"Oh, my God," Jen said, pulling her face close to Tim's ear.

Immediately, Tim's finger shot to his lips as he turned his head slightly, indicating the need for complete silence. It was too late. Either the movement of the door or Jen's statement had caught the Piper's attention. He dropped his pipe from his lips and a gleeful grin spread across his face as it turned slowly. Frenzied eyes stared deep into Tim's.

Tim squinted and stepped forward slowly. Jen's hand clamped down on his shoulder, trying to hold him back. Or maybe she's just frozen. Tim didn't look behind him to check. He simply continued moving forward. To her credit, Jen reluctantly followed, though her hand didn't move from his shoulder.

"Bring them back, Piper," Robin said, though he was still dressed as Tim Drake. He knew he was speaking too loudly. The music was still playing in his headphones and he'd rather talk loud than risk being mind-controlled by the Piper.

The Pied Piper appeared to laugh. He brought his pipe to his lips. His fingers danced quickly across the notches, and his feet lifted swiftly from the stage and landed a few feet in front of Tim. Behind him, he heard the door slam shut. Someone inside had mustered the courage to close it. Good, Tim thought.

The Piper spoke, but Tim couldn't hear what was said. His lip-reading skills told him, "You're a very clever boy, but lets lose those pesky earmuffs, shall we?"

Tim's eyes widened, and he clutched for the headphones. He was holding them tightly when the Piper began to play. An unseen and powerful hand pulled the electronics from his ears. Clutching the cord, Tim watched as the walkman floated in air, pulling towards the Piper. Releasing his right hand from the cord, he grabbed the player and tried to pull it back. There was a sharp jerk, which nearly sent Tim reeling forwards. The slippery player flew out of his hand, followed by the headphones. The device rocketed towards the colorfully-dressed man and, right before it seemed it would smack him right in the head, the player dropped to the ground and smashed into a dozen pieces.

"That's much better," the Piper said. "I hate competition."

"Where did you take the students? What have you done with them?"

"So many questions… An intelligent, inquisitive mind, and a skilled fighter," the Piper was obviously speaking aloud to himself. Robin took another step forward but, after the display of power he'd just seen, was wary of making any hasty movements.

The Piper brought his pipe to his lips. Tim's hands were immediately at his ears, digging his palms as far into his ear as he could. It didn't matter. His feet were lifted from the ground and held aloft, his arms and legs spread wide. Even with his ears covered, he heard Jen scream as she, too, was lifted. Slowly, she floated forward, closer to the Piper.

"No!" Tim cried helplessly. He struggled against the invisible hands, but try as he might, he couldn't bend his arms or legs. The Piper dropped the pipe from his lips, but Tim was still floating. He uncovered his ears. "If you hurt…!"

"Save the pointless threats," the Piper said. "I was just taking a closer look at your friend."

Jen started turning slowly in front of the Piper, and he looked her up and down as if she were a cut of meat he was considering purchasing. "Put me down!" Jen shouted. "You little sicko!"

"Spirited," the Piper said to himself, ignoring the young lady's protests, "but attractive. And very fit. Yes, a nice find, indeed."

Suddenly, and unceremoniously, Tim fell to the ground. He landed in a kneel.

"Yes, these two shall do nicely. How brilliant I am," the Piper said. As if in slow motion, Tim watched as, yet again, the Piper started to lift the pipe to his puckered mouth. Sensing his last chance, Tim charged. Running as fast as he could, he leapt, clawing for the wooden flute in the thin man's hands. He didn't make it.

There was a blinding flash of light, and a stomach-lurching fall through spirals of colors and shapes and space and time, and then there was darkness…

Author's note: It's embarrassing that it took me so long to write this. I've been focusing on my other stories, so this one has taken the back seat. This is just the beginning to the story. It should be continued eventually. Let's just say things are going to be very different for Tim whenever he wakes up.

If you've read A Rude Awakening, you probably already know that I enjoy taking characters out of their element. I hope you'll stick around for Robin vs. The Pied Piper: Part Two!