Nora was dreaming.
It had been so long since she last dreamed of the past—so long, in fact, that she’d wondered if she’d gone numb.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4q425fDJ2
Had she become so cold that even her subconscious had stopped reminding her of what once was?142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Wa12zHfs4
All those memories, all those past lives, seemed to have been swallowed whole by time, leaving nothing behind.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41W9bybN8N
She had tried to recall, but couldn't even grasp a single image.
But this time, the dream came in perfect clarity.
She was driving again.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXxQhjv91A
The engine purred beneath her, the road stretched endlessly ahead—no destination, no end in sight.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLqhfscMk4
There was nothing visible beyond the horizon.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7viVEqW9Go
Only a gut instinct urging her: keep driving, don’t stop.
“You have to make it safely,”142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNkVfMsCXK
That sentence echoed in her mind over and over.
Her hands trembled constantly, but she didn’t feel pain.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkA35IkRp7Z
Not because she was numb—142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnQBk9nGdK
But because she hadn’t felt pain in so long, her body had learned to suppress it, to function as a machine made for movement alone.
She blinked several times.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5b3Zb6IMA
Her vision blurred, like fog clouding the windshield, but she knew—142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QG6CsquhL
She still couldn’t stop.
She turned her head.
In the passenger seat, a group of small children sat quietly.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4XOMGeTlb
They were silent, like blades of grass waiting for dawn.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBF8rjhZ1kM
Their faces felt familiar, but indistinct.
“Yes… the children…” she struggled to think.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2ZHQUdk35
“My mission is to transport the children… a whole van of children.”
The thought surfaced from the deepest part of her mind.
She tried to grip the wheel tighter.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzesH1aD2T
The steering wheel pressed into her palms so hard they felt like splitting open.
She didn’t know where the van was heading.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUieBw6sOn
But she knew one thing—
Almost there.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKB4lcjrHU
Almost there.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNyK6pVRHz
She told herself, like soothing a frightened child.
Then, she clenched her teeth.
And in the next moment—142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrKzVKNrA6
She realized her canines…142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjhShVsmzuO
Were growing longer.
The air in the dream turned cold.
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Three days later.
Tim sat in the Batcave, surrounded by rows of surveillance monitors.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3krHBQ6D9
Voices buzzed through his headset as the patrol team reported in from all over the city.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuQ3eiL0YH
Calmly, he toggled between camera feeds, issuing instructions through the comms, helping coordinate tonight’s patrol routes.
He flagged anomalies in each zone, then reassigned coverage areas to different team members.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWy1ixmuGW8
His tone was steady, mechanical, precise.
“East docks are unusually quiet. Nightwing, swing by for a check.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXmmpe70YD
Red Hood, your area’s clear. Move north.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHKOdNtcJj
Batman, repeating the update: patrol the route from City Hall to the hospital again. That zone was compromised two nights ago.”
Batman’s voice came through on the other end—142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76u1uxJI1J
Harsh. Cold.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdOZSE3avV
Like the silent storm that followed a crisis.
Tim knew Bruce was angry.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofESXwcSqi
Correction: the entire Wayne family was furious.
Nightwing was so mad he nearly stormed back to Gotham to physically confront someone.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzI19XOroc
Jason had already destroyed three motorcycle helmets during his patrols.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1eWS1TegVd
Bruce said nothing—142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡit3Hok7rUY
Which was worse.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJ21IFOdy9
He’d started a full internal audit of every education facility in Gotham,142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiIV67GhyO
and if he uncovered the origin of the culprits, it was likely the entire criminal syndicate would disappear overnight.
As for Tim—142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywk9Q7l3hz
All he could do was stay calm and maintain command.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAMmSKrQNS
It felt like the only thing left within his control.
He remembered that day—142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRjjwqwFHz
When Nora said she’d been shot, her voice so casual it sounded like a joke.
Then he got into the driver’s seat.
