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****
"Can you guess?"
Allen tilted his head slightly and looked at her with a calm smile, eyes twinkling with amusement.
Her acting skills were incredible.
That brief, subtle flicker of panic, followed by a rushed, yet composed correction, had been executed with flawless timing.
Especially the way fear and pain had flashed across her expression and eyes, only to be quickly replaced with a sense of relief upon recognizing him… and then seamlessly shifting into surprise.
Each micro-expression layered over the last, delivered with such authenticity.
No wonder she managed to fool the Bat for so long.
Her reaction to his answer wasn't what she had expected.
She paused for half a second, clearly thrown off, before forcing herself to respond.
"My name is Miranda Tate. I work with Commissioner James Gordon, and I'm also an ally of Batgirl," she said.
"Batgirl went to look for you to ask for help against Bane. Didn't you meet her?" she added and looked at him.
"I did. She already left,"
Allen replied with a soft chuckle, casually stepping closer and reaching toward her shoulder, where the dagger was lodged.
The dagger didn't penetrate into her shoulder but rather grazed it on the outside and was lodged into the wall.
Still, any movement would hurt.
"Then… did you agree-" she asked carefully, her voice betraying a hint of nervousness.
Before she could finish the sentence, her body tensed.
The cold blade of the dagger pressed against her already injured shoulder.
Despite the fresh wave of pain and the chill of steel against her skin, she didn't move.
She remained still, her face a picture of composure marred by a barely concealed hint of pain.
The dagger slid out slowly from her shoulder, a deliberate movement.
Allen's other hand reached out and lightly brushed her right shoulder, fingers brushing the fabric with precision.
The dress strap slipped off instantly.
"You didn't guess before, but can you guess if I agreed to help Batgirl?" Allen asked coolly, voice almost playful.
Watching her pretend to tremble under pressure, a grin tugged at his lips.
Then, without warning, he yanked hard, tearing the blue dress clean off her.
"No bra, that's bold"
She instinctively tried to cover herself, arms jerking up, only to stop immediately as the cold blade remained just a breath away from her skin.
"W-What are you doing?" she asked, voice trembling despite her best efforts to stay strong.
Allen glanced around the room, eyes drifting for a moment before an idea struck him, an amusing, ridiculous thought that made him grin wider.
'What would Bruce Wayne do if he walked in right now?'
Would he break up with her?
Forgive her?
Laugh a pained laugh?
Probably sulk.
Amused, Allen took a few steps back while leaving the dagger.
He then pulled the camera from his backpack, and without hesitation…
Click!
He snapped a photo.
She lowered her head, seemingly in shame, but her eyes burned with anger.
He dared to do this to her?
He was dead. No doubt about it.
After a few more shots, click, click, and Allen finally closed the camera with a satisfied smile.
"I want a Batmobile. Don't bother with your lies, I already know everything…"
"How am I supposed to do that?" she looked up sharply at him.
"That's Batman's tech. I don't have one."
He looked at her with disappointment.
"I already said to not lie, sigh… whether it's Miranda Tate or Thalia al Ghul…" Allen said with a shrug.
"You can in fact easily get your hand on a Batmobile. You bring it to me, and I'll help your side. I'll hand Batgirl over to Bane. Deal?"
Her eyes widened.
'He knows about me?'
He actually knew who she was?
Impossible.
No one in Gotham should know her real identity.
Not even Bruce had truly seen it coming.
Now, she was panicking.
"Hey, hey." Allen waved his hand in front of her face and snapped his fingers.
"Don't zone out on me. C'mon, stay focused."
Of course, she knew of Allen.
James Gordon and Barbara Gordon both believed he might be Gotham's greatest hope against Bane.
But she knew better.
Everything about him screamed chaos.
He was Unstable. Unpredictable.
He wasn't a hero.
Not even close.
She might not have known how he figured her out, but it was clear now that he hadn't agreed to work with Batgirl.
"You didn't accept Batgirl's offer?" she asked after a pause.
Allen grinned.
"I did. I promised her I'd help deal with Bane."
She stared at him for a beat, then burst out laughing.
Her loud laughter was simply… Unhinged.
Her laughter echoed in the room, growing more bitter and mocking by the second.
"They pinned their hopes on you to save Gotham… only for you to sell them out over a Batmobile?"
She shook her head.
"It's perfect, really. To feel the crushing weight of despair right after tasting hope. That's the true rhythm of this city. That's Gotham."
She took a breath, then continued.
"They're making their move tomorrow. A cop named John Blake will lead the rescue mission for the trapped officers underground. James Gordon will lead the attack on the City Hall."
"Since you agreed to Batgirl's plan, she would go with you to confront Bane. I'll be there too, playing my part, pretending to shut down the nuclear reactor. You can betray them at that point."
Her eyes locked onto his.
"In two hours, I'll have someone deliver the Batmobile. It'll be two blocks from your current location."
"You'll have to find it on your own, and finally… you must delete those photos."
"That won't work for me," Allen said with a lazy shake of his head.
"These photos are way more entertaining than the Batmobile. Batman might not care about losing a car… but seeing the woman he loves like that? Now that must sting."
She narrowed her eyes at him for a long moment.
Then, unexpectedly, her lips curled into a smirk.
"Fine. If you like them so much, you can keep them."
He was going to die soon anyway.
Once he was gone, it wouldn't matter.
She'd find the camera, delete the photos, and move on.
"I got consent? Yay!"
"I'm really curious how Bruce Wayne will react when he sees them," Allen said, grinning.
"I'm looking forward to it."
With that, he turned and walked to the door.
"See ya."
"I'm also excited for tomorrow," she replied, her voice icy. 'Because it will be your last day!'
Allen left without another word.
She stood still for a long moment, breathing slowly through her nose before reaching down to grab her clothes, only to find them too torn and ruined to wear.
With a deep scowl, she rummaged around, eventually finding some filthy rags nearby.
She dressed reluctantly, composed herself, and left.
True to her word, she made sure the Batmobile was delivered to the agreed location before returning to rejoin Barbara and the others.
****
Two hours later, Allen found the Batmobile.
He crouched beside it, eyes gleaming with a childlike fascination as he took in every inch of its design.
Sleek lines.
Military-grade finish.
An engine that purred like a beast.
Cool design.
Fully armed and armored.
Flight mode. Autopilot. Multiple built-in weapons and stealth systems.
Allen spent hours crawling over every part of it, examining its features with the obsession of a man who'd just won the lottery.
As night fell, he finally finished his examination, parked it in a hidden secure location, and headed back toward Harley Quinn's apartment.