Black Magic Women

Each morning, the Gotham City University Library received deliveries for its famous, historical or artistic lobby displays. On this Spring morning, truly bizarre events were about to transpire as a delivery truck pulled to a stop at the loading dock. The impending delivery portended a crime wave poised to sweep across an unsuspecting Gotham City.

The driver stepped from the cab of the truck and greeted the waiting, uniformed guard. “Good morning, Nick,” the driver said. “I’ve got to tell you, this is the weirdest load of stuff I’ve ever hauled.”

“Hi, Don. Aren’t you hauling relics from the Spellcraft Family Alchemical Laboratory?” the guard inquired. “We’re displaying it in honor of Beltaine, a pagan holiday associated with the occult.”

“That’s right, or at least that’s what the manifest says,” Don said. “I think this stuff would be more appropriate for Halloween, though.”

“Well, Beltaine is May first in the Northern hemisphere.”

“Oh. Do those in the Southern hemisphere celebrate it at a different time?”

“November first,” Nick replied.

“Know it all,” Don teased, grinning. “For the record, it gives me the creeps.”

“Come on, I’ll help you unload it and we can get some coffee,” Nick replied. “You look like you could use some.”

“Thanks.”

“I wouldn’t bother, boys!” a disembodied, female voice said. “We’ll unload your truck for you, later.”

“What the--?” Nick said, pulling out his nightstick and looking warily around the loading dock. “Who said that?”

“I don’t know, Nick,” Don replied scanning the area and frowning. “I thought I heard a girl’s voice, but I only see you.”

“Okay,” the guard said. “Halt! Who goes there?”

“I don’t believe it!” Don said, as he watched the doors on either side of the truck’s cab open and slam closed. “This can’t be happening. It’s impossible!” The apparently empty truck drove away.

“I’d better go report this,” Nick said, turning toward the library.

Suddenly, he fell forward, reaching for the back of his head and was unconscious as his body settled to the ground.

“That was your second mistake,” the same disembodied, female voice matter-of-factly said.

“Who are you?” Don demanded. “What do you want? What did you do to Nick?”

“Let me show you,” the disembodied voice said, giggling. “Well, I guess you can’t really see me, and there are a number of good reasons that’s too bad, for you.”

Don suddenly felt a painful blow land at the back of his head. He collapsed, losing consciousness. Wallets, watches, and other valuables moved from the fallen men’s pockets and vanished before the sound of tapping heels grew softer, thus concluding one of the most mysterious crimes to have ever been committed at the college.

Shortly thereafter, a tall man with graying hair wearing grey slacks; a white, collared shirt beneath a red vest; a blue blazer adorned with occult symbols; and a gold talisman at his throat consulted a pocket watch as the apparently driverless delivery truck pulled into a delivery dock at a party center north of the campus. He closed the garage door and exchanged his watch for a cell phone. “They’re right on time, Docky Baby,” he said.

The doors of the truck’s cab opened and closed, apparently on their own, seconds before the back of the truck opened by itself as well. The man nodded, without appearing to find any of these strange happenings unusual and focused on the door he had used to enter the building. Presently, it, too, seemed to open and close.

“How did it go, girls?” the man asked, despite being the room’s only visible occupant.

“Your wife’s pills worked perfectly, Cabala,” the disembodied, female voice from the library said. “How much longer will we be invisible?”

“You’re not invisible,” the man said.

“Come on, Cabala,” a second voice replied. “No one can see us and we can’t see each other. We’re invisible.”

“Yeah,” a third voice agreed.

“Cabala is right, cats,” a woman wearing a scarlet ensemble featuring boots; a short dress; numerous, beaded necklaces of varying lengths; earrings; and a matching wide-brimmed hat said, stepping through the door. “These new pills I gave you enable you to blend into any background so perfectly you cannot be seen by anyone. Their effects should wear off shortly.”

“You’re right, Doctor Cassandra!” the original, invisible speaker exclaimed as she became visible. The girl’s long, black hair was as dark as the comfortable jeans molded to her lower body as closely as a coat of paint. The remainder of her ripe figure was covered with a t-shirt stretched tightly enough to reveal every contour of the girl’s shapely torso.

“Of course I am, Purdey.” the scarlet-clad woman said. “My old pills required a second pill to reverse its effects. Because we now need only half as many pills whenever we use them, this new variety is more useful for our purposes, since you and your sorority sisters have agreed to comprise my criminal coven.”

“All we did was make you an advisor for the sorority,” one of Purdey’s companions, a petite brunette wearing a leopard-print hotpants and vest combination suit with white go-go boots, objected.

“Indeed, Muffy,” Doctor Cassandra said. “You cats haven’t even begun to dig what I’m capable of enabling you to do.”

“The pills’ potential was part of the reason for our agreement,” Fluffy, the other girl who had used the pills, explained. She was a redhead wearing a white body-glove with black tiger-stripes. “You probably won’t replace Catwoman in our eyes, but the pills are very impressive. We also felt they would just be the beginning of the useful goodies with which you could provide us.”

“You’re so right,” Doctor Cassandra said, as a faraway look came into her eyes.

“Hey, Docky Baby,” Cabala asked, “what if the girls need to pull a job requiring the pills’ effect to last longer?”

“What?” the criminal consultant asked as her husband’s question brought her back to the present. “Oh, they simply take a stronger dose. The initial trip seems to have been a complete success.” Doctor Cassandra paused to laugh delightedly. “Let’s unload the stuff and move it to the chamber I selected for the lab.”

“How far away is this chamber?” Cabala asked, “and where is it?”

“It’s in the tunnel system beneath Gotham State University and this place. Most of the passages you’ll be following slope downward and it isn’t that far away. Once the lab is set up, love, you can make this truck disappear.”

“Now, Docky Baby, how am I going to get a truck to take one of your pills?”

Doctor Cassandra rolled her eyes. She suspected her husband wasn’t quite as dense as he pretended to be . . . at least she hoped not.

“Just kidding, pet,” the burned-out hippy replied. “You got it. Your plans are always so . . . psychedelic.”

“Thank you, love,” his wife said. “With your help, this women’s work will be finished quickly enough and my ancestral, family laboratory will be available for the rest of the work I have planned. Dig?”

“Dug, Docky Baby,” her husband said, climbing into the truck to help unload it.

“So, let me get this story straight. You said were attacked by an invisible woman?” Chief O’Hara asked, regarding Don, the delivery driver, who held an ice pack against the back of his head. “Sure an’ that’s fantastic!”

“It wasn’t fantastic for me at all!” Don objected.

“What I mean, laddie, is the kind of thing you’re describing doesn’t happen all the time,” Chief O’Hara kindly explained. “While it seems impossible, I can see something happened. Begorra.”

