HERBICIDE

"What I am's worked against your kind since 'Nam, Thorne. Just because you've learned to walk doesn't mean you're better."

Real Name: Ken Grenier
Powers/Abilities: Toxikinesis (Specializing in herbicides)
Occupation: Terrorist, Mercenary
Origin: Science
Sergeant Ken Grenier was a former US Army trooper, dating as far back as the Vietnam War. He served his country loyally, if not always faithfully or promptly, until the fateful day that his squad was positioned inside an Agent Orange drop zone. Their radio malfunctioning, Sergeant Grenier's troop missed the call to retreat, instead pushing forward in hopes of discovered a Viet Cong base deep within the jungle. Only when their skin began to boil did they realize their misfortune - and by then it was too late. Most of his men died that day - but Ken was the 'lucky' one. Something in his genetic code absorbed the herbicide blighting his skin, internalizing it and beginning a tortuously slow mutation that would, several hours later, leave him broken and bloody, but alive. He swore revenge on his commanding officers that day, leaving a trail of floral devastation in his wake as his open wounds bled toxins into the landscape. As many as sixty US officials died the day he returned to base, and then....he vanished.

Years later, a mercenary calling himself Herbicide appeared on the scene. He soon made a name for himself doing the dirty work for corporations and companies willing to pay his price and get their hands mixed up in illegal business - prime candidates being ARGENT and, on rare occasions, VIPER. Herbicide became the go-to hitman if your business was being struck by eco-terrorism: send him in, and by night's fall, your problems will have asphyxiated or worse. Ken had found a new way to earn a paycheck, one that appealed to his toxin-ridden mind. On a routine job for Monsanto, he clashed with Earth Liberation Front's own terror, The ELFin King. Surprisingly, Orchid appeared as well, sparking off a three way battle through the Monsanto warehouse. When the smoke cleared, Ken had been forced to retreat - and had lost a hefty paycheck.

Since then, the man known as Herbicide has taken every job that he thinks might get him his second round with the King and his floral fatale. It's only a matter of time before the trio clash again, and perhaps the next time, Orchid won't be so lucky...

Threat Level:

Orchid's Notes:
"Herbicide is literally my worse nightmare. At a thought, he could poison the entire ecosystem of a region so bad that it would take decades, maybe centuries to regrow, even with my help. And to top it all off, I have a time limit when fighting him! With the amount of chemical that he sprays in the air, it's a race against the clock to make sure I don't wind up just as dead as everything else that surrounds him. God, I hate him. And I hate owing King for saving me."

THE ELFIN KING

"Ah, mi amor. If only you would see the same way I do! You could change everything for us. I pray that someday, we can end this game of cat and mouse."

Real Name: ?????
Powers/Abilities: BHP-35 Handgun, H&K G3 Rifle, Explosives Expertise
Occupation: Terrorist, Mercenary
Origin: Non-powered
The mysterious eco-terrorist known only by his callsign - the ELFin King - has remained pursued and aloof for well over four years. Local police, military personnel, government agencies and even superheroic efforts have all turned up nothing on the man's background or identity. All this is known is that he's one of the leading figures in the Earth Liberation Front's North American operations, and has stymied every attempt to arrest or capture him. Neither police, heroes, nor villains have been able to put any sort of permanent rest to his actions. The ELFin King specializes in eco-first activities - he's fouled up logging operations, bombed corporation warehouses and headquarters, dismantled heavy machinery, and, supposedly, committed several assassinations of high ranking officials in many business conglomerates, although no solid evidence has ever linked him to their deaths.

His first run in with Orchid was a balmy summer evening, on a job he had taken to upset local GM Foods researcher and distributor New Frontier's operations. Doctor Thorne happened to be on-site as his attack commenced, the resulting bombing and hacking causing her to seek out the source. Their fight was brief and suspicious, as he escaped without a scratch and she was hard prssed to explain herself as to how she lost - either she didn't know, or she didn't want to tell. Since then, the two of them have had what some tabloids describe as an 'on again off again' relationship. He helped her in her first clash with the mercenary Herbicide, but has also fought against her just as often. Just how deep their 'relationship' goes, neither of them are telling.

