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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZLBvgk2Q8
Had she become so cold that even her subconscious had stopped reminding her of what once was?101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcelvsHvU7g
All those memories, all those past lives, seemed to have been swallowed whole by time, leaving nothing behind.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsaLjS1j5v
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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdB8OeEaJN
The engine purred beneath her, the road stretched endlessly ahead—no destination, no end in sight.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtiJD2vMdr8
There was nothing visible beyond the horizon.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqokFw0giV3
Only a gut instinct urging her: keep driving, don’t stop.
“You have to make it safely,”101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNmrqhftZy
That sentence echoed in her mind over and over.
Her hands trembled constantly, but she didn’t feel pain.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIFdxGAIXK
Not because she was numb—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvN7CekDdU2
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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPQfU5b8dI
Her vision blurred, like fog clouding the windshield, but she knew—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYun6viNTAT
She still couldn’t stop.
She turned her head.
In the passenger seat, a group of small children sat quietly.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0ACI4kqXy
They were silent, like blades of grass waiting for dawn.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxQGQiqIii
Their faces felt familiar, but indistinct.
“Yes… the children…” she struggled to think.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKkKyayNS4
“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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIG92QOb94
The steering wheel pressed into her palms so hard they felt like splitting open.
She didn’t know where the van was heading.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxMwbvUUUo
But she knew one thing—
Almost there.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutqXspmmjS
Almost there.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxw66w8sdWL
She told herself, like soothing a frightened child.
Then, she clenched her teeth.
And in the next moment—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNgUkl8VWx
She realized her canines…101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiufonju3Pr
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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpjzV4t4mX
Voices buzzed through his headset as the patrol team reported in from all over the city.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjkx3IbEVB
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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwW6GH2IQv
His tone was steady, mechanical, precise.
“East docks are unusually quiet. Nightwing, swing by for a check.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcA6sSvUzhN
Red Hood, your area’s clear. Move north.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlA9L1sg4ve
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—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtaaf46S2Wy
Harsh. Cold.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrs00Slnhvs
Like the silent storm that followed a crisis.
Tim knew Bruce was angry.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJP8MnofpJD
Correction: the entire Wayne family was furious.
Nightwing was so mad he nearly stormed back to Gotham to physically confront someone.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtj4kVOa6Qa
Jason had already destroyed three motorcycle helmets during his patrols.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTx8Br2LjXt
Bruce said nothing—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6cvgKInXr4
Which was worse.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0akjGuYYg
He’d started a full internal audit of every education facility in Gotham,101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyKZo5O1tv
and if he uncovered the origin of the culprits, it was likely the entire criminal syndicate would disappear overnight.
As for Tim—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2z7AbkKjPc
All he could do was stay calm and maintain command.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFI5ZOueFuQ
It felt like the only thing left within his control.
He remembered that day—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkyH4UGgP0
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—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpPfi8EjmA
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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6C2Uan5FOn
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,101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkphZbsqcK
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—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYD4kNWsQXa
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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGdtk4qG1j
Once they reached city limits, the logistics would kick into place—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqdIL8uJHu
Precise. Coordinated. Mechanical.
And indeed, it unfolded exactly as he planned:
Media outlets had already been contacted.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJszsa5dKc
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—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwgseZkEhd
Surveillance data was backed up and sent to the police.
The hospital had opened emergency lanes in advance.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtiLO8WftUj
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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYzzqnMmFs
To support that claim, Tim had Robin rush to the scene—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3TK4Wgiwg
And they did, in fact, find unconscious criminals and leftover evidence.
He played the part flawlessly.
Outside the police station, parents had already gathered.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePOBQGN9wQ
When they saw their children return safe, the cries that erupted were like a tsunami.
Kids threw themselves at their parents, sobbing uncontrollably.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡouD9M6s3nY
One louder than the next—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV64md0UNIG
Even Tim nearly lost control of his own emotions.
Thankfully, he had already arranged human barricades and visual shields.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NDvie7tCN
Not a single child’s crying face was caught by media cameras.
As for Finn’s parents—Jason and Lyla—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJt5y7TKqG
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,101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEH3iPvnJHi
he leapt forward like a tiny animal finally dropping its defenses,101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4AuuGRrpoP
and clung to Bruce’s neck with everything he had.
For once, Bruce was at a loss for words.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4T9EuSsTi
All he could say was: “It’s okay. Grandpa’s here.”
The two teachers were transported safely to the hospital.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxgQzVE5fNa
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,101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJdpHBoD6r
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.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR29uGl2ckD
The doctor described it as a “small-scale explosion” inside her body.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjYWVGJYd2
Bleeding was severe and difficult to control.
The initial surgery couldn’t fix everything.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpb1fmoaX3
They had to stabilize her first, then proceed in phases.
The operation stretched across three days.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8lV6p0IZl
Two surgical teams rotated.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdoQ5G9jiY
Experts from general surgery, trauma, neurology, and orthopedics were brought in.
And now—101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzIObsQJWv
Tim sat on a bench outside the police station.
He closed his tablet.
Tilted his head back.
And stared at the gray, heavy sky.101Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWXYlIeRo6
Speechless for a very, very long time.
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and then Add to home screen.