January 14, 2018:
Gotham's sewage treatment plant has an alarm set off. But who, or what, could be messing with such a smelly place?
Di'Angelo Sewage Treatment Facility
The Sewage Treatment plant is mainly an outdoor facility. Huge vats
and lagoons are interconnected in the complex system that cleans the city's
water for proper disposal. Small buildings house monitoring stations and
equipment. Pipes lead off to the water surrounding the island, pouring out
treated water. The whole place is probably a football field in length.
Simple asphalt paths, big enough for a car but mostly used by a couple of
gold carts, weave among the buildings, tanks, and sludge lagoons. The smell,
as one might imagine, is fairly grotesque. People new to the area often find
themselves gagging at the smell if they don't take precautions. Despite
their best efforts, no plant can make shit smell like roses.
Two giant tanks stand at one end of the plant. These hold untreated
wastewater. Nearby is a pool of dark and foul smelling water that is
constantly moving as it is filtered and processed. Two buildings, small and
housing mechanical equipment, stand between these and two long oval shaped
channels. This water isn't as dark as the other, but it isn't something you
would want to get on your skin. The smell from these channels is not as
offensive, but it isn't a summers day either. Between the channels and the
three large sludge lagoons lie the main laboratory and control building.
Here is where the odor control unit rests, putting it's main focus on the
disgusting sludge pits and nearby sludge drying beds. Let your imagination
do the work and you'll get how disgusting those lagoons and beds are. No one
comes here unless they have to.
Characters
![class="image1"](http://cmbeta.wdfiles.com/local--resized-images//class="image1"/medium.jpg)
NPCs: Hired_Security
Mentions:
Plot:
Mood Music: [*\#https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1ia-OQThno Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing]
Fade In…
og Commenced: 14-Jan-18 06:13PM EST
*
It is after ten at night and there is a blessed wind blowing through the sewage treatment center. About ten minutes ago an alarm on one of the tanks lids was tripped, indicating it had been opened. The security company hired to check these things out has arrived and the two men peer about with flashlights. Yet they are not keen to stay any longer than they have too. Flashlights move quickly across the area as they drive through to the tank in question. One of the men climbs out and begins to climb the ladder to the top. His light finds nothing but an open access panel down into the untreated waste water. He kicks it closed and doesn't seem to notice that it doesn't smell nearly as bad as it should. Nor does he notice the figure in black in the shadows of the tank, watching him descend.
*
With things in chaos out in Gotham, the Batman has priorities. A sewer treatment plant break in would usually not be one of them.
This is on the south channel island though… completely out of the way of most gang activity. Which means a new move, or a new player in town. Both possibilities are worth investigating.
So Batman diverted from his Chinatown surveillance as Alfred brought the alarm trip to his attention. Stephanie only got a, "we're moving." before the stealth Batmobile was opened and the drivers seat occupied. Ten minutes later, and the Batmobile stealths its' way to the plant proper, parking just out of sight, before Batman presses the 'launch' button… sending Batman and Spoiler up into the air a few stories… and Batman reaches out his right forearm, his built in grapnel connecting with a wall just above an access point on the upper floors.
Upon landing silently, Batman gives a look around his surroundings, "No obvious activity. Perp is hiding. Keep on your toes." Batmans voice scrambler gives to Spoiler.
*
Launched into the air, Spoiler does not squeal. Unlike Batman with the built-in grapnel, Spoiler has to pull one of his old-style hand helds. It serves her well and she lands down near him a heartbeat later. Her landing not quite as silent.
"Understood," she replies, voice soft over their coms. No voice scrambler, because she only has access to what he provides and that wasn't part of her suit. She creeps along in one direction keeping an eye out.
*
It wasn't exactly anything magical that alerted Alyse to the alarms being tripped or any potential evil deeds, the Witchdoctor hardly had wards and spells in the water treatment plant. How had she known? Simple: a police scanner. Some habbits died hard, even if she wasn't exactly much of a criminal these days compared to her time. Curiousity kills cats, not the sorceress and so only a few moments after the pair had arrived a small swarm of golden butterfly-shapped lights flutters into existance, eventually taking shape and revealing the blonde woman in her rather out-of-place gown and the parasol held in her hand despite the late hour. Just what might be going on?
