September 04, 2015:
Ronin asks for backup on a job in Gotham - it's a unique group that Oracle arranges
Gotham
Characters
![class="image1"](http://cmbeta.wdfiles.com/local--resized-images//class="image1"/medium.jpg)
NPCs: None.
Mentions:
Plot:
Mood Music: None.
Fade In…
Clint Barton is not a costumed vigilante. Which is amusing because right now he's in Gotham, in a costume. Okay, maybe he's a bit of a costumed vigilante. It's not like he's got SHIELD's backing anymore. But the flow of information through Gotham only has so many outlets and Oracle is good at tracking them down. It was made easier by the realization that their quary had to have some kind of Far East Asian connection. There aren't that many places that are in the information buying business to begin with and even fewer of them that have ties to China or Japan. Couple that with looking around for mysterious camera artifact that seems to accompany the 'ninja' types that seem to be involved in this whenever there's a fight.
The target is a container yard near the docks owned by Musashi Industrial and Storage Concern. MISC has ties to Yakuza and perhaps… something else. There are some off the books revanue streams for sure. So this is the target. Clint's already there, suited up with blade in hand. He's asked for Oracle's support as overwatch, since he's used to having one and… some backup wouldn't go amiss. He knows Oracle has ties though he doesn't know that they extend to SHIELD, the Gotham Vigilante community and the JL:A. He's been told backup will be there so for now he's just… waiting.
"Imagine my surprise.." Shayera murmurs as she comes out of the shadows.. surely -this- Clint has heard her. "When I found out that you were actually a robot." There was a pause in her speech, a slight glance of her slightly green eyes towards the sky as she tries to search for Terra words to convey the moment at being called. And.. she had nothing.
She was tapped by the ever elusive Oracle, to come and lend aid. With the usual rough and tumble, she was more than happy to do something.. mundane for once. Why.. she probably wouldn't even need to summon the Nth for it.. but if the Nth wanted out, how could she refuse?
With her trusty mace hung from her belt, she leaves it just as is, fingers cracking into slight knuckles as she lowers her wings as far as they could go, folding them back just enough so they would be hidden by the small expanse of her body.. though, an odd feather or two manages to make it's peek which was soon batted away with a flit-flinch.
Charlie is in costume in the watchtower. She has her batgoggles <tm> pushed up onto her forehead and seems to be chewing gum. All while leaning on Oracles chair and peering at her video feed. "So… who are the newbs. I mean the one with wings is pretty cool right but … seriously what are they doing in Gotham again?"
Especially in Gotham, being able to arrive at a location near-silently is a definite plus. This is a more mundane request than what she'd usually employ her Pendulum to reach, but there it is. Again, the major downside to travelling by ley line: they'll only get a person so close. And in this part of Gotham more so than elsewhere, the lines are weak and 'grimy'. Thus, she appears out of nowhere a couple of blocks away, on the edge of a rundown little plot of land that might have once been a neighborhood park.
Taking stock of her location, May starts toward the target location, speaking near-silently as she goes. "Oracle. May. ETA three minutes."
Misfit knows about David Cains incursion into the Clocktower - well, she knows that someone entered the Clocktower and Oracle is a little more focussed on security lately.
"That's Shayera Hol, AKA Hawkgirl and the other is Clint Baron, AKA Ronin - but you might know him as Hawkeye." The redhead murmurs as she watches the screen "Clints … had an interesting experience lately and he's tracking down information that's led him to Gotham. Shayera and May are helping out…"
Of course, Oracles' been able to bring May up to speed on what Clints been looking into and has asked for her assistance as well. "I'd like you there too, Misfit. But let's see where you'd be best deployed."
On the screens, the feeds from the building and the area are displayed… "I'm seeing a lot of movement inside but there only seems to be a dozen people there." she frowns as one of the feeds flickers "And I'm getting interference, there may be more. I have to clean up those feeds to be sure though." There's some new filters running on the system, and some containers in the room give off a strange glow "Looks like there's magic in the room, too. I have someone who can investigate those when we're ready." Misfit gets a meaningful look.
"Agent May will be at your location in 3 minutes, Ronin." All the comms are conferenced now - they can all hear each other. "The searches I've conducted on this location and the issue indicate we may be dealing with human cargo." Not a pleasant thought at all.
Human cargo. Yay. He hadn't wanted to hear that. It's not entirely unexpected. Underworld organizations ship all kinds of things not on the USPS approved list and people is one of them. "Hawkgirl's landing has the man in the black and gold martial arts outfit turning to look. His mask is on but Shayera knows who he is either because she can read him or because she was told. "Hawkgirl, right? You'll have to excuse me my memories of things my double went through are a bit spotty."
