A Portent of Deceit, Villainy and Vice

Batgirl lay on her back with her hands and feet tightly shackled. Her outstretched limbs were restrained with solid chains. The lush, red hair spilling from behind her purple cowl with its faux pointed ears was tousled and damp due to her so-far vain struggles.

Ordinarily, a golden belt with a bat pictured on the buckle encircled her waist, but it had been removed before her body had been splayed over the glass dome beneath which a sapphire so large it took two hands to move was displayed. Also missing was the gold and purple cape typically draping her shoulders and hanging against her back.

Unless she did something quickly, the fine mesh of wire being slowly drawn down against her body would begin to cut into her flesh, carving her to pieces as easily as a knife would slice through butter. The mesh, however, would not kill her. It would put sufficient stress on the glass dome beneath her to shatter it. Batgirl was carefully positioned so the collapsing dome would drop her lacerated body onto the sapphire with sufficient force to enable the jewel to impale her back; sever her spine; and penetrate both the bones and vital organs behind it. Afterward, its uppermost point would emerge from her soon-to-be lifeless chest.

In short, Batgirl was about to be ‘sacrificed,’ or rather murdered, in order to somehow enable Spider-Priestess to emerge from the gem. A miniature, three-dimensional figure resembling the girl – formerly known as Octo – was clearly visible, standing in the heart of the gem. Vixen, who had orchestrated the torturous, deadly arrangements threatening Batgirl, swore she had seen the young woman’s impassive face smile.

In the Curved Crusader’s wide experience of deadly situations, her current position hardly represented the only time she had been restrained in shackles, chains, or both. While varied and numerous, none of her uncomfortable memories suggested a means by which Batgirl could escape her current, perilous predicament.

The inexorably tightening wires, being slowly drawn down against her body as the winches went tirelessly about their wicked work, had cut through her costume already. Now, they began to cut into her flesh. With every movement she made, no matter how slight, Batgirl’s plight only worsened. ‘Even the act of breathing brings me closer to death! How can I possibly escape without moving a muscle?’

While squirming beneath the fine mesh conforming slowly to the shape of her body might prove suddenly fatal, survival demanded Batgirl meet the challenge. The chains and shackles restraining her limbs afforded precious little room to maneuver. Even the limited space available to her was rapidly diminishing!

Shifting again, she knew she had to determine a means to attack the weakest element of the trap. First, however, it would be essential to determine what that element was!

Deprived of her utility belt, Batgirl had no access to any of the miraculous wonders normally encircling her waist, with which she might have attacked the deathtrap. Restrained as she was, none of the backup tools she carried in her boots and gloves were of any use either. She could only fight with her mind as her body remained restrained and was more closely enveloped by the fine, wire mesh with each passing second.

This mesh was far from the weakest element of the trap. Even if Batgirl could somehow cut through it, she would be hard pressed to damage enough of it to slip free. Even if she could win her freedom from the mesh, the shackles surrounding her wrists and ankles really restrained her. These manacles, while tantalizingly close to the backup tools concealed in her boots and gloves, would remain forever out of reach due to the inexorably tightening mesh. The winches into which the malevolent mesh had been wound, were both too numerous and too far out of reach to be effectively attacked. The gem was the weapon intended to kill Batgirl. She could not imagine arranging an attack that could possibly keep it from doing its work on her without her equipment. The glass dome was the only remaining element of the trap, and with luck Batgirl felt she could destroy it. ‘The problem is, shattering the dome is supposed to trigger my death almost instantly! Will it be possible to smash the dome, yet live?’

The chains keeping her limbs outstretched would dramatically complicate any escape plan she might devise. Gaining slack in at least one chain would be essential. ‘At least the chains aren’t retracting and pulling my arms and legs from my torso,’ Batgirl thought.

Ignoring the pain as the mesh bit mercilessly deeper into her flesh, she stretched and looped the chains extending from her arms around her wrists as much as she could while lifting her legs mere inches and inhaling. The chains grew taut.

‘One chance!’ Batgirl thought. She drew her body upward with all her might and felt the blood-slick wires tear at the tightening muscles in which they inexorably grew more deeply embedded. Shunting her discomfort aside, she filled her lungs, let out a karate yell, and slammed both her heels and elbows into the dome as hard as she could. Simultaneously, all the slack in her chains let out.

The glass dome beneath her cracked seconds before an intricate pattern spread from the four points of impact. This mosaic of destruction lasted less than a minute before the slowly fragmenting dome collapsed. Batgirl wrenched her body backward, lifted her head, and turned her shoulders as she fell.

The chains extending from her ankles were drawn taut once again. Mercifully, the sapphire containing Spider-Priestess passed between her spread thighs. This fact almost made the pain she felt as her lacerated body dropped away from the murderous mesh and landed on the remains of the shattered dome bearable.

Batgirl closed her eyes as the pain she was enduring ebbed. A gasp initiated the transition between her suffering and her renewed efforts toward escape. Batgirl’s chest continued heaving as she took advantage of the newly-gained slack in her chains. Soon, she had withdrawn a lock pick from one of her gloves’ flanges and was attacking her shackles. Escape, however, was not Batgirl’s only concern.

Lieutenant Diana Mooney was leading a squad of police to Batgirl’s rescue while Vixen and her cunning, capable cohorts were preparing a surprise counterattack. Unless Batgirl intervened, the villains’ actions might prove fatal to the rescue party!

As Batgirl struggled toward freedom, a solid knock sounded on the mansion’s main door. When no answer came, the doors shuddered under a pounding delivered by stout shoulders before bursting inward to admit Lieutenant Diana Mooney and four uniformed policemen. The squad secured the foyer with professional efficiency.

“We may be late for Batgirl’s meeting,” the Lieutenant said. “Fan out; find out what happened here; and, most importantly, be careful!” Each policeman nodded and began to search the mansion with his gun at the ready.

The equally-prepared Lieutenant began her own search.

Meanwhile, Archie Arcane, Charlotte, Silk, Vixen, and Undine watched the Police begin their search on the many monitors arranged in the well-appointed office Vixen used as the nerve center of her mansion headquarters.

“It seems Batgirl did find our bait before the Lieutenant’s crushing finish,” Undine said, shrugging.

“It doesn’t matter,” Vixen declared, favoring her companions with a wicked smile. “We have Batgirl, and she’ll soon be dead. So, the Lieutenant has served her purpose. Besides, our new guests don’t realize they’ll all be served as a meal for this mansion’s guardians long before sunrise.”

“Vixen, you mentioned 'the guardians of this mansion' before,” Undine said. “Who or what exactly are these ‘guardians?’”

“Believe me, Undine,” Vixen replied, throwing back her head and laughing with genuine pleasure. “You really don’t want to know.”

Undine studied the knowing smiles on her other companions’ faces before deciding Vixen was probably right. “Oh,” the former beach bunny said, shrugging.

“All right, boy and girls,” Vixen said. “Go. Get the male cops, but leave the Lieutenant to me!”

Instantly, her minions dispersed to do the call girl’s deadly bidding.

Diana Mooney had been moving softly through the mansion for several minutes before a startled cry made her momentarily freeze. The sound was not repeated.

She moved more rapidly in the direction of the disturbance when a more distinct cry was followed by a series of thumps . . . and then silence.

‘Vixen is picking off my men one by one!’ the Lieutenant thought. She turned her back toward a wall and continued searching.

Once the policewoman had covered a quarter of the main floor without finding anything, she reached for her radio. “Check in,” she commanded.

“The north quadrant is—”

A sickening smack and a thud cut off the response before a female voice cut in. “Over and out, Lieutenant.”

“Undine!”

Lieutenant Mooney listened to her radio a moment longer, but there was only silence. ‘I’m tired of sneaking around like a timid mouse,’ she silently decided, putting the device away. ‘It’s time to change tactics.’

“Vixen, it’s almost over!” the policewoman called out.

“You’re right, Lieutenant Mooney. Batgirl doesn’t have much time left. Come and get me, if you can,” the call girl’s voice replied over the mansion’s intercom before a short laugh heralded more silence.

The policewoman moved rapidly and angrily as she explored the mansion, pausing and listening at each door before entering and moving on. Eventually, she stepped into a comfortable room with a large, central fireplace where she remained rigid for a long moment, staring with wide eyes.

The four policemen she had brought to the mansion were bound and gagged in chairs arranged in a semicircle facing the cobweb-filled fireplace! The men were also no longer armed!

“Show yourself, Vixen!” Lieutenant Mooney called, noting the wide eyes with which the men who could see her stared. “I’m sure you have these men covered.”

“You’re pretty smart,” the call girl said, stepping from behind a curtain. “Unless you want to see your squad executed before your eyes, drop the gun and kick it to me.”

Lieutenant Mooney snorted in derision as she aimed her service semiautomatic at the call girl. “Maybe I should just shoot you now!”

Just then, Diana heard the click of a gun’s hammer being pulled back close behind her.

“I don’t think that’s a very good idea,” said Archie Arcane.

Lieutenant Mooney was certain of the villains’ seriousness. She dropped her weapon and kicked it over, all the while keeping her eyes locked on Vixen’s.

“Good girl,” the call girl said, stooping and picking up the M9 pistol. “Now, assume the position.”

Mooney stepped forward and leaned against the central fixture with her hands spread out above her head while Vixen straightened. “Handcuff her, Archie,” Vixen said.

Black Widow’s nephew put his own gun in his belt, then drew the Lieutenant’s arms behind her back, securing them with police-issued handcuffs.

“Now what?” the policewoman asked.

Vixen laughed. “Now, I spare you a hideous death – temporarily,” she said, stepping to the central enclosure and turning the Lieutenant's pistol over to Archie Arcane. The call girl then opened the fireplace and cleared away the cobwebs on a charred stick. “The guardians of this mansion are coming now and will attend to these men presently. While they do, you will have the privilege of witnessing Batgirl’s ultimate fate – and its consequences. Bring her.” Vixen turned and led her minions from the room.

