15192/Whisper of Fear

Whisper of Fear
Date of Scene:	26 June 2023
Location:	Gotham, various locations.
Synopsis:	The night is saved by the Bats! Scarecrow is stopped this time, and will be charged for his crimes, and littering!
Cast of Characters:	Franklin Richards, Barbara Gordon, Damian Wayne, Phoebe Beacon, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain

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Franklin Richards has posed:
    The night in Gotham unfolded with its characteristic lack of tranquility, staying true to its reputation. However, this particular night brought forth a series of events that stood out even amidst the city's usual chaos. Three notable locations became focal points of abnormality, pushing the boundaries of what Gotham considered "ordinary." The first occurred in Midtown, specifically at the GCPD Headquarters, where an air of unease permeated the precinct. The second incident took place in Amusement Mile, within the confines of the now-defunct Fun Land, where eerie silence clashed with a disconcerting horn blaring incessantly. Lastly, the dark alleys of Robbinsville concealed sinister acts unfolding between the apartment buildings, casting a shadow over the bustling streets illuminated by the city lights. These three distinct occurrences captured the attention of Gotham's residents, further blurring the line between the city's notorious reputation and the extraordinary events transpiring within its borders.

    At Gotham PD, a sense of bewilderment hung in the air as they grappled with an unusual situation. Inside the interrogation room sat a young man, the first of several who had been apprehended and were now being held. Each of them shared a strikingly similar account, albeit with slight variations. They claimed that a certain individual named Franklin Richards had warned them that unless they carried out acts of murder, unspeakable calamities would befall the city. Their visions painted vivid pictures of the world's demise, be it through flames or toxic substances, but the underlying message remained constant. According to them, following Franklin's instructions was the only way to avert the impending catastrophe. The officers found themselves torn between the implausibility of the claims and a genuine belief in the sincerity of these individuals. Unsure of how to proceed, they resorted to the Bat-Signal, acknowledging that they needed assistance to save their town from this perplexing predicament.

    In the eerie silence of what used to be Fun Land, a piercing sound disrupts the tranquility-the incessant blaring of a single horn. Parked near the entrance, just behind the gates, is a white van devoid of any distinguishing markings, save for government license plates. Within the driver's seat, the source of the relentless noise becomes Apparent-a man slumped over the steering wheel, a hollow metal device lodged in his neck. Normally employed for water testing and pollution analysis, it has now become an instrument of murder. The rest of the van sits empty, while the park itself appears deserted, with all power to its attractions shut off, leaving only the persistent honking as the sole audible disturbance in the vicinity.

    In Robbinsville, between two apartment buildings, a small group of people has tied a young woman to a large wooden pole firmly planted in the ground. The surrounding individuals appear to be in a state of frenzy, passionately declaring that this woman must be put to death. The person closest to the captive shouts at the others, proclaiming that the great Franklin has enlightened them on how to save the world, necessitating the burning of this woman. The group consists of approximately ten ordinary individuals, including mothers, fathers, and children?a random cross-section of Gotham's population. However, the fervent conviction gleaming in their eyes reveals their unwavering belief in the righteousness of their actions. Currently, they are dousing the area around the woman's feet with gasoline, preparing for a swift and intense inferno.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
All of these reports were coming in to both the Clocktower and the GGE Blimp that soars high in the sky. The Oracle AI system is distributing the information across the Bat-family network, and those on-duty tonight are being asked to sweep out and pick something that they can get to hastily to check in on.

For Babs, that is the Fun Land incident unfolding.

She was in the GGE Blimp, and soon exited it with a fast descent toward the city streets below where she swiftly entered her sporty Batmobile, or Babsmobile. The heavy tired, two-seater cockpit, armored car rolled rapidly down the streetways toward the old Fun Land location.

"I'm enroute to Fun Land, checking on the horn noise." Babs relays over team comms.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     The bat-signal appears in the sky, and of course there needed to be a Bat to answer the call.

  Of course, there was a Batmobile ready to go, screaming around Downtown with the whir of the turbine engine. Batwing was behind the wheel. "When was the last time you actually saw the Symbol being used?" He asked the other in the cockpit with him. Damian had not actually recalled any time that the iconic spotlight was actually turned on.

