14592/Beneath These Dark Crowded Streets

Beneath These Dark Crowded Streets
Date of Scene:	02 April 2023
Location:	<text>
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	Caleb Dykstra, Phoebe Beacon, Duke Thomas, Cassandra Cain, Damian Wayne

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Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Gotham, late in the evening.

Being a low-level criminal, Caleb knows a thing or two about who to sell and who to deal. In this particular case, a client - one of some rich daddy's kid - was going to throw a party, and so it was a smooth deal. Good enough, because this gave Caleb the free time, and the opportunity he was planning for - an investigation, really.

It all started back here, in the side street he now arrives at on a black '71 Dodge Challenger. The day he faced the creature he came to dub The Crowd, a creature that gives him nightmares still. He wasn't alone when he faced it, as two other superpowered people were with him - and luckily so, otherwise the sheer number of hands would've overpowered him. The creature was beaten, but weeks later it would resurface somehow, this time in New York in a secluded area of the warehouse district.

But that's just it - two occurrences in two separate places.

What is the connection?

And this brings him here, back to where it all started. Something that the cops and hazmat crews missed when they were present the following day. A trail gone cold? Maybe. But the connection may still be there - and it doesn't hurt to check, after all...

Exiting the car, he pulls out a duffel bag and puts it over his shoulder. The look of the dark street makes him hesitate for a moment. Pushing memories aside, he ventures, producing a flashlight from a pocket.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm had been tracking instances of The Crowd, the strange manifestation of murderous intent and stranger happenstances, and finally had wrested enough time to properly do an investigation.

    The Bat Family making their way with her would have been updated; the video showing the horrible apparent death of three women, with one rising up and joining The Crowd, a flash mob that seemed to make its appearance here, in this neighhorhood, and then proceeded to the Narrows.

    A second occurance in New York City had been defeated. She wanted to know what it was, and how it worked.

    Swinging up onto a granite ledge of a building, the hooded and be-backpacked Bat Family member touches her domino a moment, breathing out as she settles into a crouch.

    "So here's how it goes down. There's possibly either some Metaphysical or dark magic reasoning for this occurance. We should be able to pick up anything around here." she states into the coms, rolling her shoulder a moment.

    "This is your first round with me an' the Weird Stuff. Might get a little in-- oh hey, a Challenger."

    She pauses a moment.

    "I think I know that car."

Duke Thomas has posed:
Signal is not accustomed to being out "working" at night. The running joke is that he is the Bat Fam's day shift. But Balm made it clear that some trouble was going down, and there aren't really all that many starships in the quadrants tonight. So Signal's motorcycle comes to a stop next to a nearby curb, and the young hero looks around.

<<Signal is on scene standing by.>>

A bit awkward, yes, but in his defense most of his teammates are either sleeping or at their day jobs when he's out patrolling. He loves the Bat Fam, but he's not super great in groups yet.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Honestly Cass has rarely come on these missions. She is, in a general sense, protected from them. By her own team, who seem to think that she's some kind of cinnamon roll. Which is why she came along, want her there or nae. That's not in poetic language.

There's a bit of a silence in response, to both Signal and to Balm, but realistically who'd expect Cass to suddenly was chatty? She's just looking down at our host, watching his body language intensely, and monitoring his thoughts. Indirectly, but with reasonable accuracy.

"Nothing," she says aloud for her partners' benefit. Though really, they should know that if there WERE an issue, she'd already be off the roof and in free-fall. She's proactive like that.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Seconds pass as he continues to scan for... Something. Anything that could've been left here in this dark street, so small a car could barely fit through. Fifteen yards in, and he remembers running the opposite direction, screaming for help.

He looks back, towards the safety of that light, a placebo for the mind, an illusion of safety.

He closes his eyes, gulps somewhat. Considers turning back.

But he has a job to do (does he?), and gives a step towards the alleway, turning.

* CLANG!! *

The teenager GAHS!! as two cats come running out of a garbage dumpster, hissing and fighting for some scraps of food, proceeding to run further into the dark. From underneath that dumpster, a rat comes squeaking in the opposite direction - which may be the wisest decision for survival.

But, against all better judgement - or because deep down he's a good guy -, he slowly presses on, grabbing the strap of his duffle bag.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm watches as the poor fellow with the bag appears to jumpscare himself, her head tilting a moment.

    <Must be the driver of the Challenger. Signal, you're a bit less scary than Orphan -- watch the front of the alley to make sure this guy doesn't run into traffic?> she asks before she takes a breath, and she hops off the ledge she was on, and drops down behind Caleb.

    "Nice night for an investigation." she states, her voice modulated through her hood and domino mask, the mask's optics glowing a gentle blue as she regards Caleb, his bag, and the sky for a moment.

Duke Thomas has posed:
<<Understood, Balm.>> A succinct response from a teen who is quite a bit out of his element tonight.

