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
and then Add to home screen.