Whoever or whatever the ELFin King is, he's not a foe to be trifled with. Only time will tell if he can eventually seduce Orchid to his way of thinking....or not.

Threat Level:

Orchid's Notes:
"I--I don't know what to make of King. He's not a bad guy, not really. First of all, I've never seen him take a life - ever. Even at his bombings he makes sure no one is in the blast radius before it goes off. Sure, he causes untold amounts of structural damage, but heroes do that too, all the time. I think he just needs a better cause to fight for. Humanity is part of Earth too, and I know what it's like to be between both worlds better than anyone."

AGENT VINES

"Just because you're some hippie freakshow who lucked out on the power roulette doesn't mean you can just waltz in here and ruin ARGENT's op, bitch."

Real Name: David 'Vines' Barrera
Powers/Abilities: ARGENT Pulson Pistol, ARGENT Pulson Rifle
Occupation: ARGENT Employed Enforcer
Origin: Non-powered
David Barrera started life as a bad kid. Born into wealth, he was used to getting what he wanted, and when he wanted it. His family, both parents full time bigwigs at differing corporations, left the task of his 'raising' to media and whomever they could bribe into watching him. By the time he was an adult, Barrera was on the fast track to being a professional asshole. Big, tough, and loud enough to get just about anything he could ask for, Barrera enlisted in the military but was dishonorably discharged from Boot for harassment and gross insubordination. He couldn't hold a desk job to save his life, and other options looked just as bleak - that is, until he found the perfect match: working for ARGENT as muscle. Thus began a beautiful relationship between Barrera and the company who paid him millions just to be himself: a sexist, self-righteous prick. ARGENT equipped him with the firepower and manpower needed to 'take care' of their problems when everything went south, and he took to it with a gusto that frightened even the most stoic of his companions.

Barrera would earn his callsign - Vines - during his first few jobs where he battled Orchid. He showed tremendous 'bravery' and 'selflessness' in the line of duty, routinely throwing himself into harm's way for his squad. On one such occasion, despite Orchid entrapping his unit in thick vines, Barrera managed to not only free himself, but bludgeon her into near-unconsciousness with a nearby pipe. She escaped only by stabbing him through the leg with an oversized thorn, which he's kept in his office as a memento of his 'success' over the heir apparent of Yggdrasil. Vines has worked with the super-mercenary Herbicide several times, but dislikes the man, thinking him too dangerous to trust and too deadly to let go. He's also sour about ARGENT's possible favoring of a metahuman over himself - a hard working soldier for years. His clashes have not only included Orchid, but the ELFin King as well, who has humiliatingly gotten the upper hand effortlessly each time.

All in all, Vines, while a potentially fearsome foe, has no desire nor drive to do anything ARGENT doesn't tell him to do. Such 'loyalty' keeps him contained and restricted, for now.

Threat Level:

Orchid's Notes:
"What a pig. What a god-damned pig. Vines is an asshole through and through, and I think I still have the bruise from where he beat me over the head with that pipe. He's lucky I don't have a need for fertilizer at the moment, or I'd have a mind to feed HIM to the next plant I make that's carnivorous. ARGENT's 'top dog' when dealing with me is getting too big for his proverbial britches. Did I mention he's an asshole?"

THE SOLSTICE

"As it always was, it shall always be. Ever Green Knight, thou shalt attend to we. The cycle turns, the seasons changed. In fate it has all been arranged."

Real Name: King Oak, Queen Holly
Powers/Abilities: Dominion over Summer & Winter Plantlife, Commander of Armies
Occupation: Lords of Seasons
Origin: Magic
To ask from whence King Oak and Queen Holly came is to ask whence the Earth was born. They have always been, and always will be - arbiters of the very changing of the seasons. In Faerie, they would be called Titania and Mab - rulers of their respective Courts. Yggdrasil cares not about human wit and whimsy, however. Summer is guarded by the wizened and merciless King Oak. Attended by legions of soldiers clad in leafy boughs of oak, spruce, maple and cherry, the Oaken Order wields shields of palm and blades of sharpened grass. Flowers bloom in their path, and sunlight e'er graces their steps. Opposite stands the youthful, malicious Queen Holly, herald of Winter. The Holly Horde stands with spears of pine and shields of withered bark - mistletoe dangling from withered, gnarled branches. Poinsettias and the telltale red berries of their Queen's namesake decorate their regalia - and a blizzard thunders as they march to eternal war.