“We’d better hurry,” Charlotte said, as she and Silk emerged from their hiding places and put away their captured guns.

“The sacrifice is nearly complete,” the pale-haired woman enthusiastically agreed.

“Come on!” Undine urged, surrendering the gun she had captured since her outfit afforded no pocket in which to put it. “We don’t want to miss it!”

“Move!” Archie Arcane said, shoving the Lieutenant forward. Vixen led them all to the main staircase and touched the hidden control to raise the stairs, revealing the passage underneath.

The call girl rushed toward the sapphire with the miniature, female figure still inside. The gem was surrounded by the shattered, glass dome draped by the bloody mesh; and the open, vacated shackles and chains. “Impossible!” the brunette exclaimed. “Batgirl can’t be gone! She should be dead!”

“Unpleasant surprise?” Lieutenant Mooney asked, raising an eyebrow and letting her lips curl into a thin smile. “Someone made a mess in here, but I see no sign of Batgirl.”

“She’s right,” Archie Arcane said. “I don’t even see Batgirl’s utility belt or cape.”

“Shut up!” the four female criminals said in unison.

Vixen whirled on Diana. “The show is over, Lieutenant, especially for you.” The cruel call girl then faced the others. “Regrettably, we need a stand-in for Batgirl.” Vixen next turned toward Archie Arcane. “Bring her forward. Spider-Priestess still requires blood.”

“Not so fast,” Silk said.

“What’s wrong?” Archie Arcane asked. “The Lieutenant will bleed just as well as Batgirl would have.”

“Vixen failed to execute the sacrifice. The Bluestone Spider Society has never tolerated failure,” Silk explained.

“I’m sure the Lieutenant will stand in nicely as the sacrifice,” Archie Arcane said. “Vixen has suffered a setback, but she’s already provided the solution.”

“You have a point,” Charlotte said.

Archie Arcane exhaled, relaxing. The girl’s next words, though, made his blood run cold.

“Vixen provides a different solution than you probably imagine.” The dark-haired henchwoman’s eyes glittered as she regarded the brunette. “Our leader has given us a splendid opportunity for a loyalty test for our newest applicant, and since Batgirl apparently still lives, it’s warranted.”

“Charlotte—”

“Shut up, Archie!” Silk said in a voice leaving no room for argument. “Vixen failed, and just before her . . . experience began . . . Spider-Priestess ordered Vixen’s execution!”

“Well, Vixen,” Lieutenant Mooney said, “It seems you’ll be filling in for Batgirl, if your ‘friends’ have their way.”

“It seems settled,” Undine said before anyone could respond to the captive’s catty remark. “What exactly do you want me to do?”

“Simple,” Charlotte said. “You will kill Vixen--now.”

“Is that all?” the bikini-clad blonde asked, her voice betraying no emotion whatsoever.

Silk drew a revolver and slid a single bullet into the chamber before extending it toward Undine.

“I prefer machine guns,” Undine said.

“We’ll let you play with the toys you like . . .” Silk began.

“. . . after you pass the test,” Charlotte finished.

“With only one bullet, I’m sure you’re more likely to shoot the correct victim,” Lieutenant Mooney pointed out.

Archie Arcane nodded. “So, what will we do with the Lieutenant?”

“Maybe I can join your merry little band,” Diana quickly proposed. “It seems you’ll soon have an opening.”

They all stood, dumbfounded. Silk was the first to find her voice. She looked at the policewoman skeptically and said, “I don’t think so.”

“Why don’t you take her to share the fate of her squad, Archie, if you don’t want to watch,” Undine suggested, weighing the gun Silk offered in her hand.

“Hey! You really have no idea what you’re proposing!” Archie Arcane protested. “You don’t understand--”

“Undine has a point,” Charlotte said. “I like her idea.”

“You two have wanted to kill Vixen all along!” Black Widow’s nephew accused.

“We were right, too,” Silk said. “Now, get the Lieutenant out of here.”

Archie Arcane retreated slowly, drawing the Lieutenant back, but did not leave the room. Charlotte and Silk glared at him.

The evil pair turned their attention to their acolyte. “We’re waiting, Undine,” Charlotte said after a moment.

“Get on with it,” Silk ordered.

Vixen had backed behind the sapphire.

“That’s far enough, Vixen,” Undine said, raising the gun and aiming.

“Kill her,” Charlotte said.

Undine squinted along the revolver’s sights. “Goodbye, old friend,” she said, squeezing the trigger.

Vixen’s eyes widened. “Undine—”

The gunshot echoed and the smell of cordite lingered as Vixen collapsed atop the sapphire while blood oozed from her bare, right shoulder.

The statuesque shooter lowered her weapon and glanced at her audience. ‘Better her than me,’ she thought. “Well?” Undine coldly said, striding forward.

“Wait!” Silk commanded.

“What for?” Undine demanded.

“Watch!” Charlotte added.

Everyone in the chamber remained transfixed as Vixen’s body slid silently to the floor, smearing a trail of blood against the opposite side of the sapphire. Silk and Charlotte became tense as the gem began pulsing with blue light that intensified steadily until Undine averted her eyes.

A sound like cracking glass echoed as the light grew more intense.

“What’s going on?” Undine asked a bit fearfully.

“Be quiet!” the other two villainous women commanded in unison.

Undine instinctively raised her arms to protect her face as the sapphire exploded, leaving the now life-sized figure of Spider-Priestess lying motionless in the center of the jewel’s fragments. The pieces formed a circle on the floor of the chamber.

Silk and Charlotte moved forward and lifted their leader.

“It worked,” Archie Arcane, who had not yet taken Lieutenant Mooney away, said reverently.

“Of course it worked,” Silk said.

“The prophecy said it would,” Charlotte added. “Didn’t it?”

“Well, it looks like Spider-Priestess will take some time to recover from her experience,” the man reasoned, ignoring the question. “I’m sure we can make her much more comfortable.”

“I’ll clean up the mess in here,” Undine offered. “This chamber now has historical significance.”

“Thank you, Undine,” Archie Arcane earnestly said. “We’ll call you after we discuss your performance with Spider-Priestess.”

“Of course,” Undine said. She turned the empty, smoking gun in her hand around and extended it toward Archie Arcane. “Will you want this?”

“Thanks,” he said, tucking it into his waistband.

“Let’s go!” Silk urged.

“Hurry!” Charlotte concurred.

Archie Arcane shoved Lieutenant Mooney along the secret passage and followed the women carrying Spider-Priestess.

Seconds later, the blonde gunwoman was crouched over Vixen, tearing at the victim’s top and wrapping it around her wounded shoulder, tying off the makeshift bandage tightly. “Hang on, Vixen,” she muttered. “We’ll be out of here in a few minutes. I’m going to take care of you.”

“So, should I leave the Lieutenant with her squad?” Archie Arcane asked as he followed Spider-Priestess' bearers.

“You may as well,” Charlotte said, grinning knowingly at Lieutenant Mooney. “Undine may not know it, but she really had a pretty good idea.”

“We have much more important priorities now, anyway,” Silk said. “Leaving the Lieutenant with her squad is certainly the simplest and most effective way to get rid of her.”

“All right,” Archie Arcane said, propelling his captive forward with another shove. “I only hope the . . . um . . . guardians of this mansion haven’t . . . started on the men yet. Where should I meet you?”

“We’ll stay at your place,” Silk decided.

“My place?” he asked, darting a look at the pale-haired woman. “Why?”

“I can’t think of a more comfortable or safer place for Spider-Priestess to recover from her experience,” Charlotte declared. “Can you?

“What about one of the guest rooms upstairs?” Archie Arcane asked. “This is a mansion, you know.”

“The cops know about this mansion,” Silk objected. “They’ll just send more men after the Lieutenant and her squad disappear.”

Archie Arcane thought for a moment. “I suppose you’re right,” he said. “I’ll see you later.”

Lieutenant Mooney stumbled forward and regained her balance as Archie Arcane followed her into the room with the central fireplace. Everything looked exactly as it had when the villains had left and Archie Arcane slowly exhaled a deep breath he had been holding.

“Let all of us go, Archie,” the Lieutenant said. “Killing us will only compound the problems you and your people are facing. Things will go better for you if you work with us.”

“I think the ladies would become very upset if I let you go, and you saw what they made Undine do to Vixen,” Archie Arcane replied, shrugging and spreading his hands. “I’m honestly sorry I have to leave you here. Your fate will be far from pleasant.” As he spoke, he threaded a short length of rope through the space between the Lieutenant’s handcuffs and her back. He tied a slip knot and tugged at it, drawing the policewoman to the fireplace, where he tied off the rope.

“You will not get away with this!” the Lieutenant firmly said.

“Well,” Archie Arcane said, shrugging again, “we’ll all be leaving here, one way or another. Goodbye to all of you.”

Archie Arcane turned away and walked into a purple fist that slammed into his jaw and knocked him to the floor. “Hello, Archie,” Batgirl said softly. “Where did the rest of your friends go?”

“I told you,” Lieutenant Mooney said snidely, “you wouldn’t get away with leaving me here.”

Archie Arcane’s glance flicked repeatedly among the smiling Lieutenant, Batgirl, and the open enclosure in the center of the room. “Batgirl, we’ve got to get out of here!” he urged, speaking quickly.

“I asked you a question,” Batgirl said.

“You don’t understand! The guardians of this mansion—”

“Will find only you here, unless you talk,” Batgirl said, freeing Lieutenant Mooney. “Cuff him.” After the policewomen had restrained Archie Arcane and hauled him to his feet, she and Batgirl began to work on freeing the policemen, who each began to massage feeling into their cramped limbs as their ropes fell away.

