While Harley Quinn was wallowing in heartbreak, Jack Kadere was having the time of his life behind the wheel of the Batmobile.
Gotham was still under lockdown. The only bridge leading out of the city hadn't been cleared yet, but—who needed roads when you could fly?
Jack kicked the Batmobile into flight mode and soared right over the barricade. The soldiers guarding the bridge below opened fire without hesitation, following strict orders not to let anyone leave the city. Bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the reinforced armor—gotta hand it to Bruce, this ride could take a beating.
Jack weaved through the air with flair—at times pulling tight S-curves, other times looping in what might've passed for a cursive "B." He wondered if anyone down there was smart enough to notice the shapes. Probably not.
With a roar, he cleared the bridge and left Gotham in the dust.
Once out, Jack brought the Batmobile back to the ground, shifting it from flight mode into its sleeker racing configuration.
The engine roared like a wild beast, practically screaming at the cars ahead to move—and they did, swerving aside in a panic, barely catching a glimpse of the jet-black vehicle streaking past them like a missile.
Jack had no real destination in mind. He just drove. Eventually, he pulled over as the engine coughed and sputtered.
"Figures. Great cars burn through gas, just like great women burn through men."
Out of fuel.
He tapped on the dashboard map and noticed he wasn't far from Starling City.
"Starling, huh? Guess they haven't renamed it to Star City yet. Might as well drop in on the Green Cuck—wait—Green Arrow. No, forget it. Green Cuckold still sounds more natural."
He stepped out and took a look around. The area was remote, overgrown with bushes, and deserted.
"Well, let's go."
He picked a direction and started walking at a casual pace. The Batmobile? Without fuel, it was nothing more than a high-tech lawn ornament. Let someone else deal with Batman's temper if they wanted to claim it.
He walked for a while, letting the occasional car breeze past him without slowing—until finally, one actually did.
A brown sedan braked ahead, then carefully reversed until it pulled up beside him. The window rolled down, revealing a young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and black-rimmed glasses.
Judging by her outfit and demeanor, she was probably a college student.
"Um… do you need a ride?" she asked, visibly nervous.
Jack smiled. "Sure do."
A lucky surprise even before reaching Starling City.
He climbed in and thanked her.
"You're welcome," she replied quickly, pushing her glasses up her nose. She restarted the engine and pulled back onto the road.
Her hands gripped the wheel tightly, eyes glued to the road. Jack chuckled.
"You're a little nervous, huh?"
"No! I mean—maybe a little. I'm just not great at… you know, talking to people."
"But you still stopped for me?"
"You didn't look like a creep or anything. I've never picked up a hitchhiker before. I thought… why not try? And don't worry, I just got my license recently, but I promise I'm a careful driver. Are you traveling alone? Starling City's kind of a terrible destination. I mean—not that you shouldn't go! Just… there's not much to do. And if you're job-hunting, there are better places, but I'm not picky. Queen Consolidated has decent benefits and—"
Her voice picked up speed as she rambled, words tumbling out one after another like rapid-fire dialogue. She was practically in her own world.
A moment later, she trailed off, glanced over at Jack, and gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I do that a lot. My brain jumps topics when I talk. Um… I'm Felicity. Felicity Smoak. What's your name?"
"Jack Kadere."
"Kadere? Huh, cool name! Are you like… from Eastern Europe? Or maybe somewhere in Africa? Definitely not Scandinavian, right? Their names are usually—wait, sorry. I'm doing it again."
Jack chuckled. "You mentioned Oliver Queen earlier?"
Felicity's expression lit up. "Of course! He's, like, the billionaire playboy around here. Total headline magnet. I heard that about six months ago, he and his dad were lost at sea on the Queen's Gambit. Shipwreck or something—no one really knows the whole story…"
She paused, realizing Jack wasn't even paying attention anymore.
Six months ago... That meant Oliver was still stuck on Lian Yu. The future Green Arrow, green in both outfit and moral gray areas, wouldn't be showing up any time soon. Disappointing.
Sure, a lot of heroes had messy love lives, but Oliver Queen? He was practically a walking soap opera. If there was an award for romantic entanglements and drama, Green Arrow might take the crown—and the hood.
Too bad Jack wouldn't be meeting him just yet.