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I connected my comm to the cycle. "Oracle. I need a location for officers DuPont and Miller."
"Wait one, Batgirl. Their current location is 2525 Jefferson, six blocks northwest of you."
"Thanks."
I parked about half a block behind their parked car, and strode up. I looked in the open window, and asked them, "What's the deal? I gift-wrap Harley and Joker, and they're out a day later?"
Miller spilled her coffee in shock, with an "Aw …" DuPont said, "It ain't our fault, Batgirl. We had the paperwork checked by our sergeant and the L.T., but the DA says there were 'irregularities' and they were forced to let Joker go."
Miller added, "It's bad enough that we're a laughingstock, but at least Quinn is still locked up. God knows how long until he busts her out, though." She muttered, "I should go back to teaching."
"That won't happen." I told her. "She'll break him out, because she's a different kind of crazy than he is. He'll let her rot in there." I sighed, and added, "Time to track him down again."
"Batgirl, just a moment." Miller called. "Joker said he was going to be gunning for the 'psycho bat bitch'. Just a warning."
"Thanks. He's tried to kill me before. I hope I can catch him before he cuts down too many citizens." I pulled a fade, and vanished.
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I parked the bike in the Iceberg's lot, and stopped for a second. Putting on the catsuit was one thing, but I also had to 'wear' Catwoman's persona. The Batgirl persona was more comfortable to me, as Bruce, but the Catwoman identity was still familiar. I shook my head, then let Catwoman flow over me. I dismounted the bike, then strolled into the Iceberg as Catwoman. I smiled at Sly, and ran a claw-tip gently over Harvey's shoulder. "What's new?" I asked.
"Joker's celebrating his release." he told me. He shook his head, and added, "Jack claims that the DA's office had to let him go. We are of two minds of this. On the one, we regret seeing our former colleagues make this level of mistake. On the other, we applaud Jack's ability to work the system to his advantage." He took a gulp of his rum and Coke, looking up when Joker emerged from the washroom.
"Catty!" Joker called.
I winced and moved over to him. I wrapped my arms around him, and purred in his ear, "Didn't I ask you not to use that name?"
"Sorry, Catty, I forgot!" He let loose with a wild cackle, and I moved to straddle a chair next to him.
"So tell me!" I said. "I'll forgive you if you tell all … " I purred.
"After that stupid bitch Harley led the Bat-Bitch right to me? I'm going to enjoy teaching her a lesson!" Joker swore. He eyed me, and ran a purple-gloved hand along my jaw. "Hey, Catty, wanna be my sidekick?" he giggled.
"First of all, Jack, I'm no one's sidekick." I told him, running a claw along his neck, trailing a thin line of blood. "Secondly, the way you treat your women doesn't exactly endear me to you. Harley might get off on being your punching bag, but I don't. Third, which 'bitch' are you referring to, Harley or Batgirl?" I watched the blood slowly trickle down his pasty white neck.
"Both of em!" he chortled. "I don't know which one I'll make last longer. After all, I did wake up in the precinct in my boxers - not a scene that exactly strikes fear, wouldn't you say?" He nodded to himself. "I'll let Harley watch while I do the Bat-bitch, then I'll do her. After all, she was sitting next to me in her Maidenforms, but then, she probably enjoyed it!" He cackled again.
"So how'd you get out?" Riddler asked.
"I waited for them to take their bullet out of my leg. After all, why should *I* pay some quack to slice it out? After that, there seemed to be a problem with the paperwork at the DA's office. 'So sorry to bother you, Mr. Joker! Oh, please accept our apologies, Mr. Joker!' They gave me one of those absolutely horrid jumpsuits to wear, and I had them drop me off at the safe house that the Bat-Bitch grabbed me at. I needed some proper clothing, of course." He tossed back another Jack Daniels, banging the glass down next to the others. "That little bat-bitch even stole my car! Honestly, the criminal element in this city … " he giggled again.
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After changing back to Batgirl in a convenient McDonald's ladies' room, I plugged into the bike's comm system. "Oracle. Can you find out who at the DA's office squelched the Joker's arrest? I talked to the two arresting officers, and they claim they had their paperwork double-checked. I'd like to know who found the 'irregularities'. Also, is Harley still in lockup?"
"Harley's still there. I'll check and get back to you, boss-lady!"