“There’s no time!” Archie Arcane exclaimed, standing transfixed and staring at the central fireplace. “They’re coming!!”

“I want Silk, Charlotte, Undine, and Vixen,” Batgirl declared mercilessly, staring unwaveringly at the terrified criminal as she ran the longest rope that had previously bound a police officer lovingly through her gloved hands.

“You’re too late, Batgirl,” Black Widow’s nephew softly said, letting his head droop. “They’re here.”

Batgirl glanced at the central fireplace and watched something move. “Diana,” she calmly said. “get your men out of here. Leave Archie to me.”

The policewoman started to object, then thought better of it. “Do you know what he’s so worried about?” Lieutenant Mooney asked.

“Spiders,” Batgirl said. “They’re really big, but I’ll handle them. Please go, Diana.”

“Can everyone walk?” Lieutenant Mooney asked. Each of her men indicated he could. “Then, let’s go!” They quickly followed the Lieutenant from the room.

“Come on, Batgirl,” Archie Arcane urged. “You don’t want to end up suffering the fate Vixen planned for them!”

“Do you mean the fate to which you would have condemned my friend?” Batgirl asked, slipping her rope around the chain between her captives’ handcuffs. “I wouldn’t worry about me, Archie. I’ll be leaving in just a moment.” She yanked Archie toward the central enclosure.

“You can’t feed me to them!”

“Oh? Why not?” Batgirl’s voice was utterly flat as she asked her question. The slip knot Batgirl had tied in the rope was snug against the handcuffs’ chain and Batgirl calmly knotted the other end of the rope, attaching it to the fireplace.

Archie Arcane tore his wide eyes away from the fireplace and stared at Batgirl, who remained utterly impassive.

“Please,” the criminal pleaded. He recognized Batgirl had arranged precisely the same fate for him he had arranged for Lieutenant Mooney and was beginning to believe she really would leave him behind to die.

“I want Vixen and the others, and you will give them to me!”

Archie Arcane could do nothing but stare as Batgirl waited. He could feel sweat streaming down his face. “You’re serious! You’ll leave me to those . . . those . . . monsters!”

“Look!” Batgirl commanded, extending her arm and pointing. They both stared as the first creature descending into the fireplace was slowly revealed. It had eight bent legs, making it about the size of a Frisbee. Legs extended from a cephalothorax the size of a softball. Eyes and fangs also extended from the creature’s body and the abdomen beyond the hindmost legs was even larger.

“Batgirl, please!”

“Hoist on your own murderous petard,” Batgirl said, resting her hands on her shapely hips. She remained completely impassive, backing slowly away from her prisoner until she continued, leaning forward and nearly shouting, “Talk!”

“Okay! I’ll talk. Take me away from here!”

“No,” Batgirl said. “Tell me where they went. Otherwise . . . .”

Archie Arcane glanced at the spider in the fireplace. “They’re on their way to my apartment!” the man said. “Now, can we go?”

“I’ll need the address,” Batgirl said.

“Fine,” Archie Arcane muttered, before providing the address. He knew innumerable other monsters were descending behind the first and would soon swarm from the chimney and fireplace.

“Thank you,” Batgirl said. “Now, before I reunite you with your intended victim, Lieutenant Mooney, I’m going to set off a little bug bomb I prepared. If you run away, I will hurt you! Oh, and if I discover you lied to me here, I’ll make you wish I’d left you to the spiders!”

Batgirl moved back to Archie Arcane and slashed through his restraint before shoving him to the floor behind her. Without sparing him a glance, she removed something from her utility belt as she continued approaching the fireplace. She closed the doors facing her and stepped around it to seal the fireplace after tossing in the item she had prepared.

“What is that thing?” Archie Arcane asked as Batgirl reached him.

“It’s a canister of compressed oxygen with a means to spark it that will function—”

The canister exploded into a ball of orange flame that consumed the visible spiders as it blasted the doors from the chamber. Dusty cobwebs caught fire and conveyed smoke and flames up the chimney.

“You did it!” Archie Arcane happily said, retreating from the heat Batgirl’s firebomb had generated.

“The guardians of this mansion are crispy critters now,” Batgirl happily declared. “They will neither reproduce nor menace anyone ever again. Now, I’m turning you over to my friend Lieutenant Mooney, whom you would have fed to those monsters.”

“Do you know what my lawyers will do to her if she even thinks about pulling a stunt on me like you just did?”

Batgirl smiled thinly. “I know if you don’t help the police, they might be compelled to let you go. Assuming I don’t catch them first, then ‘the girls’ would be free to express their extreme displeasure at their monstrous pets’ fate. If I were you, I wouldn’t want to be left to their tender mercy.”

“There are other spider nests,” Archie Arcane replied.

“I doubt Charlotte and Silk will accept the loss of these creatures so casually,” Batgirl said. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they hold you personally responsible.”

Archie Arcane stared at Batgirl with wide eyes. “You don’t know the half of it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Batgirl, if I give you some additional, valuable information, will you see I get police protection . . . and perhaps a better deal from District Attorney Harvey Dent?"

“I can’t promise anything. I do, however, have Diana’s ear, so if your information is worthwhile–”

“Oh, it is!” Black Widow’s nephew assured her, his head bobbing vigorously.

“Okay. What have you got?”

Archie Arcane looked around. Batgirl wasn’t sure if he was checking for surviving spiders or making sure no remnant of the Bluestone Spider Society was eavesdropping.

“First of all, Undine shot and killed Vixen.”

“What!" Batgirl was shocked on three levels. First, that Vixen might be dead. Second, she never figured Undine for a cold-blooded killer. Third, she thought Undine and Vixen were friends. ‘I know there’s no honor among thieves, but still!’

“Are you sure?”

“I saw her do it!” Archie cried. “Although, come to think of it, no one checked the body.”

“That seems uncharacteristically careless of Charlotte and Silk,” Batgirl observed.

“Well,” Archie began, “they were pretty distracted once Spider-Priestess came back to life.”

“WHAT!!”

“Yeah, the ceremony worked. Vixen’s blood worked just as well as yours would have, I guess.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

Archie looked at Batgirl somewhat condescendingly. “From what I’ve heard, you’ve experienced time travelers, a man who lives at fifty degrees below zero, and women who can hypnotize men by singing.”

“Okay, I see your point.” Batgirl paused, digesting the intel. “If your information pans out, I’ll put in a good word for you not only with the Lieutenant, but with both Chief O’Hara and Commissioner Gordon as well.”

“Thanks, Batgirl. I know you to be a woman of your word.”

“You’re welcome. Now, march!” Batgirl shoved Archie Arcane forward and turned him over to Lieutenant Mooney, who put him in the custody of her squad.

“Do you know that Undine shot Vixen and Spider-Priestess may be back?” the Lieutenant asked.

“Arcane just told me. We should take a look at Vixen’s body before your people carefully go over this mansion with a fine-tooth-comb. The spiders in that chimney may not be the only nasty surprise Vixen had in store for unwanted company.”

Lieutenant Mooney nodded.

When the shapely searchers arrived in the ceremony chamber, it was deserted. Only the remains of the dome, the bloody mesh, and Batgirl’s vacated shackles remained.

Lieutenant Mooney stood still and shifted her glance to Batgirl. “What the—”

“This is a surprise,” Batgirl said.

“I don’t see the body or any fragments from that gigantic gem,” the policewoman said. “What happened?”

“Undine, obviously,” Batgirl replied. “Even without a body for evidence, Vixen deserves justice. I’m going to get it for her.”

Meanwhile, the woman who had shot Vixen was talking on her cellphone via a headset as she drove through Gotham City. Undine was busily arranging a meeting as she raced her friend’s body from the late Lydia Weaver’s mansion. The bikini-clad blonde parked and hurried into an intricate system of tunnels beneath Gotham State University with the call girl’s body cradled in her arms.

“Sage?” she called softly, reaching the place to which she had been directed.

“I’m Angelica,” a young woman said. She wore surgical scrubs bearing the Greek letters of the Eta Beta Lotka sorority, which had been banned from campus following the previous semester after Robin showed school administrators the organization had been the basis for a network from which crooks like Catwoman had begun to recruit their henchwomen. “You must be Undine. Come with me.”

The scantily-clad scofflaw followed the girl to a chamber in which a makeshift operating room had been set up and three women dressed like Undine’s guide waited. “It seems we have a patient,” one of them said. “Ginger and Rosemary, strap her to the table.”

“You must be Sage,” Undine said, addressing the speaker as the other two women took Vixen from the statuesque shooter.

“That’s right. I’ll need to know the patient’s name and what happened to her.”

“I shot her below the right shoulder and probably punctured her lung,” Undine explained. “Once I got permission to move the body, I did what I could to staunch the bleeding, but she’s lost a lot of blood. Oh, and you can call her Vixen.”

Sage nodded. “Okay, girls, let’s wash up and cut that bandage away. We’ll have to operate immediately if we’re going to save Vixen’s life.” Sage turned to Undine. “The potential blood loss worries me, but we’ll do our best.”

“You’ll pull her through,” Undine predicted. “Vixen has a strong will to live and your track record is excellent. Your patient once told me about the success you had patching up a young woman called Soolin. Based on your excellent reputation–”

“Listen, Undine, we appreciate your confidence,” Angelica said. “It is, however, important for you to keep your expectations in line with reality.”

“Perhaps I should go over my expectations,” Undine said, favoring the medics with a thin smile. “You should each understand them clearly. You will first do what is possible; then, if necessary, what is impossible; and finally, if need be, what is unimaginable until Vixen is out of danger. Following your success, all of you, including Vixen, will be alive and the four of you will be exceedingly rich. If, however, you fail, you will all be dead. Vixen will, of course, have perished in surgery and each of you will die after I find and kill you, one by one.”