As he drove, he glanced sideways—142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzKhWqbu8o
Nora was crouched near the door, wrapping one of his emergency tourniquets tightly around her waist.
The wound was on her side, just above the hip.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvA4IhK3pPB
Not fatal, but it had to hurt.
Tim noticed: there wasn’t as much blood as he’d feared. That gave him a sliver of relief.
But before he could ask anything,142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvx64gE4yX
Nora had already walked to the back of the van, smiling as she asked the kids:
“Want to play a car-counting game?”
She said if they saw more than twenty cars go by, that meant they were almost home.
Tim nearly turned to stare at her.
But the kids believed her.
He thought: Finn only just learned to count to ten...
As he drove, he watched her from the mirror—142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs5UZ69Lkw6
Her body visibly trembling from pain, but her face still smiling, comforting those frightened little souls.
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Tim managed to drive the van full of shaken children back into the city, straight to Gotham Central Police Station.
He had rehearsed it all in his head.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPp3pKj8aQ
Once they reached city limits, the logistics would kick into place—142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflEBN0He1T
Precise. Coordinated. Mechanical.
And indeed, it unfolded exactly as he planned:
Media outlets had already been contacted.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwiKnC0fLQ
Press conference times, speaker order, and statements were all pre-arranged.
The kindergarten had dispatched staff to receive the children, calm parents, and liaise with officials.
Batcave support was at full throttle—142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCz2eTOUdhJ
Surveillance data was backed up and sent to the police.
The hospital had opened emergency lanes in advance.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HK2jELvTz
The two teachers were immediately transferred upon arrival.
Everything unfolded according to Tim’s “perfect exit strategy.”
He personally announced that the main suspect and accomplices had been captured in the outskirts.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJOLJ2WSV9
To support that claim, Tim had Robin rush to the scene—142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1QKRB7ETx
And they did, in fact, find unconscious criminals and leftover evidence.
He played the part flawlessly.
Outside the police station, parents had already gathered.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GgX072Ben
When they saw their children return safe, the cries that erupted were like a tsunami.
Kids threw themselves at their parents, sobbing uncontrollably.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQNBSGnVcI
One louder than the next—142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZj1lQrdMsy
Even Tim nearly lost control of his own emotions.
Thankfully, he had already arranged human barricades and visual shields.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgdyQJ5y8H
Not a single child’s crying face was caught by media cameras.
As for Finn’s parents—Jason and Lyla—142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltEuS9zwjm
They were abroad and couldn’t return for at least two more days.
So Bruce came himself to pick up Finn.
The moment those tear-filled blue eyes spotted his grandfather,142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4hPs3qgi5
he leapt forward like a tiny animal finally dropping its defenses,142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9FHJCWBa57
and clung to Bruce’s neck with everything he had.
For once, Bruce was at a loss for words.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vPucDMbAK
All he could say was: “It’s okay. Grandpa’s here.”
The two teachers were transported safely to the hospital.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UWDbTdOVQ
Initial checks showed one had simply passed out from shock and would be fine after rest.
But just as Tim was still deep in post-crisis coordination at the station,142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEDsuctuf9
a call came through the hospital’s secure line—
Nora’s injury was far worse than they had initially thought.
The bullet had entered through her side, struck bone, then ricocheted, causing extensive internal damage.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxhXEMP9WY
The doctor described it as a “small-scale explosion” inside her body.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWj3EHM3tt
Bleeding was severe and difficult to control.
The initial surgery couldn’t fix everything.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboAEgdrvCK
They had to stabilize her first, then proceed in phases.
The operation stretched across three days.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZyb1lZnQx
Two surgical teams rotated.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQQRsIVUgZ
Experts from general surgery, trauma, neurology, and orthopedics were brought in.
And now—142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDOLfP6LIV
Tim sat on a bench outside the police station.
He closed his tablet.
Tilted his head back.
And stared at the gray, heavy sky.142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2J5Q2wpuh
Speechless for a very, very long time.
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and then Add to home screen.