When we last saw our heroine, Batgirl, she was trapped in a small room with Daily Planet investigative reporter Lois Lane. While poisonous gas from the ceiling came down on the ladies, the floor below them was giving way to a pool of flesh-eating bacteria. Will they make it out of this mess alive? We'll soon find out!

Beating Deadlines

The colorless gas was coming out of the pipes at a quick, steady rate. At first, the deadly vapors clung to the ceiling, but as their volume increased, they began to creep further toward the floor. In response, Lois and Batgirl got on their hands and knees. The women also clung to the wall as the hole in the middle of the floor slowly grew in diameter.

"This is a fine mess we’re in!" Lois fumed. "It's like a double-edged sword! It one end doesn't get us, the other will!"

"I know what you mean," Batgirl agreed.

"So, do you have any idea how we’re going to get out of this one?" Lois quipped.

"Not yet!" Batgirl lamented.

The gas was now reaching about three feet from the floor. Both of the women were coughing furiously as they got down on their bellies. The fumes were also irritating Lois's eyes. Immediately, she removed her colored contacts, exposing her bloodshot, naturally brown eyes. As she placed the contacts into the lower right pocket of her hospital shirt, she felt three plastic cups wrapped in thin plastic bags. She removed one of the cups from its bag and put the contacts there. She studied it. To her delight, it was a suction cup used to place over a patient's face while someone performs rescue breathing. It was still capped on the thin tube meant for the rescuer's mouth. Although no air could get into it, she placed it over her nose and mouth, feeling that she would rather inhale her own breath than breathe in the vapors.

She grabbed another mask from her pocket. "Here, put this over your face!" she yelled to Batgirl as she threw the cup over to the costumed heroine.

"Thanks!" Batgirl answered as she removed the mask from its bag and held it in place.

The ladies now only had two feet of floor between the hole and the wall. The gas was now sinking into the hole. Batgirl examined the pool of bacteria. Quickly, her head popped back up.

"Lois, I have an idea!" Batgirl said excitedly. "Jump into the hole!"

"What?" Lois bellowed. "Are you out of your mind? We'll get eaten alive!"

"No we won't!" Batgirl contradicted the reporter. "Besides, would you rather we asphyxiate? I know what I am doing! Trust me on this one!"

"If you insist!" Lois said, feeling that things were probably going to get worse.

The two women jumped into the hole. Amazingly, the bacteria didn't start eating through their clothes. Instead, it was crusting up while turning from black to brown.

"See! I told you things would be alright!" Batgirl beamed. "I looked in and saw that the gas was killing the bacteria! I knew it would be safe to jump!"

"That's nice!" Lois noted. "But that still doesn't take care of these noxious vapors! We better find a way out before we go the way of this filth at our feet!"

From research Barbara had done at the library, she remembered that the flesh-eating bacteria were aerobic. They had to have a source of oxygen in order to survive.

"The bacteria couldn't live without air," Batgirl explained, conveying her knowledge to Lois. "There has to be an air duct or vent somewhere down here!"

Lois said nothing in response, for she was starting to get a little dizzy from the lack of oxygen. She turned away from Batgirl and, sloshing through the muck, desperately began to search.

Within seconds, she found an air vent in the wall of the pit, below the level of the floor. "Found it!" Lois yelled, as she grabbed Batgirl's arm and led her to the vent.

"Thanks, Lois!" Batgirl complimented as she placed her free hand on one end of the vent's grating. Lois grabbed the other. Together, the ladies pulled it towards them. It easily slipped out of its space.

Behind it was an air duct, which was three feet tall and three feet wide. It was large enough for both of them to crawl through. Lois crawled in first, followed by Batgirl. They quickly made their way through the small tunnel, trying to out-crawl the fumes.

They finally got far enough that they could stop holding the protective masks against their faces. Freeing their other hand made crawling much easier and faster. Soon they had to climb vertically up a shaft, but by helping each other they were able to do so without much difficulty.

Soon thereafter, Lois reached another vent. She looked through it as Batgirl caught up with her.

"What do you see?" Batgirl asked.

"It looks like some sort of office," Lois reported. "There's nobody there. I think it’s safe to go in. We're up near the ceiling, so we'll have to be careful when we emerge."

Lois pushed the grating out, hoping that nobody was nearby to hear it hit the floor. She turned around, facing Batgirl. Lois then slid her lower body through the hole as she latched onto the edge. She let go once her body was parallel with the wall. Batgirl did the same after Lois walked toward a desk.

The women examined the room. It was small and rather drab looking. The floor and ceiling were composed of oak. Near the desk was a large American flag which hung from a floor-based pole. On the walls were detailed maps of different regions of the world. They were poked with colored tacks. There were also several steel filing cabinets below those maps. Many of the drawers were labeled "Top Secret". The desk was bare, save for a large calendar and a small stack of papers. A dull green blazer was wrapped around the desk's chair. Also, the clock above the door went up to 24 instead of 12.

"If I'm right, this is a military office," Lois observed. "It looks like it might be that of a general or some other high ranking official."

"I think you're right," Batgirl agreed as she played with some of the drawers. "If we look around, maybe we'll find clues that will help us figure out what exactly is going on."

"I have a hunch," Lois said, "that Intergang is behind this somehow!"

"Intergang?" Batgirl queried.

