July 30, 2016:
Nathaniel Richards happens upon Harper Row in the middle of an investigation.
Somewhere in Gotham
Characters
NPCs: Bunch a folks
Mentions: Batman, Nightwing
Plot:
Mood Music: [*\# None.]
Fade In…
FORTY YEARS FROM NOW:
Alarms scream along the base that hangs high above Gotham. Those who've managed to work along the base itself were being ejected into mini-pods that escort them to safety. Heat-sinks were soon exposed and hissing to try to compress the damage that was put upon the mini-watch tower, but the sparkling and falling of debris was a little too fast for anyone to keep up with the damage.
A piece of metal falls upon one man as a scream is heard, a woman leaning down to grasp his hand to try to tug him but it was too late. She leaves him, crying and scrambling upon the floor as another comes by to tug her off.
'We have to go!'
"Everyone get to your evacuation pods! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!" Harper calls over the speakers, helming the tower as she turns it towards a direction away from earth. "You have T-Minus thirty seconds to get to the pods NOW!"
'Mom, we have to go!' -REDACTED- tugs upon his mother's shoulders as she wretches away, only to have her hands meet both of his cheeks. Harper row is fifty-eight. But she was still on the side of the bats as her blue eyes look into that of her sons. He was close to thirty, but he was still her child inso much as he was still her mother. They'd cry with each other if need be, fight like family, fight with family and beyond.
"Someone needs to pilot the ship, -REDACTED-! Get your wife and baby off of here and go be with them!"
'No mom! I'm not leaving you!'
"-REDACTED-, you're all I got left in the world. With your uncles and cousins gone doing whatever.. and your father.." She leans in to smooch the boy upon the cheek, then gives him a wholesome slap. "Go. Protect Gotham. Protect the world.."
-REDACTED- screams in frustration as he dons his mask, taking off out of the pilots chair and into the hallways at a breakneck speed. Harper row grins as she focuses upon the screen..
5
4
3
2
1..
It seemed like forever, for once the last of the pod escapes towards Earth, the ship itself begins to transform, shifting in and out of this reality as it takes off towards Alpha Centauri where the Avengers have recently discovered an anomaly that could or could not be a threat to Earth Prime. But no matter that. Threat or no threat, Bluebird would see that it would never become such. And she was never one for preventing disaster.. and maybe.. just maybe..
*KABOOM*
Even the whole of space couldn't quiet that sound..
FORTY YEARS LATER - A WEEK LATER:
A small family gathers among the graveyard in Gotham, even though there was no body within the casket, it was lowered into the ground. Here lies Harper Row. Beloved Wife. Best Sister. Savior of Gotham and..
Avenger..
NOW: Bluebird hops down upon her motorcycle from a high space, her foot kicking the stand as she kicks off. "Cullen! I put a tracker on that guy! You know what to do!"
'I know that I need to do my homework, I mean.. I love helping you sis but this is getting nuts.'
"C'mon! If I could do two at once so can you, stop being a spoiled little homo and HEL— oh. Its already on the.. you're a duck Cullen! I love you!"
Harper sharply turns onto the next street over, the bike at a massive bend, so much that she could actually reach out to graze her fingers against the ground before she rights herself again. Christ. This was -fun-!
Gotham is a somewhat odd place for Nathaniel Richards. A legend of a city, as it didn't survive the 21st Century in his timeline, there is more on Troy than in Gotham in his historical databanks.
That shouldn't be a problem, since he has access to the modern nets. But even among them there is a surprising lack of details and a large number of errors when he does a comparison with what his armor sensors tell him. It looks like as if Gotham is a city full of secrets. Which is very interesting, but he has no time to investigate them.
For the last couple nights Iron Guard has been looking for one of the elusive Bats without much luck. He did stop a couple muggings, but probably Iron Man will be credited with those good deeds. Oh well.
That bike sure goes fast. Must have a ticked out engine and… oh, it is her. Image amplification, UV filter. But she is too young. Of all things, Nathaniel really didn't expect the Bluebird of Gotham being younger than him. Still, he should at least meet her, right? So he flies down and close to the speeding bike.
Gotham had a lot of secrets.
For instance, not too many people realized that most of the power to the city came from Wayne Towers. Though, if any amateur were to actually study the flow of power in the grids they'd assume that the elaborate building itself was sucking up all of the juice to keep everything dark.
There was also an underground fight ring. One that spans across the tri-state area but Harper Row had leads that she was chasing. Not too many people knew about that either. Though.. unless you're rich and a sadist, those parties were elusive. Exclusive in the worst way.
The man she's tracking? Had answers that she needs, and while he speeds away in his car, Harper was clear upon his tail.
When the car swerves onto another street, Harper is there, blazing right behind him, tapping a few commands in the console ready to shoot.. fire.. until..
