CHAPTER 4
Aquaman led the way toward the surface. The giant squid followed, carrying Batman and the Batplane along with it. The creature swam so fast that the Dark Knight’s body was pressed back into his seat. He felt as if he were in a rocket being launched into orbit, or riding in some out-of-control, superpowered underwater roller coaster.
It wasn’t long before they reached a level where there was some light. Suddenly they stopped.
The squid could not go any higher. Its body was adapted to the crushing pressures of the deep ocean. It could not tolerate the lighter pressure near the surface.
A moment later, Batman saw another dark shape emerge from the darkness. It swam toward them at a slow but steady speed. It was almost as gigantic as the squid.
Then Batman saw it up close — it was a whale! Unfortunately, Batman knew that the whale is the natural enemy of the colossal squid. The remains of Antarctic Colossal Squids had been found in the stomachs of whales. Batman wondered if this whale was just looking for a meal.
But before they reached each other, Aquaman swam toward the enormous ocean mammal.
Aquaman put himself between the potential combatants like a referee in a boxing match. Batman couldn’t hear the conversation, but it was obvious that the Sea King was talking to the whale. He pointed at the squid holding the Batplane.
Batman watched the Sea King swim back toward the Batplane. So did the gigantic whale. The squid let go of the aircraft and swam away with a powerful flap of its giant flukes. The Batplane began to sink!
The whale swam under the aircraft and let it settle it upon its back. Then, slowly at first, they began to rise toward the surface again.
Aquaman stood on the wing of the plane as they rose. He nodded at Batman, giving him a thumbs-up.
“It seems like this is a relay team and I’m the baton,” Batman said with a grin.
A few minutes later, the Batplane was resting on the snowy surface of a thick, floating ice floe. Aquaman used his sea-strengthened muscles to pop open the stuck canopy latch. Batman jumped out into the cold and greeted his friend warmly.
“Thanks for your help,” the Dark Knight said. “I could have been a permanent guest in Davy Jones’ locker!”
“I’m glad you called me before you left Gotham City,” Aquaman replied. “My finny friends and I are always ready to assist the Caped Crusader.”
A nearby dolphin squealed. EEEEEE! EEEEEE!
Aquaman nodded at the dolphin.
“He’s a big fan of yours,” Aquaman said to Batman. Both men chuckled.
A pod of sleek Antarctic Hourglass Dolphins jumped up from the water. SPLASH! SPLASH! They were trying to get Aquaman’s attention.
Aquaman went over to the edge of the ice floe to listen to the dolphins explain the situation. When he turned back to Batman, he had good news. “My loyal sea subjects have found the Penguin’s hideout,” the Sea King said. “It’s concealed inside an iceberg not far from here.”
“Before the Batplane went down, I tracked his sub heading toward a small iceberg,” Batman said. “So that makes sense. An iceberg would be the perfect kind of camouflage for the Penguin’s underwater vehicle.”
“The Penguin was cruel to endanger the animals of the Antarctic,” Aquaman declared. “He will answer to me for his crimes against members of my realm.”
“He’ll pay for all of his crimes as soon as I catch him,” the Dark Knight agreed. “But to do that, I have to get the Batplane back into the air. I know you’re the King of the Sea, but how are you at fixing airplane engines, Aquaman?”
“I’m a better monarch than a mechanic,” Aquaman said with a smirk. “But I’ll do my best to get your Batplane back up and running!”
* * *
The Penguin’s submarine arrived at a dock inside the center of the giant hollow iceberg.
Several other types of ships were tied up on either side of the dock. There were fishing boats, an eco-tourist cruise ship, and even a small navy patrol vessel. The Penguin had played the pirate and taken them from other people.
And now he was holding them for ransom.
Workers in black-and-white snowsuits carried cargo off the boats. The Penguin was taking everything valuable off the ships before selling them back to their owners. Just like the pirates of old, he was plundering the ships.
The kidnapped yacht crew was marched from the penguin-shaped submarine. They had been thawed out and now were going to the brig. This was where all the other captives were kept.
The brig was a prison guarded by large robot penguins with laser rifles inside of their beaks. Their eyes were red and blinked eerily in the dark cavern.
One of the Penguin’s henchmen opened the heavy metal door so the new prisoners could enter. He was very surprised when the inmates rushed out. The captives were trying desperately to escape!
The navy patrol captain led the charge. “Take out the robot guards!” he ordered. “Quickly!”
RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT! The robotic penguins opened fire with their laser beaks. Beams of super-hot light bounced off the metal prison door and hit the icy walls, making little melted holes that sizzled. However, the navy sailors bravely kept running toward their enemy.
The mechanical penguins were large and dangerous, but they were no match for the onslaught of a hundred determined humans.
“Rip off the heads!” the captain shouted. He grabbed a nearby robot. “We can use the beak guns as weapons!”
BAWHOOOM! Suddenly the whole iceberg shook. Chunks of ice and snow fell from the ceiling. The floor moved sideways under their feet.
THUMP! THA-WUMP! The captives fell flat on their backs. The robot penguins tipped over and powered down.
“What was that?” one of the yacht crew yelled.
“The iceberg is under fire!” another one shouted.
“This whole place could sink!” a sailor exclaimed.
“Let’s get to our patrol ship!” the captain in charge cried out.
KA-THUMP! THA-WUMP! In the water beneath the iceberg, Aquaman directed a group of whales to ram the bottom of the Penguin’s hideout. He had sent out a telepathic call to humpback whales and even orca. The most powerful creatures of the sea came to carry out his commands.
In the sky above the hideout, Batman circled in the repaired Batplane. He took aim with a small missile.
“Knock, knock,” the Dark Knight said. Then he let the explosive weapon fly.
KABLAM! The top of the iceberg blew apart.
Icicles and chunks of packed snow fell into the opening. The Penguin’s henchmen and helpers ran away from the docks as the roof caved in. Some of them jumped off the pier and into the water only to face pods of orca sent by Aquaman. The angry whales cornered the men and kept them there.
The Batplane descended into the hollow iceberg using its vertical jets. It came down out of the sky like a giant bird of prey. It was a sight no criminal wanted to see.
The Penguin ran out of the submarine to find out what was happening. After his “guests” had escaped, he had changed back into his tuxedo and top hat. He felt more like himself now.
But when he saw the Batplane landing, he was anything but at ease. He quickly ran back into the submarine.
CLANK! The Penguin locked the hatch.
“That bat has more lives than Catwoman,” the portly criminal complained. “The bird strike was supposed to finish him off for good!”
The Penguin ran to the sub’s control room. It was empty when he arrived. All his henchmen had run away or been trapped by the whales.
“I always have to do everything myself,” he grumbled. He carefully waddled from one set of controls to another, flicking switches and pressing buttons.
VROOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The engines rumbled to life and the propeller started to turn.
Outside on the docks, Batman saw the submarine moving.
The Dark Knight saw that it was beginning to pull away from the pier. “Penguin is escaping!” he realized.