Batman Tales #14

Okay, here’s a little scene from Gotham City Preschool:

The morning sun peeked through the colorful, Batman-themed curtains of the Gotham City Preschool. A group of four-to-six-year-olds sat cross-legged on a bright, bat-signal-yellow rug. Their voices, a mix of squeaks and earnest attempts at pronunciation, filled the room as they sang their ABCs. A cheerful teacher, Ms. Pennyworth (a distant cousin of Alfred, naturally), smiled encouragingly, clapping along to the rhythm. Even in Gotham, some things were just… cute.

The cheerful ABCs screeched to a halt as a cacophony of hisses and yowls erupted. A dozen cats, sleek and feral, poured into the classroom, leaping onto tables, clawing at decorations, and sending tiny chairs scattering. The children screamed, some bursting into tears. Ms. Pennyworth, ever the calm presence, tried to usher the kids behind her, but the cats were relentless, batting at their ankles and climbing up the colorful, bat-themed climbing structure.

Then, with a dramatic flourish, Catwoman herself slinked through the shattered doorway. Her leather suit gleamed under the flickering fluorescent lights, and her whip snaked out, snatching Ms. Pennyworth around the waist with surprising speed. The children gasped as Catwoman, with Ms. Pennyworth slung over her shoulder, disappeared back into the chaos, leaving behind a trail of shredded alphabet posters and terrified toddlers.

Back at Gotham City Police Headquarters, Commissioner Gordon, his face etched with worry, was on the Bat-Signal phone. The red glow cast an ominous light on his already grim expression. “Batman,” he rasped, his voice tight, “We’ve got a situation at the Gotham City Preschool. Catwoman… she’s kidnapped Ms. Pennyworth. And… well, let’s just say the place looks like a feline hurricane hit it.”

He paused, listening for a moment to the static on the line. “I know, I know, Gotham’s got bigger problems, but these are kids, Batman. And Ms. Pennyworth… she’s a good woman. We need to get her back. And find out what Catwoman’s after.” He hung up the phone with a sigh, the weight of Gotham pressing down on him.

Soon, the Bat-Signal pierced the night sky, a beacon of hope in the city’s perpetual gloom. Batman, ever vigilant, would be on the case. With Robin at his side, they would unravel Catwoman’s motives and rescue Ms. Pennyworth from whatever feline scheme she had concocted.

In the shadowy depths of her hideout, surrounded by stolen jewels and purloined treasures, Catwoman paced, a wicked grin playing on her lips. Her plan was audacious, even for her. She wasn’t just stealing money; she was building an empire, one tiny criminal at a time. Gotham City Preschool would become a training ground for future generations of thieves, pickpockets, and masterminds.

And Ms. Pennyworth? She was the key. Using a specially crafted hypnotic collar, Catwoman had bent the teacher to her will. Ms. Pennyworth, once a pillar of Gotham’s educational system, was now a puppet, ready to carry out the heist of the century: robbing the First National Bank of Gotham. Catwoman watched with satisfaction as Ms. Pennyworth, eyes glazed over, rehearsed the plan, her movements precise and unwavering. The heist was set for tomorrow. Gotham wouldn’t know what hit it.

The Batmobile screeched to a halt outside the Gotham City Preschool. Batman and Robin emerged, their capes billowing in the night wind. The scene before them was even worse than Gordon had described. Shattered windows, overturned furniture, and shredded decorations littered the playground. The air hung heavy with the scent of catnip and fear.

Batman, his face grim, scanned the surroundings. “Robin, analyze the scene. Look for any clues Catwoman might have left behind.”

Robin, ever the eager detective, pulled out his scanner, its blue light illuminating the debris. “Affirmative, Batman. Looks like mostly feline footprints and claw marks. But wait… there’s something else.” He pointed to a small, glittering object nestled amongst the wreckage of a bat-shaped jungle gym. “A hypnotic collar fragment. Just like the ones Catwoman used on those trained panthers last year.”

Batman’s jaw tightened. “Ms. Pennyworth… she’s using her for something. Something big.” He turned to Robin, his voice urgent. “We need to find them, and fast. Gotham’s in danger.”

Meanwhile, miles outside of Gotham, in the quaint, unsuspecting town of Walkerville, Catwoman’s ACME Corp. van rumbled to a stop outside Walkerville Elementary School. Her plan was escalating, growing more complex and audacious by the minute. Ms. Pennyworth’s hypnosis was just the beginning. Now, she needed more pawns.

Spotting the iconic yellow school bus pulling up, Catwoman smirked. Miss Frizzle, with her eccentric style and her equally unique class, were the perfect additions to her grand scheme. They were known for their wild field trips and their uncanny ability to get into trouble. Catwoman planned to use their chaotic energy to create a diversion, a smokescreen that would allow her to infiltrate the ADT building and crack the vault.