“Yes, officer,” the driver said, nodding and moaning as his ice pack shifted. “I saw doors on both sides of the truck open and close before some girl I never saw spoke to me and hit me in the head. There must have been at least three of them.”

“How can you be certain of the number?”

The doors on both sides of the truck opened and closed before I was attacked.”

“Right. You say you didn’t see your attacker?”

“No, sir,” the man answered. “She was invisible.”

“Okay, laddie,” the Chief said kindly, “then, can you please tell me how you know it was a woman?”

“I heard her voice. She spoke to me.”

“How come an invisible woman who wanted to rob you spoke at all?”

“She offered to unload the stuff from the alchemist’s laboratory and said Nick made a mistake when he decided to report the theft of my truck.”

“So, there is another witness named Nick?”

“Well, sir,” the driver said, shrugging helplessly, “I’m not sure I’d use the word 'witness.'”

“All right, laddie. One of the officers in my outer office will formally take your statement. Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention. I’ll assign some officers to look into it.”

“You’re welcome, sir.” The man hurried off to be questioned further as Chief O’Hara consulted the current status report on known super-criminals not currently in prison.

“Doctor Cassandra got out of prison earlier this year. Her husband had been out for a while already. Nobody’s seen her since,” Chief O’Hara explained, sitting across from Commissioner James Gordon, “but with those pills of hers, nobody saw her when she and Cabala were committing their crimes in the first place.”

“You’re sure the gentleman isn’t pulling our leg?”

“The lump on his head was real enough and I didn’t smell alcohol on his breath. Watching him walk, he seemed to be going straight without staggering. His speech was coherent, and while he was describing something I would normally think impossible, we experienced something quite similar in this very office!”

“I agree with you, Chief O’Hara,” Commissioner Gordon said. “I’d like you to get the more mundane aspects of this investigation underway, while I summon some special help.”

“Yes, sir,” Chief O’Hara said, hurrying from his superior’s office after saluting smartly.

Once the Chief had gone, the Commissioner picked up his private phone line and called his daughter, Barbara, at work. He was one of the few people who knew she fought crime as the eye-catching enemy of evil, Batgirl, Gotham City’s Dark Angel, equally capable of delivering mercy or vengeance, depending upon the circumstances she encountered. Together, father and daughter had undertaken extraordinary security measures to insure the line would never be tapped.

“Good morning, Barbara.”

“Hi, Daddy,” the lovely librarian said. “What’s up?”

“The Gotham City University library was robbed earlier this morning. Everything from the Spellcraft Family Alchemical Laboratory was taken before it was even unloaded for a seasonal display. Witnesses report at least one of the thieves was an invisible woman.”

“You suspect Doctor Cassandra,” Barbara thoughtfully said. “Do you have any clues?”

“It’s still early. I don’t even have a manifest of the missing items yet and the truck hasn’t been found. Nevertheless, I thought you should know.”

“Thanks for telling me,” Barbara said. “Just a minute, I think I saw a headline in the paper that might be of interest.” The Commissioner waited while Barbara quickly scanned the newspaper. “I found it. Some of the larger pieces from the Spellcraft Family Alchemical Laboratory have been donated to the Gotham City Museum of Antiquities.”

“Why would Doctor Cassandra donate items from her family’s historical, alchemical laboratory to a museum, while stealing others from the University library?”

“The article says one of Doctor Cassandra’s female ancestors sold off some pieces from the laboratory at the beginning of the Great Depression,” Barbara said.

“If Doctor Cassandra, or perhaps other criminals, missed the news item you just read, they might return to the GCU library to try to locate those items.”

“Of course, it they saw the story, they might strike at the museum. Either way, It sounds like Batgirl is going to have a busy day. You know, I’m really going to have to seriously consider promoting my assistant, Myrtle. She covers for me all the time here at work without knowing why. Anyway, thanks for the heads-up, Daddy. I’ll be in touch.”

“Be careful, Barbara.”

“I will, Daddy,” she assured him. “I love you.”

Within the hour, Myrtle had been put in charge at the library, Barbara Gordon had undergone her tantalizing transformation into Batgirl, and the Batgirlcycle was pulling up outside the Gotham City University Library. Inside, she made her way to the office and was immediately admitted.

“Thank you for coming, Batgirl,” the librarian said. “We’ve had some excitement here this morning. I didn’t realize the police had contacted you, but I am glad you’re on the case.”

“I’m sorry to learn about the theft,” Batgirl said. “I understand you did not acquire everything from the Spellcraft Family Alchemical Laboratory?”

“Basically, we did. The Spellcraft Family Alchemical Laboratory has never been displayed in a single place since the pieces began being acquired by museums and similar facilities. I’m proud to report the library had achieved something of a coup.”

“Congratulations,” Batgirl said, smiling knowingly. “You’ve done very well.”

“Thank you,” the librarian replied, relaxing and smiling at Batgirl. The civilian went on, “At the same time, however, there were certain items we didn’t really have the space to display, without dramatically moving things around. So, we helped arrange a donation to the Gotham City Museum of Antiquities. We were going to co-ordinate our exhibitions.” The woman smiled wistfully. “The arrangement would have been a win-win for the museum as well as the University.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure the pieces will be recovered and the exhibit can go forward.”

“Thank you, Batgirl. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must return to my duties. Feel free to look around for clues . . . or whatever it is you do to investigate crimes.”

As the librarian left, Batgirl picked up a paperweight from the desk and began to examine it carefully.

“You were right, Docky Baby,” the quiet, disembodied voice of a male said. “We found out where the rest of the stuff was taken with no trouble at all, not even from Batgirl. She practically did our research for us. You are awesome!” The man began to chuckle.

“Shut up, Cabala,” a disembodied, female voice ordered. “Someone will hear you.”

“I have already heard both of you, Doctor Cassandra,” Batgirl said, putting down the paperweight and turning toward the voices. “I was hoping overconfident criminals like you would be unable to keep quiet upon learning where to find the rest of the loot you obviously want to steal. You may as well show yourselves. You won’t get out of this room without my knowledge.”

The door to the room seemed to open by itself. A Batarang suddenly flew through the doorway and stopped, apparently in midair, impacting one of the unseen villains, who fell with a thud.

“Cabala, where are you?” Doctor Cassandra worriedly asked.

There was no response to the Occult Outlaw’s question.

“Give up, Doctor Cassandra,” Batgirl urged. “You won’t escape.”

“There is no way, Batgirl,” the devilish doctor replied. “Since I wasn’t expecting to face you so quickly, I’ll apologize in advance for dealing with you in such a necessarily crude manner. I understand you’re already acquainted with the Eta Beta Lotka girls I’ve recruited for my coven.”

