Chapter 17

by Carycomic

HONGKEW DISTRICT, SHANGHAI, CHINA (1930)

They met in a sub-basement of the Golden Scorpion Casino. A gambling establishment owned by a local branch of the Yakuza. There, Vandal Savage explained what was being done (under Dr. Kobura's personal supervision) to the two Caucasian captives that had been smuggled all the way from British Honduras.

"The doctor at the left-hand table- -Yen Sin- - has shaved off Hugo Danner's beard in order to insert acupuncture needles into the latter's follicles. Since there are, of course, few other points on his body where the man is vulnerable, and each of those needles is drug-tipped with Dr. Kobura's catalepsy-inducing concoction. Whereas, at the right-hand table, Dr. Wu Fang has used that same technique on my son's shaven scalp. By this means, they will be absolutely motionless while they are made to inhale the fumes from opium-scented candles. Thereby rendering them susceptible to more narco-hypnotic substances."

Talia looked at him with amazed admiration. "I am surprised that you would permit your own son to be subjected to this."

"Well," he replied. "Like your father, I've spent more years than I care to enumerate laying the foundation for a new world order. One I had hoped to be administered by loyal blood relatives. Alas! When it came to my grandson's versatile training, his father did his job, _too_ well. It is now obvious to me that, should I divulge my ultimate plans to him, Clark Junior would be unalterably opposed to them. Thus, when my spies learned that you were pursuing Clark Senior, because of your father's plans for him, I decided to intervene directly, as his little scheme just happens to dove-tail with one of my own!"

"Indeed," said Talia, with a seductive smile. "May I request the privilege of knowing what that scheme might be?"

Her new associate grinned, lasciviously. "My dear Talia; after the long days- -and nights- -we spent 'negotiating,' en route here, you have more-than-earned that privilege."

KNICKERBOCKER NATIONAL FOREST NEAR GOTHAM CITY (JUNE 27, 2001)

The Dark Knight had anticipated that, despite the stealth engine and the on-board radar jammer, the BATV might still be picked up by seismographic sensors and proximity motion detectors. So, when they first came in within sight of Tower One, he slowed down just enough that he could jump off on to the dirt road while Batgirl simultaneously climbed into the driver's seat to take over the steering wheel.

Five minutes later, he was on the balcony of the watch tower, listening to the faux-forest ranger within contacting someone by radio.

"Bogey is heading straight towards the main gate. ETA, at the rate it's going: two minutes. Over."

"Roger that, Tower One. We have the bogey on thermal imaging now. We'll take it from here. Ops Center, out."

The faux-forest ranger had no sooner turned off his radio then he felt a tap on his right shoulder. Naturally, he gasped! Swiftly turning one hundred eighty degrees clockwise while simultaneously going for his nine-millimeter Beretta. But, in the time it took him to do all that, a left hook collided with his lower jaw! Sending him crashing to the floor, suitably stunned. Long enough, at least, for the Batman to stoop down and spray him, right in the face, with the contents of a small canister held in his right hand.

An atomized custom-mixture of sodium pentothal and DMSO, to be exact.

"I have some questions, soldier. And you're going to answer them for me."

Meanwhile, in the underground hibernation facility, Data had been conducting tricorder scans of the five figures before him. Initially motivated by the desire to show Wesley's mother, Dr. Beverly Crusher, the surprisingly sophisticated techniques being used in 'primitive cryostasis'. But, that intention changed when he replayed the scans before his very optic units.

"Captain Picard!" he muttered, urgently.

"What is it now, Data? We have no time for further digressions."

"That maybe truer than you know, sir."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look for yourself, sir."

Data reran the images one more time. Which prompted the normally unflappable captain to exclaim: "Oh, My God."

For within each one of the five frozen men, there was some kind of organism just below the epidermis of their chests.

PLANET COR CAROLI V

(25 MARCH, 2366)

Beverly Crusher kept her face as impassive as possible as she conversed with her Earth-side colleague, who had been her temporary replacement aboard Enterprise-C the year before, via scrambled transmission.

"The eggs were membranous. More like the bell of a jellyfish than anything laid by a bird or reptile! And each egg contained a pseudo-molluscan organism that evidently had only one function. To serve as the vector for a pseudo-planarian organism that would ultimately burst out of some upper body region. Eventually molting into an adult form. Insectile in appearance. But, with an exo-skeleton made of polarized silicon rather than chitin!"

"How did these things get to the planet in the first place?" asked Dr. Katherine Pulaski.

