The Final Batgirl Story

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Story © Steve Zink

The following story contains characters owned by DC Comics/Warner Bros. It is written as a fanfic parody story not intended to make any use of actual story lines in published books. The story is purely for fun, with no profit to be made by the author.


It was only a short time after her debut as Batgirl that Barbara had fallen into the clawed clutches of Catwoman for the first time. The Felonious Feline tried to turn Batgirl into a sewing pattern, squeeze the life out of the Dominoed Daredoll with Cat's Whiskers, and too many other cleverly catty catastrophes to list in this small space. All the while, though, Selina kept an amorous eye on the purple clad babe. Catwoman had to fight the urges inherent to the short and sexy body she was in, that originally belonged to Tara Kaat. It was one of the unforeseen side effects of taking her body that Catwoman lost interest in Batman and developed a special feeling for Batgirl.

During many of their close battles, where the villainess in black fought hand to hand with the heroine in purple, Batgirl noticed how similar in height they were. There was a lot of heat generated between their two bodies on a few occasions, but Barbara was too intense in her fighting to notice the passion in Catwoman's embraces. While Catwoman was getting her short lived thrills, Batgirl was simply fighting for her life against a wily criminal.

Barbara kept a close eye on any crime related news, and when the public almost ignored a story about Selina Kyle making a deal just before going back behind bars, she paid close attention. The news about the mind transfer machine that Catwoman had was something she'd not heard about before. Since Batman had acted as if this was old hat, Babs made a point of asking him about it when she next saw him in her Batgirl identity. Batman gave her a brief rundown of the story, and also took Batgirl into the Batcave.

There, Barbara was shown a number of pictures of Catwoman in not only two, but three different bodies. Her photographic memory took all this in, along with an almost involuntary scan of all the equipment and layout of the Batcave. The cave looked almost the same as she remembered it from her visit after getting turned back into a 3D person from the life size stand up poster she and the Dynamic Duo had been turned into by Dr. Casandra's Alvino Ray Gun. Batgirl catalogued the newest entries in the little museum of past adventures that Batman kept, and also noted the updated computer hardware. It was just the nature of her inquisitive mind, and she didn't even notice that she was doing so.

It wasn't long before Catwoman made yet another of her escapes from the warden's hands. This time, she wasn't alone, and had taken advantage of a mass escape engineered by that same Dr. Casandra that also freed a number of her fellow archcriminals. Selina was back in her statuesque blonde body, and when Batgirl next encountered Catwoman, she noted a decided change in attitude of the villainess. You could also say she noted a change in altitude. Catwoman now stood tall enough that Batgirl stared into her voluptuous neckline instead her eyes. Catwoman also fought her with a viciousness that made prior engagements seem like family outings. This was most definitely a different Catwoman, and Batgirl was glad that Batman had let her in on the body situation.

The situation became even more interesting when Selina and Tara made another swap, and this time Batgirl was prepared for both the idea of a different Catwoman and the vastly different attitudes shown by her. The fact that Batman had finally briefed her on the situation made it a lot easier for Babs to take on the Kleptomaniacal Kitty without question. The fact that any past hesitation in close encounters was cleared by this knowledge gave Batgirl a distinct advantage in her fighting. The Tara version of Catwoman noted a distinct aloofness exhibited by the Dominoed Dare Doll even when they were in very close situations. It came as a big surprise to Catwoman that Batgirl did not seem fazed at all about the different forms she wore.

There was one thing that puzzled the inquisitive Batgirl, more than anything else. If Batman and the authorities knew all about Selina's mind machine, why did she still have it in her possession? Had Batman made some kind of deal with Catwoman behind the backs of those with more legal authority? Batgirl made it her next goal to ascertain the location of the device, and dig up any information on the strange situation surrounding it.

The first idea Babs had for trying to get close to Catwoman was to disguise herself as one of Catwoman's more recent Kittens and see if she could draw her out of hiding. Vixen was still safely locked up at Gotham State, but with Catwoman out on the streets somewhere, it was unlikely that the Felonious Feline was aware of this. Her first try would be for that very evening.

