Chapter 32: How To Lure A Bat Part 1

A little while after Arias left the office, the vent Batgirl had used to sneak in popped open, and a figure emerged from it.

"Robin!" Batgirl quickly cried out, relief evident in her voice. Every moment she spent in the office had her growing more and more anxious about the situation and what she would do about it.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of there. What happened even? You should have been able to get out of this," Robin asked as he approached her, quickly beginning to remove her bindings.

"I triggered some kind of security measure, and it knocked me unconscious. I still can't feel my limbs…" she said softly, already debating whether to reveal the truth of what had happened to Robin.

Robin nodded at her explanation and sighed. "It's my fault. Markovic must've kept Penguin's security measures. If I'd warned you beforehand, this wouldn't have happened. Did you see him, or did you wake up tied up?"

Batgirl hesitated to answer but feigned it as still feeling weak. In truth, she just didn't know what to tell him. Sadly, she didn't have the luxury to think about it too long, so left with no choice, she just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"M-Markovic… he came into the room just as I was gaining consciousness. He only tied me up and said he'd be calling the police. That was some minutes ago, so they should be on their way…" She warned while doing her best to avoid making eye contact.

"Lucky us then. We can't exactly rule out the possibility of him being suspicious, but at least we know he isn't dangerous. Still, it would've been bad if the police got you—not to mention while you're unconscious." Robin's expression eased up, no longer worried about the circumstances, thinking they had come out lucky.

After she was untied, Batgirl was helped up by Robin before being given a boost into the vent.

"Yeah, thanks. I was worried about what would happen if I actually did get taken by the police; my life would pretty much be over."

Batgirl tried to make her statement seem like a joke by speaking in a lighthearted manner, just to see what Robin's response to that would be.

"It's a risk every hero faces. It's why we're super careful about our identities. Maybe when the public and, more importantly, law enforcement warm up to heroes more, identities won't be a big deal. Until then, be extremely careful."

Robin explained with a smile, thinking the question was theoretical due to how it was brought up. Unfortunately for Batgirl, his answer didn't provide the reassurance she was hoping for. Instead, it only made her more certain that getting her identity revealed would really be the end for her.

So, for the rest of the way out, she simply kept quiet and tried not to look suspicious.

*She must be disappointed about this—maybe because she got caught way too easily. Anyway, let her cool off for now,* Robin thought. He had noticed her lowered mood but thought it was due to failing her task rather than something else.

…

Arias stuck to his story, and because of this, he had to meet with the police officers who arrived at the lounge some minutes later. He gave a statement regarding what had occurred but didn't go into much detail and asked that they keep the matter out of the media's eye.

Since no damage was done and nothing was stolen, the officers agreed to let the case slide after seeing where the intruder had broken in from.

Arias had a very good reputation with the current police officers serving at the department. After all, he made their comrade a hero and made the streets safer.

For workers like them, who came from poor backgrounds, this was something very noteworthy.

…

After the police left, a curious Roulette did try to ask questions, but none were directly answered. She could only speculate as to what was going on. Her presence mostly had to do with making Arias more money, networking, and helping manage his businesses adequately. In his eyes, she had no business knowing all his plans. In the end, her loyalty was to money, not him—something he wouldn't just forget after some days together.

"Aww, you're no fun, boss," she pleaded while pressing her body against his, her fingers lightly caressing his arm in an attempt to dig more information out of him.

"I think you'll find I can be very fun, Roulette. You just need to behave long enough to see it."

Arias replied in kind, bringing his arms toward her ass before gripping it firmly. This made Roulette smile wider as she looked up at Arias.

"When you put it like that, I have no choice but to be a good girl now, don't I?" she asked playfully while pretending to succumb to him. She wasn't dumb either and was just trying her best to get Arias to drop his guard around her. This made her trickier to deal with compared to more easy-to-read individuals like Gregor.

"That's what I like to hear. Since that's been covered, I'll be taking my leave. Oh, and I'll need you to carry out an order for me by the end of the day; I've already messaged you the details."

Arias gave Roulette a firm smack on the ass before pulling away and heading into his office, leaving her with a smirk on her face as she rested her hand on her hip.

*Try as you might, boss, you'll eventually come around,* she thought before turning around and strutting away.

…

Arias returned to his office, but immediately upon entering, he had to quickly shift his body to the side, dodging a projectile aimed at him.

He made it a habit to always be aware of his surroundings, so he knew the attack was coming. As for why he didn't look fazed…

"I ain't going back to the loony bin! You'll never take me alive, ya hear me, coppers!"

Arias sighed as he heard Harley's voice from behind his desk. He then proceeded to pick up the orange that was thrown at him before advancing forward.

"The police are gone, and even if they weren't, I doubt an orange would stop them."

Harley stuck out her head like a meerkat and showed a toothy smile, completely shifting her tone of speech in an instant.

"Oh, heya boss! Sorry about that. I thought they came to take me away. Honest mistake."

Arias didn't even know what to reply to that, so he just went along with it. "I'm fine. I doubt your orange would have done much damage."

Harley frowned and took back the orange before raising it in the air.

"'Course it can! I've seen it on *10,000 Ways to Die*. And if that failed…" She trailed off and smiled before bringing out a pencil from her shorts.

"I stand corrected. It seems you had everything figured out. Good job." Arias could only end here, as logic and common sense were useless when it came to the oddity that was Harley Quinn.

She didn't catch on to his sarcasm and just seemed proud. "Anytime, boss."

Harley gave an odd salute and marched out of the office without a care in the world, while Arias watched her do so with his hands behind his back.

*I'm still not seeing her as really useful, but if the Joker could make her so devoted…why can't I? I'm sure a proper use will arise.*

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A/N: Let the hero and villain corruption/manipulation begin. First targets: Batgirl and Harley.