Amazon Analysis

July 01, 2017:

Wonder Woman, Batman, and Aquaman analyze the Pseudo-Amazon attack on Santa Prisca.

The Watchtower

It's larger than a space station has any right to be, with corridors stretching beyond to labs, to living quarters, to mission critical systems, to the command center. Wandering through the corridors at all hours of night and day, techs and scientists. The most technically advanced space station orbiting Earth, Watchtower Station is an advanced operational station funded and maintained by anonymous donors and the UN, and used by the Justice League. This is a -high- security location.

Current Day: The status of the Watchtower Station is being brought back to life after a year of being emptied and unused.

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions:

Plot:

Mood Music: [*\# None.]


Fade In…

Less than a day after the calamitous events in the Carribbean, Batman and Diana were in correspondance about the strange rise of the Not-Amazons who'd done significant damage to the area and caused a number of fatalities. Had it not been for the timely intevention of the League's members, things might have been much worse.

But it was a strange situation; such mercenaries were wholly a product of the World of Man, armed and armored like Amazons, trained like them, but certainly paid for and recruited with wholly mortal methods.

To investigate that, Diana needed a detective.

And because Batman recruits experts whenever possible— and the Carribbean islands are surrounded by ocean— Batman had asked Aquaman to join them. If the warriors came by boat or trained in the area at all, odds were good Aquaman's near-infinite network of animal eyes and ears would be of aid.

Batman is already in the conference room before the appointed hour, sitting at one of the high-backed metal chairs and moving his gloved hands over a keyboard. A holodisplay record rolls back and forth in front of him, a 3-D rendering of the fight being replayed. His expert eyes, hidden behind the dark cowl of his mask, miss very little as he analyzes the movements of the combatants and their techniques.

Naturally, the lights are quite low, casting the room into the sort of brooding darkness Batman prefers.

***

Aquaman's eyes are evolved to see clearly at 30,000 fathoms. He doesn't even notice 'dim' when he enters, though he does notice Bruce. For a change Arthur's not wet, nor is he in Atlantean regalia, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, leather strappy sandles, and that odd necklace he used to wear waaaaay back when they all founded this thing, when they were little more then kids and he used to fight shirtless all the time. No telling where he dug that bit of jewelery up from, but there it is anyway, resting on his chest like an old friend.

Clearly he must have been visiting Amnesty Bay again, as he is want to do when he needs to think. Without the armor and the crown and the trident, he looks a bit like a well built slightly past middle aged hipster with the surfer hair starting to hint at gray and the trimmed beard. One would think Bruce would have been the first to start showing his age in their little cabal… but then time seems to ignore Batman's exsistence entirely, so maybe not.

"Hey." Arthur says as he walks across the room, the dimness of the lighting clearly not bothering him in the least, "That's…" he watches an exchange in the holoprojector, "impressive." he begrudingly offers. "Amazons?" he sounds worried at the thought.

***

"Have you found anything?" Diana says without her usual preamble as she enters. It's obvious this situation has her on edge, if she's dispensing with the pleasantries. And, indeed, it's not likely a surprise. After all, since the incident on Santa Prisca, she's been dealing with questions about it almost constantly from press, politicians, and public investigators alike.

Rumours abound on the internet that the Amazons have declared war on the world, which, of course, is categorically untrue. But 'fake news' is everywhere, these days. Some of it actually fake. Or at least very, very mistaken.

The Watchtower is about the only place in the world (or around it, as the case may be) — aside, perhaps, from Themyscira itself — where Diana can come to escape the constant press of attention, questions, and demands from those wanting clearer answers beyond "It wasn't my people," and "No, I don't know who it was, yet. We're working on it."

She pauses as she realizes Arthur is also there and takes half a heartbeat to recompose herself. She turns to bring the lights up slightly — not enough to take away from the displays, but enough so she won't be standing in the dark trying to talk to shadows. Because, you know, it's the Watchtower, not the Batcave… or the bottom of the ocean.

***

"Arthur," Batman says, though it's hard to tell if he actually looks at Aquaman, or just glances from under his cowl. It's as cordial a greeting as anyone's apt to get from him. "No. They're not," he tells Aquaman. He pauses the screen and zooms, replaying a small part of it in slow motion— footwork on the sand.

"Amazons typically fight with a false lead and from greater range. They rely on superior speed and reach with spears and swords, and form loose phalanxes even in unarmed combat."

When Diana enters, Batman pauses for just a moment. "Diana."

Again— relatively polite. Relative.

"These women were trained in Krav Maga as a starting point. Elements of American boxing and some modern jiujitsu, too. Classic military martial doctrines, start with grappling and base stability, then move on towards striking. Some of them are still inexpert at it," he explains.

