Claire froze.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXcs4TsTE8
A chill ran down her spine, as if someone had quietly pushed her into a pool of ice water. Her shoulders tensed. Her fingers trembled, just slightly.
“The rift is watching her.”
That sentence stabbed into her mind like a pin.
Not she was looking at it, but that… thing—whatever it was—was staring back.
Her stomach twisted.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFOlH9Iclf
The warmth of the soup she’d just had in the kitchen surged back up, stopped at her throat like it had second thoughts.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVi9pRoNg8
The warmth was gone.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgy9HwINRqZ
All that remained was an indescribable cold.
She had suspected it for a while now—that the rift didn’t just “appear” to her.
It let her see it.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbapi3PirgD
Like something pointing her out from a crowd and saying, you—look this way.
She swallowed, trying to stay calm.
But what caught her off guard… was that none of the three men denied what she said.
No one laughed.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMohcHDLNb
No one exchanged that “okay, she’s crazy” look.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEMDbEFwOf
No one told her to calm down.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcrBD2GjgB
No one gave her the “we’re just humoring you” smile.
There was no ridicule.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsATT3Mn5t
No patronizing sympathy.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjM4tYLbde
Not even a subject change.
Instead—Batman looked like someone who had just found a missing puzzle piece.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy43nxwyVoE
His eyes stayed fixed on the rift she’d drawn, brows furrowed deep—like a question that had haunted him for a long time was finally starting to make sense.
Nightwing sat beside her, a hand resting on one knee, his body slightly leaning forward.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwCBewz1h2
He looked like he was holding himself back—not from disbelief, but from the urge to tell her, “This can’t be real,” just to keep her sane. But he didn’t say it.
His posture said enough:26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2oeMQoNLf
Suspicion.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LSRKuVCCJ
Anxiety.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa12BrYEacw
But more than anything—alertness.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx62ZjDobNN
Not toward her, but toward the possibility of something too dangerous to name.
Robin, meanwhile, had a hand to his chin, brows furrowed so tightly they looked carved in stone. He seemed stuck—trying to reconstruct something in his mind. Like some incomplete signal had lodged itself there, and he couldn’t decode it.
“If the rift is watching her,” Robin finally said, “does that mean it’ll come looking for her?”
The words dropped heavy.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKeqy773tf
Even the wind seemed to hesitate.
It wasn’t a theory.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFPeaoMCSE
It was a warning.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9wZEJehTB
We can’t let her face this alone.
Claire said nothing.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYvg2YEawY
She wasn’t sure she could.
Her lips felt sealed shut.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CXIxYMsvh
Her throat was full of ice.
Then it hit her.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡElQsZIGxIC
That in front of these people—saying there was a rift in the sky wasn’t delusion.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0eyfdswrU
It was… the start of an investigation.
This wasn’t a hallucination.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEPByTtD0y
It was a threat assessment.
And that terrified her more.
Because if they were taking it seriously—26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkiMEkJITo
It meant the thing she saw might really exist.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZWJabdG3A
Not just in her head.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwesFTH556S
But somewhere, out there.
Batman looked up, his gaze heavy as iron.
“Claire,” he said, his voice firm and final,26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfv0tMDrFb
“I’m taking you to the safe house.”
There was no room for discussion.
“You’ll need something to protect yourself.”
Not maybe.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZWplVJxAe
Not if.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaxGOr5vZv
But definitely.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcOoNoiOKt
Claire had expected the safehouse to be, well, a bit more Batman.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgeDRoGUzI
You know—underground vault, biometric scans, a hidden elevator behind a sliding bookshelf. That kind of thing.
Because come on. It’s Batman. A little drama wouldn’t hurt.
But no. It was a regular apartment.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisCNLhSspK
Third floor. No trapdoor. No secret codes.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTFak1m8r7
Just a metal door and a creaky stairwell dim enough to make you wonder if the landlord forgot to change the lightbulb.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkC47JoQ8R
Claire frowned and followed the three men inside.
When all four of them squeezed into what looked like a barely furnished studio, her first reaction was:
“Wow. Depressing.”
White walls. Wooden floor. Two chairs, one table.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfeWYDBzWO
No couch.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8OTb4J8LAR
No personality.
This wasn’t a safehouse.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPgrERu5s0
This was a rental someone never bothered to decorate because they knew the rent was highway robbery.
Before she could finish the mental roast, Batman walked to the wall, reached for a light fixture—26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcE0vO5lJZK
Click.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyT5ms4L5n1
A hidden door slid open, revealing a short staircase going down.