He turns to look over at the container yard. "Okay. So, every time I've tried to investigate these guys I wind up getting just by some honest-to-goddamn ninja. So I figured I'd like a bit of help this time. I'm looking for anything that links these people to the secrets that went missing from SHIELD…" And possibly the JL:A "Over the last year or so. So, files, cargo, contraband. Anything. If there really are people down there we'll want to get them out too." After what he's been through, Clint's not leaving anyone behind.
"I guess Agent May will be here in a minute… she won't mind if I start the party early, right?" Clint takes out a cable grab and hooks it up to the grounding line running from the rooftop to the container yard. Hey, there's a reason he chose this roof. Then he's off. For an instant he's sailing through the air before landing on top of a tall container stack. The archer motions to Shayera. Three guards below him. All armed. "Oracle, what else is out there. Also… lights?"
"Kate informed us." Is all Shayera says, she leaves the rest behind. So yes, she knows exactly what Clint looks like, mask or no. Whoever made that double was impeccable, expert. None of them knew the difference. Though.. if Diana would have let her clobber his face into oblivion..
Either way, there was no bad blood in between them, as she takes a step up, her head jerking as she was patched in through the connection, one hand lifting towards her ear as she gives a slight nod towards Clint and.. Oracle, if she were watching. "I have heard.." She starts, pulling a full Shatner. "..that they do offer classes somewhere in New York that defends against ninjas." Though, secrets.. retrieval, and possible rescue? She was game for this. "I'll be on your six as you all say."
As he hooks up the cable and sweeps down below, Shayera takes the sky with a low dive and a quick swipe of her sticks from her harness. Three guards? Simple. Easy. As..
*THWAP!*
Guard one takes the smack to the dome as Shayera dips low to snatch a knee. The guard falls, and as soon as his pistol is aimed towards the air?
*SHHRING!*
Nth clad wing severs the metal as a fist connects easily to a jaw. It was like a fluid motion, two down, and one snatched up into the air and out of sight. She was an alien, after all.
The abduction business is booming, apparently. Shayera will be back in a minute.
Charlie continues to watch the feed "Well isn't she just a badass." she sounds amused if nothing else. She pulls her goggles down. "I'm where ever you need me O." then she vanishes with a slash of pink and purple smoke. She took the meaningful look to be that she should pop on over and sniff around the magic. Which may not have been the message behind the look buuuut she is over there now appearing in a crouch by one of the glowing boxes and glancing at it sidelong, trying to get a good read on it with a chaos sight spell.
Hearing that Ronin was starting the fun without her, she picks up the pace, going from a fast walk to an all out sprint. The punk is going to owe her for this.
She looks up in time to seethe zipline that Barton just used, and that's the perfect way over the likely-security-tapped fending around the property. She detours to climb the fire escape of the building the pair had previously been on, then before reaching the roof proper a length of black cording with black-painted weights on the end shoots up and past the cable. Yup, she's following Barton in.
Thank you Partisan for making this meteor hammer out of the best materials available.
That was the message for sure. Oracle just hopes Misfit is careful.
The lights and power go off in the facility, not long after the request is made. That's the easy part, really. "Approach with care…" the redheads eyebrows rise as something else shows up on her feeds "The unknown tech in there is powering up, it's defensive… there are turrets all over the facility." Locations for the ones that she can see are sent to the teams communicators.
The source of the extra activity becomes clear as well, as 40 or so Ninja's are displayed by the filters she's applying… as well as something happening in a 2nd floor office - a phone call of some sort. It doesn't take long to intercept that call and listen in. "The facility is full of Ninja's as well." She'd chuckle as it confirms Clints statement, but this isn't a laughing manner. "May, there's a meeting on the 2nd floor, they're talking about moving against SHIELD substations in Thailand, Korea and China… they want to move before codes get rotated. Can you call that in?" Maybe they can do something there to trap them.
The moments the power goes off something else happens too. A gong sounds. A single, deep, near sonorous note carries across the MISC facility as several of the cargo containers turn out to not be containers at all. Futuristic, sleek looking turrets pop up out of concealed panels and home in on IR signatures.
"Ohshit." Clint goes diving for cover as machinegun fire sounds out, homing in on Shayera, May, Clint and the newly arrived Misfit. And beyond that there's movement in the shadows.
Okay, we've got company. Ronin calls perhaps unnecessarily into the comms. He peeks out before being forced to duck again. There must be a couple dozen of those things. "Oracle, can you hack and shut those down?" Clearly they're intended to pin them in place while someone else deals with them… and it's working.
