20355/Shadows in the Depths

Shadows in the Depths
Date of Scene:	01 April 2025
Location:	Brooklyn Sewers
Synopsis:	Supergirl and Red Hood bust an arms deal and find out that they're a funny combo.
Cast of Characters:	Jason Todd, Kara Danvers

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Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd hated the sewers.

The smell, the grime, the way his boots stuck to the ground just enough to make a squelching sound, none of it was his idea of a good time. But when you were tracking an arms deal that had gone subterranean, you didn't get to be picky about location.

"Great," he muttered, stepping over what looked suspiciously like an actual rib bone. "Real classy choice, guys. Let's do crime in a literal toilet."

The tunnels stretched ahead, barely lit by the occasional flickering utility light. He kept his guns holstered for now, no sense in wasting ammo on sewer rats the size of house cats.

Then he saw it. A shadow up ahead. Fast. Low to the ground.

Jason froze, eyes narrowing behind his helmet's visor. He hadn't imagined that. Something just moved. Something big.

A scaly tail flicked around a corner.

"... okay," he said slowly. "That was either a really fat alligator or I just saw a six-foot gecko riding a skateboard."

He glanced around, as if waiting for someone to confirm he wasn't losing his mind.

No one did.

Jason sighed and kept moving, hand drifting toward his pistol. "Yeah. This is gonna be one of those nights."

Kara Danvers has posed:
Kara's not exactly a fan, either.

"Ugh... it stinks in here," the Kryptonian says, covering her mouth and nose with her hand with very little effect. A girl like her can have all of the superpowers in the world, you know. Perfect skin. Perfect hair. Super strength. Laser eyes. But one thing Supergirl isn't blessed with? An immunity to gross smells.

Thankfully, that flying bit means that her own shoes never touch the... y'know. Poop water. She just sort of hovers an inch or two off of the ground of it, short enough that she doesn't bonk her head on the sewer ceiling, either. And this is not, y'know... really Supergirl's scene. Arms dealers in a sewer? The sort of stuff best left for the Batfam, you know. Not to say she's immune to getting her hands dirty, but this is kind of... a level /beyond/ dirty.

"Y'know, when Batman asked me to tag along on a mission as punishment for blowing a hole in the roof of the gotham theater**, I knew it'd be a bad mission. I just didn't know it'd be quite this..."

Beat...

"Crappy."

Anyway, that shadow scoots on by, and Jason takes a moment to have someone confirm that he isn't losing his mind. Supergirl says nothing. It is known. Not until she drifts a little bit forward, her hands twisting about her wrists, almost as if she's swimming through the air, as she glides down the sewer tunnel and towards where the arms deal is (god, she really hopes so) is taking place.

"Negativity is a self-fulfilling prophesy, Red Hood. Just try not to kill anybody, or else I'll end up as Batman's unpaid intern... or indentured servant."

**See The Last Band On Earth plot for the thrilling details!

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason rolled his eyes, stepping around a puddle that he was pretty sure had something living in it. "Yeah, yeah, sunshine and rainbows, got it. If I have to fire, I'll make sure they're all flesh wounds. Scout's honor."

Not that he'd ever been a Boy Scout.

He kept moving, boots sticking just enough to remind him why this sucked. "Why do bad guys love the sewer? Is there a secret villain handbook? Step one: Acquire illegal weapons. Step two: Conduct deals in Gotham's filthiest... heck... hole."

As Supergirl floated, effortlessly avoiding the muck, Jason resisted the urge to glare. Levitation. Of course she had that. "It's 2025... weren't we supposed to have hoverboards by now?" Instead, he got heavy boots and shin-deep grime while she cruised through the air like a Disney Princess.

His hand hovered near his pistol as he pushed forward. The tunnels bent. A stretch of darkness lay ahead. "My HUD is picking up faint movement, heat signatures, maybe five bodies clustered together. You know the type. Big guys, bad posture, way too confident in their terrible decisions."

A rusted pipe dripped water onto his shoulder. He ignored it. More pressing matters.

He exhaled slow. "Okay, five goons, one sewer, zero jetpacks. What's the over-under on them being smart enough to negotiate?"

