. Anton refuses to destroy his creation, but Swamp Thing warns that it will destroy them all. Graham points out that the creature "bit" Anton earlier, and Anton reluctantly agrees to do what it takes to destroy his offspring.
Swamp Thing takes Will out and says that he can feel its presence nearby.
Anton rigs a frequency of radiation to take away his creations' genetic advantage.
The creature attacks Will and Swamp Thing tells it to back off. It grabs Swamp Thing and crushes him.
Graham points out that the plants aren't dying, and Anton figures that they're getting their power from another source.
The creature continues attacking Swamp Thing, crushing him in its claws.
Anton opens the generator panel and discovers that the plants are drawing their power directly from the generator. He takes an axe and destroys the generator.
The creature weakens and Swamp Thing breaks free and smashes the creature apart.
The dying plants come back to life, and Swamp Thing tells Will that what Anton was doing was a perversion, not a miracle.
Written by Gadfly on Dec 24, 2017