Batgirl's Rescue - Part 05

After the critical heads up about Batgirl from the Bat Cave Lance Morgan had quickly redirected his search teams to begin searching for the Scarecrow. The banker was still not satisfied his team was doing everything possible that might be done. He suddenly realized that a valuable asset was not being utilized. Harly Quinn had yet to be interrogated. The reason for the lack of effort is that no one believed she would talk. Lance now believed that it was imperative that Harly Quinn disclose everything she knew whether she wanted to or not. The problem was how to make her talk. She was to loyal and to smart to voluntarily disclose the Joker's ultimate plan.

The banker became angry when he realized that right now Batgirl was probably being assaulted by the vile fiend Scarecrow and his hideous drugs. Suddenly the answer came to him in one word "Drugs." If the criminals could use them on the Caped Crusadress so could they. Lance was sure there were drugs that would make Harly Quinn sing like a canary. All he had to do was find Dr. Vince.

Of all the members of the team the two who had suffered through long hours of boredom were Dr. Vince and Jeffery Sullivan. The Bat Beauty had yet to be located and until she was there was nothing for them to do. The good doctor who had fought to have Jeffery included on the team felt responsible for the young man. In order to while away the hours of idleness Dr. Vince had taught Jeffery the game of chess. The two men were locked in a very intense game when Lance found them in a secluded corner of the office. "Sorry to interrupt your game guys but Dr. Vince I need your services." The physician perked up immediately now that he had some duty to perform remarked,

"What do you need Lance?" The young banker exclaimed,

"Do you have sodium pentothal here at headquarters?" The doctor thoughtfully answered,

"Why yes we do. What do you need it for?" Lance Morgan exclaimed,

"I am going to have Harly Quinn brought up here for interrogation. I know that normally we can expect no information from her. However if we use sodium pentothal on her she may disclose information we can use to speed up Batgirl's recovery." Dr. Vince took on a doubtful look and replied,

"I agree with your idea and we will probably learn a great deal but to do it I need Harly's permission or a court order" Lance's anger started to grow,

"Listen doctor right now Batgirl is undergoing an hallucinogenic hell from Scarecrows drugs. I am mightily tired of everyone protecting Harly's rights and ignoring Batgirl's. We are not a legal organization and therefore have no standing. My job is to save Batgirl from two evil fiends. When she is safe, then and only then will I concern myself with all the legal niceties for Harly, Joker and Scarecrow." The physician smiled,

"Lance here at Police Headquarters legal concerns always over ride human concerns. I must say however that after your eloquence this is not one of those times. Have Harly brought to the dispensary I will be ready in five minutes." Lance smiled broadly as he finally believed that he was getting some where replied,

"Thank you Vince, for seeing the common sense approach." Back in his chemical crack house the Scarecrow was in a complete panic. After a massive injection of hallucinogenic chemicals to break Batgirl's will the crazed chemist now found himself with a near comatose super heroine. The demented druggist was not sure what was causing the reaction or how long the reaction would last.

He was however sure of one thing that was the Joker's wrath. The Clownish Crook had a very special scenario worked out to end Batgirl's crime fighting career. The scenario required however that the Caped Cunt as Joker called her to be able to walk and talk. At the present time the Bat Beauty could do neither. The Scarecrow's only hope that after the antidote injection he had administered and several hours of sleep that she would recover.

The drug assisted interrogation of Harly Quinn was a masterstroke of intelligence gathering by Lance Morgan. Initially the jestress questioned the trip to the dispensary but was told it was told it was a mere check up. Dr. Vince detected a vitamin deficiency and administered an injection to treat the condition. In five minutes Harly Quinn was sound asleep on the examination table.

With a tape recorder running the questioning began. The first item was the Joker's overall plan of revenge on Batgirl. Harly revealed that after Batgirl was broken she was to be taken to a television station. During a special broadcast controlled by the Joker Batgirl would voluntarily unmask, reveal her secret identity and thus destroy her career as a crime fighter. The ultimate revenge would however be a bullet from Joker into her spine making her also a permanent cripple.