Shayera was far away enough to react as she hears the gong, figuring it was a sort of an alarm these ninja uses.. but.. nope! Soon as the gunfire starts, Shayera banks left, only managing to have a feather shot off of her wing.
There was no time for her to waste; Nth bleeds and shoots from her skin, coating her in protective armor, the helm masking the comm unit within her ear to allow for a tighter fit that would not be dislodged.
"Trying to draw their fire.." Shayera growls through the comms, swooping down low to try to provide May cover, following her movements until she was safe, clear.. and out of the way.
Pepper Potts barely has time to touch down where Clint did before she has to scramble for cover with Shayera's help so she can call in the intel Oracle just shared. That is something that can't wait. Not even for ninjas. While she's calling it in, though, she pulls her butterfly swords and holds both in one hand, pushing up her sleeve so the throwing knives there are more readily accessible.
Once she's done calling in the intel, she gives one quick glance to see where the turrets are, ducking back again as one fires at her. "Never thought I'd say this, Barton, but where the hell is your bow?"
The magical scanning meanwhile reveals something to the chaosmuppet. Misfit straightens from her getting a read "huh.. well that isn't very good… I mean it is if we can… ack." she vanishes before she gets shot by a machine gun not wanting to test her armor. She reappears behind one of the guns. "The containers are full of minor mystics… like uh… I don't know several dozen in all the containers… maybe like a hundred."
"I'm on it, Ronin" Oracle is already attempting to access the hidden defenses "It's going to take me a few moments… " It does… but the first 3 turrets, nearest the team are quickly disabled and she turns her attention to the next group.
It's a good thing she can multitask too - that phone call ends but the trace she kicked off gives her a location "That call went to Kamakura, in Japan." For now, that's just noted.
Looking up at the screens whilst her program to disable the turrets runs, the redhead frowns "You've three Ninja's right ahead of you … and one dropping from above."
"Ack!" The turrets shut off and Ronin stands up just in time for a black cowled man with a sword to drop in from above. "Okay, bit busy here!" He calls back. "Hawkgirl, Misfit, it'll be up to you. Sounds like we've got serious incoming. May… bit of help?" Soon it's not just one man with a sword Clint is dueling with a sword of his own but three.
Some of the turrets are down and Oracle's still working on the others but that's not the only problem Hawkgirl has. The ones still up and near her track her, bullets bouncing off her armor but her wings are exposed and she'll have to be careful. Worse, several blade and kama armed figures appear with puffs of smoke around her and charge in silently to attack swinging for her wings and low at the legs. They know who she is but they're hoping to take her off her feet and beat her to death.
Misfit is in the best position to deal with freeing the prisoners… if she decides that's a good idea. Meantime, though, she also has incoming and it appears that they've mastered a smilar teleportation trick, or at least, that seems to be the case as a man with a bow poofs in behind her and looses two arrows in rapid succession as a man with a pair of sai poofs in front to engage her.
May is relatively free but doesn't escape notice. Two near Clint peel off and run in right at her, blades held in high kendo attack positions.
That phone call is over for now and the searches are running. Oracle has found the power source and… something interesting. The cranes have a separate power source from the rest of the compound… and can be controlled by remote…
Shayera held the line until May made her call, giving a slight nod to disengage. She continued to make aerials, hoping that .. eventually, the fire within the turrets would go out and she could swoop down and..
"NINJAS!" Shayera barks out.
With both rods within her hands she begins to fight, it was Nth against blade, clashing and clacking within the air, Shayera twisting and turning to avoid the fire… but little by little, she was taking hits that would soon add up.
A scrape to the midsection that she barely misses, a shot to her wing in an easy spot that doesn't stop her from falling, but hinders her mid-dair flight. A sharp kick to her Nth clad shin has her feeling the effects yet she kicks back to send a ninja flying.
She lands upon the ground to continue the fight, moving with fury, not intending to stopping, dodging bullets and being knicked by a few, catching one in the arm that nearly disables yet.. she takes a shoulder to a ninja to duck him and throw him out of the way of the oncoming gunfire..
This no killing thing is really, really troublesome..
The chaosmuppet notes with bemusement "Why is it always Ninjas in Gotham these days… also why don't they learn." she vanishes when confronted with the Ninja with the sai. Appearing right behind him. Of course she doesn't realize that the arrows are going to puncture the poor ninja. Misfit swings to pop him in the back of the head. "Also who said they could teleport. That is totally my schtick… I should totes sue for copyright .. or is it trademark infringement…. I bet Agent May knows."
At the arrows thud Missy winces and teleports above the boy ninja dude and aims a kick at his temple, while her foot is at temple height.
Oh and for prisoners. Better to leave them safely in metal boxes during a fight.
