INTERLUDE: BATMAN

The Batcave was quiet, but Gotham was not.

Even down here, beneath stone and steel, Batman could feel the city shifting. Gotham was always changing, but in his absence, it had spiraled. The gang war had escalated. Supply lines had been cut. Power players had been forced to shift tactics. 

And at the center of it all, a new variable.

Wraith.

Standing before the Batcomputer, Batman scanned the reports flashing across the screens. A name with no records, no prior history—yet already tied to the circulation of high-tech weapons in the Narrows. He had flagged it before the Justice League mission pulled him away, keeping him off-world longer than expected. But now, only hours after his return, the evidence was damning.

A vigilante with no known affiliation. Skilled enough to carve through Gotham’s underworld. Dangerous enough to make enemies of villains like the Penguin and the League of Shadows.

Enough to warrant his attention.

Footsteps approached—light, practised, but not hidden. He didn’t look up as Nightwing stepped into the glow of the monitors, followed closely by Spoiler.

“You’re late,” Batman said without turning.

“Traffic,” Nightwing deadpanned. “And by that, I mean our newest problem.”

Batman brought up the latest reports—surveillance footage, intercepted communications. A pattern was forming.

“She’s a problem,” Nightwing said without preamble.

Spoiler crossed her arms. “We could talk about this instead of jumping straight to—”

“She’s been tearing through the underworld with no regard for the bigger picture,” Nightwing cut in, tone sharp. “She’s reckless. Smart, but reckless. And she’s in over her head.”

Batman’s fingers tightened on the console. “Name.”

Spoiler hesitated.

Nightwing answered. “She calls herself Wraith. Real name, Taylor Hebert.”

Batman turned to face them fully. “How do you know?”

“She doesn't know how to cover her tracks.”

“But she's not just another rogue,” Spoiler cut in, her voice urgent. “She’s not even from here. She’s from—somewhere else. Another world.”

Silence.

Batman’s gaze remained unreadable, but Spoiler shifted under it.

“I only just found out,” she admitted. “Oracle and Nightwing knew earlier, but with everything going on, it fell by the wayside. Taylor—Wraith—she’s not from this Earth. She showed up in Gotham with nothing. No past, no history. Just whatever skills she already had… and whatever was done to her.”

Batman studied her. “How certain are you?”

Nightwing answered first. “Oracle cross-checked every database. If Taylor Hebert existed on this Earth, we would have found something by now. And from the way she operates, this isn’t new to her. She didn’t just decide to be a vigilante—she’s done this before.”

“Who trained her?”

Nightwing’s expression was grim. “Oracle ran an analysis of her fighting style. We found a match.” He met Batman’s gaze.

“Ted Grant.”

Batman said nothing, but the air in the cave grew heavier.

Nightwing continued, folding his arms. “She’s been targeting high-level supply chains in the gang war. Intercepting shipments, dismantling operations, making sure the right people get taken off the board. And she’s been doing it alone. No backup, no support. Just running herself into the ground.”

Batman’s eyes narrowed. “And?”

Nightwing hesitated.

Spoiler answered. “She’s making a difference.”

A statement. Not an exaggeration.

“She’s not going to stop,” Nightwing said. “Not unless we make her.”

Batman’s gaze remained locked on the screen, but his mind was already several steps ahead.

“Look, I get it,” Spoiler spoke up. “She’s not one of us. She doesn’t play by our rules. But she’s not the bad guy here.”

Batman’s expression didn’t waver. “She’s a destabilizing force in my city.”

Spoiler clenched her fists. “She’s trying to help—”

“She doesn’t even realize why what she’s doing is a problem,” Nightwing interrupted. “She’s so focused on tearing down their operations that she hasn’t stopped to consider why they’re letting her. She’s playing right into the League of Shadows’ hands.”

Spoiler flinched, but Batman had already suspected as much. If Ra’s al Ghul had allowed Wraith to interfere this long, there was a reason.

It was never about stopping her.

It was about what she would become. What they were shaping her into. 

“Does she know?” he asked.

Spoiler shook her head. “She doesn’t trust me—us. And she’s not looking for backup—she’s looking to finish this before something bigger drops.”

Batman turned back to the screens. 

He had seen her type before. There were those who fought because they had to—because they had no choice.

And then there were the ones who fought because it was all they knew.

Taylor Hebert was the latter.

Nightwing exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. “So, what’s the plan?”

Batman didn’t hesitate.

“We bring her in.”

Spoiler stiffened. “And if she doesn’t want to come?”

Batman’s voice was absolute.

“Then we make her.”