Jenkins' Home
Jenkins sat alone on his couch, still in his Arkham-issued sweatpants. A mug of coffee sat untouched on the table beside him, long since gone cold. His left arm rested in a sling,a reminder of that night.
The President's address replayed silently on the television, white subtitles crawling across the screen.
National Extraordinary Threat Containment Act.
Jenkins let out a slow breath.
They should have been watching this together.
He and Tenpenny had talked about it for years,about how the system was broken, about how men like the Joker treated prison like a revolving door. About how one day, someone would finally have the spine to do something about it.
That day had come.
Tenpenny wasn't here to see it.
The memory came unbidden and ugly.
Joker had baited him by doing something suspicious in his cell and Tenpenny stepped too close to the bars when he was checking, the clown struck. A thin cord, braided from shoelaces, looped around Tenpenny's throat and yanked him forward, his body slamming into the steel.
Jenkins had moved too late.
Joker tore Tenpenny's gun free, fired,Jenkins still felt the phantom heat where the bullet had torn through his arm,then he snapped Tenpenny's neck like it meant nothing.
By the time Joker escaped, a dozen more wardens were dead.
Jenkins swallowed hard.
He had known, even then, how this would end. Joker would be caught again. Locked up again. And eventually, he would do it all over again.
There was nothing Jenkins could do to stop it.
So he retired on the spot.
Now, watching the subtitles scroll across the screen, he felt relief,of course Jokers execution wouldn't bring Tenpenny back.
But Joker wouldn't hurt anyone ever again.
Jenkins leaned back, eyes fixed on the screen.
"Rest easy, old friend," he murmured.
Things were finally changing for the best.
Max's House
Nina sat on her couch, eyes fixed on the television as the president announced the new law. The words National Extraordinary Threat Containment Act scrolled across the bottom of the screen.
"So this is what Pain was planning to do," she murmured.
It didn't surprise her.
Max had done something similar in her world,but much later. Back then, nothing had pushed him hard enough to make this move at this point in time. Joker had been a monster like he iss, but he hadn't erased a city.
This time, he had.
Another deviation.
Nina sighed softly, leaning back into the cushions. Each change made the future harder to predict. The more reality drifted from the path she remembered, the less reliable her foresight became.
Still… different didn't necessarily mean worse.
"At least this time," she said quietly, "things won't play out the same way."
Whether that was a blessing or a curse remained to be seen.
GOTHAM,GCPD
Every screen in the precinct had been tuned to the broadcast. When it ended, the room stayed silent for a moment.
Then someone broke it.
"Finally," an officer muttered. "Some good news."
"Yeah," another replied. "That clown was a psychopath before. Now he's a full-blown terrorist. I'm glad I'll never have to answer a call involving him."
"You can say that again," someone else added.
A veteran sergeant folded his arms, frowning. "I want him gone as much as anyone. But a whole new law?" He shook his head. "Feels excessive."
"Maybe," another officer said, "but the government's hand was forced. And the way the president framed it, it's not like this applies to every crook out there."
"I'm with him," someone chimed in. "Still… don't be surprised if we're the ones breaking up riots over this."
A chair scraped lightly against the floor as Gordon stood.
"That's enough," he said calmly. "Back to your stations."
The officers dispersed,leaving a thoughtful commissioner Gordon.He may not know much about governance but he knew that a decision like this would take time to be passed so something was definitely wrong ,but it is way beyond his pay grade so he can't do anything about it.
----------
Morning
Terra woke with a full, throbbing headache behind her eyes.
She groaned softly, bringing a hand to her forehead as sunlight filtered through the curtains. For a moment, she stayed still, breathing, letting the pounding settle.
That was a hell of a dream, she thought.
She pushed herself upright, legs dangling off the bed, then slipped to her feet and made her way down the hall toward Thena's room.
Thena was sprawled across her bed, lightly snoring.
Terra crossed her arms, unimpressed, then reached out and lightly slapped Thena's cheeks.
"Thena, wake up. We gotta go to school," she said. "We're already late, so I don't think we'll be training today."
