Asprin, Robert Lynn – Catwoman – Tiger Hunt (With Lynn Abbey)

She awoke with a jolt many hours before she wanted to. Dream wisps tangled her thoughts, leaving her disoriented. Selina didn’t recognize her surroundings. She didn’t know where she was, or who she was, or what that infernal ringing was. Then her mind cleared enough to identify the telephone. She thrashed free of the bed coverings and answered it automatically.

“Selina! Have you seen the papers? You’ve got to read them. Turn on your television!”

The female voice was familiar. When Selina was able to match it to Bonnie’s name and image, everything else snapped into place: her own name, her home, where she had been all night, and what Bonnie was chattering about.

“The Feds waited until the TV crews were ready. They’re going in right now; it’s live on the National News Network. Oh, Selina—don’t tell me you don’t have a television. Hurry up and come up to the Warriors office, you can watch from here. Oh! There’s the table. They’re bringing out the table! It’s all because of what happened last night.”

“What do you mean ‘because of what happened last night’?” Selina kicked away the last clinging blanket. Her stomach remained sore from all the retching, but otherwise she felt fine. Angry and suspicious, but physically fine. She began to pace.

Bonnie made an exasperated noise. “Right. Yeah, I forgot—you don’t know there was a big shoot-out on the waterfront last night, because Catwoman was there and you’re not Catwoman.”

Selina stopped pacing. “Who says Catwoman was anywhere last night?”