"A Metropolis crime syndicate," Lois answered. "It’s kind of like the Mafia! These winners are behind just about every dirty deal in the city! It was first run by Bruno Mannheim, and then the Churches. Mannheim is now dead and the Churches are incarcerated, so I'm not sure who is holding the reins now."

"I wonder if it might be that creepy Middle-Eastern woman who tried to bump us off!" Batgirl speculated.

Lois continued laying out her evidence. "Those two bozos who got a hold of me at the hospital, Carl Notting and Tom Geppard, were members of Intergang. Each is currently on probation. They were serving time for armed robbery."

"How sweet!" Batgirl commented sarcastically. "So they come to Gotham City, get jobs at the hospital and rob it blind!"

"You got it, sister!" Lois confirmed. "Since they work at the hospital, they must have some other buddies who steal from soup kitchens. Intergang usually likes to take arms, high technology and illegal drugs, so I must admit that food and medicine is a switch!"

"They're helping somebody out!" Batgirl said. She was able to open one of the drawers. She pulled out the first folder and sifted through its contents. "Hey, I think we're inside the Hexagon!" Batgirl informed the newswoman.

"Now, this is getting interesting!" Lois smiled. "There might be some arms involved in this after all! Intergang's probably dealing with some rogue nation! I have to jot this stuff down!" she finished as she rooted through the desk. She found two pens and some loose leaf paper. She wrote down some notes, then she folded them and put those and the pens in her left lower shirt pocket. Lois then helped the crime fighter search for more clues in the office.

Meanwhile, just down the hall, General Wilcox was getting ready for another meeting. In just a few minutes, he was scheduled to speak with the recently inaugurated President of the United States, George W. Bush, and his Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. They wanted to talk to the General about the comprehensive review of the military the President has ordered. Also expected was the new Secretary of State, Colin Powell, who wanted to go over The military's role in foreign relations.

Wilcox finished clearing the table from the last meeting. As he pushed in the last cushioned chair, three Secret Service men entered the meeting hall. They were followed by the President, who was a short, thin man in his early 50s with greying brown hair and the Secretary of State, a tall, stocky, greying African-American man in his early 60s. Evidently, the President and Secretary Powell had just shared a joke as they were grinning broadly. The Secretary of Defense, who was a tall, slim man in his late 60s with receding grey hair, trailed in after them. They were all followed by two more Secret Service agents.

"Welcome, Mr. President! It is a pleasure to meet you!" General Wilcox greeted the Commander-in-Chief as he pulled out the main chair for his new boss.

"Likewise, General Wilcox!" President Bush returned with a Texas accent as he shook the General's hand.

After President Bush sat down, General Wilcox pulled out another seat next to the nation's leader. "It is a pleasure to welcome you here as well, Mr. Rumsfeld!"

"It is nice to meet you, too, General!" the Defense Secretary said as he, too, shook Wilcox's hand and took his seat.

The General pulled up the chair on the other side of the President. "How are you doing there, Colin?" Wilcox asked the Secretary of State, who was also one of his best friends. He was most friendly with him, for Mr. Powell, too, had been a general about ten years ago. The two had served in the Army together for many years prior to that. He was delighted to see his old friend again.

"I'm doing wonderfully!" Mr. Powell exclaimed as he hugged his old friend. "It’s great to see you after all of these years!" He then took his seat.

The tall, thin, mustached white-haired general took his seat on the other side of Mr. Powell. Two Secret Service agents stood by the door while the other three stood near the President. The four officials quickly went through their folders of papers. They were now ready to discuss what direction they wanted the military to take in the next four years.

Suddenly, the door burst open! The Secret Service agents immediately turned toward the door and pointed their guns in that direction, however, before they could fire at the intruders, two gunmen shot the pair of agents closest to the door! The men were killed instantly. The other three agents ran from behind the President to shield the Commander in Chief, but they, too, were soon mortally wounded. The murderers, though, were extremely careful not to hit the four government officials, who remained unharmed.

The intruders pointed their guns toward the four survivors. General Wilcox recognized the killers. "Scott! David!" yelled the shocked and disappointed general. "Wa-wa-what's the meaning of this?" he asked the guards that he used to trust so dearly.

Neither man answered his question. "Nobody move, and nobody will get hurt!" Scott bellowed.

The dignitaries did exactly as the gunman ordered. At that moment, three more people entered the meeting hall. Two of them were Carl and Tom. They, too, were fully armed and pointed their weapons toward the governmental quartet. The other was a tall, dark, beautiful Middle-Eastern woman. She was unarmed.

"Who are you?" General Wilcox inquired.

"Good question!" she responded in her accent. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Ayesha Ladula. I am from the great nation of Iraq. Mr. President, ten years ago, when your father, George Herbert Walker Bush, was the leader of the United States, the Great Satan, your nation went to war against mine. Your military destroyed many of our hospitals, factories, schools and other buildings. Your decadent country dared to implement sanctions against mine. Now, to top it off, you have ordered further air strikes against Iraq!

“These action of you and yours have caused the deaths of thousands of innocent Iraqis, most of them children. Your nation has destroyed our means of making a living and threatened our very survival . . . yet you have the nerve to call us terrorists!"

"You seem to forget," Secretary of State Powell interrupted. "Back in 1990, your nation invaded Kuwait for its oil supply. Also, it was the United Nations, not just the United States, that placed those sanctions against Iraq. Many countries helped us get you out of Kuwait. Your government refuses to allow UN inspectors into your weapons and nuclear facilities. Saddam Hussein continually violates the treaty to which he agreed! If your leader kept the promises he made, we would drop the sanctions!"