A high-pitched whistle summoned a sextet of young, similarly dressed women. Black jeans were molded to their lower bodies, while t-shirts with their sorority letters were tightly stretched across their ample chests. In a flash, Batgirl both recognized and remembered her previous encounters with each of them.

Purdey was a college-age lieutenant of Catwoman’s who, as the sorority president, had acted as hostess when her mistress auctioned the Onyx Osprey, a stolen statue, at the Eta Beta Lotka sorority house. Batgirl imagined the pretty, long-haired brunette’s inaugural jail term had been brief, following the Princess of Plunder’s plot to take over Bessarovia. That perfidious plan had been perpetrated with the help of the Penguin, as well as the young brunette and other hench kittens.

A brown-haired, brown-eyed ex-stripper named Tabitha had served Catwoman at the same time, as well as earlier when the Feline Fiend had made her second attempt to steal Batagonian Cat’s Eye Opals from the Forever Jewel Company. A shorter brunette, Muffy, and Fluffy, a redhead, also worked for Catwoman when the voluptuous villainess had purloined several priceless Siberian kittens from Percival Penache's Pet Shop.

A shorter blonde regarded Batgirl through a pair of green lenses she held before her eyes. Her name was Emerald and she had worked with the Joker more than once.

Amber, the taller blonde, had been drugged and brought into King Tut’s service. Accordingly, she had not been held responsible for her previous, criminal actions.

Doctor Cassandra’s henchwomen seemed well prepared to do their mistress’ bidding. They formed a semicircle around Batgirl, who instinctively sank into a fighting crouch.

“Get her!” Doctor Cassandra ordered.

Batgirl attacked before the command had left the invisible villainess’ lips, and Purdey fell to a lightening fast, showgirl kick. At the same time, Muffy and Fluffy separated; circled the desk; and seized Batgirl’s shoulders from behind. The others, with the exception of Purdey, pressed forward, inducing Batgirl’s retreat.

Batgirl felt her upper body pulled back and shoved down hard onto the desk. She nodded her head to keep it from impacting and drew her knees to her chest defensively. Rolling back, she thrust out her legs, catching both Muffy and Fluffy in the chest, toppling the henchwomen.

Before Batgirl could return to her feet, however, she discovered she had put herself in a very vulnerable position.

Tabitha’s foot suddenly slammed into the small of Batgirl’s back and the Curved Crusader was dismayed when Amber and Emerald seized each of her feet, holding them tightly and leaning against the back of their victim’s thighs, thus pinning Batgirl so Tabitha could repeatedly attack the Curved Crusader. The now-helpless heroine could only writhe in agony as the blonde pair and Tabitha went on torturing her.

Purdey, Fluffy, and Muffy recovered and watched briefly before setting about their revenge. Fluffy and Muffy each gripped Batgirl’s arms and pulled her upper body forward. Batgirl’s chest slammed against the desktop, knocking the wind from her lungs. Fluffy and Muffy grinned wickedly, twisting their victim’s limbs behind the Shapely Sentinel’s back until the heroine cried out in pain.

“Lift her up,” Purdey ordered, smiling wickedly as her associates obeyed. “My little cat feet are going to batter her.” True to her word, Purdey began alternating the feet she slammed into Batgirl’s chest and abdomen. The Curved Crusader moaned and tried to breathe as Purdey’s foot slammed into her ribs yet again.

Tabitha motioned for Batgirl to be dragged forward before stepping between the victim’s spread legs where her fists and feet went to work on the Curved Crusader’s backside and more vulnerable areas, coordinating her attacks with Purdey’s evil efforts.

Batgirl closed her eyes and tried to block out the pain as attackers held her helplessly above the ground, battering her beautiful body with savage ferocity. After a few minutes of continuous agony, the Crimefighting Cutie knew she had lost the initial round of her confrontation with the Occult Outlaw’s helpers. Batgirl coughed and tried to focus on her attackers. Unconsciousness loomed and the punishment the Eta Beta Lotka girls were inflicting continued until Doctor Cassandra and Cabala became visible.

“I can see you now,” Batgirl softly said, delighted she could still take in enough air to speak. “You’ve improved your pills. Unconsciousness no longer nullifies their effect.”

The villainess thoughtfully nodded and said, “I’m going to give you a break, Batgirl.”

It occurred to Batgirl she could be broken quite easily as long as the henchwomen went on holding her. While the beating had stopped, she remained utterly at the demonic Doctor’s mercy.

Doctor Cassandra was still speaking. “In your current position, I could send you on the kickiest trip of your life, on several levels. Bust in on my scene again and I’ll see that you vanish from the Earth forever.” The villainess addressed her minions. “Let her go and let’s get going!”

Batgirl felt her body flung unceremoniously forward seconds before her face impacted the carpet. She was enveloped instantly in darkness and was never aware of how her body settled on the floor as the villains took their leave without sparing her a glance.

Batgirl moaned later as her eyes fluttered open. “What hit me?” she superfluously asked, recalling her confrontation with Doctor Cassandra.

“Batgirl, are you all right?” the librarian asked. “You’ve been unconscious for some time.” The woman and a man Batgirl didn’t recognize were bent over the fallen heroine and the civilians’ faces wore concerned looks.

“I’ll be okay,” Batgirl said, sitting up and gasping. She inhaled and was delighted her chest did not hurt as much as she feared it would as her lungs expanded.

“Take it easy, Batgirl,” the man advised.

“He’s with Student Health Services,” the librarian explained. “He thought you’d be alright as long as you weren’t moved.”

“I also wasn’t sure what would happen if you were picked up by an ambulance. I mean, about your secret identity and all.” the man explained, extending a hand. “Oh, I’m Sylvester Leonard, at your service.”

“I appreciate your concern,” Batgirl said, shaking the man’s hand. “Your concern about my secrets demonstrates your understanding of the Hippocratic Oath . . . or, to put it another way, I’d say you’re the real McCoy.”

“I’m just a nurse, ma’am,” the medical man said, grinning, “but I try.”

Batgirl was feeling stronger by the second. “It seems Doctor Cassandra followed Catwoman’s lead and recruited some Eta Beta Lotka girls.” Silently, she wondered, ‘How many of the girls are being paid by both villainesses?’

The Curved Crusader had encountered the phenomenon of henchwomen double dipping previously, when the Siren had employed the felonious phantom trio, Doe; Rae; and Mimi, while they were on the Minstrel’s payroll. The Shapely Sentinel could easily imagine the Eta Beta Lotka girls following in the felonious phantoms’ fiendish footsteps.

