[THUNDER]
Batman: I SAW WHAT YOU DID.
YOU LEAVE ME NO CHOICE, ALFRED.
YOU'RE FIRED.
[GLASS BREAKING]
OOH!
[CHIRPS]
OH.
Bruce: ALFRED!
CHECK IT OUT.
ALL YOUR WORK ON THE UPCOMING CHARITIES
MADE YOU FAMOUS.
THANK GOODNESS IT ISN'T A MUG SHOT, MASTER BRUCE.
UH, SAY AGAIN?
MERELY A FRIGHTFUL DREAM I'VE BEEN HAVING ALL NIGHT LONG.
OOH! THESE AREN'T MY PAJAMAS.
THAT ISN'T MY MUD.
TELL ME MORE ABOUT THIS DREAM.
[BATS SCREECHING]
THE BATMAN.
WELL, MASTER BRUCE,
AS SILLY AS IT MAY SEEM,
IN THE DREAM, I WAS A--
THIEF.
MY FATHER'S HEIRLOOM.
I DO FEAR THE BUTLER DID IT.
LET'S GO TO INSTANT REPLAY.
[BEEP]
[BEEPS]
REMIND ME NOT TO LEAVE OUT ANY LOOSE CHANGE.
I--I CANNOT REMEMBER WHERE I WENT FROM THERE.
SLEEPWALKING, KLEPTOMANIA AND AMNESIA?
I SURELY REQUIRE PROFESSIONAL HELP.
THERE HAS TO BE AN EXPLANATION, ALFRED.
I DOUBT WE'LL BE SEEING
YOUR MUG SHOT IN THE PAPER ANYTIME SOON.
THE DUNCAN, McCUE AND WAYNE FOUNDATIONS
ARE ONLY HOSTING THE BLIND CHILDREN'S CHARITY AUCTION.
THE REAL STAR OF THE EVENT
IS A BRILLIANT MAN I HAD THE HONOR OF KNOWING
DURING MY TRAVELS ABROAD--
THE HIGH PRIEST OF SARCANA.
HE'S TRAVELED ALL THIS WAY
TO MAKE A SPECIAL DONATION TO OUR CAUSE--
THE FAMOUS EYE OF SARCANA.
AND FOLLOWING THE AUCTION,
MY PAD WILL BE HOST TO A WOWSING RECEPTION
IN THE HOLY MAN'S HONOR.
SAY "CHEESE."
Duncan: PARDON THE PUN, McCUE,
BUT I HEARD YOU WERE ROBBED BLIND LAST NIGHT.
AND THE THIEF MADE OFF WITH A REAL PAINTING.
FUNNY THING. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF A BREAK-IN.
THE POLICE SEEM TO THINK IT WAS SOME SORT OF...
INSIDE JOB!
IT'S MY BUTLER!
[ENGINE STARTS]
CHARLES, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!
[SCREECHING]
UH, I'D BETTER CHECK ON MY BUTLER.
[SCREECHES]
THAT BLASTED VASE MUST BE HERE SOMEWHERE.
[TICKING]
Evil voice: BRING THE VALUABLES TO ME.
[TIRES SCREECH]
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
ALFRED?
NOW IT'S TIME FOR PROFESSIONAL HELP.
[SCREECHES]
Batman: SOMETIMES, PLANTING A HOMING DEVICE PAYS OFF.
[SCREECHES]
Batman: PULL OVER.
OKAY, TIME TO HITCH A RIDE.
[THUD]
ALFRED. SNAP OUT OF IT.
HYPNOSIS. ALFRED, I COMMAND YOU TO OBEY ME.
AAH!
UNH.
SORRY.
UNH!
LIKE CLOCKWORK.
Batman: ACTUALLY...
THERE WAS ONE HITCH.
NOW, YOU'RE A SIGHT.
UNH! [GROANS]
[ROARS]
[CRACKING]
[GROWLS]
[RUMBLING]
[ROARS]
GET A GRIP. THEY'RE HALLUCINATIONS.
