Claire froze.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUBPypCAAd
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7KzIvkaww
The warmth of the soup she’d just had in the kitchen surged back up, stopped at her throat like it had second thoughts.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HeIxt3c5N
The warmth was gone.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgq6KJSGzx
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FF3X8J2O1
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPHm7uMeDD
No one exchanged that “okay, she’s crazy” look.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGp4CQ5BwM9
No one told her to calm down.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdotazQF642
No one gave her the “we’re just humoring you” smile.
There was no ridicule.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHZpxravET
No patronizing sympathy.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzFBQ2ZfOK
Not even a subject change.
Instead—Batman looked like someone who had just found a missing puzzle piece.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhpF3uTvj7
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFXT8OgFpB
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:21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aDanAHpmh
Suspicion.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50kEaYy6GI
Anxiety.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwOBcHXujz
But more than anything—alertness.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPnZuqkYn5
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBUsxAbnne
Even the wind seemed to hesitate.
It wasn’t a theory.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXiVzQqmPmB
It was a warning.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0Y4fSvUbg
We can’t let her face this alone.
Claire said nothing.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgA63mHJoG
She wasn’t sure she could.
Her lips felt sealed shut.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlgGKOYfLR
Her throat was full of ice.
Then it hit her.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QDyT9LnBD
That in front of these people—saying there was a rift in the sky wasn’t delusion.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOc9uMEEem5
It was… the start of an investigation.
This wasn’t a hallucination.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDd3j9xX0q
It was a threat assessment.
And that terrified her more.
Because if they were taking it seriously—21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTd8m1wwQR
It meant the thing she saw might really exist.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YhpyDO26M
Not just in her head.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdG0v3AM5bD
But somewhere, out there.
Batman looked up, his gaze heavy as iron.
“Claire,” he said, his voice firm and final,21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqdiY58Ukb
“I’m taking you to the safe house.”
There was no room for discussion.
“You’ll need something to protect yourself.”
Not maybe.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwj0Nc2ZGs7
Not if.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8epqjlTBq
But definitely.
21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnm7KzEipy6
Claire had expected the safehouse to be, well, a bit more Batman.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAYideCiml
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAJ2Wm17sx
Third floor. No trapdoor. No secret codes.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8DDlXVkl1
Just a metal door and a creaky stairwell dim enough to make you wonder if the landlord forgot to change the lightbulb.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQRZBo1TlX
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQ2wmOF2QI
No couch.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vJN2rA7kF
No personality.
This wasn’t a safehouse.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgs0Q07IUgi
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—21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtCoWJz6iG
Click.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmKrqll2bZ
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJM78xz44R
“…Okay, that’s a little dramatic,” she muttered.
They filed down one by one.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuSCLSUHaa
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXvLU6eQsn
It was an underground command center.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNwqRrI99q
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVc7cif5e8D
There was even something on the desk that looked suspiciously like it could fire lasers.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRVpkKvm00
A red light blinked on its side like it was deciding who to vaporize first.
Her throat went dry.
“All this stuff…” she whispered.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOXrBP1z62
“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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9DQVCD8gp
Didn’t need to.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszB0OfjkeH
The dots were connecting themselves.
Standing in that room, a memory surfaced—21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ndxlSes1S
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPdoTYcPxK
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UfQ9QUJwI
Win.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QRvd3lI6y
Over and over.
Until that one race—21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiRKx55sxvm
The one her knee didn’t survive.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxCrk9tvvz
She never crossed the finish line.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRQu2hQlqw
But that race ended more than just the competition.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSZahMxQp3
It cleaved her life into before and after.
Sometimes she still dreamed of running.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4XjGmW4Tt
Wind slicing past her ears.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhXOnPc6zU
Feet barely touching the track.
When she woke up, the memory was so vivid, she could still feel it in her legs.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKKTuC8cav
The weightlessness.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQlrNlQTWE
The flight.
It felt like a message from a previous life.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnHUsFfsNU
A ghost of someone she used to be.
21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5kwcCySll
Claire had expected the safehouse to be, well, a bit more Batman.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYhRlMie3y
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZYdD0u8w8
Third floor. No trapdoor. No secret codes.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLyImHPBke
Just a metal door and a creaky stairwell dim enough to make you wonder if the landlord forgot to change the lightbulb.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORcGgfSEHm
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFBvfZDxea
No couch.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjjHITZEow
No personality.
This wasn’t a safehouse.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQN9s4ZrEVn
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—21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4i1qEdEsrN
Click.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8QFWjoCkx
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRxfBRvfSz
“…Okay, that’s a little dramatic,” she muttered.
They filed down one by one.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrSlP0cWZ7
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUsuuGQRJn
It was an underground command center.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUrw2Wry4y
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnq4D0RadU
There was even something on the desk that looked suspiciously like it could fire lasers.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtCWreRN3e
A red light blinked on its side like it was deciding who to vaporize first.
Her throat went dry.
“All this stuff…” she whispered.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EnQfAQ6lx
“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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyfpjnodb0
Didn’t need to.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnw12ll6D6L
The dots were connecting themselves.
Standing in that room, a memory surfaced—21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYpX089tHQ
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxj2fi8pjwn
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrJNAJgmH5
Win.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKTBSXpt2E
Over and over.
Until that one race—21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHPdS0nOPY
The one her knee didn’t survive.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pE2Yhbpbw
She never crossed the finish line.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRt5WBbFpw5
But that race ended more than just the competition.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ032uXU2tA2
It cleaved her life into before and after.
Sometimes she still dreamed of running.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCO3qtbAw5
Wind slicing past her ears.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoh886a46LG
Feet barely touching the track.
When she woke up, the memory was so vivid, she could still feel it in her legs.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8052aC1ff7
The weightlessness.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KcqIeBok0
The flight.
It felt like a message from a previous life.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHr78zjEMbu
A ghost of someone she used to be.
21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEo64qjBoz
Batman sat down at the console, his long cape fanning out over the back of the chair.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedsK4u5DhC
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltalXyaZU0
Was this really not some kind of secret weapons cache?21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGeVnjtnKB
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAFk1wD8Wv
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmpVeIxc2g
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhppRg8gy5O
He blinked slightly as he spotted her standing in the corner.
“Sir… and this is?”
Batman didn’t look up. Still typing, still focused.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhFbpypXMYw
But he answered steadily.
“This is Claire.”
Then, finally, he turned his head.
“Claire, explain yourself.”
Claire blinked.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxL7gSJI8W
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipCYtbktnS
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4msNRr1jS
And tonight, I saw something in the sky.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4J7e2UOwgr
Like a crack. A rip.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rEqj8dJ3M
Only I can see it. No one else can. But I know it’s there.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaoNMuR7RZL
Because I can still see it even when I close my eyes.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqofdenxj3
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwtuZOm0Y7
He simply gave a small, understanding nod.
Claire blinked again.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlher90F5KD
She realized she’d been bracing for something—skepticism, sarcasm, at least a raised eyebrow.
But nothing came.
Silence settled around her.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡri8eNbYO0p
Just the soft mechanical hum of the monitors at the edge of the room.
Well.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPNrT7MgmM
That was the third time.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsKDkBBoHw
Story delivered.
Can someone get me a glass of water now?21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrg3gbglqLp
