Chapter 12:

Cat At Play

Isis found herself thinking about the cat statue she had found earlier all the rest of the day. It was getting late. Every moment it had rushed through her mind. It was going to be hers…

"What do you think Felix?" Isis scratched the soft cat behind the ears. Felix replied as always with a soft meow.

"It is a nice statue," Isis thought a second. This was the first time she'd every really thought of stealing something so valuable, "I mean, the museum has plenty of other treasures. Minus one won't hurt a thing…"

Isis took a glance at her Catwoman costumes. The urges were rising higher. She reached for the outfit mischievously and then pulled back, "Ah what the hell!" Isis grabbed the suit and began her transformation.

Once Isis had the Catwoman suit on she stretched out catlike to adjust in her costume, "For some reason this costume is incredibly comfortable," she clawed the air drawing out razor-sharp claws. She released a satisfied moan.

She tiptoed to the still broken window. Isis hadn't gotten around to fixing it and she wasn't planning to. Isis jumped a little hearing the slightest creek in the floor. She hid under her bed in fear that someone would enter the room and blow her disguise. The door knob slowly turned. Isis began getting more nervous by the second. The door opened and the light from the outer hall spilled through the doorway. A voice followed, "Don't worry Catwoman," the voice whispered. Isis dared to wonder who it was the new her alternative name, "It's me; Maven."

Isis' heart pace lowered. The old woman spoke again, "Your Grandmother always trusted me with her deepest secrets," she haltered as if in thought, "It's always nice to have a friend you can tell everything."

Isis slowly creped out from under the bed, realizing that Maven knew everything. But Isis didn't know how to respond. Did Maven approve of this?

"You're the spitting image of Selina," Maven shrugged, "A bit younger of course, but it's almost uncanny."

Isis was a tad jittery, "I…uh…um…well," she managed to utter.

"Don't worry dear. I know exactly what you're up to," Isis fretfully scratched the back of her neck. She thought she was in trouble, "You've got work to do?" Isis was shocked. She didn't expect Mavis to react so diligently, "Come; where's the exciting adventure going to be tonight?" Maven asked with wonderment in her voice.

Isis was still in shock, "Uh. Well. Gotham Museum I guess…"

"Oh it's just like old times," Maven looked intensely on Isis, "Well you should get to going. If you wait to late, you'll be too tired to fight Batman."

Isis was puzzled, "What…?" but Maven exited the Cat Lair before she could her Isis say anything else. Isis' mind strayed back to the statue. She shrugged off the confusion to keep her eye on the prize, "Well Felix, Momma's got some business to attend to," she stoked to cat's silky fur, "I think you should stay home tonight, love," Felix's purr rang through the room.

Isis came back to the broken glass once more. She let out a soft meow and jumped out onto the ledge becoming more excited as she flipped from building to building. Tonight she would collect her well deserved prize.

At the museum once again; it was now darkened and abandoned. Isis plotted out her clever plan. Catwoman climbed to the roof of the museum building. The sunroof window was her best chance for a clean entrance.

She extended her large catlike claws. To assure their sharpness, Catwoman tapped the claw with her index finger. A slight wince of pain amerced from her mouth. Sharp enough to cut glass. The screech of nails against a chalkboard rang as she cut a circular piece out of the glass. She reached in through the hole and unlatched the window, "Grrreat," she purred as she successfully snuck in the window and landed softly onto the hard floor below.

Catwoman tiptoed through the Egyptian exhibit sneaking behind relic to relic to evade the security camera's view. Behind every relic she came more close to the cat statue.

Behold. The statue stood before her. Catwoman was once again entranced. She wanted to free the jeweled cat from its glass prison. She stepped over the velvet rope not knowing of the security lasers she had walked over. It was time to use the heavy artillery once more. She drew out her claws and began the cutting process.

Out popped the circular glass section. Catwoman reached in the case to rescue her beloved treasure. As she touched the relic she felt the triumph rush through her vain, "What a purrfect first steal," she whispered.

She stepped backwards into one of the lasers beneath. The security bell rang loud above her and red lights filled the once unlit room. Catwoman latched the jeweled cat to a belt on her hips and flipped the hell out of there.