May looks toward Clint when Oracle warns him and doesn't hesitate to launch a throwing knife at one of the three attacking him. But then two more are charging toward her. High Kendo? Talk about leaving themselves open. She steps into a very much NOT Kendo stance and promptly moves one of her two smaller but sturdier butterfly swords into her other hand. If they're expecting like response to their attacks from her, they're going to be disappointed.
Promptly ducking to one side just before the two ninjas reach striking distance, she swats the closer of the two on his sword arm and on his head simultaneously. Oracle, be glad she's using the flats of her blades. It would be so easy to remove offending limbs.
Ninja's are just … painful… teleporting Ninja's are worse. Oracle watches them flit over her screens as the team battle the onslaught - she can't be there with them, but she can certainly give them advantages.
Now the power source has been discovered, disabling the internal defense systems is easy… cutting that connection, the turrets fall silent. Wait, did she just think she couldn't be there? A grim smile appears on her face as she gains control of one of the cranes - and begins flinging the end at a group of Ninja that just materialised near it.
"Defence System is down." Is the only report the redhead can give.
The ninja literally go flying from Oracle's hits and the ones that engage her on the ground find that even grounded Shayera is far from helpless. One… two… six go down. Eight. They stop launching themselves at her and try to engage her more intelligently but the fact is she's got a lot of experience in this fight and a lot of anger to use. It's not looking good for them honestly.
Misfit KO's her target and the guns go silent. May disarms her opponent almost literally, causing him to stagger back as Clint finally finds a weakness to exploit and downs first one, and then a second of his assailants. They're not getting back up. Ever.
And then the gong sounds again and the Ninja begin moving away. Too many defenses compromised. It seems the heroes have one. They may get in a few more shots but in short order most of the 'poof' out, leaving the victors to the spoils.
So… what does one do with a hundred odd examples of magical illegal human cargo?
Shayera was tired. Not tired of the fight, but physically tired. She gave her all and had more to give, but once the ninjas' start departing, she manages to take one out with a throw and toss of her Nth stick right to the back of the head.
"Asshole." Pa-TOIE. Spit to the ground, she absolutely hates a runner. With her weapons soon tucked back into her sheath, she glances around with a slight look of irritance, reaching down to grab one ninja to drag him/her/he/she/it back to the crew, an angry gait in her step as she drops them to the ground at Clint's feet.
"You owe me a beer for this." But the cargo? It could either go to SHIELD, to the JLA headquarters, they'd have access to all if she can help it.
With another slash of purple and pink smoke >PINkurPle< Misfit will appear by the front of one of the containers and starts to work on it. "Stupid ninjas… I am suing them I tell you… teleporting… .. jerkfaces…." she pauses then pops the lock. "Opening it up.. not bad guys.. rescue.. "
May gives Shayera an assessing glance while putting her swords away, then after taking a moment to make sure her Pendulum is visible hanging around her neck, she moves to open one of the other containers near Misfit. And, considering the people whose loading dock this is, she follows her own calls to the people inside with a repeat of the same reassurances in Mandarin and then again in Japanese. You know, just to be on the safe side.
Oracle considers the dilemma, the team on the ground are addressing the immediate needs. Really, these people should go to SHIELD. If May can't arrange transport and accomodation in the short term… the redhead sighs, accomodating 100 or so people in her safehouses… it will be nice and cozy… and… she'll have to burn quite a few, but she can do it. "If May can't get them to SHIELD, I can arrange temporary accomodation. But they really should go to SHIELD and then sent home."
Misfits grumbling has Oracle chuckling "Good job today, Misfit. Thank you Hawkgirl and May." Clint… she'll catch up with, later.
Clint disappears into the office while the others free the captives. Who are in sorry shape. Malnourished and definitely in need of medical attention. SHIELD or JL:A facilities would be ideal for housing them until they can be… er… somehow taken care of. Where did they all even come from? They're all also blind. Every damn last one of them. Which may be significant. Since some of them don't, er, appear to be naturally blind.
There's a sounds of breaking metal from inside the office and a moment later Clint comes back with several hard drives. "Office computer drives." He says, handing them to May. "Maybe you or your friend can get some use out of them." Meaning Oracle. He looks around again at his backup. "Hawkgirl, May and…" Clint hasn't met Misfit. But she helped and he's glad she was here. "Whoever you are. Good work. And thanks for being here. Now…" He takes a deep breath and heads toward the exit. "I should really get out of here before SHIELD and the cops show up. I'll be in touch."
May takes one look at the people and promptly turns to call in an emergency SHIELD relief team. Considering what Misfit and Oracle have picked up about them, she's confident she can get things moving pretty quickly by tossing out the WAND card. So she does.