Now with overall plan revealed specific questions were asked about potential hideouts they used and descriptions of their getaway vans. Other useful information was also disclosed. The ultimate break came at the very end when Lance asked Harly how they communicated when they were apart. The painted Harlequin replied that it was done by cell phone. She told them that she had forgotten her phone the night that she had been arrested. Harly then surrendered the Joker's private cell phone number.

The information was a godsend as an immediate phone watch was established. Lance prayed that soon the Scarecrow would call the Clown Prince of Crime with a status report on Batgirl. When it occurred the team would pin point the Joker's location, Scarecrows location and hopefully Batgirl's status.

With the intelligence break through things now began to rapidly occur. Laura Graham was called in from her Batgirl crime patrol and directed to Police Headquarters. Alfred Pennyworth took possession of a fully equipped ambulance he had rented. It would be used to transport Batgirl from wherever she was found to the medical facilities in the Bat Cave. Edmond Curse was given a crash course on the operation of the dialysis machine. Plain clothes police squads were detailed to every Gotham City television station. In Commissioner Gordon's office Laura Graham, Dr. Vince and Jeffery Sullivan waited for their team leader Lance Morgan to give them their final instructions. After a short wait the young banker appeared dressed in his trademark black leather shirt and tight fitting black leather jeans. Laura Graham had the same reaction to Lance's attire as Batgirl did when she cooed,

"Ooh Lance, you look yummy!" Lance smiled broadly and exclaimed,

"Well it is good to see that our substitute Bat Beauty has the same fetish as the real one."

Lance quickly went over assignments and duties of each member. Alfred and Lance listened in at the Bat Cave over the audio link. Just as the Team Leader finished the phone watch picked up a call to the Joker's cell phone. The technician began recording the call and then enabled the direction finding equipment. Within moments the source of the call was traced to a hardware store in the dock area. The location of the Joker was determined to be a deserted mid town clothing store. The call went as follows:

"Hello Joker here!" "Joker this is Scarecrow. I have finished my work but we have a problem." The not so jolly jester was irritated.

"What is the problem? Scarecrow fearfully replied, "I managed to break her but I had to use so much juice she is now like a total zombie" Still irritated but now excited that the Caped Cunt had finally been beaten Joker inquired,

"Can she walk, talk and do as she is told?" The crazed chemist replied,

"Yeah, but she has this totally blank look on her face" Joker joyfully exclaimed

"It doesn't matter. All she has to do is remove her mask. I want her brought to the studios of WGTM in two hours. Tonight Batgirl is going to finally reveal herself. Any questions Scarecrow?" The demented druggist remarked,

"No! I will see you at WGTM in two hours." The conversation then ended.

The first question the team had to decide was whether to go after the Joker or rescue the Bat Beauty. Given her condition described by the vile Scarecrow and the fact that there must be absolutely no chance of Batgirl being unmasked the liberation of the Caped Crusadress had top priority.

Within ten minutes of receiving the call the team was on its way to Werner's Hardware store. Laura Graham on the Batgirlcycle was in the lead followed by an unmarked squad car containing Lance, Jeffery and Dr. Vince. At the same time while Edmond Curse began to calibrate the dialysis machine Alfred Pennyworth started for Gotham City in a fully equipped ambulance.

After successfully defeating Batgirl the demented druggist Scarecrow felt it was necessary to add some security to his dockside liar. He had sent the Joker's main underling Shecky Smith to recruit three or four men from the available local talent. In relatively short order Shecky had returned with four tough looking bruisers who would assume the watch until it was time to leave for the television studio. While Shecky explained their duties the Scarecrow prepared the Bat Beauty for her final appearance on television.

The demonic druggist had removed the restraints on the dazzling Bat Boots and gleaming Bat Gloves. He had also given Batgirl another shot of his antidote hoping it would lessen the effects of the hallucinogenic drugs he had used to break her. There has been some progress in that masked maid is awake but the blank stare into space is still present. Scarecrow hopes that there will be some improvement by the time they leave for the studio. For now the booted beauty lies quietly on the gurney.

Under the cover of darkness and a thick fog Lance and his team arrived at the back door of Werners Hardware. The Gotham City police have already thrown a two block cordon around the building to prevent the escape of any occupants. Just before the squad departed from Police Headquarters a floor plan of the structure was obtained from building department.

