The wind smacks relentlessly against her pretty, yet determined face. Her curly red hair dances haphazardly while her purple and yellow cape whips furiously behind her. The velocity of her motorcycle increases with no apparent limit in sight. 70 miles per hour ... 80 ... 90. "This is getting far too risky!" a nervous Batgirl thinks to herself as her speedometer soars past 100 mph. A stolen red Corvette leads the perilous chase on Interstate 27 outbound from Gotham City. Fortunately traffic is light at the pre-rush hour time of 3 P.M., but given the high speed of the chase, catastrophe grows ever probable.

As Batgirl contemplates the critical situation, recent events leading up to this moment cascade within her mind. Several minutes earlier, she and the Batman responded to a police emergency from Kane Savings and Loan. This is the fifth bank heist perpetrated by the "Hit and Run Club" in the past month and each crime has escalated in violence. Several innocent citizens and one patrolman were injured in the last one. Today, the criminals have resorted to murder. Two security guards were killed and several patrons seriously injured.

There are four male members of the nefarious 'Hit and Run Club". For the first time, their teamwork has been shattered. One of the bandits was shot attempting to escape. He and a partner are trapped in the bank and have taken captives. The other two grabbed an elderly gentleman as a hostage and reached their getaway car with the loot. Batman and Batgirl arrived at the bank from opposite directions as the thugs were escaping. The Darknight Detective instructed Batgirl to pursue the fleeing car while he handles the crisis inside the bank.

Bullets whiz by the speeding crime fighter as the desperate crooks begin firing wildly out the windows. Barbara Gordon faces a great quandary. Continuing the chase puts herself and innocent bystanders at risk, but she is certain that the old man will be killed if she backs off. The heroine feels she has no recourse but to employ the tire disabling weapon in her ingenious Batgirl-cycle. She hesitates to do so, because the device is only meant to be used early in a pursuit to prevent the suspect from attaining top speeds.

The daring heroine zeroes in on her target while maintaining her breakneck pace. She fires two rounds which strike the left and right rear wheels respectively. The pellets imbed themselves in the tires and immediately begin to decompose the rubber from the inside out. The inner tube ruptures first, causing rapid loss of air in both rear tires. The Corvette slows as it loses traction and maneuverability. Batgirl darts into the outside lane to gain a better angle at the front of the getaway vehicle. She fires a third shot which deftly takes out the left front tire. The crazed driver momentarily attempts to continue the escape, but soon recognizes the futility and pulls the auto over to the roadside.

Batgirl gravely fears for the hostage's life. She skids her motorcycle to a stop directly behind the car. The heroine leaps off her bike and acrobatically dives feet first directly through the back windshield of the Corvette. Her double-footed kick clobbers the gunman holding the elderly man. The panic stricken driver flees on foot. He has both a gun and a fifty yard head start. Undeterred, Batgirl sprints after the cowardly killer. She courageously and skillfully avoids his frantic gunshots and routinely subdues the thug.

Having bound her two prisoners, Batgirl once again checks on the condition of the senior citizen. The tall, heavyset man stands outside the car, but seems unsteady on his feet. The heroine gently takes his hand and wraps her right arm around his hips to support his weight. As she eases him towards the car, he innocently slips his hand behind her back. To her astonishment, he unhooks and swipes her utility belt while simultaneously shoving her to the ground! Grinning mischievously, he whips a small grenade out of his coat pocket and hurls it directly at her motorcycle. The explosion is deafening. Barbara's prized Batgirl-Cycle is totaled and the Corvette is heavily damaged.

A disbelieving Batgirl looks on as the "old" man removes a fake mustache, sideburns and wig, thus revealing a much younger, powerful individual. "Phranyx, I presume?" the heroine queries in disgust and amazement. "Very good my dear!" the villain lauds. "Since you know of me, we can dispense with tedious introductions and get right down to business!"

Phranyx charges the incredulous heroine. She promptly stops his forward momentum with a sharp right-footed kick to the sternum. Reeling, the villain appears vulnerable to yet another kick but he recovers with a swiftness unanticipated by the crime-fighter. He catches her right leg before the blow connects and pulls her off her feet. Batgirl lands violently hard on the highway pavement. Her upper back and shoulder blades take the initial brunt of the fall, followed by the back of her head.

Barbara Gordon is accustomed to pain, for it comes with the territory. The normal person would, at minimum, be temporarily incapacitated after such a punishing impact. In her case, she instinctively rises to her feet in self-defense, assessing her injury status in the process. Judging from prior experiences, she is very lucky. She retains her full range of motion. Her headache suggests a mild concussion, but there seem to be no broken bones.

The callous rogue shows no mercy as he presses his advantage. He snags the heroine's cape as she attempts to elude his advances and clear her head. Her 125 pound frame is yanked back towards her attacker. Not content upon merely grabbing firm hold of the Gothamite, Phranyx delivers a vicious left forearm to the jaw. Batgirl drops to the roadway, blood spurting from her nose and mouth.

Despite her pain and growing predicament, Babs Gordon continues to fight. Surrender is not an option. Throughout this brief skirmish, she has analyzed her assailant's strategies in the hope of uncovering weaknesses. It is very significant that Phranyx made it a point to eliminate her motorcycle and utility belt at the outset. Evidently, the villain considers her devices to be the principal facet of her crime fighting; without these assets at her ready, he presumes superiority over her. Phranyx has astounded her with his cunning and quickness; she must now surprise him with her strength and toughness.

The vile criminal is convinced that he has defeated his quarry. Before carting off his first celebrated trophy, however, his ego requires that he further embarrass the gallant female. In front of an ever increasing throng of motorists and onlookers, he applies a choke-hold around the neck and shoulders of the prone heroine. His fingers slide underneath her dark mask and he begins to remove her cowl. In noble defeat, she will not even be granted the dignity of preserving her true identity.

Opportunistic novice photographers anticipate the historic unveiling of Batgirl. With her precious mask partially doffed, the heroine retaliates with an elbow to the belly. She springs upright and whirls to face her startled foe. Her cowl is awkwardly positioned such that the eye slits are too high for her to see directly ahead. Partially blinded yet undaunted, she attacks with formidable passion. Batgirl unleashes a furious barrage of punches, each one landing with brutal precision. Phranyx withstands the initial flurry but the heroine never allows him an opportunity to recover. After a dozen potent blows, the villain collapses at the very feet of an opponent half his weight.

The roadside gathering roars its approval at having witnessed the hometown heroine's triumph. Batgirl ignores the well-deserved plaudits. She recovers her utility belt and secures titanium steel handcuffs about the wrists of Phranyx. The Batman pulls up in the Batmobile after having successfully handled the situation at the bank. He is astonished to discover that his colleague has not only corralled the bank robbers, but also the notorious Phranyx. The villain is not about to be taken into custody however. As he had done during his failed encounter with Black Canary, he invokes a remote teleportation device which whisks him away in a matter of seconds.