Accompanied by a white-jacketed doctor, the Terrific Trio walked the length of a hospital corridor. Dr. Wow listened as the heroes filled him in on what had transpired.

"It's absolutely crucial that the Riddler recover enough to be able to talk within the next 24 hours," said Batman.

"The world is on the brink of disaster, and he's the only one who can lead us to those submarines!" Robin added.

"We'll certainly do our best, Dynamic Duo!" the doctor assured them.

"And we need to keep his presence here quiet, doctor," said Batgirl. "If the word of the theft gets out to the press, it could cause a panic amongst the populace – as well as attract every crook in Gotham down here to get a word with the Riddler."

Elsewhere in the hospital, a police guard stood alone in a hallway. The Siren cautiously emerged from behind a corner and approached him. Spotting her, the guard warily put a hand to his sidearm. Suddenly, his world seemed to tip as the Siren let out her piercing cry at precisely two octaves above high C. After several long seconds, she let the note die.

"I want you to rush down to the end of the street and wait there for further orders. Quickly!" she said.

Without a word, the guard obediently trotted off. The Siren looked around to make sure she was alone, then pushed open the door that the guard had vacated. She padded across the floor to a bed where the Riddler lay convalescing.

"Riddler," she whispered. The Riddler was silent.

Nudging him, she said more insistently, "Riddler! I need the coordinates of where you abandoned the submarines. Quickly, before the guards send replacements!"

"Whu?" he responded in confusion.

"It's the Siren! Do you remember the submarines' location?"

"Sub..mu..."

"The submarines! Try to remember!"

The Riddler tried to focus on her words. "Yes."

"Where are they?"

"W-who has the tune…that we'd both like to croon….and o-obtained this bonanza…through religious extravaganza?"

The Siren stared at him in astonishment. "What?!"

"N-name the place with the unchanging name….although it's namesake's name might not stay the same."

She grabbed his shirtfront and started shaking him furiously. "You-listen-here-you-sorry-excuse-for-a-partner!-You-can-be-addle-brained-for-the-rest-of-your-miserable-life-but-first-you're-going-to-tell-me-where-those-subs-are!!"

The Riddler gasped as his head jerked back and forth. "'Kay! Okay! Sub..."

"Yes?" she said, releasing him.

"Sub...pose we have isolation such that..."

"Aaagh!" she screamed. "We don't have time for that!!" She punctuated her remarks with a slap to the face.

From the hallway came the voice of Doctor Wow. "...and possibly some broken ribs. Of course, we won't know the full extent of the damage until we're able to run a complete battery of tests." The Siren froze while the Riddler continued to mumble.

The next voice was Batman's. "When will that be, Doctor?"

"At this point, we're just waiting to determine the Riddler's insurance status."

The voices were getting louder. The Siren crept over to the door. She opened her mouth and took in a deep preparatory breath.

"The key to the continuation of life as we know it rests in your hands and you're not going to act until you get confirmation of his insurance?!" said an incredulous feminine voice.

"Batgirl! Blast it all!" the Siren muttered to herself. "I'll have to try later." She headed for the window.

"Where's the guard that was stationed here?" asked Batman as he reached the door.

The three crimefighters entered the room, followed by the physician. Batgirl immediately noticed that the window was open and rushed over to it. Batman sniffed at the air.

"That enchanting fragrance. Someone was here just moments ago."

"Well, whoever it was is gone now," Batgirl replied as she looked out the window.

"Hey, look!" said Robin. "The Riddler's saying something!"

They anxiously crowded around the Riddler. "Isolation, such isolation," he mumbled as he drifted back into incoherence.

"Riddler! We want to help you," insisted Batman.

Doctor Wow shined a small light into the Riddler's eyes. "I'm afraid he's unconscious again, Batman. You won't be able to question him for quite some time."

Minutes later, the four emerged dejectedly from the entrance of the hospital. Per some hasty instructions, a number of guards – two of them female – now watched the main doors. Spying a reporter headed in their direction, the heroes quickly turned and headed for their vehicles.

It was radio celebrity Barry Brown. "Well, well, well, the 'Terrific Trio'," he said, tagging along behind. "Mind telling me what's going on in there that's so important, Batman?"

"We were just checking up on a crime victim, but everything is okay," Batman replied, without slowing his pace.

"What's this victim's name? Strange that the Gotham Naval Base has been on alert going on four days and this is the most important thing you three have to do."

"The Navy is handling that situation and we have full confidence in them," Batgirl said, choosing her words carefully.

"What kind of a rube do you take me for?" said Brown. "There're guards at every entrance to the hospital. Why don't you wise up and spill the beans? I promise I'll go easy on you for whatever screw-ups were made. There might even be a little cash in it for ya."

"Why, that smarmy..." Robin muttered under his breath. Doctor Wow motioned to a guard, who stepped over to block Brown from following them.

"Don't worry about me," he called out after the foursome. "I've got plenty of sources I can check besides you 'heroes'."

Just before ducking into the Batmobile, Robin took a quick look around the hospital parking lot. A number of dirty vehicles were circling slowly around the lot, with their drivers slunk low in their seats.

Doctor Wow leaned in close to them so that he wouldn't be overheard. "I hate to say it, but we'll have a better chance of hushing this news up if you three stay away from the hospital, at least until the Riddler is lucid again. You attract too much attention for my staff to get anything done."

Batman nodded reluctantly. "You're right, of course, doctor."

Wow waved a chart reassuringly. "Don't worry. I've got a full team of doctors ready to work on the Riddler round the clock."

"As soon as you get the okay from his insurance company," Batgirl said in a low but clearly annoyed tone.

"Don't worry," Wow nervously assured her. "That's just one of those pesky business necessities. We'll take care of him." The end of his statement was drowned out by the sound of Batgirl kickstarting her cycle.