Bursting from the van, she incapacitated the bus driver with a quick spray of catnip-laced gas. Before Miss Frizzle or any of the students could react, Catwoman had herded them into the van, the doors slamming shut with a resounding clang. Walkerville’s peace was shattered, and Catwoman’s plan was one step closer to completion.

The Batmobile roared to a stop outside the First National Bank of Gotham. The scene was a disaster. The bank’s facade was crumbling, windows were shattered, and smoke billowed from the gaping hole where the vault used to be. Batman and Robin exchanged a grim look before leaping into the chaos.

Inside, the scene was even worse. Debris was everywhere, and the air was thick with dust and the acrid smell of explosives. They found the bank’s CEO, Mr. Abernathy, tied up and gagged inside the vault, looking shaken but unharmed.

“What happened here, Mr. Abernathy?” Batman asked, quickly freeing him.

Abernathy coughed, his voice hoarse. “Catwoman… and Ms. Pennyworth! They came in like a whirlwind. Ms. Pennyworth… she was like a zombie, just following Catwoman’s orders. They blew the vault open and grabbed everything they could carry. Then they just… vanished!”

Robin examined the vault door, which was twisted and blackened. “Looks like C4. Catwoman’s getting bolder, Batman. And more dangerous.”

Batman’s jaw tightened. He knew Catwoman was capable of anything, but using Ms. Pennyworth, a respected member of the community, was a new low. He had to stop her, before she dragged Gotham even further into the abyss. He glanced at Robin, his eyes filled with determination. “We’re running out of time. We need to find them, now.”

High above Gotham City, on the 40th floor of the ADT Building, a lone security guard patrolled, oblivious to the chaos about to unfold. Suddenly, the door burst open, and Miss Frizzle, her usually vibrant red hair slightly askew, charged in wielding a baseball bat. With a surprising amount of force, she knocked the guard unconscious.

Her students, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and excitement, swarmed into the room. Carlos, armed with a high-powered laser (where did they get that?), expertly cut through the safe’s locking mechanism. The vault door swung open, revealing stacks of cash. The class quickly stuffed over $1,000,000 into oversized backpacks before making their escape.

Their crime spree didn’t end there. They piled into a stolen delivery van and sped off to Giant Foods, a local supermarket chain. While the students were ransacking the cash registers, alarms blared and a swarm of cats, seemingly summoned by some unseen force, descended upon the remaining security guards, creating a furry, chaotic distraction. Gotham was descending into madness.

As the alarms at Giant Foods blared, Catwoman, ever the opportunist, spotted Arthur Fleck, a struggling clown with a troubled past, wandering aimlessly through the aisles. A sinister idea sparked in her mind. Arthur, with his fragile mental state, was the perfect patsy. A quick flash of her hypnotic collar, and Arthur was under her control, a blank slate ready to be molded to her will.

“Arthur,” Catwoman purred, her voice dripping with false sweetness, “You’re going to help me with a little shopping spree.”

Leading Arthur and the Frizzle’s class next door to Toys R Us, Catwoman unleashed her plan. While Arthur, dressed in his clown attire, created a diversion with a series of increasingly bizarre antics, the students, now seasoned criminals, systematically looted the store. They grabbed everything from remote-controlled Batmobiles to limited-edition action figures, stuffing them into oversized bags. The chaos was complete. Gotham was officially under siege by a band of unlikely criminals, orchestrated by the cunning Catwoman.

While Arthur and the class ransacked Toys R Us, Catwoman, ever the master of misdirection, orchestrated another wave of chaos. She unleashed a horde of feline fury upon Chuck E. Cheese’s, the beloved children’s entertainment center. Cats clawed at arcade games, shredded animatronic characters, and sent terrified children scattering in all directions. The scene was pure pandemonium.

Meanwhile, at the ADT building, Batman and Robin arrived to find Gotham City EMS tending to the injured security guard. The scene was eerily quiet after the Frizzle’s class’s daring heist.

“Anything?” Batman asked, his voice low.

Robin, examining the scene with his scanner, replied, “They were pros, Batman. Clean getaway. But look at this.” He pointed to a small, discarded science textbook with Miss Frizzle’s name on it. “Frizzle’s class was here. This is getting weirder by the minute.”Batman’s gaze hardened. “Catwoman’s using them. But for what? And why?” He knew they were running out of time. Gotham was teetering on the brink of complete anarchy, and Catwoman was pulling the strings. He had to stop her, before it was too late.

The Batmobile, tires screeching, swerved into the parking lot of the Gotham Shopping Center. Sirens wailed as Gotham EMS tended to the chaos outside Giant Foods. The scene was a bizarre tableau of overturned shopping carts, scattered groceries, and bewildered shoppers.

