11165/Tracking Arthur Brown

Tracking Arthur Brown
Date of Scene:	15 May 2022
Location:	Abandoned Warehouse - Chinatown
Synopsis:	Searching for signs of Stephanie's father takes Nightwing and Batgirl to the lair of Killer Moth. Only to find Arthur Brown was not masterminding the other villain's heists.
Cast of Characters:	Stephanie Brown, Dick Grayson

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Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown has been looking for signs of her father since he escaped Blackgate Prison a few months earlier. Years ago, Arthur "Clue Master" Brown had finally shed his obsession with leaving clues in the wake of his crimes, thanks to treatment by a prison psychiatrist. That had actually led to fifteen year old Stephanie donning a costume as Spoiler to assure he was caught.

It also meant that tracking him now was far more difficult than it was in the old days. Arthur had stayed off the grid, and had not even been seen at any crimes. Which had led Stephanie to consider maybe he'd gone into work planning crimes for others rather than carrying them out himself.

A line of thought which had finally led here, to the lair of Killer Moth. After more humiliating defeats at the hands of the Bats, he'd turned more fully to fund raising to build more equipment modelled after Batman's.

His latest round of crimes had shown more skill and ingenuity than they had in the past. Which made him a possible accomplice for Arthur Brown. So it is that Batgirl and Nightwing find themselves preparing to infiltrate the villain's base they've managed to track down to an abandoned warehouse.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Due to the sound baffles he's built into the Wingcycle, the oversized V10 purrs quietly into an alley near the hideout. With a map up in one corner of his HUD, he arms the antitheft features of the bike, then lifts one arm, firing a cable from the launcher built into his armor. A quick ascent and he's on the roof, sneaking to the other side to get an overview of the Moth's warehouse.

    << I'm in place overlooking the warehouse. Nothing out of the ordinary that I can see yet. >>

    He switches through vision modes, looking for anything out of place that could betray the location of cameras or traps. No need to charge in at the moment, this is recon, not thwarting an active crime.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
<< Tell me again, >> Batgirl replies, << Why you get to go in from the roof and I got sneaking in through the sewers? Oh my god. I don't even know what this is, that it could both look and smell so bad! >>

It's not exactly a sewer, she's just making it sound worse than it is. A storm drain actually. And it was her idea, after pulling up plans for the warehouse and noting the large pipes that ran beneath the building and likely had an access point there, even if just in the form of drains.

Batgirl takes a snaking camera and slides it up through the grate of a drain, turning it about to view the inside of the warehouse. << View is obstructed by boxes and crates. But looks like I can enter here stealthily enough. You ready to go in? >> she sends. She retracts the camera and begins applying a reagent highly corrosive to metal to silently eat through the bolts holding the drain cover in place.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    << So far I haven't seen any guards, but also no cameras. I mean, he can't be this incompetent. There's got to be something to warn him about trespassers. >>

    He takes one last scan over the area, then extends the gliding wings from the armored shell on his back and hops off the roof, aiming to land quietly on the warehouse roof.

    << I'm gliding in now. And it was your idea to go in that way. >>

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Batgirl catches each bolt as it comes free, dropping them into a utility belt pouch where they won't make any noise. << Oh sure. Use my own words against me! >> she jokingly complains. << No signs of security this way either. Maybe they already pulled up shop? >>

She lifts the grate and unrolls some sound-dampening material to set it on without any scraping or clanging noise. And then she pulls herself up quietly. << Sounds like a tv in the northeast corner. People talking >> she sends to Nightwing. Batgirl eyes the stacks of crates around her then, giving one a tentative little push to make sure it's heavy and sturdy enough. Then she begins clambering up it, just one more shadow among many.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Pulling the wings back into their storage space as he lands silently on the warehouse roof, Nightwing moves to the nearest skylight to see if he can get a look inside. Unfortunately, this building has the cheaper opaque plastic covers rather than windows, so he'll need a new plan. Carefully examining the skylight for alarms, he works on unlocking it so he can slip inside. There's a door up here of course, but _nobody_ could possibly leave that without an alarm. Right?

