12731/Only in Gotham...

Only in Gotham...
Date of Scene:	09 September 2022
Location:	Robinson Park - Miagani Island
Synopsis:	In which Red Hood and Sandcat manage to take down a drug ring and Sandcat makes off with the money!
Cast of Characters:	Qira Quest, Jason Todd

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Qira Quest has posed:
There's a gang operating out of the old pumping station, bringing drugs in through the attached waterway, cutting them with low-grade doses of Scarecrow's fear drug, then using that fear effect on their clientele to get away with more heinous crimes. It's a vicious circle that the addicts can't seem to break, leaving it to the vigilantes to take care of. Jason's heard of a shipment coming in tonight. He might be able to break the ring completely if he can catch them while they're busy with the shipment.

There's another that's had her eyes on the drug ring, albeit for less altruistic means. The night the drug shipment comes in is when the money changes hands, and Qira wants that backpack full of laundered cash. She's perched up in the rafters, deep in the shadows, watching out from an open window for the approaching boat.

There's four guards scattered outside, each armed with a club or bat, and a pistol tucked into a pocket or holster. Inside there's half a dozen, armed to varying degrees, with three more out at the dock to assist with the offloading of the shipment. This promises to be an interesting night!

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd was feeling a measure of gri satisfaction. He had finally caught up with one Gerald "Gerry" Tark. He, too, was a small time dealer and part of this group. Except he was dumb enough to try and branch out into the East End and even into Bristol. Until earlier tonight, Gerry had proved to be particularly difficult to track down.

Admittedly, in the last few weeks, his attentions have been focused elsewhere. Once he was able to apply direct pressure once again, Gerry's luck finally ran out and the Red Hood succeeded in showing him the errors of his ways.

Not only did Gerry get taken out of circulation, he sang like the proverbial canary about the rest of his gang and that there would be more product coming in tonight.

It was Jason's turn to have a streak of good luck.

Atop one of the auxiliary builings, Red Hood watches and waits for the shipment to arrive. He could go in and clean out the gang members on site already but the risk they could alert the shipment's crew and they could get away is too great. It was time to shut this production down for good. He'll wait till the whole party is here.

Qira Quest has posed:
The boat can be seen zooming up the waterway, cutting in towards the pumping station at the last minute and heading for the waiting gangers. One of the men out front is motioned to join the others on the dock by a man that's better dressed than the rest. Likely the leader of the gang. He's in a slick grey suit with a gold open-throated shirt, with a shoulder holster that shows dual pistols, one under each arm.

Qira climbs out the open window to the roof that stretches out over the dock. Despite her small stature and stealth, Jason's likely to notice her creeping along towards where the boat is pulling in. Readying herself to leap down and snatch up the pack with the cash.

Inside, the men are prepping the tables with the fear toxin to be added to the shipment coming in. The three out front are milling about, keeping a lookout but not being overly perceptive about anything not directly in front of them.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd watches, zooming in with his helmet optics to get a count of bodies on the boat. With a frown, he does catch the movement of the newest little arrival. He frowns. "Damn." Additional outside actors will make this complicated. There was no more time to watch this unfold. Whoever the new arrival is, they're going to be in over their head quickly.

Pulling his pistols, he flips a thumb switch on both and then combines them together. Locking into place, an extended barrel, scope and stock poping out into position, he takes aim.

As the small figure nears the first two gangers, they begin to twitch and spasm before falling to the dock with blue electrical arcs sizzling across them.

Lowering the rifle, Red Hood knows he's bought the figure a little more time. Now it was his turn to close in.

Rifle in one hand, he fires off his grapple with the other and is soon soaring across the distance from his vantage point toward the docks.

Qira Quest has posed:
Qira is crawling across the roof slowly, peering ever so slightly over the edge to watch the men starting to unload the boat. Just as she's getting ready to pounce, one of the men drops, the slight crackle and burning scent alerting her that there's someone else here. Not only that, she's been spotted. She turns her head, looking in the direction the shot may have come from, her eyes flashing in the night like a cat's.

After a moment, she'll turn back and leap down, landing on the one that's leaned over to check on his buddy. All one hundred pounds of bone, sinew, and muscle land on the man, driving him down to the dock and knocking him unconscious. The others in the boat start shouting, and that leads to two of the men inside turning and heading for the dock doors. The three out front stay put, though they draw their pistols. The ones inside do as well.

Qira leaps into the boat with the three men there, a hard strike to a wrist to knock the gun from one of their hands, a foot lashing out to catch another in the jaw, sending him spinning to the deck of the ship. The third comes at Qira with a length of rope and a heavy buckle and hook at the end.

Jason Todd has posed:
Dropping to the dock, Red Hood lifts his rifle and fires off two ore shots at the man with the rope and buckle just as the weapon is raised and starts to spin.

