CHAPTER XI
Batman dodged a sword stroke, leaped away from the closest attacker, and slammed a hard right cross into the chin of another. Too many to fight, he thought as he backed towards the shadows. He would need to find a way to retreat and regroup.
Suddenly, the situation changed as an eerie laugh filled the room. The swordsmen froze at the sound and even the implacable Fu Manchu looked quickly around the room in evident surprise.
The laugh filled the room. It seemed to come from every direction at once, reverberating along the walls. To each of the swordsmen, it felt as if the laugh actually pierced physically into them and scraped like sandpaper up and down their spines.
Then, after what seemed like an eternity but was only a few seconds, the laugh died away. "The weed of crime bears bitter fruit!" came the voice of the Shadow. "It was one of your minions who fell into your trap, evil one. The Shadow still lives. And while he lives, evil will die!"
A pair of .45 automatics began to bark, sending a hail of bullets into the swordsmen. Batman reacted without hesitation to the new situation, charging towards Fu Manchu.
The evil warlord pressed a button on his chair arm. A cloud of thick smoke bellowed up around him. Holding his breath, Batman dived into the smoke without hesitation.
But he found the chair empty. Fu Manchu had vanished.
MEANWHILE:
In a secret laboratory far below the warehouse's ground floor, Tarzan continued to pull at a particular link in the chain that held him. The chain was attached at one end to a metal band locked around his waist-and the other end sunk into the wall. He and Talia had been here for nearly a day, each chained to the wall of the lab, about twenty feet away from each other. They had been picked up unconscious from the wreckage of the zeppelin by a yacht filled with Fu Manchu's men. Apparently, the zeppelin had been about to rendezvous with the yacht just before Tarzan's escape attempt had caused it to crash.
Unfortunately, the container holding whatever had been stolen from the League of Assassins stronghold had also been recovered.
Tarzan had seen enough when they were brought here to know he was in New York City, but he had no idea of his location beyond that. He and Talia were unable to talk without being overheard by the several Oriental lab technicians who worked seemingly around the clock.
But Tarzan had noted that one link of the chain that held him was slightly rusted. Working surreptitiously, he had been pulling at this link, stretching it out. He felt sure that it was ready to give. One more burst of strength would set him free.
In the meantime, a half-dozen technicians were working at the tables of chemical apparatus with increasing fervor. They had removed a thick, glowing liquid from the container and were combining samples of it with a number of other chemicals.
Tarzan and Talia watched as they worked. Animals kept in cages along the same wall, containing everything from rabbits to rats to snakes to one large cage next to Talia containing a 15-foot crocodile, also watched with almost human curiosity.
Just then, Fu Manchu himself came hurrying into the wall. Tarzan had only seen him once-the evil mastermind had inspected his prisoners upon their arrival, then simply said they would be dealt with later.
Fu Manchu called to his technicians, barking orders in Mandarin Chinese. One of the technicians seemed to try to argue, but the warlord cut him off with a few sharp words.
Another of the technicians removed the stopper from a flask of glowing liquid and handed it to his leader. Once again, the first technician seemed to raise some sort of objection, but was ignored. Fu Manhu raised it to his lips.
"Stop!" called out Talia in English. "The waters of the Lazarus Pit will kill you or drive you mad if not used properly."
Fu Manchu laughed. "Foolish woman! Do not underestimate the genius of Fu Manchu! Your father uses painful emersion in the Lazarus Pit to ensure immortality and sometimes even to return life to his body after it has fled. But I have modified the chemical makeup of the fluid. By combining it with the poison used by the madman called the Joker, it can now be ingested. Then I will have not just true unending immortality, but I will be the most powerful being on the planet. I will be immune to aging. Physical damage will heal instantly. And my very touch-nay, my very breath-will mean death to any who oppose me!" He pointed a long finger at Talia. "But I see no need to allow anyone who opposes me to witness my ascension into godhood." He barked an order in Chinese. One of the technicians walked to the crocodile cage and pressed a button on the wall. The side of the cage nearest Talia slid down and the crocodile immediately stalked out and moved towards her. It too was chained to the wall, but there was more than enough slack to allow it to reach the helpless girl.
Fu Manchu laughed and began to lift the flask to his lips...
