Writer: John Broome

Penciller: Mike Sekowsky

Inker: Bernard Sachs

Synopsis: Ilda, in a pawnshop, agonizes over her plight not merely at being pawned for cash, but also because the pawn shop owner removes the fuse that allows her to speak or take action, leaving her able only to think. She recalls that Star Hawkins told her that he had a job from several insurance companies to track down a ring of thieves who steal robots, change their appearances, and re-sell them. Suddenly, Ilda sees a man enter the pawn shop and hold it up. She manages to muster the strength to move a little, but it isn't enough for her to reach her fuse, and Ilda finds herself being stolen from the pawn shop. The thief brings her to his hideout, where the other members of his gang work on Ilda to change her appearance while they disparage Star's ability to find them. When she is left alone for a little while, she once again gathers her strength and manages to move herself to the telephone and dial Star's office. However, she finds herself unable to speak, and instead, taps her fingers, hoping Star will understand who she is. Just as the zips are about to ship Ilda to a customer, Star arrives, having recognized Ilda from the fact that she was tapping her fingers as she does when she's typing. As he looks for Ilda in the crowded room, some of the zips fire on him, and Ilda once again gathers upthe strength to move and block the blasts with her body. Star then knocks out the zips so that they can no longer threaten him, and Ilda is soon restored to her regular appearance. Star gives her a bonus and as usual, promises that he will never pawn her again...and Ilda, as usual, refuses to believe it.

Detective rating: It was coincidence that the thieves took Ilda, and very lucky for Star that the de-activated Ilda had it in her to do some moving, but Star managed to figure out Ilda's clue and traced the line to find the gang's hideout. 5 on a scale of 1 to 10.

All characters and images are copyright DC Comics.

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