"Save it, statesman!" Ms. Ladula spat. "To save my people, I came to your benighted country to set up a channel for necessities to reach them. I was able to infiltrate Intergang and rise up its rank. Now that I am its leader, I can make sure that no Iraqi will ever suffer again. Your entire nation will also help me, for your citizens will do anything to make sure my hostages, namely you four, remain alive!"

"This is absurd!" President Bush hollered.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Tom asked his boss. "In the last election, less than half the country wanted this guy as President anyway!"

"Shush!" Ayesha reprimanded. "They hate us even more, so those American fools will play right into our hands!"

"Whatever you say!" Tom replied, remaining skeptical of her scheme.

"Men, start contacting whoever is in charge of this city! Let them know of the bounty we have!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" the four attendants replied as they starting searching for telephone books and phones.

It didn't take long for word of the President's capture to hit the streets and televisions of Gotham City and the world.

Dick and his friends were finishing lunch at the Bell Curve Café. Along the walls of the very crowded eatery were three large-screen televisions. All of them were showing The Jerry Springer Show. It seemed that just about everyone in the place was into it except for Dick. He wasn't interested in seeing people cussing each other out, fighting and throwing chairs at each other. Besides, he saw enough of that each time he went out on his "night job". He was trying to read his notes for Zoology, but found it difficult, especially when the café customers, including the three other youths at his table, kept shouting "Jerry! Jerry!" along with the TV audience.

It was no use. He gave up trying to concentrate. Instead, he focused his attention on a barely audible radio back in the kitchen nearby. It was tuned to a soft rock station. Right now it was playing Rod Stewart's Forever Young. Although Dick wasn't crazy about the song, he tapped his fingers to the beat anyhow. Suddenly, it was interrupted by a newscast, detailing how the President and three others were being held hostage at the Hexagon.

Dick knew that very shortly, the Dynamic Duo would be summoned to help clean up this latest mess. He had to leave immediately and call Alfred to let him know that he was on his way home. He also couldn't let the others know why he had to leave in a hurry. Fortunately, none of the others heard the radio, and since the channel that Jerry Springer was on didn't have a news program, the show was not interrupted. Only Dick knew of the hostage situation. That was a big relief. What wasn't was that Dick still had "baby-sitting" duty.

"Hey guys!" Dick alerted Wally and Susie. "I think I better get home pretty soon. I have some things that I have to get done. I'll see you two on Monday!" He then turned his attention toward Jimmy. "You're coming with me!"

The two boys grabbed their coats and belongings. Susie and Wally waved and bade the pair good-bye as Dick led Jimmy toward door.

"So, Jimmy, are you ready to see Wayne Manor?" Dick asked the teenage photographer while waiting for a phone.

"Where?" the puzzled boy asked.

This caught Dick a little off-guard. Even most out-of-towners knew about Wayne Manor, so to him, this was a little unusual. He didn't let that get to him, though. "It's where I live. I was the ward of billionaire Bruce Wayne, so that is why I call it home. Anyway, I have my own darkroom up there. Would you like to see it?"

"Sure!" Jimmy beamed.

“I have to make a quick call first!" Dick said.

"OK!" the other boy acknowledged.

Dick took out his cell phone and said “Wayne Manor.”

Before the phone had rung three times, a cultured English voice intoned, “Bruce Wayne’s residence.”

"Hi, Alfred," Dick began, "Tell Bruce that I am on my way."

"Will do, and just in time, Master Dick!" Alfred told the young man. "Master Bruce was just contacted by Commissioner Gordon about the President's dilemma."

"I guessed as much. See you soon!" Dick said just before hanging up.

His call completed, Dick took Jimmy outside to his car. It had started snowing while they were in the café. There was now about an inch of snow covering the vehicle and the roads.

"Wow! You got a sports car?" Jimmy marveled.

"Yep!" Dick answered. He took his keys and unlocked the passenger door. "Come on in!" Dick invited.

Just before Jimmy got into the car, Dick put his backpack in the back seat. He grabbed a brush from the floor and brushed the snow off of the car. He then unlocked his side, got in and replaced the brush, and started the car. He turned on the heat and left the parking lot for the street.

"I hate shoveling!" Jimmy started.

"Yeah, me too!" Dick nodded.

"I never had good luck with it," the Metropolitan continued. "Last year, I had to shovel up all of the snow around the apartment building where my Mom and I live. There was so much snow that I didn't know what to do with it all! Then I came up with an idea!"

"OK," Dick listened.

"I was going to dump the snow in the park, so I got out these big trash bags and started putting the snow in them. I filled them up, and they were so big that I really had to squeeze them into the back seat of Mrs. Murphy's car! You see, Mrs. Murphy lives in the apartment below me, and she always puts her car keys under the rug in front of her door, so sometimes I take them while she's inside sleeping and use her car. I have to do it quickly, though, because I can't let her catch me, and I don't have a license, either! So, I took her car to the park, but when I tried to get the bags out from the back, they were all flat and wet! They must have had holes in them!"

"And you ended up ruining Mrs. Murphy's car," Dick completed Jimmy's tale.

"Uh, yeah!" Jimmy confirmed.

