A Quick Heist

April 19, 2016:

Miss Moreau and her goons try to steal a magical statue from a museum. A mage, a mutant, and an Oracle try to stop them.

Gotham

Characters

NPCs: White Rose Gang (Miss Moreau emits)

Mentions:

Plot:

Mood Music: [*\# None.]


Fade In…

The Fashion District. In the utter tragedy that is Gotham, it's one of the brighter points, seemingly far removed at first glance from the crime of the Narrows or East End. But tonight, that's not to be, as a few of Gotham's Worst go to work.

It's near midnight, and one of Gotham's museums is closed. There's only a single security guard, but the actual security equipment is fairly up standard, and at the slightly older former cop's fingertips.

Outside, a single van pulls up around the side, off towards an alleyway. It's a bad mistake on the museum's part: the back has a camera, not the side. Worst still, that's where a rather important breaker is located.

Four individuals exit the van, with a single person remaining behind, the van going dark. Three of those exiting wear black suits, slightly bulky due to what might be body armor. At their sides are automatics of various descriptions. Each has a white rose on their suit, and definitely look like thugs despite the attire.

The single female, arm held with one of the meatier thugs with a cane at her side, breaks the pattern. Miss Moreau and her White Roses get to work. First, a skinnier thug cuts the power. Something small slithers out from the woman's coat as she closes her eyes. The others watch warily at both ends of the ally. Five minutes pass.

Inside of the building, the watchman's leg stings, and then he's on the floor. The culprit shimmers, and then melts away from reality. Outside, the young woman takes her hand out of her coat, and enters towards the back door. Some bolt cutters, and they're in.

One thug remains near the door, using part of an exhibit as cover. Sharp eyes never waver. Farther into the building, one of the thugs breaks off, heads up the stairs and out to the roof. They take up a sniper's position with their scoped automatic. The final two, Moreau and a particularly large thug with a full sized automatic enter the new Sumarian exhibit. The woman approaches a statue, small enough to fit into a pocket. There's definitely security, and plexiglass, but that's all been taken care of. She pauses, and speaks into a small headset.

"Stay sharp, everyone. Who knows, we may entertain some of those vigilantes. Keep in contact. Escape if you must. Your lives are your priority."

A warm smile to the big thug.

"I never was good at sports, but…" Miss Moreau then takes a swing. Whack. Frown. Whack. Whack whack!

The thug rolls his eyes.

"Told ya should've brought the sledgehammer, Boss."

Miss Moreau sighs. Her swings with her cane become more pointed as the display case starts to crack.

In Hamiltons Gym, Oracle is doing remedial therapy. Today? It's more leg work, developing the atrophied muscles so that she can do more than just hobble around and then rely on Kane to help her back to her chair.

"25" The redheads legs are trembling, she's on a 30 rep set and nearly done. Well, nearly done, until the alerts start sounding and her green eyes snap to her screens.

"System: Show Alert."

The screens soon resolve and the security feeds from the Diamond District start displaying…

Without delay, the words leave her lips. "This is Oracle. We have an incident at Gotham museum. Anyone who can attend please respond and let me know." That's sent out on a number of channels - X-Men might receive it as well, Oracles reach is vast.

She then sets about gaining access to the Museums building management and security systems.

Luckily for Oracle - unluckily for Miss Moreau - there is an X-Men nearby the radio. And that X-Man knows how to get in contact with the nearest available X-Man. While not exactly on duty, Kitty Pryde is always available to help and just so happens to be in Gotham at the moment. Patched in to the proper frequency, the mutant puts her phone up to her ear.

"This is Shadowcat responding to your signal, Oracle." Already she's moving toward the museum. "So, what've we got? Typical robbery? Art thieves? Indiana Jones reversing his statement that it belongs in a museum?"