    << Trying to pop the skylight so I can join you. Should have it in a sec. >>

    He eases the cover off the skylight, hopefully not setting off traps and alarms, and drops into the warehouse, landing on one of the structural cross-braces.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Batgirl takes extra time getting to the top of the stack, making sure to stay quiet, and giving Nightwing time to deal with the skylight.

When she gets up there, she has a better view of the warehouse. Stacks of boxes and even a few shipping containers dot the place mostly haphazardly. A few vehicles are pulled inside, including one car that has a bit of resemblance to the Batmobile. As if inspired by it, but not quite aiming for the same Bat motif that informs the authentic one's design.

Over in the one corner, a few couches and cots and tables have been set up. One has a few computer monitors on it. A man is hooking cables between them and some desktop computers on the floor, suggesting they might be in the process of setting up the base.

<< I've got... make it 8 targets. Including Killer Moth >> Batgirl sends, recognizing the villain in his costume as he directs the others. One man is cooking on a hot plate, while others are working on a SUV, adding some armor plating onto the outside. Another two men are at a table with a money counter, running stacks of bills through it. Probably from the heist that led them here.

"Excellent," Killer Moth says to his men. "Finish getting the computers up and then begin setting up the cameras and alarms." He goes over to another table and opens up a box. "These little fragmentation bomb traps will be perfect for if a Bat decides to try to sneak in," he says, running his hand over one of the devices.

Just a bit too slow in deployment, it seems.

Dick Grayson has posed:
From his perch in the shadows near the roof, Nightwing can maneuver to bring the criminals into view as well. When he realizes what they are doing he has to suppress laughter, though his amusement can be made out over the comms.

    << What criminal carries out a heist and then retreats to a non-operational base? I can't believe anyone with even a slight clue can be helping this guy. I'm tempted to just take them, but I've got Batman in the back of my head saying "wait until they split up". >>

Stephanie Brown has posed:
<< So critical. Maybe they needed the heist for the downpayment? Though, yeah. I'd think Cluemaster would have suggested better if he was advising them. >> The comment comes in a begrudging tone, as if Stephanie doesn't like giving her father that much credit even if it's due.

She watches as the people go about their work. << Killer Moth is at least a bit of a threat. So taking out the rest first, quietly, makes sense. So. Stealth takedowns? >>

She looks around the area, noting various places in the rafters and on crates or using the vehicles for cover that would be good spots for quiet takedowns.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    << Yeah, probably best. They may be fairly light on the threat scale, but eight against two can get in lucky hits. >>

    He starts moving along the support beams, getting closer to the criminals so that he can follow and deal with any that move out of sight of their peers. Once one of them does, he shadows the man before dropping silently down behind him. One hand covers the man's mouth as he jams an electrified baton into the mans side, leaving him flopping a bit bonelessly on the floor once Nightwing lowers him to the ground.

    Cuffing the man's wrists and ankles with zip-cuffs, getting a gag into his mouth and then dragging him behind some crates.

    << That's one. >>

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Batgirl jumps up and catches one of the overhead girders. She pulls herself up and then snakes along it until she's overtop an area that most of the people would have view to the location blocked by the SUV that is being armored up.

One of the men working walks around the front finally, carrying a tape measure. He stops to take some measurements on the front of the SUV, measuring the grill and headlights.

Batgirl is hanging upside down above him, and she drops down silently, suspended from a line. She grabs him, a hand going over his mouth with a cloth coated in a sleeping agent. He's already going unconscious as the two of them are reeled back up to the roof. The whole abduction is over in a small number of seconds, unnoticed.

<< There is number two. >>

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Seeing Steph take one of the SUV mechanics out, Nightwing makes his way over, dropping down silently behind the other man still at work and repeats the takedown of the original thug. The only difference is that this time he simply puts the cuffed and gagged criminal into the back of the SUV and closes the door most of the way.

    << And three. Get the guy cooking, then we'll hit the remainders and Moth from opposite sides and finish this up. >>

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Batgirl moves off away from the men to drop down to the ground level. She times her movements, dodging from stack to stack when backs are to her.