"You turned on the heat, too, didn't you?" Dick asked.

"Yeah! I was cold!"

Dick sighed and gently shook his head. "Jimmy, just one question. You don't happen to go around sniffing any of the chemicals in the darkroom, do you?"

"Not lately!" Jimmy answered. He stayed silent for a moment, then he spoke again. "Do you know what's funny?"

"What?"

"Lois asked me the same thing earlier today!"

Dick turned his head away from Jimmy and rolled his eyes. He then invited Jimmy to pick out a CD to play so they could have music for the rest of the trip to Wayne Manor.

Before long, Dick pulled into the Wayne Manor garage and parked his car in its space. He was glad this car trip was finally over.

The boys exited the car and Dick led the pair into the living quarters, where Alfred was waiting for his young master. Bruce was standing with Alfred and Mrs. Cooper was sitting on the couch. They were surprised that Dick had a guest with him. He introduced Jimmy to the others.

"I hate to cut things short," Bruce stated, "but some important business has just come up. I need Dick to come with me. Alfred, can you and Mrs. Cooper entertain young Mr. Olsen here for a while?"

"That will be no problem, Master Bruce," Alfred affirmed as he escorted their guest to the couch.

"Aw! Aren’t you a dear!" Mrs. Cooper marveled as the young stranger sat down beside her. Immediately, the two began talking to each other. Jimmy started telling Harriet about some of his misadventures and she laughed in delight. Likewise, she told him about some of her mishaps and he craved to hear more. Dick, Bruce and Alfred just looked at each other and nodded their heads.

Next, the trio walked into a side room. Bruce wasted no time pulling back Shakespeare's head and pressing the button, exposing the Batpoles behind the bookcase. Bruce and Dick slid down the poles and in seconds, Batman and Robin were on the case.

Back in the Hexagon, Batgirl and Lois completed their search of the office. Lois identified the room as General Wilcox's office. She knew that the President was scheduled to meet with him today and when the women had heard the distant sound of gunshots twenty minutes earlier, they knew the Chief Executive was in danger. In the vast labyrinth that was the miles of hallways of the Hexagon, it was impossible to determine from which direction the sound of gunfire had come. In addition, the documents that they scanned didn't yield any clues as to who was running Intergang and what the crime organization’s motive might be.

"It's been a while since the guns went off," Lois noted. "It might be safe now to find out what happened."

Batgirl had no concern for her own safety and little for Lois compared to the President. The Purple Paragon had hoped to find a clue as to what this was all about and where the trouble might being the vast building. Batgirl had decided, though, it was time for action. "I don't know if it’s safe," Batgirl observed, "but staying here isn't accomplishing anything!"

Batgirl opened the door and tip-toed in her boots out into the hall. She was closely followed by Lois. They then put their backs up against the wall. Slowly and quietly, they moved up the hall, keeping their bodies in that position. After taking twenty steps in that fashion, the ladies came upon another door. Batgirl opened it slightly, but stayed against the wall, not entering the room just yet. After not hearing anyone inside reacting, or even breathing, she cautiously made her way through the door. Lois was right behind her. They searched this room, which was another general's office, in the same manner they investigated the first.

"There's nothing here that can help us, either!" Lois noted.

"There has to be something around here somewhere!" Batgirl sighed.

In the corner of the dimly lit small room, Lois noticed a computer. It was on and there was a message asking for a username and password on the monitor. "Rats!" Lois complained. "Now I wish I had brought my partner along! He may be a goof, but he sure has a gift for hacking into computers, as well as snapping pictures!"

"Hacking? Why didn't you say so?" Batgirl smiled as she sat down in front of the computer and starting typing a bunch of codes. "Why, hacking is my speciality!"

Within minutes, Batgirl accessed the Hexagon's secret files on Intergang.

"Must be a thing with redheads!" Lois quipped, jealous of Batgirl's expertise with computers.

"Check this out!" Batgirl called the screen to Lois's attention. "Late last year, an Iraqi woman named Ayesha Ladula illegally came to the United States. According to Interpol, she was involved with smuggling food, medicine and arms into Iraq from various other countries, thus violating the sanctions placed on Iraq just before the Persian Gulf War. She is now believed to be a part of Intergang. Her position in the criminal organization is unknown."

"I bet she is the spook who tried to snuff us!" Lois growled. "That would also explain the soup kitchen and hospital larcenies! That nutcase is the new leader of Intergang and she is having her stooges do the dirty work! As for the arms, they are probably sneaking them out of here!" she speculated.

"I think that sums it up," Batgirl agreed. She printed out the information that she had found.

As the printer did its work, Lois noticed a piece of paper that had fallen to the floor. Picking it up, she exclaimed, “Look! This is a schedule of the President’s visit . . . and it gives the location of the meeting!”

“Excellent,” said Batgirl. “Unless I miss my guess, I bet we’ll find our 'humanitarian' has been there. Let’s see if we can pay her a return visit!"

"Sounds great to me!" Lois smiled as Batgirl shut down the computer. The women left the room, searching for the meeting hall, where they feared Ladula and the President might be.

While Batgirl was breaking into the Hexagon's files, Robin had obtained the same information from the Batcomputer. He read off his findings to Batman as the Duo raced to the Hexagon in the Batmobile.

"Holy Mata Hari!" Robin exclaimed.

