Claire froze.15Please respect copyright.PENANAFhAS9KAyqY
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAGcSVt4b8mH
The warmth of the soup she’d just had in the kitchen surged back up, stopped at her throat like it had second thoughts.15Please respect copyright.PENANAjPoHUBvJ7T
The warmth was gone.15Please respect copyright.PENANAeoOIFn65IK
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANA7UQHXfaNCr
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAhaIokQjO2V
No one exchanged that “okay, she’s crazy” look.15Please respect copyright.PENANAsdHB5spF3V
No one told her to calm down.15Please respect copyright.PENANALNbN0HH58E
No one gave her the “we’re just humoring you” smile.
There was no ridicule.15Please respect copyright.PENANAIvsrSR22Hs
No patronizing sympathy.15Please respect copyright.PENANA5Lo394Exy3
Not even a subject change.
Instead—Batman looked like someone who had just found a missing puzzle piece.15Please respect copyright.PENANAnRAAJPow8s
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAWvWjCXQGTl
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:15Please respect copyright.PENANAuFtbvIckaB
Suspicion.15Please respect copyright.PENANAbJa5dubSJ1
Anxiety.15Please respect copyright.PENANATkIc0xlSGw
But more than anything—alertness.15Please respect copyright.PENANAMsGCTI7M5G
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAv7Zq1vNT4b
Even the wind seemed to hesitate.
It wasn’t a theory.15Please respect copyright.PENANAZ8GNCh3JPr
It was a warning.15Please respect copyright.PENANAnkC4aWw89B
We can’t let her face this alone.
Claire said nothing.15Please respect copyright.PENANAXdQb5ODEOw
She wasn’t sure she could.
Her lips felt sealed shut.15Please respect copyright.PENANA59q2WNhSLk
Her throat was full of ice.
Then it hit her.15Please respect copyright.PENANAgxFJOPiy37
That in front of these people—saying there was a rift in the sky wasn’t delusion.15Please respect copyright.PENANAbdNSYasCr1
It was… the start of an investigation.
This wasn’t a hallucination.15Please respect copyright.PENANAziTlBTq55G
It was a threat assessment.
And that terrified her more.
Because if they were taking it seriously—15Please respect copyright.PENANAstaim8W0sb
It meant the thing she saw might really exist.15Please respect copyright.PENANAtg4DH0EkF9
Not just in her head.15Please respect copyright.PENANAagMyUq14Zd
But somewhere, out there.
Batman looked up, his gaze heavy as iron.
“Claire,” he said, his voice firm and final,15Please respect copyright.PENANAls0KsQz0QD
“I’m taking you to the safe house.”
There was no room for discussion.
“You’ll need something to protect yourself.”
Not maybe.15Please respect copyright.PENANAsdw3F91fsH
Not if.15Please respect copyright.PENANAj5Y2F5KBPN
But definitely.
15Please respect copyright.PENANAJ1yVHlu6gq
Claire had expected the safehouse to be, well, a bit more Batman.15Please respect copyright.PENANA1AoaM9u1gw
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANABI6AvaYM3i
Third floor. No trapdoor. No secret codes.15Please respect copyright.PENANAz1HwPWYZIG
Just a metal door and a creaky stairwell dim enough to make you wonder if the landlord forgot to change the lightbulb.15Please respect copyright.PENANAV6Y6vhsWle
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAigR19P32it
No couch.15Please respect copyright.PENANAVNr7f6xpz9
No personality.
This wasn’t a safehouse.15Please respect copyright.PENANAgGFGmeN4wW
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—15Please respect copyright.PENANAQksjuVklNO
Click.15Please respect copyright.PENANAe8F8AYzmxZ
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAb9fq7p6OES
“…Okay, that’s a little dramatic,” she muttered.
They filed down one by one.15Please respect copyright.PENANATAeKxS3pjK
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAfVBLS5nkt9
It was an underground command center.15Please respect copyright.PENANAt1oZTs0OBT
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAv3i65iyr0p
There was even something on the desk that looked suspiciously like it could fire lasers.15Please respect copyright.PENANAiWjJiPtj0x
A red light blinked on its side like it was deciding who to vaporize first.
Her throat went dry.
“All this stuff…” she whispered.15Please respect copyright.PENANAJy4m7woNI2
“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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAxaBTjS7Hfa
Didn’t need to.15Please respect copyright.PENANAUrWV3sIqRv
The dots were connecting themselves.
Standing in that room, a memory surfaced—15Please respect copyright.PENANA5I7KqzrEl0
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAwNCmH8RXLi
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAUV1zfllWJL
Win.15Please respect copyright.PENANAwPDuJYVL7P
Over and over.
Until that one race—15Please respect copyright.PENANAPGW1RLjqjS
The one her knee didn’t survive.15Please respect copyright.PENANA8NZAyGNxRR
She never crossed the finish line.15Please respect copyright.PENANAVAi8IvMvAe
But that race ended more than just the competition.15Please respect copyright.PENANA4RGmtGYxWe
It cleaved her life into before and after.
