Barbara Gordon fidgeted in her seat between her father, Commissioner Gordon, and her date, Gotham City Police Detective, John Nail. Her father had talked her into becoming Detective Nail's escort for the evening at the annual Gotham City Police Awards Banquet. Barbara had protested when her father first suggested the idea, but now that she was there, she was beginning to enjoy his charming company.
Meanwhile, the host of the ceremonies was about to make another announcement," . . . and now, I would like to announce the name of the recipient of the Gotham City Police Department's Detective of the Year Award . . ." the host began, and then paused dramatically as he read from the award document, ". . .Detective John Nail!"
Despite herself, Barbara was actually excited for her new date, and applauded as Nail arose from the table with great humility and approached the dais to make his speech."As many of you know, I'm a man of few words," Detective Nail began, and then paused as laughter arose from the audience. "But seriously, I'll make this short. I want to thank my fellow detectives and officers, without whom none of this would be possible. I want to give a special thanks to Chief O'Hara for allowing me to do my job, the best way that I can. I'm proud to be a member of the greatest police force in the world!" As the crowd broke out with applause, Detective Nail accepted his award plaque and stepped down from the dais to return to his seat.
The rest of the evening was spent socializing and receiving congratulations from his fellow officers as Barbara looked on, almost beaming. The only thing that bothered her was when a particularly attractive young woman approached Detective Nail and whispered something in his ear. Barbara was suddenly overcome with a tinge of jealousy, and told herself, "I barely know him!"
When the woman walked away, Barbara asked John innocently, "Who was that?"
"Just a well-wisher," John said with a grin, and then tried to deflect Barbara's question, telling her, "We'd better call it a night. I've got a long day tomorrow."
"All right, then," Barbara said, a little disappointed. "Let me say ‘goodbye' to my father."
They sought out Commissioner Gordon in the crowd, and John told him, "Good night, Commissioner . . . and thank you for introducing me to your lovely daughter."
"I hope you had a good time," Gordon responded. "Make sure you get her home safely."
"Absolutely." John said, and then told Barbara, "I'll get the car and meet you out front."
As John walked away, Gordon asked Barbara, "Well? How do you like him?"
"He's very nice." Barbara said, slightly embarrassed at her father's question.
Commissioner Gordon raised an eyebrow and said, "That's all? Very nice?"
"He's everything you said he was," Barbara said, exasperated. "Are you happy now?"
"So . . . when will you see him again?" Gordon asked as he escorted her arm in arm towards the exit.
"Daddy! You're impossible!" Barbara exclaimed. "We just met!"
Gordon chuckled and then told Barbara, "Seriously, he's on his way up in the force. You know, I didn't make Detective of the Year until I was much older. Someday, he may have my job."
"Don't be silly, Daddy," Barbara scolded. "No one could ever replace you. Look what happened when somebody tried!"
Gordon rolled his eyes at his daughter for bringing up the Commissioner Clavicle fiasco. As they arrived outside, Gordon said, "Good night, Barbara," giving his daughter a peck on the cheek, as John brought his car up to the front of the Gotham Civic Center. Barbara gave her father one last smile and climbed into the car with John, and then drove off into the night.
On the way, they chatted about the evening, and during the drive, John glanced at Barbara's attractive legs, properly crossed at the ankles. "She's a knockout," John thought to himself.
When they arrived in front of Barbara's apartment building, John got out and opened her car door and then walked her up the steps to the front door, admiring the way her dress hugged her sleek form from behind.
"I had a great time," Barbara said when they arrived at the building entrance.
"So did I, Barbara," John said. "Good night."
Barbara's female intuition told her that John seemed to be in a hurry to leave. She asked, "You seem anxious. Is everything all right?"
"Oh, sure." John said quickly. "I just need to take care of some business before I head home."
"At this hour?" Barbara questioned, trying to pry more information out of him.
"It's just a small errand," John explained, and then tried to change the subject with, "Uh . . . I'll call you later, and maybe we can do this again sometime."
"Maybe," Barbara said, trying not to seem too interested.
John Nail then leaned forward in an attempt to kiss Barbara, but she jerked her head back."What's wrong?" John asked, puzzled.
"I'm sorry," Barbara said sheepishly. "It's just that . . . I never kiss on the first date."
"Oh," John said, suddenly uncomfortable and embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I had no idea . . ."
"It's all right," Barbara said, trying to laugh it off. "Good night, John."
John shook her hand and then walked back to his car mumbling, "Hmmm, what a square!"
Barbara entered her apartment and locked the door behind her. She decided that she would definitely not accept another date with him. He was too smug, and she imagined he probably had several other girlfriends. Barbara also couldn't get over the strange feeling that John was hiding something. She looked at her watch, decided to follow him, and then quickly marched into her bedroom.