To anyone who isn't the equivalent of a PhD in martial arts, the distinctions are so subtle that they'd be lost on all but a few.

***

Aquaman doesn't have to glance over his shoulder, he knows Diana to well to bother, "Diana." he says, his tone warm and pleased. He's well aquainted with the press of the surface world and their fear. His brother mobilized an entire regiment of the Atlantean Marines and invaded Metropolis not 2 years passed. He empathizes strongly. He watches the slow motion play and nods, "They don't have to rely on leverage as much either, raw strength would see this-" he motions with his hand to a move, "as simple without the need to pivot." his people are also superhuman baseline, he gets it.

Arthur doesn't fight surfacer style, when he lived topside he didn't get in many fights, his training is all Atlantean, so while he knows the names and the basics of the styles Batman mentions, the subtleties are lost on him, "Take your word for it." he offers with a small smile. "All I see is skill and teamwork. Reminds me a little of Manta's men." this is also said grudgingly.

He turns to shoot Diana a look, "I'm going to guess from your expression you've no idea who they are or what this is about, what do you need me to do?" Because Batman and her are League and they made the call, Arthur showed up.

***

Diana's training is all Amazon. What she can tell them is that those women are not using Amazon techniques. Only logical extrapolations of what greco-asian techniques might have been like a couple of thousand years ago. "Amazon training focusses initially on form and stability, yes. And then on striking and blocking. Weapons are among the last things we learn." Though her training was more intense than many of her sisters', it wasn't as long. She's only a few decades old, after all. Her sisters are each two or three millenia old.

She moves to the display, watching the footwork with Batman. "Amazons do not use quite so wide a stance," she notes. "It hampers our ability to respond in a full circle." Smaller radius equals smaller turning cycle. "Additionally, these arms and armour are modelled after Spartan and Trojan styles, which, I'm told, were ultimately modelled after ours. So, they they would most appropriately be described as copies of copies at best, though the ornamentation is accurate to early Themyscira — just before the Island was Separated from the World of Men." In other words, way, way, way too early. Not remotely reflective of contemporary Amazonian styles. Not, mind, that anyone but she would know that.

She gives Arthur a rueful, unhappy smile. "No. I have no idea who is behind this. I can surmise that there has been some research done, just from the ornamentation details. And some of it is very good — the knotting on the boot laces is very close to contemporary usage, though only because such things have changed very little over the intervening time between the Separation and now." In other words, it's somewhat coincidental. But, she can see they did put some effort into it.

She shakes her head slowly in frustration. "The fact is, many of the details that are correct could be so based on exhibits at the Embassy. We have been very generous in sharing details of our culture in the hope of creating greater understanding." That may have been a mistake. "But, many of the motifs are simplistic and antiquated by contemporary Amazonian standards."

***

Batman is silent while Diana speaks, and there's a long few moments as he assembles his thoughts before remarking on them.

"This is someone obsessed with the Amazons, then. No one goes to this much effort to discredit someone without a deep personal reason to do so," he suggests. "Particularly not an island nation of warrior women who have had zero contact with the outside world for millennia. The fact that almost certianly some of these women have fingerprints or dental records makes this an easy enough ploy to see through."

"We're looking for someone who wants to discredit the Amazons— or who has other plans and is vindictive enough to make your sisters a patsy for the realm crime," Batman grunts. "Someone who knows enough about the Amazons to have done some basic research, but lacks either the resources— or motivation— to make a more serious effort to duplicate your clothing and fighting styles. As you said, 'a copy of a copy'."

***

Aquaman's people have been the victim of exactly this sort of black flag op numerous times. It gets old really quickly. So he's on board to help… though he's not entirely sure how. He can't bring his own military to bear, obviously, so that leaves him with his own personal inner circle to assist. He lets the other two founders chat out their findings as he thinks through implications from a different angle. Politically. A version of warfare he's growing disturbingly skilled at battling.

The first rule of any crime is who benefits, Bruce taught him that years ago, but from a political stand point it's not always about benefits, sometimes it's about losses. So the clear loser here is Themyscira, but why? They're removed from the world, causing tensions with them serves no purpose other then to be a general thorn in Diana's paw. Keeping her distracted? Seems to great a risk for something so simple. Hrm. He reaches up to scritch his bearded chin as he keeps his mind working on the problem and listening to the other two at the same time, trying to find a foothold. It's the least he can do to help. He keeps silent while he thinks however, chosing to polish his thoughts before sharing them openly.