  "En route to GCPD." Damian said, making a hard right turn onto the main drag to GCPD. He would stop the car a block away, ejecting himself high to meet whomever was waiting for a Bat on the rooftop.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    There was a lot going on that was unusual for Gotham City, and with the lighting of the bat signal that chatter lines were alive.

    And deadly serious.

    Phoebe had given up a free night of video games and vegetarian junk food in the name of duty, donning her armor and making her way out into Gotham City proper.

    She swings into the alleyway, alighting on a fire escape and listening to the mob as she gets a horrified realization.

    <I've got people trying to burn someone on a stake here in Robbinsville - moving to intervene *now*. Any thought to why this is all going down at once? I haven't had the time to sus out anything /supernatural/ yet--> she states with no small amount of concern in her voice.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
<< There was also the attack on the city by Mr. Freeze back around Christmas. >>

The younger Batgirl sends the message as she speeds along on her Batcycle. << Will meet you there Batwing. >> She leans into a turn, the vehicle taking it at speeds that amaze the few onlookers on a nearby sidewalk, her cape flapping behind her.

Similar to Batwing, she pulls over into an alley and then shoots a grapple to pull herself up to the top of a nearby building, before running and jumping to glide across to the GCPD headquarters. She times her arrival for appropriate dramatic timing alongside of Batwing.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Orphan is in the blimp.

Orphan is watching from above, in position to move as needed. Which is cool, because Barbara's got the thing wired for sound. Sound, video, and likely a few types of monitoring that would be outlawed if they were known. She yawns as she's Overwatch, ready to move to any of the locations as needed.

The only real problem is, it's boring. But she's ready to deploy to wherever needed at the pull of a switch.

Literally, there's a drop chute.

Looks like the priority position is with Balm, so she's alert. Yawning can be alert!

Franklin Richards has posed:
    In the dimly lit Fun Land park, an eerie stillness hung in the air as the closed shops remained shrouded in darkness. The open gate, held together by an unbroken lock, hinted at a recent intrusion. A nondescript white van sat motionless nearby, its engine silenced. The lifeless body of a man, wearing a full hazmat suit, slumped over the horn, a water testing device lodged in his neck. The grisly scene had transformed his pristine white attire into a macabre shade of crimson.

    As the solitary horn blared on, the park appeared empty and devoid of activity. However, upon closer inspection, one could discern a group of heat-emitting figures scattered across the ground. They lay motionless yet radiated signs of life, their bodies concealed from view. No other signs of human presence marked the surroundings, intensifying the enigmatic atmosphere that enveloped the area.

    Meanwhile, atop the Gotham PD building, Commissioner Gordon and Detective Bullock stood bundled in their coats. Bullock, donning his backward-fedora-style hat, engaged in a conversation with Gordon about the baffling situation. Their discussion abruptly halted as Damian and Steph materialized before them, as they often did. Eager to address the situation before federal authorities intervened, Gordon, speaking in a brisk, business-like manner, handed them a physical file.

    Bullock interjected, mentioning a new suspect held in interrogation. He described how these individuals seemed to deactivate when they lacked a target or became incapacitated. The paperwork presented a collection of arrest reports, detailing seemingly unlikely criminals ranging from an elderly woman to teenagers as young as fourteen. Each report listed charges of murder, varying in method from stabbings to shootings and brutal beatings. The suspect in custody was actively cooperating, recounting the same experiences as the others in the documents. Some perpetrators had been apprehended after attempting further attacks, while others succumbed to guilt and turned themselves in. Curiously, placing them together in a holding room prevented any internal aggression. Inviting Damian and Steph to talk to the captive, Gordon hoped their insights would help untangle this complex web, as it seemed the GCPD might be facing a more significant threat than they could handle locally.

    Elsewhere, a group of ragged individuals huddled in an alley, encircling a terrified woman tied to a pole. The air thickened with the smell of gasoline, as a fourteen-year-old boy, brimming with enthusiasm, shouted for her execution in the name of Franklin. The captive, her voice trembling, pleaded for mercy, expressing remorse for any perceived wrongdoing. Hidden away in this secluded spot, the makeshift contraption revealed itself?a precarious structure that could collapse before the fire consumed it, considering the pooled gas and the flammable newspaper-wrapped log. While the act had not yet commenced, time seemed fleeting as the group prepared to ignite the flames. Phoebe arrived just in time to witness this distressing scene, and perhaps still stop it.