For as long as Orchid has been the avatar of Yggdrasil, twice a year, on the eve of the Summer and Winter solstices, she lapses into a slumber from which she cannot wake. A full twenty four hours pass, and during this time, she dreams. Her dream places her between the battle of King Oak and Queen Holly - and she is their Ever Green Knight. Garbed in bark armour, wielding a blade of solid redwood, she marches alongside the King or Queen to lead them to victory. What she thinks is a dream is in actuality a ritual passing of the torch, from Summer to Winter, and back again. The Ever Green Knight always stands with the army to be, and has done so as long as the cycle has existed.

Threat Level:

Orchid's Notes:
"I always have such an odd dream around this time of year. What's even more eerie is that it always seems to follow the same path, except...sometimes I'm with the old man and his green beard, other times I side with the girl in white. I don't know what to make of it. I should write a book about it or something, it seems right up the alley of some people."

WOODWOSE

"I was the chosen one! ME! Yggdrasil had picked ME! Why do YOU get it's power, now?! WHY, ORCHID? TELL ME!"

Real Name: Emre Lundström
Powers/Abilities: Chlorokinesis (Diminished)
Occupation: Former Avatar of Yggdrasil
Origin: Magic
Doctor Rose Thorne wasn't always the avatar of the realm of plants, Yggdrasil. Before her, a Swedish woodsman named Emre Lundström served the role. In fact, he served the role for over fifty years - until Rose was old enough and had proven herself more capable of serving as the avatar than he. Emre served faithfully as a defender of the floral kingdom, fighting against pollution, construction, and other environment threats while maintaining a positive relationship with the world at large. He too served as the Ever Green Knight in the constant war between Oak and Holly, and remembers his time of it fondly - for him it was no mere dream, but a waking reality. Nothing living, however, is meant to last forever, and Emre and his enhanced lifespan are no exception. When Rose was elevated to full avatar in 2012, Emre lost control of much of his power. The sudden depowering and eruption of plantlife occured in the middle of a press conference with Swedish officials and members of the press. While many escaped, many more lost their lives as a thick alpine forest tore through the building. Emre escaped in the confusion, terrified.

Imagine his surprise when he found out the reason why: a new avatar had been chosen, and Yggdrasil had no further use for him. He was discarded, thrown aside by a realm that cared not for his continued existence. All he had left was a shred of his former power, and a twisted appearance. Everyone he had loved had died, passing peacefully while he continued. Perhaps he could have let it go - gone quietly into that good night, were it not for the passing of the Winter Solstice that year. He found himself drawn back into the war...but on the losing side. For all his former glory, Emre, now called the Woodwose by King Oak, was fated to fill a new role: eternal failure. This would not stand. Woodwose travelled the globe, using his weakened chlorokinesis to teleport betwixt greenery, to find this 'new' Ever Green Knight.

And when he did, he was going to kill her.

Threat Level:

Orchid's Notes:
"I don't understand what he's always roaring at me about. Yggdrasil is a myth in his homeland, not mine. Whatever happened to him must have warped his mind, made him think he and I have some kind of...connection. He freaks me out, honestly. Is that what happens to someone who lives as long as I will? Am I going to wind up being some deranged madwoman later in life?"

SKY-LANCER

"Her Mightiness the Empress of a Billion Dimensions wants your home, earthling. I, her loyal servant, am sworn to obey."