***

"Or else," Diana suggests to Batman, "it was hastily done. It would take less time to train someone already familiar with combat in a different style than it would to outfit that many warriors in more accurate garb." Still, his points are well taken. "And, we have not shared all our secrets freely." She falls silent, thinking for a moment. "If there was any collusion between my people and whomever has arranged all this, the warriors would have been better trained and the garb would have been more accurate." Of course, trying to convince others of that may not be easy.

"I know I have enemies. Many of them, in fact. But, my people do not. It is possible someone may be trying to distract me or strike at me through them in this manner. But, I am not sure who. It does not fit the usual patterns of my foes."

***

Batman makes a 'hrmph' sound in his throat.

"This is not hastily done. Many hours of preparation went into this, enough that a more careful schemer would have made better preparations," he tells Diana. "If it were a genuine effort to discredit your people, the attention to detail would have been much more obvious."

"This is almost certainly a distraction and given the subject, I strongly suspect that you are the target. Nothing is more likely to get your attention than an attempt to discredit the Amazons."

He narrows his eyes minutely behind the cowl. "Which raises the possibility of a sufficiently devious individual deliberately baiting you into a trap with a clumsy first maneuver."

***

Aquaman has a thought. He does not like the track that thought takes him down… He turns to look at them, "What if we're looking at this the wrong way?" he asks curiously. "Our people are very similar in a great many ways, the two most obvious connections are our ancient mythical origins and our hidden locations. What if this isn't a feint? What if this isn't a crim? What if it's a hunt?" he asks curiously. "Manta did the same thing with the Drift in their first battle, Bruce does it like twice a week right now." he points at Batman with a finger idly, "When your prey goes to ground, you flush it out, once it's out you can always track it back to it's hide out. What if this is an attempt not to discredit Diana or anything like that, those are just helpful bonuses, what if the intent is meant to draw Amazon's out of their island, or send Diana back, either way, so that their location could be found?"

"Indeed," Diana nods in response to Batman. "But, the question as to who or why remains." More than that, she privately wonders if that person actually believed she wouldn't see through the trap. Something causes her to doubt it… likely because most of her foes are clever enough to recognize she's not stupid.

It's Arthur's words, however, that catch her attention. "That… is an unsettling thought," she concludes. But, also a very possible one — or so the thoughtful expression on her face would say. "There are many who would give much to find the Island."

***

"Your island's shielded from mortal eyes by powerful forces," Batman reminds Diana. Because he /hates/ the 'M' word. Magic.

"Satellites can't locate it. Telemetric tracking is useless, at least from an engineer's perspective."

He considers the holograms again, thinking more intently. "There's a piece missing here. No motivation for you to return home," he says, finally. "If I were the one organizing this bait, I would create sufficient reason for you to return to the Island. A rumor about a kidnapped sister, talk of an invasion. Our adversary's next move will be a major indicator of what their plans are; either designs for you, or for Themyscira."

***

Aquaman's expression darkens, "And once they do they will bring you no end of suffering." so many of his enemies have found Atlantis at this point he's surprised they don't have a Google Maps entry. "If you've any secure way to communicate with your mother, I would recomend doing so and telling her to keep her people, even the hot blooded ones, on her island until you have cleared this all up. Trust me, you don't want your enemies discovering where you keep your family." it's why all the others wear the masks after all. Luckily for him his family is Mera and… woe be the fool that goes looking to hurt him through her.

He glances at Batman, "So was Atlantis." he points out, "Still is to most of the world, but the ones who've been there can find it again if they want," he pauses, "and can survive the journey. Luckily that still keeps tourism in my lands down to a swing by visit by Manta once a year or so." when he tries to kill Arthur of course. "If you want I'll dispatch some of my people to patrol your waters, just in case, increase your warning perimeter by a few miles should it be required." he offers to Diana, "I'd send Tula…" his voice drifts off and something like worry flickers over his features, "but I've other Drift who will suffice. An all female contingent, of course. No need to ruffle feathers."

***

Diana sighs. "So, it's a waiting game." She hates that. "Meanwhile, I have UN functionaries demanding an explanation for the invasion of a sovereign nation, and government agencies demanding briefings and after-action reports due to the 'strategic importance' of Santa Prisca." She shakes her head. "The latter I can put off easily enough; we're not beholden to any of them. Anything I tell them is a courtesy. The UN, however, will be more of a challenge." Not an insurmountable one, since she can simply keep denying her people had anything to do with it. It's when the UN decides to sic SHIELD on her — and she's almost certain they will — that things will become more challenging.

She looks to Arthur at his offer. "I would appreciate that, actually," she tells him. "I can let my Mother know to expect them," thus increasing the odds no feathers will be ruffled.