    The peculiar assembly of individuals appeared worn and fatigued, sporting dark circles under their eyes and signs of dehydration. They seemed to have engaged in such activities without respite, their dirty hands and cracked nails bearing witness to their relentless commitment. With fervor, they cheered on, eagerly awaiting the commencement of the fiery spectacle.

    Above, Orphan observed from a vantage point, keenly aware that the disparate events unfolding below might soon intertwine into an imminent crisis. The late-night hours seemed serene, punctuated only by a swift bird flying through the sky, aware that it should have found rest by now. Nevertheless, the quietude persisted, watched attentively, and yet, with an underlying sense of foreboding.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
The Babsmobile thunders up to the front gate of the Fun Land park before its engine simmers down to a dull whine of a noise. The cockpit canopy raises up, and slides backward to allow the front driver seat to exit the vehicle, and Barbara does just so. Her black and gold cape whooshes quietly around her body's form as she drops down to the pavement behind the white van, and her gold boots gently impact against the ground as she walks with caution toward the vehicle ahead of her own.

Above Babs, a flock of Bat-drones fly above the 'Mamma Bird' on the ground, the drones quietly thrumming their propeller propulsion blades as they zip over the gate and in to the park to start to feed live camera feeds of what is going on back to the Tower and the Blimp high in the sky above...

Babs' half-masked face appears at the driver's door window. She peers inside it, and a second later just pulls the door open to reach inside and tip the man's body back off the wheel to deactivate the horn. She stares the man's body over inside of that hazmat suit, and it causes her to release a slightly disgusted exhale. "Gross." Babs softly says to herself before she turns, moves the driver's door slightly to walk around it more easily and she steps toward the gate of the park.

The lock is ripped off with her strength-enhanced exoskeleton batsuit, and Babs pulls the gate open to slip inside. Her eyelits cover her green eyes and she's soon seeing heat signatures that she casually approaches in the dark, her cape whipping calmly around behind her legs as she progresses forward.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe is definitely going to halt this. Someone calling for the blood of an innocent, in Religious fervour call for blood and burned flesh.

    She leaps off her place on the cast iron of the fire escape, the thick soles of her boots scraping with the announcement of her presence before she comes down and lands, separating the pyre and the mob, her dark eyes going wide as she brings her hand up and then smashes it down, a flash-bang concelead in her palm errupting, looking to disperse or at least slow the crowds before she turns her attention to the bound girl, palming one of her throwing knives to cut her loose, gloved hands holding tightly to her.

    She can't trust that the girl can hear her -- just going to have to hope a friendly hand is one she can trust for the moment while the mob is flashed!

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian had to keep from reeling back when he heard the name 'Franklin Richards' being blamed for this. <<Dr. Richards' son. Highly unlikely he would be responsible for this.>> "Let me down into interrogation. Batgirl, cross reference this Franklin Richards to any recent crime activity across the three cities." He offered, before moving to travel down to the GCPD HQ proper.

  Once they reached the interrogation room, he looked to the suspect inside. His face was steeled, the white eleyets looking rather intimidating. "Tell me what happened." He asked, taking a seat across from them.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
"Visions and magic," Batgirl replies to Commissioner Gordon and Detecive Bullock with a light grumble. "It can never just be people who don't wave wands around, can it?"

She takes the files and begins reading over, taking turns on them with Batwing for however much he wants to review them. "I'll try to run down some of the victims, and this source they mention," she says, tapping where the name of Franklin Richards is mentioned in the visions guiding them.

Batgirl moves over to the edge of the rooftop as she access the Batcomputer remotely. There's no problem finding information on Franklin Richards. She reads through and then provides a summary to Batwing over comms as she begins getting the Batcomputer to cross reference the victims.

