Keeping his body completely still Batman swiveled his head and zeroed in on the source of the sound He caught sight of a man in a black ski mask The burglar was hoisting himself over the edge of the roof railing Batman watched silently as the muscular man leaned over the railing and helped two more masked men climb up The men quickly scanned the area but they didn’t see Batman in the dark shadows Then they whispered to each other and headed toward the main elevator shaft in the middle of the roof As the burglars crept closer to his hidden location the Dark Knight got ready to pounce We’ve got to hurry said the leader The show has started We have fifteen minutes before they move from the reception hall into the galleries So now’s the time for our party No Batman spoke from the shadows This is my party The three robbers froze at the sound of Batman’s voice The Dark Knight was already jumping at them FLAP FLAP FLAP His cape billowed behind him as he landed in the middle of the burglars Immediately the hero flattened one crook with a kick to his knee The robber howled and fell to the ground I’m out of here the skinniest robber cried He turned to flee but Batman caught his ankle with his boot and tripped him He hit the ground with a THUDDDD DDDD Only the muscular leader was left standing The masked criminal pulled out a wicked-looking club Bring it Batman the crook said with a sneer You’re not so tough You don’t think so Batman asked Try me With a yell the masked burglar lunged at Batman with the weapon But Batman
simply sidestepped his attack swirling his cape like a bullfighter As the robber stumbled past him the Dark Knight whacked him on the back of the head with the side of his fist CLUNKKKKKKK The muscular burglar sprawled onto the roof and let go of the club The weapon skittered across the floor Before the leader could get up Batman grabbed him by the back of his jacket He threw the robber into the side of the air conditioner knocking him out cold
The Dark Knight tied up the three robbers and left them bound to a TV satellite dish
He called Commissioner Gordon and let him know to send police to the roof to pick them up Then the super hero hurried down to the alley behind the museum to meet Alfred in one of his limousines All clear on the roof Master Bruce asked his loyal butler It is now Batman replied With the top of the museum secured Batman felt confident that the priceless treasures inside were safe for the night He had helped Commissioner Gordon choose the guards at all the museum’s entrances and he had personally inspected the building’s security cameras and alarms Nobody was going to steal any of the Ancient Egyptian artifacts on his watch In the time it took Alfred to drive around to the front of the museum Batman changed into a sharp tuxedo He stepped out of the limo as the last guests were entering the front doors Bruce climbed the museum stairs He was pleased when the guards stopped him and asked for his identification and invitation Even though they recognized him it meant that they were taking their security jobs seriously He was also happy to discover that Alfred had thoughtfully put the invitation in the inside tuxedo pocket After passing the guards Bruce walked into the museum He headed down the hall toward the reception area nodding at socialites along the way The reception room was a big fancy chamber with long white curtains framing the windows and silver chandeliers dangling overhead A few of the museum’s less-famous paintings hung on the walls flanked by marble statues In the main area of the room tall round tables covered by white tablecloths had been set up Celebrities gathered around them eating appetizers and drinking champagne Bruce smiled as Warren Pickering the museum’s director met him near the room’s entrance Bruce Mr Pickering said so great to see you Thanks to your generosity the Egyptian Antiquities exhibit is simply stunning I can’t wait to see it Bruce replied I’m sure your museum has displayed the artifacts to their best advantage Mr Pickering nodded We’ll be opening the galleries in a few moments he said