*
The hired grunts agree to simply leave, not finding anything on a very quick inspection. So the one guy gets into the security car and they drive back out. The figure in the shadows pauses from moving out a minute after the men drive off when she sees the shimmering golden butterflies. It is pretty hard of a thing to miss. o O (Damn.) The black-clad figure thinks, quickly analyzing her best options. There is a lot of open ground and while it is night, from up high it would be easy to spot someone moving out in the open. Yet there is a clock ticking in her mind. The helmeted head turns to look up at the top of the tank and then back to the floating young woman.
A low groan of sound suddenly sounds from the wastewater tank that had triggered the alert suddenly gives a metallic groan. The kind that indicates metal stress. The hatch that was kicked closed begins to rattle against its hinges and latch. Something is very wrong in there.
The scent of the air begins to shift as well. It becomes oddly…yeasty.
*
The black makeup on Batmans jaw turns into a ghost of a grimace as he picks the lock on the door silently, before he steps inside.
With all the technology and armor on Batmans suit, one would think that a catwalk would give a bit of noise… but no, the Bat is both adept at stealth, and his boots and the design of the armor was crafted by himself specifically to handle noise.
"Stay here, keep an eye out for movement." Batman orders quietly from Spoiler, before he pulls a collapsed line launcher from his utility belt, and creates a thick 'platform' just above the wastewater tank, the other end magnetized to a wall and anchored by a pincher claw as he steps up and over, silently, to look into the wastewater tank proper, shifting through various vision spectrums to find anything out of the ordinary.
*
Spoiler settles down into a low crouch not far from the door as Batman picks the lock and lets himself in. The blonde with the dark purple lips stick gives a nod of her head, and shifts to make sure she's got a better view of things. He's asked her to watch her back, she's going to do just that.
*
Witchdoctor doesn't exactly look hostile, but she certainly looks a little strange as she simply strides forwards, pausing to look Stephanie up and down. "I like the colors you've chosen," the Witch comments with a light smile before stepping forwards. Not the most subtle of arrivals on her part. A light sniff of the air has her frowning a little and tilting her head to the side. "I thought this was a water treatment facility, not a brewery…" she muses.
Folding her parasol closed, the witch clearly intends to stride in right after Batman, heading towards the door and exhaling a breath as she closes her eyes for a moment to 'feel' for other auras around them.
*
(Here we go…) O o Sensation thinks as the tank begins to buldge and groan from the extreme chemical reaction going on inside. There isn't really any warning before the hatch into the covered tank bursts from it's hinges and is flung upwards at near bullet-like speed. Behind it spews dark and frothy liquid, spraying and foaming out of the hole in a forceful rush. And it isn't stopping as the chemical reaction continues and the tank simply fills with more fluid from the sewer systems. The smell that overwhelms the area is not the expected one of raw sewage, but of dark porter beer.
The moment the hatch blows Sensation bolts from the tank for the maintenance shack. There is no helping being spotted as a black figured heading for the control building. As she passes a series of gauges and valves for the tanks the figure pauses and then gives a sharp yank on one valve, sending it spinning. The reaction is a groan as pipes from the city stop refilling the tank and are diverted. Yet there is no escape, even for Sensation, of being hit with the frothy liquid in some small amount. As Sensation breaks for the scraggy woods around the plant she can't help but expose herself again. Panic and determination flicker through her soul, yet her aura shows a person actively under the influence of substances…though hard to tell what. But her aura's flicker can only be explained by that.
*
Then a random stranger is approaching Spoiler and him, despite their general stealthiness… so Batman almost misses the figure darting around on the ground, before he turns on thermal vision and looks down to where sensation is going.
Witchdoctor gives a stare briefly, from Batman. "You, stay there. Move, and I'll consider you a hostile." Batman barks to Witchdoctor, before he brings up his forearm grapnel then, swinging his way over above Sensation… then he releases the grapple claw, timing it so he drops right on top of a pipe in front of Sensations exit, above, but able to block her exit in a moments notice. A voice scrambler is on as Batman addresses her, "This is pretty senseless. Who are you?" Batman stands up then, his black and red armor easily visible and his cape fluttering around his feet.
