When we last left our plucky heroine, Batgirl, she was imperiled by the perpetual pecking of a flock of chastising chickens, jabbing her with their beaks as they ate chicken feed off her bound body - all to the delight of the sinister Egghead and his henchgirl, Chickadee. For you, a great deal of time has passed; for Batgirl, mere moments . . .
"AHHHH! OWWW! OUCH-OUCH-OWW!"
Batgirl cried out in pain as she jerked left and right. She shook violently as the chickens jabbed her again and again. Tears streamed down her face. Her costume, now tattered with small holes and rips, offered little or no protection.
Egghead and Chickadee stood laughing at the plight of the semi-punctured crime-fightress. "How EGG-squisite!" chuckled Egghead. "Batgirl is giving new meaning to the term 'henpecked!' "
Chickadee smiled. "Yeah, it's great to see that goody-two-boots wind up going to seed!"
Egghead sighed. "Well, as much fun as this is, my dear Chickadee, we still have to attend to business. Let's leave Batgirl to our fine-feathered friends. We have a power plant to sabotage."
Arm in arm with Chickadee, Egghead stepped out to carry on with his scheme.
'Finally,' thought Batgirl to herself. 'Now I have a chance to escape!'
Taking in a deep breath, Batgirl let out a strange cry.
"GRAWWWWWWWKK!"
She did it again.
"GRAWWWWWWWKK!"
The chickens stopped pecking. They looked around, confused and frightened.
'GRAWWWWWWWKK!"
The chickens ran. They scampered off all over the room, looking for a place to hide. Batgirl sighed in relief. She made a mental note to thank Robin for teaching her bird calls, chicken hawks in particular, and set about getting herself untied.
In the darkened walkways of the Gotham Power Company, Egghead and Chickadee sneaked towards the master controls, carefully picking their way over the prone bodies of security guards, overcome by Egghead's own Knockout Egg-gas.
"At last, my dear Chickadee," sneered Egghead. "Our plan has come to an EGG-citing climax!"
Chickadee squealed with delight, "Oh, Eggy, we're gonna have Gotham City served sunny-side up!"
"I'm afraid that order's getting scrambled!"
With pure horror in their eyes, the villains looked behind them to see Batgirl, tattered costume, peck marks, chicken scratches and all.
"CHICKADEE! GET HER!" screamed Egghead and with that he hurled the brunette right into Batgirl . . . who immediately tossed Chickadee flat on her back with a Greco-Roman wrestling takedown. Then, with rodeo-winning speed, Batgirl hog-tied the former hat check girl wrists to ankles behind the back. Then, for good measure, the Dominoed Daredoll stuffed a gag into her protesting mouth.
Egghead, in the meantime, had ran away like a coward, straight into the waiting arms of the Gotham City Police. Alerted by Batgirl, they had surrounded the outside of the power generating station.
Back at Police Headquarters, both Chief O'Hara and Commissioner Gordon congratulated a proud Batgirl, who had changed into a fresh costume.
"Well," beamed Gordon, "the prize poultry returned and Egghead's salmonella scam cracked like an eggshell. Batgirl, I don't know how you do it."
"I owe it all to being a good egg," chirped the heroine.
"An' that bad egg, Egghead, is going to have plenty of time to boil," offered O'Hara, " . . . behind bars!"
Meanwhile, on the campus of Gotham State University, Jenny Akasofu, one of the school's top female swimmers, was about to enter the Olympic-sized swimming pool for a little extra practice. She had been displeased with her performance in practice earlier that day and had returned to do a breathing drill in which she swam ten laps at a time, mostly underwater.
Being an experienced swimmer, Jenny knew not to swim alone. Nearby was her friend Delisha, the women's track team heptathlete, working on the weight machine. Sweat gleamed on the African-American's well-muscled arms as she pumped iron. Every once in a while she glanced over to check on Jenny.
An Asian-American, Jenny was five foot, four inches tall, weighing about 130 pounds. Lean and strong, she loosened up by touching her right foot with her right hand, her left arm stretched out above her. After slipping on her goggles, Jenny looked down at her feet, as was her custom before diving into the pool.
The bright yellow swim cap and goggles obscured her pretty face, but her tight, tie-dyed red, black and white one-piece swimsuit revealed her rock-hard abs in fine detail. The high-cut of the suit made her sensuous legs seem virtually endless. Bare arms, legs and shoulders flexed powerfully just before she began her drill.
Splash!
Now all was quiet in the building, save for the hum of the pool pump, the clank of the weights and the sound of Jenny cutting gracefully through the water.
Suddenly, a hissing sound was heard. The weights banged heavily in the Universal Gym and Delisha slumped to the floor, unconscious!
Jenny, underwater, was oblivious to all this. She was concentrating on her exertions. The season's meets had started in October. The athlete was determined that Gotham State University would not only win their conference, but succeed at the national level as well.
All of a sudden, Jenny noticed something in the water ahead of her. ‘What is it?' she wondered. It didn't seem likely Delisha would come into the pool while she was training. Besides, her friend much preferred to remain on dry land. Before Jenny knew what was happening, she felt her outstretched hand touch something like a rope.