“What if we need a blood donor or something?” Angelica demanded.

Undine shrugged. “The complications you encounter are your responsibility. As to your question, I see four of you.”

“Let’s get to work,” Sage urged. “We’ve wasted enough time.” The set of her jaw and the intensity of her gaze focused her colleagues on their duties. Sage turned back to Undine as Vixen’s bandage was cut away. “We’ll call you after the operation.”

“I’ll get out of your way,” Undine said. She smiled and turned away. ‘Almost nobody knows these girls do this kind of work,’ she thought as she took her leave. ‘If they’re successful, they’ll have earned the small fortune I promised them. If they fail, it won’t matter.’

Mentally, Undine shrugged. Vixen’s fate was now out of her hands. She had done everything she could. In the car Vixen had used earlier that evening, the former beach bunny slipped back on her headset. The transition in her mind was complete. Matters of life and death were behind her, and the next evil errand on her insidious itinerary would be considerably more pleasant.

Later, high above Gotham City, a fly swooped toward a redhead resting comfortably in the master bedroom of Archie Arcane’s luxurious apartment. The insect veered away from her as she drew the sheet away from her bare shoulder and rolled onto her back to regard it with expectant interest. She smiled as the insect’s flight came to an abrupt end.

The creature had collided with something and instinctively tried to glide away from it, but the fly found it had been utterly immobilized. Only knowing it was trapped, the creature thrashed and buzzed both angrily and desperately as it adhered to the spider’s web.

Beneath the winged captive, the woman’s bare arms emerged from under the sheet and her fingers laced behind her head. She watched the spider approach its doomed prey and held her breath. Her eyes sparkled with eager, knowing anticipation.

Struggling and buzzing with all its might, the fly worked vainly toward escape, but found its efforts only made the sticky strand of silk holding it immobile vibrate and alert the hunter to its presence.

The spider circled the fly, its legs tentatively touching the sticky, silken trap as it inexorably traversed its web, studying its prey and approaching slowly. Beneath the drama, the woman exhaled as the fly’s struggles grew particularly fierce, just before fangs sank into the hapless creature and spider venom induced stillness.

“Now,” the woman said. “the poor victim will be cocooned before the kill.”

The watcher maintained her spellbound vigil as the spider wrapped the fly closely with more of the silk from which the web was composed. The trapped fly was shown no mercy, and the predator’s meal began immediately after its preparation was complete.

The woman in the bed went on watching, fascinated.

The spider in the web above the bed retreated when its hunger was sated, leaving its lifeless, partially digested victim suspended and entwined in sticky silk.

After the spider left its web, the woman’s long, thick mane of red hair swirled as she sat up and set her bare feet on the floor. Her attention shifted from the fly’s demise to her own personal needs as she moved toward the bathroom.

Shortly thereafter, a towel wrapped her hair as she sat in the living room wearing a black robe and put on the petrified spiders she wore as earrings as well as the bone choker from which a larger, similarly preserved predator hung. An audience of two sycophants sat enraptured at her feet.

Leaning back thoughtfully, Spider-Priestess crossed her legs and summarized the account of the Bluestone Spider Society’s recent history her henchwomen had provided. “So,” the young villainess said, “Vixen went to war with us after I ordered her death and managed to eliminate practically everyone except Archie Arcane and you two, my inner circle?”

“Yes,” Charlotte agreed. “She tried to kill you as the first action in her war.”

“You could say she started it,” Silk said, “but we finished it by using her as the sacrifice to bring you back, Spider-Priestess.”

“An ironic, but appropriate choice,” Spider-Priestess said, chuckling. “I trust the selection was unanimous?”

Silk and Charlotte glanced at one another quickly. “Well,” Silk began, “we felt Archie’s opinion of Vixen was colored by their ongoing, intimate relationship. You see, Vixen was a substitute.”

“We did, however, all agree on the first choice for the sacrifice,” Charlotte said.

“Really? Who was that?” Spider-Priestess asked.

“Me,” a female voice said as a shapely figure stepped through a window that had just been silently opened. “I felt uncomfortable in the role of sacrifice and I’m here to get justice for Vixen. While I’m at it, I’m going to put a stop to whatever you’re planning before it even starts!”

“Batgirl!” the trio of villainous women said as one.

“I had been looking forward to hearing from Archie Arcane,” Spider-Priestess said drily. “I take it he is . . . unavailable.”

“He helpfully told me where to find you, Spider-Priestess,” Batgirl said. “You’ll be joining him soon enough – in jail!”

“I disagree, Batgirl,” the redhead replied, chuckling. “It’s you who will be joining your former ally, Vixen – in the grave!” Spider-Priestess stood and backed to one wall. “Get her, girls!”

Silk and Charlotte stood instantly and flung themselves at the Curved Crusader. Batgirl ducked and lunged, pressing her hands together while raising her arms and passing between her attackers. Her battle-honed elbows rammed into both women, doubling them over. The Shapely Sentinel pivoted instantly, raising a knee decisively into Charlotte’s face and spinning to slam her other foot into the side of Silk’s head.

The pale-haired woman gathered Batgirl’s ankles with one arm on the way down and pulled Batgirl’s legs from beneath her. Charlotte regrouped and sprang at Batgirl a moment later as the heroine began to regain her feet. Both women crashed to the floor and rolled over repeatedly, struggling fiercely all the while.

Silk moved toward the combatants, as Batgirl tried to pin the dark-haired henchwoman. Charlotte grinned and allowed her enemy to succeed.

The pale-haired combatant suddenly wound her arms around the Curved Crusader’s shoulders from behind. Silk laced her fingers together in back of the purple-clad paragon’s neck.

“It seems you’ve got me,” Batgirl muttered, thrashing vainly.

“Now, we play,” Silk said, leaning forward and pressing against the helpless heroine’s head. Charlotte pursed her lips and raised her head to peck Batgirl’s cheek, nodding to her pale-haired partner.

Silk stepped back, lifting and maintaining her hold on Batgirl. Charlotte sat up and began to mercilessly and enthusiastically pummel the heroine’s exposed chest. The abuse became more focused and vicious as Batgirl appeared to weaken. The Curved Crusader’s body was wracked with continuous pain, hanging limply in Silk’s debilitating grasp. Smiling with genuine pleasure, Charlotte moved in to end the one-sided confrontation.

Batgirl had been waiting for the dark-haired henchwoman and raised a knee into Charlotte’s gut. As Charlotte retreated, the Curved Crusader swung an extended leg and sent her torturer sprawling with one of her powerful, showgirl kicks.

Surprised, Silk pulled Batgirl back as the Curved Crusader lifted her arms and dropped to a sitting position on the floor, sliding her arms suddenly from her captor’s grip and down Silk’s body before pulling the pale-haired woman’s ankles forward.

Silk toppled and began to return to her feet as Batgirl rose to a knee and spun while extending a leg. A purple heel clipped Silk’s chin, sending the henchwoman back to the floor.

Charlotte had not moved as Batgirl regained her feet. “It seems I got your girls, Octo,” the heroine said, as her chest heaved.

“Don’t call me that!” Spider-Priestess raged, rising and tossing the towel enveloping her hair aside. A fiery, red cascade fell to her shoulders and spilled below them as wet hair framed her pretty face.

“Oh, come on,” Batgirl said. “Spider-Priestess is so pretentious, besides being a real mouthful. Now, are you going to come quietly?”

“I think not, Batgirl,” Spider-Priestess said, crouching, smiling, and raising her fists. “You’d be mistaken if you thought I’d never been in a fight.”

“Being so recently back from the dead, I’d think you’d want to take it easy . . . but if you insist!”

Batgirl ducked beneath the villainess’ initial blow and pounded her opponent’s abdomen, making her double over and retreat. A follow-up kick impacted Spider-Priestess’ body in the same spot, inducing a moan and making the other woman move her hands to rub the spot where there’d soon be a bruise.

“Give up, Spider-Priestess,” Batgirl said, approaching slowly. “You may have the spirit of a fighter, but you’re out of practice.”

The redheaded rogue raised her hands above her shoulders and slid her hands behind her neck, surreptitiously removing both her petrified spider earrings. “Oh, Batgirl,” she said as her enemy reached for her wrists with one hand and produced Batcuffs with the other. Spider-Priestess reached for Batgirl’s wrists as she went on speaking and pressed her ‘earrings’ against Batgirl’s costume, penetrating both it and the heroine’s flesh. “I never should have tried to fight fair!”

Batgirl’s vision blurred as Spider-Priestess stepped back. The Curved Crusader blinked and refocused on her enemy. “What did . . . you just do to me?”

The villainess grinned as she reattached the spiders to her ears. “The legs of these spiders were treated with a powerful drug that will cause your balance to falter and rob you of consciousness in a matter of seconds. I now have something to exchange for Archie Arcane. So, while you remain with us, Batgirl, thank you.” Spider-Priestess laughed as her face filled Batgirl’s vision, which blurred again.

“The police won’t make a deal with you, Spider-Priestess,” Batgirl said, bending to maintain her balance. “Commissioner Gordon will never allow you to use me as a hostage. Others must not be encouraged to do likewise.” As Batgirl spoke, her hand moved toward the pouch of her utility belt which contained her Universal Bat-Antidote in time to feel the golden girdle slide away from her waist. “What . . . what happened?”

“Looking for this, Batgirl?” Spider-Priestess asked, laughing briefly as her image became clear once again. The young villainess held Batgirl’s belt!

“You—”

“Come and get it!” the villainess invited, carelessly tossing her captured trophy aside.