*
"That would make you hostile, no?" the blonde witch speaks towards the Batman before she makes a dismissive wave of her hand, her parasol disappearing in a brief flash of those same butterflies before she leans forwards slightly, a single digit resting against her lips as she watches Sensation break for the woods in time for the scent of the alcohol to hit her nostrils. There's actually a small smile to her features at her earlier guess being correct before she vanishes just as her parasol had…only to reappear a few meters to Sensation's side. "I appreciate a good practical joke, but this is a little…on the nose?" she comments absently.
Yes, it seems she'd ignored Batman's 'request' to stay where she was.
*
Sensation comes to a graceful stop as the Dark Knight lands in front of her. Hands at her sides, the only thing bare, ball into fists. A voice synthesized comes from the speakers at the front of the helmet, vaguely feminine, "You're right, it is." Oddly bland the way it is said, one of complete agreement. "But I'm afraid I'm not going to answer that second question," The distortion she uses is odd, as if it is filtering the words through several accents at once.
When the Witch appears suddenly near her Sensation gives a shout of surprise and leaps to the side. She doesn't stop moving at this point, slowly crab-stepping as she tries to keep Batman and the unknown magic-user in her sights. "It wasn't my idea. I'm just the delivery system. Even I don't know what the message is," She says with a wave of a hand. Now she has cleared her back of lagoon and piping she begins to take small steps backwards. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I think I left the oven on." Her hand flicks and a small glass vial she had palmed from her belt is tossed onto the ground. It breaks on impact and creates a vibrant flash of magnesium. Meant to burn the eyes briefly for those whose eyes are not shielded and otherwise distract those whose are she breaks into another run. It seems her general direction is the nearby rocky shore of the island that the treatment plant rests on.
It should be noted that a siren of some sort is going off at the tank, able to be heard now that the roar of the escaping fermentation has mostly subsided. Security and police channels are beginning to chatter loudly once again.
*
Witchdoctor gets a glance as he is ignored, but he waits for Sensation to speak, before he tosses bolas from his utility belt at both Sensation *and* witchdoctor, with inhuman precision and speed. Then, his batclaw is grabbed and fired at the valves, giving them a good yank one at a time to close off the flow into the tank… then launches his grapnel up into the rooftop, just above the tank… taking a few pellets from his utility belt chemical pouch and tossing them into the tank. Within seconds, the substance in the tank begins to freeze from the solution Batman put inside… stablizing and neutralizing the reaction.
Looks like the Bolas were a distraction to deal with the collateral damage. "Spoiler, get in here and keep this tank from getting anything more diverted to it." Batman gives over the comm, before he turns his attention to the two, to see where they've gone.
*
Witchdoctor did know enough to know a distraction bomb of some kind when she saw someone hurling something at their feet. It was enough to have her turning her head away and raising her hand to shield her eyes. Of course, this -does- mean that the bolas thrown by the bat impact with her, causing the woman to stagger as she's snared. "Really?" she protests with a noise in indignation before she 'bursts' in another rush of those butterfly lights, only to reassemble a step to the side, the bolas she'd been snared with laying slack on the ground. "Perhaps you'd like to aim at her?" the Witch speaks, raising a finger to point towards Sensation. Magic, it could be infuriating sometimes. "Or would you like me to make an attempt?"
*
The flash fades into a softer burning clump of dirt and grass within seconds, but sometimes that is all that is needed. Unfortunately this is not one of those times because, well, Batman. The bolo catches and wraps around one ankle, causing her to go into a controlled fall and roll. As her momentum brings her to a stop she pauses to look at the bolo. Running or detangling, both with take the same amount of seconds to do. So her quick and deft fingers begin to unwrap it. Seeing things going decidedly south Sensation curses under her breath and rips another vial off her belt. This one is tossed into the nearby open channel of sewage.