Odd people hold odd hours and Witchdoctor is no exception. After her last little confrontation and what might almost count as an 'overdose' of magics Alyse had been practically humming with excess energy fueling her. She hadn't slept in two days and she felt no worse for it. There's no secret team to shoot her warnings nor no fixer to send her information on such an event…not in this world anyway. And so it's pure chance and the vague tug of the idol itself and its magical vibe that has the woman walking her way down the Gotham street at midnight, an umbrella of all things held in her hand as she walks in her longer dress that might earn a few odd looks if there were actually any awake at this hour to see her.

The blonde witch however comes to a stop as she spots what could only be lookouts and her lips curl into a smile. "How curious…" She'd been on the other side of a heist in her own time. Now? She walks plainly towards the alleyway where the mooks wait.

The power might have been cut, but there /is/ a backup generator. It's taking a bit to start up, cheap, definitely. But soon enough secondary power kicks in and not long after that up comes the security. Mostly a few automated locks, and a silent alarm to the police. More importantly, Babs now has camera feeds. She'll get the layout: sniper on the roof, a guard at the back entrance, that van with a single mook smoking and standing wary guard. Miss Moreau stubbornly hammering away…almost successful now…while the hawk eyed meaty thug stands wary guard. If one could believe it, it almost looks like the woman is whistling as she hammers away.

Neither the van-mook nor the sniper seem to notice Kitty just yet. That might change, depending on where she approaches from!

Witchdoctor is more open. The thug, a rather nondescript man in that thuggish way that speaks of Gotham poor and criminal, makes a vaguely token effort to hide the gun.

"Hey! Lady! We're workin' here! Uhh power outage. Dangerous, exposed wires! So git goin', huh?" At least this isn't the 'shoot first' type of Gotham scum.

"Shadowcat. Good to work with you again." The redheaded hacker remembers the fun they had spiriting away some HYDRA data sometime last year. "Connect to this frequency" a code is sent through "and I'll send you the building schemetics. A heist I believe. Looks more like a B&E with a bit support, but I've always learned to reserve judgement. This is Gotham after all." The digitally disguised filters through the comms.

"Sniper on the roof, guard at the back and the van near you with a single guard." Green eyes snap to the interaction between Alyse and the thug "We may have a civilian involved as well. I'm monitoring."

If needed, Oracle can (ahem) borrow, one of Wayne Techs automated drones. Borrow, most certainly means hacking the back door in the Wayne Tech systems and … appropriating one for a while.

"Police have been notified and are 10 minutes out." She's aware that most of those she works with would prefer to be gone before the boys in blue arrive.

"Nice to hear from you, too, Oracle! Gotta love Gotham for its love of a good heist," Shadowcat tilts her head and shakes it just a bit. Though she doesn't have time for her full X-Men outfit, she does pull out a domino mask, quickly tying it around her eyes as a way to hide her identity. If there are civilians, that might be for the best. Reaching into her small Mary Poppin's like bag, she pulls out her katana. She hopes she doesn't have to use it, but it's always good to be prepared.

"Checking that frequency." Pulling the phone away from the ear, she brings up the schematics. Snipers, civilians and thieves, oh my. Keeping her guard up, partly phases as she makes her way toward Alyse and the thug. If someone tries to catch her unaware, they're going to hit nothing but air.

Almost sweet, that the guy would go hiding his gun rather then simply pulling it and shooting her…or maybe he was just scared of the mess it would make. Either way the Witch shrugs her shoulders lightly, making a small gesture with her hand as she rests her umbrella folded, tip against the ground. "But you're working so hard. How about you take a nap for a little while?" she purrs, a pulse of magic throwing the simple 'sleep spell' into the thug in front of her that would make most people drop like a stone. At least she didn't kill him, right?

Stepping forwards if she's successful, Alyse continues towards the door like she hadn't a care in the world.

Inside, Babs would note that the woman has finally managed to shatter the protective case. In far fewer whacks that it should reasonably take for a woman with a fairly slender cane. Miss Moreau makes a show of clearing off the glass, tapping a bit to make sure she won't cut herself, then grabs the idol. A smile comes to her mouth as she basks in the magical aura, then she slips it into her coat. Walking over, she gives the big lug of a man a one-armed hug, and she's reaching for her earpiece.