As soon as she got off work from the library, Barbara made a few stops at some of the more ritzy clothing shops in Gotham's garment district. She still had a very sharp image in her mind of what Vixen had looked like that night at the Cathedral when she was taken in. It was a good thing that her credit card was unburdened, because it took a beating in paying for the clothes Barbara needed. She did get lucky in one part of her shopping frenzy, though; the shoe store Babs stopped in had what she was looking for, and on sale!

It may have been a demure brunette who entered Barbara's apartment when the shopping trip was finished, but it was an unbelievably beautiful and wanton blonde who left it an hour later. Barbara had made up her face to resemble Vixen's, with bright red pouty lips and devilishly made up eyes to look like the lady of the evening that Vixen was. She had styled her shoulder length blonde wig to look like Vixen's hair, and it framed her slutty hooker's face perfectly.

The corset that Babs had drawn about her waist made the shiny red micro miniskirt ride well below on her hips, and the lacy pink blouse made of spandex showed off her tiny waist. It also clung closely to each of Barbara's breasts, making them stand out to draw attention. Her normally gorgeous gams were clad in black fishnet tights, and the bright red shoes on her feet with the unbelievably high heels associated with Vixen caused her to take very short steps. They also caused her hips to wiggle in an ultra sexy manner as she walked. The tiny red clutch purse completed her picture, and after Babs had driven closer to the red light district, Vixen got out onto the streets.

The one thing missing from Vixen's usual display was her constantly lit cigarette, but she hoped that would not be a dead giveaway. Vixen got quite a few offers from cars which pulled up to the curb next to her spot, but Barbara tactfully declined each in order to keep up her vigilance. This was a good thing, because two of the potential johns that tried to hire her were undercover cops trying to bust prostitutes. Vixen was also drawn into some truly fascinating conversations with some of the other ladies in her vicinity. Babs did her best to wing it and act like Vixen would, and would have been very surprised to find that one of her companions was a female cop planted there.

After spending way too much of the evening standing in heels that made anything in her own wardrobe look puny, Barbara gave up waiting to see if Catwoman would recognize her as Vixen and contact her. She already had plans for the way in which she would try to lure Catwoman the next evening. Just after she left her corner, a vehicle drove by whose occupants would most definitely have recognized Vixen and wondered why or how she was loose on the streets. The Batmobile was making its rounds, and just missed seeing Barbara in a form they'd never forget.

The next night, it was a far different Vixen that went out onto Gotham's streets. Barbara had squeezed herself into the black leather catsuit and then tightly laced the even smaller corset around her waist on the outside. It made her wonder just how Vixen was able to work while in costume. The shiny black boots that were laced onto her feet and legs had slightly lower heels than the red shoes had, and Babs was glad that Vixen did do one thing sensibly in her costume. Well, sensibly was relative; they still were a good two inches higher than the heels on her Batgirl costume boots.

Babs had done up her face the same as the night before, but also added a thin black domino mask over her eyes. The shoulder length black gloves on her arms were also identical to Vixen's, and unlike Catwoman's, had no claws on the fingertips. The leather made her body sweat considerably even though the evening air was cool, and Babs was glad it was not the middle of summer.

This time, Vixen did see the Batmobile, and most definitely did not want to come into contact with its occupants. Luckily, her natural skills in avoiding attention, honed to perfection as Batgirl, allowed Vixen to remain unspotted by the Dynamic Duo. Vixen spent the whole night going in and out of various haunts known to have been visited by Catwoman, but never saw the villainess. A number of thugs and petty thieves did see her, and if nothing else, Babs hoped that their sightings of Vixen might bear results. In the course of one of these spottings, Babs was even drawn into a minor crime being committed, since Vixen could hardly refuse to assist. Batman and Robin would be puzzled the next day when they got such good inside information about the crime and its perpetrators from an anonymous tipper.

Barbara decided that coming close to being arrested as a prostitute and nearly becoming an accomplice in crime was not for her. The provocative clothes that had transformed her on each night were added to her extensive disguise collection. Babs decided to just wait and see if Catwoman would be spotted by herself or the Dynamic Duo, and to do some heavy research in her information systems to try and pin down Catwoman's location.

