Chapter 8

Piper took Tim upstairs.

"So this is the second floor. Has Bruce shown you your room yet?"

"No, not yet." He even sounded tired.

"Well, this is my room and Dick's is right next door. I think there's an empty room on the other side of Dick's. The room next to mine is Jason's. He's probably down in the basement. He's a little headstrong, but he's pretty cool."

Tim just nodded at this information. "Tell me your name again."

"It's Piper. Piper Baker. But you can call me Pip. That's what Jason and Dick call me."

"Your last name's not Wayne?"

"No, I decided to keep my last name out of memory of my mother."

"How long have you lived with Mr. Wayne?"

"About two years." She smiled. "And you can call him Bruce."

Tim nodded. "Where did they go?"

"Who? Dick and Bruce? There was a meeting at the office that Bruce wanted Dick to shadow."

He shook his head. "You're wrong. They're out saving Gotham aren't they?"

Piper's heart leaped into her throat. "Out saving Gotham? Why would they be out-"

"They're Batman and Robin." They stood there in silence, staring at each other.

Piper grabbed Tim's shoulders. "How did you know? Who told you?"

"No…no one told me," Tim said. "I figured it out myself. I went to a show at the Haly Circus. A few years later I saw Robin do the same moves as Dick Grayson. I thought about it for a while and confronted Bruce, and then he proved me right."

Piper released her grip. "So that's why Bruce wants me to be careful about what I show off. So do you know who I am?"

"You're Athena."

"He knows," Piper mumbled to herself. She looked over the balcony and looked down at Alfred. "Do you think I can give a real tour?"

"If he knows Miss, I doubt it would hurt," he said smiling.

"Awesome! Come on Tim. You haven't seen anything yet."

"Batcave?"

Piper smiled. "Batcave."

Piper and Tim ran down the stairs and bolted past Alfred.

"Study!" She called out to Tim. They ran into the study and Tim followed Piper up to the grandfather clock. She reached up and pushed the button. The clock rose up and Piper and Tim stepped into the elevator. The doors slid close behind them and the elevator began its descent.

"Ready to see it?" Piper asked.

Tim grinned. "You bet."

The doors open and Tim stepped into the Batcave for the first time. Down below, they could see Jason, fighting hand-to-hand with a training robot.

"Wow. This is incredible." Tim said.

Piper laughed. "You should've seen me when I first came here." She waved at Jason. "Hey Jay!"

"Hey Pip!" He waved and quickly turned back to the robot.

Suddenly there was a loud rumble and the sound of a speeding car echoing through the Batcave. Jason shut the robot off and faced the entrance runway.

"That would be them," said Piper.

"That was quick," Jason mumbled.

A few moments later, the Batmobile rolled into the cave. Batman and Robin jumped out of the car.

"Wait a minute," Piper said. "Something's wrong."

"Wrong?" Tim asked. "What makes you say that?"

"They're back too soon." Piper ran down the ramp to Bruce and Dick. "What happened?"

Bruce sighed. "It went wrong. The villain got away."

"Bruce," Dick was leaning against the car. He face was contorted in pain and was reaching down toward his leg. "Bruce."

"Dick?" Bruce walked around the Batmobile to him. "What's wrong?"

Piper walked over and Dick put his arm around her shoulders. Jason put his hand on Dick's shoulder. "What happened bro?"

"I think my leg caught on something."

Piper looked down at Dick's leg. A long jagged cut ran down his shin.

"We need to get him upstairs," Bruce said. "Alfred will know exactly what to do."

Piper and Jason helped Dick hobble to the elevator and they went up. Bruce turned to Tim. "I take it Piper showed you this?"

Tim nodded. "She said I could see it since I was now part of the family."

Bruce scratched his head. "You're too young for the field work. As you can see, it's dangerous."

Tim looked at the elevator. "Is he ok?"

"He was a little careless. Riddler must've caught him with a knife."

"The Riddler?"

"Yes, the Riddler. You'll get used to it Tim. I promise." Bruce glanced up at the elevator. "Come on, we should go up to the house."