<< Son of Reed and Sue Richards of course. Sending people visions seems like it is probably something he can do. Likely a telepath so could be possible to make people see things. Maybe even do things. Though you wouldn't think he would do something like have others kill people. We might want to talk to Batman first, but talking to the Fantastic Four about this seems like a good idea. I'll keep looking into the victims. >>

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Keeping an eye on things, Cass has her feet up on the desk. Barbara will probably yell at her for it, but still doing it. She's watching all the incoming information, sending the occasional silhouette over to the computer to check against whatever Barb has got in there, and resting til she's needed.

The wind from the open drop chute is fun, and she's resting her free hand on a surprise. But hey, girl's got to keep from being predictable. She sends down a smiley emoji to Steph, in passing, but really the timing could be better.

She sends a WHOLE BUNCH of emojis to Phoebe. Something about snow and rain and ...dogs?

Whoever taught her to use emojis is on report, I swear.

Franklin Richards has posed:
    Fun Land, usually quiet and desolate, was suddenly infused with energy as Batgirl, in her powerful mech-suit, descended upon the scene and forcefully tore open the gate. It didn't take long for the drones she had sent out to pick up movement. One by one, frail figures rose from the ground, appearing malnourished and weak from prolonged deprivation of food and water. This pattern repeated, and Batgirl soon realized that these were ordinary people who had been starved and left to languish.

    As more of them stood up, they all directed cold stares towards Batgirl until their numbers were sufficient, and they began chanting in unison, "For Franklin... Kill the bat." The group started moving toward her, some quicker than others, driven by an intense determination to follow their orders and attack Batgirl. Even the elderly moved forward, albeit at a slower pace, while the younger ones sprinted towards her, their frail appearances betraying their fierce resolve. The horn finally off though if it were it it would be, being drowned out by the chant of the numerous people who had risen. Initially, Batgirl estimated there were about twenty of them hidden around the entrance, but as the drones explored further, she realized there were others waking up as well.

    Meanwhile, Phoebe faced her own challenges as she sprang into action. The flashbangs she deployed disoriented most of the ten individuals present, causing them to be blinded and yelling in confusion. Taking advantage of the situation, Phoebe easily cut the woman down from the pole, freeing her from the threat of fire. The grateful woman, though still partially blinded, expressed her appreciation to Phoebe. She moved away and headed towards a nearby faucet, attempting to wash her face with water, all the while thanking her savior.

Among the group of now nine individuals recovering their sight, as a person stood out. He was running away, declaring his intention to inform Franklin about what had transpired. It was evident that his actions were not based on a mere vision, as he headed directly towards one of the buildings.

    In the interrogation room, Damian confronted an elderly man who appeared visibly nervous. When Damian straightforwardly inquired about the situation, the man broke down in tears before him. "He showed me... What would happen if I didn't kill those people. Oh god, I killed everyone coming here," he declared, consumed by panic. Struggling to compose himself, he continued, "Franklin Richards... about yeh high, black hair, blue eyes. He appeared out of my chess piece... He told me... well, you heard what I said... Then... then he showed me." The man's words became near unintelligible as he sobbed uncontrollably, expressing that failing to kill the people would lead to a living hell for all of them.

Bullock interjected, remarking that others had made similar claims, although the mention of a "living hell" was new. With concern, he informed Batgirl that the involvement of Franklin Richards would likely attract the attention of federal authorities if they didn't resolve the situation soon. At that moment, a hurried lab-coated individual entered the room, seemingly eager to join the Bat-Folk. He handed some papers to Bullock and appeared about to address Stephanie before being pulled away by Gordon, who ordered him to return to work. The papers provided were blood tests and samples taken from previously arrested individuals. Given the multiple incidents occurring in Gotham, they had prepared the information in advance.

    Suddenly, the sobbing man's demeanor changed as if a switch had been flipped. He slowly looked up at Damian, sadness filling his eyes, and uttered, "I'm sorry, but I have a new name." He lunged at Damian.

Franklin Richards has posed:
As Batgirl, Phoebe, and Damian dealt with their respective challenges, Cass found herself high up in the air, listening attentively to the sounds around her. Suddenly, her focus was drawn to a distinct noise?a cat's plaintive meowing coming from below. She quickly realized that the cat was in search of a female companion, expressing its longing through persistent yowls.

