Back at Wayne Manor, the police had managed to gather up all of the parachuting canisters. Inside each canister, they found separate riddles typed out on 3X5 cards. The puzzled officers were joined by Batman and Robin, who came racing through the front doors.
"The Dynamic Duo! Thank heavens!" exclaimed Gordon. He signaled Aunt Harriet to proceed with the clock ceremony. As she once again began introducing the first speaker to the crowd, the television cameras swung back toward the speaker's dais.
Satisfying himself that the canisters themselves were of no significance, Batman turned his attention to the cards Gordon clutched in his hand. "What does the first riddle say, Commissioner?"
Gordon read from the top card. "'What is invisible, but never out of sight?'"
The four stood huddled together, their heads lowered in concentration.
"Wait a minute!" said Robin. "What is in 'visible', but never out of 'sight'?"
"The letter 'I'?" asked O'Hara.
"Good! Next riddle!" said Batman.
"'How many peas are in a pint?'"
"I know!" said Robin. "There's one 'P' in 'Pint'!"
"Excellent! The third..."
"'What do you have to add to 9 to make it 6?'"
Another long pause. This time the lowered heads were accompanied by tightly-shut eyes and thumbs of fists thumping against foreheads.
Batman snapped his fingers. "Of course - 'S'! The Roman numeral for nine is 'IX'. Add an 'S' in front and you have 'SIX'!"
"I sense a trend in these answers," said the Commissioner. "'Which letter is caused by shushing a number'?"
"H!" said Robin. "Eight-shh."
"'Which letters are the most provocative?'"
"The 'T's!" said Batman.
O'Hara looked confused. "'The tease'?"
"Precisely."
Gordon flipped over another card. "Next is 'what three letters make a man of a boy?'"
"M-A-N!" blurted O'Hara.
Batman held up a knowing finger. "Your spelling is impeccable, as always, Chief, but I believe the correct answer is A-G-E - 'age'."
Gordon continued. "And the final riddle..."
He was interrupted by the sounds of screaming coming from the dais.
"Greetings, Yankee dogs."
Batman turned to see Doctor Daka, who had just taken the place of Aunt Harriet at the podium.
"Oh, no!" exclaimed Robin. "Not now, of all times!"
Daka smiled patronizingly at the frightened audience. "Please excuse me for a moment while I have a word with my associates." He produced his zombie microphone and muttered into it. "Members of the American press: your moment of destiny has arrived. The League of the New Order calls you to service."
As the Caped Crusaders watched in stunned silence, hats across the room bearing the familiar "Press" banner in the hatband were simultaneously removed…to reveal numerous male heads adorned with metallic zombie headpieces. Within seconds, a half dozen reporters and similarly crowned cameramen were standing in rigid attention before their inscrutable overlord.
Daka licked his lips in anticipation, then delivered a fateful order into his microphone. "Now, my loyal zombies...destroy the assembled members of America's law enforcement apparatus!"
Dropping their notebooks and cameras, the zombified journalists converged slowly on the Dynamic Duo. The cornered defenders of decency could only put up their fists and await their plodding attackers.
"Batman! Look out!" cried Robin.
Batman ducked under a punch and answered it with a roundhouse right of his own.
WHACK!
Robin dodged a chair, which split into kindling as it collided against the wall. Robin leaped forward, delivering a kick to his attacker's nose.
ZOCK!
Seeing the zombie stagger, the Teen Wonder waded in with a combination of lefts and rights, ending with an uppercut that sent the man sailing over the back of a couch.
ZOWIE!
Chief O'Hara turned to see one of his lieutenants being gripped in a vicious bear hug by a reporter. O'Hara pulled his pistol, only to be conked on the head from behind by yet another zombie. As O'Hara shook his head, attempting to clear the cobwebs, his attacker picked up his fallen firearm.
The battle royale continued to rage, spilling over into the foyer of Wayne Manor. Batman rushed to the aid of an officer under attack by a large cameraman. A sock on the jaw got the zombie's attention, but not before he succeeded in ripping the holster from the policeman's belt. Shoving aside the cop, the zombie advanced on Batman.
Thinking quickly, the caped crusader seized one of the suits of armour beside the front door, and toppled it onto the lumbering giant.
KLASH!
As Batman turned to battle another zombie, the hulking brute slowly shrugged off the armour and lumbered to his feet.
Robin jumped over one charging attacker to find himself heading straight for Barry Brown.
Brown spoke quickly. "Wait, I'm not a zom-"
SMACK!
Although he found the punch immensely satisfying, Robin's jubilance was short-lived. He could see that at least three of the zombies were now in the possession of police firearms. Zig-zagging to avoid their sluggish aim, he backed into Batman.
"Batman! Our only hope now is to use the Bomb-a-rang!"
"No, Robin. Too many innocents would be harmed in these close quarters."
One of the women in the audience suddenly threw off her wig and shawl, revealing herself as Nurse Blondy Jo. She leaped onto the dais, brandishing a powerful device from the Dynamic Duo's past: Daka's radium gun.
"Hi, y'all! Everbody jest be real still now."
"If you wish to test my radium gun, you will find it is capable of shooting through walls," Daka warned the gaping audience. "I trust this brings our contest to an end?"
"For the time being, Daka," replied the Dark Knight. "Just don't hurt anyone."
"An attitude of fatalistic resignation may be appropriate in this instance. You officers will surrender your weapons." Daka then spoke into his microphone. "Zombies, collect the other police pistols."
O'Hara nodded to his men to do as they were told. Satisfied that order had been restored, Daka gestured at the doomsday clock behind him.
"I salute this ceremonial attempt to confess your city's culpability in the grave crisis facing our planet. And I am most willing to assist your efforts." He placed his prosthetic hand on the hour hand of the clock.
"Great Scott!" said Batman.
He watched as Daka changed the time from 11:53 to 11:59.
Daka faced the audience again. "I will give your corrupt government twelve hours to bring me five million dollars in currency. If my demand is not met, I will be forced to move the hands of your sacred clock to 12:00."
Horrified gasps swept across the room.
"Yes, ladies and gentlemen – 12:00 – nuclear midnight!"
Aunt Harriet turned pale and fainted.
"You wouldn't dare!" said Gordon, his face reddening with anger.
"Oh, wouldn't I?" Daka hissed, placing his prosthetic on the minute hand of the clock. Cries of "no, no" and "we believe you" hastily filled the air.
Batman stepped forward. "Daka, are you mad? Think of the little children watching this on television! Don't they deserve the chance to grow into adults?"
"So sad," replied Daka. "However, I am afraid the League of the New Order's progress will not be slowed by appeals of emotion."
"You must realize that we'll never let you get away with this."
Daka sighed. "I must admit, I expected as much. I suppose it is time to have you drilled full of bullets."
"And that will solve your problem? Do you really think the rest of these people will just sit here and watch you carry out your foul deed?"
"Let us find out. Who here wishes to die with the Caped Crusaders?"
Everyone in the room immediately edged three steps away from the Dynamic Duo.
"Well, this should make it very easy for my zombies to choose their targets," Daka said, raising his microphone. "Zombies, aim your weapons at Batman and Robin." Six different pistols were promptly trained on the Caped Crusaders.
"Holy Unpleasant and Quite Possibly Fatal Development!" gulped Robin.