It lands with a soupy plunk and a moment later there is a muffled *whump* before the shit is literally flying. Off in the distance the sound of sirens can be heard, but they are still ten minutes out. It isn't like the island is easy to access except by bridge.
*
"You had your chance." Witchdoctor gets in reply from Batman, a split second before the grapnel in his forearm is detached, Batman twists around, and a smoke bomb is launched from the forearm launch right at the two. A neural command is given, and his cape goes rigid as Batman glides straight at Witchdoctor for a hard kick to her torso. The other one can't teleport. Witchdoctor is the priority.
*
Batman's foot would collide with something solid, but it wasn't Witchdoctor. Instead a slight 'bubble' of light appears at the impact before the Witch clicks her tongue. "Truely, my slight is the bigger when there is a literal explosion of effluence about to hit the fan? You people are rather strange to me." The blonde waves her finger, then she simply disappears in another of those swarms of light and the sounds of a soft chuckle. Curiousity remained, but she'd seen Sensation's aura. She'd attempt to track it again at a later date.
Reappearing outside near where Stephanie had been standing, the witch opens her parasol once more. "Your friend is quite rude," she offers with a smile over her shoulder before she begins to walk away into the night.
*
Beating feet is something that Sensation is good at. In fact she could likely make any olympic runner sweat over whether they would win. Past the outer boundary of boulders and rocks and away from the exploding channel and the Bat dealing with the magic distraction. Having enough of a lead means that Sensation is on the jetski she used to get here. It's engine revs, puny and high, and she turns to speed out over the water.
Meanwhile the shit is flying, the channel is frothing from whatever chemical reaction is going on, and the sirens are getting louder. The jetski is fast and black and moves across the bay towards Gotham proper. For the moment she thinks she may have gotten away…but she has Batman following her. That's likely not the case.
*
Spoiler will handle mess with freeze pellets. Batman has already launched himself out of a window using a grapnel assisted dive out of the build, pressing the startup sequence button for the Batmobile as he lands near-perfectly in the cockpit.
By the time Sensation is at the bay, Batman is driving up to the shore as the ski goes away… and is just out of reach of the harpoon launcher at the front of the Batmobile… and Batman doesn't want to chance the rubber bullets at this range. So, the button is pressed on the dashboard: He's calling in the Batwing.
The heavy duty engine of the muffled engine of a stealthed aircraft can be heard just behind Sensation… and if she glances behind herself, she can spot Batman launching his grapnel up into the cockpit of the slid-open floor of the Batwing.
Batman is still coming.
*
Sensation has little option but to start weaving and putting on the speed to get across the water. If she can hit Gotham her chances greatly increase of vanishing among the streets and populace. "Oh -come on-!" She grits her teeth as she reaches to her belt again. She snags another fial, but this one is slipped into a holster that is then drawn. She turns as she goes straight for a few seconds, aiming behind her at the Batwing.
The dart gun makes very little noise as it launches the tiny and fragile vial at him. It's hard to imagine something like that could pack much damage, but this little pellet is loaded with one of the most potent acids on the planet. And it loves metal, ceramic, and plastic. It doesn't take a lot to cause a lot of damage. Hopefully she can hit something to give her that minute she needs to get to shore.
*
Unfortunately for Sensation, Batmans sensors can detect incoming objects. The Batwing isn't acid proof -though the Batmobile is- but Batman is a very adept pilot, and simply rolls the jet out of the way as he catches up to the would be… something or other. Someone thinks it's cute to sabotage public services in a city under siege by weeks long winter storms already. Batman intends to find out who that is.
It doesn't take long for the Batwing to right itself, then for the claw launcher in the back of the aircraft to be launched at Sensation. Within seconds, Batman guides it to try and grab Sensation herself directly off the jetski, and up into the prisoner compartment inside the Batwing.
*
The explitives that come from the helmet are in a variety of languages and mostly garbled by the voice scrambler. Despite her own heightened agility and swerving neatly and with great skill the second launch snatches her from the bike. "NO!" She can't help but yell as she struggles against the contraption. The throttle no longer being turned the ski's engine putters and it comes to a quick stop, slowly being swept away. This is turning out to be a very, very bad night…