Catwoman had a long history with the sorority. She had hidden out in the basement of the house the first time she went after the Batagonian Cat’s Eye Opals. The sorority house was selected as the site for the auction of the Onyx Osprey years later. More recently, the Feline Fiend retreated there when she teamed up with the Penguin to take over Bessarovia. Now, girls from the sorority were obviously in Doctor Cassandra’s employ.

“It sounds like you plan to go after those young ladies,” the librarian said.

“Those young ladies are hardly ladies, ma’am,” Batgirl said, climbing to her feet and breathing deeply.

“I’m surprised they haven’t been kicked off campus long ago,” Sylvester Leonard observed.

“You have a good point,” Batgirl agreed. She made a mental note to ask her father about the sinister sorority’s status.

“I’m sorry to point this out. I imagine it’s a sore subject,” the concerned librarian said, without a hint of awareness she had made a pun, “but it seems to me they really kicked your butt.”

“You’re right,” Batgirl admitted, rubbing a particularly painful bruise. “They did a number on me, alright.”

“You’re still moving slowly, Batgirl,” Sylvester Leonard noted. “Perhaps you should forget the criminals for awhile and see a physician you can trust.”

Batgirl smiled as the suggestion prompted her to think of the handsome man she considered her personal physician, Doctor Vince. They had met after Black Widow had loaded her flesh with spider eggs, intending the brood of arachnids to devour her after hatching. Together, Batgirl and the Doctor had both thwarted the senior citizen super-villainess’ death plot and recognized a mutual attraction. This connection had grown stronger after Doctor Vince had revived her following a potentially lethal ride in a hot air balloon, upon which Penguin and Catwoman had sent the Curved Crusader—during a thunderstorm. Batgirl had flung herself into Gotham Harbor in order to escape and had been lucky to be fished out of danger by the police.

“I’ll be okay in a few minutes. Gotham City will be better off when Doctor Cassandra, Cabala, and their henchwomen are in jail, where they all belong.”

“I think the idea of seeing a doctor sounds good,” the librarian encouraged.

“Thank you both for your help and concern.” While the thought of a visit to Doctor Vince was tempting, Batgirl had other ideas and said, “Ma’am, I’ll definitely follow your excellent suggestion.” Silently, Batgirl told herself, ‘I would imagine Doctor Cassandra and her criminal cohorts retired to the sorority house, my next port of call.’

Batgirl had nearly recovered when she arrived at her destination. She looked at the front of the house and decided against climbing the side. ‘I’ll use the front door for a change. Such an unusual tactic might just surprise Doctor Cassandra.’

Inside, the Curved Crusader found both the foyer and the parlor deserted. ‘If they’re invisible, they could take me any time!’ She removed a few pellets from her utility belt and crept forward, switching some of her pellets to her empty hand.

She paused to listen briefly at each door before carefully stepping through. The Dominoed Daredoll soon realized the main floor of the house was deserted.

Creeping up the stairs, Batgirl froze, spotting a movement where the staircase turned.

The Curved Crusader darted forward and lunged toward the girl retreating rapidly up the stairs, clapping a gloved hand over her mouth to stifle her startled cry. Both women stared at one another.

Finally, recognition dawned on both and Batgirl released her captive.

“Batgirl!” the other girl quietly said. “You really scared me! What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry, Susie, but I might ask you the same question,” Batgirl replied just as softly, putting away her handful of pellets.

The Curved Crusader had first met the coed after Harley Quinn had kidnapped her, along with two of Joker’s other former molls the Clown Prince of Crime considered disloyal. It had been up to Batgirl to prevent the criminal couple from taking dire revenge upon all of their captives at that time.

Batgirl had encountered Susie a second time after escaping from a well in which Shame had trapped her. Unknown to the villain, the well was fed by an underground stream Batgirl discovered and followed to find her way to freedom. Susie had been surprised to wake up and find her friend Dick Grayson watching the Curved Crusader emerge, like a purple-clad Venus, from a pond beside the young couple’s campsite.

“Would you believe I’m pledging the sorority?” Susie asked.

“I thought you graduated from Gotham State University?!”

“I did, but I’m taking some continuing education classes here and am therefore allowed to pledge. This sorority has a suspicious history, and I think shutting them down is important. I think I know some of what they’re up to, but I need proof. You’re obviously suspicious of the girls, too, because you’re here!” Susie’s voice did not conceal her excitement.

“I have reason to believe a criminal called Doctor Cassandra has recruited some of the girls from this group for her gang. Is anyone here now besides us?”

“I haven’t seen anyone for awhile and thought I’d been given a good chance to snoop. You may be right about criminals recruiting here. I’m not the only older college girl among this sorority’s ranks, and I think they recently brought in someone as an advisor. When I met her, she didn’t seem like an academic, but someone addressed her as Doctor. Of course, her presence may answer another question I had. What do you know about her? Is she a real doctor?”

“When I first encountered Doctor Cassandra, she was scheming to rule Gotham City’s underworld using some very effective camouflage pills. In terms of medicine, she isn’t qualified to be a nurse, to the best of my knowledge, and would have real problems with the Hippocratic Oath. When did you last see her?”

“She and her husband were here earlier with half a dozen girls. I overheard them saying something about heading to a museum now that it had closed for the day.”

“I have to go, Susie. I wish I had time to hear all about your suspicions and theories. I know for a fact Doctor Cassandra isn’t the only villainess with ties to this sorority. Promise me you’ll be careful.”

‘I know about Catwoman’s ties to the girls, too. I wish I could find some proof,’ Susie thought. Aloud she said. “I’ll be careful, Batgirl. Good luck in what you’re doing.”

“Good luck yourself, Susie. I hope we’ll see each other again soon.”

“I’d like that.”

As Batgirl hurried away to thwart Doctor Cassandra’s plans at the Gotham City Museum of Antiquities, Susie resumed her rapid search of the sorority house. ‘They’ve planned a party for tonight, but no one is around,’ she thought, shrugging. ‘The empty house could mean they’re up to something in connection with tomorrow’s alumni events.’ Finding nothing, the comely coed was about to take her leave, when a loud report sounded suddenly from behind the house. Susie hurried to a rear window and peered carefully through to avoid being seen. Five more reports echoed, followed by utter silence.

Outside, a blonde woman dressed in faded leather examined a paper target. Her boots matched her pants as well as the vest she wore over a pale, plaid blouse. She had accessorized with a red kerchief encircling her throat, a tan cowboy hat, and a pair of holstered pistols hanging from her belt.

“Well, Soolin, I reckon you done learned to shoot,” the woman said, nodding. “The main thing we gotta work on is your draw and the stamina for walkin’ is comin’ along.”

“Thank you for being so patient with me, Okie Annie,” a younger blonde woman said. She held a pistol in one hand as she stood on the back stoop of the sorority house, wearing jeans and an anti-war t-shirt with an open jacket over it.