It was generally agreed that look outs and other security personnel would probably be on the first floor show room in order to raise the alarm. The team expected that Batgirl was probably being held in the large basement storeroom. The door into the storeroom was a thick wooden door.

Lance Morgan believed that the only chance for success was a surprise tactical assault on Scarecrows liar. He felt that any attempt to reconnoiter the store would only alert the gang to their presence. The banker planned to pick the lock on the back door in order to gain entrance. Once inside the team would split up. Lance and Laura would deal with any guards on the first floor while Jeffery and Dr. Vince moved to the down stairs storeroom. The man- child would force the basement door and take out any guards present. When the opposition was eliminated Dr. Vince would begin immediate treatment on the dazzling Dare Doll.

It was approximately five minutes to seven when Lance Morgan slipped his lock pick into the lock on the back door of Werner's Hardware. With ease of a professional thief the lock clicked open and the three men and one woman silently entered the store. The physician and Jeffery moved quickly to the stairs leading to the basement. The operation would begin when the man –child attacked the storeroom door.

As Lance and the substitute Bat Beauty slowly moved toward the front of the store they observed two men on watch and two men playing cards. Downstairs in the treatment room Shecky and the Scarecrow planned the route they would to take to WGTM. On the other side of the door Jeffery and Dr. Vince could easily hear their conversation.

The action began when Jeffery backed up twenty feet and then hurled his two hundred fifty pound body at the center of the door. The barrier cracked, split and then was torn from its hinges. Shecky and the Scarecrow were stunned as the door flew towards them. As the two men jumped from the path of the portal they watched it crash into the opposite wall. It was then that they noticed a large figure enter the room. Shecky coward that he was immediately ran for entrance and a chance at freedom. Unfortunately a huge hand grabbed him by the collar and lifted the thief from the floor. Then a flick of the wrist as Shecky crashed into the wall and fell to the floor unconscious.

The Scarecrow saw that escape was now impossible attempted to bargain his way from the trap he was now in. The straw man pulled a syringe from his pocket and started toward the now semi –conscious form of Batgirl. But man child who was extremely agile for his simply size tackled the criminal chemist before he was even close to the booted beauty. Jeffery then easily managed to subdue the demented drug man.

On the upper floor the posted guards ran toward the stairs when the loud crash of the broken door was heard. The first one found his forward progress was suddenly impeded when out of nowhere a dazzling purple Bat Boot slammed into his stomach. The pug fell to the floor in agony.

The other sentinel observed his companion's fate and became determined to take out the shimmering seductress standing with her back toward him. The thug launched himself at the seemingly defenseless damsel. At last possible second Batgirl dropped to the floor as the hapless hoodlum sailed right over her and landed hard on the floor. Now embarrassed by his total failure to eliminate the caped cutie the ruffian tried to get to his feet. He needn't have bothered as a gleaming Bat Boot at the end of a show girl kick smashed into his jaw and rendered him unconscious. The Caped Crusadress then applied Bat Cuffs to the two miscreants. The two men playing cards finally roused themselves from their game and went to investigate all of the commotion they just heard. As they moved into the main store isle Lance Morgan suddenly steeped into view holding a 9 millimeter Berretta automatic. The banker motioned the two thugs to assume the position against a display case. He patted them down, removed their 38 revolvers and via radio called the Gotham Police into the store.

In less than sixty seconds the rescue team had entered the building, neutralized all opposition and had six vicious criminals ready for the lock up. With the crooks defeated and ready for the police the team began a desperate search of the building for the Bat Beauty. Fortune smiled on them when Jeffery quickly discovered Batgirl on a gurney in a dark corner of the storeroom. The man-child called for Dr. Vince and began to push the stretcher towards the basement door.