Kara Danvers has posed:
Supergirl smiles as she floats on ahead, perhaps sensing the rolling of Jason's eyes or maybe perceiving it in his tone. Either way, she seems to be more amused with it than annoyed or irritated. An abundance of patience is required when one is the embodiment of sunshine and rainbows, dealing with those who brood while skulking about in the night. She's learned to take these things in stride.

Kara twirls, as if swimming through the air on her back, but only long enough to lift three of her fingers to her forehead to give Jason the girl scout salute along with a rather smug grin, before she's back to facing forward. Like a Disney Princess.

As they near their targets and Jason discusses his Heads Up Display, Kara's expression softens to something a bit more serene and serious.

"Mmmmh," she intones her agreement to Jason's 'you know the type'. Seems like she does. And maybe Kara shares some similarities with them. At least, like. On the surface level. Though she has great posture. She's a pretty petite woman. But she is definitely /way/ too confident in what is, occasionally, a terrible decision.

"Well, I guess there's kinda one way to find out?" Kara says. And there's a funny thing about being practically and functionally invincible, barring a few super specific situations. Kind of... a devil may care attitude, to stuff that would normally cause most vigilante capes to at least approach with a modicum of caution. Supergirl tips her head, listening for the sound of their voices. The rustling of their shoes. The clicking mechanisms of automatic weapons, and their magazines being slid in, and out -- rounds chambered, and ejected -- as they are shown off to prospective buyers.

"Cover me," Kara says, though it sounds obligatory, at this point. Devil may care, like I said. And just like that, Kara leaves Jason Todd alone with his drippy pipe and Heads Up Display. Working with Kryptonians is probably annoying as hell.

"Fellas!" Kara chimes to the five goons without jetpacks.

"Sayyyyy, are we sure we're all licensed for these firearms? Because, like... I'm no expert, or anything, but these don't seem like they're strictly legal. Or legal at all, honestly."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason stayed put, watching Supergirl float off like this was some kind of amusement park ride. He adjusted his grip on his pistols, and gave his shoulders a last minute roll.

Working with Kryptonians had to be the most frustrating thing on the planet. Probably off the planet too.

Still, he had a job to do. He stepped into the shadows, sticking to the wall as he got a better look at their fine upstanding citizens of the evening. Three sellers, two buyers, all clustered in a dry section of the tunnel, crates stacked behind them.

Big guy running the show? That'd be Ruiz, built like a fridge, bald, beard shaped to look intentional, but not quite pulling it off. Black tactical vest, a chrome-plated pistol at his hip, sleeves rolled up to show prison tattoos that probably meant something tough. Dominguez stood next to him, wiry, nervous energy, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Kept rubbing his nose, probably on something. Last of the sellers, Bennett, was the youngest. Blonde, lanky, wore a hoodie under a leather jacket like he was playing dress-up.

The buyers? Holloway and Gale. Holloway was all business, trim, neat beard, button-up under a Kevlar vest, like a guy who didn't want to look like a criminal, but absolutely was one. Gale was shorter, stockier, hands stuffed in his pockets, hat pulled low, constantly shifting like he expected this to go sideways.

They barely had time to register Kara's entrance before their brains did the Kryptonian math.

Jason watched the gears turn. The hands hovering over weapons. The moment of hesitation.

Then?

Ruiz put his hands up first.

Dominguez followed, like he was afraid his boss would hit him if he didn't. Bennett gulped and lifted his hands so fast he looked like he was answering a question in class.

The buyers weren't any braver. Holloway sighed like this was an inconvenience, raised his hands, and muttered something under his breath. Gale hesitated the longest, and then let out a defeated groan, following suit.

Jason's guns were up, trained on them, but his brain stalled for a second.

He took a slow step forward. "... wait. That's it?"

No sudden shootout. No scrambling for weapons. Just instant surrender.

Supergirl got one line in, and they folded like bad poker hands.

Jason exhaled, lowering his pistols just a fraction. "Oh, come on. Do you guys know what I have to do to get people to surrender?" He huffed, stepping up beside Kara, scanning them with a flat glare. "I gotta shoot first, break something, make an impression. She just asks nicely and you all just give up?"

Ruiz glanced between them. "... she's Supergirl."