She went back to working at the library in her demure form of Barbara Gordon, keeping her eyes and ears open for any situations needing the assistance of Batgirl. While engagements involving Playgirl, and a host of penny ante criminals while assisting Batman and Robin, kept her busy, it was the next appearance of Catwoman that she awaited most anxiously. Batgirl wanted more than anything else to solve the mystery of the mind machine.

Barbara did not have very long to wait.

Batman and Robin were engaged in stopping a robbery at the Gotham City Diamond Exchange, which was only one block from the Central Library. As soon as word got out about the robbery, Babs made an excuse to get away from her desk, and changed in the secret closet she kept in her office. Batgirl made her appearance at the jewelers moments later, and found who it was that the Dynamic Duo was fighting.

The tall blonde Catwoman and her kittens held the three heroes at bay for a while, but soon the superior fighting skills of the Terrific Trio came to the fore, and the crooks were apprehended. Batgirl watched as Catwoman was led by Batman to a spot where she and her gang would wait for a police paddy wagon to collect them. With everybody from Batman down to the lowly kittens being occupied by the insistent news cameras, Batgirl was able to make her usual stealthy departure from the scene.

Apparently, Catwoman had traded bodies back again recently. This gave Batgirl just the opportunity she'd been hoping for. If she could get to the Cat's Lair while the police had her in custody, she might find some clues leading to the mind transfer machine. As a bonus, Babs might even find some of the hidden loot supposedly stashed there over the last couple of years. Just the night before, she had nailed down the Cat's Lair's location after a good bit of information sifting. Batgirl figured this gave her a slight edge on Batman, who didn't have quite the reference material she did, even with his Bat Computer. She departed the scene without giving Batman or Robin any word on what she had planned.

Batgirl slipped into a phone booth, and after retrieving some change from her weapons kit, called her desk at the library. "Hi, Marcy," Babs said in her chipper non-costumed voice, "can you cover for me for the rest of the afternoon? I had to get to my apartment, which is why you haven't seen me for the past thirty minutes. You can? Great, thanks a lot, and I owe you one! Bye, Marcy." It was from behind her apartment a few minutes later that Batgirl took off on her Bat cycle.

Our intrepid heroine got to the Lair an hour later, and finding it quiet, figured it was safe to explore. She went down each hallway in turn, checking room by room, but Babs found no signs of obvious scientific equipment, nor any hidden loot. She did find the central rec room with lots of cat toys and plenty of seats and couches. Batgirl knew that Catwoman must have had a lot of kittens, but was surprised to see the accommodations. Babs was about to give up and leave when she checked the last room she hadn't yet inspected.

There were no electronics, and no hidden treasure. What Batgirl had stumbled upon was Catwoman's dressing room.

In her investigation of this wardroom, Batgirl noted a number of closets and a huge makeup table. The first doors she opened up revealed a closet full of Catwoman's catsuits, in what looked like three very different sizes. There also appeared to be a complete set of Vixen's costumes, waiting for her return. Suddenly, the Dark Knight Damsel's brain lit up like a halogen lamp on high beams. 'Ah,' she thought, 'if I can get a complete Catwoman costume from here, I could come back later and search at will. To heck with pretending to be Vixen, I'll go all the way to the top! If any of the other kittens are here or come in while I'm searching, I might find some way to get them to lead me to the device and the hoard.'

Batgirl went back to the rec room to get a large sack, then returned to the closet. She took one of the medium sized catsuits off the rack, and held it up to her own body. It dragged on the floor. Babs then figured that the smaller suits must have been the ones worn by Catwoman when she saw her eye to eye, and pulled one of those out. It looked like it would fit perfectly! 'No,' she thought, 'purrrfectly!'

Barbara looked over the boots on the floor of the closet, and noticed that among the ones which were Catwoman's and not Vixen's, there were three different heel heights on them. Some looked like an easy two inches, others had what looked like four inches, and more with an awesome five inches. Logic told her that the lowest of the heels were probably being worn by the tall blonde, while the middle set must have been worn by Catwoman in the brunette body. Batgirl wracked her brain to see if she could recall the short colored Catwoman wearing skyscraper stilettos, but she'd been too busy fighting to notice. 'If Catwoman was fighting in these, though,' Babs mused, 'she must have had a really lithe and coordinated body!'

