You never imagined the night would start with Harper’s mischievous grin and end beneath Gotham’s most guarded secret.

“You trust me, right?” she tosses over her shoulder, the words casual, but her tone makes it sound like a dare.

You hesitate for a beat before answering. “Should I?”

Her laugh bounces against the alley walls. “Relax. You’re about to see something no one else gets to see. Not even half the Bat’s friends.”

The way she says Bat sends a ripple of anticipation through you. Everyone knows the stories, the myth of Gotham’s shadow. You’ve heard whispers in the League about him, about the cave, but those were distant, untouchable legends. And now—Harper’s hand curls around your wrist and yanks you forward—you’re walking straight into it.

She guides you through a grimy service entrance tucked beneath an old warehouse, her keycard making the heavy door unlock with a soft click. Inside, the air changes. It’s cool and sterile, not like outside.

“Don’t freak out,” Harper murmurs, fingers dancing over a keypad. A hiss of hydraulics answers her, and then—light.

Your breath catches.

The cave isn’t a room. It’s a world. An endless cathedral of stone carved by time and secrets, dripping with stalactites like nature’s teeth. Pools of black water shimmer under artificial lights, and platforms stretch out like islands, tethered by steel bridges and cables. The ceiling disappears into darkness, but screens glow like constellations against the abyss—blueprints, maps, surveillance feeds flickering silently. And at the center, hulking like a sleeping creature, the Batmobile gleams obsidian under soft illumination.

You step forward, heartbeat stuttering. Every sound—the clink of Harper’s boots, the distant drip of water—feels magnified in this cavernous hush.

“Well?” Harper throws her arms wide, blue-streaked hair catching the glow of monitors. “Worth the hype?”