She pauses as the sniper notices Kitty approaching. The man on the roof frowns, aims. There's a quick communication, orders given. The sniper takes a shot. There's the 'plink' of a silenced weapon. This particular crew, though eccentric, has at least had a think about this heist. A burst of rather skilled gunshots come for Kitty, aimed for the chest dead-center. The mook up top is skilled.

Oddly enough if Kitty can even tell, using rubber bullets. More than enough to put most out cold from that range with severe battery. Too bad this is Kitty that's being fired upon.

No matter what happens, the sniper reports, even as Witchdoctor moves in. The mook gives a big sigh, aims his weapon, and…

"Don't say I didn't war…" Those words are cut off quickly as he goes down. He shudders, drops his gun, and breathes heavily. There's a groan. No, this particular mook doesn't fall off immediately. Face straining, this mook of decidedly stronger than average will resists for just long enough to let out a single word.

"Spook!"

Then, with a gasp, he finally succumbs to the spell. Not long after, the backside guard comes running, pauses, and takes aim straight for the Witchdoctor and pulls the trigger. A spray of silenced gunfire rips out towards the 'civilian', filling the alleyway in controlled bursts. The thug even uses the side of the building for cover. Again, it's rubber bullets. Strange.

Inside, Miss Moreau's good humor falls. More orders, and she nods to Big and Meaty. Big and Meaty Thug is 'rushing' towards the back. Mostly lumbering. Miss Moreau is far quicker, heading towards the stairs, and the rooftop where Kitty was spotted.

Big and Meaty and Ms Moreau might find themselves in a bit of a bind as Oracle accesses the security systems, slamming doors, trying to lock them tight.

"You have incoming, Shadowcat. One woman, with the stolen goods. Would be good to intercept her." Green eyes watch Alyse's conflict, a grim smile tugging the corner of her lips "The civilian, is not as it seems, a civilian. They have their end of the building in control."

The redhead sets of a series of searches, can she find Alyse's cell phone?

"I think I see the woman breaking in," Shadowcat responds to Oracle, perhaps mistaking Alyse for the thief. At that moment, however, there's the rapport of the sniper and a bullet passes right through her. She doesn't have the ability to tell what caliber or kind they are, but the sound they make against the pavement certainly tip her off to the non-lethality of them. "They're using rubber bullets," she informs the other woman.

However at being told she has incoming, she blinks a few times. "Oh. Wait! That's not the thief? She just totally Kylo Ren'd somebody." However, if there's someone trying to escape with property? She'll follow Oracle's lead. "Keep a tab on her, yeah, that's not a civilian. I wasn't born with magic powers." She pauses, readjusting her statement. "Just, you know, ghost powers." Keeping a firm grip on the scabbard of her katana, she moves to intercept Miss Moreau.

Bullets coming her way? Witchdoctor extends her umbrella with an almost showmanship flare, the rubber bullets impacting against the seemingly flimsy material and bouncing away as if they'd hit steel. Magic, sometimes it almost looked like cheating, didn't it? Raising her hand, the witch snaps her fingers. With a flare of lights shapped vaguely like a swarm of golden butterflies the woman's attire changes in an instant. The long gown being replaced with her pants and jacket, her hair pinned back with a clip she almost certainly hadn't been wearing before. The last thing Alyse needs is to go tripping over her clothing while trying to avoid bullets.
"Rubber bullets?" she muses, seemingly to herself, but the sound of the sniper firing at something other then her? That makes the witch turn her eyes upwards.

Big and Meaty's response to slamming doors is likely expected. One door is thrown open by pure force of mass and muscle. Another, when that doesn't work, meets enough bullets to weaken a lock, then even more force. He kicks the final door off it's hinges. No, the back door doesn't have locks. He does this because he can, and he's hating doors right now.

That initial volley of gunfire abated thanks to Witchdoctor's umbrella, there's a brief pause. Even as the woman transforms with a show of lights, even as the woman turns her head, a shadow falls on the alleyway and opens fire.

