Nora was dreaming.
It had been so long since she last dreamed of the past—so long, in fact, that she’d wondered if she’d gone numb.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZY7p9Bwh5g
Had she become so cold that even her subconscious had stopped reminding her of what once was?143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrD2qCwlbvD
All those memories, all those past lives, seemed to have been swallowed whole by time, leaving nothing behind.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnspOr7U1m8
She had tried to recall, but couldn't even grasp a single image.
But this time, the dream came in perfect clarity.
She was driving again.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0B4RDjTEV
The engine purred beneath her, the road stretched endlessly ahead—no destination, no end in sight.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sMYzqdQLd
There was nothing visible beyond the horizon.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxA8Hxw3ZaM
Only a gut instinct urging her: keep driving, don’t stop.
“You have to make it safely,”143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9W42rLhOh
That sentence echoed in her mind over and over.
Her hands trembled constantly, but she didn’t feel pain.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISnK1b8UU2
Not because she was numb—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaIWj036tq
But because she hadn’t felt pain in so long, her body had learned to suppress it, to function as a machine made for movement alone.
She blinked several times.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF01bcFLmiE
Her vision blurred, like fog clouding the windshield, but she knew—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzxxnXa5jF
She still couldn’t stop.
She turned her head.
In the passenger seat, a group of small children sat quietly.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapAkwFOree
They were silent, like blades of grass waiting for dawn.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTbAmK5Uqx
Their faces felt familiar, but indistinct.
“Yes… the children…” she struggled to think.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6RpsHKgHw
“My mission is to transport the children… a whole van of children.”
The thought surfaced from the deepest part of her mind.
She tried to grip the wheel tighter.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLjZqomwU9
The steering wheel pressed into her palms so hard they felt like splitting open.
She didn’t know where the van was heading.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66CVoCPtKc
But she knew one thing—
Almost there.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSC8AqkYAgG
Almost there.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsTirJ9TvO
She told herself, like soothing a frightened child.
Then, she clenched her teeth.
And in the next moment—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVowLnBFJw
She realized her canines…143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOFNyq9Zme
Were growing longer.
The air in the dream turned cold.
143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlJJPzTO5O
143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXuvkOUr6f
Three days later.
Tim sat in the Batcave, surrounded by rows of surveillance monitors.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPErF1MfyMj
Voices buzzed through his headset as the patrol team reported in from all over the city.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjVwoSyYd0
Calmly, he toggled between camera feeds, issuing instructions through the comms, helping coordinate tonight’s patrol routes.
He flagged anomalies in each zone, then reassigned coverage areas to different team members.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKHxAfqYyJ
His tone was steady, mechanical, precise.
“East docks are unusually quiet. Nightwing, swing by for a check.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS629vXDj5j
Red Hood, your area’s clear. Move north.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRf6Gd9JxN1
Batman, repeating the update: patrol the route from City Hall to the hospital again. That zone was compromised two nights ago.”
Batman’s voice came through on the other end—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRs0N5vg3f
Harsh. Cold.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6YdkEcn6n
Like the silent storm that followed a crisis.
Tim knew Bruce was angry.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvSYC01Id2
Correction: the entire Wayne family was furious.
Nightwing was so mad he nearly stormed back to Gotham to physically confront someone.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7hoDmaWDn
Jason had already destroyed three motorcycle helmets during his patrols.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQs54Qls1cL
Bruce said nothing—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51Nzkdt42v
Which was worse.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyumMqaOfFg
He’d started a full internal audit of every education facility in Gotham,143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcyC9479Ht
and if he uncovered the origin of the culprits, it was likely the entire criminal syndicate would disappear overnight.
As for Tim—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4bIxSPmI8k
All he could do was stay calm and maintain command.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYdm04XyLZ
It felt like the only thing left within his control.
He remembered that day—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoDth7cKRY
When Nora said she’d been shot, her voice so casual it sounded like a joke.
Then he got into the driver’s seat.