In seconds the physician was at the side of the Dare Doll and began to examine her. An initial check of Batgirl's vital signs was not good as the heroine appeared to be in a semi-conscious condition. Dr. Vince looked directly at Scarecrow and barked,

"What did you give her and how much?" The straw man knew he was headed directly back Arkham decided not to cooperate. With an arrogant air he replied, "You are so smart you figure it out!" The physician exploded as he stepped toward the demented drug man with his right fist cocked, "Why you!" The confrontation ended as Lance stepped between the two men and exclaimed,

"Vince, let me handle this." The banker took the straw man by the arm to the opposite side of the room and declared,

"Listen stupid! If I were you I would tell the good doctor everything he wants to know. If you do not; I will personally douse you with kerosene, take you outside and set you on fire!" The Scarecrow's mouth dropped in disbelief and he stammered,

"You can't do that you are the law!" Lance smirked as he replied,

"We are a vigilante unit with no legal standing. We can be charged with committing a crime but I sincerely doubt we would be convicted. So what is it going to be?"

The criminal chemist having seen the team in action and public support the team had gathered in the past few days decided cooperation was the best course of action. Scarecrow returned to Dr. Vince and began to volunteer the required information

Gotham City's finest now filled the store and removed all of the criminal gang. While Dr. Vince still examined his patient the rest of the team gathered around the gurney to provide moral support. It should have been a joyous time but it wasn't. True they had accomplished their mission and had rescued the booted beauty but as the heroine now fought for her life there was little to celebrate.

With his examination complete and his interrogation of Scarecrow over Dr. Vince called Lance aside for a quiet consultation. The young banker informed the doctor that Alfred was ten minutes out with the ambulance. As the two men talked Jeffery and Laura stood watch over Batgirl.

As Laura gazed on the bold beauty now lying helpless on the stretcher she had never felt so totally powerless. If given the choice she would gladly trade her place with her idol now crippled by hallucinogenic drugs. Laura suddenly realized Batgirl's eyes were open and were staring at her. The Bat Beauty eye's appeared to call to her so Laura bent down next to the gurney. The masked maid lifted her right arm, pointed it at her back and whispered "Kevlar!" before she slipped back into unconsciousness. Ten minutes later with lights flashing Alfred Pennyworth arrived in the rented ambulance. Batgirl was quickly transferred from the gurney to a rolling stretcher by Dr. Vince and Jeffery. The stretcher with its precious cargo was immediately pushed to the medical transport and loaded onboard the vehicle.

There now came a significant delay while Alfred and Dr. Vince rather heatedly discussed Batgirl's future treatment. Dr. Vince with an impassioned look exclaimed,

"Alfred Batgirl is in a near catatonic state! We must get her immediately to the nearest hospital!" With a pained look of anguish Alfred replied,

"I am sorry Dr. Vince that is out of the question. We must leave as quickly as possible for the Bat Cave." The young physician however was not put off so easily.

"She might die on the way there! Gotham General is ten minutes away. Why is the Bat Cave so important?" The butler calmly remarked,

"Doctor believe me I too share your deep concern for Miss Batgirl. However if we go to Gotham General we can not guarantee that Miss Batgirl's identity can be maintained. I know that by going to the Bat Cave we are taking a great risk but there is no danger her identity will be compromised. Knowing Miss Batgirl as well as I do, I am sure she would prefer the Bat Cave." Dr. Vince sheepishly declared,

"All right Alfred I defer to your judgment. You have been treating superheroes longer than I have. Sorry I opposed you." The man-servant quietly remarked,

"Do not reproach yourself doctor! In similar circumstances I would have made the exact same argument. Shall we be off?" Dr. Vince replied,

"The sooner the better!" Alfred then declared,

"Dr. Vince I think it would be quite beneficial if you and Master Jeffery were to massage Miss Batgirl's extremities during our journey." The physician remarked,

"An excellent idea Alfred! Anything we can do to improve her circulation has to help!"

The medical mission began as Alfred drove the ambulance with lights flashing toward the Bat Cave. The physician and Jeffery Sullivan rode in the back of the windowless vehicle. As they rode Dr. Vince slowly massaged the arms of the Bat Beauty while Jeffery manipulated her legs. Everything possible was done to assist her circulation and limit the effects of the hideous drugs that now ravaged her body.

As the young physician moved his hands up and down the gleaming Bat Gloves he found himself totally captivated by his patient. The absolutely flawless face surrounded by fiery red tresses and the perfectly proportioned body covered by the shimmering purple suit made her nothing less than a goddess. Dr. Vince fondly remembered the last time he had treated the Bat Beauty.