Spider-Priestess’ image went out of focus as Batgirl stepped forward, pursuing the cult leader. Suddenly, to her horror, the Curved Crusader realized Spider-Priestess had baited her into losing her balance. Seconds later, Batgirl toppled. The redhead’s rising knee caught Batgirl’s chin, straightening the heroine. Spider-Priestess upraised leg then straightened, kicking Batgirl’s chin and sending the Curved Crusader sprawling.

“You may not be able to hear me, Batgirl,” Spider-Priestess said, striding forward and crouching over her helpless victim. “The exchange I’ll propose to the Commissioner will only be the beginning. When I’m finished, everyone capable of leaving Gotham City will be gone, and everything left behind will be mine!” The villainess laughed uproariously as she rose and folded her arms.

“Are you really planning to trade Batgirl for Archie?” Silk asked, as she stood and gingerly rubbed her chin.

“I’d like to make the exchange,” Spider-Priestess said, as her lips twitched briefly into a thin smile. “I think we can rely on Batgirl to fall back into our hands at a later date, when we’re better prepared to get rid of her – both artistically and forever. I believe we’d be well-advised to dispose of Batgirl before embarking on my ultimate, immediate objective. Before checking Batgirl’s destruction off my proverbial ‘to do’ list, however, I want to retrieve Archie.”

“Batgirl is dangerous,” Charlotte cautioned, rejoining her cohorts. “Capturing her has always proven much easier than eliminating her.”

“Even if the trade works out,” Silk said, “you should probably do some thinking about Archie. He maintained relations of various kinds with Vixen throughout her one-woman war.”

“So you said,” Spider-Priestess replied. “Our late adversary sounds like a truly fascinating woman and Archie may know more about her than anyone else with whom I’ll ever have the opportunity to speak. After all, she was an important, historical figure who transformed the Society.”

“We might have dealt with Archie, but we didn’t understand the extent of the damage his contact with Vixen was causing until our numbers had severely diminished,” Charlotte concurred, favoring her criminal mistress with a wicked, knowing smile. “He did, however, make magnificent bait to bring Vixen into our power and enable us to stage the ceremony that brought about your return, Spider-Priestess. So, it isn’t as if his relationship wasn’t useful.”

“I’m honestly rather proud of the way we exploited it,” Silk happily remarked.

“I realize we’re playing with proverbial fire, girls,” Spider-Priestess seriously said. “Before I can fairly render judgment on Archie’s recent conduct, I should at least speak to him. Regardless, he knows far too much to allow him to remain in police custody. Perhaps, a two-pronged approach would be advisable to retrieve him.” The villainess let her arms fall to her sides as she paced the length of the room and turned to face her henchwomen. “Didn’t you tell me the Society has a capable, new recruit with local knowledge; local contacts; and many useful skills?”

Silk and Charlotte both smiled at their leader after exchanging glances. “Undine,” they said simultaneously.

“I think we’ll employ her for half the plan,” Spider-Priestess said. “First, however, see that Batgirl gives us no further trouble. Then, tie her up.”

The Curved Crusader was stirring and beginning to rise when Silk and Charlotte approached, setting mercilessly and enthusiastically upon her once again. Moments later, Batgirl soundlessly collapsed, aware of nothing but pain. The henchwomen then each produced a spool of silken thread and crouched over their victim to bind her tightly.

“Splendid,” Spider-Priestess said, sinking back into her chair as her attractive assistants straightened. “First, I’ll try to exchange Batgirl for Archie. Then, when our hostage is of no further use, we’ll double cross the authorities and attend to her once and for all.” Spider-Priestess laughed until her henchwomen joined her and then became thoughtful. “Of course, with Undine’s help, we may be able to accelerate all my short-term plans."

“It’s possible Undine will need help,” Charlotte said. “I’m sure she knows some competent people.”

“Didn’t she and Vixen have a couple of guys helping them kidnap the cop we used as bait for Batgirl initially?” Silk asked, her eyes sparkling.

Charlotte grinned. “I think she did.”

“We’ll call our recruit with specific instructions once we’ve worked out the devilish details,” Spider-Priestess decided aloud. “Now, before we clear out of here, we should discuss how to bring about Batgirl’s upcoming funeral. Pay attention, girls, strict attention!”

Shortly thereafter, Undine moaned as her cellphone awakened her. She reached over French Freddy the Fence and drew the device to her ear. “Hello,” she drowsily said. After listening for a moment she continued. “That number sounds acceptable. I’ll summon my colleagues and we will meet you whenever and wherever you say.” She listened a moment longer and nodded, concluding the conversation with the word, “Okay.”

“You’re wide awake,” the Frenchman said.

“I’m sorry, Freddy. That was my new employer, and . . . unfortunately . . . I’ve been given some important business to which I must attend.”

“So, we are finished negotiating?” her companion asked, feigning disappointment.

“Doing business with you was a pleasure, Freddy, as always.”

“Well, our ‘talks’ involved two very attractive figures. Merci, Undine,” the Frenchman said. “Ze number to which we agreed is tres bon, and of course—”

“Thank you for the compliment,” the girl replied, bending to kiss him lightly, “and for the rest.” Before she could say anything more, French Freddy reached up and held her head gently in his hands. He pulled his mouth up to hers and kissed her deeply once more.

“You are welcome, ma cheri,” he said once the kiss had broken, following her instinctive response. “Are you sure your business is as pressing as you first believed?”

Undine glanced at the clock on the bedside table and smiled down at him. “Business will force me to leave you,” she wistfully said, “but I want to discuss another transaction first.” She pulled a bag she had set on the floor hours earlier between them and spilled a few sapphires onto the mattress. “Feast your eyes on these and make me a ridiculous offer.”

French Freddy reached up and switched on the reading lamp before finding a jeweler’s glass and examined the gems one by one. “Your bag is full of zese treasures?”

Undine nodded, grinning.

"You are, in many ways, Undine, a very rich woman,” the Frenchman said. “How many sapphires will you make available to mois?”

“All of them.” Undine giggled. “Now, tell me more about being a very rich woman.”

“First, let me explain about ze numbers our new transaction will involve. Some of zese excellent sapphires will need to be cut by a jeweler. Zat procedure can be expensive–”

“I believe that procedure also makes each gem exponentially more valuable,” Undine said, leaning her head against his shoulder and letting her lips gently brush his neck. “So just do it. I might be able to stay a little longer, if we can get this last bit of business settled quickly. I trust I can leave the details in your very capable hands.”

He could not help inhaling his companion’s intoxicating scent. “You are not being fair.”

Undine kissed his neck again. “I’ve been called away from you on other business,” she said. “Otherwise . . . . ”

“I can give you . . . .” French Freddy could not finish his sentence because Undine’s mouth melted against his as she gathered and put away the gems. When the kiss ended, Undine proposed a dramatically larger number. “I’ll go out of business if I let myself get talked into too many of zese deals.”

“Come on, Freddy,” Undine coaxed, moving toward him. “It isn’t as though I’m that anxious to go.”

“You drive a hard bargain.”

“I know, but you love me, don’t you?” She wrapped her arms around him.

“Oui, mademoiselle. How much am I giving you for all ze sapphires?”

Undine told him and smiled as she felt him relax as his arms enveloped her once again. Slowly, the entwined couple made themselves comfortable once again. They did not speak again until a shaft of sunlight beamed through the window to form a halo around Undine’s head.

“Merci, Freddy,” she said, as she shifted, retreating.

French Freddy the Fence whispered, “Merci, Undine,” again as she drew the single sheet over him before turning away.

“Doing business with you was, as always, a pleasure.”

“Shall I get your money while you dress?”

“You’ll have to hurry, darling. I dress quickly.” Undine laughed as she moved toward the bathroom. “I’ll give you a chance and take a shower.”

French Freddy laughed helplessly as he recalled her typical wardrobe. He reached for a robe as she vanished behind the bathroom door.

“This is an outrage!” Commissioner James Gordon fumed as he waved a piece of paper beneath Chief O’Hara’s nose. “A villainess we all thought was dead is trying to use Batgirl as trade bait! I will not stand for it!”

“You seriously wish a member of our city’s colorful rogues gallery had passed away?”

“There are days I wish they all would, Chief O’Hara,” the Commissioner admitted. “Today, under the circumstances—”

“Yes, sir,” the Chief quickly said. “How do we know this supposedly dead villainess really has the lass and which one is she, anyway?”

Jim Gordon inhaled and composed himself. Naturally, the Chief of the Gotham City Police didn’t know the Commissioner’s daughter was the one being held hostage. As far as the Police Commissioner knew, he was the only one who knew her secret identity.

“Chief O’Hara, I probably owe you an apology.” The Commissioner calmed as he handed the note to his subordinate. “This arrived in a box which also contained Batgirl’s utility belt. The fact the package was wrapped in white silk makes me inclined to believe it really is from Spider-Priestess.”

As the Chief examined the paper, Commissioner Gordon recalled the explosion and subsequent fire in which Webmaster’s Internet Café had burned to the ground. At the time, Batgirl said the holocaust had purged most of the available evidence against Spider-Priestess and killed many of her followers. It had also threatened both Batgirl herself and Vixen. The world also believed Spider-Priestess had perished there, but Batgirl had seen no sign of the villainess’ body while carrying Vixen to safety. Double checking, of course, had been impossible. Now, that strange aspect of the incredible tale had apparently been proven accurate.

The note read:

Commissioner Gordon,

You are holding a man called Archie Arcane. The belt you have received with this note proves I have Batgirl. She will die slowly and painfully unless Mr. Arcane is released to me. I will call you before dusk with instructions for the prisoner exchange.

Your enemy,

Spider-Priestess

“This department does not negotiate with criminals, Chief O’Hara, and this is no time to start!”

“Yes, sir!” The Chief repeated. His eyes darted toward the hotline. “Have you–” The Chief swallowed hard, summoning his courage. “Have you contacted our other caped allies?”