[BLOWS] REALLY VIVID HALLUCINATIONS.
[LAUGHTER ECHOING]
FOOL! HA HA HA!
ATTACK!
[ROARS]
FINISH HIM!
[GROANS]
[ROARING]
[BEEPING]
DREAMS MUST END UPON WAKING...
BUT KNOW YOU'VE DISRUPTED NOTHING BUT A REHEARSAL.
[WIND BLOWS]
THE BATWAVE!
[WHIRRING]
AFTER STEALING FROM YOU TWICE
AND HAVING A PUNCH-UP WITH THE BATMAN,
I SHOULD HOPE YOU'D HAVE MY HEAD EXAMINED.
EVERYTHING APPEARS NORMAL, ALFRED.
THEN YOU AND I WERE SIMPLY VICTIMS OF HYPNOSIS?
NOT "WE."
WHEN THE BATWAVE SOUNDED,
IT JARRED YOU AND THE OTHER BUTLERS FROM YOUR TRANCE,
BUT MY HALLUCINATIONS CONTINUED.
HALLUCINATIONS SO POWERFUL,
THEY COULD ONLY BE THE WORK OF A SPELLBINDER.
A SPELLBINDER, SIR?
DURING MY STUDIES IN THE FAR EAST,
I LEARNED OF A REMOTE TEMPLE
WHOSE MONKS PERFORMED A PARTICULARLY INTENSE FORM OF MEDITATION...
BELIEVED TO LEAD TO THAT WHICH ONLY FEW COULD ACHIEVE...
THE MYSTIC POWER OF THE THIRD EYE--
A STATE OF AWARENESS SO PURE OR POTENT
ONE COULD PROJECT ONE'S VISIONS INTO REALITY.
SO OUR 3-EYED SCOUNDREL POSSESSES
AN ENLIGHTENED MIND AND A CORRUPTED SOUL?
IF LAST NIGHT WAS ONLY A REHEARSAL,
I BELIEVE HE'S AFTER A FOURTH EYE.
THE SARCANA GEMSTONE?
AND SINCE SPELLBINDER SOMEHOW MANAGED TO IMPLANT
YOU AND THE BUTLERS WITH HYPNOTIC SUGGESTIONS,
HE'LL NO DOUBT TRIGGER YOU THREE TO STEAL IT FOR HIM.
ME? STEAL FROM CHARITY?
YOU MUST LOCK ME UP AT ONCE!
[SCREECHES]
WELL, IT'S NO ARKHAM ASYLUM. BUT IT SHOULD HOLD YOU.
I SHALL BE QUITE COMFORTABLE HERE, SIR.
PERHAPS JUST SOME READING.
AND A SPOT OF TEA.
OH, AND A TELLY...
TO VIEW LIVE AUCTION COVERAGE
OF THE BATMAN TROUNCING THIEVING BUTLERS, OF COURSE.
[BRITISH ACCENT] RIGHT AWAY THEN, SIR.
Alfred: HOW DO YOU INTEND TO RESIST THE HALLUCINATIONS
UPON YOUR NEXT ENCOUNTER?
BY RELYING ON MY TRAINING.
THE ONLY DEFENSE AGAINST A SPELLBINDER
IS STRENGTH OF MIND.
[SCREECHES]
[CLOCK TICKS]
Announcer: AND THERE'S THE HIGH PRIEST OF SARCANA
HOLDING THE BOX CONTAINING THE FABLED
EYE OF SARCANA GEMSTONE
SAID TO BE AUCTIONED TO BENEFIT THE BLIND CHILDREN'S CHARITY
JUST AS SOON AS OUR OTHER HOST BRUCE WAYNE ARRIVES.
NO SIGN OF ANY ZOMBIE BUTLERS THERE...
OR HERE...
YET.
[APPLAUSE]
WHERE'S WAYNE?
THIS IS EMBARRASSING.