As he drove, he glanced sideways—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZ1RoAH2qZ
Nora was crouched near the door, wrapping one of his emergency tourniquets tightly around her waist.
The wound was on her side, just above the hip.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhB1idtbjkn
Not fatal, but it had to hurt.
Tim noticed: there wasn’t as much blood as he’d feared. That gave him a sliver of relief.
But before he could ask anything,143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQejLiY2hD
Nora had already walked to the back of the van, smiling as she asked the kids:
“Want to play a car-counting game?”
She said if they saw more than twenty cars go by, that meant they were almost home.
Tim nearly turned to stare at her.
But the kids believed her.
He thought: Finn only just learned to count to ten...
As he drove, he watched her from the mirror—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCLVsP5TbA
Her body visibly trembling from pain, but her face still smiling, comforting those frightened little souls.
143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKrHyZH0TL
143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe39n39a50O
Tim managed to drive the van full of shaken children back into the city, straight to Gotham Central Police Station.
He had rehearsed it all in his head.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq70Na5pi0v
Once they reached city limits, the logistics would kick into place—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmM6Z6iC2dT
Precise. Coordinated. Mechanical.
And indeed, it unfolded exactly as he planned:
Media outlets had already been contacted.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOT7aCXfl1
Press conference times, speaker order, and statements were all pre-arranged.
The kindergarten had dispatched staff to receive the children, calm parents, and liaise with officials.
Batcave support was at full throttle—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGOScwswE4
Surveillance data was backed up and sent to the police.
The hospital had opened emergency lanes in advance.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCvW86wPS4
The two teachers were immediately transferred upon arrival.
Everything unfolded according to Tim’s “perfect exit strategy.”
He personally announced that the main suspect and accomplices had been captured in the outskirts.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDYRkfNDfX
To support that claim, Tim had Robin rush to the scene—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKdfoqxMgf
And they did, in fact, find unconscious criminals and leftover evidence.
He played the part flawlessly.
Outside the police station, parents had already gathered.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW039lCSMgr
When they saw their children return safe, the cries that erupted were like a tsunami.
Kids threw themselves at their parents, sobbing uncontrollably.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmykeoYrRhu
One louder than the next—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mGRX3nTFV
Even Tim nearly lost control of his own emotions.
Thankfully, he had already arranged human barricades and visual shields.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiasselBQc
Not a single child’s crying face was caught by media cameras.
As for Finn’s parents—Jason and Lyla—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWslAqqxfD
They were abroad and couldn’t return for at least two more days.
So Bruce came himself to pick up Finn.
The moment those tear-filled blue eyes spotted his grandfather,143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeb5lAtza2c
he leapt forward like a tiny animal finally dropping its defenses,143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5RwUhOfZQ
and clung to Bruce’s neck with everything he had.
For once, Bruce was at a loss for words.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPEo66muh6Z
All he could say was: “It’s okay. Grandpa’s here.”
The two teachers were transported safely to the hospital.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiykWERoyGG
Initial checks showed one had simply passed out from shock and would be fine after rest.
But just as Tim was still deep in post-crisis coordination at the station,143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuyIsG2o5f
a call came through the hospital’s secure line—
Nora’s injury was far worse than they had initially thought.
The bullet had entered through her side, struck bone, then ricocheted, causing extensive internal damage.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIItQYLi7PI
The doctor described it as a “small-scale explosion” inside her body.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TkWIlkRoP
Bleeding was severe and difficult to control.
The initial surgery couldn’t fix everything.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChbCbvw1YT
They had to stabilize her first, then proceed in phases.
The operation stretched across three days.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKuEphsAym
Two surgical teams rotated.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtAUeSXZHB
Experts from general surgery, trauma, neurology, and orthopedics were brought in.
And now—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUreF8nlRr
Tim sat on a bench outside the police station.
He closed his tablet.
Tilted his head back.
And stared at the gray, heavy sky.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyk1RRuxyT6
Speechless for a very, very long time.
143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nW8uuMpwB
and then Add to home screen.