Big and Meaty one-hands his big gun, grinning. There's many teeth missing, and he laughs.

"Hey! Why don't ya get out of here, Spook! You ain't got nothin' to gain!" It's mostly bluster. The man isn't trying to kill her with that extra large gun. Rubber or not, those bullets could probably kill close enough. He's inching for the fallen van mook, and finally finds the guy's hand. He starts to retreat, throwing Van Mook over his shoulder. Covering fire and retreat.

Miss Moreau takes a far different method up. She ducks under falling doors, slams her cane up at the last minute for one at the stair's entryway, and finally just kicks the end door to the roof off it's hinges. Again, because she's sick of Oracle's doors. She does pause. A frown. It's all to coordinated, this attack. A 'glance' to the camera on the roof. A smile. She then slams her cane's head into the lens, shattering the rooftop view.

She can only guess that there's a support in all this, but best not to take chances. As she passes by the sniper, she slips something into one of his pockets, a pat on the shoulder. He's getting up, covering her, but inching towards another nearby roof. Miss Moreau stops at the mere edge of the rooftop. She still has a warm smile, despite how badly this heist is going. Sniper offers a second, testing shot to Kitty. Miss Moreau laughs, and Sniper is running, leaping from one roof to another, then another, then a drop to a dumpster in an alleyway.

"Get out, everyone. I will enterain our hunters."

The other White Roses pause, but reluctantly double their effots to escape.

Miss Moreau offers a warm smile to the night air, thus vaguely to Kitty.

"Good evening, my dear hunter! You evaded Snipe's shot! Impressive! How /did/ you manage such a feat? And your partner in the alleyway! My, I would think that God is looking down upon our sins and offering you divine protection! Hah!" She laughs.

"But where /are/ my manners! My name is Miss Moreau! A pleasure to make your acquaintances!" Her voice is one part warm, one part cultured, mixed with the edge of a Gothamite from the Narrows.

She leaps off from the edge of the building, landing neatly, and puts herself into a fighting stance with her cane offered towards Kitty.

"…I suppose it would be too much to ask at this point that you would just walk away from harm, hmm?"

Oracle does find a signal for Alyse and the phone comes to life. Thank goodness for advanced technology and all the lovely backdoors that get programmed in. When Alyse looks at her phone later, there'll be another app - one that connects to a secure channel … she and Gothams Information Goddess should probably have a chat.

As Miss Moreau makes her claim, Oracle activates another set of functions. The Security floodlight behind Kitty springs to life, splashing out over the cane wielding woman.

The Shadowcat chases after Miss Moreau - she's trained and is certainly in enough shape to keep the distance between the two of them close. Luckily, the woman turns and makes introductions. "A thief with manners," Kitty smirks. "Always a pleasure." Her eyes dart about her, making sure there's not someone around trying to get the drop on her. So, the woman in the alleyway is not associated with this one. Good things to know. "Yeah, kinda my thing to stop attempted robbers. So, why don't you put it down."

More gunfire, warnings, none of this might be as strange as Witchdoctor's own move. The spook looks up at the Big guy and the first both firing on her and shrugs her shoulders. "You know? You're probably right." She smiles, giving her umbrella a little twirl before she seems to burst, vanishing in a thousand of those butterfly lights in what appears to be an actual retreat. Weird huh?

Only there's a few pieces moving that others might not have noticed. It was Alyse's magical compass that had drawn her here and it was that same compass that helped her notice a little clever change in the story. In the alleyway below she'd disappeared from sight. For the running sniper however? The woman appears in a sudden burst of light in front of him, umbrella knocking his rifle sideways while she swings a fist in a sucker-punch at the mook's face.

Snipe is long gone by the time that Hannah lands, and that floodlight illuminates the young woman. There's no reaction at all. Indeed, it's as if the blinding light that Babs offers to her isn't even noticed. No flinches. No movements. Being sightless has it's advantages. The woman's coat merely flutters dramatically in the slight wind.

There's little to chase. As soon as she meets the ground, Miss Moreau adopts a defensive posture with that cane.