"How true, old chum, how true!" Batman frowned. "If we’re not careful in how we handle this situation, the President and two members of his Cabinet could get killed. That might spark a global conflict. This delicate planet definitely doesn't need another World War!"

"Ain't that the truth!" Robin shuddered.

"Isn't that the truth," Batman corrected the Boy Wonder. "Remember, 'ain't' isn't a word."

"Holy Lexicon!" Robin complained. "How can you be worried about grammar at a time like this?"

"Good grammar is always important, even in the worst of situations," the Caped Crusader advised his sidekick. "It is the key to effective communication."

On the heels of those words, the Batmobile's Batphone beeped. Robin picked it up. "This is Robin," he answered.

"Robin, thank goodness you’re there!" Commissioner Gordon said. "We just got a phone call from the President's captors. They informed us that they have moved the hostages out of the Hexagon and to a secret location. As impossible as that sounded, it seems they were telling the truth! They are no where to be found!"

"We'll get right on it," the Teen Thunderbolt assured Gordon.

"I know you will! I, and the entire country, has all its faith in you!" the Commissioner encouraged.

"Thank you, Commissioner!" Robin said just before he hung up the phone. He turned to Batman. "Bad news! It appears that somehow Intergang has managed to move the hostages to a secret location."

The Batmobile pulled up in front of the Hexagon, which was now surrounded by tanks, airplanes and other military vehicles. There were also police SWAT teams encircling the building. Nobody had been allowed to leave. Military special forces had searched the building, but had been unable to find the President.

Batman saw an Army lieutenant next to a tank near one of the Hexagon's entrances. "Pardon me, sir," Batman asked the young company leader. "Can you confirm that no one has been detected leaving the building since this crisis began?"

"Yes, sir!" the Lieutenant answered. “They have to still be in there.

"Thank you very much, sir! . . . and thank you for volunteering your services to help keep our great nation free!" Batman complimented him.

The crimefighters entered the military complex. They started searching room after room. Robin quickly thought through the situation. "Do you suppose that maybe there’s an underground tunnel around here somewhere, that the military may have overlooked, which leads to Intergang's secret hideout?" he queried.

"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Batman said. "All we have to do is find it!"

Ayesha Ladula arrived with her four assistants, her chauffeur and her four hostages at her secret hideout. The hideout was the small concrete building near Wayne Manor, where Tom and Carl had dropped off the stolen medicine. Earlier, the chauffeur had driven the limousine through the underground tunnel from the hideout to the basement of the Hexagon. Carl, who had the unconscious Batgirl and Lois in his car at the time, followed them. After the women were in the trap, Ayesha and her followers went upstairs to capture the President and his colleagues. From there, they returned to the basement, from which they took the tunnel back to the hideout.

Scott and David led the dignitaries into a small room. The Intergang members tied each of the hostages' hands behind his back. Then, they tied each captive to a chair, which was bolted to the floor.

"Ah! Now we should be safe from military attacks!" Ayesha confided in Carl and Tom. "Nobody saw where we went!"

"I can't say the same about yesterday," Tom warned Ms. Ladula. "Carl and I passed by Wayne Manor and some kid was taking pictures. I think he may have got one of us."

"Well, we'll just see about that," she stated. "Scott! David! I have another job for you!"

The two men came running. "I need you two to get into David's car and head up toward Wayne Manor. It appears we have a young shutterbug who can't keep his eyes off the road!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" the men obeyed as they grabbed their coats and left on their new mission.

'How beautiful!' he thought. He returned to the couch to grab his coat and camera. He loaded the camera with a new roll of film, hoping that Perry White, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Planet, and his boss, wouldn't notice that a roll of company film was missing. Living in Suicide Slum in Metropolis, Jimmy didn't get to see trees too often. The closest thing he saw to branches in a day were the wooden beams that drooped from the ceiling of the apartment complex he called home. He went to the park often to escape the gloominess of the slum, but even that paled in comparison to the forest behind Wayne Manor. Jimmy wanted to capture its splendor on film and add it to his personal collection.

He exited the back door and went about a hundred feet into the woods. The first picture he took was that of a flock of sparrows flying from one tree to another. He took another, this one of two squirrels chasing each other. He snapped shots of icicles hanging from tree branches, snow falling on a frozen creek and even of a doe trotting in the distance. He got so wrapped up in the scenery that he didn't notice a green Toyota Corolla pulling up on the side of the road nearby or two men getting out of it and approaching him from behind.

"Hey!" Jimmy hollered as Scott put his arms around the boy's chest.

David pulled the camera from Jimmy's neck. He opened up the back, pulled out the film, exposed it to light and tore it into pieces.

"You ruined my pictures, jerk!" the kid yelled. "That wasn't even my film! I'll get in trouble at work!"

"Oh, well isn't that too bad!" Scott teased. "Kid, you'll be in more trouble if you don't hand us the pictures that you took up here yesterday!"

"What are you talking about?" the confused teenager yelled.

"Don't play dumb with me, dummy!" Scott scolded Jimmy. Since he and David left before Tom had a chance to describe Dick, the man didn't know that he had the wrong lad. "I'm not in the mood for any games! Now lead us to those pictures!"

"What pictures?" Jimmy screamed.

"So, you want to make things hard, do you?" David asked. "Fine! Have it your way! You're coming with us!"