No dramatic music. No warning. Just—there.
Claire instinctively took a step back. Her heartbeat skipped.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8uasqWYQU
“…Okay, that’s a little dramatic,” she muttered.
They filed down one by one.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIz7ZsdtQF
She was last. Eyes darting left and right like she’d stepped into sacred ground.
Then her foot touched the first step, and the world opened up.
Her eyes widened.
It wasn’t a damp basement.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpWWt6HCTD
It was an underground command center.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhDRrpqUQ2
High ceiling. Cold air. Monitors everywhere, blinking with graphs, maps, and strings of data that looked like alien stock reports.
Weapons lined the walls—some shaped like bat wings, others like mechanical scorpion tails.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡow6aRX0JKQ
There was even something on the desk that looked suspiciously like it could fire lasers.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9aDG6bOKKf
A red light blinked on its side like it was deciding who to vaporize first.
Her throat went dry.
“All this stuff…” she whispered.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7qwPsbMFe
“Definitely funded. Like, no-one’s-asking-for-receipts funded.”
One phrase popped into her mind—weaponized wealth.
Where did vigilantes get their money?
She used to think they were all about justice and grit, powered by passion and determination.
Now it felt more like… WayneTech’s unauthorized tech demo.
She muttered under her breath,
“So Bruce Wayne really is the sponsor. That tracks…”
She didn’t finish the thought.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0tZEF5AAA
Didn’t need to.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatC4wlMnkS
The dots were connecting themselves.
Standing in that room, a memory surfaced—26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32pnnowI7K
her college years, back when she was on a full scholarship from the Wayne Foundation.
Every semester, like clockwork, a generous sum landed in her account.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyweUlSJg3A
Big enough that her friends from other departments would whisper things like, “Are you in some kind of secret athletic program?”
All she had to do was run.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsknAfuhdWd
Win.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLkxZpdhr4
Over and over.
Until that one race—26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxXN2TIklM
The one her knee didn’t survive.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpr3R7pMy3
She never crossed the finish line.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxSVFuk8gw
But that race ended more than just the competition.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UpAUyQbkP
It cleaved her life into before and after.
Sometimes she still dreamed of running.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7oVa7UD3S
Wind slicing past her ears.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MOcluMRaG
Feet barely touching the track.
When she woke up, the memory was so vivid, she could still feel it in her legs.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomWJGJf3EJ
The weightlessness.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrLqPcH4II
The flight.
It felt like a message from a previous life.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMeDy9jHeZe
A ghost of someone she used to be.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cd5mWtfep
Claire had expected the safehouse to be, well, a bit more Batman.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9gHp5lOZR
You know—underground vault, biometric scans, a hidden elevator behind a sliding bookshelf. That kind of thing.
Because come on. It’s Batman. A little drama wouldn’t hurt.
But no. It was a regular apartment.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xSQssJiS8
Third floor. No trapdoor. No secret codes.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvKwwNnf4k
Just a metal door and a creaky stairwell dim enough to make you wonder if the landlord forgot to change the lightbulb.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNC1XtWzX0w
Claire frowned and followed the three men inside.
When all four of them squeezed into what looked like a barely furnished studio, her first reaction was:
“Wow. Depressing.”
White walls. Wooden floor. Two chairs, one table.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1z7LGaPfe8
No couch.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9PtbRl72Kx
No personality.
This wasn’t a safehouse.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6bAhd9xyc
This was a rental someone never bothered to decorate because they knew the rent was highway robbery.
Before she could finish the mental roast, Batman walked to the wall, reached for a light fixture—26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfNerq5dhk
Click.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUj9Dw6X8e
A hidden door slid open, revealing a short staircase going down.
No dramatic music. No warning. Just—there.
Claire instinctively took a step back. Her heartbeat skipped.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRI4vCFqRS5
“…Okay, that’s a little dramatic,” she muttered.
They filed down one by one.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LBxxHZvSI
She was last. Eyes darting left and right like she’d stepped into sacred ground.
Then her foot touched the first step, and the world opened up.
Her eyes widened.
It wasn’t a damp basement.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntuMogSEZy
It was an underground command center.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEkhuuCHhq
High ceiling. Cold air. Monitors everywhere, blinking with graphs, maps, and strings of data that looked like alien stock reports.
Weapons lined the walls—some shaped like bat wings, others like mechanical scorpion tails.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6IAwxpkkm
There was even something on the desk that looked suspiciously like it could fire lasers.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRZMgH2C9T
A red light blinked on its side like it was deciding who to vaporize first.
