JannaKalderash: We'll see, won't we?

Esmeralda Smith: Oh, poo… I wish I'd thought about the Riddlesignal… There are a lot of comic books; I just can't seem to keep track of all the little things… Thanks, though. Maybe I can put it in another story, at some point.

SpyVsTailor: Jonathan Crane is either clearer than he's ever been or crazier than he's ever been. Yeah… that pretty much sums it up. :-p

Chapter 10

It was late afternoon by the time they arrived at the Gotham Zoo. The air was still and the silence was only permeated by the occasional animal cry. To Selina, it smelled like the perfect time to commit a crime. They hid themselves in an old lemur exhibit that was being renovated. Edward and Jonathan immediately set to making a series of small explosives, while Selina sat in a tree and played lookout.

"Eddie?" She asked from above, after an hour or so of her watchcat role.

"Yes, Socks?" He replied looking up at the tree. Selina rolled her eyes in annoyance. "We're not going to hurt any of the animals, are we?"

Edward snorted "And have my ass kicked by the militant, costumed, feline branch of PETA? I think not."

Selina laugh shook the branch she was sitting on. "I don't know, Ed. You get beaten so often, I'm starting to think you enjoy it."

"It does make perfect sense." Jonathan chimed in.

Edward made a face. "I didn't ask you."

They sat in silence for a bit longer. It was beginning to get dark, and Selina studied the zookeepers going about their nightly routines. Feed for the animals, exhibit maintenance, veterinary rounds, and so forth. Eventually, one by one, they all left.

"How are we looking up there?" Jonathan asked

Selina adjusted her goggles and replied. "Two night guards. Each driving his own, personal golf cart. Should be pretty easy to take out." She climbed down from her tree. Edward looked at the two of them. "Shall we?"

They exited the lemur exhibit.

First Selina swung her way through the trees to take out the far guard. She took him out with one well-aimed swing into the golf cart. She tied him up, divested him of his flashlight and walkie-talkie, and drove his unconscious form back to the lemur enclosure, where she left him.

Next, Edward and Jonathan threw a fear toxin grenade in front of the other oncoming golf cart. Pulling gas masks into place, they leapt out of the darkness and tackled the terrified man. They also tied him up, collected walkie and flashlight, and left the man in the lemur exhibit. Before they executed phase two of the plan, Edward fiddled with the walkie-talkies so that they now picked up radio signals like a primitive police scanner. Selina had to admire him. He really was a technological wizard.

Phase two: Edward picked the locks on every single enclosure he came across, while Selina used a series of whistles, and an odd amount of baby-talk to coax animals out of their cages. By the second-to-last exhibit, every animal, from meerkat to giraffe had run straight out of the park. Most headed for downtown Gotham, while a rhino and a polar bear made an odd spectacle of themselves in a nearby suburban neighborhood.

Meanwhile, Jonathan planted bombs in every single vacated habitat.

Selina and Edward reached the last exhibit: the home of Eloise the Elephant. Selina couldn't help but grin at the sight of the mammoth creature. "You know, I have never seen an elephant up close before." Edward beamed at her. "You're in for a treat then, Muffin." He picked the lock, and opened the gate, giving a little bow-like gesture to invite her inside. He leaned against the doorway and watched with a grin as she cautiously approached Eloise.

Selina held one hand out and slowly touched a hand to Eloise's trunk. She laughed softly as the animal reached up and caressed her face with her trunk… and then took her goggles, right off of her head. Selina laughed outright. "Clever girl! Come on, clever girl!" She clapped both hands together and made kissy noises. She began to move away. Curiously, the elephant followed. If Selina got too far away, Eloise would stop, fearful of leaving the enclosure alone.

Selina had an idea. She quickly scaled a nearby tree, and jumped, lightly landing on Eloise's back. Eloise, startled, tried to shake Selina off. Edward jumped from his position against the doorframe, and ran, hands outstretched, prepared to catch his feline partner. Selina managed to hang on, while making soothing noises and stroking Eloise's head and large ears. Eloise calmed down, as she got used to having someone riding on her back. Selina lightly squeezed the sides of the elephant, as though riding a horse, and made a light clucking sound. Eloise got the hint and began to move through the gate.

Edward clutched his chest, his heart still racing. "Next time you decide to ride a wild animal through the zoo, tell me first! Geeze!" Selina gave him a grin worthy of the Cheshire Cat. "Come on, Eddums. Let's get this little lady to her new home."

Jonathan joined them at the zoo entrance. "All the bombs are planted, and ready for detonation." He held up the remote trigger. "Welcome to chaos, Gotham. Incidentally, what clues did you leave?"

Edward smirked. "None. First time in my life. We'll let the Bat be really confused for a while. I want him tracking the elephant, not the Riddler. Thank God for these meds." He tapped his right temple.

Three miles from the zoo, with Eloise safely in the truck that Edward had stolen just for the occasion, Jonathan detonated the bombs. Gotham police, which had already had its hands full trying to deal with the animals that were running rampant through the city out of the blue, now had full reports coming in of the explosions in the zoo.

Batman, Robin, and Batgirl all picked the information up from police scanners.

The game was afoot.