Gotham Museum of Antiquities - Egyptian Wing
The museum was silent. Too silent.
Batman and Robin dropped from the skylight, landing in the center of the Grand Hall. The moonlight illuminated the massive stone sarcophagi and statues of Anubis.
"Heat signatures are negative," Batman whispered, scanning the room. "But the motion sensors were tripped."
"Maybe it's a ghost?" Robin whispered back, looking at a mummy case. "Or a mummy? Do we fight mummies?"
"We fight criminals," Batman corrected. "Stay sharp."
Suddenly, the floodlights slammed on. The room was bathed in blinding green light.
"Riddle me this, Dark Knight!"
A voice screeched over the museum's PA system. A giant screen descended from the ceiling, revealing the face of Edward Nygma—The Riddler. He was wearing a green suit covered in question marks and twirling a cane.
"I heard you were lonely, so I prepared a playdate!" Riddler cackled. Then, he squinted at the screen. "Wait... who is that? Why is there a traffic light standing next to you?"
Robin looked down at his red, green, and yellow suit. "Traffic light? Hey! It's tactical distraction!"
"A child?" Riddler scoffed. "You brought a child to a battle of wits? Oh, Batman, you truly have lost your mind. This will be easier than I thought."
Click.
The doors to the hall slammed shut. Massive steel bars descended over the exits.
"Welcome to the Sphinx's Gauntlet!" Nygma announced. "To leave, you must solve the path. But be careful... one wrong step, and you'll be history. Literally."
The floor of the long hallway leading to the exit lit up. It was a grid of 100 square tiles. Each tile had a hieroglyph glowing on it.
"Pressure plates," Batman analyzed instantly. "Wired to a discharge system. If we step on the wrong tile, we get fried with 50,000 volts."
"Or worse," I chimed in over the comms. "My schematics indicate the floor is also rigged with a localized gravity-well generator. If you step wrong, you won't just be shocked; you will be flattened into a pancake."
"Thanks for the pep talk, Sebastian," Robin muttered.
"Here is your riddle!" Nygma shouted. "I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?"
Batman narrowed his eyes. "A map."
"Correct!" Riddler sneered. "But knowing the answer isn't enough. You have to walk the path! Step only on the symbols that relate to 'Map'!"
Batman looked at the floor. The tiles were covered in random Egyptian symbols: Birds, Beetles, Eyes, Rivers, Suns.
"Map," Batman muttered. "Cartography. Geography."
He stepped onto a tile with a River symbol.
Ding. Safe.
He stepped onto a tile with a Mountain symbol.
Ding. Safe.
"Stay behind me, Robin," Batman commanded. "I'll clear the path."
Batman moved slowly, calculating. He stepped on a Sun (Direction). Safe.
He was halfway across the room. He reached a row of tiles that had: A Bird, A Beetle, A Snake, and A Cat.
Batman paused. None of these were geographical features.
"Stalled, Detective?" Riddler taunted. "Time is ticking! The ceiling is lowering!"
Above them, the spiked ceiling began to slowly descend.
"None of these fit the pattern," Batman growled. "Map. Physical locations. None of these are locations."
"Bruce!" Robin called out from the starting line. "It's not about the symbols. It's about the shape!"
"What?"
"Look at the grid!" Robin pointed. "Don't look at the tiles one by one. Look at the whole floor!"
I pulled up the overhead view on the Batcomputer.
"The boy is right, sir," I said. "The lit tiles... they form a constellation."
"No," Robin shouted. "It's a map of Gotham! The River tile is the Gotham River. The Mountain is the Narrows. The row you're standing on... that's the Diamond District!"
Robin sprinted forward.
"Robin, stop!" Batman yelled.
Robin didn't stop. He didn't walk; he danced. He leaped onto the Cat tile.
Ding. Safe.
"The Cat is Catwoman's turf! The East End!" Robin shouted.
He backflipped onto the Snake tile.
Ding. Safe.
"Snake is the Serpent's Lair, the old subway tunnels!"
Robin was moving so fast he was a blur of red and green. He was hopping across the deadly grid like it was a game of hopscotch, deciphering Nygma's twisted logic in real-time.
Batman stood frozen in the middle of the room, watching his partner soar past him.
"He's navigating by landmarks," Batman realized.
Robin reached the end of the grid. He landed in front of the locked steel door.
"Impossible!" Riddler screamed over the speakers. "You're just a brat! How did you know the topographical layout of the underworld?!"
Robin smirked at the camera. "I pay attention in Geography class. Also, your riddle was a C-minus at best."
Robin punched the control panel next to the door.
BZZZT.
The floor deactivated. The ceiling stopped descending. The bars retracted.
"Showoff," Batman grunted, walking the rest of the way to join him.
"You were overthinking it," Robin shrugged. "You were looking for deep meaning. I was just looking for the way out."
"Let's go get him."
The Control Room
We burst into the museum's security office.
The Riddler was frantically trying to stuff hard drives into a duffel bag.
"Stay back!" Riddler pulled a remote. "I have hostages! The curator is tied up in the—"
THWIP.
A batarang knocked the remote out of his hand.
THWACK.
A yellow cape blurred past him. Robin swept his legs.
Riddler hit the floor hard. Before he could scramble up, Batman was standing over him, his shadow engulfing the green-suited man.
"Riddle me this, Nygma," Batman growled. "What is black and blue and sleeps in a cell?"
Riddler gulped. "Uh... me?"
Batman knocked him out with a single punch.
"That wasn't really a riddle," Robin critiqued, standing over the unconscious villain. "It was more of a threat."
"It was effective," Batman said.
I chimed in over the comms. "Police are arriving at the main entrance, sirs. Lieutenant Gordon is leading them. I suggest you make your exit before they ask why you are employing child labor."
Batman turned to Robin. "Let's go."
They grappled up to the skylight just as Gordon kicked the doors open.
The Rooftop
They stood on a gargoyle overlooking the museum. The flashing red and blue lights of the police cars illuminated the street below.
"Not bad," Batman said. He didn't look at Robin, but his tone was lighter than usual.
"Not bad?" Robin crossed his arms. "I solved the puzzle and I took out the bad guy. I was awesome."
"You were reckless. You jumped onto an electrified grid based on a hunch."
"It wasn't a hunch. It was deduction. I'm a detective too, you know."
Batman turned to face him. He reached into his utility belt.
"You did good," Batman admitted. "But next time, wait for my signal."
He handed Robin a small, black object.
"Comms link," Batman said. "Encrypted. Direct line to me and Sebastian. If we're going to do this... we stay connected."
Robin took the earpiece. He grinned. "Does this mean I get to drive the car?"
"No."
"One day?"
"No."
"Sebastian lets me drive the limo in the driveway."
"Sebastian spoils you."
"Speaking of Sebastian," my voice interrupted their moment. "If you are quite done bonding, I have prepared a celebratory midnight feast. Waffles. And since Master Robin survived his first outing, I have added extra whipped cream."
Robin's eyes lit up behind his mask. "Race you home!"
He dove off the building, firing his grapple line, swinging into the night with a joyful whoop.
Batman watched him go. For the first time in years, the Dark Knight didn't look like a statue of vengeance. He looked like a father watching his son fly.
"Sebastian," Bruce said into the comms.
"Yes, sir?"
"The kid... he brings light to this."
"Yes, sir. He does."
"Make sure he doesn't burn out."
"I will protect him with my life, Young Master. Now come home. Your waffles are getting cold."
Batman jumped, his cape snapping open like giant wings, following the bright red bird into the Gotham sky.
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