Almost dreading what she would find, Batgirl checked the sizes of the three different boot variations. Sure enough, the ones closest to her size were the ones with the five-inch spikes. Batgirl sighed, then put one pair into the bag with the catsuit she'd taken down. She collected all the other accessories she'd need, such as gloves, belt, necklace, domino mask and cat ears. Once the bag held what Batgirl felt was a complete costume, she straightened everything up as best she could, and got out while everything was still quiet.

Batgirl's timing was impeccable. Not more than ten minutes after the Dominoed Dare Doll departed the Cat's Lair on her Bat cycle with a large black bag tucked onto the back, a vehicle pulled up to the entrance of the Lair. Had Batgirl checked with Batman about her mission or even conferred with him about the arrest, she would have found out that Catwoman and three of her kittens escaped from the holding point before they could be taken in. They stole a car during the escape, and it was this car that arrived at the Cat's Lair.

None the wiser about the fact that their hideout had been rifled through moments before, Catwoman, Leo, Scratch and Cougar settled in to recuperate from their failed robbery. Selina went to her dressing room and quickly doffed her costume, tossing it on the couch next to the makeup table. She opened the other end of the closet from the costume parts, and got out a blouse and slacks set to lounge in.

Selina turned on the news later that evening, and watched as Batman and Robin were interviewed about the attempted robbery and the escape of their captives earlier in the day. "Batman, how is it that you can always be such an easy fool to escape from?" Catwoman commented, wondering to herself if just maybe the Dark Knight had a thing for her and was purposely letting her escape. She chuckled and purred, then turned off the TV. Selina called her kittens into the rec room, and started plans for their next escapade.

* * * * *

When Batgirl got back to her apartment, she entered via the hidden tunnel at ground level. After securing her motorcycle, she got into the private elevator which opened three stories up into her own hidden wardrobe. Batgirl flipped on the lights, then set the black bag on her dressing table. Barbara then took off her Batgirl costume and the shoulder length red haired wig, revealing her short black hair. After she brushed out her hair so that it wouldn't look like it had been under a wig cap for a few hours, Babs changed into a skirt and blouse, put on some sandals, then hit the switch on the reversible wall panel that swung her into her publicly seen apartment.

Barbara looked down at her watch, and said to her parrot, "Charlie, it looks like I still have time before the shops close. See you later!"

"Awk!" Charlie was not a talking parrot. Too bad, because things he was going to see would have enlightened a lot of people...

Purse and keys were scooped up quickly, then Babs took the normal elevator to the garage. She got into her little Ford, and proceeded post haste to the garment district, looking for an open wig shop. Barbara got lucky. After a brief search, she found an open shop and even a parking spot nearby. Then her luck tripled. The shop had precisely what Barbara was looking for, a shoulder length strawberry blonde wig. With her new purchase clutched closely, Babs quickly made her way back to her apartment.

Since it was still relatively early in the evening, but by now quite dark, Barbara decided to make another visit to the Cat's Lair right away. As she passed Charlie on the way to her wardrobe, Babs said, "You just watch, Charlie. If you thought I looked good as Vixen, just wait. In a few minutes, I'm going to come back out here, but I bet you won't recognize me!"

"Awk!"

Babs punched the button once again on the reversible door panel, and waited as her hidden dressing room swung around. After she took off her clothes, Barbara sat down at the makeup table and worked over her face to highlight her cheeks and eyebrows. She carefully reshaped them into a different face that was foreign, yet looked oh so familiar. Then she put on some cherry red lipstick and liner, making her lips look a bit puffier. Babs tucked her hair up under her wig cap, then pulled on her new blonde wig and brushed it out. When she pulled the black lurex catsuit out of the bag, Barbara realized she may have almost blown it.

She set the catsuit down, and Barbara then took off her bra. Now she was ready to put on the catsuit. Once she had wriggled into the tight fitting garment, Babs reached behind herself and zipped up the back. She marveled at the way her free standing breasts stood out. Barbara got the black ankle high boots out of the bag, looked dauntingly once again at the heels on them, then figured that if Selina could handle them, so could she.