Signal dismounts the motorcycle. "Stealth mode on," he intones. With a muted chirp, his cycle vanishes from sight. The armored, usually daytime hero moves to the mouth of the alley. With his natural photon manipulation, Signal can see as though it were the middle of a sunny afternoon.

"Hey, man," he says in a surprisingly easygoing voice. "Everything okay here? You look like you might be in a bit of trouble." Signal has no weapons out and is keeping his hands in plain sight so as not to startle Caleb.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass/Orphan is still watching. She glances up as Phoebe talks, frowning as she thinks to herself. I'm ...scary? When did that happen? She thinks a moment, about how others react to her sometimes, and has to accept that it's probably true. To be fair it's partly why she took up ballet. That and the perfection of it. So pretty...

Oh. Phoebe's gone. She watches the girl head down, and talk to the cat-whisperer, and folds her hands so she can lay her chin on them. And watches the rat do ratty things, kind of admiring how they keep going with everything in the world bigger than they are.

She's done enough of these to know that it's either a long, boring shift or something is about to go sideways. That's why her hoodie has armor though. And she's packing throwing weapons.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Again, Caleb GAHS!! as Balm lands and announces herself by speaking. "Ohhhhhhh, ffffffffff...", he exhales his adrenaline build prolonguing that 'f' violently until there's almost no air in his lungs. "...Fuck's sake, Gotham's vigilantes!" He takes a deep breath, "No, just my heart... It tends to fail when I'm sneaked up on", he replies sarcastically.

But, five seconds later, he's resumed a calm stance, "Well... It had to happen, sooner or later." He looks between the two of them, studying intent. "What do you want from me?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I would settle for the name of the person presumably also investigating The Crowd." Balm states. "I'm Balm. That's Signal. Orphan's overhead." she introduces herself and her compatriots, and she crosses her arms, sweeping over the area with her domino aglow, looking at her HUD and her AR.

    "Luckily I can take care of that if it fails. Wouldn't be the first time I've shocked someone back to life."

    Of course the last time was kind of hooking someone up to a car battery. That was messy.

    "Do you have any illumination yet on how it forms?"

Duke Thomas has posed:
When Balm says 'That's Signal', Signal gives a quick hand-flick wave and a momentary, polite smile. When she says 'Orphan's overhead,' Signal looks up in surprise. Another hand-flick wave and smile upwards.

Then he folds his arms over his chest and stands there quietly, in deference to Balm, who seems to have taken point on this mission.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Above, a single hand waves. Highlighted by the night sky. It isn't much, but really you're lucky to be getting that. Orphan gave up her nightly kickboxing therapy for this. And if you need to ask, then you wont understand. It's therapy because it works for her.

Orphan stays on high lookout/overwatch position. I mean, she'd come down and say 'hi' but that'd be TWO words in one night. Let's not get nuts about it here, people.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb looks in turn at every one of the heroes as they're mentioned. "Pleased to meet you, I suppose." He looks towards the top of the buildings, and slowly nods. "Impressive." He looks at the apparent leader, "You know about The Crowd?" He seems skeptical, even manages to pull a professional stance. "That thing... Is the stuff of nightmares come to life. And I've faced it twice now."

He pulls a smirk. "And I was being sarcastic about the heart, but that's not important."

He looks between Balm and Signal. "I have no idea where it came from. Outer space? Your guess is as good as mine." He drops. "But I faced one here on this very street we stand on, and fought the other back in New York." He shrugs, going detective mode now. "Unrelated incidents? Is there more than one out there? And how did it reach these areas, what do they have in common?" He swings his light, "That's what I'm here to try to find out."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm removes her backpack.

    "Lucky you. You've got the 'weird stuff' one tonight." she states, "and I wasn't kidding about the heart. One reason why I opted to take this one on." she explains candidly to Caleb.

    "Didn't give us something to call you though. So, you've faced this thing twice." she states, removing a golden bowl from her bag, along with a copper chain, with a point of Rose Quartz at the end.

    "Details, please. Did you witness more people falling victim to it? Were you able to dismiss it?"

Duke Thomas has posed:
Signal watches Balm get out her work materials. "Okay, alright, I know enough to know that when that stuff comes out, things are finna to get weird."

The armored teen decides that perimeter security is his best bet so he starts to walk around the mouth of the alley, peering up and down the sidewalk for, you know, safety violations. A young dude and his girl are walking down the sidewalk holding hands. She says, "Hey, you're Signal! Can we do a selfie?"

With a smile, Signal nods and ducks in for a picture while he makes the peace sign. "Alright, folks, I recommend you get moving. There might be some trouble here." The couple look at one another and then pick up the pace as they walk away.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Honestly, is Cass even still up there? It's hard to tell, her hand isn't waving anymore but there has to be some interaction at some point. Or you'd assume so, given that she generally shows for the heavy combat ops. Only those, and if you call her and there isn't combat, expect a brutal respon...