Cane meets physical force as Shadowcat moves in. There's a shutter of metal, but the young mage is all smiles despite the strain of her arm.

One eye closes. "Truly, Miss, I would like to. But that would be abandoning my friends, and my end-goal. Perhaps one day, giving up will see this city…ah, how shall we put it? Put to rights for those who cannot live in normal society." A shrug.

As Witchdoctor disappears, both Meaty and the downed Mook get in the van and peel off. They're gone. Miss Moreau seems to relax slightly.

Sniper, however, has a problem. He pauses in the alley, squeezes off a round. It likely does little as that umbrella appears. A punch to the jaw!

They fall, at the sucker punch, and there's whispered words.

Miss Moreau sighs, and whispers back. The Idol is thrown at the Witchdoctor's face, and Sniper takes off at a dead run. He ducks down an alleyway.

Miss Moreau smiles to the Shadowcat.

And a black tome comes from her coat, and she speaks. "Shira Hebi, rise!" Simple words, and a glow of magical power. A two-story tall snake appears, swallowing the magical thief, and with a bodily slam, the pair fall to the gotham sewers below to escape.

But at least the idol has been recovered!

Shadowcat continues to edge closer to Miss Moreau, katana sheathed, but ready to attack at any moment. "Okay, so you've got the normal 'want to save the city' mentality. Cool cool. But, you know, stealing things isn't the best way to go about doing that." When the black tome is pulled out, she rushes forward, but it's too late to stop the woman. Sighing, she speaks to Oracle, "She's gone. Looks like she's got some sort of magic. And a very big snake. I'm hoping that was a magic snake and not something that actually lives in the sewers of Gotham, because if it is, I am never coming back here."

The idol thumps off Witchdoctor's chest and she actually makes a surprised noise as she catches the magical item, blinking a little at the surrendered loot and the exit via BIG FRIGGING SNAKE. "Huh…" she says lightly, turning the figurine over once, then again as she considers. It is magical…and it's valuable. Taking it for herself might mean she can stop her little magical credit-card fraud to keep a roof over her head. But… The woman sighs and begins her walking towards the display case. Seems she'll put it back where she found it for now. This much gunfire, someone surely called the cops.

Of course, she doesn't know that Oracle long beat any citizen to the punch.

Oracles eyes widen as the woman isn't affected by the bright light. Well, then. That explains the cane. If it's possible, her eyes widen even more as the Snake appears and then she sighs. Kane is going to get a call out on this one. Not that the Druid needs anything more to do.

"Thank you Shadowcat. Magic huh? Seems like I get to deal with that a lot. Seems our friend has returned it anyway."

Alyse is right. In the background, growing nearer, are the sirens. Gothams finest will soon be onsite.

Even as the snake 'devours' her, Hannah smiles to Shadowcat.

"Does it? Looks at the bigger picture. Many of us 'criminal scum' are considered trash even before we commit crimes. Narrows. East End? Scum by association, right? Some cannot live in a normal society. Some are shaped by poverty. Those people..either kind, I want to carve out a space in this rotten world for. Call me a fool if you wish. But that is what I aim for."

A shrug. Then she's brought low beneath.

As for Sniper? The man pauses, as the woman seems to take the magical statue. Walking towards a display case means his friends can escape.

Sniper actually waves.

"…Good luck, ya spook! Contact the Boss. She likes you people!"

Then Sniper runs. Even as the criminal element flees, the heroes have secured the idol.

'Sniper' offers a smile to the Witchdoctor. He knows a 'Spook' when she sees one, thanks to her Boss.

"Take care, huh?" The man offers, and then he doubles his dead run to the backside of Gotham.

Miss Moreau shrugs. "Does it? Mind you, not all of Gotham's children can live in a 'normal' society. Some through desire for blood, others through desire for want of that which doesn't come with their upbringing…no. The 'criminally insane' is what they call us. But just listen. We who are 'different' from the norm? That is just another aspect of humanity. I want to carve out a place for them. Well. Do what you like." A shrug, and then she's gone below, for now.

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