Babs slipped the boots over her feet and zipped them up, then tried standing. "Whoa, almost as bad as Vixen's street shoes!" she said, wobbling at first, then steadied. She got the black leather gloves out of the bag, carefully pulled each finger into the claw at each tip, then zipped the gloves tightly closed on each arm halfway from the elbow to the shoulder. Babs flexed her fingers and curled them, and muttered a low, "Wow..." as she saw the way her claws looked. She lifted the gold plate necklace and tucked it under her hair around her neck. Just as she remembered seeing it on Selina, the necklace hung very nicely in the black covered cleavage on her chest.

The wide golden belt was then wound around Barbara's waist, and it rested low on her hips just as Selina's did. It was then that Babs noticed just how much her waist was apparent in the catsuit, and worried that maybe it was just a bit too narrow to match Selina's. 'Well, with the model's figure she has,' Barbara thought, 'I can't be that far off. I doubt anybody would catch the difference.'

If she was so quick to catch the possible difference in waists, how is it that Babs failed to think that a short blonde Catwoman might be a bit questionable? This oversight would not go in her favor...

Lastly, Babs got the cat ears and slipped the band into her hair, then pulled the domino mask over her face and put the elastic under her hair in back. She struck a pose in her mirror, purred softly, then loudly said, "Meowwwrrrr!"

Turning away satisfied, Babs used the reversible panel, then jauntily walked over to Charlie in short but steady steps, and purred, "I am Catwoman! Cat's eat birds, you know. But I'll let you be for now. I'll be back soon, Charlie!" Little did Charlie, or Babs for that matter, know how true the first part of her statement could be, and how incorrect her last remark was fated to be...

"Awk!" If only what Charlie had seen and heard could be told to someone.


In the Batcave...

Batman turned to Robin after going through the data file on the day's botched robbery and arrest, and said, "You know, Dick, I don't remember seeing Batgirl anywhere around the jewelry store after the robbery was foiled today. Did you see her?"

Robin thought for a moment, then said, "Holy Disappearing Act! No, come to think of it, I never even saw her sneak off the way she usually does. I wonder where she ran off to?"

Batman groaned audibly, then regained his composure.

"I'm sure she's okay," Batman said. "Batgirl has a habit of getting inside info on cases, and going off on her own. I'm sure she'll be getting in our way again soon, like usual. We'll probably see her again tomorrow in Commissioner Gordon's office."

Well, Batman, partly correct on the first assumption, very wrong on the second...


In the Cat's Lair...

Selina was not a slob, and after the fun knew there was work to do. She picked up her cast aside catsuit from earlier on, and went to hang it up in her closet. "What the...! There's a catsuit, a pair of boots, and its accessories missing," she screamed. An alarmed Leo came bounding into the room he was normally forbidden to enter. Selina turned to him and said, "There's a costume missing here! Unless one of you guys is getting weird on me, somebody has gone through our little abode while we were gone. Wait a minute...Leo, did you see Batgirl at any point after the fight today?"

Leo took a moment to search his slow memory banks, then said, "No, all the time we were being herded and then escaping, I never saw her."

"That's right," agreed Selina. "And during the newscast we watched, Batgirl was nowhere to be seen. The catsuit that's missing is one of the small ones for Tara's body, which just happens to be about Batgirl's size. I wonder...?"


Gotham City...

After chatting with the pet bird who was totally confused by hearing a familiar voice but seeing a completely foreign person talking, Barbara started practicing with her voice to try and get close to how she remembered Selina sounding. As she was doing so, Babs bundled up a red wig and one of her Batgirl costumes to put on her bike as an emergency measure, just in case a quick change might be necessary. Then a totally different picture from normal was seen after Barbara turned the wall back around.

Now actually appearing to be Catwoman, Babs went down her private elevator to the minigarage where the Bat cycle waited. To avoid questions from anyone seeing her in transit, Babs decided to drive the spare motorcycle, which was black with no bat emblems. The pouch with her Batgirl costume was strapped to the rear fender. Babs looked longingly at her blue Bat cycle, but knew she'd have to leave it behind.

As she zoomed out of the hidden tunnel, Babs looked quite different from the figure people sometimes saw riding the blue bike in the vicinity. She was a picture in black sexuality, a far cry from the purple and yellow figure and cycle seen rarely by those lucky enough to spot her. Of course, the black gave Barbara the same benefit it gave its normal wearer; it blended nicely into the night. Barbara saw no other vehicles as she made her way to the Cat's Lair. Her approach to the Lair did not go unnoticed, however.