Barbara toggled the secret switch on the side of the vanity built into the blue and light green vertical striped wall. This caused the wall to revolve, revealing her purple Batgirl costume and accessories. She recently had spent a grungy Saturday afternoon lubricating the mechanism and installing soundproofing to muffle the grinding noise of the revolving wall. She didn't want the people in the apartment downstairs to complain again and summon the maintenance man back to her bedroom.
For a while, to change into Batgirl, she had brought her costume back into her bedroom by hand. Using the revolving wall, however, was much faster and helped put her into a "Batgirl" frame of mind. Besides, it was a lot more fun!
Barbara began her amazing transformation into the Caped Crimefightress. Once she was in full regalia and had tugged on her last boot, Batgirl hit the switch again to return her apartment to its normal condition. She then walked through the door to the secret closet which served as her Batgirl Room. She gave herself one last look in the mirror to check the form fitting costume on her svelte figure. Batgirl then threw another switch and slipped through the five-piece iris-like opening in the circular fake hatch. This brought her into an abandoned freight elevator where her Batgirlcycle was stored. Astride her motorbike, she took the elevator down to street level. Once there, Batgirl activated the faux brick wall, rode out into the alley and then down the street to find John's car. Soon, the Batgirlcycle was following discreetly behind him.
Detective Nail drove to an industrial area of Gotham City. There, he parked in a dark alleyway and entered a warehouse building through a rear door. Batgirl parked and hid her motorcycle a block away and then sneaked up to the building to take a closer look. She discovered that the windows had been covered with an opaque substance, so she took a rope and grapple from her utility belt and tossed it up to the parapet of the building, and climbed quickly up the wall with acrobatic finesse. Once on the roof, she tip-toed to a skylight and looked down into the warehouse below. There, she was shocked to see John Nail in the company of the organized crime boss Benny the Butcher and his gang!
Extra Special Guest Villain?/Hero?
"Congratulations, Nail!" Benny the Butcher exclaimed. "Detective of the Year. Not too shabby. You remember my boys? Tony the Bull, Frankie the Fish and Porkchop?"
"Sure I do. All we need to do now is send out for milk and cookies and we'll almost have all the major food groups," Nail said with a cocky attitude. "Speaking of which, your little chick told me that you wanted to see me."
"We just wanted to throw you a little celebration party," Benny laughed. "Right, boys?"
"Right, boss," Tony laughed, as Frankie and Porkchop nodded in agreement.
"That wasn't a good idea," John said, getting testy. "She could have been recognized."
"You left me no choice," Benny said as he sat at a large table and began to cut the top of a champagne bottle with a large knife. "You're a hard man to get a hold of, Ace."
"So . . . I'm here now. What can I do for you?" John said. ". . . And don't call me Ace."
"Don't get your blood pressure up, Detective," Benny said, as he popped the cork of the bottle. "Relax . . . have a glass of champagne. Where I come from, it's customary to start with pleasure before talking business."
"Where I come from, we cut with the small talk and get straight down to business," John responded. "Why don't you just tell me what you want."
"You're going to have a heart attack if you don't slow down," Benny sighed. "But, if you insist, I called you here to settle up on our deal."
"What deal?" John asked, suddenly not liking what he was hearing.
"You see, boys?" Benny laughed as the others joined in. "He's losing his memory, too."
"What are you talking about?" John asked, exasperated.
A grim look suddenly came over Benny the Butcher's face. "The deal we made when we first started doing business. Remember?
"It's been three years since the mob abandoned Gotham City, shortly after two of our best hit men were killed trying to bump off Batman. When the local costumed kooks heard we had a contract out on the Bat, they went ballistic! They consider Batman and Robin their private targets.
"The council decided there was no percentage in fighting psychos like The Joker, Penguin and Catwoman, as well as Batman and Robin." Benny took a break from his narrative to imbibe a sip of champagne. He then leisurely cut the end off a Cuban cigar as he continued his story.
"Last year, though, the syndicate decided Gotham City was just too lucrative a market to leave alone. They sent in Louie the Lilac from New York . . . but once here, he started acting like a super-villain nutball himself!
"So that's where I came in. The family sent me here to get things under control. First order of business: let the Gotham small fry gangs know we're back . . . and that's where you came in, Detective. I feed you information on my competition, and you make some front page news busts."
"And in return, I leave your operations alone," John shot back. "What's your point?"
"The point is, Detective Nail, it's time for a little pay back." Benny said, slamming his knife into the tabletop.
"Are you trying to scare me, Benny?" John asked, tensing. "A Gotham City police detective?"
"Of course not." Benny said, backing off, with his palms up. "I just want what's mine."
"And what's that?" John asked.
"One hundred grand. Cash." Benny said. "And consider our deal squared away."