She's watching a butterfly go by, fascinated by how it even got here. Rooftops even, they don't generally come this far up. It might be a moth but darnit, it's a butterfly if I say it is one. Cass reaches out, slowly, hoping it'll land on her finger...

I need to get a hobby.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Well, I'll tell you what I know", Caleb says. "To call it the Crowd is both correct as it is a misnomer. It looks like a group of people, but in fact it's just one central hub to which all its former victims are connected." He's about to say more, but closes his eyes, even crouches and kills the flashlight. "The last thing we need is spectators. Crap!" He looks at the stuff Balm is pulling out. "And... What's that for?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Signal will steer them off. Don't worry. He's the personable one." Balm replies from beneath her hood, and she looks down.

    "Pendelum and divining bowl? Never seen a magician at work?" she questions with a slight lilt to her voice.

    "How do you tell which one is the central hub?" she questions softly, "Keep your attention on me, don't mind the outsiders, in a minute or two they might not be able to see us."

    Phoebe loops the copper chain around her gray gauntlet, and holds the bowl in both hands. With a whispered word, the bowl fills with water. The water glows slightly.

Duke Thomas has posed:
Signal watches the couple bound off with one part excitement and one part fear. He knows that feeling all too well.

On his comm: <<Whatever you're gonna, Balm, do it fast. The bar crowd is starting to pick up out here.>>

The armored teen then stands with his back flat against the wall just outside of the alley. He taps a receptor on his gauntlet and suddenly vanishes as his high-tech armor blends in perfectly with the wall.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Good", Caleb replies when Balm talks about Signal. Concerning magic, he raises a skeptic eyebrow, "I suppose that's how some people might do it... So, sure, why not." And then he notices Signal vanishing in a wave of camouflage. "Whoa... That's one neat trick, I'll give you that."

Back to Balm, "Well, you really can't miss it - it's the spongey, bulbous mass that writhes in the center, normally hidden from view. Hit one of the people, nothing happens, they just keep coming at you. Hit the center, they all writhe in agony."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Now that --" Balm looks up, her optics glowing a bit brighter, "is useful information indeed." she states, and she draws her pendelum back up, and she holds one hand over the water.

    "Now, where is it going to strike next? If we can be in place before it manifests, we can try to either destabilize it, or if it's metaphysical in nature, bind it."

Duke Thomas has posed:
Just up the street a commotion starts. There's a fight -- a big one -- breaking out outside of a local bar. "Dammit," Signal mutters under his breath.

On his comm: <<Balm, there's a big fight going down. It doesn't seem to be related to what you guys are doing. I'm going to make sure it stays that way.>>

A careful listener might hear boot falls on the sidewalk. Then the sound of a motorcycle revving to life fills the air. A moment later, both bike and armored teen appear out of thin air as if from nowhere as Signal heads off to deal with the rapidly building crowd.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb crouches to get a better view of the pool of water. Are there... Images forming in it?

"Holy..."

And the images form, revealing not one, but several places. Gotham's Ammusement Mile... New York's Battery... Metropolis' Centennial Park... Starling City... The Narrows...

And all the while, over the images, ripples and current swirls.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra Cain is dangling upside-down behind both of their heads, watching closely. She managed to get there, and nobody including the writers and artists had any idea that it was happening. That's how quiet it was. "Fun," she says, watching the water ripple. Which is kinda is, if you don't know what the implications are.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm looks up to Orphan as she hangs over their heads, and she drops her vision back down to the liquid, fogging mass, the rippling forms of places she knows by heart looming , the fight sounding distant as Signal takes care of the issue.

    Her pendelum, meanwhile, continues to turn widdershins (or counter-clockwise for all who have never heard the term widdershins), and the Batfam who handes the minor weirdness thinks she may be out of her league with this.

    "It's concurrently building in different places, but the current atop it all seems weird. Doesn't seem like it's atmospheric --" she mumbles.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb's blood grows cold in his veins as he looks at the images. "I have an idea." He gets up, and actually shudders from all the realization rush he's feeling. "When I first fought it with two other people, two other metahumans. One of them could turn into a giant, and he pummeled the creature. He was so tall, tha his arm sank further into the alley, about mid-way through." He points his flashlight further into the unlit area of the street, and starts walking. "So... How could he get to so many apparently unrelated areas relatively unseen?"

He points towards the ground, where the fist connected, the asphalt of the area smashed. And past it, by a couple of feet... A manhole cover.

"I think we found it."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra Cain hops down from her perch. She walks toward the manhole cover Caleb is indicating, then hunches down next to it with no visible fear. Which either says that she's never met the enemy, or that she's not entirely human. "Want me to?" she asks, thumbing at the grate. She apparently isn't adverse to a little scouting mission.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "We'll go in together." Balm replies, and she draws the water into a ball between her hands, and dispells it.

    The alleyway immediately around her smells like roses, black pepper, and citrus. Turning to look to Caleb and Orphan, she slips her materials back into her bag, looping it over her shoulders and fixing it to its magnetic points, her optics focus on Caleb.

