Chapter 21. Less than an hour later the sleek black roadster tore through the city streets

at breakneck speed. The last of Captain Clockwork's metal men had been vanquished,

and police had restored the rule of law to the stricken downtown. Their men had returned to

cover, and early reports from the hospitals suggested none of their wounded had been permanently

damaged. Now it was once again the masked heroes together, but it seemed that situation was not to last long.

Explain this to me again, the flying squirrel said as she drove, clearly annoyed. Which part? He pretended to be oblivious.

Which part? You aren't serious. Pull up over here, here,' he said. "'I need to make a telephone call.'

He stepped from the car and into a waiting phone booth,

slipped a corn into the slot and dialed a number.

There was a whirring sound and a series of clicks,

all of which he expected to hear.

"'Mother hen speaking,' came the calm female voice on the other end of the line.

"'Can you patch this call through to police headquarters on an untraceable line, he said, without

identifying himself?

Still alive, are we? The voice said without surprise.

We are, he replied. We are also in something of a hurry.

Did you imagine that I was waiting for a reply?' she chided gently.

"'Your call is going through now.' "'Good,' he said.

"'Get injury reports to the layer as soon as you have them.

"'And get off the line.'

"'You don't think I snoop, do you?' she said, shocked.

"'In fact, I do, nosy Parker,' he smiled.

...