"Make me!" the youth hollered. He put his head down toward his chest and bit Scott hard in the arm. Scott screamed, letting Jimmy go. The photographer started running toward Wayne Manor.

"Get that freckled-faced freak!" Scoot hollered to David.

David, though, was one step ahead of his partner. He was already catching up to the fast young man. Jimmy wasn't looking where he was going and slipped on a sheet of ice. He fell backwards, right into David's arms. David stopped so that he wouldn’t slip. He grabbed a plastic zip-lock bag from his coat pocket. While still holding the boy against his chest, he unlocked the bag and pulled a rag out of it. It was soaked with chloroform. He put the rag over the youth's nose and mouth. In less than a minute, Jimmy fell limp against David.

"Let's get Howdy Doody into the car!" Scott ordered David, as he approached carrying the unconscious boy. David put their newest captive in the back seat, jumped in the passenger side and rode with Scott back to the secret lair.

Batman and Robin found the meeting hall from which the hostages were taken. They were shocked by the five corpses that were still on the floor. As saddened as they were, however, they realized that they still had to find the secret getaway passage.

As the Dynamic Duo searched the room, Batgirl and Lois finally arrived at the meeting hall. "Batman! Robin! Am I glad to see you!" Batgirl greeted the costumed males.

"Likewise, Batgirl and Miss Lane!" Batman returned.

"How did you two get here?" Robin inquired.

"Long story!" Lois answered. "It involves hospital thefts, a trip to La-La Land, a room full of poisonous gas AND flesh-eating bacteria and breaking into secret files."

"It sounds like you ladies had quite an adventure!" Batman jested.

"Yeah, one I'd rather forget!" Batgirl quipped. She turned to business and looked around the room. Batgirl’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of the dead men, but at the same time she was relieved that none of them was a dignitary. "I see that Ms. Ladula and her goons took off with the President and the others," she observed.

"Correct you are!" Batman validated her statement. "Intergang took them to a secret hideout. Robin and I believe they snuck out through a hidden tunnel. Batgirl, you can come with us and help find it."

"And what about ME?" Lois asked the Caped Crusader, a little insulted that she was not mentioned.

"It might be best that you stay here, Miss Lane," Batman advised the reporter. "Conditions will only get more dangerous. You have been in enough danger today and I don't want to see you come to any harm."

"Is that so?" Lois growled.

"Batman, I don't think that is a good idea!" Batgirl politely suggested. "Miss Lane has had a lot more experience dealing with Intergang than we. If she tags along, she might be able to use that knowledge to help bring this bunch down!"

"I agree with her!" the Boy Wonder told his mentor.

"I see that I am outnumbered!" Batman reflected. "Well, Miss Lane, by popular demand, you can come with us."

The quartet searched the Hexagon for the secret passage. In the cafeteria’s kitchen, Robin’s keen eyes spotted scratches on the tile floor. Investigating further, he discovered that the canned goods concealed a switch on the inside of the pantry shelves. When he threw the switch, the was able to swing a section of the shelves open. Behind the Teen Wonder found a windowless steel door. He opened it, seeing behind it a downward leading staircase. "I found it! Over here!" he alerted the others.

"Great work, old chum!" Batman congratulated. The Dark Knight was also pleased with what he saw at the bottom of the steps. There before the quartet was a large, empty concrete room. On the wall across form the heroes were two exits. Daylight crept in from the one, while the other was dark. They deduced that the brighter one led directly outside, while the other might lead to the terrorists. The Terrific Trio grabbed small flashlights out of their utility belts, and, along with Lois, they started traveling down the wide, dark passage.

"Holy Mine Shaft, Batman!" Robin remarked after walking for ten minutes, seeing no end to the passage. "This tunnel must be at least several miles long!"

"You're right, Robin!" Batman agreed. "With the President in danger and this great nation held hostage, we can't waste any more time! You stay here with the ladies while I go through that other passage and fetch the Batmobile."

"Only one problem," Batgirl pointed out. "The Batmobile only has room for three people. How are we going to fit all four of us into it?"

"Well, one of you ladies can sit on my lap!" Robin offered.

"Robin!" the other three scolded him.

"OK! OK!" the Boy Wonder gave in as Batman left.

Some time later, back at the criminals' lair, Tom and Scott were arguing as the rest of the gang watched.

"You idiot! You got the wrong kid!" Tom yelled at Scott.

"Well, you didn't tell me what the kid looked like!" Scott countered.

"You didn't give me a chance!" Tom returned.

"Enough!" Ayesha scolded her henchmen. "It doesn't matter. He'll make good collateral anyway, just in case things go awry!"

Suddenly, they heard the loud roar of a vehicle in the room next door. "I think things just did!" Carl noted.

"What are you men waiting for?" Ayesha ordered her assistants.

The four Intergang members, along with the chauffeur, ran out into the adjoining room. They were met by the Terrific Trio. Lois, who had to sit on Batgirl's lap during the trip, was already out looking for the four dignitaries.

"The game's over, Intergang!" Batgirl struck her usual battle pose with her feet shoulder width apart and her hands on her hips.

The five men charged toward the heroes. A series of fist fights followed. Batman punched Carl in the face, knocking him into David. Batgirl kicked the chauffeur in a delicate area, rendering him useless for a while. Robin got on his hands and knees while Batgirl punched Tom in the stomach, causing him to fall backwards over Robin. Robin then got up, and as Tom rose, Robin hit him behind the head, knocking him out. Batman punched Scott in the stomach. As the henchman bent over, Batman kicked him behind the knees, knocking him to the ground.

