Cherreads

Chapter 16 - Episode 16: The Cat and the Bat

The Justice Brigade was investigating a jewelry store that someone had mysteriously robbed at night. Sungirl used her powers to light up the room and look for clues while Iceboy followed her, and Heatgirl used her Heat Sensing Vision to look around in the dark while Aquaboy followed her. Sungirl pointed at one of the jewelry cases with her powers and saw a perfect circle cut. Sungirl exclaimed, "Hey, Iceboy, look." Iceboy figured, "Whoever did this must have had sharp claws." Heatgirl added, "And they must be female. Look at these footprints." Sungirl cast her powers ahead of them and saw two footprints that looked like a woman's boot had made them. They also found a strand of hair on one of them, and Sungirl picked it up with tweezers. Sungirl said, "I wonder." Sungirl scanned the hair with her watch and opened it; the analysis revealed it was cat fur. Sungirl asked, "Cat fur?" Iceboy concluded, "Maybe a cat just passed by and left one of their hairs behind." Sungirl thought about it and said, "Maybe, but I'm not sure." After they left the jewelry store, a specific lady hiding in the shadows on the rooftops glanced at The Justice Brigade and watched them go. Then, the lady jumped off the rooftop and landed on her feet as a cat would. When everything was clear, the lady left the jewelry store with the jewels and made her escape. The next day, the Justice Brigade thought the case through on a rooftop. While they were there, they spotted something flying toward them. Heatgirl used her Heat Sensing Vision to get a closer look and saw it was a bat coming their way. Heatgirl shouted, "Hit the deck!" The Justice Brigade hit the deck, and the bat flew super-fast over them. Sungirl asked, "What's a bat doing in the middle of the day?" Iceboy asked, "How can it fly that fast without flapping its wings?" Sungirl recommended, "Let's follow it." The Justice Brigade followed the bat and saw Batman catch it. After Batman put his Bat-a-rang in his utility belt, the Justice Brigade flew up to him. Heatgirl pointed at Batman and said, "So, you're our culprit." Sungirl put her hand in front of Heatgirl and told her, "Relax, Heatgirl, he's a good guy like us." Heatgirl asked, "How do you know?" Sungirl flew next to Batman, saying, "This is Batman, Gotham City's hero. And he's in Beverly Hills; why?" Batman replied, "I've been on the trail of Catwoman. I had her traced to this city." Iceboy exclaimed, "Catwoman. Guess that explains the claw marks we found at the jewelry store and the woman's shoeprints." Sungirl exclaimed, "It also explains how the thief cut a perfect circle in one of the cases. But we still don't have an answer to the cat fur we found." Batman replied, "I do. Catwoman has trained some cats to help her with her thieving so that they might have helped in the robbery last night." Heatgirl said, "Well, at least now we know who we're after." Sungirl figured, "Maybe we can help. If she's after jewels, she might strike at the museum tonight."

The Justice Brigade and Batman staked out the museum from the rooftops and saw a Siamese cat using one of her claws to cut a hole in the museum's window. Then Catwoman petted her head and snuck into the museum through the hole her cat cut in the window. Sungirl said, "This is going to be too easy." Sungirl shot one of her Sun Beams at the museum, breaking the window and setting off the alarm. When Catwoman stole a specific jewel from the museum and put it around her neck, she heard the alarm and saw all the exits go on lockdown. Catwoman hurried out with the jewel and put it in her pocket. Catwoman asked, "What happened?" The Justice Brigade showed up, and Catwoman saw them. Sungirl exclaimed, "You got caught in the act; that's what." Catwoman pointed at The Justice Brigade and confessed, "I know you; you're The Justice Brigade." Then, Batman threw a Batrope at Catwoman, and it tied around her. Catwoman looked up and saw Batman on a rooftop. Batman added, "And they're helping me catch you."

Catwoman then used her claws to cut herself free. Catwoman announced, "You'll have to do better than this to catch me." Sungirl shook her fist, asking, "How about this?" Sungirl punched Catwoman's face, and Iceboy hit her in the stomach. Heatgirl flew down to Catwoman, but Catwoman used her whip to catch her and throw her at Sungirl. Catwoman then snapped her fingers, and her cats showed up. One shredded Iceboy's shirt with her claws, but Iceboy froze the cat in his ice. Another fought Aquaboy, jumping out at him. Aquaboy then threw it off, blinding it with a gust of wind, and then kicked it away. Catwoman then threw a caltrop on the ground, and Batman tripped over it. She then tied The Justice Brigade in one of her Bolas. Then Catwoman got away, but they gave the cats that Iceboy and Aquaboy had defeated to the police when they arrived. Instead of jail, the police took them to a wildlife rehabilitation center.

The next day, Batman and the Justice Brigade got in Batman's Batmobile and drove around town looking for Catwoman. They found her at the Los Angeles Animal Shelter. Once Catwoman saw the Batmobile, Batman and the Justice Brigade got out and got ready to fight Catwoman. Iceboy mentioned, "You're outnumbered five to one, lady." Catwoman asked, "Am I?" Catwoman activated the jewel on the necklace she stole from the museum and blasted the first floor of the animal shelter with it. Once she did, five cat monsters walked out and destroyed the first floor of the animal shelter. Catwoman then checked her beauty in her compact, closed it, and remarked, "Have fun." Catwoman then snapped her fingers and pointed at The Justice Brigade and Batman. Batman ordered, "Take 'em down." The Cat Creatures and the superheroes ran up to each other, and each took one.

Sungirl blasted her cat creature with one of her Sun Beams and blinded it long enough to kick it. Heatgirl's cat creature shredded her costume, but Heatgirl set its butt on fire, and it panicked. Then it ran off and sat in the fountain. Iceboy froze the feet of his cat creature so he couldn't move a muscle while Batman tied his cat creature's legs together and made it fall to the ground. The last cat creature grabbed Aquaboy with its tail, but Aquaboy broke free, grabbed its tail, and spun it around in circles until he let go, tossing it into the fountain. Once the cat creature got wet, it panicked and ran off. Sungirl jumped ahead of Catwoman and announced, "You're out of cat creatures." Catwoman replied, "Plenty more where those came from." Catwoman pointed up, and Sungirl looked at all the cats in the animal shelter. Sungirl said, "There are enough cats in there for a whole army." Catwoman made the necklace around her neck glow and announced, "That's the idea." Sungirl then made her eyes glow red and shot Catwoman's necklace with her Laser Vision. Then it exploded, and all the cats they beat returned to normal. Catwoman announced, "You ruined my plan, but you still have to beat me." Catwoman heard Batman say, "No problem." Batman threw his Batrope at Catwoman, and it tied around her and caught her. Then Catwoman fell to the ground, and Sungirl put one of her feet on her. Sungirl asked, "Now, who's laughing?"

The police arrested Catwoman, took her back to jail, and the Justice Brigade returned everything she stole. Sungirl showed them the jewel she destroyed and apologized, "Sorry about this one, though." The police chief replied, "We'll see what we can do." The police drove away with Catwoman and her stolen loot while The Justice Brigade had one last talk with Batman. Sungirl said, "It was an honor working with you, Batman. Maybe our paths will cross again someday." Batman responded, "Maybe. We'll see. But they need me in Gotham City for now." Batman then got in his Batmobile and drove back to Gotham City while The Justice Brigade flew home.

The End

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