"Are you insane?" John exclaimed. "How do you expect me to come up with that kind of money? Assuming I would even give it to you in the first place."
"Get it from the Police Widow's Fund for all I care," Benny said. "It ain't my problem." Detective Nail looked at Benny with malice and stared him down, until Benny finally spoke up, "You got until Friday, or consider your career in the toilet . . . Ace."
"Don't threaten me, you lowlife scum." John snarled.
"What did you call me?" Benny asked, wide eyed with anger. He suddenly leaped from his chair and grabbed his knife menacingly as the others backed away. In one quick motion, John pulled an automatic from his shoulder holster and pointed it at Benny.
Batgirl watched all of this with sudden horror. She had been snapping pictures with her compact Bat-camera for evidence, and tucked it away as she decided she needed to do something quickly. She looped her Bat-rope around a nearby vent pipe and ran a length of it through her belt as she gathered the rest in loose coils in her other hand, to create a sort of repelling device. Then she closed her eyes and jumped through the skylight, shattering it, and bringing a shower of glass down into the middle of the room.
All four men jumped back at the crashing glass shards as Batgirl landed squarely on the large table. The men were stunned at first at the sight of Batgirl, but then quickly reacted to the intrusion. As Detective Nail stepped back into the shadows, The Bull and The Fish charged at Batgirl from opposite directions. At the last second, Batgirl leaped up, causing the two to collide with each other.
Benny the Butcher then came after Batgirl, and she gave him a swift ballet-like kick in the chin, sending him stumbling backwards. Porkchop took the opening to grab Batgirl's slender ankle, causing her to lose her balance on the table. She twirled and kicked Porkchop as she performed a perfect flip off the platform and onto the floor. Tony the Bull suddenly grabbed Batgirl in a bear hug from behind. His size and strength held Batgirl firm, and when Benny approached her from the front, she lifted her legs and kicked him squarely on the face, using the force to push herself backwards into Tony, who lost his balance. Once he loosened his grip to steady himself, Batgirl slammed an elbow into his solar plexus as she stomped his foot hard with her high-heeled boot.
A door opened suddenly at that point, and in walked a gorgeous blonde."Benny, I need help with the food," the girl said before realizing something was amiss.
Batgirl looked at her with opened mouth surprise as she instantly recognized her from the Police Awards Banquet. For a moment Batgirl froze, realizing the woman worked for Benny the Butcher. It was in that unfortunate moment that Batgirl lost her razor-sharp senses, and was cold cocked to the head from behind. Batgirl's vision blurred . . . the room began to spin . . . and then . . . everything faded to black . . .
The five men stood in a circle, looking down at the unconscious Batgirl on the floor. "I can't believe it!" Benny the Butcher said with glee. "We finally nailed The Batgirl!"
"She must have followed me here," Detective Nail surmised.
"So what are we gonna do with her, boss?" Frankie asked, rubbing his sore jaw.
"We have to get rid of her," Benny said. "She knows where our operation is."
Out of the blue, Tiffany, Benny's glamorous girlfriend, spoke up. "Why don't you ransom her for some money?"
Benny rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Baby doll, don't use that pretty little head to think. Why don't you run and get me some ice. I think she loosened a couple of my fillings."
Tiffany glared at Benny, and then walked off in a huff. Benny looked at the others and grinned, as if to apologize for Tiffany and said, "Women. They think they know it all."
"That's not a bad idea," Nail spoke as he sized up the situation.
"Are you nuts?" Benny laughed. "Number one, who are we gonna ransom her to? And second, she knows who we are. How are we going to let her go once we get the cash."
"Who says we have to let her go?" Nail responded as the wheels clicked in his head.
"What do you got in mind, Nail?" asked Benny, starting to smile.
"I've got the perfect idea, and you'll get your hundred grand." Nail told him."Do you have a tape recorder around here?"
"Sure, we got everything. Stereos, televisions, sporting goods, you name it," Benny said with pride. "Porkchop, run back and get me one of those new Japanese tape recorders."
"You'd better tie her up," Nail said, watching as Batgirl began to stir. "She's coming to."
"Frankie, run and tell Porkchop to bring some of those jump ropes from the sporting goods haul that we made the other day." Benny said.
"Sure, boss." Frankie said as he dashed off to the back of the warehouse.
"I knew you were smart, Nail." Benny said. "That's why I like doing business with you."
"After this is over," Nail said, "we're squared away. Understand?"
"Sure, Detective," Benny said with a grin. "No problem."
Batgirl's mind began to clear. The back of her head was pounding with pain and she attempted to touch it with her hand, but she discovered that her hands were bound tightly behind her back. As the fog in her brain cleared away, she now realized that her feet were also tied at the ankles and she was sitting up in a chair. Across the table from her was the criminal, Benny the Butcher, and now everything was becoming clear. She had been knocked out during her fight with Benny and his gang. Once she gathered her strength, Batgirl began to squirm and twist to undo her bonds.
