10364/A Lovely Night for Punching

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A Lovely Night for Punching
Date of Scene: 06 March 2022
Location: Kingston - Miagani Island
Synopsis: What started out with a paper sack of fried plaintains ends up with rescuing stolen artifacts, gathering information about a man against returning artifacts to their countries of origin (for his collection's sake), and a brand new, somewhat creepy stalker for the Bat Fam to contend with. Raptor (Austin Reese), Balm (Phoebe) and Batman (Bruce Wayne) were on-scene for teamwork and combat.
Cast of Characters: Phoebe Beacon, Bruce Wayne, Austin Reese




Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Deep fried plaintains are a Godsend on a chilly night in Gotham, luckily Phoebe's found a little Peruvian place that she can quietly drop a five dollar bill and come out with a sack of crispy fried plaintains, hot out of the pan, and take it back up to where she had set up a vigil.

    You can take a girl out of the organization, but she still had some loose ends to tie up regarding some Egyptian relics. This time, luckily, none were involved with her blood.

    There was supposed to be a drop this evening. They were meeting in a small park, trees provided cover, and the park had recently been disconnected from power -- something about needing light repairs, when no such order had been put in.

    She had considered dragging Ben out and simply going under cover, but wisdom got her in the end -- so she was wearing her Balm armor. It was comfortable, like the most comfortable pair of jeans she owned. It was something rendered out of want of protecting her, the first gift she'd gotten out of love from her would-be family.

    Even if she groused about the left elbow sometimes to Tim.

    So there she was, on a cool Gotham night, staked out with infrared going on her mask, eating fried plaintains.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
The Bat had followed Phoebe out on patrol. To look around the place it would be difficult to tell, he left no sign. Every deep shadow could hide him, every high parapet could be his vantage point. The only proof at all is the shared GPS the Bat-Family are all connected to, showing that he is indeed in the area. But where?

This is a storied area in Gotham's history. This is where Robin - the first Robin, that is - made his debut. Or at least, the first time there was a confirmed sighting of the Boy Wonder. A few of the local bars and restaurants even profit off of it with Robin-themed drinks and menu items.

"Plantains," comes Batman's voice, a deep and menacing whisper, as one gloved hand reaches into the bag and takes one. He brings it up to his mouth, biting into it thoughtfully.

"Inca Grill," he states flatly, finishing off the bite, "Good choice."

Austin Reese has posed:
Austin's been training hard when not being asked out on patrols like this, but when Balm asked him to come on out, he was quick to join her.

He was a bit surprised when she already had food though when he showed up nearby. Seems like Batman had already beaten him here. He really wasn't expecting the big guy.

"Batman. Balm. Good to see you both again. Thankfully not with you falling out of a fifth story window this time, Batman."

Hopefully he won't need to throw a snowball at any superpowered criminals tonight. Though that went surprisingly well the last time he did it.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe feels the paper rustle, and she purses her lips a moment as she turns to the Dark Knight. She takes a deep breath, and gives a nod. "Correct. Been going to Inca Grill since I was a kid." she replies to The Bat, giving a small smile, and then offers the paper sack to Austin.

    "Good to see you out and about Raptor. Looking sharp." she states, and then she turns back to the park, taking a scan with her own domino.

    "So there are two groups coming. One is an up-and-coming small-power gang that wants to get on on the Gotham black market. They boosted a couple minor Egyptian artifacts related to a particular tomb I'm unfortunately familiar with." she wrinkles her nose a moment.

    "The other's a collector, Steadman Hammond. Investor in British Petrolium, doesn't like to see repatriation of antiquities and thinks they're better suited for his house." she explains to the two. "Buyers are going to be the more skilled and probably heavier-armed combatants, but the sellers? It's six-on-three... which means nine on us."

    A couple of beater cars pull up to one side of the park, and a well-appointed Lincoln SUV on the other. Flash lights come up -- on cellphones on the beater side, and attached to surpressed hand guns on the other.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"Nnh."

Batman's response to Austin is not exactly loquacious, but then he's never been very talkative. When Phoebe begins to provide the run-down, however, he opens up a little more.

"Bruce Wayne met with Hammond last week. Thought he found a kindred spirit in him given the number of antiquities loaned out to museums and galleries by the Wayne Family. Reacted unpleasantly when Wayne informed him he was in favor of repatriation."

He turns to Phoebe and Austin, regarding them silently for a moment.

"This is your show. Your game plan. Remember, a straight shot even with your armor is going to cause damage. The methodology here should be fear and misdirection."

