I just don't see the point.
Of a library?
Come on, Howard.
It's so retro.
All the information you want you can get over the Net.
Books too.
But what about the experience
of holding the book in your hands?
You can't get that over the Net.
Did you hear a scream?
Hey, it's Gotham City.
That's practically our theme song.
And it's the cops' problem anyway.
Now let's go inside.
Wait. I-I'm hungry.
Max, we just had dinner.
So? If you were a gentleman,
you'd go buy me a Beefy Burger.
You know, pay me back for all those sodas and frankos
I give you at lunch.
I thought they were a gift.
Enough. I'll go get it.
I'll see you inside.
It's over there.
Oh, boy.
Hey, fella. How you doing?
I bet you're a little scared right now.
There's nothing to be afraid of.
I'm just gonna take you back to wherever you belong.
Easy, boy.
Easy.
Fingers!
Fingers?
My kids named him.
That's your gorilla?
It belongs to Gotham University.
We're zoologists there.
We were doing some tests on him.
He went crazy.
To use the technical term.
He ran away.
We can't explain it.
Either of you have a phone?
I do.
Call the cops.
Have 'em stop the train at the next platform
and tell 'em to bring a net.
A really big one.
The cops are searching the park now.
A lot of ground to cover.
The good news is, gorillas don't normally attack unless provoked.
This one wasn't normal.
Somehow it knew not to step on the third rail.
And the train it hopped on?
It was the only high-speed one leaving.
Well, gorillas are a lot smarter than most people realize.
This one was too smart.
You want to follow it up?
Be my guest.
I'll do that. Just as soon as I go
buy someone a Beefy Burger.
So far, it looks like a pretty normal zoology lab.
It smells like one too.
You see any chemicals?
No. Why?
Keep looking.
It's methyl glycose.
I never wanted to get into this in the first place.
Except you were the one who was always complaining
that our money was drying up.
Maybe I complained.
But this whole thing was your idea.
You went along with it.
Look, we need to figure out what to do.
Well, first thing, we have to get rid of the evidence.
I don't blame you.
That stuff's illegal.
It's the catalyst that splicers use when they want to play
musical chairs with their DNA.
But you already know that.
You were using it on the gorilla, weren't you?
We weren't getting anywhere with our intelligence experiments.
We were going to lose our grant.
So you figured you'd splice in a little human DNA,
raise his IQ a couple of points,
maybe add a few hand signs to his vocabulary.
It was enhanced DNA.
He went berserk as soon as we injected him.
We couldn't hold him.
And now we've got a gorilla on the loose.
One that's real strong and real smart.
Yes.
And getting smarter.
And there's still no sign of the beast
which escapedyesterday.
Our next story also deals with an animal,
but this one's a lot more cuddly.
At least for now.
The Gotham Zoo has just announced
the acquisition of a rare white leopard cub.
Abandoned by its mother in Africa,
the baby was found by
world-renowned animal conservationist James Van Dyle.
Van Dyle,
who owns an animal way station near Gotham, had this to say:
We must do everything we can to preserve our wildlife...
because once it's gone, there's no way to get it back.
Van Dyle.
After all that searching, he's in the middle of the street.
Terry, if he came out of hiding, he must have a good reason.
Hope it's not hunger.
Don't worry. They're not meat eaters.
Not the normal ones, anyway.
Why?
You can talk.
The DNA.
Why can't you leave us alone?
What have we ever done to you?
Everybody's panicked down there.
I'm just trying to help.
You want to put me in a cage again.
Well, yeah.
You're all alike.
You, the doctors, Van Dyle.
Who's Van Dyle?
You have a mother? Yeah.
I don't.
Because of Van Dyle.
What about the little ones?
Them too.
I haven't seen my mother since.
I was sold to the University.
The doctors there liked to experiment on me.
That's why I'm not too fond of you humans.
We're not all alike.
If what you say is true, Van Dyle's a poacher.
An outlaw.
He's the one who should be behind bars.
I just want to know where he sent my mother.
But don't you want to stop him too?
Think of the other gorillas.
The ones he hasn't taken yet.
You'll make him stop doing that?
How?
I'm not sure yet.
But I've got a better chance than you do.
You can't even walk down
the street without causing a panic.
Dawn. That's how long you have.
Dawn? But...
If Van Dyle's not behind bars by then, I go back down there.
And they can panic all they want.
I remember this place.
My dad took me here when I was a kid.
They're supposed to be helping orphaned animals.
Kind of makes you cynical, doesn't it?
Terry? It's okay.
The animals know I'm here. They can smell me.
Easy now.
This will only hurt for a second.
It's a radio transmitter.
It was under the gorilla's skin.
That's how conservationists keep track of migration patterns.
Those animals are protected by law.
Bet the commissioner would like to see this.
Bet she would.
Did you get it out?
No problem.
What's wrong?
I think we do have a problem.
What do I do with this?
Get rid of it. Completely.
What about him?
Him too.
Looks okay to me.
What was that?
Don't know. Downdraft maybe.
Where to, sir?
The Wildlife Way Station. Fast.
Yes, sir.
It must be hot in that costume.
You get used to it.
Still haven't heard from him?
No. And I'm on my way to the airport.
Gotta catch the redeye.
Better tell him I won't be around.
That could be a problem.
He's been off-link since we last spoke.
A hundred and four creds, please.
Hey.
What about my creds?
Where'd that gorilla come from?
Get the guns.
Now!
I thought you were gonna give me till dawn.
Lost 'em.
Not for long.
In there.
Hey.
Over here.
Freeze. Police.
Guess we got here just in time.
I'm James Van Dyle.
I own this place.
I know who you are.
I just got a call that said you were stealing wild animals.
Poaching? Me?
That's ridiculous.
I found a migration transmitter.
Van Dyle took it out of a gorilla he stole.
You know anything about these transmitters?
Only that you won't find any here.
Because you've destroyed them all.
Did I?
Your word against mine.
Not entirely.
You're a poacher all right.
I'm the proof.
Is this a joke?
Back in Africa, you kidnapped me.
My mother too.
I don't know anything about this. I swear.
Miserable liar.
Where is my mother?
I...
I-I probably sold her.
Probably?
I don't know. I-I don't keep track.
She was my mother.
To me, it was just another gorilla.
No.
That's right, kill him.
It's what anybody would do.
Any human.
I am not human.
Well, you're sure not a gorilla anymore.
Looks the same.
Quieter though.
No. No injection.
But this will get rid of your human DNA.
You won't remember what happened.
I want to remember.
I've been given a gift.
I'm strong as a gorilla, but smart as a human.
I'm going to use it.
How?
There'll be more poachers.
There'll always be more.
But now they're going to have to deal with me.
He knows who we are.
I don't think we need to worry.
He's a kindred spirit if I've ever seen one.