Batgirl Annual #3

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE GLADIUS OBJECTIVE Batgirl saves an old man from being run down by a bus. The man can't recall anything, not even his own name, but he babbles about something called the "Negahedron". Online research reveals his name is Orin Denby, President of the UN economic and social council that went missing nine days ago along with four diplomats. He was spotted near from Shrike Tower. Batgirl sees that he gets taken to a hospital and decides to check out that tower.   As investigating the place, Batgirl bumps into Helena Bertinelli, who is calling herself Director right now. Director's tracking a device stolen from her agency by terrorist organization Gladius. Batgirl and Director reluctantly agree to work together. Director says nothing about being a Spyral agent and working jointly with Dick Grayson, but she moves away to call Dick surreptitiously. Since Dick faked his death to go undercover, he can't let Babs see him. He plans to move up the Tower and clear a parth for both girls as they make their way to the top floor.   Both heroes head into into the tower and make their way to the top, steamrolling every Gladius goon in their path. However it doesn't take long for Batgirl to realize Director brought a backup she doesn't want to talk about. Meanwhile Dick has run into trouble and Director has to come to his help as Batgirl goes on ahead. Helena rescues Dick, but he's lost his lead. There's no way he can leave now unseen by Babs.   Barbara reaches the final room and finds the four diplomats hooked into a strange contraption as a woman watches several monitors. When she sees Batgirl, the woman rigs the device to explode, grabs a diskette and runs off. Batgirl has to stay to defuse the device, but she manages to slip a tracker in the woman's pocket.   Dick and Helena turn up. Dick wears a mask, but Batgirl suspects of him. Dick frees the diplomats while Helena and Babs work on removing the bomb. They can't deactivate it, so they leap off the building and escape the explosion.   The diplomats are taken to a hospital. Gladius hooked them into a device called Hivemind which extracts and combines thoughts and memories of several people. Batgirl files her questions about Gladius and the Negahedron away and runs off to intercept the runaway scientist.   While looking for the scientist, Batgirl meets Spoiler, who joins her. When Batgirl finds the scientist, Spoiler beats her down and ties her up. Batgirl tasks Spoiler with turning the scientist over to the cops and looks for the Gladius leader. After looking into the backgrounds of the kidnapped diplomats Barbara finds one common factor. Someone called Colonel Nair. She visits her home but she finds the place has been ransacked and Batwoman is also investigating her disappearance. Both heroes track Nair down. Gladius is torturing her for information about the Negahedron.   Batwoman rescues Nair as Batgirl battles the Gladius commander. Both women beat the commander down but she gets away. Still Batgirl finds out Gladius is going after the Negahedron's blueprints that Nair hid in Gotham Academy.   As searching the building, Batgirl finds a secret passage and two students mapping the school's network of hidden tunnels. Batgirl finds the blueprints but they're stolen by Gladius. Batgirl manages to stop her and take her down. She examines the microfilm, and the Negahedron appears to be some kind of potentially world-breaking weapon. As she debates with herself what to do with it, the old projector burns and the film is ruined.