In an instant, the material completely blocked her forward progress. The answer flashed through Jenny's mind. ‘It's a net!'
The co-ed tried to turn and swim back the way she came, but the net was there, too. Thinking fast, Jenny dived, but discovered that there was no escape in that direction, either. She tried to surface, but the net surrounded her!
The swimmer forced herself not to panic. She pushed and pulled in every direction, but she was steadily becoming more and more entangled in the net. The fiber scraped against her bare arms and legs, leaving a distinct burning sensation. If she wasn't brought to the surface soon, she would drown like a dolphin caught in a fisherman's net.
Jenny tried to pull the net apart, but it was too strong. Even her large capacity lungs had almost reached their limit. In seconds she would either pass out or breath in water while still conscious. Either way, it would be the first step towards certain death . . .
All at once, Jenny felt herself rising! The net was being lifted out of the water. She was saved . . . but for what?
The nineteen year old coughed and sputtered. She was totally confused. Delisha was nowhere to be seen. Four men dressed in black trousers and black shirts with various names printed in white letters across their tees were pulling in the net.
Now panic did set in on the young woman . . . because the four men were under the direction of someone she had never seen before in person, but a figure she instantly recognized . . .
The Penguin!
Based upon his reputation, Jenny was scared of The Penguin, but fear quickly gave way to anger. "What is the meaning of this? Where's Delisha? What do you want?"
"Quack! Just one little thing, my nicely netted natator. Answer one question and not only will we let you go, but we'll return your friend safe and sound."
There was silence for a beat, except for the water pump, Jenny's heavy breathing and the sound of water dripping off her and the net onto the pool side surface.
"Where is your grandfather, Doctor Syun-Ichi Akasofu?"
‘Grandfather! So that's what this is all about!' Jenny's grandfather was one of the world's leading experts on the aurora borealis, the Northern Lights. What The Penguin wanted with him, though, she couldn't guess.
"How should I know?" Jenny managed to answer defiantly.
"Phaw!" The Penguin responded. "His favorite granddaughter? I'm sure he's kept you posted on his whereabouts!"
The tuxedoed villain waved an umbrella at her menacingly. "You can tell me now . . . or you can tell me later, but I promise . . . you will tell me!"
"Go to hell, you fat bird!"
It seemed as if smoke came out of The Penguin's ears in response, but Jenny realized it was simply him puffing on his cigarette holder. "Quack! To the van with her! I'll get the truth out of this accursed girl back at the hideout!"
The henchman dragged the netted athlete towards a side door, outside of which was parked a highjacked university van. Jenny struggled mightily, but to no avail. She yelled loudly, "Delisha! Where are you? Let me go! What are you doing? You can't do this to me!" but at this hour the building was deserted. Then she, too, was given a whiff of Penguin's knockout gas and became dead to the world.
Jenny slowly opened her eyes. Groggily, she thought, ‘That's strange. I must have fallen asleep.'
The athlete forced herself to recall what had happened. ‘I remember swimming, being caught in a net, some men, The Penguin! and then nothing.'
Jenny found herself lying on a glass floor. She was still in her tri-colored spandex swimming suit, but now her bathing cap had been removed to reveal her short black hair. Her nose was pinched shut and a breathing tube was in her mouth. Her first inclination was to pull that apparatus off, but a voice over a loudspeaker stopped her short.
"I wouldn't touch that if I were you," The Penguin advised through a microphone. "Without it, you'll find it quite hard to breathe once that cell is filled with water!"
Jenny looked around through her goggles, still on her face. She was indeed inside a glass cell. Not very tall, it was just a little longer than from her toes to her fingertips, if she stretched out to her maximum. It wasn't much wider than her shoulders, either. A metal ring, attached to a bar built into the side of the cell, was fastened around her waist. At each end there was a grate. In the middle of the one to her left as she faced Penguin were two buttons: a green and a red one.
The young college student rose to her feet. Jenny pounded her fists on the glass, but it was a hopeless gesture. Through her still wet suit, it was apparent that her nipples had become hard. She had observed that had happen to her before when she was very frightened.
Jenny tried to slip out of the ring, but couldn't get the metal past her hips or chest. She imagined she now had some idea of how a caged or leashed animal felt.
"Now," The Penguin began smugly, "are you going to tell me where your grandfather is or am I going to have to explain what this set-up is all about? If you're ready to talk, just push the red button."
Although she had some idea of what might be in store for her, Jenny remained stubbornly still, staring at The Penguin with fiery brown eyes.
"All right then." The Penguin gave a nod to one of his men. Water began to pour into the cell via the left grate.
"The chamber in which you are imprisoned is used by kinesiologists to study the movement of swimmers. Once it is filled, water will flow through the cell. You'll swim without actually going anywhere."
The Penguin waved his cigarette holder at Jenny's glass cage. "Naturally, I've made some modifications. See that green button? Of course, you do. Once I activate the pumps, you'll have to depress that button to maintain the flow of oxygen through your air hose."
With that explanation, Jenny clenched her fists. She threw a hard-muscled shoulder at the glass, but it give nary an inch.
