Claire froze.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfJ1vDknOO
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MQk9Zpb3T
The warmth of the soup she’d just had in the kitchen surged back up, stopped at her throat like it had second thoughts.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCpXVW93Xx
The warmth was gone.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9hn7lorF2
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡroIeFQmElx
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv78H1v3tSv
No one exchanged that “okay, she’s crazy” look.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39gTyIrTMx
No one told her to calm down.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMJkSmydET
No one gave her the “we’re just humoring you” smile.
There was no ridicule.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlFV7kHsTP
No patronizing sympathy.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLAOyGvfjo
Not even a subject change.
Instead—Batman looked like someone who had just found a missing puzzle piece.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtqEhgJsiI
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3RsTUSOo5
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:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHlzmcW8ke
Suspicion.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoXuvU9nDa
Anxiety.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaStybiBJRl
But more than anything—alertness.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysRLOKlaWu
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCiKDvrVhj
Even the wind seemed to hesitate.
It wasn’t a theory.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzTDaIMMjA
It was a warning.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvt5taj83Kz
We can’t let her face this alone.
Claire said nothing.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3aaSMcCpz
She wasn’t sure she could.
Her lips felt sealed shut.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRq831VcN1H
Her throat was full of ice.
Then it hit her.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28ViCSHQfi
That in front of these people—saying there was a rift in the sky wasn’t delusion.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85VUi05zO3
It was… the start of an investigation.
This wasn’t a hallucination.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnk8XymgkDE
It was a threat assessment.
And that terrified her more.
Because if they were taking it seriously—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQATYj7uOWY
It meant the thing she saw might really exist.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFfh5sn9EJz
Not just in her head.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtXv8Zavle
But somewhere, out there.
Batman looked up, his gaze heavy as iron.
“Claire,” he said, his voice firm and final,16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfTGMvUArU
“I’m taking you to the safe house.”
There was no room for discussion.
“You’ll need something to protect yourself.”
Not maybe.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ181ksJyiqj
Not if.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFoYwrxzh8g
But definitely.
16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdw9VMDg2X
Claire had expected the safehouse to be, well, a bit more Batman.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFj1UO3V6y
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrcZXvwaVy
Third floor. No trapdoor. No secret codes.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIaxaq45b8
Just a metal door and a creaky stairwell dim enough to make you wonder if the landlord forgot to change the lightbulb.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHXk12q4mq
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizg0xtZJe5
No couch.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZCxqCENHn
No personality.
This wasn’t a safehouse.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiS6T4RTYco
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—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRmluoQEOR
Click.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88N94o8KFJ
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmiwin2UWUf
“…Okay, that’s a little dramatic,” she muttered.
They filed down one by one.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wZxPmAG4N
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOt6l8yTB75
It was an underground command center.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfuO7TTqmb
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFGCswJtup
There was even something on the desk that looked suspiciously like it could fire lasers.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAa9RMdDUi
A red light blinked on its side like it was deciding who to vaporize first.
Her throat went dry.
“All this stuff…” she whispered.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3JLeis2cJ
“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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKdFv4jyXw
Didn’t need to.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvrHJmdbot
The dots were connecting themselves.
Standing in that room, a memory surfaced—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8ffs9D7iB
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8WOWndHq3
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdapfPmVO9X
Win.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSFSNQdEoYb
Over and over.
Until that one race—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ax0CC4AgN
The one her knee didn’t survive.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uWbyltYDT
She never crossed the finish line.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65xOiuMTUp
But that race ended more than just the competition.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusLqKruqej
It cleaved her life into before and after.
Sometimes she still dreamed of running.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlc5LCYd6HL
Wind slicing past her ears.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEu0XO1K4b
Feet barely touching the track.
When she woke up, the memory was so vivid, she could still feel it in her legs.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffoP916Co5
The weightlessness.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknfpQaEfLt
The flight.
It felt like a message from a previous life.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUptEkDZZL
A ghost of someone she used to be.
16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwrpfxBxC9
Claire had expected the safehouse to be, well, a bit more Batman.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59MGTuvYuB
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHbrLhK4RV
Third floor. No trapdoor. No secret codes.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7dI3u0OTc
Just a metal door and a creaky stairwell dim enough to make you wonder if the landlord forgot to change the lightbulb.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpyH7PZNGAo
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5yDdbTRro
No couch.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvztPhHEzK
No personality.
This wasn’t a safehouse.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVrEW68EMX
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—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOlGVkN1TE
Click.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDj9O0ajlQS
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMKgTOtsxJ
“…Okay, that’s a little dramatic,” she muttered.
They filed down one by one.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWfAkbMSMg
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIM6lC6rxvG
It was an underground command center.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGg0XeTn2Hb
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ612Bq1yA5r
There was even something on the desk that looked suspiciously like it could fire lasers.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdijN40sQlE
A red light blinked on its side like it was deciding who to vaporize first.
Her throat went dry.
“All this stuff…” she whispered.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Q5yMUql3X
“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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXtDA6idtx
Didn’t need to.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9h1GKYxQR
The dots were connecting themselves.
Standing in that room, a memory surfaced—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGy1eIkLiP
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIbAWT9CXV
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTZn9X55N4
Win.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kqBaFv7Uh
Over and over.
Until that one race—16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE11F0409Eb
The one her knee didn’t survive.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4pwh86cIM
She never crossed the finish line.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FZxGt1kSG
But that race ended more than just the competition.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTDHII0661
It cleaved her life into before and after.
Sometimes she still dreamed of running.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNdBdeneCY
Wind slicing past her ears.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPWLCQR2yu
Feet barely touching the track.
When she woke up, the memory was so vivid, she could still feel it in her legs.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipnVrHZxwc
The weightlessness.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwhqyLtwgT
The flight.
It felt like a message from a previous life.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1OAFS1O6L
A ghost of someone she used to be.
16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYvfaDyO15
Batman sat down at the console, his long cape fanning out over the back of the chair.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfISSvExpY
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3MphQyOmd
Was this really not some kind of secret weapons cache?16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDatfZG8mGb
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQXgPjt6JF
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAQDeFNm7E
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTfiF2yQuS
He blinked slightly as he spotted her standing in the corner.
“Sir… and this is?”
Batman didn’t look up. Still typing, still focused.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXeR9BGLOYD
But he answered steadily.
“This is Claire.”
Then, finally, he turned his head.
“Claire, explain yourself.”
Claire blinked.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccwPrbXbGq
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisBqGLvbt5
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2xTDWObZq
And tonight, I saw something in the sky.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhmW8xRAzc
Like a crack. A rip.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cp8Hhwk6m
Only I can see it. No one else can. But I know it’s there.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyICNqA3sR
Because I can still see it even when I close my eyes.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1voHKyGYpj
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.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1iubASBkk3
He simply gave a small, understanding nod.
Claire blinked again.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOswlQwMEz
She realized she’d been bracing for something—skepticism, sarcasm, at least a raised eyebrow.
But nothing came.
Silence settled around her.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPU10mdtMYM
Just the soft mechanical hum of the monitors at the edge of the room.
Well.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmEcjlA1Sk
That was the third time.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASDOH9SKO8
Story delivered.
Can someone get me a glass of water now?16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcAcrLhWJT
and then Add to home screen.