No response.
Terra frowned and raised her voice. "Thena!"
"Ummm…" Thena mumbled.
"School."
"Not today," Thena replied without opening her eyes. "Just let me sleep."
Terra deadpanned for half a second—then smiled slyly.
"Well then," she said, turning toward the door, "I guess I'll help myself to the remaining ice cream in the fridge."
Thena's eyes snapped open instantly.
An iron grip clamped around Terra's wrist.
"Don't. You. Dare," Thena growled.
Terra blinked, then sighed. "Alright, what's wrong with you today? Why are you this eager to skip school?"
"Do you really have to ask?" Thena muttered.
"Yes."
Thena stared at her flatly. "Because there is no school today."
Terra frowned. "What do you mean? It's a weekday."
"There is literally no school," Thena said. "It's gone."
"…Gone?"
"We were rescued from a massive explosion," Thena continued dryly. "Remember?"
Terra froze.
Oh… so that wasn't a dream.
Thena rolled onto her side and pulled the covers over her head. "Now let me sleep. I haven't caught up on all the hours I lost, so if you don't mind,close the door on your way out."
"No, you are not."
Both girls looked toward the doorway.
Nina stood there, arms crossed.
"After what happened," she said calmly, "I don't think either of you will be returning to school."
"Amen to that," Thena muttered from under the covers.
"But," Nina added, "this does leave plenty of time for your training."
Thena groaned. "Please… just let me sleep today."
"No," Nina replied without hesitation.
Thena sighed dramatically. "If only people know how hard it is to be me…"
A Few Hours Later
What had once been a dense ring of trees looked thinner now,much thinner.
Large sections of the training grounds had once again been reduced to scorched earth and broken soil, the aftermath of where Nina had teleported the nuke.
Far from the blast zone, Thena sat with her back against the bark of a surviving tree, arms folded behind her head. Terra lay nearby on the grass, staring up at the cloudy sky, absentmindedly tracing shapes in the clouds. A short distance away, Nina sat cross-legged, eyes closed, a white cube floating silently between her hands.
The quiet didn't last.
"You know," Thena said casually, breaking the silence, "you're gonna have to replace those trees."
Nina opened one eye.
"The ones that were vaporized?"
"Yes," Thena replied. "Because Dad is going to chew you up when he sees this."
"I'll replace them," Nina said calmly. "And besides, even if I don't, I don't think he'd mind that much. He wrecks this place almost every day of the week."
"I don't think he'll mind too," Terra added. "I mean… it was for a good cause."
Thena hummed. "Yeah. I guess you're right."
Terra shifted on the grass and turned her head toward Nina, her tone more serious now.
"Hey, Aunt Nina?"
"Yes?"
"Who was that?" Terra asked.
"Who is who?" Nina replied.
"The white guy," Terra said. "The one who saved us."
"Yeah," Thena chimed in. "I thought I got kidnapped until I woke up in my bed."
Nina was quiet for a moment before answering.
"Oh. That was Zetsu."
"Zetsu?" Thena frowned. "That's a weird name."
Nina glanced at Terra. "You've seen him before, haven't you?"
Terra hesitated. "I… don't remember."
Nina nodded slightly. "That's okay."
Thena looked between them, clearly lost.
"What do you mean she's seen him before?"
"It's a long story," Nina said. "But he's here, if you want to meet him."
"Here?" Thena repeated, immediately sitting up. "Where?"
She stood and started scanning the area.
Nina's gaze shifted to a specific patch of ground.
"Zetsu," she said calmly. "Get out here."
The earth rippled.
A moment later, Zetsu rose out of the ground as if it were liquid, dirt sliding off his shoulders.
"Yo," he greeted, flashing a peace sign.
Thena leaned toward Nina and whispered sharply,
"What the fuck is he?"
"Well, that's rude," Zetsu said, clearly having heard her. "Not even a thank-you,straight to judging."
"Terra,thena,meet Zetsu " Thena said.
End of Chapter
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