"We don't know. All we have been able to ascertain is that several of the phyrox- -including the alpha female- -were infected by the Phase I form. The pseudo-molluscan vectors. We had no choice but to euthanize the whole herd after disintegrating the Phase III forms."

Kate asked the logical next question. "Could these things have been some kind of offshoot of those hive-minded parasites that nearly took over Starfleet, last year?"

Beverly shook her head. "I doubt it. I spent everyone of those twelve months autopsying the former host bodies. None of them exhibited the hyper-corrosive acid these things used for blood. In fact, that substance is closer in potency to what the Horta of Janus VI secrete when burrowing through solid rock!"

"Well, be that as it may, Admiral Satie has classified this 'phyrox plague' top-secret. And I can't honestly say I disagree with her decision."

"Same here. Oops! Looks like were about to leave orbit. I'll confer with you again, ASAP. Crusher out."

KNICKERBOCKER NATIONAL FOREST (JUNE 27, 2001)

"Ninety seconds to the main gate, Robin," said Batgirl via her two-way "earwig."

"Roger that," he replied. "Disengaging tow ropes in five-four-three-two-one. Now!"

With that, the black nylon ropes that had been helping them stay aloft, for the past three minutes (after the remote-controlled BATV had gained enough speed for their take-off), dropped down to the ground. Dragged along through the dirt by the windlass attached to the tail end of the all-terrain six-wheeler. That is; till one of the armed guards at the main gate fired a LAW rocket at the approaching vehicle.

The infra-red goggles, worn by his spotter, easily allowing him to get a bead on the BATV!

With a suitably loud 'ba-da-boom', the remote-controlled vehicle went somersaulting three or four times in a row before finally settling down, upside-down. Whereupon, another team of guards, clad in fire-fighting gear, went to extinguish the flames as fast as possible. Their efforts to do so keeping them appropriately occupied while Batgirl and Robin sailed stealthily over the electrified fence line to the left of the gatehouse. Their glider-capes allowing them to just as silently descend behind what appeared to be an old summer camp shower facility.

"Well, that was fun," whispered the Distaff Daredevil. "I wonder how long we'll have to wait for the Dark Knight to grace us with his presence?"

"Why?" replied a voice in her right ear. "Are you in danger of losing a bet?"

Batgirl spun about, half-expecting him to be standing behind her. But, for once, that did not prove to be the case!

"Where are you?" inquired the Teen Wonder.

"I had to get some crucial information," responded Batman. "Like how to access the underground base without tripping any alarms! And, according to my informant, there's one such concealed entrance built into one of the old after-swim showers."

Batgirl and Robin looked at the rear wall of their hiding place.

"I think we're standing right behind it," said the latter.

"I can see that."

This time, Batgirl spun about in tandem with Robin. And, this time, the Dark Knight was there! Appearing to loom over them... as usual.

"I will never get used to you doing that," the Teen Wonder earnestly declared. Prompting his mentor to half-grin.

At that same moment, back in Gotham City, the local police had finished softening up Khan Noonein Singh's icy envelope using the same acetylene torches they would normally use to extract people trapped in over-turned cars (provided there was no gasoline leakage). Whereupon, Commissioner Gordon turned to the second team and third teams.

"Okay! Start wielding those sledge hammers. The second all that ice is chipped away, you men with the TASER's step forward and stun him if he makes any false moves."

"No need for such elaborate measures, Commissioner," replied a woman in black with a khaki trench coat draped over her right arm. "I'll take over from here."

"Who the blazes...?" Gordon started to demand.

"Nyssa Ibna Talia Wahshia. Formerly known as 'Lorelai Circe'! But, you may call me... Scandal Savage."

Whereupon, she turned towards the icebound Sikh... and began screaming.

tbc

Special Notes

Yen Sin and Wu Fang: of the many campy Fu Manchu imitators that sprang up in pulp magazines, during and after the late 1930's, these two (created by Robert J. Hogan and Donald Keyhoe, respectively) are among the best remembered. Not the most popular or politically correct, mind you! Just well-remembered.

Phyrox plague: the name given to some kind of infectious disease mentioned on the STAR TREK:TNG third season episode 'Allegiance'. And, following the captain's log entry, I thought to myself: "Why would a fire ox be declared top secret?" That question still remains unanswered to this day. So, I felt free to extrapolate.

". . .hive-minded parasites. . ." the droch-like antagonists of the ST:TNG season 1 episode "Conspiracy."

Lorelai Circe: see chapter 11.