An alarm Meow went off loudly in the rec room of the Lair, and Leo got to the monitors moments before Selina did. The low light level TV monitors showed a blonde haired black figure on a motorcycle approaching the entrance. As she got nearer, the two looked at each other, Leo grunted a "Huh?" and Selina said, "I bet I know who that is. If Catwoman is coming to the Lair, while Catwoman is already in the Lair, that has to be whoever it was that went through this place earlier. Leo, get Scratch and Cougar and wait for our visitor to come in. I'm going to change. Stall her until I get back out to see what's going on."

"Gotcha, Catwoman," Leo responded. "Hey, look at how short she is! At that height, she should have black hair, not blonde."

"Let me see," she purred. "I see what you mean, Leo. She does make a very convincing Catwoman, though, don't you think? Let's make her feel right at home!" Selina then turned and ran back to her wardrobe.

Barbara parked her motorcycle in some bushes off to the side so it wouldn't be readily found, not knowing that her caution was pointless. Leo was watching her every move, and her image was being saved on tape. Barbara put her mind into the proper mode and attitude, and Catwoman then strode confidently to the door of the Cat's Lair.

She slowly and quietly eased it open; she saw lights on down the hallway, and thought, 'Okay, Plan B.' Now striding purposefully down the hallway, her heels clicking loudly on the tiled floor, the faux Catwoman made her way to the rec room, where she saw three of the Cat's Kittens lounging while watching TV. "Well, is this how you bide your time," she asked, "while your boss is out trying to make her way back home?"

"Oh! Gee, Catwoman," said Leo, "we didn't know what happened to you, so we figured on just killing time until something happened." While he was saying this, Selina, now decked out in her own Catwoman costume, approached the rec room quietly from behind her height challenged twin. She motioned for Leo to get the usurper into the chair. "Well, anyway, now that you're here, Catwoman," said Leo, "get off your feet and rest." As Babs slowly meandered toward the seat, Leo maneuvered to get behind her.

As soon as Barbara sat down, Selina jumped out of hiding and yelled, "Grab her arms, and hold her down!"

Barbara let out a quick gasp, then put on a wickedly made up poker face. "Now, who do you suppose this Catwoman is that you're holding in the chair, Leo? I wonder," said Selina. "Earlier today, Batgirl disappeared after our fight with Batman and Robin, and wasn't around for the telecast later, either. I wonder if she might have been sticking her fingers into a pot she shouldn't have been?"

When she saw a slight twitch on Barbara's face at hearing Batgirl's name, Selina figured she had the problem nailed. "Leo, leave Scratch and Cougar holding my short twin here," said Catwoman. Barbara blinked knowingly at hearing this, which was also noted by Selina, then heard her say, "Follow me. I need some extra arms for the toys we're going to play with."

Barbara played it cool because she knew that panic was the last thing she needed, and sat there making a picture that would have had Joker laughing heartily. Two of Catwoman's kittens were standing at each side of the chair in which Catwoman regally sat, one restraining her left arm and the other her right. Had she been standing, Babs knew there would have been some chance of wriggling free, but in the seated position, she had no leverage whatsoever. She could only sit and wait, in anticipation of some nasty surprise from Catwoman.

After what seemed like only a few minutes, Selina came out of the hallway carrying what looked like a pair of metal halos and a bunch of cables. Leo was right behind her with a big metal box covered with dials and switches. Barbara then remembered Batman's briefing about Selina's mind switch machine, and recognized the object of her search. It looked as though she was going to be introduced to the machine in a way not to her liking. The box and its attachments were set on the table to Barbara's left.

Barbara's patience gave out. "Catwoman, what is it with you and that body switching machine? You seem to change bodies more often than I change costumes! And just what exactly have you got in mind?"

Catwoman turned back to look closely at her twin, and said, "You know, Batgirl, I heard from some of my contacts that Vixen had helped them on a break in a couple of weeks ago. I happen to know that my favorite Kitten is locked up tight right now, so could it be that you have been doing some other costuming disguises? You really have done an outstanding job of trying to look like me. Since you wanted so much to look like Catwoman, you are now going to not only look exactly like her, you are now going to be Catwoman!"