Batman and Robin, their faces grim, pushed their way through the throng and entered the supermarket. The interior was a disaster zone. Shelves were ransacked, cash registers lay open and empty, and the air hung heavy with the smell of spilled milk and shattered dreams.

“This is getting out of hand, Batman,” Robin said, surveying the wreckage. “Catwoman’s turning Gotham into her personal playground.”

Batman nodded grimly. “She’s escalating. And she’s using these kids, and now Arthur, as pawns in her game. We need to find her, and we need to find her now.” He activated his Bat-scanner, hoping to pick up any trace of Catwoman or her unlikely crew of criminals. The clock was ticking, and Gotham was hanging by a thread.

Batman, his eyes narrowed, surveyed the chaotic scene in Giant Foods. He activated a Bat-tracker he had secretly placed on one of the cats earlier. “She’s heading to the Gotham City Museum,” he announced, his voice grim. “She’s planning something big.”

Robin’s eyes widened. “The Gotham City Museum? What’s she after there?”

“The Mona Lisa,” Batman replied, his jaw tightening. “She’s going to steal the Mona Lisa.” He knew Catwoman’s obsession with priceless artifacts, and the Mona Lisa was the ultimate prize. He turned to Robin, his voice urgent. “We have to get there before she does. If she gets her hands on that painting, who knows what she’ll do with it.”

He knew this was it, the final act in Catwoman’s bizarre crime spree. He had to stop her, not just for the sake of the Mona Lisa, but for the sake of Gotham itself. He couldn’t let her turn his city into a playground for criminals, no matter how unlikely or eccentric they might be.

The Batmobile screeched to a halt outside the Gotham City Museum. The grand building, usually a beacon of culture and sophistication, was now a scene of utter chaos. Through the shattered windows, Batman could see Miss Frizzle, Miss Pennyworth, Arthur, and the class running amok, tearing down exhibits, smashing display cases, and generally wreaking havoc.

“Catwoman’s inside,” Batman growled, his eyes fixed on the museum’s entrance. “She’s using them as a distraction.”

He and Robin burst through the doors, their capes billowing behind them. The scene inside was surreal. Miss Frizzle was using a dinosaur skeleton as a battering ram, Miss Pennyworth was leading a chorus of off-key nursery rhymes while smashing ancient pottery, and Arthur, dressed in full clown regalia, was juggling priceless artifacts. The class, meanwhile, was busy spray-painting graffiti on the walls.

“Robin, take care of the distractions,” Batman ordered, his voice steely. “I’m going after Catwoman.”

He knew that the Mona Lisa was her target, and he couldn’t let her get away with it. He activated his Bat-grappling hook and soared towards the museum’s upper levels, determined to stop Catwoman and put an end to her reign of chaos.

Robin, quick and agile, sprang into action. With a flick of his wrist, he launched his grappling hook, ensnaring Miss Pennyworth in a web of Bat-rope. She struggled against the restraints, her eyes still glazed over, but Robin was too quick. He moved on to Miss Frizzle, using her oversized earrings as convenient anchor points for another rope trap.

Arthur, momentarily startled by the sudden capture of his accomplices, began to babble incoherently, but Robin was unfazed. He tossed a smoke pellet at Arthur’s feet, creating a cloud of confusion, then used his Bat-lasso to hogtie the clown. Finally, he herded the class into a makeshift corral constructed from museum ropes and stanchions. With the human element secured, he released a series of cages, luring the cats inside with strategically placed balls of yarn.

Meanwhile, Batman, having reached the museum’s fourth floor, spotted Catwoman attempting to pry the Mona Lisa from its reinforced display case. Without hesitation, he launched himself from the railing, his cape billowing behind him as he plummeted towards the thief. With a resounding crash, he tackled Catwoman to the ground, sending her sprawling.

The fight was brief but intense. Batman, with his superior strength and training, quickly subdued Catwoman, disarming her and securing her wrists with Bat-cuffs. He then retrieved the Mona Lisa, carefully placing it back in its protective case.

Moments later, sirens wailed as the Gotham City Police Department swarmed the museum. Commissioner Gordon arrived, his face a mixture of relief and bewilderment. “What in the world happened here, Batman?” he asked, surveying the chaotic scene.

“Catwoman,” Batman replied, his voice grim. “She used mind control to manipulate Miss Frizzle, Miss Pennyworth, Arthur Fleck, and their students into committing a series of crimes. It’s a long story.”

Gordon shook his head in disbelief. “Well, whatever happened, it’s over now. We’ll take everyone into custody. And I think a long stay at Arkham Asylum is in order for most of them.”As the police led Catwoman, Miss Frizzle, Miss Pennyworth, Arthur, and the class away, Batman stood amidst the wreckage, his cape silhouetted against the flashing lights. He had saved the day, but he knew that Gotham would never truly be safe. There would always be villains lurking in the shadows, waiting to exploit the city’s vulnerabilities. And he would always be there to stop them.