“We best be gettin’ to the party center to check on things. You and me are gonna be in charge o’ tomorrow’s operation at the alumni parade.”

“Sounds good,” the girl on the stoop said, tossing her mentor the pistol. “Bring my wheelchair along. I think I can walk to the car.”

“You ain’t gonna be too tired if you do?”

“I’ll be fine. Just thinking of all the money we’ll make is very motivational.” The younger woman laughed.

“Yep,” Okie Annie thoughtfully said, smiling broadly. “I reckon it would be. ‘Cause we’re gonna clean up.” Laughing, she went on, “I ‘spect we’re gonna make more money than they do at the mint on payday.”

Susie smiled and hurried through the sorority house front door. She knew where the party center was and decided she could get there ahead of Okie Annie and Soolin to observe them and learn more about their plans.

Less than an hour later, elsewhere in Gotham City, Dick Grayson was driving home from a late night at his Wayne Industries office when his cell phone rang. He grinned as the Caller I.D. on the dashboard told him the caller was his girlfriend, Susie. He knew she dreaded his phone since it had often called him away from her. Of course, she didn’t know the purpose of the vast majority of those calls was to summon his crimefighting alter ego, Robin, into service. Now, as he put on the hands-free headphone and cheerfully greeted the pretty brunette, he had no idea her call would lead him to pursue his dangerous hobby once again.

The low tone of Susie’s voice and the urgency with which she spoke did away with the initial pleasantries. “Dick, you know how I told you I thought some girls in the Eta Beta Lotka sorority were up to something weird?”

“You said you overheard some of their nursing majors talking while you worked at the student union. Right?” he asked.

“You make their conversation sound so mundane. I overhear lots of conversations and ignore them, but I made a point of listening to this one. It seemed to me the Eta Beta Lotka girls were discussing an actual patient’s treatment and they’re not licenced medicos.”

“Okay. Unlicenced medical practice is illegal for good reason.”

“Right,” Susie agreed. “After giving my suspicions some thought, I got really curious about the sorority’s activities. Now, I know I was right.”

“How do you know?”

“I signed up to join–”

“You did what?!” Dick Grayson incredulously demanded.

“Listen to me, Dick. Once they figured out I worked with Joker years ago, they became very interested in me and I’ve learned they’re planning some kind of crime in connection with tomorrow’s alumni parade! Your former guardian, Bruce Wayne, is on good terms with Batman, right?” she asked.

“Sure. They’re friends–”

“Well, Batman might be interested in their plans! You should ask Mr. Wayne to tell him about them.”

“Is Catwoman involved?” Dick thought the Feline Felon was in prison after her apprehension by Batman in the Arizona desert. The Caped Crusader, however, had been uncharacteristically vague about the details of her capture.

“I haven’t seen Catwoman, but someone called Doctor Cassandra may be. Have you ever heard of a woman called Okie Annie? I think she might have been with Shame at some point, in more ways than one.”

Dick hated to lie to Susie, but his dual life demanded it. “I can’t say that I have, but I’ll talk to Bruce about contacting Batman for you. Can you get away and report to the police?”

“The police would just think I was hysterical, tell me I’m imagining things, and we’d inevitably have a huge argument over my past with Joker. Besides, if I suddenly vanished, my new sorority sisters would get suspicious. Pledging is a brilliant way to snoop.”

Dick Grayson frowned, nodding as he listened to her. He saw no point in arguing about the risks she was taking over the phone. Instead, he said, “Okay, Susie. Where are you?”

“The girls are using that party center north of campus as a base of operations. You know which one I mean. Groups from both GCU and Gotham State rent it all the time for special occasions like banquets and dances.”

“Sit tight. I know the place, and I’ll get you some help soon,” Dick promised.

“Thanks, Dick. I knew I could count on you.”

“Always,” Dick said, disconnecting the call as he accelerated.

Susie took in some air and let it out slowly, as she put her cell phone away. She had stepped into a shadowy corner of the party center to make her call, hoping to remain unobserved. From her previous vantage point, she had seen many of the girls hurry off when Okie Annie and Soolin had arrived. The discussion she had overheard back at the sorority house had revealed the comely, young criminals’ plans and the masterminds were about to put the finishing touches on their perfidious preparations. As they did, Susie hoped to learn more.

The coed crept among the thinning shadows and froze as two distinct clicks sounded. Turning slowly, Susie saw Soolin, seated in a wheelchair, aiming a pair of pistols at her with their hammers cocked.

“You don’t belong here, sister,” the young blonde said, her voice very calm, but betraying a slight British accent. “Step out here where I can see you and put up your hands.”

Susie raised her arms above her head and stepped forward. “Soolin,” Susie thoughtfully said. “I should have realized the truth sooner. You’re the patient the Eta Beta Lotka nursing students are treating, not just a sorority member undergoing physical rehabilitation. So, what happened to you, anyway?”

The young, British blonde momentarily recalled how Catwoman had subjected her to lengthy and brutal torture, from which her recovery was still proceeding, though well along. “My condition is none of your business, but I’ll recover completely soon enough. Then, I’ll have some personal business to which to attend.” The gunwoman grinned before her voice grew louder when she called, “Annie, we have an uninvited visitor!”

“Who is it, Soolin?” Okie Annie asked.

“Her name is Susie and she’s a sorority pledge,” Soolin replied.

Annie appeared next to Soolin. “What’s she doin’ here?”

Soolin shrugged. “Good question. I think she’s been snooping around for awhile now. Regardless, she seems to know way too much about me and she mentioned you, too. I overheard part of a phone call she made. Oh, by the way, she mentioned your ex-boyfriend, Shame.”

“Well, everybody with a lick o’ sense knows I ain’t got nothin’ to do with him no more!” the older gunwoman declared. “I s’pose we’d better ask this here Susie a few questions.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Soolin said. “Move!” Soolin motioned with one gun for Susie to step toward the center of the room, into the light. The gunwoman in the wheelchair followed.

“Do you two want to know what I know?” Susie asked. “I’ll tell you. I know everything!”

Soolin raised an eyebrow.

“Do you now?” Okie Annie asked. “That’s quite a claim. For a start, how’s about telling us how you found this place.”

“I followed you from the sorority house,” Susie explained.

“How come?” Okie Annie demanded. “Ain’t the pledge class gonna do some stuff at a party back at the house tonight?”

“I got curious about someone connected with the sorority receiving unlicenced medical care.” She looked at Soolin. “I set out to prove the people providing your treatment lack proper qualifications and credentials.”

“You have learned quite a bit,” Okie Annie admitted.