While the fighting continued, Lois found the room the President and the other three captives were being held. They were scared of her at first, for they didn't know if she was another member of Intergang or not.

"What are you going to do to us now?" General Wilcox demanded.

"Relax! I'm a reporter for the Daily Planet," Lois assured them. She started untying the ropes around the general. "I'm here to free you!"

They all breathed a sigh of relief as the newswoman untied each of them. "Follow me!" she said once all were free. Lois led President Bush, Secretaries Rumsfeld and Powell and General Wilcox to the Batmobile.

All that were left now were Carl and David. Since they were already fairly beat up, it didn't take much effort for the crime fighters to dispatch them. All Batman had to do was knock their heads together. He threw their unconscious bodies on top of the other three.

Ayesha glanced out window of her office door. She noticed that the women who were supposed to have died at the Hexagon hadn’t. Also, all of her men were knocked out. Plus, the hostages were free and safe. She know she was near the end of the line. The Iraqui had one card left to play, though.

Batman shook Robin's and Batgirl's hands. "Another job well done, partners!" he praised his teammates. "Now all we have to do is find this Ayesha Ladula..."

"Looking for me?" the Middle-Eastern woman called out from a platform near her office. Everyone turned and gasped at what they saw. With Ayesha was Jimmy, who was now awake, but still groggy from the effects of the chloroform. His hands were tied behind his back. Ayesha held the boy's head up against her chest with her right arm, exposing the left side of his face and neck. She was turned in such a way that he could see all of the people below. In her left hand was a butcher knife, which she held up against Jimmy's carotid artery.

'Uh oh!' Batgirl said to herself. 'I thought Dick Grayson had an eye on him!'

'Uh oh!' Robin also thought. 'He should be with Alfred and Aunt Harriet!"

"Jimmy!" Lois cried as she ran up toward the platform.

"Lois, help!" Jimmy pleaded in a half-slurred voice. "She's gonna stab my aorta!"

"I'm going to have to increase education spending EVEN MORE in the next budget," the President murmured to himself.

"Nobody come any closer!" Ayesha demanded. "Look at him! So bright-eyed, so energetic, so healthy, so American! It would be a shame for this little boy to die, wouldn't it?" she teased.

Batman indicated for everyone to stay put. "It appears we have no choice," he gravely stated.

Ms. Ladula turned her attention to the President. "If you value this young man's life, you will make sure that your nation lifts your unjust sanctions against Iraq."

President Bush hesitated. He knew as President he would have to make many difficult decisions, but he hadn’t expected such a life or death situation to play out in front of his very eyes.

"Not yet!" Lois yelled. Lois took a pen out of her scrub pocket and threw it at Ayesha. It hit the Iraqi woman in the forehead, causing her to lose her concentration. Her left hand slipped away from Jimmy's neck. She quickly regained control. She sliced the teenager in the neck, just missing the artery. Blood sprouted out of the two-inch long, quarter-inch deep gash.

Ayesha dropped the boy and ran toward a staircase that led upstairs to another exit. The Terrific Trio, however, was faster than she, and they got there first. Batgirl grabbed her without a fight.

Lois jumped up onto the platform. She quickly untied the boy's hands and removed his unzipped coat. She also removed his unbuttoned flannel shirt. Lois rolled it up into a ball and pressed it against Jimmy's wound. She also put his coat back on him to keep him warm. "Jimmy, please stay awake for me!" Lois encouraged the youth as he tried to fight off the effects of both the chloroform and blood loss.

In a show of good timing, the police and Secret Service arrived from the underground tunnel. The Secret Service escorted the dignitaries to safety while the police gathered up Intergang.

Commissioner Gordon approached the Terrific Trio. "Another job well done!"

"We're just doing our duty as American citizens to keep our glorious nation free from foreign corruption!" Batman spoke for the whole team.

The costumed heroes, plus the Commissioner and Chief O'Hara, then ran up to Lois to check on Jimmy. "No need to fear!" the Chief of Police comforted the pair. "We're going to get you to a hospital! You're going to be alright, laddie!"

"You have a spare cruiser, don't you?" Batman asked the law enforcement officials.

"We sure do!" Gordon answered.

"Good!" Batman acknowledged. He went up onto the platform and picked up the injured teenager. He gently jumped off the platform as he and Lois followed the Commissioner to the vehicle. Lois got in the back seat and Batman put Jimmy beside her. Chief O'Hara got into the driver's seat and sped the cruiser away.

It was now Sunday afternoon. Most of the snow, which stopped falling Saturday morning, was plowed away by now. The roads were much easier to travel. This was good news for Bruce Wayne, for he was holding a party to celebrate the opening of his new indoor swimming pool.

The guests included Commissioner Gordon and his daughter, Barbara; Kathy Kane and her niece, Betty; Chief O'Hara and his wife; Dick's high school and college buddies; and many more of Bruce's and Mrs. Cooper's affluent friends.

Also invited were Bruce's newest friends, Lois and Jimmy. This time, Lois brought along her sixteen-year-old sister, Lucy, who also happened to be Jimmy's girlfriend. The teens, in their swimsuits, were already next to the pool. He was showing off both the pictures he took of the Wayne Manor woods that he had developed in Dick's darkroom, and the stitches he got Friday afternoon.

