A bullet sliced through the air, its echo ringing inside the shooting booth.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwL66e5MbR
The sound was muffled slightly inside Tim’s earmuffs, but he still heard the sharp crack as the bullet hit the target dead center. He glanced at the screen showing the impact point—nearly a bullseye.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopITWUtD8U
Not luck.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Y2u8Q36S1
It was the result of steady, ruthless precision honed through hours of practice.
Nora showed no extra emotion. She simply pulled back the slide and naturally slipped into her second aim, like breathing.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8YaDXlbvO
Her shoulders were relaxed, but her wrists were steady as stone.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6uYp5966Gh
The next bullet hit the upper left part of the target—a joint, a disabling zone. A combat-style shot.
Tim suddenly realized he had no idea what kind of training this woman had received.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhiIosVaNI
Where had she learned this?23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEZOAisrYM
This wasn’t the kind of accuracy one gets from just “a few times at the range.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsd3k8LqmM
This was the kind born from fear and experience—an instinct forged in survival.
Before firing the third shot, she briefly pulled back her gaze and glanced at Tim.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYp33eqt5N6
“Can I change the distance?” she asked softly.
He nodded and adjusted the panel.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBMAylCd3j
The target slid further back.
It was only then that he realized—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡly3puAlKHA
he’d been holding his breath.
Not out of shock.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZs1ai55RAm
Out of caution.
And he didn’t like it.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlj4PtQy1RQ
That sense of unease—he never even felt it around actual villains.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7Hhbq2V1K
But around this supposed “civilian”?
From the moment he’d laid eyes on her, his body had been on edge.
But she wasn’t a villain.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvLiSeIuDB
Not a spy.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdNCZTQ3tN
Not an assassin.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJ4WiQhmFf
She was… a kindergarten teacher.
Then—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7s7tpQBfk
Bang.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaXiNmCAGU
The third bullet fired.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYTUFN6Hg1
Another dead-on hit, so clean it made his skin crawl.
Tim took a step back and leaned on the table, pretending to check the gun case.
But what he was really thinking was:23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJ63wdDn1w
Who the hell is she?
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVjSkMouyb
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPhGSNvGQF
Afterward, they cleaned the guns together and packed them back into the case.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNF3eb9owiz
Spent casings rolled lightly across the table, making soft clinks—like the aftershocks of a quiet war.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74LOWn3z7s
Tim picked up a cloth and began wiping down the barrel, each movement precise and cold, the rhythm of someone raised under the Bat's training.
Nora sat across from him.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXJ5e14uli
Her shoulders had dropped slightly.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuUjclj63C
She was still gazing at the rifle she’d just used—almost like she was savoring it.
Then Tim noticed—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRaTOYzs7u
her hands were trembling.
Not shaking violently—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1ueW9WZPR
but the subtle, accumulated tremble of recoil and exhaustion.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5S5FATJaMI
The kind that creeps in after a long time shooting.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFBcvdOOxc
Like a soldier finally unarmored.
Well, to be fair—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4M1IvfnD6
she had been shooting for nearly three hours.
He saw traces of gunpowder still clinging to her fingertips.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcG87Z2lfb9
Her skin glowed faintly warm with residual heat.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeC7bi4pFn
But she hadn’t complained once.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSVy80y5KD
Hadn’t asked for a break.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarGlgSc17q
As if this kind of fatigue had long been a part of her rhythm.
Good.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmp33yVJzJ
At least she’s still human.
Tim let out a breath quietly, as if reminding himself of that helped balance his perspective.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4j32bwe1x
He couldn’t let suspicion cloud his judgment.
He’d only stepped up for a few rounds himself.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TAIivLAiT
The scores were decent.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6EBqf3V70v
But none of his shots had hit fatal zones.
And he knew exactly why.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgH9Hef4s2
It wasn’t a matter of skill.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOiKfS1y5z
It was a matter of training.
Batman’s rules were clear:23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41IFp6dS62
Subdue, don’t kill.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQQ9nS8pbj
Be precise, but never lethal.
It was a philosophy.
Nora, though—her aim was different.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNxAJ41y1Z
She wasn’t trained by Batman.
She was faster.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4Dby5fpay
More instinctual.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa33TFXeMiL
And she liked aiming for the head.
Tim had noticed.
Not intentionally, perhaps.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGV9VzckRc8
But something in her subconscious always chose the direct hit, the clean strike, the no-loose-ends shot.
That…23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFunnc8w2Fn
couldn’t be known by the rest of the Bat-family.
Tim’s mouth twitched.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSc5X0pMA2
If Bruce ever found out, he’d be watched—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXuNdTUlhb
drowned beneath that silent, disappointed stare.
Not everyone escapes Bruce’s morality.
