Claire froze.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMmT823Ivh
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkr5Z9TU5m
The warmth of the soup she’d just had in the kitchen surged back up, stopped at her throat like it had second thoughts.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIovvwHBB0w
The warmth was gone.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTg0AQ6hRK
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtaFjPNIfd
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzxoEr1y79
No one exchanged that “okay, she’s crazy” look.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcjkxxP0Ay
No one told her to calm down.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhcmKp1gvY
No one gave her the “we’re just humoring you” smile.
There was no ridicule.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6mLvz0VbC
No patronizing sympathy.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3z2zvJ4ZoU
Not even a subject change.
Instead—Batman looked like someone who had just found a missing puzzle piece.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28PXUlgSmt
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiRs1msnN4o
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:88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGHx0frRXh
Suspicion.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4AVO04KaNy
Anxiety.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02aNJFZuYu
But more than anything—alertness.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHP4agw1Ti
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xhmulLtvs
Even the wind seemed to hesitate.
It wasn’t a theory.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfBHW1sI4x
It was a warning.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgr0AbbfJno
We can’t let her face this alone.
Claire said nothing.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Zer9hrwK7
She wasn’t sure she could.
Her lips felt sealed shut.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlupU2J9qd
Her throat was full of ice.
Then it hit her.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnYypToJoU
That in front of these people—saying there was a rift in the sky wasn’t delusion.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmER9yWE5D
It was… the start of an investigation.
This wasn’t a hallucination.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdqImcPtAb
It was a threat assessment.
And that terrified her more.
Because if they were taking it seriously—88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzd2BRmwE79
It meant the thing she saw might really exist.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDwpauudtx
Not just in her head.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVV638OsDo
But somewhere, out there.
Batman looked up, his gaze heavy as iron.
“Claire,” he said, his voice firm and final,88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHd14asSbvE
“I’m taking you to the safe house.”
There was no room for discussion.
“You’ll need something to protect yourself.”
Not maybe.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPv9HPDiEfr
Not if.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6vuXbMjgy
But definitely.
88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYLvy4TtCZ
Claire had expected the safehouse to be, well, a bit more Batman.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBitu1Bp7Zj
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvyCtx4afp
Third floor. No trapdoor. No secret codes.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVKEunv6kI
Just a metal door and a creaky stairwell dim enough to make you wonder if the landlord forgot to change the lightbulb.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtguinImvXT
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlyzVfDXPX
No couch.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYig6HyuUHo
No personality.
This wasn’t a safehouse.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71m6DH6txr
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—88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1asg8o92y
Click.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn90zvkANqQ
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YWok5sd69
“…Okay, that’s a little dramatic,” she muttered.
They filed down one by one.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3KlirKlUK
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkDyhVutJw
It was an underground command center.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPAERcYmJn
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4FNkk8l6t
There was even something on the desk that looked suspiciously like it could fire lasers.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaH5YVDd2S
A red light blinked on its side like it was deciding who to vaporize first.
Her throat went dry.
“All this stuff…” she whispered.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkf2G6Qxlda
“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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5A3cRHzPm
Didn’t need to.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjBtTB11BJ
The dots were connecting themselves.
Standing in that room, a memory surfaced—88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetkgxIMNyF
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwUIYUSfSC
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRafzkeagDZ
Win.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQbASitiK6
Over and over.
Until that one race—88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4tmGn62bh
The one her knee didn’t survive.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQkN7JO0F9
She never crossed the finish line.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAoJCvONfp
But that race ended more than just the competition.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UhHGM4DH3
It cleaved her life into before and after.
Sometimes she still dreamed of running.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRRraHAIZU
Wind slicing past her ears.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4odEfvsqEq
Feet barely touching the track.
When she woke up, the memory was so vivid, she could still feel it in her legs.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUeOTbV5TX
The weightlessness.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUVDY9z8jW
The flight.
It felt like a message from a previous life.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrR2mnWazNw
A ghost of someone she used to be.
88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduvnpSkt6T
Claire had expected the safehouse to be, well, a bit more Batman.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxYjNlVaLQ
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDfiT0VOtX
Third floor. No trapdoor. No secret codes.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tBVbt3Ad1
Just a metal door and a creaky stairwell dim enough to make you wonder if the landlord forgot to change the lightbulb.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJF43MqRGS
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQE2p4jaDTr
No couch.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgJtQG6Mod
No personality.
This wasn’t a safehouse.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8l0tZcDqG
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—88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8sPwWOH7t
Click.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZrXGokCz1
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttkQJd39r5
“…Okay, that’s a little dramatic,” she muttered.
They filed down one by one.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdJAR6wuAp
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJWOWEhlwc
It was an underground command center.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCgTjeZTM9
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3L7gmj7uiY
There was even something on the desk that looked suspiciously like it could fire lasers.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRR3TzAE0R
A red light blinked on its side like it was deciding who to vaporize first.
Her throat went dry.
“All this stuff…” she whispered.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvyt5Mv44lm
“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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0iseZIXhVr
Didn’t need to.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHmiV0tGRT
The dots were connecting themselves.
Standing in that room, a memory surfaced—88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32JeoQi8ux
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6wPG9xYbk
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO52ExGKNx2
Win.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1LzPok5Jp
Over and over.
Until that one race—88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HVNs77OVo
The one her knee didn’t survive.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBtzunXuA9
She never crossed the finish line.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCvmpePJV6
But that race ended more than just the competition.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4T2KsyRZV
It cleaved her life into before and after.
Sometimes she still dreamed of running.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HyX10aTTn
Wind slicing past her ears.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsD33i2Z6TP
Feet barely touching the track.
When she woke up, the memory was so vivid, she could still feel it in her legs.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhH1WaGb5Oo
The weightlessness.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCVhXROgqe
The flight.
It felt like a message from a previous life.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa87oj2pGSb
A ghost of someone she used to be.
88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfqmEB88FS
Batman sat down at the console, his long cape fanning out over the back of the chair.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6oL2RzdkL
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0hI7FuK5v9
Was this really not some kind of secret weapons cache?88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlKnz2hBXD
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjAPs0zSDK
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoofVRkIXGc
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xQhhKmDt3
He blinked slightly as he spotted her standing in the corner.
“Sir… and this is?”
Batman didn’t look up. Still typing, still focused.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNiL5titdX
But he answered steadily.
“This is Claire.”
Then, finally, he turned his head.
“Claire, explain yourself.”
Claire blinked.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdna7MEl2li
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPklmStNxEF
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4Hl291FSY
And tonight, I saw something in the sky.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGaIkjfXTw1
Like a crack. A rip.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWOl1bLoyN
Only I can see it. No one else can. But I know it’s there.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsekRxqUmSu
Because I can still see it even when I close my eyes.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEmBlGpI5j
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.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42UKqeeiMx
He simply gave a small, understanding nod.
Claire blinked again.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUAkIue8f4
She realized she’d been bracing for something—skepticism, sarcasm, at least a raised eyebrow.
But nothing came.
Silence settled around her.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfN95WOuxxH
Just the soft mechanical hum of the monitors at the edge of the room.
Well.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRMJdzx1jy
That was the third time.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OoZ1t5utT
Story delivered.
Can someone get me a glass of water now?88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVkXYVK1OM
and then Add to home screen.