The Commissioner’s eyes narrowed, then his expression softened. “Yes, I have. Apparently, Batman is deep undercover somewhere, but Robin – as well as Batwoman and Flamebird – have begun their own investigations . . . .”

Chief O’Hara nodded.

Gordon’s eyes flashed fire again. “. . . but, Chief, although no one appreciates all the help we receive from our masked friends more than I do, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be prepared to handle such situations on our own!”

The Chief remained perfectly still, silently awaiting his orders.

James Gordon was torn between his professional duty and his feelings for his daughter, but he knew Barbara would not want him to give in to Spider-Priestess’ demands, which made him able to refuse the cult leader’s offer. In addition, it was possible, if not probable, the villainess had no intention of keeping her part of any bargain.

His top commander was still waiting to hear a plan to deal with the situation. The public official was seething with righteous anger.

“Right!” the Commissioner began. “I want a guard on Archie Arcane around the clock in addition to the guard on the cell block--starting immediately. I also want this building locked down as soon as Lieutenant Mooney arrives tonight. Alert anyone who has been given the night off and tell them I need them here. The city will pay overtime and give them another night off, but I will not let criminals push this department around!”

“Yes, sir! I’ll see to it. Will you be leaving for the night when the Lieutenant arrives?”

“I will not!” the Commissioner bellowed. “I’m going to deal with this situation personally! Is there something else?”

“Just one other issue, sir,” Chief O’Hara said. “Is there anything in particular for which you want officers on patrol to watch?”

“That is an excellent question, Chief,” his superior replied. “Now that you mention it, there is something. I want the Batgirlcycle found—pronto!”

“I’ll see to it, sir. Thank you.”

“Very good, Chief O’Hara. Now, let’s get to work!”

“Yes, sir!” Chief O’Hara said, saluting smartly and turning to carry out his orders.

“Bonnie,” the Commissioner said, bending over his intercom, “I want all the files we have on Archie Arcane, Black Widow, Spider-Priestess, and all of their known associates as soon as you can get the information together. Please drop everything else until these files are assembled.”

“Yes, Commissioner,” his secretary said. “I’ll attend to it at once.”

“Thank you.”

A few hours later, Batgirl regained consciousness as a chill wind blew against her face and made her shiver. She held her eyes closed in order to explore her musty surroundings surreptitiously with her other senses. Her body was wedged uncomfortably between a metal heating unit and a wall. Her wrists and elbows were bound together with what she guessed to be spider silk behind her and her legs were both bent and bound at the ankles and knees. From her uncomfortable position, the Curved Crusader could hear traffic and a much more significant sound. ‘Police sirens!’

Batgirl immediately realized there was one place she was most likely to be—the Hotel Sleazy, a run-down hotel directly across the street from Police Headquarters in Gotham City.

The recent, November nights had been cold enough for even the Hotel Sleazy to activate their steam-heat system. The radiator behind her was warm and her cramped fingers searched for a small valve she hoped she would be able to turn to make the metal even warmer. As she leaned her bonds against the heater, she listened to her captors’ conversation.

“I’ve never heard of security being as tight as it looks right now over there,” Silk remarked, standing at an open window to watch the building across the street.

“Don’t supervillains often spend a few minutes in Commissioner Gordon’s office before they’re hauled either off to jail or back to the penitentiary?” Charlotte asked, standing next to Silk.

“Indeed they do,” Spider-Priestess happily said, seated in a worn chair, “but I don’t see the Batmobile out front or the Bat Gyros on the roof. It’s not a supervillain interview. The cops are afraid. I can almost taste their fear and it’s utterly delicious. The only things they could possibly be afraid of right now are us and what we’ll do to poor Batgirl.” Spider-Priestess, Silk and Charlotte laughed. The villainous trio turned toward their captive to smile wickedly.

Batgirl could feel her bonds weakening and caught the faint odor of smoke. ‘My plan is working!’ she thought. ‘The silk is burning through! What will they do to me if they notice?’

“Unfortunately, we haven’t the time to savor the growing terror across the street,” the redheaded rogue observed, recapturing the henchwomen’s attention. “It’s time for our little demonstration. Get me the phone, Charlotte.”

Batgirl drew her arms apart and felt her bonds slowly separate. Without moving much, she reached for a blade she carried in her boot.

Spider-Priestess dictated a telephone number familiar to Batgirl while Charlotte dialed.

“Commissioner Gordon speaking.”

“This is Spider-Priestess, Commissioner. Perhaps you’ve heard of me.”

“I’ve heard of you.”

“Excellent. You, of course, know what I want.”

“I got your note and Batgirl’s belt.”

“Then you accept my terms?”

“Absolutely not!” the Commissioner raged. “This department is not in the habit of negotiating with criminals. In addition, I am sick and tired of you and your ilk using my office as some kind of communications switchboard! I sincerely hope I make myself crystal clear!”

“Oh, you certainly do, but your attitude is most unfortunate—for Batgirl!”

“I promise things will go much harder for you once you’re caught if you harm even one hair on her head, Spider-Priestess! I will hunt you to the ends of the Earth. There will be no rock you will be able to crawl under and hide! Do you understand?”

“I understand you have to catch me to carry out your threat, old man. I also regret what you’ve forced me to have done to Batgirl. Please listen closely.” A gesture prompted Silk and Charlotte to slowly approach Batgirl.

The Curved Crusader’s arms were now free and she had just managed to draw the knife from her boot. A flash emanated from her hand as she swiftly attacked her leg bindings, slashing at them with the razor-sharp blade. The silk cut through and fell away as she straightened, slipping the knife back into its sheath.

Silk and Charlotte froze momentarily and Batgirl darted between them and turned around to wind her arms around each henchwoman’s head. Purple hands cupped Silk and Charlotte’s chins and drew the henchwomen’s heads together with a resounding crack.

“Now, it’s your turn, Spider-Priestess!” Batgirl said, charging toward the young villainess, who stood up, dropping the phone. Spider-Priestess stepped to one side; raised a knee; and pivoted as Batgirl moved to block the kick her enemy’s move had telegraphed. The villainess’ foot shot beneath Batgirl’s hand to impact the heroine’s abdomen and kick the shapely sleuth back, off balance.

“I’m sorry, Commissioner,” Spider-Priestess said, grabbing the phone off the floor and talking quickly. “Your uncooperative attitude toward our negotiations has forced me to defenestrate my hostage! Goodbye!” She hung up the phone.

Earlier, Spider-Priestess and her minions had opened a single window, despite the cold weather, to keep the accumulated grime from obstructing their view of Police Headquarters as they kept their villainous vigil. Batgirl felt the back of her knees impact the windowsill an instant before her shoulders impacted the glass. Batgirl’s arms spread to catch the frame.

Spider-Priestess slid toward the crimefightress and slammed a foot into the center of Batgirl’s chest. The heroine’s weight tore the dry, brittle wood from the window frame as she fell backwards. A startled cry escaped her lips as she fell through the aperture and glass shattered around her. Instinctively, the Curved Crusader reached for her miraculous utility belt, where she kept a rope she hoped to employ to swing to safety. Unfortunately, her hand encountered only smooth, purple lurex. Her utility belt was long gone!

“You just literally kicked our hostage out the window,” Charlotte observed drily, returning to her feet.

“Isn’t that what I just told the Commissioner I’d do?” Spider-Priestess demanded.

“I guess so,” Silk answered, shrugging as she, too, stood. “We were going to eventually get rid of Batgirl, anyway.”

“Now, we can kill Batgirl without having to be so . . . duplicitous,” Charlotte concurred philosophically.

“You’re assuming she survives the fall,” Silk pointed out.

“This building isn’t that tall and she’s very resourceful. Batgirl will survive easily enough, but it won’t matter,” Spider-Priestess predicted. “Our backup squad is in place and a single phone call will set my contingency plan in motion. Now, let’s get out of here and into position.”

“You always expected Batgirl to free herself!” Silk exclaimed.

“Her freedom will put the cops at ease and make it easier for Archie to rejoin us,” Charlotte pointed out.

“Precisely,” Spider-Priestess said, favoring her henchwomen with a wicked, knowing smile. “I’ve freed the flying mouse, but she will soon find herself caught in our inescapable web once again—for the last time. Now, come, we have much to do and little time.” She led her fiendish followers from the hotel room with a delighted laugh. “Hurry!”

Outside, Batgirl fell through empty space, glancing desperately in all directions, searching for a hand hold. She suddenly slammed into something and instinctively extended an arm, curling her fingers around a metal bar. To Batgirl’s horror, whatever had broken her fall collapsed under her weight as she gripped it. A snap heralded the loud scrape and the shower of sparks accompanying the metal frame’s destruction. Batgirl released her hand hold as her boot soles hit the street. She stepped back, away from the awning that had broken her fall just before what was left of it crashed to the sidewalk.

Looking up to the window through which she had fallen, she worked out the location of the room where she had been held. Racing inside and up the stairs, Batgirl found the door to the room and whispered a curse when she discovered it was locked. Kicking in the door, she instantly realized Spider-Priestess and her followers had fled.

‘Searching is pointless,’ Batgirl thought. ‘Those crooks spent less time here than they did at Archie Arcane’s place.’

The Curved Crusader noted the visible security measures at Police Headquarters. She hurried across the street to be admitted to her father’s office with minimal delay.

“Batgirl!” the Commissioner said as a bright smile spread across his face. He wanted to say more on a personal level, but knew once word Batgirl had reappeared spread, he was bound to have more visitors. “I imagine you know Spider-Priestess sent me your utility belt and was trying to trade you for Archie Arcane?”