Susie glared at them. “I’ve also learned you two are masterminding a robbery at the University’s alumni parade tomorrow. Since we all arrived here, I discovered it involves releasing some kind of agent from the sorority float. Whatever it is will immobilize rich onlookers, so the Eta Beta Lotka girls can circulate among them and rob them blind.”

“I reckon that’s our plan, all right,” Okie Annie confirmed. “Soolin is on the sorority fundraisin’ committee.”

“Who was on the phone?” Soolin asked menacingly.

“I called in the cavalry, so to speak,” Susie said. “Your plans will be finished before they ever get started!”

“I s’pose if someone is comin’ to your rescue, we’re obliged to see that you need rescuin’”

“You’re right,” Soolin happily agreed. “We need a guinea pig, anyway. We haven’t determined the potency of the agent we’re carrying in our float.” The gunwoman in the wheelchair looked Susie up and down and glanced quizzically at Okie Annie. “Is it my imagination, or is she overdressed for our purposes?”

“Yep!” Okie Annie agreed, as a wicked smile illuminated her face. “She sure is.” Okie Annie and Soolin began to laugh.

Susie turned to flee as all her bravado fell away like a mask. Her feet pounded the floor as she raced to the door, dodging from side to side to keep from being an easy target for the gunwomen.

Soolin smiled and fired one dart through the door toward which Susie was fleeing. It impaled the center of the coed’s back, dropping her face first to the floor with an audible smack.

“Good shooting, Soolin,” Okie Annie complimented. “Let’s help our little spy slip out o’ her duds. The women’s swim team had a banquet here recently and I reckon we can slip her into something more,” the older gunwoman paused to giggle, “suitable, before we arrange for her to become very uncomfortable.”

“Thanks, Teach,” the younger gunwoman replied, grinning. “Susie’s new outfit will indeed suit her just fine, for the brief remainder of her life.”

As Okie Annie retrieved Susie’s body, both gunwomen grinned.

The last time Batgirl had been to the Gotham City Museum of Antiquities, her visit had been arranged by Catwoman, who had placed the heroine and her best friend, Police Lieutenant Diana Mooney, on a refurbished trebuchet, to which the Feline Fiend had referred as a ‘catapult.’ Catwoman had planned to launch them on a fatal, maiden flight.

After hiding the Batgirlcycle, Batgirl was just approaching the building when she spotted Amber and Emerald wheeling a crate up a ramp into a truck. ‘So,’ Batgirl thought, ‘robbing a deserted museum does not warrant use of Doctor Cassandra’s fancy pills, unless, of course, she is running out of them.’ The Curved Crusader waited for the henchwomen to finish their task and followed as they returned to the museum.

Meanwhile, Dick Grayson hurried to a private garage he had rented to keep Robin’s car, the Redbird, closer to work. He changed into Robin unobserved, and raced to the party center from which Susie had called him. After parking, he saw no sign of intruders outside as he circled the building and tried the outer doors, which were all locked.

Robin felt his muscles tighten as he threw a rope to the roof and Bat-climbed. Seconds later, he looked through a skylight at Susie, who had been changed into an official, Gotham City University Swim Team, sleek, one-piece swimsuit. ‘Susie didn’t go out for the evening ‘dressed’ like that,’ Robin thought. He watched grimly as Okie Annie drew Susie’s arms above her head and bound her wrists together, while Soolin tied a weight to her ankles, which were also bound together along with her knees.

At one time, the fact Robin was presented with the prospect of facing women in combat might have paralyzed him into inactivity. Fighting females had been anathema to him and Batman, until villains had realized their advantage and ably demonstrated how debilitating and dangerous the Dynamic Duo’s decision not to fight women under any circumstances could become.

This point had been thrust upon him most forcefully when Madame DeBase had arranged for Gotham City’s greatest villains’ molls to ambush and molest them, planning ultimately to shame them out of crimefighting.

Following their voluntary helplessness on that occasion, methods of indirect attack like pulling rugs from beneath female attackers had necessarily become second nature. Robin paused, silently debating the wisdom of a forceful approach, as he watched Okie Annie and Soolin finish their work. He did not have a moment to lose and decided to burst in and play the situation by ear.

“Hero time,” Robin muttered before leaping through the skylight and landing unscathed in the center of a pool of shattered glass. As he straightened, he observed more of the room’s contents. A parade float featuring an enormous punch bowl filled with red liquid dominated one side of the room and a crane from which a metal hook was suspended had been parked beside it. “It’s over, Okie Annie!” Robin declared, pulling a pair of Batarangs from his utility belt.

“Well now, if it ain’t Robin, the Boy Wonder, done come to this here traitor’s rescue,” the older gunwoman said, drawing a gun with each hand. “We was wonderin’ who would show up.”

“Too bad he didn’t bring help,” Soolin added, displaying her own weaponry. “Two Batarangs will never keep four guns from shooting this poor girl.”

Robin considered telling them others were listening to his every word, but decided a human life, especially Susie’s, was too high a price to pay when the gunwomen inevitably called his bluff. “So, we have a standoff,” Robin said.

“Yep,” Okie Annie agreed. “You got until we get tired of it to take off that there belt o’ yours and surrender.”

“Why don’t I trade places with the girl? You could let her go and keep me instead.”

“No!” Soolin decisively said.

“We figured it would be better to get whoever came to rescue Susie together with her,” Okie Annie explained, chuckling. “You know what a romantic I am.”

“I wondered whether Shame would be lurking somewhere in the shadows around here.”

“He better not be,” Okie Annie ominously said, “‘cause I’ll shoot him if he is.”

“What do you plan to do to the girl?” Robin demanded. ‘Susie will probably be safer if I conceal our connection from these desperados,’ he silently decided.

“Surrender and we’ll show you,” Soolin invited, grinning.

“I’d much rather you changed your plans.”

“Listen, Robin, she don’t have to be breathin’ to participate in our plans,” Okie Annie warned.

“Holy Noah Webster, Okie Annie! Your vocabulary is expanding,” Robin said. “Congratulations.”

“Hey! I ain’t talkin’ to Shame and I been at this here college for months!”

“It’s getting late,” Soolin pointed out. “Let’s get rid of Susie now. This negotiating is so boring.”

“Holy Hostage Situation!”

“Right, Robin,” Okie Annie agreed. “We’ll kill her on three, unless you surrender.”

Soolin nodded and said, “One!”

“Two!” Okie Annie contributed.

“Three!” the gunwomen said simultaneously.

“Wait!” Robin cried, raising a restraining hand. “I’ll give up. Don’t kill her.”

“Drop your, uh, weapons,” Soolin ordered.

“Take off your belt.” Okie Annie chimed in.

Robin obeyed, kicking his crimefighting tools away, far out of reach.

“Beautiful,” Soolin said. “Now we can get rid of Robin, as well as our hot little snitch.”

