Claire froze.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkDKKNI5v7k
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0GaDvNjkg
The warmth of the soup she’d just had in the kitchen surged back up, stopped at her throat like it had second thoughts.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafbMo6El2J
The warmth was gone.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZVHKkgwNd
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYiZaXPqEJP
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjia1khepO
No one exchanged that “okay, she’s crazy” look.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡei1W4fDgty
No one told her to calm down.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQd66EC9G5
No one gave her the “we’re just humoring you” smile.
There was no ridicule.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHzMzSiU6p
No patronizing sympathy.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVr2QlVb3DM
Not even a subject change.
Instead—Batman looked like someone who had just found a missing puzzle piece.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6ogvLiM3P
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUfo80ko8E
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:28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tTsaAnwuJ
Suspicion.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1x7SMAjFQ
Anxiety.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPds2u2K5i
But more than anything—alertness.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7bQYDBoVn
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUAlo01tPi
Even the wind seemed to hesitate.
It wasn’t a theory.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpmB26Qg4U
It was a warning.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AzzeWAtxU
We can’t let her face this alone.
Claire said nothing.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JhfUSQQiB
She wasn’t sure she could.
Her lips felt sealed shut.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNASENgomTW
Her throat was full of ice.
Then it hit her.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5muXSkp6I4
That in front of these people—saying there was a rift in the sky wasn’t delusion.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIUbHY8hNl
It was… the start of an investigation.
This wasn’t a hallucination.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLB5Vb1P5V
It was a threat assessment.
And that terrified her more.
Because if they were taking it seriously—28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hALthku0H
It meant the thing she saw might really exist.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtuZt5jR3L
Not just in her head.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztgbIDv7SE
But somewhere, out there.
Batman looked up, his gaze heavy as iron.
“Claire,” he said, his voice firm and final,28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGN6sd3ALQ7
“I’m taking you to the safe house.”
There was no room for discussion.
“You’ll need something to protect yourself.”
Not maybe.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7UFzaMjuFw
Not if.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJdAjpTByG
But definitely.
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrXf4vEk9a
Claire had expected the safehouse to be, well, a bit more Batman.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDbq5Gkpc2
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkiD6BTxW9
Third floor. No trapdoor. No secret codes.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkQ6S9ihLu
Just a metal door and a creaky stairwell dim enough to make you wonder if the landlord forgot to change the lightbulb.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjRcRMZeSi
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJGHwgGnoC
No couch.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yNypqQqHs
No personality.
This wasn’t a safehouse.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlyopjF7hA
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—28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMnl9dLWho
Click.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDm5NoLAUrS
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEFV8Jd4i8
“…Okay, that’s a little dramatic,” she muttered.
They filed down one by one.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbERht4wIr
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2bzldoLrU
It was an underground command center.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRqPVxGeY9
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTj856BpYtU
There was even something on the desk that looked suspiciously like it could fire lasers.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjZXyu3MQD
A red light blinked on its side like it was deciding who to vaporize first.
Her throat went dry.
“All this stuff…” she whispered.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wSSH9MRZ9
“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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSdOPrH6xp
Didn’t need to.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49KMNLynrs
The dots were connecting themselves.
Standing in that room, a memory surfaced—28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7qtnQQC9I
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCRpKKxZf0
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pUDsZ676B
Win.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBjVHDN1zY
Over and over.
Until that one race—28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2xFa51fd0
The one her knee didn’t survive.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBPPCg2GGt
She never crossed the finish line.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaeRP63rqF
But that race ended more than just the competition.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkJKAetR0X
It cleaved her life into before and after.
Sometimes she still dreamed of running.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJgrr8tllc
Wind slicing past her ears.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUR3f5SfVBD
Feet barely touching the track.
When she woke up, the memory was so vivid, she could still feel it in her legs.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYMs5eAuyl
The weightlessness.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4X6BFtpjzF
The flight.
It felt like a message from a previous life.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSNC0YoRvz
A ghost of someone she used to be.
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqCC2hfJdb
Claire had expected the safehouse to be, well, a bit more Batman.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPg0WfYpBY
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTpwXGw119
Third floor. No trapdoor. No secret codes.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjC8g2QkEM
Just a metal door and a creaky stairwell dim enough to make you wonder if the landlord forgot to change the lightbulb.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaJLjIzWgG
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJasl1Gjgt
No couch.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbSCDT1Y06
No personality.
This wasn’t a safehouse.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZp7Rkstt7
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—28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ809mcmeRWG
Click.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGTnrq4FfE
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gCD9rh7iT
“…Okay, that’s a little dramatic,” she muttered.
They filed down one by one.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OJGYgtQ7C
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60aUw3pgoi
It was an underground command center.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgRnH5UTlR
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBBwyx5uhR
There was even something on the desk that looked suspiciously like it could fire lasers.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lls6N5JWw
A red light blinked on its side like it was deciding who to vaporize first.
Her throat went dry.
“All this stuff…” she whispered.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡweiWnCwxrv
“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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbU1NrIIlTx
Didn’t need to.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxeM9LqrQz
The dots were connecting themselves.
Standing in that room, a memory surfaced—28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxolB1c0oGj
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvxiWJRhKf
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3e9PqTrXj
Win.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9GAGkZDBK
Over and over.
Until that one race—28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtgyLBvs0f
The one her knee didn’t survive.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafju8wAfbF
She never crossed the finish line.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMeFE6JiMQR
But that race ended more than just the competition.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFro00lf7v
It cleaved her life into before and after.
Sometimes she still dreamed of running.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNoNxu0ean
Wind slicing past her ears.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxM65LdZlI9
Feet barely touching the track.
When she woke up, the memory was so vivid, she could still feel it in her legs.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WQWpE4Utn
The weightlessness.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJ8I0ksIWN
The flight.
It felt like a message from a previous life.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJAtoRdY18
A ghost of someone she used to be.
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaOxBgKEy8
Batman sat down at the console, his long cape fanning out over the back of the chair.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGc5bWinwiL
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcgszXv01c
Was this really not some kind of secret weapons cache?28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZw5LHvgf6
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy75W1hpcQJ
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1DSS5mgJL
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvnlHziIlH
He blinked slightly as he spotted her standing in the corner.
“Sir… and this is?”
Batman didn’t look up. Still typing, still focused.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8QXG1LVHP
But he answered steadily.
“This is Claire.”
Then, finally, he turned his head.
“Claire, explain yourself.”
Claire blinked.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjemgvEYTcb
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAj6b0MPACr
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWFCJmsloP
And tonight, I saw something in the sky.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYQW4BoZN5
Like a crack. A rip.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9zzEpyUOq
Only I can see it. No one else can. But I know it’s there.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NpstrGqhX
Because I can still see it even when I close my eyes.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaI8eMBYByR
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5TB8rqaOM
He simply gave a small, understanding nod.
Claire blinked again.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PoB478Ymp
She realized she’d been bracing for something—skepticism, sarcasm, at least a raised eyebrow.
But nothing came.
Silence settled around her.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpstWizyPHx
Just the soft mechanical hum of the monitors at the edge of the room.
Well.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPr2Sx6hh1x
That was the third time.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XK8vWWuHH
Story delivered.
Can someone get me a glass of water now?28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwefoBXptl
and then Add to home screen.