“Yes, Commissioner,” she said, accepting her utility belt and buckling it around her waist. “I’m very proud of your department’s steadfastness and determination when it comes to resisting the strong temptation to do deals with criminals like Spider-Priestess. I’d like to personally let Archie know he’ll be continuing to enjoy your hospitality.” She smiled thinly. “I’ve also got several questions for him to which I’d like to get answers!”

“By all means,” the Commissioner said, nodding gravely. “I’ll summon Lieutenant Mooney.”

“I’d be happy to have her along, but I might be more effective, at least initially, by myself. We’ll have plenty of time later to change tactics and we already have a basis for doing so. Archie Arcane told me Undine murdered Vixen in accordance with Spider-Priestess’ girl goons’ wishes. I’ll make sure that fact works in his favor when the time comes, but for now there is a lot more data in his head I plan to extract! Believe me, your prisoner isn’t going anywhere!”

At that moment, a very relieved Chief O’Hara walked into the office. “Saints preserve us, it’s great to have you back, Batgirl!”

“Thank you, Chief. It’s great to be back.”

“Oh, by the way,” the Commissioner began, “I asked Robin and the Distaff Duo to help look for you. Would you like me to ask them to stay on the case?”

Batgirl considered the offer for a moment. “Please thank them for their efforts, Commissioner, but for now I think it best to hold them in reserve.”

“Naturally, we’ll play it your way, Batgirl.”

“Thank you for your trust.”

Meanwhile, as Batgirl made arrangements to interrogate Archie Arcane, another more sinister and unscheduled visitation was already well underway.

“What are you doing here?” the guard on the cell block asked the trio of uniformed officers – two men and one woman – who reported to him.

“The Commissioner ordered us to help you guard Archie Arcane,” a statuesque, blonde, female officer said.

“I wasn’t informed,” the guard said. “I was under the impression I was helping guard the prisoner. I’ll have to check.”

“No problem,” the girl said. When the guard stepped past the trio, she nodded. Instantly, the guard felt his gun and keys seized and felt the muzzle of the girl’s gun pressed against his neck. “If you lie to me I will kill you. How many guards are waiting in the cell block?”

“It’s just me, the cameras, and the guard on the cell,” the guard said incredulously. “You know you’re in Police Headquarters, don’t you? Do you seriously think you’ll get out of here?”

“Watch closely. Whoever is watching the cameras is seeing only what we want them to see. Let’s go, boys.” The gun muzzle prodded the guard. “Move!” the girl ordered.

One of the girl’s companions unlocked the cell block door and she shoved the guard forward. “You!” Undine sharply said to the guard who looked up from the book he had been reading. “Give Archie your gun and keys.”

The guard on the cell hesitated.

“Your friend here is dead unless you do as I say,” Undine threatened, thumbing back the hammer on her gun, “and so are you.” She filled her voice with authority as she added, “Do it now!”

The guard surrendered, turning his weapon and the cell’s keys over to the prisoner.

Archie Arcane looked up and smiled as recognition dawned on him. “Undine, is that you?”

“The one and only,” the girl answered, whipping off her cap and shaking free her hair.

“I love you.”

“Nice,” she said, grinning and opening his cell. “Let’s get going.”

“Right,” Archie Arcane said. He accepted his guard’s gun and keys and covered the man while unlocking his cell. “Get in!” he ordered as he stepped from the cell. Archie’s guard obeyed.

Undine’s companions hustled the guard they had first captured along the corridor and shoved him into the open cell before the girl slammed the door and Archie Arcane locked it.

“That didn’t take long,” Archie Arcane said. “Thanks for getting me out.”

“No problem,” Undine replied as she sashayed along the corridor and removed the rest of her disguise to reveal her trademark, white bikini. When she closed the cell block door, which locked behind her, she glanced at the men who had preceded her and noted they were standing still, staring fearfully at something. “What?” she demanded.

“Look!” the two faux officers simultaneously said, pointing.

Undine’s glance followed theirs. She filled her lungs before exhaling and frowning. “I might have known,” she said with a resigned sigh. “It’s Batgirl. Well, don’t just stand there, you idiots! Shoot her!”

Four guns aligned on Batgirl and fired rapidly as the Curved Crusader retreated through the door and stepped from the line of fire. A purple hand tossed something at the makeshift firing squad as bullets flew past Batgirl’s head.

A flash suddenly seared the villains’ eyes and after blinking several times, they saw Batgirl holding a bat-shaped object above her head as her legs spread to shoulder width.

“If at first you don’t succeed,” Undine said. “Let’s perforate her this time!”

Batgirl laughed as the bullets emerging from the bank of gunsmoke ahead of her rose into the air and impacted the object above her head.

What’s going on?” Riptide demanded.

“I don’t get it!” Wipe Out complained.

“She should be nothing but a bullet-ridden corpse!” Archie Arcane said.

“One more time!” Undine enthused. “Let her have it!” The guns spoke again repeatedly and once again all the shots impacted the item in Batgirl’s hands.

“My Bat-Magnet is proving quite attractive today,” Batgirl said, grinning as she put her device away before her hands came to rest on her shapely hips. “Now that you’re all out of ammunition, it’s my turn.”

“We have not yet begun to fight!” Undine cried. “Get her, guys!”

The men dropped their useless weapons and charged at her.

Batgirl removed her hands from her hips and reached for the top of the door frame. As her enemies reached the desired distance, Batgirl lifted her legs and drew her knees to her chest. Swinging forward, the heroine’s purple heels slammed into Archie Arcane’s chest and sent him sprawling. Releasing her grip, Batgirl propelled herself between the faux policemen and slammed an elbow into each man’s face as they simultaneously spun toward her.

“Well,” Batgirl murmured as their hats flew off, “if it isn’t Undine’s old partners, Wipe Out and Riptide.”

Batgirl renewed her acquaintance with Riptide by snapping her booted toe into his chin, sending him forcefully backward.

Wipe Out dove at Batgirl and caught her plant leg with his shoulder, causing her to collapse on top of him. He took her in his arms and lifted her above his head, spinning around rapidly several times before dropping to one knee and slamming his opponent’s side across his upraised knee.

Batgirl groaned as she rolled to the floor, momentarily unable to inhale. Wipe Out loomed over her and lifted a foot, preparing to stomp the center of her slowly rising chest. Purple gloved hands caught his descending foot, pushing to raise it until the thug lost his balance, falling back.

Archie Arcane and Riptide were approaching from either side of Batgirl as she regained her feet. Both charged and Batgirl waited a split second before diving between them and rolling to her feet. The thugs collided, collapsed, and fell into a moaning heap.

“Come on, Undine!” Batgirl said “Do you think you can beat me in a fair fight?”

“Sure,” the bikini-clad henchwoman said, tossing away her gun. “Bring it on!”

The Curved Crusader moved toward her enemy as the blonde sank into a fighting crouch, waiting. Undine slid to one side, avoiding Batgirl’s initial blow and fired two fists rapidly into the Curved Crusader’s midsection. Batgirl grunted as she doubled over and lunged at her enemy, knocking the henchwoman to the floor.

“Get up!” Batgirl commanded, once she regained her feet.

“I’ll take you down first,” Undine threatened, moving her legs together, attempting to enclose Batgirl’s legs between them. Batgirl jumped and was dismayed when the bikini-clad beauty’s hands gripped one of her boots and pushed up, causing Batgirl to land awkwardly and crash to the floor.

Undine rolled over and gathered herself before pouncing on her prey, pummeling the heroine mercilessly and cracking her head against the floor with stunning force.

As Batgirl’s head began to spin, she instinctively slammed the heel of her hand into Undine’s gut, checking the blonde’s onslaught. Batgirl risked leaving herself vulnerable to slam the heel of her other hand into Undine’s chin and smiled as her enemy’s body went limp.

“I win again, Undine,” Batgirl said, regaining her feet and reaching for the Batcuffs in one pouch of her belt. “You’re lucky I don’t bother to repay you for my treatment at Lydia Weaver’s mansion.”

“You’re wrong, Batgirl,” a male voice behind her said. “The fight is over, but you lose!” A meaty fist impacted Batgirl’s chin as she turned toward Wipe Out. The henchman bent over Undine and gently patted the blonde's face, completely ignoring the Caped Cutie, who fell and remained still.

“Is everyone all right?” Undine groggily asked, shaking her head as she regained her feet.

“Everyone but Batgirl,” Wipe Out said. “She’s taking a nap right now, but she’ll be back with us in a few--”

The thug was suddenly silenced as the girl’s mouth locked against his and her arms drew him closely against her momentarily. “Thank you,” she said huskily once their kiss had broken and she stepped back.

“You’re welcome,” Wipe Out said, grinning from ear to ear, “any time.”

“We should go,” Undine said loudly and authoritatively, addressing all the men. “Batgirl wasn’t really our objective on this caper.” She shrugged and glanced wistfully at the unconscious heroine.

“Disposing of Batgirl would be fun,” Riptide objected.

Undine shook her head. “Never mind, guys. We’d have to get her out of Police Headquarters first. Our employer has other plans for her, anyway. Let’s go!” The blonde bombshell hurried along the corridor.

“You heard the lady,” Wipe Out said, following her closely with Riptide and Archie Arcane in his wake.

Archie Arcane and his rescuers soon entered an unoccupied office. “Well?” he said, quizzically regarding Undine. “Where do we go now?”

“Get busy, boys,” Undine ordered, opening a small closet.

Wipe Out and Riptide crouched on either side of the door and rotated a metal plate on the closet floor, lifting it.

“You’re taking me down a manhole?” Archie Arcane asked.

“It’s the storm sewer, which is separate from Gotham City’s other sewer system,” Undine explained, “and our guide along your labyrinthine escape route is waiting below.”

“Ladies first,” the former prisoner gallantly said, gesturing toward the aperture.

“Thank you, kind sir,” the blonde said, stepping down onto a ladder and descending.