'Boss lady?' I asked myself.
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I watched Joker stagger out of the Iceberg, and get into his purple car. I thumbed the bike's starter, and pursued.
"Oracle. Can you patch me through to officer Miller's cell phone?" I called.
"Sure. Wait one."
"This is Miller. Who's this?"
"Batgirl. Interested in a DUI bust of a certain clown?"
I waited a minute, then Miller came back with "Where are you, Batgirl?"
"I'm heading up Madison toward the Diamond district. Passing Bleeker. I'm four cars back of the clown. If you're interested, call for backup. He's got three safehouses that I know of in that district."
"Thanks, Batgirl. Give us a minute to get organized. Let us know if he turns off Madison."
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I watched as a police cruiser slid into traffic ahead of me. Suddenly, it's lights and siren activated, and cars started to pull over. Joker kept going, speeding up and trying to evade, turning a simple misdemeanor DUI arrest into a felony - not that he cared. Two other cruisers joined the chase, when, with a bang, the stop strips activated, puncturing Joker's tires. Six cops held guns on him as he was pulled from the car, searched, and cuffed. A sergeant supervised the arrest. I stopped, and watched from a few hundred feet away, then grinned to myself, and started the motorcycle. :: Not a bad way to start a weekend. :: I thought to myself, looking up at a clock, which read 1:33 am, Saturday, November first.
I watched as Joker was stuffed into a patrol car, two cops getting in next to him for additional security. "Oracle." I called. "I'm going to take a swing through the convention center area, then head down to the University district."
"You got it, boss-lady. Your partner from the other night is just checking in. Should she meet you somewhere?"
:: Sheila could use some more experience. :: I thought. "Sounds like a good idea. Have her head toward the University district. I'll meet her at the Student Union in an hour."
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The holiday party was still going strong. I intercepted a couple of muggings near a hotel, then headed deeper into the university campus. I slowly cruised my bike down a path in the park, not intentionally, but just because of the throng of students. Quite a few were also in costume, including a couple of Batgirls. I grinned, and headed toward Greek Row.
I stopped outside a sorority house. Several members were sitting on a bench outside. I heard a blonde say, "EEE! Is that … are you really Batgirl?"
A dark skinned Asian girl said, "You heard that she's back in town. Go on. Ask her."
The blonde took a sip of her drink, then said, "I've always wanted to know. What's Superman like? Is he as … delicious as they say?" She waggled her eyebrows, and the other girls on the bench giggled.
"He's an … okay looking guy, if you like big and beefy, but remember, he's married." I replied.
They groaned at that, but then the blonde asked, "What about the rest of the JLS?"
"JLA, you twit." a redhead said. "Forgive her, she's a blonde. She couldn't hack the math in Engineering, so she went into pre-law."
"So am I." Spoiler said, and the students jumped in surprise. She nodded to me, "Evening. I heard you bagged the Joker again."
"Let's hope Joker stays 'bagged'." I said. "It was a simple DUI bust, but then he added felonies by resisting." I glared at the students, and said, "Of course, all of you are of legal drinking age, being on a public sidewalk …" The plastic cups suddenly got poured into the lawn, and they all turned bright smiles on me. Spoiler snorted. "Anything that you think we should know about?"
"I don't understand torts …" the blonde whined. The redhead next to her rolled her eyes. Spoiler moved away a bit, and motioned to the blonde. They started to talk, and I made a card appear.
"If you see something that looks suspicious, give that number a call. Someone will check it out." I looked at the redhead, who was wearing a green Society of Women Engineers sweatshirt, and added, "If you think you can hack it and find us, think again. The finest crackers on the planet haven't been able to." I grinned, and thumbed the bike's starter. I added, "If you try, you'll have a Bat asking you why. He might not be as nice as I am. Spoiler?"
She kicked the bike into gear, then said, "After you, boss-lady."
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We stopped at a light, and I asked, "You need to work on your approaches, and since when are you a law student?"
She goosed the throttle, and replied, "Ever hear of continuing education, boss-lady? I'm not really lying, that way. By the way, I'll bet you five bucks that girl tries to hack that number."
"No bet." I grinned, and added, "I'll sure she'll be surprised by what happens when she tries."
### Chapter 28: Of Sororities and clowns
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