She purses her lips then. "The imposters came to Santa Prisca in boats," she says. She moves, now, to the display and taps a few keys on the keyboard to bring up a recording of the beach. It clearly shows the ships that were used — large, trireme-like vessels with square sails and rows upon rows of oars. The design, for those that know ships, allows for a decent sailing range, but likely not a transoceanic voyage. Which means it's likely they came either from somewhere in the Carribean or somewhere along the eastern South or Central American coasts, since a fleet of triremes would have been very noticeable coming through the Panama Canal would have been remarked upon before now.

She looks again to Arthur. "Can you have your people keep their eyes out for ships of this design? They are not Amazonian, ours are closer in design to turko-asian junks and Roman warships than Greek triremes. And we have not used anything greater than shoreline junks in centuries." Because they don't leave the island, of course. (And Diana can fly.)

***

Batman examines the craft in detail. "The rigging isn't correct for any timeframe," he points out. "The sheets are a cotton/poly blend and the rigging is tied to reinforcement points that native lumber couldn't normally sustain. More cheap copies," he grunts. "Someone 'playing' at Amazonia."

He frowns heavily, in sudden thought, as a notion occurs to him.

"I'll head to Santa Prisca and obtain fingerprints and dental records," Batman tells Diana. "Along with linguistic analysis and blood samples. All samples of Amazon blood are missing isotopes common to modern civilization; exposure to background radiation and industrial processing makes them inevitable. Impossible to remove, impossible to synthesize. I can have a packet prepared for the UN in two days, undersigned by the League. That should buy you some goodwill."

***

Aquaman nods his head and makes a mental note to have the Drift split into a couple of units of female scouts. If all goes well the Amazons will never even see them. He considers sending in the Tide but… that could get dicey. Having awoken them for the war with the Deep One last year, he's not yet returned them to hybernation. Part of him still hopes they can be worked into Atlantean society, assuming they ever get their battle lust under control. Yeah. Lets not send them to hang out around Amazons. Bad juju that.

"The Blue rule Caribean waters for the most part, my diplomatic ties with them are strong however. I'll see what their people reported and have them keep me updated." The Blue, one of the other underwater races that live in secret. Far smaller in number and size then Atlantis's many city-states, they make up for it by being suuuuuper secretive and hidden. "You'll want to keep my involvement in this a secret," he adds to Batman's plans, "The UN does not take kindly to Atlantis, never have, but especially not since Orm's assention to the throne a couple years back. It would only hurt your case to link us anymore then we might already be." he offers appolgetically to Diana and Bruce both.

***

Diana nods to both men. "Thank you," she tells them. "I appreciate your help more than I say." Though, she imagines the pair know her well enough to know her sincerity. "And anything I can give the UN to prove my people's innocence is even more appreciated. My mother, herself, would thank you." Don't casually dismiss the gratitude of a queen.

She turns and glances to a chair. Pulling it towards her, she sits in it for a moment, her body language bespeaking her fatigue — not lack of sleep, but overwork. "We may yet avoid a complete international meltdown over all this."

***

"Hipployta's been a steadfast ally for years," Batman remarks, swivelling his chair to face Diana. There's a pause and the white lenses of his cowl retract, his blue eyes masked by shadow, but now visible. "And you're one of us. No thanks are needed, Diana." He looks to Arthur, and nods at the man's request.

"I don't have any obligation to tell the UN— or anyone else— who's helping us. I won't be volunteering any more information than is absolutely minimally necessary. We don't need to prove that the Amazons are innocent. We just need to establish a more guilty party. I can do that with a minimal amount of forensic investigation. That'll buy us time and goodwill from the UN."

***

Aquaman nods his head at the pair of them, not even bothering to return Diana's thanks with a you're welcome. Some things don't need saying. "Let me know if there's anything else I can do, or if you come across anything new. I'm going to-" he glances down at his clothing, "uh… change into something less comfortable then make a trip to visit The Blue. I'll have Mera round up the required Drift scout team and set up their rotation." he tilts his head to the side, "That reminds me, when this is over I'd like talk about our peoples more officially. Atlantis and Themyscira were once staunch allies millenia ago, given our personal friendship now, I feel the time has come to once more attempt diplomatic ties. When the time is right, please tell Hippolyta that I will happily send Mera to speak with her should she feel the same."

***

Diana nods again to both men and pushes herself back to her feet, restless energy propelling her. "I will do so," she tells Arthur. "I believe she will like that." Diana certainly does. "In the meantime, I should return to the Hall and then to the Embassy to continue troubleshooting." She does have a media team through the Embassy who have been handling much of the frontline firefighting, using the statements she's prepared, but she's been very visible throughout this initial 24-hour period as much because of who she is as because of the needs of the situation. That won't change anytime soon. "If you need me, or you learn something new, you know how to contact me. Thank you again, my friends. I will keep you posted with anything new I learn."

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