Once again, Batgirl and Robin faced the torture of absolute motionless. Even the tiniest inhalation caused the silver metal to contract perceptibly, making each subsequent breath that much harder to draw.
The only saving grace for the Dynamite Duo was that Passion and Ecstasy had placed them standing back to back. This had allowed them to survive to this point, as flesh and muscle were inexorably pushed aside. As the slinkies tightened, though, their bodies were crushed closer and closer together. Even through their costumes and capes, Batgirl and Robin could feel the other's pelvis, backbone and ribs crunching into their own.
Slinkies also had been wound around their throats. As altered by the Terrible Twins' psychic powers, the children's toy was on the verge of choking Batgirl and Robin to death.
Their arms were bound to their sides, keeping their utility belts maddeningly out of reach. There was no way for Batgirl to activate her tracer signal. The knife in her boot's toe was useless. Not only did she doubt it would have any effect on the enhanced metal of these slinkies, but to move enough to get the blade into position to utilize it would certainly be fatal.
"Any . . . ideas?" Batgirl managed to rasp.
". . . No," Robin replied. Then he yelped, "Holy Hemorrhea!"
"What's . . . wrong?" Batgirl wheezed.
"I can feel . . ." the Boy Wonder gasped, ". . . the slinkies . . . starting to . . . cut me!"
It was true. The metal sliced into Robin's arms, legs and throat. Thin red trickles of blood began to appear on his bare skin.
Batgirl knew it was only a matter of time before the constricting springs cut their way through her costume, as well as reaching the rest of the Boy Wonder's body. Now it seemed only to be a question of how they would die: whether by strangulation, choking or bleeding to death.
"Robin! Batgirl!"
The Dynamite Duo swung their eyes to the side. They used their peripheral vision to see the welcome form of Batman entering the toy store!
"Hold on! I'll get you out of that in a jiffy!" Batman's first inclination proved to be a mistake. Even the re-enforced fingers of his gauntlets were no match for the super-slinkies. The Caped Crusader felt fine cuts on his fingertips.
Switching tactics, Batman removed wire cutters from his utility belt. In seconds, he had freed his partner and the daring Dark Knight Damsel from the bizarre trap.
"It was Nora Clavicle's young henchgirls, Batman," Batgirl explained, "Jennifer and Jessica, although now they call themselves Passion and Ecstasy."
"Yes, I know," Batman answered. "Commissioner Gordon filled me in. They've left a trail of crimes across the country. The question is: why are they in Gotham City?"
"Well, I don't think it was to come after us," Robin offered as he dabbed an antiseptic cloth on his wounds. "They seemed more annoyed that we showed up than anxious to put us in a deathtrap." Batgirl nodded her assent.
Did the Terrific Trio divine the Terrible Twins next move? Apparently not, for late the next afternoon . . .
A red convertible sports car with the top down backed into a space in the visitor's parking lot of Gotham State Penitentiary. Ecstasy, in her flower-covered costume, vaulted over the passenger door, while Passion, after looking at herself in the rearview mirror, primly opened the driver's side door and stepped out. Side by side they made their way up the sidewalk to the visitors' entrance.
"Now just where do you think you're going?" asked the guard at the desk of the visitors' waiting room.
"We're here to see the Warden," answered Passion brightly.
"We're old friends of his," chimed in Ecstasy.
The guard looked the tankini-clad teens up and down, before announcing in an East Coast accent, "Not dressed like that you're not."
"Oh, I disagree," Ecstasy responded evilly. The girls clasped each other's hand and fixed their gaze on the guard. Instantly he collapsed in a heap of boiling emotions.
The twins then turned their whammy on the other guards within sight. In seconds, the waiting visitors were under siege from the lust-struck correctional officers. It was a simple matter for Passion to lift a set of keys off of a distracted guard.
Unimpeded, Passion and Ecstasy trod the familiar path to Warden Crichton's office. The few other guards and support staff they encountered quickly became pre-occupied with concerns beyond two strangely dressed teenaged girls.
Passion and Ecstasy entered the Warden's office and found him working behind his desk. Upon their entrance he stood up, half in surprise and half in delight at seeing them again. His happiness, however, quickly dissipated.
"Girls! Great to see you again!" Then he noticed their outfits. "But I don't think your attire is appropriate . . . and how did you get in here, unannounced?"
Passion and Ecstasy came to a halt, standing close together. Passion licked her lips expectantly, while Ecstasy flashed an evil grin.
"What's going on?" Crichton stammered, confused. "What can I do for you?"
"Oh, we want to release someone," Passion answered pleasantly. "We'd go down and do it personally, but there are too many sliding security doors and things."
"What!" the Warden erupted, as he slowly reached for a button to summon a guard.
The pair once again held hands. Their eyes glowed. Warden Crichton collapsed to the floor as a flood of lewd thoughts overwhelmed his mind.