    "Do you have any abilities we should know of before telling you to stay out of the sewers?" she questions, stretching her left arm a little bit.

    "Or just the cool Challenger?"

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"I got the judgement to not actually go after it looking for a face down half-cocked", Caleb says, setting the duffle bag on the ground, and open it. "Fist order of business: the central mass is the brain, and it connects to the once-people via a sort of cord, much like an umbilical. Second: you can forget the bodily limitations for human strength and stamina - they're no longer human, they're part of it; when they grapple, expect a grapple like a vice. Third: the more extensions of itself, the quicker it can overpower you, so keep a safe distance. Fourth," He pulls out a bowie knife and a katana, "cut the umbilical, they will empty out like a water baloon, spewing pus all over; gross and smelly, but that's one extremity off. Fifth", he pulls out a number of pipe bombs, "blow them up by the bundles, if you can. If you hit the central mass, jackpot - the downside is that it will try to protect itself by chucking its extensions as a defensive shield. Sixth", he produces a drone. "If you plan on running from it, bear in mind the group is in fact a whole, and like a centipede reaching high speeds, it is fast. So again, keep your distance."

He sighs, "And more importantly, it knows what the people it absorbed knew. They identities, their sensitive information. That's how it learned my name: because it took over two guys who knew me. And then it started to call my name."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass looks up from the guy who's not answering the questions asked, and instead giving a tactical briefing. She raises an eyebrow, then leans down without comment and grabs the heavy city sewer manhole cover with one hand. She stands up and lifts it, and then throws it to one side. It's loud, and it's sharp.

Then she grins, loving a challenge, and steps off the edge.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... you know, when I asked about the details, that would have been good to know." Balm points out, and she brings a hand up.

    "This is Balm. If there's anyone else in the area of my ping, might need a hand with possibly lethal unknown qualities. Bring extra flashbangs, additional blades would be helpful. Will need to have some exacting dodge, so if you've already been hurt to night -- well. It's me." Balm states into the BatCom system, and she turns back to Caleb with a small smile.

    "And what *is* your name? Because if I have to ask the crowd, it's going to be a bit of an embarrassment for the both of us."

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Batwing had been perched atop a streetlight with his camouflage on. Reaching to his left forearm, he calls one of the batcycles with the appropriate payload to join the group.

  Jumping from the streetlamp and landing with a gentle thud, Damian stands up and adjusts the cloaking setting on his suit, gradually becoming more and more visible as he walks towards the group. "Batcycle's en route." He says, his voice modulated by the helmet.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
But Caleb is not done yet, as he grabs himself a hard plate of armor that he sticks underneath his coat - which by itself has a number of improvised explosives. "And you can forget any slowing down by hitting in what looks like a soft spot; that doesn't delay them - at all. Shoot them in an arm or a leg, they move just the same. Hit them in the head, and they keep coming."

"And plus, they're always grinning." That sends shivers down his spine. The memories...

"Look", he says, "Balm, is it? I prefer to keep my name out of this, but if you hear it tonight, be ready."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I'm being polite." Balm replies, and then initiates a search on her domino.
R    It begins to pull information in the background to try and get a name to the face. She can't just call him Jake the Possible Drugdealer from School. That's just rude.

    She takes a deep breath, and gives a shrug, looking up to Batwing with a small smile on her dark-stained lips, and she gives a nod.

    "Welcome to the party. We're taking on a hostile supernatural creature known as The Crowd. We'll need to destroy the brain at the center of the crod to neutralize it. as it's a supernatural non-human entitiy, containment, dispelling, or destruction by any means required." she states, and she draws her eyeballs up "Don't think my throwing knives are gonna cut it for slicing though -- don't suppose you have a spare sword on you?"

    She goes to follow Orphan down the hole.

    "Unknown Ally of Indeterminate Information, Batwing. Batwing, UAII."

    Wordplay and an Acronym. Yes. She is Tim's compatriot.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra Cain has her hands in her pockets, and is currently scouting the location in order to ensure that those who follow her through the one, single point of entry aren't dropping into death and obvious stupidity. She has already scouted the nearest passage sourceways and is looking up and down, including the ceiling, for threats.

Yes for once you're seeing Cassandra in actual danger mode. She doesn't do it often lately but it's a skill you don't lose.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian spreads his arms. "I no longer carry either." But that doesn't mean that what approaches them isn't. The Batcycle turns the corner and stops in front of Batwing. Opening the case on its rear, Damian shows a myriad of items: Flashbangs, sharpened batarangs, and on either side of the motorcycle were swords, one ninjato and one xiphos.

  Damian takes ahold of the xiphos before attending to the case, taking extra flashbangs for himself. "This is why Red Hood should give us access to his arsenal." Not that he didn't have a couple guns himself stashed away in places, but none were accessible by the family at large. "Very well then, UAII. Lead the way." He offers the other man.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb nods silently to Balm, but he doesn't say anything - or doesn't have time, as he looks at Orphan jumping into the hole. "You know, I brought a drone especially for this; if we find a Crowd down here tonight, we'd better know in advance where and how far it is.

