The meeting was going to take place soon, in the hotel directly across the street, as Oracle had said. I snuck into the back entrance of the Hotel Miramar, dodging bellhops and hotel employees, until I neared the conference room area. Next to the Conference Room was a swimming pool that was under construction. More likely than not, no one would be in there at night.

Oracle had hacked into the online conference room schedule for Le Hotel Miramar, and had informed me that a group called the Leaders of Health was meeting in the Fontainebleu Conference Room. The Leaders of Health was an acronym for the Legion of Hate, the rumored name for an international criminal organization with Nazi leanings. The Legion was rumored to have members on every continent--no one knew who the leader was. They were feared by many and revered across the world by those with Nazi ties.

I was able to get blueprints of the hotel, complete with the layout air duct system. There was an air duct right over the space where the meeting was taking place. I thought about crawling around up there, but then I decided that I should send one of my Bat-Mites to observe the proceedings, and wait in the swimming pool adjoining the conference room, which was under construction.

In my Batman costume, I stood in near the side of the pool in the darkened swimming pool area--the reception from the Bat-Mite was best there. I noticed that the repairs were almost finished, because the pool was full of water. But the fact that the door to the area was locked and a construction sign was on the door would help keep unwelcome visitors away.

Through the microphone in the Bat-Mite in the air duct over the conference room, I could hear the conversation beginning.

"Overall, your operations have been going well. Tensions between different groups are increasing, as they should be. Things will reach the boiling point soon, and after all hell breaks loose, we will be left to rule Hell."

There were grunts of pleasure and assent, some in German and some in English, from those gathered at the table.

The speaker had an accent that had traces of German and English, and spoke fluidly and intelligently. No matter how I adjusted the camera on the Bat-Mite, I could not see his face on a large projection screen at the center of the room. The leader had deliberately darkened the room from which he was transmitting, so that his subordinates would feel his presence without being exactly sure of who he was. I could see that he was an older man, and every once in a while the epaulets on his jacket would glimmer, so I had the sense that he was involved in the military somewhere.

I adjusted the video controller for the Bat-Mite and focused its tiny camera on the space between the slits in the air duct. I could see seven people in the room, all dressed in garish costumes except for one, who stood over in the corner, smoking a cigarette. The smoker wore a fashionable linen suit with no tie. One had a costume with a mask that made him look like an owl. Another wore a greyish leather costume and mask, while the woman next to him wore a black mask and a tight black leather outfit. One looked like a Nazi version of Iron Man, though his costume had Iron Crosses on it, and no swastikas. The last one had an almost monklike costume, and a hood covered his face.

Decorating the costumes of those who were wearing them were swastikas or other Nazi emblems. What exactly was going on here?

The leader cleared his throat and continued speaking. "However, I have been noticing a little bit of falling off with the Black Assassin's operation. It seems he is spending his time on personal vendettas instead of on my directives."

The assembled Nazis stared at the Black Assassin.

"Do you have an explanation for this, Assassin?" the leader asked.

"It's only a momentary pause in activity, General. I have plans..."

"You have plans, Assassin?" the leader chuckled. "I'd love to hear about them. You are going to have some help now, from Der Grosshorn Eule."

The Black Assassin was not impressed. "I do not need that bumbler's help. The blunders of him and the rest of Axis Amerika during the Second World War did nothing for Der Fuhrer's..."

"Silence!" the leader cried out. "You are greatly in my debt, Assassin, as are all of you."

From what I could see, the group was taken aback by this reminder of their debt to their leader.

"Displease me further, and perhaps I shall no longer see fit to continue our relationship..."

Assassin snorted, and then nodded his assent. "Fine. I will accept Der Eule's help, even if I do despise the man."

I adjusted the camera a little bit more to see if I could get a better view. Suddenly, I was pulled down into the water in the swimming pool.

I fell in, and my surprise gave my unseen foe the advantage he needed to drag me further underwater. I tried to release myself from his grip but it was too tight. I was going to drown if I did not get loose somehow.

I twisted in his grip and tried to keep the warm water out of my lungs while battling him. I could feel the hair on his hands on my face and I could sense a pair of teeth trying to bite my neck. I had a plan, but I had to stop struggling for a moment. I hoped that this would not let him kill me.

I could feel his teeth near my neck as I reached for my utility belt and pulled out an explosive charge. It would be merciless to use it on any foe directly, but I was in the process of being drowned, so there wasn't time to think about consequences.

The charge blinded him, and he let me go. I only had seconds to swim for the edge of the pool, but my cape was dragging me down. I made it to the edge of the water and leapt out. My foe had come around, and was slashing the water with his strokes, coming toward me with a demon's speed.

I pulled my Bat-Taser from my utility belt and sent a charge at the water. The pool lit up like a lightning bolt had struck it, and I could smell the burning fur of the creature that had attacked me and I heard him yowling, just like the werewolf he seemed to be.

Shocking my assailant had made a great deal of noise, and the lights flickered slightly, then turned back on.

My cover had been blown. If my attacker had not already reported me to his superiors, he would do so when and if he came around. It was time to leave.

I signaled my Bat-Mite to return to me. I heard it scuttling through the air duct, and after a moment, it was back in my hand. I now had images of the leader and the major players in this Nazi conspiracy. I could hunt them down individually at the hotel and put an end to their operation.

But as I emerged from the swimming pool, two guards dressed in the uniforms of the Hotel Miramar that had been outside the conference room were waiting for me. Someone in the other room had heard the struggle between me and Sea-Wolf, and the Nazis were on the alert.

The two guards cocked their Uzis and started to fire at me, spraying bullets into the walls of the hotel hallway. I did a somersault, and whipped my cape in front of my face to repel the bullets that might make contact. The villains started to emerge from the conference room, curious about what was causing the commotion.

One guard advanced and kept firing, while the other one pointed me out to the other Nazis. The villains prepared to attack. The one who looked like a German version of Iron Man warmed up the laser rays in his gauntlets, preparing to fire. The last one out of the conference room was the Black Assassin.

It was the first time I had seen his face since the day he helped kill my and Tony Stark's parents. His face still had that goblin-like color, and his eyes had the cold ferocity of a seasoned killer.

He pulled out a Luger that had seen a lot of use and prepared to fire on me. But I had been preparing a special Batarang for the moment when I would meet the Black Assassin face-to-face. I threw it, and it made its speedy way across the hallway to the conference room into the Black Assassin's chest. He was staggered a little by the impact, and his injury made his partners in crime angrier.

"Schießen Sie ihn!"* Der Grosshorn Eule cried.

*(Shoot him!)

It was at that moment that all of us noticed that there was yelling coming from down the hallway. Someone had called the local police, and everyone that the Monaco gendarmes could muster was now heading down the hallway toward us. There was a large possibility that if the police were able to arrest anyone, they would go after me along with the costumed Nazis.

"Vorsicht!" the dangerously beautiful woman called Night shouted. "Die polizei! Lassen Sie uns hier verlassen!"*

*("Look out! The police! Let's get out of here!")

The female Nazi pressed a button on a communicator and within moments a vertical take-off landing craft touched down on the deck outside. Der Grosshorn Eule pulled a gas capsule from his utility belt and threw it into the midst of the nearing police officers. The woman seemed to emit a black cloud, which also helped to cover the Nazis' escape.

Now it was just me and about a dozen angry Monaco gendarmes who were shouting at me left in the hallway. I threw one of my own smoke bombs to fill the air with confusion and allow me to escape.