Walking along as if he were on a mission, but not afraid of being seen let alone shot, Red Hood takes the rifle in both hands, separating it into the twin pistols again. He jumps up onto the bow of the boat while the little hellion goes at the guys farther back. Red Hood intends to hold the boat and make the gang come to him. They want the drugs and he's currently camping out.

It's like a bad FPS game, he thinks to himself.

Qira Quest has posed:
Qira looks up as Jason jumps onto the boat. She scowls at first, but he doesn't have a cape, a cowl, or any sort of insignia, so she backs off to let him do his thing. Grabbing up one of the fallen pistols, she ejects the magazine and tosses the gun itself overboard. Doing the same to the others, she sets the magazines nearby so he can get to them easily.

The first ones out to the dock from inside are easy targets, running out with pistols drawn and looking for a fight. They'll be easy pickings. The next few are more cautious, using boxes and barrels for cover, taking pot shots from behind them.

The three out front are told to head for the back by the leader, still inside the warehouse. The other two with him are frantically packing up the tables. Qira mutters, "Gotta go in, he's got the money. Left extra mags for you, on the bow to your right." Then she's making a standing leap from the deck of the boat back to the roof, running lightly along the top so she can scale back up to the open window.

There's a glance back to make sure he's still holding his own, then she disappears in through the window and along the rafters to plot how best to take down the three inside.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd's helmet begins tagging targets, little reticles blinking around them in red. As they rise up to take shots, he's ready, firing back. Taser rounds hit like a rubber bullet might. But the 50,000 volt payload is a bitch.

Hearing the girl's comment, he replies, "Thanks. I brought enough ammo for this soiree." Once certain the boat is secure, he's following the girl in. She seems to be able to hold her own, but she's an unknown. No way he's letting her out of his sight.

Firing rounds to keep two of the guy's heads down, he steps up at point blank range and fires one shot into each. Reloading, he ducks into the building, looking for th enext targets and to see how the girl is faring so far.

Qira Quest has posed:
Qira is embroiled in a fight with the leader, the two lackeys out cold on the floor. The man's guns have been taken and tossed, on the floor near the doorway Jason steps into. The man seems more resourceful than the rest, however, having pulled a knife. He also seem to have had a measure of training, which he showcases when he blocks one of her punches and tries to return with a kick that she sidesteps.

The pair are in profile to Jason as they move back and forth. Neither seems to make much headway until Qira makes another of those crazy standing leaps, twisting in midair and grabing the man's wrist when he tries to stab at her with the knife. She lands, using the momentum to pull the man back and over her shoulder, throwing him to the ground. It leaves him open and vulnerable to Jason for a final shot that should keep him down for a decent chunk of time. Certainly long enough for the pair to tie them all up and leave them for the cops.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd watches, relaxing only a fraction, pleased the little hellion is still in one piece and still in the fight.

As she demonstrates to the leader that she knows Kung Fu by landing him on his back on the merciless concrete floor, Red Hood walks up. "'night."

Three shock rounds fire into his chest. Just for good measure.

Looking to the girl as he reloads, he comments, "Not sure who you are. But the Big Bat doesn't really like independent contractors working in the city. Planning to stick around?"

Qira Quest has posed:
Qira moves immediately for the backpack with the money in it, slinging a strap over one shoulder and looking up at Jason. She finally spots the bat insignia on his chest and huffs out a breath. "I know. Ran into him last night. He's gonna have to deal, I'm not leaving until I find out why I'm here." She lifts a shrug, "After that, I don't know. Probably not. I'll have a target on my head soon."

She stares at the guns, then looks back to the mask, lifting a brow, "He doesn't like guns either. But here you are." Pulling some zipties from around her forearm, she moves to start tying the men to each other, hand-to-foot. She strides forward to start tying up the ones that they left outside, "Gonna tell on me to the Bat? Make sure you tell him I'm not killing anyone. They're just knocked out. It would have been easier to kill them, but I'm trying to play by his rules."

She pauses at the doorway, glancing back, "Want to build a snowman?"

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd watches her take the pack with money. That part he doesn't care about. Holstering his guns he begins his own zip tie campaign.
Gotham Vigilantes: Keeping zip tie manufacturers in business since Batman began.

"You don't know why you're here? You have a name?"

He snorts at the guns thing. "Yeah. It's less the guns. More about the killing." He getures to the taser rounds in the leader's chest. "When you just shock the fuck out of 'em, he glowers but doesn't really object. And he always glowers."

Walking toward the door as well, he shakes his head, "No snowmen. The boat and its cargo of death, including the supplie of Fear Toxin they somehow stole or obtained from Scarecrow, is all going to go up in flames in a minute. The cash you so skillfully lifted is yours. It's the drugs I'm here to destroy."

