Swamp Thing (Volume 2) Issue 138

## "And In the End..."

"*If I remain here any longer... I run the risk... of being permanently tainted... If I wish to resume... my place amongst the Parliament... I cannot allow myself... the folly... of pretending to be human...*"
―Lady Jane
## Synopsis

### "And In the End..."

At Corp Headquarters in Washington, D.C., Anton Arcane has horribly disfigured his niece Abigail, the Swamp Thing's longtime companion.

In a rage, the Swamp Thing begins to fight Arcane and his Un-Men, but is surprised by Arcane's host body's strength. All others present begin to join in and fight off the attack of the Un-Men. Don Reynard, who had recently become romantically interested in Abby, saves her from the grip of one of the monsters only to be caught by another. Seeing that Reynard's interest in her extends beyond appearances, Abby finds the strength to attack his captor, and free him.

Elsewhere in the facility, Constance Sunderland carries the decaying disembodied head of her father General Sunderland, upset that in her attempts to get her father back, she realized that she could never gain his respect because his body was possessed by an imposter. Angrily, she activates the building's self-destruct mechanism. As she begins her escape, she finds herself under attack by one of the Un-Men.

In the midst of their brawl, Swamp Thing vows to send Arcane back to Hell. However, Arcane's power is great, and he soon feels something inside his body; the buzzing of insects. In moments, his body is destroyed by a swarm of insects exploding from within him. Laughing, Arcane declares his victory, only to feel his body slowly aging, spurred on by the power of little Tefé. The distraction proves useful, as the Swamp Thing makes good on an old threat, growing a new body for himself from the flora within Arcane's intestines, bursting through the demon's stomach and orifices.

Unfortunately, while the host body was destroyed, the demon Anton Arcane persists, and attempts to possess John Constantine. In doing so, however, Arcane alerts his presence to Agony and Ecstacy, who have been charged by Hell's rulers to seek him out. Before warning that Lucifer has a claim to Constantine's soul, they disappear with Arcane back to Hell.

Though they believe the threat to be over, Swamp Thing and his friends soon find themselves on shaky ground as the Sunderland Corp building begins to self destruct. As they make attempts to escape, Constance Sunderland is saved by her associate Polygon, who drags her from the collapsing building.

Abby is knocked unconscious by some falling debris, and appears to be comatose. Tefé uses her power to reconstruct Abby's face, and wake her. However, when Abby sees the changes that have occurred to her daughter's own face, she is horrified, and accuses Lady Jane of having switched out Tefé for a changeling.

Don Reynard restrains Abby while Constantine warns Swamp Thing to let his former wife be. He explains that her human psyche cannot handle all of the traumas she has faced as the wife of an elemental, assuring him that one day she will come to accept Tefé as her daughter again. Reynard promises to take care of Abby for the time being, and Swamp Thing reluctantly lets her go.

Back in the Louisiana swamps, Swamp Thing notices that Tefé seems not to have been heavily affected by recent events. Lady Jane comments that she is a sapling, and her young resilience allows her to withstand that which might destroy a grown tree. Swamp Thing responds that she speaks of his daughter like she is a plant instead of a human child. Lady Jane remarks that it should be obvious that Tefé is not human.

As Swamp Thing plays with his daughter, Lady Jane is visited by an emissary of the Parliament of Trees, who commands her to choose between returning to take root among them, or to face eternity as an exile.

Lady Jane confronts Swamp Thing and explains that the time they made love was wrong - that it has set The Green off balance. She says that there is no room in The Green for love between elementals. If its protectors place their personal happiness above the concerns of nature, devastation could occur. Lady Jane believes that if she remains among Swamp Thing and the humans, she will become permanently tainted. It is time for her to leave.

Desperately, Swamp Thing claims that he will not allow her to go, but she responds that he has no choice. Swamp Thing demands to know what will become of Tefé without anyone to mother her. Lady Jane's response is that Tefé too, will be leaving. The girl's only hope of truly harnessing her power comes in training uninterrupted by men in the Parliament. With little ceremony, Lady Jane grabs Tefé, and the two of them disappear into The Green, leaving Swamp Thing completely alone in the swamp.

## Appearances

### "And In the End..."

#### Individuals

* Swamp Thing
* Abby Holland
* Lady Jane
* Tefé Holland
* John Constantine
* Don Reynard
* Anton Arcane
* Un-Men
* Sunderland Corporation
	+ Constance Sunderland
	+ General Sunderland ***(Appears only as a corpse)***
	+ Polygon
* Agony
* Ecstacy
* Parliament of Trees
* Officer Rawls ***(Flashback Only)***
* Chester Williams ***(Flashback Only)***

#### Locations

* Louisiana
	+ Terrebonne Parish]]C
* Washington, D.C.

## Notes

* This issue is dedicated "to all of those who ever cared."
* This is the final issue penned by Nancy A. Collins.

## External links

* *Swamp Thing (Volume 2)* Issue 138 on DC Wiki
* *Swamp Thing (Volume 2)* Issue 138 on Comic Vine