Betty walked up to the happy couple. The girls recognized each other immediately. "Hey, you're Wilson High's number one tennis player!" Betty greeted her rival.

"And you're the hot shot from Roosevelt High!" Lucy smiled.

While the teens were getting to know each other, Lois and Barbara, also in their swimsuits, were seated at a table further from the pool. They were looking over the front page of Saturday's edition of the Daily Planet.

"What an incredible story!" Barbara praised her old college friend. "You even got exclusives with the President and Colin Powell! You deserve a Pulitzer for this!"

"They don't call me the Planet's star reporter for nothing!" Lois playfully bragged.

The reunited friends laughed. Suddenly, Lois overheard Lucy yelling "Last one in the pool is a rotten egg!" She turned around and saw Lucy, Jimmy and Betty charging toward the pool.

"Jimmy, you're not supposed to get your stitches..." she began to yell, until she was interrupted by the teens splashing into the water. "...wet!" she sighed, finishing her sentence.

"You sure have your hands full with that boy!" Barbara giggled.

"Tell me about it! I feel more like his mother than his co-worker! At least I can send him home at night! To think, if he ever marries my sister, we'll be related!"

"Ah, it can't be that bad!" Barbara laughed. "He’s a good kid!"

Bruce crept up behind the women. "Didn’t you hear? Last one in the pool is a rotten egg!" he yelled to them before running off.

"Are you going to let him get away with that?" Lois asked Barbara as the women stood up.

"Definitely not!" Barbara answered.

The women chased Bruce into the pool. He won the race, but everybody still had a wonderful time.

It was now early evening of this frosty, late February day. All of the guests had left except Barbara, who had accepted a playful challenge to a 800 meter freestyle race from Dick. His former ward was a competent swimmer, but Bruce knew that swimming wasn’t one of the teen’s specialties. Bruce was curious to see how Dick would fare against Barbara.

Whenever Bruce had seen Barbara in a swimsuit, he never failed to be impressed by the fantastic shape in which the librarian seemed to keep herself. Not only was she beautiful, but her musculature betrayed the fact that she was in peak physical condition. Dick might very well lose this race.

Bruce had volunteered to serve as starter. He also had asked Alfred to get a stopwatch, so he could time the event. As they waited for the butler to return, Bruce looked out the large picture windows surrounding the natatorium.

The pool had been constructed so the view from it looked out towards Gotham City. The lights of the metropolis were coming on, adding their familiar glare to the night sky.

Alfred returned with the stopwatch. At one end of the Olympic-size pool, Dick and Barbara were stretching and shaking loose their muscles in preparation for the competition to come. One of the features of the new pool was now obvious. A fiber optic pool lighting system illuminated the water with an ever-changing display of seven different colors. The rest of the lights in the room were turned down low to showcase this rainbow effect.

“Are you ready?” Bruce called to the racers. Although the challenge was friendly, both Dick and Barbara were taking it seriously. Although neither had the new, head-to-toe competition swimming gear, each had changed from what they had been wearing. Dick had switched from his baggy swim trunks to a speedo, while Barbara had forsaken her decorative bikini for a sleek, one-piece swimsuit. Both now sported goggles.

“Let’s get started!” Barbara called.

“You’re goin’ down, sister!” Dick teased.

“On your marks . . . Get set . . . Go!” shouted Bruce.

Two trim figures arced gracefully into the water. Barbara got off to a slightly better start, but this was a race of endurance as well as speed. It would not be won on the first lap.

The two swimmers were making good time, keeping a steady pace. Dick would catch up during the laps, but Barbara regained her slim advantage at each turn. They were on their fourth lap, when suddenly the lights went out!

Each continued for a couple of strokes, but then mutually decided their race was at an end. “What happened?” Dick called, treading water as he removed his goggles.

“I don’t know,” Bruce admitted. Battery-powered safety lights had snapped on, but the room was still much darker than before.

“Power is out in the entire mansion, sir,” Alfred reported. “Shall I activate the . . . auxiliary power source?” The butler was referring to the atomic pile in the Batcave. Bruce had rigged it so the house could draw electricity from there in an emergency, but thought it prudent not to have that occur automatically.”

Bruce seemed to be lost in thought as he stared out the window. Alfred delivered fresh towels to Dick and Barbara as they emerged from the pool. “You have your own generator?” Barbara asked.

“Yes,” Dick answered. He wondered what Bruce found so distracting. He followed his former guardian’s gaze. “Wow! The whole city’s gone dark!”

“Really?” Barbara said. She came over to stand next to Bruce and Dick. “It’s been, what, five years since the last massive blackout?”

“Look up in sky,” Bruce directed. The four were stunned by what they saw.

“The Northern Lights?!” Dick declared. “I’ve never seen them so bright!”

Bruce reached a decision. “Dick, you and I should help Alfred with the generator. Miss Gordon, if you’ll excuse us.”

“We’ll finish that race some other time,” Dick called as he followed Bruce from the room.

Alfred and Barbara were left standing in the semi-darkness. In a soft voice, Alfred said, “It may be presumptuous of me, Miss Gordon, but something tells me that Batman and Robin may be heading to your father’s office in response to this emergency. Perhaps Batgirl should do the same?”

“Right, Alfred.” Barbara headed off to the guests’ dressing room to change.

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