Austin Reese has posed:
"Fear and misdirection?" Raptor says, as he considers, "So pick off the guys at the sides first, let the others wonder what's going on? Or maybe find a way to make one side think the other is screwing them. I did pull something like that once with a biker gang." Raptor responds, as he takes a glance down at the vehicles that have just pulled up.

"Couldn't have made it more obvious which side is which. So what do you think Balm? Running into a nine on three isn't my favorite thing in the world."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "IF we can find proof Hammond was orchestrating the sale we can get him banned from the British Museum's funding board and stop his influence on gumming up the repatriation of artifacts back to several countries in Africa and the Near East." Balm replies, looking to Batman in reflection, and then she hitches her breath a moment.

    "The professionals are taking their time. They're expecting a trap. Move on the six gang members first, flash to blind them and unsettle them -- they're friends, they're not going to want to shoot wild. Bound back to back they can be moved out of the way to the sides of the park with collateral damage is minimized. Then we can take on the professionals. They're expecting a trap laid out by a new gang, not us."

    She breathes out, and checks her readings. "We have about five minutes until the groups encounter one another."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"Let them think there are more of you," the Bat explains, turning it all into a teachable moment as he's prone to doing, "Or that you're stronger, more powerful, than they expect or gave you credit for. Make them think every shadow is alive, waiting to smother them."

It's a dark little insight into the world of Batman and just how he operates.

He nods in approval of Phoebe's plan, shifting slightly as he prepares to make a move of his own.

Austin Reese has posed:
"So we need evidence against Hammond, but we also need to make sure nobody gets away with the artifacts." Raptor replies, as he takes another look down at the dark park. Batman's advice gets him to think. If they could take a couple of the guys from above, then drop down and take the others, it would certainly even the odds.

"So we take advantage of them not wanting to fire wildly. But we also should disable that Lincoln, make sure that Hammond and his gonns can't get away. Maybe take out a couple of the tires after the flashbang?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Good plan. Once the six are taken care of, you disable the SUV Raptor, I'll grab the artifacts. They're not big -- then we'll pincher the three professionals." Phoebe recalls, and she gives a nod. Plan in place, Phoebe pulls out her own grapple gun, fires it, and jumps, swinging her legs out to guide her movement.

    The two groups are moving towards the darkened center of the park -- the six are almost there, but the three are taking their time, meandering far, far more cautiously.

    "Sooooo we just gotta wait here for the buyer, right?" comes a voice from one of them. "'Cause I was always told never let 'em take you to another place, 'cause you'll end up in the river."

    "You takin' dating advice from your Nana again?"

    The six are armed with low-end guns, most have their phones under the barrel, being used as flash lights. They're wearing green puffy vests, like some sort of insignia, and at least one of them has a Gotham Museum of Antiquities badge swinging from his hip.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
It is clear from the way Batman moves, concealing himself in darkness, that he does not plan to strike immediately. Even without saying so, he's made it obvious that this is a trial run for the pair. He is there if they need him, but only then. Sometimes a trial by fire is what is needed to test one's mettle.

If they did not know he was there, concealed in the dark, they may be hard pressed to believe he was here at all.

Austin Reese has posed:
"Take the six, disable the SUV. Got it." Raptor moves as well, though keeping to the shadows per his instructions. He is going to lurk and wait for Balm's signal. Once she gives it though, he's going to have to move quick. Another thing that's being taught to him is to take advantage of the element of surprise for as long as possible. What was the term? Maintaining momentum or something like that.

He gives a quick signal over comms once he's in position to let Balm know he's ready.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    This was a trial run. Phoebe was a good team player, not always strong in the leadership aspect -- she usually relied on Red Robin for orders.

    She was crouched in a tree, the dark grays of her Balm armor blending in with the shadows. She checked the position of the Three-top, and then she breathes out.

    Raptor and Batman would get the alert that she was going to pop the flashbang.

    Three. Two. One.

    The night on the side of the fountain where the six are lights up brilliantly -- strangely, no bang.

    The six in the green vests give cries out, one turning around, trying to shout a command.

    <You get three, I get three.>

    On the side of the Beater cars, an additional vehicle pulls up. It's a nicer BMW. Mirror paint.

    From it steps a tall person with no hair and a rather thin face, buttoning up a suitcoat.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
The Dark Knight remains concealed, knuckles cracking within his gauntlets as he makes a fist. His first instinct is to sweep in, to help them, make sure no harm comes to them. But they need to learn, and he can't help them learn by doing for them. He's watching all the same, eyes flitting from Balm to Raptor in turn.