"What the hell!" *SKURRRRRRRRRRRR*
Her bike skids to a wreckless stop, the back end of the wheel fish tailing as she tries to gain control, the lean of the machine sending her skidding across the ground upon it's side which throws her off into a cushioned pile of garbage with a loud crack. She lays there for a moment, dazed.. but not too dazed to the point where she points a finger towards the flying dude with a -crap- ton of anger.
"What the fuck are you doing here, Iron Man! I mean, YAY Iron Man but what the fuck!"
Nathaniel notes she is chasing another vehicle. Scans said vehicle for future reference and slows down so he can see Bluebird in action. Which apparently means watching her lose control of the motorcycle and crash. Wait, what?!
Looks like some legends do not survive close inspection. Still, he is not entirely heartless, and he comes down quickly to check if she is alright. "Not Iron Man," he notes. The armor is silver where it should be gold. But Iron Man has a lot of different armors anyway. "Iron Guard, at your service," he has an odd accent, even behind the mechanized voice. "Pleased to meet you, Bluebird," he offers her a hand to help her stand up. "I could place a tracker in the vehicle you were chasing after, should I?"
That pointed finger towards the Iron Guard has her fingers outstretching, grasping his to tug herself upright as she bends to place her hands upon her knees to breathe out her irritation. "Alright.. not Iron Man." Harper says with a little bit of irritation and mock. Though that doesn't go too far for he was offering up assistance and what? He actually knows her name.
"Do it.. quick!"
If he was going to put a tracker on the car that was getting away too fast, she was going to get to her bike to try to go after it. And if he was as savy and at her service? He was going to help for messing up her vibe. "Let's go!"
The bike was picked up with a grunt and hopped upon, started up with a punch of a button that sends the back wheel spinning and kicking up dust. And then she was off. "At my service?! You're going to help me catch this mook!" She cries out! "We'll talk on the way!"
Iron Guard points in the direction of the vehicle with a hand, "it is done." Even if he didn't seem to do anything. Her further statement makes him tsks quietly. He didn't need to mark the car if she wanted to catch it right now. At least the motorcycle still works. And obviously she didn't break anything important.
Nathaniel takes off and flies after Bluebird, the armor surprisingly silent. "I would very much prefer to talk to you in a more comfortable setting. But by all means, let me see how you Gothamites deal with… hmm, who are we chasing after?"
Cullen was silent. Which was a good thing. She always made it known that when someone else comes on the scene to record the conversation, no questions. Even if it were Batman himself. The Dark Knight had a way with words and even though it was straight forward, there was probably a clue in there that she missed. So everything was recorded, even if it appears that Iron Guard was.. well.. mechanically inclined.
"Gotham isn't comfortable, even the Red Maple is a piece of shit place that has issues." Oh yeah, that language. "We're chasing Richard Dawson. Former CEO of Lithium Enterprises. Sold the company and made out like a bandit in some kind of way. Financials isn't my thing. But he's a member of a secret organization that promotes various Fight Clubs around the city. Fight clubs where in if you win? You're a murderer, you lose? Your dead. That sort of…" She pauses as she takes a turn, looking up then down again, the car wasn't in her sights but it seemingly kept moving.. It was going towards a district full of warehouses. And in Gotham? It seems like every bad guy likes to do just that. Meet at a warehouse.
Instead of driving up? Harper cuts the bike, hopping off of it to park it in a dark alley in between two buildings. Once she was certain that it would be safe, she emerges from the darkness and takes off into a light sprint.
"..as I was saying.." she huffs out. "..this is as comfortable as it's going to get.."
"Illegal fights… like gladiators?" Sounds like it. Nathaniel is genuinely curious. He is also researching about Lithium Enterprises. In the alleyway, Iron Guard dims down the lights of his armor. They are just for show, anyway.
"In that case maybe we can go to Metropolis for a coffee after we catch your fleeing businessman. I have some complex information to convey to you, and perhaps a job offer. Now, let me see if I can bring a tactical display of the area… not matching the official plans. Again. Gotham is strange, but I can do a short range neutrino scan." There, holographic 3D map of the warehouses.
"Yeah, minus the lions and carriages and shit.." Harper stops near and outcropping that looks over the warehouse, spotting the car that was tagged as it slowly rolls down the winding hill. A few cars were parked outside the entrance, with approximately ten men in suits, smoking and chatting along while they wait for the last person to arrive. Richard Dawson.
Harper kneels down behind the crop to watch, then slowly looks up towards the armored man with a slight frown. "Metropolis? Honey, I ain't never been out of Gotham and there are a few things that need to be put into place before I head out that way. So whatever conversation you plan to have may just have to wait."