“Keep him covered while I see to their final arrangements,” Okie Annie ordered.

“No problem,” the seated gunwoman replied, favoring the new captive with a wicked, knowing smile.

Batgirl’s brief chase through the Gotham City Museum of Antiquities ended in a room decorated like a mad scientist’s laboratory, with authentic, scientific equipment arranged according to the century in which it was used. Purdey, Muffy, Fluffy, and Tabitha had crated the glass tubes, dishes, burners, and tools associated with an antique counter set to be rolled out on wheels. “At last,” Doctor Cassandra gushed. “By morning, the family laboratory will be complete and I’ll be able to get busy making a fresh batch of pills that will get our crime wave really rocking and rolling.”

“Groovy, Docky Baby,” Cabala enthused. “Your pills will make us all so rich.”

“I wouldn’t count your money yet, Cabala!” Batgirl said, striding into room and regarding the criminals with her hands on her shapely hips and her legs spread to shoulder width.

“Well, Batgirl, I see you’ve ignored my warning,” Doctor Cassandra said.

“I doubt any of the bruises from last time have healed yet,” Cabala said.

“This time, we’ll finish her off, once and for all,” Purdey said, smiling wickedly.

“Destroying a legend will be a pleasure,” Amber enthused.

“We literally kicked her butt last time,” Emerald recalled aloud.

“I know I’ve been looking forward to the next round,” Tabitha said.

“You aren’t the only one,” Muffy pointed out.

“Let’s get her!” Fluffy urged.

All eyes focused on Doctor Cassandra, who nodded.

Batgirl remained motionless while the henchwomen advanced upon her. At the last possible second, she leaped into the air. Fluffy and Purdey felt Batgirl’s booted toes slam into their chins before both fell back into their companions, toppling them all.

“Help the girls, Cabala!” Doctor Cassandra ordered.

The Occult Outlaw’s husband rushed toward Batgirl, who pivoted and slammed her fists into his midsection, knocking the wind from him. Spinning away from him, Batgirl slammed an elbow into Muffy’s neck, knocking her to the floor.

Batgirl darted between Emerald and Amber, who were both charging from opposite directions. The two collided.

Tabitha’s heel hit Batgirl’s upraised forearm as Purdey’s shoulder simultaneously struck her knees, knocking the Curved Crusader to the floor. Batgirl instinctively rolled to avoid the almost instantaneous, follow-up attacks and rose to the balls of her feet.

Tabitha was closer and Batgirl dove at her knees, taking the ex-stripper to the floor. The heel of Batgirl’s hand caught the henchgirl’s chin and bounced her head off the floor.

Fluffy flung herself at Batgirl’s back, gathering the heroine’s arms and held them. Purdey strutted forward and prepared to go to work on the Curved Crusader’s abdomen once again.

Batgirl slammed her elbows back to loosen the grip on her before jumping and kicking Purdey in the face. She then twisted and pivoted as she landed to fling Fluffy aside. The redhead hit a wall and slid to the floor where she remained still.

Batgirl surveyed the wreckage she had made of Doctor Cassandra’s companions and advanced on the villainess. “I’ve dealt with your help, Doctor Cassandra,” Batgirl said, before she lowered her voice and filled it with menace. “Now, I’m going to deal with you!”

Doctor Cassandra backed away, fumbling with one of her beaded necklaces until it fell apart. The bouncing beads rolled toward Batgirl and soon littered the floor all around both women. Neither could take a step without stepping on some of the beads and Batgirl shrugged, approaching. When she moved, a tiny puff of smoke rose from the debris the Curved Crusader’s boots had crushed. Doctor Cassandra held her breath and smiled knowingly as Batgirl involuntarily inhaled a mere whiff of smoke.

The Curved Crusader felt weak immediately and realized the smoke was fast-acting and had additional, debilitating effects. She flung out her arms in a vain attempt to maintain her balance because her sense of equilibrium had been altered.

Doctor Cassandra beamed and her recovering husband and henchwomen grinned delightedly as Batgirl leaned in one direction and then the other. Purple-booted feet crushed more of Doctor Cassandra’s beads, releasing more smoke that intensified Batgirl’s experience. Only the Curved Crusader could see the drug-induced display of wildly dancing lights swirling all around her.

As the superheroine watched, the room began spinning inexplicably, and she grew more disoriented. The crazy kaleidoscope of colors blurred before her eyes as her balance faltered. Her outstretched arms waved and she shifted her feet, turning to follow the lights as she grew increasingly dizzy. Suddenly, Batgirl felt her knees buckle and her body pitch to the floor, where she remained still until unconsciousness claimed her, following the destruction of several more of Doctor Cassandra’s drug-delivering beads.

Shortly thereafter, back at the party center, Robin and Susie dangled above the enormous punch bowl, suspended by the hook hanging from the crane. A heavy weight extended below their feet, maintaining their perpendicular position, and causing the ropes holding it in place to dig painfully into the flesh of their bare ankles.

Robin had been conscious while Okie Annie had incorporated him into Susie’s bindings. A moan behind the young hero told him his fellow captive was reviving from her drug-induced slumber.

“Oh no!” she began complaining. “Why do I keep getting into situations like this? Wait. Who is that behind me?”

“It’s Robin. Hi, Susie,” Robin said, trying vainly to distract her from the pain he knew she would soon feel as the ropes holding her aloft would slowly rub her wrists raw.

“Batman sent you to investigate the Eta Beta Lotka girls’ criminal plans, and it seems now they have plans for both of us!” the girl cried. She then composed herself a bit. “Thanks, though, for coming. I appreciate it.”

“No problem.”

“They caught me right after I asked Dick Grayson to contact Batman.”

“It looked like you needed rescuing when I got here.”

“I guess we both do, now.”

‘Batman has no idea I’m even here, and no one else does, either,’ Robin thought. “Maybe not,” Robin said aloud. “I’ve gotten out of tougher scrapes than this.”

“That’s good to hear. What are they going to do to us?”

“I thought a smart girl like you would have figured it out already,” Soolin said, shrugging. “We’ve flavored the punch beneath you with a generous dose of acid. It will devour your exposed flesh inch by delicious inch, as you’re both slowly lowered in.”

“Hence my outfit,” Susie glumly said, looking over her tightly clad-breasts down to her lovely, bare legs. They extended below her outfit, held together at the knees and ankles, while the heavy weight dangled from her bare feet. Susie was also conscious of the way her butt had been pressed against the small of Robin’s back.

“Holy Evil Ensemble!”

“We couldn’t find nothin’ else for Robin to wear, but since his legs look bare, a new outfit is probably unnecessary.” Okie Annie explained, grinning. “Oh, and this gizmo will lower you into the punch real slow, while you think about your flesh dissolvin’, even more slow like.” She turned on the machine and slid from the cab of the crane, climbing down and crossing to where Soolin watched eagerly from her wheelchair. “Let’s give them the preview.”