With the odds stacked so high against her, even Batgirl's witty mind couldn't come up with a retort. She decided to see what was going to happen.

Selina reached down and pulled first the mask and the ears from the interloper's head. She toyed with the idea of taking the wig off and washing away the makeup also, but merely nodded; there would be more than enough time to figure out what Batgirl really looked like...very soon.

"Leo, you remember how to hook up the bands, right?" The kitten also nodded. "Good, get Batgirl all set up. As soon as the process is finished, get the bands off and take the machine back to its hiding place. She is going to be Catwoman, but I don't want her to know anything about my toy."

At hearing this, Babs felt her bravado drop. She had hoped that even if she was going to be put in Selina's body, she'd know where to find the device and maybe switch back. Now, even though her quest was at a conclusion, and she was strapped to the very device she'd been searching for, it seemed like it was going to become hidden once again.

While Leo was doing as he was instructed, Selina was taking off her own ears and mask. She hooked up the wires to the other band, then placed this band around her own head. With both she and her near twin all hooked up, Selina sat down in a chair brought over by Leo. She turned to glare at the seemingly unafraid figure in the other seat, then sat back smugly. After grinning like the Cheshire Cat for just a few moments, eyeing the body she would soon occupy, Selina said, "Flip the switch, Leo!"

There came a soft hum from the Psyche Eggschange Machine, and both women had a momentary loss of awareness. Then Barbara blinked her eyes, and saw Catwoman being held down to her seat by two kittens. She didn't know why they were holding Selina down now instead of her, but knew that this was her chance to escape. It was as Leo grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down tightly that Babs noticed that she was in a different chair. "Oh my God, you..."

Barbara's words trailed off as she recognized the voice which said them.

"Yes, Batgirl," said the shorter blonde as the kittens were letting go of her arms, "you are now Catwoman for real. Not just dressed and made up to look like her, you are her. And while in the past I have always used whichever body I got to become a new Catwoman, this time it's going to be different. You are Catwoman, and I am Batgirl. I can't wait to see what kind of trouble I can get Batman and Robin into now."

"You may now have Batgirl's body, Selina," Babs said, "and I may now have Catwoman's body, but I still have my own free will, and nothing you can do will make me act as Catwoman!"

"Would you care to put any money on that, CATWOMAN?" Selina said as she stood in front of a mirror. "Let's see, I'm betting that this is a blonde wig. I can't wait to see my long red hair!"

Selina pulled off her wig, and was just a bit stunned to see the short black hair which spilled out of the wig cap that followed. "So Batgirl's red hair is also a wig?! I wonder who this cute brunette is that I've become? Oh well, it doesn't matter. I can always put on a red wig to be Batgirl, and Catgirl can have short black hair. Yes, that's a plan!"

Selina picked up her ears and mask, and put them into place in her now black hair. "Yes, indeed! Meet your newest kitten, Selina. My name is Kitty Kyle, and I am Catgirl! When I wear my other costume, I am also Batgirl."

"But I'm not Selina! I'm not Catwoman, no matter what I look like!" complained Barbara. "I am the real Batgirl!"

"Not for long, SELINA!" said Kitty with utmost confidence. "I'm going to fix you right up. Scratch, go get my special gloves!"

Kitty had originally intended to merely hypnotize Batgirl into assuming Selina's identity using her Cat's Eye Jade, but now doubted the thoroughness of the resulting change. The heroine's psyche was just so strong. But this could be turned against her. The disorientation caused by the body swap was a good start, but if Batgirl was to be given a dose of Cataphrenic, the bauble would have no problem at all in making the change. The former Batgirl would know for sure that she was Catwoman.

While Scratch was turning to run down the hallway, Catgirl walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a small bottle filled with a clear fluid. She then walked over to stand directly in front of Catwoman. "Did Batman ever tell you about the time I turned Robin into a rabid criminal with a mind totally devoted to mayhem and anarchy? It's a nifty little drug that a dearly deceased scientist devised for me. I call it Cataphrenic, and in mere moments, it is you who will lovingly call it Cataphrenic. Say good-bye to any thoughts of good and heroism, Batgirl...oops, I'm sorry, SELINA. Soon, you will be thinking only of evil and villainy."