Archie Arcane heard distant, pounding footsteps as he followed the girl and dropped through the hole in the floor, softly calling, “Look out below!”

“Hurry!” Undine’s voice directed as Riptide began descending the ladder, followed by Wipe Out. “Batgirl will be right behind us. Get that cover back in place.”

Meanwhile, Batgirl stirred, shaking her head to clear it. She listened as she climbed to her feet and bent, resting her hands on her knees. A closing door drew her attention. ‘That didn’t come from the entrance to this area,’ she thought. ‘I’ll have to find those crooks fast if I want to catch them.’

Batgirl dashed from the cell block and ran down a corridor leading deeper into the building’s basement as fast as she could. She burst through a door and realized she was effectively guarding the only door to a secluded office block. “There’s nowhere to run, Undine,” she called.

There was no response.

Batgirl's rapid, methodical search of the offices leading from the corridor revealed only a small, empty closet. She let her hands settle onto her shapely hips and spread he legs to shoulder width to consider the situation. ‘They can’t have just disappeared,’ she mused.

A soft, metallic scrape drew the Curved Crusader to the floor of the closet. She noticed the closed manhole and smiled, reaching forward. ‘You can run, but you can’t hide!’

Moments later, the Curved Crusader stood at the foot of a ladder reaching for her tiny Batlight, because the dim illumination from the room overhead did not filter far into the dark passage. ‘Which way?’ she wondered. ‘If I guess wrong, they’ll get away.’ Her hands came to rest on her hips again as she listened.

“What is she doing?” a male voice to her right whispered.

“She’s coming to take you to jail!” Batgirl announced, striding purposefully toward the voice.

Presently, Batgirl reached a dark aperture her tiny light revealed. At first, it appeared to be a mere niche in the wall. Exploring tentatively, Batgirl discovered it opened after a few feet to become a much larger chamber.

“Well, what do we have here?” she quietly asked.

As Batgirl crept cautiously forward, she felt hands shove her forcefully from behind. Simultaneously, her legs were somehow cut from beneath her as her arms extended in a vain attempt to maintain her balance. The light in her hand spun away from her. Batgirl’s gloved hands slipped on the polished chamber floor as she landed flat on her face with a smack before sliding straight ahead.

Every ounce of breath expelled from her lungs with an involuntary moan as she shifted her body before beginning to rise. At that moment she became aware the adrenaline rush that had carried her through her escape from Spider-Priestess and the subsequent confrontation with Undine and the men who had rescued Archie Arcane was gone.

A painful blow compelled her to collapse, vainly trying to pant as her breasts crumpled beneath her a second time. Batgirl’s attackers kicked her legs far apart while spreading a circular net with fibers as thick as cables over her, utterly enveloping her body.

The Curved Crusader’s gasping exhalations worked against the shallow inhalations which slowly allowed her lungs to expand as she recovered. The agonizing pain wracking her body prompted another long moan as she instinctively began trying to free herself from the evil ensnarement holding her arms and legs splayed out over the cold, stone floor. Slight movements she was permitted revealed her limbs had stuck to the strange, thick strands they touched and no amount of pushing; twisting; or other struggling, however strenuous, could detach them. Dejectedly, the Shapely Sentinel became utterly still, deciding her best course of action would be to conserve her depleted strength.

The net to which her body adhered was lifted until she was literally splayed against the ceiling with her limbs stretched out to their limits. A moment later, Batgirl realized the net had been stuck to the ceiling above her.

“Light the torches,” a female voice commanded.

“Undine?” Batgirl hesitantly asked.

“I’m right here, Batgirl,” the scantily-clad scofflaw said as a flaming torch illuminated her pretty, smiling face. “I’m not in charge, but I didn’t want to miss your send off. I’ve been waiting for you to make your final exit since I first saw you at Hot Dog Harrigan’s place, The Hang Five!”

“You’re going to be disappointed again,” Batgirl said. The heroine turned her head as another torch flared and noted its reflection along with Undine’s in the well-polished floor. Wipe Out; Riptide; Archie Arcane; Silk; and Charlotte’s faces were illuminated in the light of torches that were subsequently lit. Next, Spider-Priestess entered through the niche from which Batgirl had emerged and bent to retrieve a strand of silk running low across the chamber’s entrance.

“Welcome to my parlor, Batgirl,” Spider-Priestess said, straightening.

“You used a tripwire!” Batgirl fumed. “I should have anticipated a dirty trick like that!”

“Precisely,” the young villainess confirmed, chuckling. “It appears you’ve come through both your recent falls without incurring serious injuries. I hope you don’t find my web too uncomfortable. You’ll be hanging around in it for the rest of your life.”

“I’ll take comfort from history, Octo. As you well know, I’ve escaped from enormous, artificial spider webs before,” Batgirl retorted. “I’ll be fine, and after I’ve escaped again, I’ll hunt you down to the ends of the Earth!”

Batgirl decided not to remind the villainess the Distaff Duo had also been stuck to the artificial spider web from which they had all escaped, or to reveal the heroines’ combined efforts had been required to gain their freedom.

“Ha! You sound like that dotty old man I talked to on the telephone earlier today.”

Batgirl stiffened, frowning at the reference to her father.

“You do-gooders keep promising to hunt me,” the redheaded rogue mused. “The hunt you propose might be fun, but you’re overestimating your chances. I do wish we could stay and watch your overconfidence ebb away to nothing as your doom unfolds.” The young villainess shrugged. “Unfortunately, my new recruits will have to be admitted into our Society and my plans for Gotham City won’t wait.” Spider-Priestess beamed up at her helpless enemy with wicked glee before proceeding. “First things first, however.”

“So, you’re going to try to kill me, again?”

“I’ve told you in the past, Batgirl, death is the ultimate fate of all my enemies,” Spider-Priestess said. “Some people never miss a chance to step on a spider. Well, this spider fancier is a predator in her own right. I strike back, and I hit hard!”

“You must be very proud of yourself,” Batgirl chided.

The redhead’s face became a vengeful mask etched with hate. “In your case, Batgirl, I have other issues.” The villainess voice rose until she was almost shouting. “Last year, you personally murdered several of the pets I fed and cared for here in Gotham City!”

“Your so-called ‘pets’ were monstrous spiders!” Batgirl exclaimed. “More of them burned this morning, by the way. As I recall, last year you planned to unleash your spiders throughout the city and induce a panic, during which your criminal thugs would have looted the city to their hearts’ content!”

“You murdered my babies!” Spider-Priestess raged, ignoring Batgirl’s accusation.

“You literally fed them your enemies!” Batgirl seethed. “I saw Patience Phillips’ body after your spiders had finished with it! Shall we discuss murder? I refuse to think of you as a mere pet owner! If you’re looking for sympathy . . . . ”

“I’m looking for revenge! . . . and by Racnoss I’ll get it!”

Batgirl ignored the unfamiliar reference. “You found it already!” Batgirl replied. “Vixen came after you because you killed Patience Phillips.”

“She’s had her reward for opposing me!”

“Tell me. Have you seen Vixen since her body was removed from the ceremony chamber?” Batgirl sweetly asked.

“Witnesses told me about how Undine shot her,” Spider-Priestess replied. “A very satisfactory conclusion, I think. I don’t need to look at corpses . . . however, in your case, I just might make an exception!” Spider-Priestess grinned up at Batgirl before continuing. “My pets will attend to the details of my revenge, and theirs, against you. I can promise you the most exquisite and agonizing pain before the end.” She laughed. “Bring out the diners, boys and girls! Their meal is fully prepared!”

Batgirl stared down at Spider-Priestess’ followers as they wheeled six cages, each of which contained a pair of enormous spiders, from the chamber’s gloomy shadows into the center of the torch-lit circle beneath their intended victim. There the creatures could be clearly seen.

“Once we release my babies,” Spider-Priestess explained, indicating the caged creatures, “they will search this chamber, seeking their meal. Once they find you, Batgirl, they’ll sink their fangs in and slowly drain every drop of your life’s blood. As they feed, you’ll probably scream and I will find the echoes of each excruciating exhalation utterly delicious. You see, your suffering as you die is more important to me than the inevitable, end result.”

“You’ll never get away with this murderous plot, Octo!” Batgirl defiantly predicted. “If you ask me, you’re nothing but a sick—”

“I didn’t ask and I don’t care, Batgirl!” the young villainess retorted. Then, she ordered, “Release the spiders!” Her followers obeyed as a shaft of light beamed into the chamber, illuminating the creatures crawling slowly over Batgirl’s reflection on the floor.

“Now, we’ll leave my babies to their meal. To paraphrase the late Vixen’s inaccurate, but fitting parting remark, ‘Bon appetite, Batgirl.’” With a delighted laugh, the redheaded rogue turned away and took her leave. As all of her followers retreated, they kept a cage between them and the creatures they had released to eliminate their captive.

The men glanced up longingly at where Batgirl was helplessly suspended before turning their attention to their leader and the rhythmic sway of her retreating backside. Silk and Charlotte followed the men and watched them critically as they walked from the flickering torchlight. Glancing at one another, each woman noted the lascivious smile curling the other’s lips.

Undine stood fascinated as the gigantic spiders approached the chamber’s walls. “This deathtrap is inhuman,” she softly muttered, shuddering. ‘I’ve always thought spiders were creepy,’ she thought. ‘I can’t believe it, but I’m almost a little sorry for Batgirl.’ She shrugged.

“Come on, Undine!” Archie Arcane called. “Let’s go!”

She focused on one of the monstrous creatures with horrified fascination for another brief moment before shuddering again and turning to hurry after the other killers.

Batgirl stared down at her reflection on the floor. It looked as though several of the spiders were crawling over her spread-eagled form.

Bat-Diorama by Falseface

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