Real Name: Parlek Rosheep
Powers/Abilities: Gravitic Control, Kzash Hounds
Occupation: Gadroon Lieutenant
Origin: Science/Space
The Gadroon, servants of Istvatha V'han, have challenged Earth several times in the past. Each time, they were repulsed by superhuman defenders and UNTIL. Now, since 2008, they've held a foothold in the northern climes of Canada, unable to be uprooted by any comers. Several scouting parties have since broken out of their 'containment', challenging Earth the world over. One such group is led by Lieutenant Parlek Rosheep, better known to his people as Sky-Lancer. His small force, accentuated by a pack of loyal Kzash hounds he obtained from a Protosaur zoo-ship, have begun terraforming sections of American forestry in preparation for the rest of their Empire. Their actions have drawn the ire from quite a few heroes and armed forces, but they have yet to be forced from their newfound home in southwestern Michigan.

To Orchid, the actions of the Gadroon under Rosheep's command are a constant psychic attack against her link to plantlife. She has on more than one occasion found herself drawn into combat with the frog-like invaders - only to find that the oxygen-starved Kzash hounds proved quite effective on her unique physiology. Each time they've clashed, she's managed to stall their expansion of terraformed land, winning few battles in terms of reclaiming their land. The Kzash hounds that are her bane have become fewer in number, some thanks to her efforts, other due to mysterious circumstances. Sky-Lancer hates her, perhaps seeing her as a personal foe to find, conquer, and kill - or worse. Should he ever truly understand the root of her powers, it's possible that the quick mind of Rosheep will think of a new way to terraform Earth...

...one that will move far more quickly than ever before.

Threat Level:

Orchid's Notes:
"Keep those....those, whatever the hell they are, away from me. I don't even want to THINK about those bone-hounds. Yeah, the Gadroon are a problem, and Christ whatever it is they do gives me a migraine, but so long as they have those hounds...I don't know what I can do to stop them."

BROTHER BUNYAN

"Oh, I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay, I sleep all night and I work all day...."

Real Name: Randall Spengler
Powers/Abilities: Superhuman Strength, Giant Growth
Occupation: Mercenary
Origin: Metagene
Randall Spengler has spent his entire life doing what he does best: chopping down trees. In the late nineties, while working for his family's lumber yard, Randy was caught beneath a tree as it began to tumble down due to it's recently chainsawed trunk. Instead of being squashed into a meaty pulp, the man's latent metagene suddenly triggered, causing him to grow to titanic heights and stop the falling tree with a single, chunky hand! To the superstitious yard workers, Randy wasn't just Randy - he was the legendary Paul Bunyan, master logger! Needless to say, all the thoughts of fame and fortune went right to Randy's recently swollen head. He began to participate in all sorts of strongman competitions and logging contests, earning more money than he knew what to do with in short order. It finally looked like everything was going to go in his favor, and with a few more 'jobs' under his belt, he'd be set for life.

Unfortunately for the newly christened Brother Bunyan, what was to be his 'last job' was in fact a covert operation run by ARGENT at the behest of Agent Vines. Figuring they could use the dumb muscle that Bunyan would provide, they challenged him that he couldn't chop down an entire forest before the break of dawn! Too proud to turn down the challenge, he accepted, unaware that the 'forest' he was to remove was in fact the domain of Orchid and her home, Floralis Labs. When she awoke with a splitting migraine and could hear a loud voice crying 'TIMBER!', she knew something was up. Their first battle was as brief as it was brutal, with Orchid tripping up the giant, a mocking 'TIMBER' of her own following him down to the earth. Randy's big break had come to a sudden halt. Arrested for assault and damage to the environment, Brother Bunyan was disgraced. Sentenced to four years, he was released early on 'good behavior'. Since then, Bunyan's kept a (relatively speaking) low profile, plying his middling trade as a bruiser further north in Canada - awaiting the time where he could take another crack at the woman who ruined it all.

There might be some good yet in the man, but who can say?

Threat Level:

Orchid's Notes:
"I mean, come on now, Brother Bunyan? The guy's a joke, even without the 'king of loggers' theme he's got going on. I don't often get easy victories when I do hero work, but man oh man, sometimes I wish I'd recorded what happened with him. It was a scene right out of Star Wars. I haven't heard anything about him recently - hopefully he's cleaned up his act - and his beard - and found a honest job somewhere. I'd just hate to have to embarass him again."