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While Harley Quinn was still sulking over her missed opportunity and contemplating life choices, Allen was having the time of his life behind the wheel, or rather, the controls of the Batmobile.
Although Gotham had been officially sealed off and the only bridge to the outside world was supposed to be in complete lockdown, it seemed that memo either hadn't reached the right people or got lost in bureaucratic red tape.
Or maybe the lockdown was so recent they hadn't had time to fully implement it yet.
Either way… Allen didn't care.
Because he could fly now.
With a gleeful smirk, Allen soared above the bridge like an angry civilian flipping the bird to bureaucracy.
The soldiers stationed at the checkpoint were doing their best to follow orders: nobody in or out.
But nobody told them Batman's ride had wings.
Bullets erupted upward in a chaotic frenzy, tracer rounds streaking through the sky like angry fireflies.
But the Batmobile's armor was top-tier.
Possibly alien tech.
Whatever it was, it didn't even dent.
The constant clanging of bullets ricocheting off the hull echoed like hail on steel as Allen expertly weaved through the air.
He even dipped into an exaggerated S-shape just for the fun of it, throwing in a full B-shape mid-air for good measure.
Purely to mock them.
Not that the grunts on the ground had any idea what kind of stunts he was pulling off.
And just like that, Allen cleared the bridge and officially left Gotham.
Once he was safely out of range he landed and toggled the Batmobile back into [Land Mode] with a press of a button.
The engine roared back to life, louder and more aggressive than ever, like it had something to prove.
It practically screamed at the cars ahead, "Move or I will turn you into modern art!"
Startled drivers barely had time to gawk at the iconic vehicle before swerving frantically to the side, making way for him.
Allen drove without direction, letting the Batmobile eat up the highway for what felt like hours, until the dashboard lights blinked a not-so-friendly reminder.
"Guess it really does burn fuel like crazy," Allen muttered, staring at the empty fuel gauge.
"Just like women… she is very good, but also high maintenance."
The Batmobile had officially run dry.
He glanced at the GPS.
"Huh. Starling City's not far."
"Starling City, huh? So, it hasn't been renamed to Star City yet. Still in its awkward teenage years," he joked to himself.
"Well then, let's go visit the Green Riding Hood, no wait, I mean Green Arrow. Actually… Green Riding Hood sounds way cooler."
Allen stepped out of the Batmobile, stretched a little, and took in the view.
The area was surrounded by overgrown bushes and tall, dry grass.
There was not a single soul in sight.
"Well, let's get walking." The Batmobile was secure enough.
He picked a direction at random and began strolling along the side of the road, unbothered by the fact that his high-tech war machine was now just an expensive lawn ornament.
Without fuel, the Batmobile was basically a fancy metal corpse.
If anyone wanted it, they could take it.
He doubted Batman was petty enough to track him down over a joyride… probably.
Car after car whizzed by him on the road, none of them even thinking of slowing down.
He didn't blame them.
A random guy walking alone in the middle of nowhere? That had serial killer vibes written all over it.
Until one car did slow down.
A modest brown sedan passed him, paused, and then reversed slowly with its engine gently humming.
The window rolled down, revealing a blonde girl in a cardigan and black-rimmed glasses.
From her outfit and the slightly nervous way she looked around, she gave off major student or intern energy.
"Um… do you need a ride?" she asked, her voice a little hesitant, like she wasn't entirely sure she should be doing this.
Allen smiled brightly, the kind of grin that radiated good intentions, or at least harmless mischief.
"Absolutely. And here I thought I was gonna have to walk the whole way. You just became my favorite person today."
She blinked, a bit flustered, then unlocked the door for him.
After getting in, Allen offered a polite "Thanks."
"You're welcome," she said, adjusting her glasses and restarting the car, hands tightly gripping the wheel.
Allen glanced over at her with mild amusement.
"You nervous?"
"No! I mean… not really. I'm just, uh, not great at talking to people," she admitted, cheeks a little pink.
"Then why stop to pick me up?"
She hesitated; eyes still focused on the road.
"You didn't seem like a bad person. And I've never picked up a hitchhiker before, so… I thought I'd try it. Just once. Don't worry, I only got my license recently, but I promise I'm a good driver."
She glanced at him briefly, then continued, her voice picking up speed.
"Are you traveling alone? Starling's not exactly a vacation spot. Not a lot of sightseeing. Or fun stuff. I mean, unless you're into crime statistics or corporate drama. Even job hunting isn't great here. But I guess Queen Consolidated pays okay… I work there, actually, and I guess it's decent depending on what department, "
She was talking faster and faster now.
Like a verbal machine gun firing anxious thoughts.
Allen leaned back and listened with mild amusement as her words tumbled out like an avalanche.
It wasn't annoying, just oddly charming.
Eventually, she caught herself rambling and slowed to a halt, sneaking a sideways glance at him with an awkward smile.
"Sorry… I'm Felicity Smoak. What's your name?"
"Allen Robinson."
"Allen… nice to meet you,"
Her mind then drifted into another tangent again.
"Uh, did you know-"
Allen cut in casually, "You mentioned Queen Consolidated?"
She blinked, then nodded.
"Oh! Yeah. It's that big tech company. Owned by Oliver Queen, he's sort of a local celebrity-slash-billionaire-slash-former party boy. I heard he went missing like six months ago with his dad. Shipwrecked or something. The Queen's Gambit, I think it was called?"
She looked like she wanted to gossip more but quickly realized Allen was no longer paying full attention.
Because the timeline clicked in his head.
Six months ago.
That meant Oliver Queen was still stranded on [Lian Yu], also known as [Purgatory Island].
No Green Arrow yet.
No hood.
No bow.
No rooftop vigilante justice.
The guy was probably still wrestling with starvation and bad facial hair in the wilderness.
Allen slumped slightly in his seat, just a bit let down.
'So close… but no Green Arrow for now.'
'Fun would have to wait…'