Scratch approached Catgirl with a heavy plastic bag which contained another pair of clawed gloves. "See these gloves, Selina? We keep them sealed up because of the strength and tenacity of Cataphrenic. They were last used three years ago, but I could probably use them on you just as they are now. But I want to make sure you get a good dosage, so get ready! Cougar, give Leo a hand."

Just in case Catwoman reacted wildly, Catgirl was having two of the Kittens hold her down, not just one. She took off her right glove, then carefully pulled on the right glove from the bag, avoiding the claws like they carried the plague. In effect, they did. Catgirl dipped first her pointing finger's claw, then the index finger's into the small bottle. "I don't want to scratch your beautiful face, Selina. Your shoulders, however, are well hidden, so let's bare one."

Leo pulled the black lurex away from Barbara's left shoulder. The exposed nicely tanned skin gave a wide target, and Kitty placed her right hand's claws against the top of her arm. In a quick slicing motion, three red streaks were left on that tanned skin. One of the streaks was innocent and merely drew blood. The other two were more nefarious.

The Cataphrenic worked its way into the hapless heroine's blood stream, and in a matter of seconds, she was a heroine no more. A vicious scowl formed on her face, and a sneer on her lips. "I feel like I could tear you apart with my bare hands, Catgirl," she hissed, "but that is my body I'd be tearing up. I'm still Batgirl, no matter what else you've done to me!"

As she was carefully removing her right glove and placing it back in the plastic bag, Catgirl said, "Think so, SELINA? You have to get it straight. I'm Batgirl, besides being Catgirl, and you are Catwoman. Your name is Selina Kyle. I think I can help you with that identity crisis, too. Hold on a sec."

Catgirl walked back to what had been her wardroom. She was going to have to make a few changes now; this was now Selina's wardrobe, not hers. From a drawer in her closet, she grabbed a bright green stone mounted in a silver frame on a long neck chain. Kitty made damned sure that she did not look directly into the stone as she handled it. She knew from past experience about the strength of the Cat's Eye Jade's lures, and that was an experience she did not want to encounter herself.

Kitty once again took a position standing directly in front of the seated Catwoman. She took the gem by the necklace it was attached to, then held it directly in front of her eyes. "Watch the Cat's Eye Jade carefully, you can't take your eyes off it. Let it's powers work their way into your brain. You feel relaxed, don't you. You have no cares. You want to accept the Cat's Eye. It is your destiny. Your mind is clouding now, isn't it? Yes, you have no will of your own, now, do you? Good, your life is now at a new start. You may have been Batgirl, but she is no more. You are Catwoman. Your name is now Selina Kyle. You know where your Cat's Lair is, and you know where your wardrobe is in that hideout. Catwoman, nod if you understand me."

The held down woman did so.

"Very good, Catwoman," said Catgirl. "I want you to keep in mind all the tricks and knowledge you had in your past life, and put them to good use in leading your new life. When you hear a loud clap, you will awaken from your little nap, and get on with planning your crimes."

Catgirl passed the gem to Scratch, who took it back to the wardrobe. She then clapped her hands loudly. Catwoman blinked her eyes, turned her head to either side, and said, "What are you morons doing holding me down in this chair? We've got work to do! Catgirl, go get my Cat Kit, and don't waste any time!"

"You bet, Catwoman! And then let me tell you about some new ideas I had for a crime spree!"

* * * * *

The person once known as Batgirl may indeed get into Batman and Robin's way sometime soon. It is a sure thing that Catwoman will be committing some crime sure to get their attention. It is doubtful she will soon be with them in the Police Commissioner's office, at least as an ally.

And it may be a while before Charlie gets fed...


IS BATGIRL TRULY TAKEN BY THE DARK SIDE?

WILL THERE BE AN EVIL BATGIRL VEXING THE DYNAMIC DUO?

WILL THERE BE ANY WAY FOR THIS TO END IN A NICE WAY?

Tune in next week for the answers to these and many more questions,

same Cat-time,

same Cat-Channel!

 

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