“Good idea.” Soolin handed over Robin’s utility belt and Batarangs, along with everything the perfidious pair had taken from Susie before her involuntary change of outfits. Okie Annie playfully tossed it all into the acidic punch. An angry hissing followed the splashes. Everything was completely devoured seconds later.

“Soon,” Okie Annie said, anticipating.

“There’s no need to hurry,” Susie said, staring fearfully at where the victims’ property had been consumed.

“Not to worry, dear,” Soolin replied. “That acid will eat you two alive, leaving absolutely no evidence whatsoever behind.”

“Delicious,” Okie Annie said. “You ain’t sayin’ Susie is scrumptious, are you?”

“Well,” Soolin thoughtfully replied, “Robin definitely is, and the girl doesn’t look too bad . . . at least, not yet!”

Okie Annie drank in the sight of the captives descending toward their doom and shrugged. “I s’pose. Their good looks ain’t gonna last long, though.” She laughed.

“Oh, there is one last thing,” Soolin said. “We aren’t sure how strong the acid is and we wanted to do a little test before tomorrow. The cameras will record the results so we can decide how much ‘ice’ to add to cause the gas to be released. Goodnight, you two. We should thank you both for ‘volunteering’ to be our guinea pigs.”

“I want you to know this deathtrap isn’t at all original!” Robin declared.

“I reckon nobody will give a hoot about originality, as long as you two disappear forever,” Okie Annie replied, grinning wickedly. “Happy landings and enjoy your swim.” She and Soolin laughed as the older gunwoman wheeled her younger companion toward the door. “Adios!”

“Don’t hang around on our account,” Soolin invited before their departure. More laughter heralded silence which seemed to accompany fatalistic, omnipresent gloom as the softly whirring motor slowly lowered the pair.

“I’ve got to tell you, Robin,” Susie softly said, ”whenever I think about how nice it would be to hang out with you, this situation is nothing like what I had in mind!”

“I know what you mean,” the young Titan answered. “We’ve got to concentrate on how to get out of here!”

Unfortunately, he had no ideas as he stared, completely immobilized, at where his utility belt had utterly vanished. One of the items it had carried was a plastic bottle of Bat Super-Base pellets, and they had seemed to have no discernable effect on the acid whatsoever!

A persistent ache in Batgirl’s shoulders told her, when she revived, she was hanging by her bound wrists. Looking up, she saw a clamp holding a motorized winch to the overhead girder from which she was suspended. This device was above the bindings holding both her wrists and elbows together tightly. Looking down, she realized her utility belt was missing, her legs were bound together at both the knees and the ankles, and a weight dangled below her feet, holding her body perpendicular to the ceiling.

Further below Batgirl, flames licked at the underside of a circular vat of bubbling liquid. Cabala stood beside it while Fluffy, Muffy, Amber, Emerald, Purdey, and Tabitha eagerly watched, anticipating. Batgirl also saw Doctor Cassandra standing beside the winch controls, happily regarding both her husband; her helpers; and, with an occasional upward glance, her victim.

Cabala reached toward the bubbling vat and lightly touched the liquid’s surface. With a startled cry, he violently shook his hand and arm before pressing a handkerchief against his fingertip. “I think the oil is hot enough now, Docky Baby,” he announced, frowning at his burned fingertip.

“Just in time,” Purdey remarked, chuckling. “It looks like Batgirl is waking up.”

“Groovy, cats,” Doctor Cassandra said, laughing. “We’ll soon be rid of our square superheroine forever!”

“She doesn’t look very square to me,” Emerald said, regarding the curvaceous captive through her green lenses, as she scratched her head with her free hand.

“Not a bit,” Cabala agreed, but refrained from elaborating when his wife cast a sudden, sharp glance at him.

“It’s just an expression,” Tabitha explained, “like most of what Doctor Cassandra says.”

“The point is, shortly after we turn on that winch . . .” Muffy began, delightedly giggling.

“. . . Batgirl will have had it!” Fluffy contributed, concluding the prediction and broadly smiling.

“I still think we should have considered using the Royal Oil Boiling Room at the abandoned boiler works in the old Boyleston section of town,” Amber said. “I understand it’s the best place in town for boiling superheroes in oil.”

The other henchwomen shook their heads and grinned knowingly while Cabala stepped back, momentarily stunned. “Dig this,” he said. “Everything we needed was here, and time is always of the essence when preparing a sacrifice. You girls really do good work!”

Each henchwoman dipped her head and favored their mistress’ husband with a smile.

“None of you can even dream about being royalty, criminal or otherwise!” Batgirl lectured. “Besides, this trap will never work. I’ll give you all a chance to surrender and change your minds about attempting this ridiculous method of murder.”

“I think ‘historical’ would be a better term for a death brought about by being boiled in oil, Batgirl,” Doctor Cassandra said. “Medieval witches often perished this way, according to the wishes of often hard-up, bloodthirsty, nobles. Tonight, however, the witches will have their revenge on a modern miracle worker – namely you!” The devilish doctor laughed delightedly.

“Your plan is crazy, Doctor Cassandra,” Batgirl protested. “Besides, one of the guards will discover this gruesome setup when they make their rounds.”

“I doubt it, Batgirl,” Cabala said, laughing. “The girls went to work on them before even starting with you. All the guards are more than a little tied up.”

“You won’t find help from your famous utility belt, either,” Doctor Cassandra said, unable to suppress another delighted chuckle. “I’ve had it burned. You’ll soon follow, inch by delectable inch, as the winch lowers you into the boiling oil.” The Doctor threw the switch and the Curved Crusader felt her descent begin. “I hope you enjoy your fatal dip. Long before it’s over, you’ll find it both agonizing and all-consuming. Goodbye, Batgirl, and bon appetite!”

“Docky Baby, I’ve got to tell you, I would never have predicted we’d be rid of Batgirl before we really got down to the business to which we planned to get down. You rock!”

“Our zero-tolerance response to Batgirl’s infernal interference is definitely a positive omen, Cabala. Come. Our task is complete and Batgirl will soon be finished, once and for all!” Doctor Cassandra took her leave with Cabala closely following, completely enthralled.

Their henchwomen each curtseyed and backed away from the scene, delightedly drinking in the sight of their voluptuous victim being slowly lowered to her fate. They simultaneously blew Batgirl parting kisses as they waved at her cheerfully. The silent show ceased as the death chamber’s doors closed, locking with an ominous click.

Once the villains had gone, Batgirl was alone, left to her own devices, which she typically carried in her missing utility belt.

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