As in, the responsible sister needs to arrange for Cullen to be taken care of. Things like dinner, making sure he arrives at school on time and has his homework done and the house cleaned. So that means she'll be putting in a call to Oracle for some help. But, babysitting takes time!
As the 3D map of the warehouse comes upon display, Harper inches close to study the schematics. "You got a layout of the lower levels? Underground, the sewage district over here should be.." She looks up, and around.. "Census tract 370."
"Those would be chariots, not carriages," that is your free lesson on history today, Harper. Nathaniel considers, "underground? Hmm, bedrock is too dense for this kind of scanning, it will be distorted. Let me see if I can compensate." The hologram waves going down a dozen yards. It is blurry and indistinct, but definitely there is an underground area that is not in the city hall maps. "What is that? And illegal fighting ring?"
"Right. Chariots. Geez, captain know it all."
Harper watches him as he works, her eyes squinting as she reaches out and points to that same area that Nathaniel looked at. "Yeah.. I didn't even know that there was one tonight. Think we lucked out?" As in, would you stay to help?
"I'm starting to think we need to call back up in on this. Though.. I am wondering.." She sizes him up then and there, well not him, but the suit. She even reaches out to try to grasp at his arm to test the strength of it if he'd let her. "What is your super suit made out of?"
It feels like metal, but it is warm. "Neuro-kinetic nano-robots from the 30th century," replies Iron Guard. "I do not need any backup unless there are alpha class super-humans involved, my suit is considerably more powerful than anything even Stark can field right now."
Well, in theory. Truth is Nathaniel can't use the armor at his full capabilities. It takes many years of training for the soldiers of the 40th millennium to learn to handle the armors at a professional level. But hey, he can boast a little around a girl, right?
"We could call for the police, are they reliable?"
"Huh.." Harper states, but it was a little hard to see her eyes with the way those lenses cover them completely. Though she was sure, given the technology his suit possesses, she assumes that he could possibly tell that if she were try to scan it, he would know that she did. "30th century?" She asks out loud. "I'm calling bullshit." She turns back to the men as they head inside, Harper reaching back behind her to retrieve a small device from her back pocket, her hands patting down one of the many pockets so that her fingers to dip inside, draw back out, snap back shut. Wrong. Pockets. EVERY dang time.
But his little boasting does impress Harper even though she didn't give the indication, her eyes narrowing towards the scene and then back up towards the 'Iron Guard'. "Uh.. if the police were -completely- reliable, there wouldn't be a need for the Batman and his many proteges now would it?"
She waits to see if her point was made, but then considers Iron Guard again. "So.. would it hurt to hurl yourself into a concrete block?"
Harper Row, aka Bluebird, probably the only Bat lady who wasn't known for her subtlety.
"See? That is why we should sit down to talk soon," notes Iron Guard. As for the cops, "are they reliable enough they would come here instead of, well, telling the criminals they are about to be attacked?"
Hard to say with his armor, but Harper just got a few seconds of silent staring when she mentioned hurling himself to a concrete block. "Maybe not, it depends on speed and size of the concrete block, what do you have in mind?"
So they were going to have that chat. Not because it was demanded, but because she was mostly curious. If that is the reason why they're going to talk then goddamn it, Harper was going to be all ears. The girl doth love her toys, after all.
"What do I have in mind?" Harper asks, and soon, a sinister little grin appears upon her lips…
TEN MINUTES LATER:
*CRASH*
A body of a guard goes sailing through the window along with the Iron Guard using him as a barrier. With his power suit, the lights themselves kick out just in time for Bluebird to sneak into the scene. Her lenses aglow, it was the only thing seen as an omnious laughter fills the air, and soon…
*RATA-TAT-TAT!*
*BOOM!*
'AUGH! MY LEG!'
*ZARRT! THOOM! THOOM!
'Lasers! Fricking lasers!!'
'They're coming up the back!'
'Who hit me!'
'Awwe my ass!'
*THWIP*
*CRASH*
"You stepped on my boots, why I aughta!" Harper screams out..
"DUCK!"
ZART! THWIP! ZART!
THIRTY MINUTES AFTER THAT:
Red and blue lights create a halo over the scene of what was once the underground fight ring, which was small at best. There was no casualties that night, Bluebird and Iron guard saw to that though it was not without it's hiccups. Harper had a broken finger, a nice black eye underneath her lenses, a busted lip, and bruised knuckles which all were nursed with ice packs as she settled upon her back. She looked worse for wear but she still moved like she was Mick Jagger, leaning upon her back with her legs crossed and shoulders slumped. Iron Guard? Shined as ever. Like he walked out of the warehouse with a gleam and a glow with three people behind him spit-shining his wares.
"So, about that thirtieth century crap. I'm thinking someones just being ambitious and gave you Stark Tech."