ZOMBIE BILLIONAIRES?
SPELLBINDER GOT TO THE WHOLE BLASTED LOT OF US.
BUT HOW?
THE PHOTOGRAPHER.
HE WAS SPELLBINDER.
HE USED THE PHOTO SHOOTS
TO IMPLANT US WITH HYPNOTIC SUGGESTION.
TRIGGERED LATER BY THE SIGHT OF ANY CLOCK
AT ITS PREDESIGNATED TIME.
AND NOW THE BATMAN'S SEARCHING FOR BUTLERS.
BUT IN FACT, HE SHOULD BE SEEKING HIMSELF.
NO SIGN OF MARAUDING BUTLERS,
AND THE AUCTION'S SET TO...
[CLOCK BELL TOLLS] [GASPS]
BRING THE EYE OF SARCANA TO ME.
Alfred: OH, DEAR.
IF THE BATMAN IS FOUND HYPNOTIZED,
SPELLBINDER MIGHT WELL DISCOVER
THAT HE AND BRUCE WAYNE ARE ONE IN THE SAME.
OF COURSE. THE BATWAVE COULD BREAK MASTER BRUCE'S SPELL.
UNH! UNH!
BLAST. THINK, PENNYWORTH.
THERE MUST BE A WAY OUT.
RIGHT, THEN.
AND TO HELP THESE CHILDREN
TO MOLD THE POWER OF INNER SIGHT
MY TEMPLE HUMBLY PRESENTS
THE EYE OF SARCANA.
[ALL GASP]
AH, MY EYE CANDY.
UNH!
WHOA, WHOA, WHOA.
UNH. UNH.
[GRUNTS] QUITE A STICKY WICKET.
YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE PUT YOURSELF
IN MY SIGHTS AGAIN.
OR ARE THINGS NOT QUITE AS THEY APPEAR?
UNH. UNH.
THE BATMAN I MOST CERTAINLY AM NOT.
YES.
HYPNOTIZED.
COULD IT BE...
THAT YOU ARE?
Alfred: MASTER BRUCE, SNAP OUT OF IT!
UNH!
BLINDSIDED BY A CHEAP TRICK.
IT'S WHAT I DO.
WELL, HERE'S LOOKIN' AT YOU.
MINE.
YEARS OF MEDITATION TO BECOME A COMMON THIEF?
IT SEEMS THAT YOU'RE BLIND TO THE STONE'S TRUE VALUE.
THE EYE OF SARCANA WILL ENHANCE MY MYSTIC POWER.
YOU SAW WHAT I COULD DO BEFORE.
NOW FEEL IT!
UNH. AAH!
AAH.
THE STRONG MIND PERCEIVES ITS OWN REALITY.
QUESTION IS, HOW STRONG IS YOUR MIND?
UNH!
[GRUNTING]
[GROWLS]
[ROARS]
NO!
A TREAT FOR ALL OF THE SENSES.
WOULDN'T YOU SAY, BATMAN?
Batman: A STRONG MIND PERCEIVES ITS OWN REALITY.
ITS OWN REALITY.
ITS OWN REALITY!
[SCREECHES]
Batman: SPELLBINDER!
UNH! UNH.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW? AN EYE FOR AN EYE.
Alfred, reading: "RECOVERED GEMSTONE
FETCHES EYEPOPPING SUM FOR CHARITY."
WELL DONE, SIR.
AND THIS TIME IT'S SPELLBINDER
WHOSE PHOTO MADE THE PAPER.
WELL, NOW THAT THE GEM AND OUR PRIZE HEIRLOOM
ARE BACK IN HAND,
IF YOU DON'T MIND, MASTER BRUCE,
I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE UP THE SLEEP I'VE LOST
WITH AN AFTERNOON NAP.
PLEASANT DREAMS, ALFRED.
OH, NO DREAMS, SIR.
I THINK WE BOTH HAD AN EYEFUL.
[BATS SCREECH]
THE BATMAN.