On duty with the Gotham Harbor Patrol he had responded to Batgirl's distress call and managed to safely pluck her from the ocean. After he examined and then treated his patient the bold beauty showed her gratitude with several very passionate kisses with her physician. Dr. Vince still recalled her warmth and wonderful scent when he first wrapped his arms around her gorgeous body. Yes he admitted he did adore and worship her but then again no man alive could resist Batgirl's feminine charms.

The young doctor was still lost in his thoughts as the ambulance slowly rolled to stop in the Bat Cave. Suddenly the rear doors swung open and Jeffery and Dr. Vince quickly exited the vehicle while they pulled out the stretcher that contained Batgirl. The pretty patient was quickly rolled into the medical portion of the Bat Cave

While Dr. Vince connected the monitors for her vital signs Alfred prepared an IV solution designed to counteract the hideous hallucinogenic drugs. Edmond Curse began the process to connect the Bat Beauty to the dialysis machine. The basic idea was to assist the Batgirl's kidneys. They planned to remove fiendish chemicals as rapidly as possible from her blood stream by using the dialysis equipment. All four of the men attending the Caped Crusadress hoped that they had gotten to her in time and that they were not too late.

As the ambulance departed from the dock area Lance Morgan and Laura Graham mounted the Batgirlcycle and headed for WGTM. Their basic plan called for Laura to imitate the drug crippled heroine Batgirl while Lance would portray a member of Scarecrow's criminal gang. The purple motorcycle flashed down the streets with the Bat Beauty at the controls and the arms of her leather clad leader wrapped around her waist.

Earlier at the television station the Joker and his four underlings had seized control of the station. The Joker and his gang were truly surprised by the lack of resistance when they arrived. The thoroughly cowed staff of the facility meekly complied with all demands made of them. The Joker was sure tonight's broadcast of Batgirl's unmasking would go off without a hitch.

When Lance and Laura were within a block of WGTM they looked for a place to conceal the Batgirlcycle. Not wishing to alert Joker and his gang they soon found a small back ally where they parked and covered the fabulous machine. The banker then removed the masked maids utility belt and handcuffed her wrists behind her back. This gave the appearance that Batgirl was his prisoner.

Before they started for the studio the Caped Crusadress and her leather clad leader reviewed their plan of action one final time. Lance was stunned by Laura's enthusiasm for the highly dangerous scheme he had devised. He felt he owed to the red haired beauty to try and dissuade her from participating in a very risky gambit. Lance exclaimed,

"Laura you don't have to do this! I can call in the police, surround the station and then take them in. Nobody will get hurt." With a serious look the dazzling Dare Doll replied,

"No, we have to do it your way. We have to break him once and for all!" Amazed by the police woman's cool courage Lance exclaimed,

"All right! Now remember say nothing, do as they say and hold a blank stare for as long as you can."

Leather clad Lance Morgan and his pretty prisoner Batgirl walked slowly into the lobby of WGTM where they took the elevator to the main studio on the fourth floor. It was ten minutes to nine when they entered the room and ran straight into a rough looking pug, who declared,

"Hey, who are you and where is the Scarecrow?" Lance called up his best imitation of a hardened criminal and replied,

"I am Joey Reynolds what's it too you? Scarecrow hired me yesterday. He is running late and did not want to piss off the Joker so he sent me here with the Bat Bitch." The ugly tough bought the explanation and called for the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime now noticed that the star of tonight's performance had arrived and quickly rolled his chair over to greet his leading lady. In a fawning voice he declared,

"Good evening my dear! My you look lovely but then again you always do." Batgirl said nothing and with a blank glance continued to stare straight ahead. The Joker troubled by her lack of recognition directed a question at Lance. "Is she all right?" The supposed criminal in black leather replied,

"Batgirl is fine. She will do whatever you tell her. It's just that she has that dumb look on her face all the time." The Joker looking very disappointed replied,

"I have a statement I wanted her to read during the broadcast. I guess I will have to read it for her." The vile villain then noticed that Batgirl's hands were handcuffed behind her back. Looking at Lance he declared,

"Take the cuffs off! I don't want anyone to get the idea that she is our prisoner." Lance removed the restraints and was ordered to guard the entrance and from now on let no one into the studio. With two minutes left until the broadcast began the Joker made his final placements. He would sit behind a desk with two thugs behind him while Batgirl with the other two henchmen standing on either side of her was just out of camera range.