Her throat went dry.
“All this stuff…” she whispered.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GlWt50EY9
“Definitely funded. Like, no-one’s-asking-for-receipts funded.”
One phrase popped into her mind—weaponized wealth.
Where did vigilantes get their money?
She used to think they were all about justice and grit, powered by passion and determination.
Now it felt more like… WayneTech’s unauthorized tech demo.
She muttered under her breath,
“So Bruce Wayne really is the sponsor. That tracks…”
She didn’t finish the thought.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpVVx7IOEL
Didn’t need to.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGRpVJIDeb
The dots were connecting themselves.
Standing in that room, a memory surfaced—26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkRWcnuGqu
her college years, back when she was on a full scholarship from the Wayne Foundation.
Every semester, like clockwork, a generous sum landed in her account.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkc5N8cX70
Big enough that her friends from other departments would whisper things like, “Are you in some kind of secret athletic program?”
All she had to do was run.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCDLigwRph
Win.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKiXuaEi6e
Over and over.
Until that one race—26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLczdVaJe5d
The one her knee didn’t survive.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWErtaVENP
She never crossed the finish line.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3hAs8g9nD
But that race ended more than just the competition.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VubbFLOpR
It cleaved her life into before and after.
Sometimes she still dreamed of running.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3tETyZtHs
Wind slicing past her ears.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlWxeWqurT
Feet barely touching the track.
When she woke up, the memory was so vivid, she could still feel it in her legs.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYm7d1ctJtA
The weightlessness.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ROwzo0ZtP
The flight.
It felt like a message from a previous life.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRDkjhh9Io
A ghost of someone she used to be.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaOqTrG6oU
Batman sat down at the console, his long cape fanning out over the back of the chair.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKUIdI3z01
His fingers moved fast—sharp, precise, mechanical. One by one, the monitors lit up, as if some dormant beast had just awakened, stretching its limbs with a low digital growl.
Claire lagged a few steps behind.
She stood there, eyes scanning the room.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98YouGioe3
Was this really not some kind of secret weapons cache?26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDN99ZPVhq
Because honestly, it was giving serious classified-military-facility energy.
Metal-panel walls. Harsh fluorescent lighting. Devices whose functions she couldn’t begin to guess.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabGZLCqoq8
There was even something that looked suspiciously like an operating table—which she immediately looked away from, because nope. No thanks. No curiosity here.
She was just about to poke at a black storage case labeled with a large “F”, when a voice—British, older, calm but gently concerned—spoke from the monitor.
“Sir, have you located Robin?”
Claire’s head snapped up.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvBE8LT1x6
On screen was a sharply dressed older man in a suit that looked like it belonged in a vintage London magazine. A row of gleaming silver teapots lined the shelves behind him.
His eyes swept the screen—then paused.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RpiEXbhwa
He blinked slightly as he spotted her standing in the corner.
“Sir… and this is?”
Batman didn’t look up. Still typing, still focused.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69KRgGlc1J
But he answered steadily.
“This is Claire.”
Then, finally, he turned his head.
“Claire, explain yourself.”
Claire blinked.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSO2qWdfOhv
Here we go again.
Was he training her public speaking, or just too lazy to do the intro?
She inhaled, dug her nails into her palm, and willed herself into composure.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GoUo2i89r
She’d already told this story twice—once to Nightwing and Robin, then again to Batman himself. But the third time? Still sucked.
She cleared her throat.
“I’m Claire. I’ve been… stuck repeating the same day.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWA8WkofdJA
And tonight, I saw something in the sky.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpwAUQoa5g
Like a crack. A rip.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDP1ZkvEke
Only I can see it. No one else can. But I know it’s there.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR41fD5fg5y
Because I can still see it even when I close my eyes.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuR791Q6LF6
It’s not a hallucination.”
Her voice was steady—maybe a bit too fast—but it held.
The man on the screen didn’t flinch. Didn’t smirk. Didn’t doubt.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JWfjVToXr
He simply gave a small, understanding nod.
Claire blinked again.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vlY3WvfFI
She realized she’d been bracing for something—skepticism, sarcasm, at least a raised eyebrow.
But nothing came.
Silence settled around her.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1B9XtZE4m
Just the soft mechanical hum of the monitors at the edge of the room.
Well.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBjjtZzIw7
That was the third time.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCJAPfdobP
Story delivered.
Can someone get me a glass of water now?26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdtZPhUZd9