Ecstasy walked around the desk and plopped into the Warden's chair. She spun in the swivel chair gaily as Passion leaned over the Warden's desk, her brief trunks barely concealing her young bottom. The heart-clad crook propped her elbows on the desk while resting her head on her fists, as she unhurriedly examined the master prison control panel.
"Now, which switch will open the cell we want?" Passion wondered aloud.
"Why not just let everybody out?" suggested Ecstasy.
"Nah," replied her sister, as she continued to study the controls. "Been there, done that. Besides, that would release Ms. Clavicle, as well as Jones and Bergman, too."
"Hmpf!" snorted Jessica, as she emphatically nodded her head once in agreement.
"There! This must be it!" declared Jennifer.
Meanwhile, in the Arch Criminal Wing's male section, Egghead and The Joker talked through the bars of their adjacent cells. They were both dressed in white prison garb with horizontal black stripes. Black identification numbers were printed on a panel below their left shoulders.
Egghead droned on to the Clown Price of Crime about the bald villain's upcoming trial. The Joker was suffering through a rare bout of depression. It had been over a year since he had been out of jail. Listening to Egghead ramble on about his most recent attempt to eliminate Batgirl wasn't making him feel any better.
Bzzzzzttt!
Suddenly, the door to The Joker's electronically locked cell unexpectedly swung open! Cautiously he made his way through the door and looked up and down the corridor. Not a guard was in sight.
"Ho, ho, ho! It seems someone has invited me to leave!" The Joker observed drily. "It would be rude for me not to accept!"
"Joker! Take me with you!" pleaded Egghead.
"I'm sorry, my dear fellow, I've no way to open your cell door," the Harlequin of Hate honestly answered. "I have a feeling this may be a limited time offer. Ha, ha! I must be going. Bye-bye!"
Egghead raged after the retreating figure of The Joker, as the chalk-skinned rogue headed for the cellblock entrance at a sprint.
The Jesting Jackanapes discovered that all the doors between him and freedom were open, while all the other prisoners were still locked securely in their cells. The Joker also found that the guards he passed were either sitting on the floor, oblivious to his progress, or engaged in an amorous pursuit with another guard or support staff, usually of the opposite sex.
The Joker laughed and raised a wry eyebrow at these couplings, but didn't let the scenes distract him from his goal. In moments, he was outside the main walls of Gotham State Penitentiary.
"Mr. Joker!"
The green-haired villain looked at the twin scantily-clad teenagers calling to him. They were a bit young for his taste, but he correctly guessed that they must be the ones responsible for his escape.
The two were waving at him from their red sports car. Jennifer was seated behind the wheel, while Jessica sat in the back. The passenger door was swung invitingly open.
The Joker ran to the getaway car. The Funny Felon unleashed a torrent of questions as he hopped into the front seat and slammed the door. "Whooo! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Who are you delightful young ladies? Where are we going? How-"
"We'll explain all that later," Jennifer declared. "For now, let's get out of here!"
The girl now known as Passion slammed her foot down on the accelerator. The car peeled out, gravel spraying as they flew out of the parking lot. No one chased them, as P & E had incapacitated anyone who could have mounted an effective pursuit.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha! I must say, I approve of your choice of conveyances!" The Joker complimented, "Miss . . . ?"
"I'm Passion," the driver introduced and, with a flick of her head toward the back seat, continued, "She's Ecstasy."
"Pleased to meet ‘cha," Jessica interjected.
"Ho, ho, ho! Likewise, I'm sure!" enthused The Joker. "How did you manage my . . . liberation?"
"We have an . . . unusual power," Passion explained coyly.
"We'll be glad to give you a demonstration some time," Ecstasy added.
"Oooooo! Ha, ha, ha, ha!" howled The Joker. He made an impossibly wide grin. "I think I saw the effect of your abilities on some of the guards back at the prison!"
The arch-criminal then turned serious. "Now, to what do I owe this pleasure? Why have you made me the object of your beneficence?"
"We've admired you for a long time," confessed Ecstasy.
"We thought it would be fun to work with you," offered Passion, "especially at this time of year."
A "Ho, ho, ho!" erupted from the Jolly Jester. "Why, yes, of course! I'd be honored to give you the benefit of my experience!"
The older man's response seemed to please the two teenagers. In reality, The Joker was uneasy with the thought of teaming with two girls he didn't know. ‘Still,' he thought, ‘I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Their powers may prove useful. Besides, I can always dispose of them later.'
Darkness began to fall as they drove to their hideout. Within forty-five minutes, the two girls and the Mad Mountebank of Mirth pulled into the horseshoe-shaped driveway in front of Passion and Ecstasy's mansion. Jennifer brought the car to a screeching halt and the trio scrambled into the house.
The Joker surveyed the palatial surroundings. "Girls, I am quite impressed! Very nice!"
"Thank you, Mr. Joker," the Terrible Twins replied.