Jason waved a pistol vaguely in the air. "And I'm Red Hood! You don't wanna mess with me either!"

Bennett blinked at him. "... you're just a guy."

Jason scoffed. "Allegedly." He shot Kara a look. "You seeing this? Unbelievable!"

He holstered one pistol, shaking his head, and then grinned. "Gotta say, though... kinda nice to have front-row seat to your whole intimidating but charming routine. You do this with everyone, or am I just lucky?"

Kara Danvers has posed:
There is a certain sort of menace to Supergirl. It's all wrapped up in sugar and dipped in chocolate, but that bitter edge is there. Buried within the statement itself is an unspoken implication that she could snap the necks of all five (illegal) arms dealers before they could blink an eye. But there is also the understanding that even if she could, she wouldn't.

Probably. And there's that menacing edge again. The bitterness of chocolate.

"Ah!" Kara makes a delighted sound, clasping her hands together when the hands all start raising up into the air one after the other, after the other. And that, at least for now... appears to be it! No scrambling for weapons. No sudden, dangerous shootout. Just simple surrender.

"Oh, this is great, you guys!" Kara enthuses to everyone as they surrender. "And I know it's pretty /cool/ to be cynical about the criminal justice system, but I'm really thinking that the whole 'reforming' thing could work on you. Plus, since nobody actually shot anything--" Kara starts to say, just in time for Jason to make his entrance and begin lamenting (or perhaps admiring) the bit of Kryptonian X-Factor. Kara does a half twirl, toe pointing almost as if she's a ballerina doing a quarter-pirouette. She peers at Jason while he waves that pistol in the air and offers him an encouraging smile.

"Now now," she chides the criminals, reaching down to place her hands on her hips and taking a tone of consternation now as she regards them. Which is probably extra insulting, given her baby face and blonde hair. Like getting scolded by your babysitter. "Red Hood is very capable and formidable. And if you see him again in similar circumstances... though I'm sure you won't, with the whole reforming thing... but you should /definitely/ surrender. And tell your friends to surrender too."

There's a sudden stirring of the air within the place. Blink and you'll miss it, but when it comes to settle, Kara's skirt is giving a swish of momentum in the air as she ends exactly where she started. Only now, each and every criminal's arms are tied behind their back with a bit of zip-tie cuffs that she swiped from the Red Hood's belt. Cheeky minx. And though Kara does this faster than can really be perceived, she somehow manages to be... gentle about it. Applying just enough force to move the arm, without causing any undo damage to the tissue.

"Hmmmm? Oh, well. I try this with everyone. Most of the time it involves them trying to shoot me in the forehead, which is always a huge bummer. These guys are cool, though. So make sure the commish goes easy on them. And /you/ guys," Kara says, twirling again to wag a finger at them.

"No more weapons! Put that enterprising spirit to good use and open up a restaurant. You could serve smash burgers and those double-battered french fries," Kara says, her suggestion oddly specific and hinting at a hunger that defies their current stinky situation. "Or if you, like, absolutely /have/ to be a criminal, then do it legally and get into crypto."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason barely registered the criminals mumbling about turning themselves in. He was too busy watching Kara.

The way she moved, effortless, like gravity was a suggestion and physics bent around her convenience. The way she tied them up in a literal blink, but somehow made it feel gentle to them. The way she scolded them like a disappointed kindergarten teacher, and they just took it.

It was ridiculous. It was fascinating. It was... kind of mesmerizing.

Jason blinked, shaking himself out of it.

"Right. Okay. You heard her," he muttered, rubbing a hand over his helmet like that would reset his brain. "Turn yourselves in. I'd hate to have to come find you later."

Ruiz nodded quickly. Dominguez muttered something about his cousin knowing a lawyer. Bennett just looked relieved.

Jason sighed, adjusting the weapons on his belt. "First time for everything, I guess."

Then Kara mentioned food.

His stomach growled.

Jason hesitated, glanced at her, and then smirked. "Y'know, now that you mention it... after we hand these guys over, you wanna grab something to eat?" He shrugged. "Maybe some of those double-battered fries you're apparently dreaming about? Or a Carl's Junior."

He holstered his guns, tilting his head at her. "I mean, since you did steal my cuffs, it's only fair you buy."