At precisely nine pm the pasty white face of the jolly jester sitting at a desk filled the studio monitors. The Joker took this as his cue and began his introduction. With a voice filled with nothing but contempt he exclaimed,

"Good evening sheep of Gotham City this is your good friend the jolly Joker coming to you from station WGTM. For the last five days there has been a really terrible misunderstanding between myself and you good citizens of Gotham City. I would now like to clear up this silly quarrel between us. Initially I forced your lovely heroine Batgirl to become my captive in exchange for the release of ten preschool children. In response you have formed search teams and attempted to hunt me down. My reason for taking Batgirl prisoner was to get revenge. You all are aware that one year ago Batgirl was responsible for the injury that turned me into a complete cripple. I now see that what I have done was wrong and at the conclusion of this broadcast I will make amends by granting Batgirl her freedom." The villain then paused for a moment The studio camera now switched from the Joker to the Bat Beauty standing with her two escorts before it switched back again to hideous jester with green hair. The Joker then continued with his diatribe.

"Earlier this evening Batgirl and I had a serious discussion on her career as crime fighter here in Gotham City. She informed me that she has grown tired of the duties and wishes to retire in favor of more normal feminine pursuits such as a husband and family. But the Caped Crusadress wished to express her thanks for all of the support she has received from the citizens of our fair city. I have suggested and Batgirl has agreed to perform a small act of appreciation. I am sure you as well as I have always wondered about the lovely face behind the gleaming satin Bat Cowl. That's right ladies and gentlemen as the final act of her crime fighting career Batgirl has agreed to voluntarily unmask. In one minute the Bat Beauty will remove her mask so all may learn her true identity."

The studio camera now switched to the dazzling dare doll and her image appeared on the studio monitors as well as the two henchmen standing next to her. Now off camera the vile villain issued the following command,

"Batgirl, please remove your cowl!" Instantly the blank look on the face of the booted beauty was gone and was replaced by a wide smile. The masked maid then reached under the thick mane of red hair to unbutton the strap which held the cowl in place. At the same time Batgirl raised her right Bat Boot and drove the heel of her boot down into the right foot of the thug standing to her right. The hoodlum screamed in agony and dropped to the floor.

Taking the sudden smile on Batgirl's face as his cue Lance Morgan took a running leap and launched himself at the two henchmen standing behind the Joker. In an instant the leather clad team leader crashed into the thugs and knocked them to the floor. The studio now burst into pandemonium as Lance and Batgirl battled the Joker's four pugs.

Instantly after the Bat Beauty disabled the first hood with her Bat Boot she fired solid punch into the solar plexus of the other thug doubling him over. She followed up with a barrage of hard shots to his face and stomach leaving dazed and stunned. Batgirl was about to finish him off with a showgirl kick to the face when the first tough grabbed her around the waist. The bold beauty quickly freed herself as she slammed an elbow into hoodlums large gut. As he sank to the floor in pain he released the caped cutie who promptly executed a round house kick and slammed a dazzling purple Bat Boot into his face that rendered him unconscious.

At the same time Lance Morgan covered in black leather delivered a horrific beating on the other two toughs. He used a combination of martial arts and good old fashioned street fighting tactics to totally pummel the henchman with a variety of punches and kicks. Not being in the best of condition the two villains were quickly overcome by the banker.

The jolly jester now aware that he had been tricked watched in helpless rage as his gang of thugs went slowly down to defeat. He watched as Batgirl with her back to him delivered the final coup de grace to the second thug with her famous show girl kick. It galled him that once again the harlot in the shimmering purple Bat Suit would escape his justice.

An idea for revenge on the hated Caped Cunt suddenly occurred to him. It was obvious that Batgirl would not be unmasked but he still had a chance to cripple her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small 22 caliber pocket pistol and aimed it at the center of the gleaming purple and gold Bat Cape. At a point blank range of five feet the Joker fired.