So, as Balm resorts to her cross-referencing, she'll stumble upon the results for 'Caleb Dykstra, age 19, son to Preston, sister Sheila, their address - which is in the Narrows.

He looks at Batwing, offers a nod, and it's worthy of note he feels a bit more relieved at the thought that another joins the group - though not by much. "Well, assume that whatever you got, isn't enough. Not against these."

He looks down at the ground, and finds traces of reddish and white smeared across the floor, and crouches. And looking towards the others, he nods. "Cleanup crew did a fine job upstairs. But didn't bother checking down here."

The tunnel itself, of course, runs both ways across long distance, some hundred yards either way, before they reach a cross. "Uhhm... I got one drone. Anyone got a drone for the other end of the tunnel...?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The information on Caleb gets sent to Batwing, along with the text message 'Involved in possible drug dealing for the mob under duress.'

    ANd she hops down, reaching into her backpack and pulling out a low-powered red light, attaching it to her shoulder for those who don't have the benefit of domino masks or AR HUD's.

    She also doesn't mention she has access to some of Red Hood's items. It'd be impolite.

    She does have, though, her pendelum, and she pauses, letting it drop as she begins to whisper to it, trying to divine where this creature's going to pop up.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra Cain has slipped toward that 'other end of the tunnel', prepared to do this her way. As is normal, since she's never really exactly done things to spec. She does, however, give everyone a grin adn says, "Stay together," before she goes and does the EXACT GODAMN OPPOSITE OF THAT. She sighs as she gets out of sight though, wanting so much to cut loose and fight one of these things herself she's willing to risk her life for the challenge.

Yeah, it's stupid. What can you do?

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian's HUD pops up a small dossier, along with Balm's message. 'And his info on these creatures is credible?' He asks. He makes his way down with the others, pausing at the cross with the others.

  He looks to either of the two, before reaching down to his utility belt and extracting a small drone, allowing it to fly down the tunnel as Caleb wanted, the camera feed pops up on a hologram emitting from Damian's left forearm, allowing the others to watch the feed.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb glances at Damian's hologram screen, and blinks. "Wow... I'd so reverse engineer that." And naturally, the drone is smaller - and obviously quieter than his.

And then he notices Orphan dropping the sort of advice he was hinting at all along with his conversation, then doing the exact opposite. He blinks, and looks towards the other two. "Is this Opposite Dday? Where when you say something, it's meant the precise opposite, or the exact opposite of what you say happens? Because if it is, I'll state, here and now: I am so not getting laid this week." Yes, sarcasm in the face of danger. In other words: fear. He then activates his drone and sends it the opposite way to Damian's. His screen, however, is that of a smartphone.

Both drones seem to be running smoothly, nothing out of the ordinary to report. Even in night vision, the sceens show darkness at the end of the split tunnel - it's all quiet.

Maybe... A little too quiet.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Balm had been watching her pendelum, even as she adjusts a sword crossing over the lower part of her back for easy draw. She's gonna hafta send a thank you card to Talia for the sword lessons.

    She breathes out slowly, and then gives a small sound of peturbed ness as Caleb comments on Orphan.

    "She's probably the most competant person in all of Gotham. She'll be fine, she knows when she's over her head." she replies to Caleb, and then what he said catches up to her. Her nose wrinkles, and she draws her optics up to just sort of give an unreadable expression to Caleb.

    "Is that a primary concern when you're in the sewers with a number of vigilantes, or is it onyl because it's Easter?" she questions.

    "... that's bothersome."

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Batwing looks over to Caleb, having expected that reaction. He keeps monitoring the drones feed. "Zero contact." He comments, before looking back to the possible drug dealer.

  "I presume that there would at least be evidence on the walls." He breathes evenly, thankfully the helmet protected against...the stench.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"No, that's sarcasm", Caleb replies to Balm. "It keeps me going when my knees tend to falter." He shrugs.

He looks at his monitor sceen once again. "Well, I guess this corridor is clear. But that can change up ahead." He points out. "And we don't have enough drones to cover every corner."

He shakes his head at Batwing and points down, to the ground they're standing on - there are residue of dried, bloodied pus right below the manhole opening. "I think this is where it came down, whetever bit was still alive after a giant squishing." He frowns, "Left tunnel or right tunnel?", he suggests for the guidance of his drone.

Balm's pendulum, though, it seems to move in wild circles, yet pulling towards ellipses at some points in its circular path. It comes and goes, comes and goes... Confusing, much?

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Ah yes, sarcasm, haven't encountered that in Gotham before." Balm states as she eyeballs the blood, and then her pendelum.

    And she breathes out.

