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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtNcCwXUTq
Had she become so cold that even her subconscious had stopped reminding her of what once was?143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7kCW6BsqF
All those memories, all those past lives, seemed to have been swallowed whole by time, leaving nothing behind.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgEutQ9DqR
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHBbBiqXRM
The engine purred beneath her, the road stretched endlessly ahead—no destination, no end in sight.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxL8Eii1JbL
There was nothing visible beyond the horizon.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LoqwCYdq9
Only a gut instinct urging her: keep driving, don’t stop.
“You have to make it safely,”143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdrNQgqrn9
That sentence echoed in her mind over and over.
Her hands trembled constantly, but she didn’t feel pain.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFUTL05Dqg
Not because she was numb—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSUtFWdLIK
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNGMpAvZTI
Her vision blurred, like fog clouding the windshield, but she knew—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmW0LRgbFDq
She still couldn’t stop.
She turned her head.
In the passenger seat, a group of small children sat quietly.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8c5e0OsYea
They were silent, like blades of grass waiting for dawn.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8SNsXX876
Their faces felt familiar, but indistinct.
“Yes… the children…” she struggled to think.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZkl1pi5Fu
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXwn7FQVWg
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxStDeJAWMD
But she knew one thing—
Almost there.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCiOCJ7mwU
Almost there.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZCd6rW1wl
She told herself, like soothing a frightened child.
Then, she clenched her teeth.
And in the next moment—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63f1FJdpRF
She realized her canines…143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0f3kn64iF
Were growing longer.
The air in the dream turned cold.
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Three days later.
Tim sat in the Batcave, surrounded by rows of surveillance monitors.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOIPbcrzvj
Voices buzzed through his headset as the patrol team reported in from all over the city.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvouO3BdbG
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ62nZYLmFjA
His tone was steady, mechanical, precise.
“East docks are unusually quiet. Nightwing, swing by for a check.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhX0abvCMh
Red Hood, your area’s clear. Move north.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6XnlBHDqE
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2GDRoi1Hh6
Harsh. Cold.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5plkgntHYu
Like the silent storm that followed a crisis.
Tim knew Bruce was angry.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSaiTxLjLr
Correction: the entire Wayne family was furious.
Nightwing was so mad he nearly stormed back to Gotham to physically confront someone.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkFQuy06hU
Jason had already destroyed three motorcycle helmets during his patrols.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVorneXClV
Bruce said nothing—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBZhWgLGLZ
Which was worse.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMf5FvOSFA
He’d started a full internal audit of every education facility in Gotham,143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgB21gMfyN
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBSIbVPrqr
All he could do was stay calm and maintain command.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7z2BwH6Oo
It felt like the only thing left within his control.
He remembered that day—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOgB2zVB31
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPn8ofCOMhA
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxr8BkpQUQ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5EY4mxYu6a
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACQfSPYmyl
Her body visibly trembling from pain, but her face still smiling, comforting those frightened little souls.
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4b7qCHDgF
Once they reached city limits, the logistics would kick into place—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tIRNPHx2O
Precise. Coordinated. Mechanical.
And indeed, it unfolded exactly as he planned:
Media outlets had already been contacted.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLcEu1F0uH
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsWWUbTqzV
Surveillance data was backed up and sent to the police.
The hospital had opened emergency lanes in advance.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygwej0onE6
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVl83pROHP0
To support that claim, Tim had Robin rush to the scene—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7r4SKJ2EB
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XiSZmY61I
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKf4IghTWbf
One louder than the next—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMTLQWRBAz
Even Tim nearly lost control of his own emotions.
Thankfully, he had already arranged human barricades and visual shields.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡny5ZbCOJxd
Not a single child’s crying face was caught by media cameras.
As for Finn’s parents—Jason and Lyla—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVC4dgSjgq2
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKjgt3fbKt
he leapt forward like a tiny animal finally dropping its defenses,143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakgOvjXisE
and clung to Bruce’s neck with everything he had.
For once, Bruce was at a loss for words.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIcJpNGo3M
All he could say was: “It’s okay. Grandpa’s here.”
The two teachers were transported safely to the hospital.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0UUcp3jPU
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1TxqWS3uo
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFausR72ku
The doctor described it as a “small-scale explosion” inside her body.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjoN9Uq05k
Bleeding was severe and difficult to control.
The initial surgery couldn’t fix everything.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOmbVi7uEq
They had to stabilize her first, then proceed in phases.
The operation stretched across three days.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQM3WCmSUt
Two surgical teams rotated.143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8FzTach6m
Experts from general surgery, trauma, neurology, and orthopedics were brought in.
And now—143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUvy6UHMYY
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUQcqGXEsi
Speechless for a very, very long time.
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and then Add to home screen.