Batgirl felt as if she had just been struck by a two by four in her lower back as she was driven to the floor. Amazingly however the booted beauty slowly began to rise to her knees. The vile villain was now in a complete panic as it appeared the shot had little effect on the hated heroine. The Clown Prince of Crime dropped the pistol as he made a mad dash for the door in his wheel chair.

Lance had witnessed the cowardly act just as he finished disabling his two toughs. He ran immediately to Batgirl's aid but was amazed when the Bat Beauty began to rise from off of the floor. The banker grabbed her right arm and helped her to feet as he exclaimed,

"Laura are you all right?" The Caped Crusadress somewhat shaken softly whispered,

"I am fine. But the Joker is getting away you have to stop him!" Lance replied

"Don't worry he won't escape!"

As the Joker sped from the studio he noticed the elevator had stopped on the floor and that the door was open. The Clown of Crime dashed into the elevator and quickly closed the door. The vile villain in haste to escape the station however made a critical error. As his fingers went to punch the button for the first floor they inadvertently enabled the one for the second floor. When the door of the elevator opened the Joker rolled out of the car only to find himself on the wrong floor. Before he could renter the car to escape power was cut to elevator and the not so jolly jester found himself trapped.

The only way was out thru a single door which the criminal forced open. As the door slammed shut behind him the Joker found himself on a small balcony overlooking Gotham Square where a massive crowd of Gothamites had now assembled. A bolt of fear ran through the villain as peered at the thousands of faces that surrounded WGTM and now prevented his escape. Now in a total panic Joker heard a voice proclaim,

"Impressive isn't it. Do you know why they are here? Well I will tell you. They have come for you Joker. The sheep have come for you and they want blood!"

The Joker turned and was startled to find the man dressed in leather standing behind him and exclaimed, "You're Lance aren't you? Why are you doing this to me?" The banker smiled and replied,

"You took something from us. You made Batgirl publicly surrender to you, tried to end her career as a crime fighter by having her unmask and then tried to cripple her. That's reason enough!" The Joker now became enraged and shouted,

"She crippled me and it is only fair that she pay!" It was now time for the man in leather to become angry. Lance grabbed the Joker by the throat as he shouted,

"She didn't cripple you, you did it to yourself! If you weren't such a lousy shot she would be in that chair not you." The Joker screamed back,

"But she wouldn't let me die! I begged and pleaded with her to let me die. But no, she had to have her revenge because of what I did to Gordon!" Lance quietly remarked,

"You want to die? All right I will let you die." The team leader reached into the pocket of his leather jeans and pulled out the pistol the Joker had dropped in the studio. As he placed the gun it in the villains hand he continued,

"It has one bullet in it. Just cock it, put it in your mouth and pull the trigger. All of your troubles will be over!" The Clown Prince of Crime looked at the piece and let it fall from his hand. Lance Morgan sadly exclaimed,

"Joker you are such a coward! Five minutes ago you shot Batgirl in the back and now when I give the chance to do all of us a favor and end your miserable life you don't have the guts to do it. You are pathetic!" Now almost shaking Joker inquires,

"What are you going to do to me?" After a thoughtful pause Lance replied

"I have two choices. The obvious choice is that I throw you down to the crowd below and let them rip you apart. The other choice is that you swear to end your revenge against Batgirl and return to Arkham. I will however hold you personally for Batgirl's future health. If you get cute and try to hire someone to do your dirty work I will put a ten million dollar contract on your head. Also if any thing strange or bizarre happens to the Bat Beauty I will come looking for you." The man in black leather then yanked the vile villain from his wheelchair and whispered,

"So little man what is it going to be?" With the tone of totally beaten man Joker declared,

"All right you win. I will leave Batgirl alone I swear!" Lance thrust the criminal clown back into the chair and began to push it to the door leading off the balcony. As he does so he detected the sobs of the former Clown Prince of Crime.

After turning the Joker over to Gotham's finest the leader of the team was joined by the substitute Bat Beauty, who breathlessly exclaimed,

"I just got word that Alfred wants to meet us at the safe house." Lance inquired,

"How is Batgirl?" Laura replied, "I don' know he didn't say!" The beauty with long red tresses then softly inquired, "Did you do it?" Lance reluctantly replied,

"Yes, I broke him! He won't ever bother Batgirl again."