He looked over at Nora, who was calmly oiling her gun.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZjPZYNjDk
Her wrist moved naturally, fluid around the body of the weapon, every action muscle memory.
After a moment, he spoke.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNq1lvgnFJl
“Your aim’s really good.”
Nora didn’t look up.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTh2g5ZT5ru
“Thanks. I used to have a lot of chances to practice,” she said evenly.
Tim’s lips parted slightly.
A lot of chances to practice...23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBQ9IHrxbl
Not something an average civilian would say so casually.
His mind raced through possible backgrounds and scenarios,23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZxwvnDyvs
but Nora didn’t offer any more.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRBh0w5VbZ
She just kept wiping.
Then—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7k0e0s6Lg
she paused.
Cloth still in hand,23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7aCzLJh3V
her gaze drifted somewhere distant—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAiuiTzdBV
to a time he couldn’t see.
“Actually, guns aren’t my strong suit,” she said quietly.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpejk67z8j
“I only used them for a short time.”
Tim held his breath.
That sentence didn’t sound like small talk.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytWhLoW7uh
It sounded like a confession—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Yz3ESsvn0
like a smuggled thought sneaking out of a sealed memory.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54Bwq2x8lt
Each word soaked with invisible weight.
Then she added—
“I spent most of my time… with archery.”
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zYHAzWyxc
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7hNmGNPk2g
“Archery?” Tim raised an eyebrow. “So… you like archery?”
Nora gave him a glance but didn’t answer right away.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQRGS99WDa
Her fingers were still checking the gun bag’s clasps.
“Not really about liking or disliking,” she said simply.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Oy7KFvvOL
Her tone was neutral, like talking about breakfast options—plain, forgettable.
“It was more like… life demanded it, so I learned.”
She paused, then smiled softly at him.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xvr6baApe
A gentle curve of the lips—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JekyNO592
like wind brushing past leaves.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLXQNjBOfZ
No ripples.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Dcn4CMHCH
But it lingered.
Then she turned away and put the arrows back,23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxT1qW8VL4
her tone a bit lighter:23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcWfNZEAxE
“I used to think—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ989KE7RaHk
if I ever quit teaching kindergarten,23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHkDiNBEJT
maybe I’d become an archery coach.”
Tim didn’t answer.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLJI0NS8vt
Just watched her back.
So that was… her career backup plan?
Or… was it her real passion?
She’d never listed anything about archery on her resume.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpFHu2vEoT
No competitions, no licenses, no training certificates.
How much was she still hiding?
He lowered his gaze to the safety goggles on the table,23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVddrF0pVV
and a more frustrating thought struck him.
If she did quit being a kindergarten teacher…23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUiHqzyqLv
Finn would absolutely lose it.
That kid basically lived for Nora.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMsXsJgZ4H
Declared he’d marry her eight times a day.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFXvnKjKON
Made weekend cards for her.
Tim rubbed his temples.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9gdkNtbH6
He could already hear Finn’s future wailing echoing through Wayne Manor—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2X2vgdg2B
and then the inevitable call from Europe.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2M3SNUS3ka
“Tim! What the hell happened?!”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9Uy8qS84F
Leila’s voice, sharp and panicked.
…No.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP50QhtAU3P
That backup plan could not happen too soon.
Tim was still calculating the feasibility of buying the entire kindergarten.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxjWUn5oVn
Shifting funds wouldn’t be a problem.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlprFzYhxeu
The real issue was how to mask the motive so that neither Finn nor Bruce would catch on.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMtmANxVDc
He had already mapped out a few potential shell company routes and plausible justifications—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvDxNz1FAY
until he heard someone call out:
“Mr. Drake.”
He turned his head.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXk0NA7409S
Nora had just placed the last rifle into the case, closing the lid with practiced ease.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpnlCGQH23
After locking the latches, she gave her hands a quick clap—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKeyomBW03
as if marking the end of a ritual.
“Just call me Tim,” he replied reflexively, his voice unintentionally soft.
Nora gave a small nod, her expression unusually earnest.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RVKx3URkm
“Tim, thank you for inviting me today. I really enjoyed it.”
Her eyes still shimmered with leftover excitement—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SILPn0syn
so different from the cool, sharp precision she had while shooting.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVa3etc8Lh
This was human.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPzwviwY3z
This was joy.
“Let me buy you dinner,” she said. “I know a great Italian place.”
Tim froze.
For once, he wasn’t strategizing.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3s3zJ0kKMb
He wasn’t analyzing risks.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjs3qTUFvw8
He wasn’t scanning for background intel.
He just… froze a little—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZjnDrwHC9
and then nodded.
“Sure,” he said.
His voice wasn’t loud,23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZwPapKgZx
but the way the words landed felt like the quiet turning of a page—23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxLksXCyze
a new chapter quietly unfolding.
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVcDs6y89T
and then Add to home screen.