Austin Reese has posed:
Knowing that Batman is somewhere nearby does help Raptor as he gets ready to move. It means if they get in way over their head they've got backup. As soon as the flash goes off, Raptor sweeps out of the darkness he'd been hiding in. He goes for a leg sweep on the closest of the guys.

As soon as he's swept the leg, he immediately follows it up by dropping an elbow onto the guy's face.

It's when he's mid elbow drop that he spots the new car, and the big bald guy getting out of it, <"We've got a new bogey!">

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe moves quickly, dropping from the tree and extending her staff. Bruce's eyes would definitely pick up where she's picked up a few of Red Robin's skills, using the staff to extend her own reach -- pulling the foot out from underneath him, delivering a quick blow, and then using the tip of the staff to sling away the gun.

    <A new bogey? I'm not picking anything up --> she trails off, turning to sweep her second guy. He fires off his gun into the air.

    The figure in the suit coat begins to make its approach a little bit faster. The three professionals on the other side hear the gun shot and stop their forward advance.

Austin Reese has posed:
Austin rolls off that guy he took out with the elbow, and then ducks against one of the beater cars, opening the door to smash it into the second goon. He swings the door open a couple of times to make sure the guy is out, <"Bald head, my three o'clock!"> He calls out to Phoebe, as he hops up, sliding across the trunk of the car to get at his third target.

The gunshot is loud, and it's definitely got the attention of the professionals, so Austin has to move to take his third guy out quickly. He uses the metal knuckles on his gloves to strike his target, this being the one that has the badge hanging off his belt. He lands a body shot, and then follows it up with a jumping knee to the face, riding the guy down to the ground as he goes.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    <-- I'm still on heat-vision. He's the same temperature as the surroundings-- that is really unusual? Metahuman?> comes Phoebe's questioning response.

    Phoebe's second guy goes down with a grunt -- she slings his gun with her staff as well, and she uses the staff to vault over a coffee table for her third. His vision's begun to clear, and he attempts a couple of shots.

    Austin's guys are all taken care of-- the badge-owning fellow goes down hard, and there's the crack of ribs breaking beneath Raptor's leg.

    Then the bald figure makes a quicker move, extending a baton that is sparking with electricity as its thin lips spread into a smile.

    "You are not on the dossier." it hisses.

    <The other guys halted their advances -- still two minutes walk away.> Phoebe confirms.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
<They're mine.>

Batman's voice is flat and unemotive over the comms. As far as he's concerned, the matter here is their training, but the others are un unreasonable variable.

In the dark, he moves through the shadows at a low crouch. Two minutes' walk is a matter of seconds for the Bat moving at full speed, batarangs pried from his belt and flung at them amidst a hail of breakable spheres that send up a fog of regurgitant gas.

Austin Reese has posed:
Knowing Batman is already going after the other trio, Austin takes a second to ziptie the three goons he just took down, and then he's up to his feet. He's not as fast as Batman, but he is going to take down the vehicle.

He steers clear of the gas cloud that Batman just spread out amongst his targets, and instead make a bee line for the SUV. Taking a flip out knife out, he quickly slashes the tires on one side of the SUV, before moving around to the second side and slashing those as well. After all if all the tires are down, they're not going anywhere..Even if they somehow manage to escape The Batman.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The Lincoln SUV is taken down.

    Phoebe gives a chirp of <Artifacts Recovered>

    Batman is facing a trio of well trained and professional 'Recovery Experts'. They're already expecting a trap, but the sound of the batarangs sailing through the air manages to send a threatening shiver down their spines as the gas fills the local area. There is the sudden sound of awful retching, one man drops his gun and completely empties his gut.

    The other two are searching for Batman, but it's a losing battle.

    The Tall, Thin bald bogie pursues Raptor, as Raptor finishes up destroying the SUV's tires. A slender throwing spike peirces the rear door of the SUV, clearly intended for Raptor's bbody.

    "ANd what are they calling *you* now?" they question, pale, bald head with dark eyes tilting a moment in mixed curiosity and vaguely threatening in the way they reach up their sleeve to withdraw another throwing spike.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
The remaining Recovery Experts, even if they weather the gas, are not meant with any sympathy. The Bat is upon them in seconds, a small Qin Na form instantly robbing one of control as he moves to hurl him bodily into the other. It's all done with little more than the palm of his hands and his fingers, using his enemy's own strength against them rather than his own.