"Getting hungry Reb, when is that going to be ready!?" one of the men calls to the cook.

"Just about ready. Need to toast some garlic bread," he calls back as he moves to open up a bag of the seasoned bread.

"I don't like it too dark," a female voice whispers from behind him. Reb turns and takes a punch to the solar plexus that takes the air from his lungs, preventing him from calling out. "Nighty night," Batgirl whispers as she presses an electric stun wand against his side, catching him as he begins to collapse.

Reb is dragged out of the way before anyone sees what has happened, and he's securely bound out of sight. She turns the heat off to avoid it burning and drawing anyone's attention.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Nightwing drops to the ground on the opposite side of the remaining criminals from Steph and waits for her to take out the cook before the assault starts. Clicking his batons together to form a staff, his introduction to the thugs is in the form of a tranquilizer dart shot into one of their necks. Next thing they know Nightwing is diving over the sofa and using his momentum to roll to his feet, planting the staff as he uses it to launch a kick to the next thug's head.

    As that man falls to the floor, Dick says << Three and four. I left a thug and the Moth to you, show me some moves. >>

    He doesn't move on the remaining two criminals, waiting to see what Steph chooses to do to them and back her up if needed.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Killer Moth is over at the counting table, picking up a stack of bills and flipping through it. "Hitting the country club just before their tournament was a stroke of brilliance," he says. "That casino night meant a lot of cash being on hand. Money which will now fund my next wave of equipment!"

A voice calls out, "Yeah, but it still won't improve the guy using it!" as Batgirl has taken a running start and then slides across the floor, upending the man in the chair and sliding under the table to take out Killer Moth's legs

She flips to her feet, whirling in a spinning kick to the goon's head, one that shows her tremendous flexibility to get her foot up that high. She rounds on Killer Moth then who has flipped to his feet as well, and pulls a revolver from his utility belt.

"Guns? You don't even know how to be a good knockoff!" Batgirl calls to him.

Killer Moth's mouth is rent in a snarl. Though the hair isn't red, he recognizes well Batgirl's costume. She took down Killer Moth as her first appearance on Gotham's scene, which caused Killer Moth to tumble down to B or C lister in the yes of the other supervillains.

"I like to say this is worth 6 Robins," Killer Moth howls as he points the gun at her. "But I'll happily put all six rounds into you, Batgirl!"

Batgirl is already moving, sending a spray of flash pellets at Killer Moth. They go off, bright flashes and loud bursts of sound that disorient him. He fires blindly as Batgirl has already dropped to the ground and rolled towards him as he fires overtop of her. She reaches his legs and sweeps him off of his feet. He thrashes out, throwing blows at her while his vision is still clearing.

The struggle lasts a few seconds later, elbows and punches exchanged before it turns into a grapple. Batgirl traps Killer Moth's arm with one leg and gets a knee on the other, then wails on him with a half dozen punches until he's out cold.

She lets out a breath. "Whew. Well. That was kind of therapeutic," she says.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Nightwing was simply leaning on his staff as the final two were dealt with, watching Steph as she does her thing and finishes off the evening round of thug removal. Once she has taken them out, he separates the staff back into his batons and inserts them into their holders on his back. He moves over to the thug Steph just took out and zip-cuffs him, letting Steph truss up Killer Moth.

    That done, he hits a button on his wrist and calls the GCPD to do some thug pickup. Once he has given the location, he walks over to Steph and smiles, saying "Ok, nice moves." He moves over to examine the Mothmobile, shaking his head. "Man, you don't even have the suspension modified on this thing, it'll never take rough roads or sharp turns at speed. Seriously, trying to copy tech just by seeing it is not working for you, I'd suggest a change of career once you get out of jail."

    He lays a thumb drive containing the video clip of Moth saying that he and his men had been the country club robbers for the police to find. "That plus the money should be more than enough evidence, I think." He carefully moves the explosives to the table and leaves the box open so the police can easily see them and deal with them accordingly.

    "Still pretty early, why don't we head out and get something to eat? This kind of thing always gives me an appitite."