"Hello, Batgirl," Benny said as he lit his huge cigar. "Nice of you to drop by."
"If you know what's good for you, you'll let me go." Batgirl responded vehemently.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Benny said. "You're too valuable."
"You fiend!" Batgirl exclaimed. "What are you planning to do?"
"We're going to get the Gotham Police Department to dish out some cash for you,"Benny explained as he blew a huge plume of cigar smoke in Batgirl's face.
Batgirl gagged and coughed from the expensive cigar smoke and then protested defiantly, "They'll never pay you a dime."
"Then I guess we'll just have to ice you," Benny laughed.
"Untie me!" Batgirl demanded. "You'll pay for this!" Just then she heard a click behind her and tried to turn to see what it was, but Tony the Bull held her in place by the shoulders. Standing behind Batgirl with the tape recorder that he used to tape her protests, was Detective Nail, who smiled and winked at Benny, and then exited the room quietly, so Batgirl could not see him leave.
"Hey, Frankie, let's have a little fun," Benny said as he puffed his pungent cigar. "Why don't you go out back and grab four of those new-fangled tennis ball things that we got in the sporting goods shipment?" Frankie and the others smiled as Benny grinned at Batgirl with an evil twinkle in his eye.
Meanwhile, Detective Nail drove with Tiffany to the nearest pay phone. It was after midnight, and no one was around, so he pushed a dime into the pay phone and dialed the home of Police Commissioner Gordon."Hello," came a sleepy voice on the other end.
"Listen carefully," Nail said, disguising his voice. "I have kidnaped Batgirl. I know how valuable she is to the Gotham City Police, so here's what I want you to do . . ."
"What?" Gordon asked, trying to gather his senses. "Who is this?"
"Don't talk, just listen," Nail said. "Leave now and go straight to Police Headquarters. I know you have the only access to a surplus of cash in the vault for disasters and emergencies. Bring all of it and meet me in one hour at Gotham City Pier #4 . . . alone. If I see any other police with you . . . she's a goner."
"How do I know you have Batgirl?" Commissioner Gordon demanded.
Detective Nail punched the tape recorder and played the cued up tape of Batgirl saying ‘Untie me! You'll pay for this!' Then he shut it off and put it back in his pocket and told Gordon, "Two hours, Commissioner, or she takes a permanent bath in Gotham Bay."
"Wait, let me talk to her," Gordon demanded, but the line went dead.
Detective Nail returned to the car and headed towards the pier. Tiffany fidgeted in her seat and asked Nail, "So . . . why did you need me to go with you to get the money?"
"Look in the back seat and you'll see why," John said as he watched the road.
Tiffany turned and looked over into the rear of the car and noticed a huge canvas bag on the floor. Her eyes lit up and she asked, "Is this to carry all the money?"
"Not exactly," Nail said as he gave Tiffany a cuff to the back of the neck to knock her out while she was distracted. She slumped down into her seat as Nail pulled into a dark area near Pier #4. He took some handcuffs and placed them on Tiffany's wrists behind her back and then took a handkerchief from his pocket and gagged her with it. Once that was done, he grabbed the canvas bag and exited the car to go around to the passenger side and pulled Tiffany's shapely body out and threw her over his shoulder and carried her and the bag to the end of the Pier. Once there, he used the canvas bag to cover Tiffany and zipped her up inside of it, careful to leave an opening for air. Then he went back to a secure hiding place to wait for Commissioner Gordon.
Meanwhile, back at Benny's warehouse, he and his gang were busy entertaining themselves by firing tennis balls at Batgirl, who still had her wrists bound behind her back. She was tethered by the neck to an overhead beam with a long nylon cord, and as the laughing men each fired a ball at her from their respective tennis ball cannons, Batgirl jumped and twisted to keep from being pelted by the round missiles. The cannons were set to full power, and when they made contact, Batgirl was stung with painful effect. They fired at her feet to make her dance, and Batgirl's athletic ability enabled her to avoid many of their shots.
You know, boys," Benny began, "most of the local costumed clowns walk away after they put the Bats in a trap."
Benny then stared intently at Batgirl. "But we know better. We'll stay right here until the job's done.
"Tony, Frankie, Porkchop . . . let's all fire at the same time. That way at least one of us will make a direct hit. Then we'll have a contest to see who can make the most points . . . and if we knock her out, we'll have Bat on a Rope!
"That O.K. with you, Batgirl?" The gangsters laughed and then began launching balls at their captive simultaneously. Batgirl groaned and winced with pain as each hard speeding ball pelted her torso and limbs.