Meanwhile back in the Bat Cave a very sleepy and very tired Caped Crusadress opened her eyes to strange sight. She found herself in large well lit room on a hospital bed with fresh white sheets. This was quite different from all the places she had been the past few days.

Batgirl tried to recall her most recent memory but could only recall being tied to the gurney and waiting for the Scarecrow to appear. As the fog in her head began to clear the bold beauty suddenly became aware of someone standing behind her. As she turned her head a six foot five inch fame came into view with the satisfied smile of Alfred the butler who loudly exclaimed,

"Miss Barbara welcome back. I was afraid we had lost you!" A bit confused she replied,

"Alfred, where am I?" In a soothing voice the man servant declared,

"You are in the Bat Cave Miss Barbara all safe and sound. For the last three hours you have been on a dialysis machine which hopefully has removed all of the filthy drugs that Scarecrow injected into you." The dazzling Dare Doll remarked,

"No wonder I feel like a truck ran over me!" Alfred put his finger to his lips and whispered

"I want you to rest now Miss Barbara. I will explain everything later. Right now I must go back to the city. Not satisfied the masked maid inquired,

"What about the Joker?" Alfred smiled broadly and proudly exclaimed,

"I am happy to report that the blackheart has just been apprehended by Master Lance and Miss Laura and is on his way back to Arkham Asylum. Now Miss Barbara do rest!"

As Laura Graham smoothly maneuvered the Batgirlcycle with Lance Morgan on the back into the safe house they found Alfred with a limousine parked outside. As they entered the limo the Englishman handed each of the crime fighters a blindfold and explained,

"As we are now going to the Bat Cave I must ask you Miss Laura and Master Lance to put on these blindfolds and not remove them until we reach our destination. This insures the location of the Bat Cave remains a secret." Laura remarked,

"Certainly Alfred we understand." Alfred then exclaimed,

"Miss Laura and Master Lance let be the first one to congratulate on the magnificent operation you have just concluded. It was positively brilliant!" Lance replied,

"Thank you Alfred but there were four other people involved in the effort who also deserve a lot of credit as well." Alfred then inquired,

"Did everything go as planned Master Lance?" The team leader declared,

"Pretty much Alfred! My only question was how Laura stopped a 22 caliber bullet fired at point blank range?" The Caped Crusadress blushed and remarked,

"Well back at the hardware store while you were taking to Doctor Vince Batgirl woke up, whispered Kevlar and pointed to her back. I pulled her cape aside and found she had sewn a thick layer of Kevlar in her Bat Suit to protect her spine. She obviously was aware of the Joker's hideous plan to permanently cripple her. In order to protect myself in the upcoming fight I had Jeffery stand guard while I exchanged Bat Suit's with her. Speaking of Batgirl how is she doing Alfred?" The butler smiled and exclaimed,

"Superb foresight Miss Laura, really superb! But to answer your question Miss Batgirl is doing quite well. I spoke with her before I came to pick you up. I owe the greatest debt however to Doctor Vince. His plan to treat an overdose hallucinogenic drugs by using a dialysis machine was brilliant and undoubtedly saved Batgirl's life."

The conversation trailed off for over a quarter of an hour before Lance put his arm around Laura and inquired,

"You are rather quiet Laura. Are you sorry it is over?" The beauty with the long fiery red tresses sighed and then remarked,

"In a way yes but in a way no! I am sorry that I will probably never again be able to ride the Batgirlcycle which is just an awesome machine. I will regret not being able to wear the Batgirl costume When you put it on you feel so powerful and connected that you can do anything. But on the other hand I really miss my boy friend Derek that I haven't seen in four days. I now know what really high price Batgirl pays to protect us. She obviously has no husband or children to come home too. Always being on crime patrol there is no way that she has a social life. The more I think about all the sacrifices she has made for the city the more in awe of her I become." Then is if on cue two male voices replied,

"Amen!"

HOLY HAPPY ENDING

The Bat Beauty has been rescued while the Joker and Harly are headed back to Arkham. But what shall become of the Batgirl Rescue Team ?