Qira Quest has posed:
Qira glances up at him, "Before waking up in a lab outside of Gotham a few months ago, the last thing I remember was being killed. That leaves four years of blank time that I can't account for. And since I /should/ be dead... that's a question I'd really like answered." She ties off a few more and gives a snort, "Not anything you'll find on any database or records search. By all rights, I don't exist. Never have. No records, no id, no fingerprints, and any retinal scans wouldn't show up the same now anyways."

Shaking her head, she looks back at him, "I was going to build a snowman with the packages and arrange the drug dealers around it for the police. If there's no evidence, they can't be charged with anything. Gotta leave the drugs." Qira starts to drag a pair of the zapped dealers back into the warehouse and dumps them nearby.

"I'd agree on the fear toxin though. Definitely dispose of that. It's too dangerous to leave out, even for the cops." She glances at the pack, then shrugs, "I don't exactly have a day job, I have to get funding somehow."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd smirks. It's good he has a helmet on.

"Being dead sucks." The way it's said, he seems to have some bit of experience with the topic.

He shrugs, "These guys all have rap sheets already. Even with the drugs they'll be out in a few months tops. And the drugs will disappear from GCPD lockup. The Commissioner does a great job keeping things honest. There are still roaches in the shadows. You got your prize, kid. I'll deal with these chumps. They'll get vacation and a few more lines will get added into their records."

"Whatever else you do in Gotham, long as you follow Big Bat's rules, I'm sure you'll be just fine."

Qira Quest has posed:
Qira glances at him, lifting a brow, "I wouldn't know, I just remember the dying part... everything else is a complete blank." She huffs out a breath, "And I want to know what was done in that time. I'm not... me. Or, at least.. I'm different. I have... abilities. And it's bothering me, because I didn't have them before."

She frowns faintly, "I was... created. I wasn't born. I have no parents. I knew that. But I was human." Qira looks back to him, blinking, her eyes shining like a cat's in the darkness as she stares at him, "I don't know what I am now." She blinks again and her eyes glow red, "I just know that I'm not the same."

Blinking once more brings the vibrant green back to her eyes and she mutters, "I tried telling him that. He still tried to pay me off and told me to leave town. But he's going to have to suck it up because I'm not leaving." She lets out a breath, "This one has more than just a rap sheet. He can go down for murder." She points to the leader, then to the guns, "He's killed people, probably with those same guns."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd listens. "That's tough, kid. I'm sorry. No one should have to deal with shit like that. Or dying. We don't get to decide everything that happens to us" he notes with a shrug.

"Batman will get over it. Or he won't. If you're going to stay in Gotham you're going to have to decide if it's worth it. This is my city. Even if the Old Bat says it's his first. I'm staying and he and I have come to something of an understanding."

He continues to talk as he drags the gangers in and dumps then unceremoniously atop the leader. He won't be getting away. Once the gangers are all together, he goes about moving the fear toxin and any drugs inside the building out to the boat. A communal pile of drugs and toxin is made.

A final glance toward Qira, "Having a name helps a bit too. Makes it easier to communicate. Even a made up name. Me, I'm Red Hood."
RHe pulls out a thermite grenade, glancin from the pile of drugs to the explosive in his hand.

Qira Quest has posed:
"I just want to know who saved me, who made me... this, and why. Beyond that, I'll figure that out when I get to that point." Qira seems to have a rather stunted sense of emotion, not really understanding that he's trying to show sympathy. She just throws him a quizzical glance, then continues to pile up the bad guys.

"He's going to have to deal with it. Short of killing me, he's not getting me out of Gotham until I know the truth. And since the Bat doesn't kill, looks like he's stuck with me being here." Qira gives a small snort and glances over her shoulder towards Jason, "You. You might kill me. But I don't think you will. Not as long as I keep playing by the rules, anyways."

She heads out to the dock and helps him load everything up onto the boat, making sure none of the toxin is left behind. She pauses, looking at him for a long moment, frowning faintly. "Fine. Sandcat, then. The only other name I have will bring down the worst kind of attention. None of you want them showing up here."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd glances sharply at the girl. "The fuck would I kill you for? I didn't kill these shit stains and they're pushing fear toxin cut drugs." The mask's white optics can't frown, but his voice does plenty of frowning. That comment pissed him off.

"If you decide to go off the reservation and kill, if you and I cross paths.."

Pulling the pin, Red Hood tosses the thermite grenade into the boat so it rolls up against the pile of drugs and toxin. In five seconds, it erupts in a shower of sparks and a flare of white light as if staring into the sun.

"... I'll bring you in. Don't flatter yourself. You'd have to do something pretty fucking egregious before the idea of killing even enters into the picture." A momentary thought is spared for Joker.

"Sandcat. Take care then. GCPD is on the way." He taps his mask. "See you around sometime but you'll want to clear out if you want to keep that windfall in your pack."

He fires his grapple, giving a half salute as he soars off into Gotham night sky.