CHAPTER 3
The Batplane flew over the spot where the sailing yachts had been attacked. The Dark Knight could see the abandoned sailboats drifting on the stormy sea below, but there was no sign of the Penguin’s submarine. The infrared scanner did not pick up any trace of engine heat. The satellites did not detect the sub on the surface. The super sonar showed only whales in the area.
Batman knew he needed to widen his search.
FWOOOOOOSH! The strong winds whipped the waves into a white froth. The same winds hit the Batplane like pounding fists. It was a bumpy ride.
Batman struggled to control the plane and keep his eyes on the search instruments at the same time. It was a difficult task, but the Dark Knight was used to being under pressure.
Batman set his focus on his mission and did not let anything else distract him. He was relentless. This was why he was so successful at catching criminals, and had earned the nickname the World’s Greatest Detective.
A smear of something dark on the ocean caught his attention. Batman swooped the Batplane into a steep dive. ZOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The aircraft cut through the air like a bullet through the night. It pulled up just above the tips of the waves. There was a black trail of oil floating on the surface of the water.
“It looks like the Penguin’s submarine has sprung a leak,” Batman concluded.
It didn’t take long for the Dark Knight to catch up to the submarine. Even though the vessel was underwater, the instruments on the Batplane still picked up every detail.
PING! PING! The sonar showed its shape and speed on the cockpit screen.
CLICK! CLICK! Infrared satellite images were relayed to the onboard computer monitor. The submarine seemed to be headed straight for a large iceberg not that far ahead.
“The Penguin doesn’t know I’ve found him,” Batman said to himself. “I think I’ll give him a little clue.”
Batman tuned the Batplane’s radio to broadcast on a certain band of frequencies. These frequencies were the ones used by the navy that patrolled the Antarctic Ocean. He knew that the Penguin would be listening. After all, the crafty criminal would want to keep track of the authorities.
Batman decided to announce himself. “Attention, Penguin,” the Dark Knight said. “I have located your submarine. Surface and surrender.”
There was no answer at first, but Batman didn’t expect an immediate reply. He could imagine the criminal mastermind being surprised at hearing the voice of Gotham’s Caped Crusader way out here.
“Can’t a feathered felon swim in peace?” the Penguin responded after a moment. “Leave me alone, you winged bully!”
“You know I can’t do that,” Batman said. “Not when you attack yachts and kidnap crews.”
“I was just trying to make some new friends,” the Penguin said. “You know how it is when you move into a new neighborhood. You don’t know anyone, and you have to spread your wings a little and meet your neighbors!”
“You are a long way from home,” Batman admitted. “But you need to learn how to play nice, or no one will want to be your friend.”
“I don’t want friends!” the Penguin said. “I just want an audience!”
“It doesn’t matter why you committed those crimes,” Batman said. “Give yourself up, Penguin, or you’ll answer to me.”
“I answer to no one! I rule the roost here,” the Penguin replied. “In fact, maybe it’s time you met some of my subjects.”
ZOOOOM! ZOOOOM! A huge flock of black and white robotic penguins headed straight for the Batplane. Batman could see that they wore tiny devices strapped to their heads. They were robots under the control of the Penguin.
“Bye, bye, Batman,” the Penguin said. “My little birdies are going to take down the big bad bat once and for all!”
The Penguin hadn’t even needed to aim his projectile penguins. The robotic birds homed in on the Batplane’s heat signature.
A moment later, the robotic penguins rammed into the plane. KA-BLAM! They hit the wings and the engines.
SPUTTER! SPUTTER!
The Batplane lost engine power and started to fall toward the ocean. Batman wrestled with the dying controls.
SNAP! CRACKLE! Sparks popped on the instrument panels. The cockpit filled with smoke. There was no way to keep the plane in the air.
SPLAAAASSSH! The Batplane crashed into the freezing water. The aircraft immediately began to sink, but Batman was not worried. The Batplane was designed to convert into a mini-sub! The Caped Crusader worked the controls, but nothing happened.
“The mechanism must have been shorted out by the bird strike,” Batman realized. “I’d better abandon ship.”
Batman activated his special cold-weather costume. FWIPPPPP! The thermal material heated up and sealed completely around his body. A clear plastic oxygen mask covered his nose and mouth. He could now breathe warm air.
Alfred had been very wise to choose this suit. It would let the Dark Knight survive in the sub-zero conditions of the Antarctic, even underwater.
Batman pulled on the emergency latch to open the cockpit canopy. The clear dome didn’t budge. It had been damaged, too!
There was no way for Batman to escape the sinking plane now.
The Dark Knight watched the light from above him slowly grow more and more faint. Then it disappeared. Now there was nothing but blackness all around him. It was like being trapped in a coffin in a watery grave.
THUMP! The Batplane struck something in the dark. It was an underwater ledge. The plane rested on the ridge. Batman was relieved. There was no telling how deep the ocean was around here.
Batman took a pair of pliers from his Utility Belt. “I’ve got to fix the mini-sub mode before the Penguin escapes,” he said.
Even though thousands of pounds of water pressure surrounded him, Batman was not afraid. He had air in the cockpit. He had survival gear and supplies. He had planned ahead for this mission.
The Dark Knight always had a backup plan. He never went into a situation unprepared. In fact, it took a lot to surprise Batman.
However, a gigantic round eye pressing up against the cockpit window came very close to doing just that.
It was at least three feet in diameter, about the size of a truck tire. The eye glowed with an eerie white light. It looked straight at Batman. It did not blink. But neither did the Dark Knight.
That was when Batman saw that the tremendous eye was part of an even bigger body. Suddenly the huge tentacles of a Colossal Antarctic Squid wrapped around the Batplane. Each of the suckers was filled with barbs. SLURP! SLURP!
The Dark Knight watched the giant suckers attach to the clear cockpit canopy. They puckered up like a monster’s lips.
KTAAAK!
KTAAAK!
KTAAAK!
There was a sharp, cracking sound on the canopy above. For a moment, the Caped Crusader thought the super-hard glass was breaking.
If it shattered, he would be dead in a matter of seconds.
Batman looked around for a split in the canopy. He did not see one.
KTAAAK! KTAAAK!
The sound came again.
Batman realized it was being made by something knocking on the glass!
The Dark Knight turned toward the noise. That’s when he saw a face outside in the gloom. It was tucked in between the squid’s enormous tentacles. It smiled at the Caped Crusader.
Then a human-shaped hand waved at him. Batman waved back. “Hello, Aquaman,” the Dark Knight said.
Aquaman, the King of the Seven Seas, had the ability to breathe underwater at any depth. And the creatures of the ocean obeyed his telepathic commands. Aquaman had sent the colossal squid to keep the Batplane from falling off the ledge. That’s why it gripped the Batplane with its tentacles.
Batman gave his friend a thumbs-up signal that meant he was okay. Aquaman returned the hand sign. Then he pointed up. The squid’s gigantic tentacles tightened around the aircraft.
WOOOOOOOOOOSH! They started to surge toward the surface.