    She loops the copper chain with its rose quartz point over her hand and tucks it into the back of her glove as she switches over to Arabic:

    <If this thing shows up and it's too much, we'll evac him first.>

    And then she raises her hand, gloved fingers splayed and she gives a flash of light, like an old-time camera flash.

    "You know what they say, two's company, three's a Crowd."

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian looks to either side. "Right." His drone took the left route.

  Batwing's drone followed carefully down the tunnel. <As you wish.> He responded, the modulation not hard enough to not allow for people to understand him. He was very short on words, but there was a certain body language about him right now. He was completely on guard, which was becoming more and more of a rarity with him as he's become more accustomed to the Bat life over the years.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Right it is", Caleb replies. And he starts guiding the drone down the right path. In the meantime, his breathing becomes more intense, and he starts to visibly sweat.

"Any luck with that thingee?", he asks Balm.

And the pendulum just keeps swirling, going from circles to ellipses - it's like it can't quite make up its mind.

Over the next few minutes, the drones turn up nothing.

/Nothing/ - not even rats.

It's when going around a corner, that Damian's drone spots somoene, most likely a homeless person lying halfway into the murky water, passed out.

Caleb continues guiding his drone - it all seems okay on his end. "Nothing so far, whatcha got?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Oddest thing, it seems... confused?" she narrows her eyes a moment behind her domino mask, and she keeps her left hand to the side, trying to pick up on any other energies, monitoring nominal environmental fluxuations in the mundane manner with her mask.

    "... there's not enoguh energy down here, I think, for it to follow. No rats. No roaches. No Croc." she murmurs quietly.

    "Batwing?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian keeps watching the feed, piloting the drone farther and farther down the tunnel, there he found something. "I have a contact." The drone keeps heading down, at a slower pace than before, but facing directly toward that shape. "Looks human."

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
The person at the other end of the camera remains motionless, aside from the occasional shudder.

It is then that you can hear a plea form the person, very low almost whispered:

"H-help me... I-tripped, I can't move"

The situation calls Caleb's attention, who takes his eyes off his screen. "Oh, shit..."

He looks between the two vigilantes. "I-I don't like this..." He asks hesitatingly, "What do you want to do?"

Of the several places Balm's pendulum oscilates in ellipse, it goes towards the direction where the person should be.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Only one thing to do." Balm states as she watches the pendelum decide to point.

    She turns her head in the direction of the man who tripped.

    "I'll go, Batwing, stay with Useful Information Lad. Monitor the drone." she purses her lips.

    "If anything happens, flashbang and evacuate first."

    And then Balm hefts her pack, and takes off in a jog towards the injured man.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb finds himself scowling at the nickname he's given (please please please, don't make it a codename). "Useful Information Lad...?" (Ever!)

"Okay, then here's another one for you", he says as he starts to go after Balm, still looking at Batwing unless he's stopped, "What're the odds of getting down here and we just stumble upon some downed sewer dweller asking for help?!" As he says this, he's keeping his voice as low as possible.

To Batwing, he shakes his head. "This is definetely Opposite Day, man..."

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian keeps watching the drone. He's seen what Phoebe can do, plus he can get thefe quick should she need help.

  He kept watching, cautiously. "Stranger things have been seen in the sewers." Is all he can say, waiting to see an update from Balm.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Considering how often I work with the homeless? Decent odds. The rise in anti-homeless archetecture going up in Gotham is obscene and some choose to not go into the shelters because of other stigmas." Balm speaks up over a communicator, and she tucks her pendelum back away, and she takes a deep breath.

    "Hello, sir?" she calls out.

    "My name is Balm. I'm a Medic. Are you all right?"

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"I-I fell, hit my back...", the man says, a litlle stronger this time. "I-I can't feel my legs...!" He whimpers. "Oh God...!!" He starts to whimper, "I'm gonna die here...!" He waves an arm around, trying to pull himself into the edge, but failing.

In the meantime, Caleb watches over Batwing's feed, and back to his own - still nothing.

"You know those old sayings, 'feels too good to be true', and 'a little too quiet'...? It's like they married and had kids, down here!" After a little break, he says, "I think you should should get back and see if we can get some equipment down here..."

He looks back to his feed, just in time to get the feeling something flickered across his screen - a trick of the peripheral view?

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Batwing continues to monitor, not just Phoebe and the victim.

  "What more do we need?" He asks Caleb. At that point, he had looked over to Caleb's feed. "Did you see that?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Behind the mask, Phoebe's altruism is tempered by her caution. She brings her hand to her domino mask, initiating a scan.

    "You're going to be okay." she states gently. "Can you tell me your name?" she asks, one of her glove tips lighting up as she goes to check the man's eyes.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
The unmasked teen looks at Batwing, "You saw it too...?"

And for just a brief glimpse, the outline of a hand comes into view as the feed goes down - and coming from the location, a faint cracking sound is can be heard.

"Hey, uh... Balm?" His voice gets tense, his breathing follows suit. "We, uh... I think the other drone just got trashed by some very angry mice..."