Iron Guard was pretty cautious during the fight, careful not to seriously injure anyone, which is fighting against his natural instincts. Also, he was watching Harper. She was good, but not as good as he expected. Not Black Widow level kick-ass. Not… hell, was she even eighteen?
"Hmm. You have a broken finger, Bluebird. Do you have a first aid kit? I would help you immobilizing it. And you are going to need something for the pain when you cool down." That is a bit more important than his armor and thirtieth century stuff.
But he adds. "No look. Neuro-kinetic, think about it a minute," she is smart enough to figure out it means: it responds to thoughts. Which means he should be able to control how the outfit looks. "But Iron Man was the hero I admired the most when I was a kid. A normal human that become one of the mightiest, most influential heroes of the world thanks just to his vision and intellect. So I pattern my armor after his."
Nope, Harper was as reckless as they came. She wasn't the best but she was slowly kicking it up to semi-sidekick status where it comes from the bats. Well, she was at the bottom rung but she often times kept to herself either way, so it doesn't matter!
As for a first aid kid, she slides a little over on her bike, flipping the latch to toss the seat aside as that the contents were found within. Clearly her fingers were broken before, and while she cared, she knew a guy who knew a gal who could fix her right up. "First aid kits in there."
"Neuro-kinetic.. eh?" Beat. "So that means you think about it and it happens. Do you have a hookup that goes derectly to your cerebral functions or is there a scan in that helmet of yours that takes your electro readings from there?" She was alright when it came to the brain-y department. She can fix damn near anything if she had the time, the tools and the imagination. "I can kinda see that…" She mumbles, then holds her broken fingered-hand out for him to fix.
"Figure we got about fifteen more minutes before the cops come combing this area. Just get me good enough to ride and take my number, we'll make a plan to meet in Metropolis as soon as I get some arrangements in place."
Nathaniel nods. "A little more advanced than that. Each nanorobot is attuned to my mental signature. They reconfigure into anything I can think, or anything in their data banks."
He examines her broken finger making sure the bone has not displaced, then binds it to the closer finger and immobilizes them so she can't bend it. Then adds, "I came to Gotham to recruit you for a team of heroes that is forming under SHIELD's aegis. I know from historical records you were part of the team and one of the most important members. But I have to admit the timeline has already diverged from my records. Still, I would like you to consider it, and meet some of the group. Hmm, you probably would have met already a few of them. You would also get to leave Gotham and travel quiet a bit, and to get involved in fighting some worldwide threats. To say the truth, I did not expect you to be so young, you have just started your career as a crimefighter, right?"
"But that's the basic gist of it." Harper confirms. "Well, that's cool and all.." Still, she was skeptical, but until she had proof, which she probably wouldn't ask for just yet, she'll call it what it was.
"Ooooooh government stuff.." She mutters slightly, wincing as he fixes her fingers to the other, he did a good job though it'll make steering quite a little bit odd. Thankfully her entire hand wasn't broken. This time.
"Woah woah woah! Historical records? Just what in the sam hill are you on about?" Harper draws her hand away, keeping it against her chest as she stands upright and straddles the bike, preparing to leave. "I don't know what you're calling young, dude. I'm nineteen years old. I'm an adult with a real job and a dependant to take care of. I can't be going on these.. world wide out of.. whatever type threats you're talking about." She frowns a little. "I think you're kind of a nutjob, maybe a crazy person or whatever.." The bike strikes up, but still, what he said was interesting and she was going to have to look into it. And if he was an escapee from Arkham, she was going to at least try to have a hand in his ass to get him back to where he needs to be.
"Yeah.. I just started, but I ain't going any further than that. And.. if you've done your research or whatever you think you know about me and my crew?" Okay, it was Batman's crew. "You stay out of Gotham and don't come back." Okay.. Batman doesn't say it like that. Nope.. sure doesn't.
"SHIELD does not work for the US government, they depend on the United Nations alone," points out Nathaniel. He sighs, and the helmet retracts from his head, letting her see his face. "Look, I am young too. Nothing wrong there. Not very crazy either, and if you want I can show up with one or two of the other team members to talk about this when you have time. As for my research, was not Batman one of the Justice League founders? And Robin part of the Titans? Surely you could try it too. Think about it."
Harper revvs the engine loudly as she gives a glance towards Iron Guard. Even when he removes his helmet, her brows lower into a slight scowl and.. well, he.. was just about as old as her! If not a teeny bit older.
"Well.. you got a point.." She says, drawing her really great hand back to rub at the back of her neck. "I'll consider it, bring who you want, yeah?" She reaches behind herself to snag her helmet from it's place, slamming it atop of her head as she lifts the visor.
"And don't think just because you're all hottie pa-tottie I'm going to go along with whatever you say. Got it?" She points a threatening finger at him, then blasts away. Well not blasts. She just.. sorta rides off. All cool and stuff.