Claire froze.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvSAu2ajwI
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXsc2CxdoQ
The warmth of the soup she’d just had in the kitchen surged back up, stopped at her throat like it had second thoughts.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJ3wr5ZufI
The warmth was gone.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3r08dTgcK
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb13hEjQAmw
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzDYsZDgrz
No one exchanged that “okay, she’s crazy” look.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZIBUAmbMd
No one told her to calm down.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssR4oSR1Bd
No one gave her the “we’re just humoring you” smile.
There was no ridicule.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06fmMuSDrW
No patronizing sympathy.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIOXR0mcIE
Not even a subject change.
Instead—Batman looked like someone who had just found a missing puzzle piece.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJCRhqxEQX
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocevoBC2ZO
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:13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3pVbkm6CW
Suspicion.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6J6VUqlvB
Anxiety.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzmEQP1hjS
But more than anything—alertness.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfy224qpOIQ
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97vO6mQqDp
Even the wind seemed to hesitate.
It wasn’t a theory.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cpBfX2rvH
It was a warning.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvt0lnTzCCW
We can’t let her face this alone.
Claire said nothing.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKwaokmpY9
She wasn’t sure she could.
Her lips felt sealed shut.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrcjFqzthu
Her throat was full of ice.
Then it hit her.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrSWADIPEV
That in front of these people—saying there was a rift in the sky wasn’t delusion.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmM51qijgxq
It was… the start of an investigation.
This wasn’t a hallucination.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkE7PZGTtK
It was a threat assessment.
And that terrified her more.
Because if they were taking it seriously—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuoRntHRTM
It meant the thing she saw might really exist.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgFq21Rjk1
Not just in her head.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP665KDi61v
But somewhere, out there.
Batman looked up, his gaze heavy as iron.
“Claire,” he said, his voice firm and final,13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3t6eHx2kOd
“I’m taking you to the safe house.”
There was no room for discussion.
“You’ll need something to protect yourself.”
Not maybe.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZhupKLvaS
Not if.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzaTzEPpqK
But definitely.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhoONZQIez
Claire had expected the safehouse to be, well, a bit more Batman.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9sbBT8M5s
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9toazb5AB
Third floor. No trapdoor. No secret codes.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlWOg6Al1X
Just a metal door and a creaky stairwell dim enough to make you wonder if the landlord forgot to change the lightbulb.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNz66mVe7ww
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhS1rKtFBW
No couch.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoKZH71iJZ
No personality.
This wasn’t a safehouse.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Xsszyctss
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—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlhLcnR4IS
Click.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzOeCZzybP
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0yymql7Kuo
“…Okay, that’s a little dramatic,” she muttered.
They filed down one by one.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOs3kHtT1nB
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjSYCzIQMC
It was an underground command center.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkb2eB38s1
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppIYBqCouR
There was even something on the desk that looked suspiciously like it could fire lasers.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCuIxodssT
A red light blinked on its side like it was deciding who to vaporize first.
Her throat went dry.
“All this stuff…” she whispered.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2izxU3DmV9
“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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPufZWJMfeE
Didn’t need to.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTbyEJXs0h
The dots were connecting themselves.
Standing in that room, a memory surfaced—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmB3IDai6g
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblHZ7ztYS1
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPKKnU8oeu
Win.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsIL3WRXK5
Over and over.
Until that one race—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60UgaNdLZs
The one her knee didn’t survive.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4agsVrnfvs
She never crossed the finish line.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuU1pFwXXb
But that race ended more than just the competition.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UvYW5izbA
It cleaved her life into before and after.
Sometimes she still dreamed of running.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCbCweEz9F
Wind slicing past her ears.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaY63P5BE7c
Feet barely touching the track.
When she woke up, the memory was so vivid, she could still feel it in her legs.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHuCBBB6TZ
The weightlessness.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCx0vqCDZK
The flight.
It felt like a message from a previous life.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK90GBfZ2f2
A ghost of someone she used to be.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5vvPebD6j
Claire had expected the safehouse to be, well, a bit more Batman.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZM8doVQfSH
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVe1lG3Rf7
Third floor. No trapdoor. No secret codes.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDAgmtDqIk
Just a metal door and a creaky stairwell dim enough to make you wonder if the landlord forgot to change the lightbulb.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfE8EFfG8y
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbpCgvmccJd
No couch.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84Rn6xh1ig
No personality.
This wasn’t a safehouse.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxA9flRTOYR
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—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKpc3UYfodD
Click.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv56W5Ms2f3
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfcrm6rJ7m
“…Okay, that’s a little dramatic,” she muttered.
They filed down one by one.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbvt0Utho7
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3JOpRAowx
It was an underground command center.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dehziaZYN
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThySZcEqsp
There was even something on the desk that looked suspiciously like it could fire lasers.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXlV3mqQzI
A red light blinked on its side like it was deciding who to vaporize first.
Her throat went dry.
“All this stuff…” she whispered.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmkkhTdXlO
“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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQfJU3EWZh
Didn’t need to.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0IRmqEFDWR
The dots were connecting themselves.
Standing in that room, a memory surfaced—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAWIaAqwlK6
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewofeoX32C
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNwt50LqtZ
Win.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10wCdL8T98
Over and over.
Until that one race—13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41z91sKT5E
The one her knee didn’t survive.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDo9y9ZoFY
She never crossed the finish line.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmW93CcoqZ6
But that race ended more than just the competition.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaGjra9wmD
It cleaved her life into before and after.
Sometimes she still dreamed of running.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oP9MHbKl5
Wind slicing past her ears.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDJcnG2gwD
Feet barely touching the track.
When she woke up, the memory was so vivid, she could still feel it in her legs.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPrVNVsnw4I
The weightlessness.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYI4EBuwIuR
The flight.
It felt like a message from a previous life.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiDEbJQvX5
A ghost of someone she used to be.
13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFZvjfOwyk
Batman sat down at the console, his long cape fanning out over the back of the chair.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxjEccEN5z
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QcTyxfpw5
Was this really not some kind of secret weapons cache?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTwHZBHM2Z
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblOt4yhTaJ
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtRKTI2cGc
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYiPvD221nm
He blinked slightly as he spotted her standing in the corner.
“Sir… and this is?”
Batman didn’t look up. Still typing, still focused.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrL8S2VMlX
But he answered steadily.
“This is Claire.”
Then, finally, he turned his head.
“Claire, explain yourself.”
Claire blinked.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVNqYhlRqO
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxt51M3ldKA
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDIqRHfpR9
And tonight, I saw something in the sky.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjbgNKsCjR
Like a crack. A rip.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcujIt1y6py
Only I can see it. No one else can. But I know it’s there.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAxDzx7i8z
Because I can still see it even when I close my eyes.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIJWbci5vT
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.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnoq3NvdkK3
He simply gave a small, understanding nod.
Claire blinked again.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVjWrvwj1v
She realized she’d been bracing for something—skepticism, sarcasm, at least a raised eyebrow.
But nothing came.
Silence settled around her.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0Huavss2h
Just the soft mechanical hum of the monitors at the edge of the room.
Well.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2e5Zo7hJvf
That was the third time.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkVohJbd2S
Story delivered.
Can someone get me a glass of water now?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡore9lyRN9T
and then Add to home screen.