And, as soon as Balm is within arm's reach, the scans glow with alarm - there are no visible bones, no visible signs of entrails, just... paste occupying the same space into the form of the human that stands before her.

Or rather, no longer human.

The 'man' flashes a grin, his head twisting in angle and degrees to meet her face on - which is to say, well past the threshold of what you'd consider human.

And a grin pops up. The grin Caleb has warned about.

But it's not over, since out of the darkness, one, two, three, four, five, and more people come pacing out, all sporting that same grin. And behind them, there's an unsettling iridiscence of pupils betraying the cover of darkness. There are literally /dozens/ of these tiny lights.

<<We have many names, child.>> The homeless man begins to raise his arms to hoist himself up. <<The Crowd is as good a name as any.>>

And he /jumps/ out of the water with predatory agility and velocity, straight at Balm.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Batwing presses a couple buttons on the holographic display, and Balm would hear the whine of the Pulsed Energy Projectile System charging up to blast. The drone jukes to the side to get a clear view of The Crowd, and shoots the PEP at it.

  "Evac, now!" He says, pointing down the path they came. Though he was busy watching the drone feed, trying to get it between The Crowd and balm.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Well, that's disconcerting. Phoebe halts her approach, her brows knitting as she hears the warning over the com system, and she braces herself, and she raises her hands up.

    Funny thing about these Bat Kids. You don't know what skills they're bringing to the table.

    She's brought up her shield, the lazily spinning eight-point star between her and the man as she narrows her eyes, the blue optic lenses narrowing to match her expression as she holds her shield between the two.

    <Many names and many branches to prune.> Balm growls, and she brings her other hand up as the PEP fires into the Crowd, she slings a Flashbang to the middle of it to try and disrupt the whole of The Crowd!

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
The man bumps against the shield Balm raises, his features deforming like flesh against a head-on high-speed impact. And it's a horrid sight, to see a bashed face beind seset, like a deflated balloon getting back the air to keep its shape. It tries to wrench the shield from Balm, tries to climb over it, whatever works - and the two closest bodies join the homeless one.

The PEP is fired, and electricity comes circulating through the bodies like taser to a victim. And the puppets that are hit shudder.

The grin remains. Their movement continues, hardly - if any - impaired.

Phoebe still manages to throw in a flashbang before one bacomes three, and it bursts, lighting up the tunnel and sending out a loud bang throughout the tunnels.

But there's no signs that the puppets are impaired, by the light or the sound.

"They're not human. They won't fall like one will", Caleb says to Batwing, and he starts to pull out some explosives from the duffel bag he brought with him. "Zap'em, they don't fall. Blind them, they got no eyes per se. Boom them, they don't have ears. Hit the mass in the center, they will fall." He looks at the pipes that travel exposed across the walls. "Are those... Gas pipes?"

He looks at the side of the tunnel he sent his drone through - the one just smashed. There are sounds of moaning and stepping off in the distance. "Oh, shit..."

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Batwing's eyelets change views, and confirm the gas lines. "Yes."

  Damian's comms key up. <<Retreat, we are going to bait it.>> He reaches into he utility belt, and grabs a couple of sticky bat-mines. Tossing them down the tunnel at the pipes that travel down that way, Damian's thumb rests on the button. "More of them?" He asks Caleb as he returns.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Those might be gas pipes.

    <<Good plan. Flood the sewer tunnels with flamable gas and light them up? If we hit the brain mass at the center, I think Knowledge Lad--" yes that is sticking "-- mentioned it should deteriorate the whole Crowd. At least they're not dancing.>>

    "You want me? C'mon and get me, jerks!"

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Knowledge Lad? Again?

Eye twitch.

"You know, I think Balm should just stay where she is, so that she can buy us time..." Wait, seriously? "Opposite Day!! Get your ass moving!"

But speaking of time, that might be something Balm doesn't have. The Crowd, one after one are coming out of the sewerwork, all to make her their newest member.

At the end of the fork, from the side Caleb's drone went, a little girl now appears, her clothes dirty and raggedy; in one of her hands, is the broken drone. <<Mister? I found your drone...>>, she says hesitantly. <<If you fix it, maybe you'll teach me how to drive it?>>

And a grin rises to her face.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian reached up and opened the pipe valve, the hissing of the gas started. <<Give the word when you are clear.>> He said on comm. Though as he heard the girl call out from the other end of the fork, he shakes his head. "That's a trap." He comments.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Man and I thought the Dianetics crowd was a tough no!" Balm squeaks out, and she takes a breath as she raises a panel, applying the Bat Gasmask.

    <<They're closing in on our positions. Pincer attack? If I get there, I can bubble us if you have something on hand that can ignite the gas remotely, Batwing.>> Balm states as she retreats back towards Knowledge Lad and BAtwing.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Yeah, it likes to play you", Caleb comments as he prepares some of his tricks - like, an incendiary grenade clearly improvised from some household products and tinkered parts, and a flare gun.