"Quack, quack, quack! I see you realize what that means! You'll have to swim hard, quite hard in fact, to keep that button pushed and the air flowing . . . and once you tire . . . Wah, wah, wah!
". . . but this is all so unnecessary, my dear girl." Penguin held his right fist to his chest. "I promise I won't hurt your grandfather. Quite the contrary, because he's crucial to my plans."
The athlete tried to digest what The Penguin was saying. It might be true that the villain wouldn't harm her grandfather, but nevertheless she was sure Penguin would use threats against her to force Dr. Akasofu to do . . . something, something he would never do of his own free will.
The water filled the tank. So far, air was flowing freely, but Jenny knew that would soon come to an end. She looked at her feet and stretched her arm, leg, shoulder and back muscles, as she prepared for the swim of her life.
"Still nothing to say? Quack! Very well, then. Remember, push the red button when you have something useful to tell me." Penguin again nodded towards one of his men.
Immediately a strong current developed from Jenny's left towards the right. Simultaneously, she could tell that her air supply had been cut off. The teen orientated herself facing into the flow of water. Reaching out with her right hand and by swimming in that direction, she was able to push the green button and restore the flow of air.
The metal ring around her waist helped keep her steady, but it was all she could do to kick her legs hard enough to propel herself forward so she could keep pressing the button. She guessed The Penguin had the rate of flow turned up much higher than normal. ‘How long can I keep this up?' she wondered.
She stroked with her left arm, trying to give herself a little more forward thrust. Even though she was submerged in water that felt like it was at the temperature to which she was accustom, she began to feel perspiration emerge from her body. Jenny recognized the dull ache that appeared in her shoulders. She had experience it before, in extended practice sessions.
Soon, the dull ache spread to her back, then to her arms and, finally, to her legs. In the same order, the pain flared into a burning sensation, as the collegiate's muscles were pushed towards their limits. Jenny alternated which hand pushed the air button, to rest each arm in turn, but there was no such relief available for her legs.
The teen's breathing became harder and harder. Blood pounded in her ears, as she felt her heart racing. She had never worked so strenuously . . . for so long. It was as if she could actually detect the waste products building up in her over-worked sinews.
Outside, The Penguin puffed furiously on his cigarette as he watched his captive struggle. "Blast the girl!" he crowed. "Doesn't she realize this is futile?"
Penguin's four men had gathered around to watch Jenny. Although they admired her stubbornness, they appreciated the rhythmic action of her long, bronzed limbs even more.
Jenny's hand slipped off the button. Breathing as hard as she was, she immediately felt the effect of the removal of her air supply. Furiously, she kicked to re-establish contact. Air flowed again, but in less than a minute, she once more found herself unable to keep the button pressed.
Eventually, Jenny decided to just give up . . . to end the ordeal. Family loyalty was of supreme importance to her. She was determined not to divulge her grandfather's location.
As she was still bound by the waist, the current bent her body back. Her arms and legs flowed behind her as she began to lose consciousness. Bright lights flashed in front of her eyes. Finally, she succumbed to the blackness.
"Phaw! Quack!!" raged The Penguin. "Restore her air supply! If she becomes brain damaged, I'll never find out what I need to know."
Penguin gazed at the mermaid-like form floating in the tank as he talked to himself. "So, my dear, you'd rather die than talk, eh? Well, I'm used to dealing with heroes like you." The Penguin waddled off, waving his men to follow.
Once again Jenny came to inside her glass cage. She awoke with a pounding headache. The water had been drained from the cell and the breathing tube had been removed.
Looking up, Jenny sprang to her feet in horror at what she saw. Delisha was bound, face-down, spread-eagled on a table with her feet pointed toward Jenny. The chiseled black woman was still dressed in her workout clothes: a bright yellow tank top with tight matching shorts, although her shoes and socks had been removed.
The Penguin, holding one of his trademark umbrellas, loomed over Jenny's friend. His four men looked on with anticipation.
The Penguin fixed a stare upon Jenny. "You care so little for yourself that you'd rather suffocate than tell me where your grandfather is, even when I've promised not to harm him. Very well . . . maybe you think more of your friend, here!"
Penguin depressed a button on the handle of his umbrella. A deadly looking blade shot out from the bumbershoot's tip. The fowl fiend looked down at Delisha without a trace of sympathy. "I suppose your athletic career will be over once I've severed your tendons. I imagine it will be impossible to move, much less run, once your muscles are disconnected from your bones!"
"NO! You can't!" Jenny screamed.
"Don't tell this honky anything!" Delisha shouted bravely. She thrashed wildly back and forth, but the bonds were too secure, too strong to allow any hope of escape.
The Penguin touched the knife to the back of the heptathlete's right ankle. A thin bright line of red appeared across her ebony skin.
"ALL RIGHT!" Jenny half-yelled, half-sobbed. "I'll tell you!"
The Penguin withdrew the blade and allowed himself a satisfied smile. Soon his great plan would be in motion. Gotham City would give him anything he wanted . . . and at least one member of the Terrific Trio would be dead!
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