He moves swiftly then towards the SUV, and as the pale, bald man asks his question of Austin: 'What are they calling you now?' The Batman looms over the pair of them, crouching atop the SUV with his cape spread maliciously.

"Robin."

And then he dives forward, seeking to fall on the man with one gauntleted fist drawn back.

Austin Reese has posed:
The spike slamming into the car door makes Austin wheel around, fists coming up into a defensive posture, as he looks at the guy who just threw it. He was about to come up with some witty remark, but he doesn't get the chance. He doesn't even feel the SUV behind him shift as Batman gets on top and then dives onto the hostile. No idea who this dude is, but Batman has it well in hand.

Which means that he's free to change positions and back up Batman, though he is doing his best to avoid getting in the way. Last thing he wants to do is get into a position where he makes Batman unable to act because he screwed up and got involved before the chance presented itself.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The bald figure with the suit crumbles down as the fist strikes them. They try to roll with the punches and end up just getting a batfist to their mug, a split lip and bloodied nose as they give a low hissing sound, like a snake with distortion.

    "/Batman/." The figure snarls, and then with surprising strength for a very thin frame, attempts to eject Batman off themselves, violently, in Raptor's direction.

    The Park Lighting all starts coming on, illuminating the lights on delays. Path lights, walking lamps, twinkling string lights all coming to life as power gets restored to the park, illuminating the area suddenly!

Bruce Wayne has posed:
When Batman is thrown, he shifts his weight to allow himself to move with the throw rather than fight against it. It allows him to turn through the air, passing over Raptor/Robin's head and landing in a neat crouch near the front of the SUV.

Already his hand is rising from his utility belt, hurling a trio of miniature batarangs into the earth which whine for a second before exploding. Nothing dangerous, but enough to throw up clouds of dirt and dust along with an uncomfortably loud noise.

"The lights," he growls through his teeth at Austin on his way past, preparing for round two with the bald man.

Austin Reese has posed:
The lights, right. And did Batman really just call him Robin? He figures that's just a mindgame for the guy he's fighting, even if Austin has no idea who that guy is.

He digs into one of his utility pouches, and pulls out several throwing stars. He hasn't had a ton of practice with them, so he takes a couple of shots, but eventually he manages to smash the light above where the SUV is, and then changes his target to another one nearby.

With the big street lights smashed, he quickly moves to cut a few of the string lights with his utility knife, helping to plunge the area immediately around the SUV, and the fight between Batman and the mystery man, back into darkness.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Austin causes glass and fillament to rain down as he takes out the overhead lights, and the tiny sprinkling of lights around, the strings and others go dark.

    Additional lights are struck by throwing knives and sliced nearby, bathing the area in darkness again.

    "I wasn't going to *hurt* the boy." the figure states in its hissing, airy voice "Merely curious. He walked away, you see, and I cannot abide rudness, like the evesdropper in the trees." the figure states, and then there's the sound of a quiet footfall in the dark, and the strange figure, whose skin is exactly the ambient temperature in the park, turns to simply walk away, giving a whistle attuned to 'Rockin' Robin', in spite of the split lip and bloodied nose. The throwing spike is left in the Lincoln SUV, and there is the distant sounds of sirens on their way to investigate a disturbance.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
The man leaves. The Bat could give chase, but the mission was here. Whoever it was, they'll keep. He takes a moment to survey the scene, ensuring no particularly egregious amounts of evidence were left behind on their part. Their relationship with the police was better than usual, but it was still best not to tempt Gotham's Finest with masks and cape.

"Report back when you've wrapped this up," Batman tells them both.

Before either Phoebe or Austin can respond to him, however, he's gone. Leaving nothing behind but a breeze and a dead leaf caught in an eddy of the wind.

Austin Reese has posed:
After the lights are down, but the bald headed guy is gone before Austin can respond to him. And then Batman is gone before he can respond to THAT!

"I've got to figure out how he does that." He mutters to himself. He can hear the sirens in the distance, knowing they're close. He takes a moment to wrench the spike out of the car door, figuring maybe he can do something with it later to figure out who that guy was.

<"Balm, how long before the cops get here?"> He asks, as he quickly zipties the three Recovery Experts and then heads for the exit. He figures the cops should be able to clean up the rest, and find the money and the stolen items.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm swings up from a tree, heading back towards the rooftops. <Three minutes. There is an open access door about one hundred eighty feet to your left that leads to a rooftop ladder. Best and fastest route of escape.> comes Phoebe's reply, and Austin might hear the smile in her voice.

    <Nice work tonight.>