"Well, I got some bad news... We leave the same way, or not at all." He looks at the sewer entrance, on the off chance there's a third one waiting for them outside.

Luckily, there isn't.

For Phoebe, the members of the Crowd now jump over one another, gaining on her - the advantage of a centipede-like pacing -, and one even extends a hand to land on her shoulder, threatening to tighten his grip...

The little girl with the drone looks steadily at the two men, and she tilts her head as one of them falls into recognition. <<...Caleb!>>, her voice is joined by several others in unison. And they begin to pace towards Batwing and Knowledge Lad. (Damn you, Balm!) <<Time to join us...>>

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian took his detonator and held it out. "Double time, Balm." He says through the gas mask. "KL, get topside, Balm and I will be fine." He instructed, though not sure if Caleb would take the suggestion. Not that it mattered to Batwing, this sewer would be ignited one way or another. The Crowd was too much of a threat to allow to continue.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "No thanks, I've got too many loyalty apps as it is!" Balm Banters, and she skids down low below an overhanging pipe before she spots the boys, and she sprints along the side of the sewer.

    "Condense, condense!" she states, bringing one hand up. The lazily spinning eight-pointed star shows on her palm as she deems this enough of an emergency to use more magic in Gotham City!

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Yeah well, I was never much of a people person...", Caleb says while he activates the grenade and throws it. "And I fuckin' hate crowds!"

The incendiary grenade blows up, echoing through the tunnels and lighting up the 'little girl' and some of the other members on fire. They show little to no signs of stopping, through their forms begin to blacken and the contents under that skin boil away into goo. And, for just one second, in a glance, you can see it: the central mass, the hub of that unholy abomination, pulsating and writing.

Balm's baseball slide is effective to avoid the capture, but for how long? The members strain to keep up to her, but it's sheer luck that the tunnel she comes from is a smaller one. Bottleneck effect, means it will take longer for it to catch up, as not every single member can move through at the same time.

Caleb starts to climb, speeding up unsconciously and taking a deep breath outside. He'd might be out of the woods, but the others are still down there. So, he throws in a hand. "You better hurry up, I'm not waiting all night for you!!"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Caleb goes up. That's the Civilian out of the way. Balm skids, her back to Batwing as the two vigilantes stare down the oncoming crowd.

    <<Reading near maximum saturation with the gas. Count of three?>> Phoebe asks, the lazily spinning star forming in front of her to separate her from the Crowd on her side.

    <<Tt.>> was Batwing's reply, and raising an explosive batarang, he arms and slings it.


    Up go the shields, dull pink-gold stars forming a bubble around the two as they duck.

    The explosive batarang errupts, setting the flamable gas that has filled tunnel to an explosive climax as one sibling defends the other!

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
*SKOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!*

Caleb hears the sound building up, and the tunnel lighting up, just as he feels all the oxygen rushing. Uncertain of what the two siblings wanted to do, and holding out a hand to pull them, he pulls out just in time to see the flames building up through the manhole, and propel skywards until they flash themselves out.

"Holy..."

In the midst of the explosion, one could almost swear you can hear the pained roars of the Crowds, in an unitelligible curse muffled by the flames.

The nearby manhole covers are blown sky high, spinning around in the air, and landing with a loud *CLANG!* on the ground.

...Except in the case of one, that lands with a loud squeak and crash of glass. One that was right behind him, by the alleway entrance.

The teen looks alarmed. That wasn't... Nah, it couldn't be...

But it was. His Dodge Challenger had taken a manhole cover stright in the windshield.

Hashtag NoFuckingWayTheUniverseIsn'tOutToGetYou

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    <<You good, Batwing?>>

    The shield had taken most of the brunt of the blow, and as Phoebe drops the shield, Batwing slings a foam-exploding batarang, closing up the gas pipe, and the two extract themselves from the sewers, with Batwing looking rather intimidating if a little smouldering, and Balm carrying a little char on her. She dusts herself off and then...

    ... oh dear. She winces.

    "... on the plus side, that's covered by most insurances in Gotham."

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb is in the ultimate state of shock.

"..."

But not enough of a shock that he doesn't raise a finger in warning. "Please don't talk to me, right now." And he recites a mantra. "I will wash my mind away from pain and strife, only I will remain in the end. I will accept the tribulations of life, and only I will remain in the end..."

Uhhh, nope. Fail!

"GODDAMMIT!!" He snaps at Balm, "Yes, you think I'm rich to have some damn insurance!?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Having insurance is a requirement in the state of New Jersey, how do you have a vintage muscle car registered to you without having it insured?!" Balm questions -- but there was a soft 'tt' from behind her as Batwing quietly notes that the police are on their way after the explosion.

    Balm looks apologetically to Caleb, and then looks to his car.

    Well. He didn't want to talk to her, and with The Crowd hopefully blown to pieces, the two take off for the rooftops via grappling lines as the disturbance is registered.