Jack—or The Keeper, as he begrudgingly called himself now—was pacing back and forth behind the counter of the general store, muttering to himself in a frantic, disjointed string of thoughts. His mind was racing at a thousand miles per hour.

"Batman. Freakin' Batman is here," Jack whispered, his two glowing eyes flickering with the stress of the situation. "Why? Why did it have to be him? Out of all the possible people in the multiverse, I get the most paranoid, suspicious, probably-already-figured-everything-out person."

He ran a hand through the shadowy tendrils that passed for his hair, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him. "Okay, okay, calm down. He doesn't know anything yet. Probably. I mean, this is Batman. He could be looking at the dust on the floor and calculating my entire life story."

Jack took a deep breath—or, at least, what passed for a breath in his current form. It was one of the few times he was glad he didn’t have a face anymore. Being a literal shadow with glowing eyes had its advantages. For one, it was an excellent poker face. For another, the intimidation factor wasn’t half bad. He had seen the way Penguin’s goons had backed off when they first saw him. Now he just had to hope that the Dark Knight would be less... skeptical.

"You got this," Jack muttered, more to reassure himself than anything else. "Just act cool, stay neutral. Don’t escalate anything. "

He stopped pacing, mentally forcing himself to calm down. He wasn’t some villain, and this wasn’t Gotham. This was a dilapidated interdimensional mall that was barely functioning, and all he had to do was not make Batman suspicious enough to think he was hiding something.

But just as he was starting to regain his composure, he heard it: the unmistakable sound of footsteps approaching the store.

Jack froze.

“Of course,” he muttered through clenched, non-existent teeth. The stress came rushing back in full force, and his glowing eyes flickered with panic. “Here we go.”

He ducked behind the counter, peeking out as Batman—the Batman—appeared at the entrance of the general store. The Dark Knight moved with quiet precision, his gaze sweeping across the space with an intensity that made Jack feel like the entire mall had already been scanned, analyzed, and categorized in Batman’s mind.

Jack swallowed—or, tried to. His body was made of shadow now, so certain human reactions didn’t come as easily anymore. But the anxiety was real enough. Batman was here, in his store. Jack needed to play this smart. He needed to stay neutral, not trigger any alarms, and definitely not give off any villainous vibes.

He slowly stood up behind the counter, doing his best not to startle the Caped Crusader. His glowing eyes flickered as they met Batman’s gaze, and for a moment, they just stared at each other.

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Batman’s expression didn’t change. He was unreadable, like a statue carved from stone, his eyes hidden behind the iconic white slits of the cowl.

Jack cleared his throat—or, at least, the shadowy equivalent of it. “Welcome to... uh... the general store,” he said, his voice calm and even. “What can I help you with?”

The silence that followed felt like an eternity. Batman’s eyes scanned the store again, taking in the shelves stocked with various items—everything from stimpaks to enchanted throwing knives to a random assortment of potions. His gaze eventually settled back on Jack.

“You run this place,” Batman said, his voice deep and commanding. It wasn’t a question.

Jack nodded slowly. “Yeah. I... manage this part of the mall.” He forced himself to keep his tone neutral, casual. “Anything in particular you’re looking for? We’ve got a decent stock of supplies from all sorts of dimensions. Healing items, combat gear, tech—though some of the more... exotic items are a bit pricey.”

Batman’s gaze lingered on Jack for a moment longer before he spoke again. “I’m not here to shop.”

Jack could feel the weight of the tension building between them. Batman wasn’t just here out of curiosity—he was investigating. He had probably tracked Penguin to the Nexus Conduit and was now trying to figure out if this place posed a threat.

Jack needed to de-escalate. Fast.

“I figured as much,” Jack said, forcing a chuckle that came out more like a low rumble. “Look, I’m not involved in whatever you think is going on here. I just manage the mall. People come in, they buy stuff, they leave. I don’t ask questions, and I don’t get involved.”

Batman took a step forward, his presence looming. “Penguin was here.”

Jack fought the urge to step back. He had to keep his cool. “Yeah, he came through last week. Bought some stuff. Paid in cash. I didn’t ask where he got it from, and I didn’t care. He’s just a customer like anyone else.”

Batman’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if analyzing every word Jack said. “This place... it’s not on any map. It doesn’t belong in Gotham—or anywhere else, for that matter. What is it?”

Jack swallowed again, his mind racing. He needed to give Batman something without making things worse. “It’s a mall,” he said slowly. “An interdimensional one, at that. People from all over the multiverse can find their way here—though it’s not exactly easy to access. I don’t control who comes and goes, I just run the shops.”

Batman was silent for a moment, his eyes flicking toward the entrance of the store as if he were weighing his options. Jack could almost hear the gears turning in the Dark Knight’s head, calculating the risk, determining whether or not Jack was telling the truth.

Finally, Batman spoke again, his voice low. “You don’t get involved in your customers’ affairs. But you’ll let anyone walk in here—no matter who they are.”

It wasn’t an accusation, but the implication was clear.

Jack raised his shadowy hands in a gesture of peace. “Look, I don’t pick my customers. I don’t even know how half of them find this place. I just run the store. You want to keep tabs on Penguin? Fine. I don’t care. But I’m not here to stir up trouble, and I’m definitely not here to play villain.”

Batman’s gaze stayed locked on Jack for what felt like an eternity before he finally nodded. It was a subtle motion, but it was enough.

“I’ll be watching this place,” Batman said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Jack gave a slight nod. “I figured.”

With that, Batman turned and left the store, his cape swirling behind him as he disappeared into the dimly lit hallways of the mall.

Jack exhaled slowly, the tension in his shadowy body finally easing as the Dark Knight’s presence faded. He slumped behind the counter, feeling like he had just narrowly escaped certain doom.

“That... could’ve gone worse,” he muttered to himself.

But as he sat there, a sinking realization hit him. Batman wasn’t done. He’d be back, and next time, he’d be expecting answers.

Jack had managed to stay neutral this time, but for how long? The Nexus Conduit was a place that attracted all sorts of chaos, and eventually, even someone like Jack wouldn’t be able to avoid it forever.

For now, though, he had survived his first encounter with the most dangerous detective in the multiverse. And that was a win.

Jack shaking his head as relax on the counter. "Remain neutral thats it."

But deep down, he knew that neutrality in a place like this was a thin line to walk. And with Batman on his case, that line was only going to get thinner.