Sometimes she still dreamed of running.15Please respect copyright.PENANAWz63cfCGrL
Wind slicing past her ears.15Please respect copyright.PENANAVCNqWEY0eb
Feet barely touching the track.
When she woke up, the memory was so vivid, she could still feel it in her legs.15Please respect copyright.PENANAKnhnIWz0Pz
The weightlessness.15Please respect copyright.PENANAig90Wq0lNb
The flight.
It felt like a message from a previous life.15Please respect copyright.PENANAstgdz1wH6D
A ghost of someone she used to be.
15Please respect copyright.PENANAbEadAR0obN
Claire had expected the safehouse to be, well, a bit more Batman.15Please respect copyright.PENANAfBdnjoRiTX
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAUqNMiRfCzn
Third floor. No trapdoor. No secret codes.15Please respect copyright.PENANAWbdcfOBeQJ
Just a metal door and a creaky stairwell dim enough to make you wonder if the landlord forgot to change the lightbulb.15Please respect copyright.PENANAOjOlF9RQ2H
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANA1hCt1g7m0d
No couch.15Please respect copyright.PENANAfCZH7AfHJW
No personality.
This wasn’t a safehouse.15Please respect copyright.PENANAaQ756ElccI
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—15Please respect copyright.PENANABocIotw37M
Click.15Please respect copyright.PENANAru3ahi4J8s
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANATubLs4XHDG
“…Okay, that’s a little dramatic,” she muttered.
They filed down one by one.15Please respect copyright.PENANAsAVRj4ztRz
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANA9co1ajlMCJ
It was an underground command center.15Please respect copyright.PENANAjMQa6LFbXw
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAUImltkd6h7
There was even something on the desk that looked suspiciously like it could fire lasers.15Please respect copyright.PENANAy2nP9rRsgp
A red light blinked on its side like it was deciding who to vaporize first.
Her throat went dry.
“All this stuff…” she whispered.15Please respect copyright.PENANAFjO0COI61M
“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.15Please respect copyright.PENANA7nlwtlM2pw
Didn’t need to.15Please respect copyright.PENANAe160CGMDBA
The dots were connecting themselves.
Standing in that room, a memory surfaced—15Please respect copyright.PENANAU9QKfwZadT
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAzPB7P0tXfJ
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAMJdg1P9ohn
Win.15Please respect copyright.PENANAYBLyoe8swx
Over and over.
Until that one race—15Please respect copyright.PENANA49kYuPEKpx
The one her knee didn’t survive.15Please respect copyright.PENANA7VgDVE8EXs
She never crossed the finish line.15Please respect copyright.PENANAAO1OjMXmr6
But that race ended more than just the competition.15Please respect copyright.PENANAeeqhWd3RQp
It cleaved her life into before and after.
Sometimes she still dreamed of running.15Please respect copyright.PENANAMHSAONmlvM
Wind slicing past her ears.15Please respect copyright.PENANAQM9kKYTNqc
Feet barely touching the track.
When she woke up, the memory was so vivid, she could still feel it in her legs.15Please respect copyright.PENANA8RdrKr3jSh
The weightlessness.15Please respect copyright.PENANAJTrkwZdj5S
The flight.
It felt like a message from a previous life.15Please respect copyright.PENANAdRvdUe2icC
A ghost of someone she used to be.
15Please respect copyright.PENANA6I845xyZz3
Batman sat down at the console, his long cape fanning out over the back of the chair.15Please respect copyright.PENANAMzqwgoG9bp
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAxjPHb6yDd5
Was this really not some kind of secret weapons cache?15Please respect copyright.PENANABnVkXNFzjF
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANA8wK37z6zoy
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAzDTpKu87HB
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAWtLEJ8X7XN
He blinked slightly as he spotted her standing in the corner.
“Sir… and this is?”
Batman didn’t look up. Still typing, still focused.15Please respect copyright.PENANAuAjPAqKKmY
But he answered steadily.
“This is Claire.”
Then, finally, he turned his head.
“Claire, explain yourself.”
Claire blinked.15Please respect copyright.PENANA2SRvs8bqyy
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAzd8XbO9z1n
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAfb1gsVHTvB
And tonight, I saw something in the sky.15Please respect copyright.PENANABcrDcR6RIU
Like a crack. A rip.15Please respect copyright.PENANAB1OQht8Zxb
Only I can see it. No one else can. But I know it’s there.15Please respect copyright.PENANA2p2taaJyco
Because I can still see it even when I close my eyes.15Please respect copyright.PENANAPL86Bv8osR
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.15Please respect copyright.PENANAFvqOflxYSH
He simply gave a small, understanding nod.
Claire blinked again.15Please respect copyright.PENANAP27uoh6pnf
She realized she’d been bracing for something—skepticism, sarcasm, at least a raised eyebrow.
But nothing came.
Silence settled around her.15Please respect copyright.PENANAUxvddnI7cB
Just the soft mechanical hum of the monitors at the edge of the room.
Well.15Please respect copyright.PENANAjaeeQqWrY8
That was the third time.15Please respect copyright.PENANAYWBkdA7hoh
Story delivered.
Can someone get me a glass of water now?15Please respect copyright.PENANAQpgQJDP6tv