"Joker!!" a voice called from outside. "Jennifer! Jessica! I know you're in there! Come out and face me!"
"I'd know that voice anywhere!" The Joker declared. "Batgirl!!"
"Let us handle her, Mr. Joker," advised Passion.
"Yeah!" added Ecstasy. "This time, we'll zap her to a place from which she'll never return!"
Before The Joker could object, Passion and Ecstasy bolted out the front door. Batgirl was out on the lawn beyond the drive, hands on hips in the fast dwindling light, waiting for them.
While they were still on the porch, Passion put her left hand in Ecstasy's right. Their eyes began their eerie glow, shining through the gathering gloom.
For the third time Batgirl became the object of the twins' mental attack. On this occasion, however, the intrusion reached far deeper into Barbara's subconscious than before. Primal urges were dredged up from the depths of the crime fighter's psyche. As she became aware of these unbridled, raw emotions, Batgirl became engulfed with lasciviousness. Her higher reasoning began to disappear under the deluge.
The girls methodically marched down the steps and slowly approached the helpless heroine, hand-in-hand. Their eyes shone so brightly it almost seemed as if lightning was issuing forth from them.
"Your death will be exquisite." Ecstasy promised. "First, we'll inundate you with passion."
"Next, we'll take you to the peak of ecstasy," Passion threatened, ". . . and then we'll blow your mind."
Batgirl fell to her knees. The blood throbbed at her temples. The climactic scene from Scanners flashed through her mind. Batgirl felt as if at any second, her head was going to explode!
Thwwwwtttt!
Twin batarangs with attached lines flew through the air. The ropes wrapped themselves around the evil teenagers, separate cords binding Passion and Ecstasy. Batman and Robin, who had been hiding out of sight, appeared at opposite right angles to the young villainesses' present position. The heroes yanked on the ropes, pulling the twins' hand hold apart. The Dynamic Duo reeled the girls in like trout on a line.
"Maybe you'd like to see how it feels to be squeezed into yuckpaste," Robin proposed to Ecstasy as he gave the line an extra tug. The flower-clad sixteen year old glared at the Boy Wonder, although her look did betray some interest at the prospect.
"No time for that, Robin," Batman ordered as he tied Passion into a strict hogtie. "Just make sure she can't get over here to reach her sister."
Leaving Jennifer bound on the ground, Batman raced to Batgirl's side. He knelt next to the Dark Knight Damsel. "Batgirl, are you all right?"
"Never mind . . . me, Batman," the Purple Paragon replied as she fought to clear her mind. "I'll . . . be OK. Just get after The Joker!"
Batman sprinted across the lawn, his cape flapping behind him. He flew up the porch steps and disappeared inside the mansion.
Robin, having finished his work, walked over to look after Batgirl. He put a comforting green-gloved hand on Batgirl's shoulder. Immediately, the woman flinched and took a short breath.
Batgirl's eyes fluttered beneath closed lids. "Don't . . . touch me, Robin! My libido is barely under control as it is . . . Give me a few moments."
Remembering his experience under Passion and Ecstasy's onslaught, Robin removed his hand as if Batgirl were a hot stove. He then stood up and surveyed the scene. In the twilight, the Teen Wonder could see Passion and Ecstasy writhing wildly on the greenish-brown grass, some fifty yards apart.
"How did you find us?!" Passion spat as she continued unsuccessfully to try to roll over.
"That was easy," Robin explained. "Your realtor, Mr. Simpson, called Police Headquarters when he read about your activities in the newspaper. It isn't every day that a million dollar plus house is paid for in cash!"
Batman re-appeared at the door. "The Joker got away. He must have ran out the back when the girls came out the front. There's a path that leads through the woods out onto a busy street. It was impossible to follow him from there."
That news brought Batgirl to her feet. "Oh, no!" she complained as she composed herself. "The Joker's on the loose . . . again?!"
"Don't feel too badly, Batgirl," consoled the Caped Crusader. "At least we captured these two. They were of more immediate concern."
"That's right," agreed Robin. "We'll just have to make sure that they have separate trials . . . and are sentenced to different juvenile facilities!"
Just then, five police squad cars roared up the drive. As the officers piled out of their vehicles, Batman called to them, "Put these two in different vehicles. You must keep them apart at all costs."
"Great work, Terrific Trio," complimented Commissioner Gordon as he approached Batman, Robin and Batgirl. Looking at the figures of the twin teenagers as they were placed in the back of separate black and whites, he observed, "I'd say you've tied up this case very nicely."
"But The Joker escaped," admitted Robin, slamming his fist into his palm.
"One problem at a time, Boy Wonder," advised the Police Commissioner. "Speaking of which," he said, turning to Batgirl, "there's a very special message for you back at the office."
"Oh?" questioned Batgirl, cocking her head. "A taunt from an escaped super-villainess?"
"No," answered Gordon. "In fact, it's a letter from Hollywood!"
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