She found herself back under the sunroof window she had opened before. Her whip reached for a something to latch onto above. It grabbed a pole on the roof and Catwoman scurried up the whip. She was in the free. She unlatched her whip from the pole and jump-roped off. Until a familiar looking bat signal caught her glance. Catwoman became a bit fearful at this moment.

From the foggy sky beyond Catwoman could discern a batlike figure, "Shit," she mumbled. She ran to the edge of the museum roof and hopped to the next building, perfectly balanced on the edge of brick. She tiptoed across hoping that the bat would not catch up with her pace. But unfortunately as she concentrated the ground below, Batman landed before her. She looked up in surprise. His remark was cocky, "Ah, ah, ah, that wasn't a good idea."

She glanced at the relic attached to her hip and then back up to Batman and glared in a cunning manner. She playfully hissed and snapped her whip at him. Batman sucked back as the whip came an inch from his face, "Would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for those kids and their meddling pup," she sassed.

"So then I guess it's time for the unmasking," Batman reminded.

Catwoman shook her head, "Uh, uh Mr. Batman; that doesn't happen until the third date."

She did a backward flip across the building's edge and then darted down the side of the building. As Batman searched over the edge for his villainous prey Catwoman had snuck up behind him wrapping her whip around him, "So, how long have you been in this business?" was her boastful question.

Struggling he replied, "I should…asked you…the same," he swung his leg around knocking Catwoman to the ground and freeing himself of the whip's clutch.

"Oh Batman, I didn't know you were into seeing girls in pain," she teased. From on the ground Catwoman kicked the back of Batman's knees and knocked him down to her level. She crawled on top of his chest, "Rrweow…" she had Batman pinned, "you're cute."

Batman was still awaiting Catwoman's next move. She stroked her hand down the side of his face to his chest, "Maybe someday we will get to "unmask" each other, but for now…" She raised her hand above him ready to come down and scratch him across the face.

Batman released his arm from Catwoman's hold and grabbed her hand before she could deliver her blow. He threw her off of him and Catwoman flipped to her feet. She kicked Batman in the chest. Regaining his balance, Batman back handed her causing her to fall back, catching part of the roof to stop her fall.

Her eyes narrowed, "Grrrr…" Catwoman turned around to jump to the next building; Batman not far behind. She whipped around and kicking him across the face. This distracted Batman for a minor second as Catwoman jumped onto the ledge of the building and tiptoed to the next.

Batman flew into the air and swooped down in front of her, "Looks like I've got a stalker," she ragged.

"Maybe…" Batman played back. He threw a punch at Catwoman, which she dodged. And she came back at him with a full on scratch across the chest. This gave her a little electric shock from the suit's machinery, but hurt Batman even more. He let out a wince of pain.

The sound of danger rang through the streets; clown laughter. The rev of engines became more hearable. Catwoman was the first to notice this. Distracted, she looked down to the road. Batman soon became interested to. He turned around to see the Jokerz reeking havoc and vandalizing through the streets.

While Batman was distracted, Catwoman used this time to get away. She silently ran off. Batman turned around and realized the cat had made her escape leaving him there to tend to the Jokerz. With slight displeasure Batman spoke, "Damn…she got away," as if he were starting to enjoy this fight with the lovely cat.

Isis found herself in her bed; Felix next there her. She sat up in her bed and stretched. Peering next to her she saw the jeweled cat statue. She smiled a slyly at Batman's defeat, "Well Felix. Looks like this Batman character isn't as tough as he seems," Felix rubbed across her arm.

There was a knock at the door. Isis went to go answer it. At the door was Maven smiling with a new paper at hand, "Great job for your first time," she congratulated. Maven threw the paper at Isis.

She looked down at the paper and read the headline aloud, "Catwoman reborn?" she read further to the subtitle, "Cat villain strikes back," she looked at the featured picture. It should her glass cutting workmanship. She read on, "Batman fails to catch another. Who could this clever villainess be?"

Isis' only reply to this paper was, "Oh cool. I'm in the paper…" she ripped out the article and put it in the box with all of her grandma's papers.

A mysterious man looks at this morning's paper, "So, Ms. Kyle did have a granddaughter," he moved from his spot to another, "Maybe I'll get what I can out of her first…" he closed the paper and continued with other affairs.