    While contemplating her next move, Cass had a few options to consider. She could join Batgirl at the park, where a crowd of people under the possible influence of Franklin's commands were advancing towards her. Alternatively, she could approach the woman just saved from a fiery fate, ensuring her safety and well-being. Lastly, she could opt for a conversation with Commissioner Gordon, which might provide valuable insights and assistance in unraveling the mysterious situation.. Just with hopefully less Emojis.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
"Oh, great." Babs says upon seeing the people rise up like the undead, and start to chant like they're at some sort of a political rally. When they declare a desire to do harm unto her, she just stiffens and mutters. "Never any fans..." outloud before she jumps back out of the way of the first man who tries to grapple her. He's met with a kick to the groin, before Babs spins around to send a high-kick in to the next person's chest!

An old person lunges at her next, which has Babs grabbing them, spinning them around, then taking their feet out from under them, and dropping them to the ground.

Difference here is that the person is visibly elderly, and Babs sees it. Her right gloved hand goes beneath their head to soften their impact on the ground, before someone grabs her shoulder from behind.

"WE got a riot starting here at the Fun Land park!" Babs says over her comms as her grapple gun is pulled out, and fired up toward one of the attractions off the main fairway!

The sound of the grapple gun bursts in the park, along with the zipping cord as Batgirl ascends up in to the sky.

"Smoke'em." She grumbles next, followed by her Bat-drones sweeping in over the main road within the park. The individual drones begin firing smoke pellets down at the ground, each one slamming in to the old concrete before detonating in giant puffs of white smoke that begin to coales in to one massive smoke-screen down on the ground.

Switching her view to heat signature again, Babs watches the shambling bodies within the smoke and mutters.

"What the Hell is causing this."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown takes the papers with the reports on the labwork of those who have been captured. Her cowl begins recording as she looks the papers over, scanning the documents and the data in them uploading into the Batcomputer for further analysis. "That more than one of them have said it is suggestive of something. Though it seems kind of unlikely he'd actually be behind it," Batgirl comments to the detective and Commissioner Gordon. "For one, why would he even need to send others to kill people. He'd be more than capable of it himself. But yes, we need to get to the bottom of this quickly, before anyone else can get hurt."

She goes through the reports quickly to scan them, and then spends more time evaluating them herself. When she spots a few things she takes a few moments to consult with the Batcomputer. Her knowledge of chemistry is climbing as Stephanie studies criminal forensics at Gotham U, but there are still some things she needs to look up.

"There are some abnormalities showing up in their bloodwork. In multiple people," she says, not having looked at all of them yet. She shows the detective and Commissioner Gordon. "This is a derivative of scopolamine, which is used in fear gas. Though this isn't matching the formulations we've seen before."

She goes through more of the lab reports. "There are also concentrations of Triclosan, and sodium laureth sulfate. Both of them together is likely to come from cleaning products. So that might be a source for the other."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The would-be BBQ lady is safe for now -- but now Phoebe's out of the frying pan and into the fire, and she's significantly more fireproof than normal -- but she doesn't want to push the limits of her old armor. Tim would make that face, you know the one, where he's internally screaming and externally disappointed because he made the suit and somehow that left elbow just melted away again.

    However now she's got a runner, and a crowd after her, and she takes a deep breath, looks up in askance to the heavens and then proceeds with a mad dash.

    A hop over a mailbox and the sound of her grapple gun as she takes to the air and swings!

    Cleared the witch hunt, but there's still no mystic items I can sense with them. Nothing to be healed says the ol' supernatural senses -- but they're chanting Franklin Richards's name. Oh. Also I'm apparently their enemy and target now so no one tell Red Robin that I kinda singed the 'Balm' armor.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Batwing kicked his chair back as the elderly man lunged at him. As he tilted back and raised a foot to fulcrum the man away from his throat. "Yeah? What's the name?" He demands, holding down the elderly man.

  <<A handcuffed old man just tried to jump me. Whatever this is, it's making people careless.>>

  "GIVE ME THE NAME if you want to keep your arm in one piece." It was a ruse, he knew the real Franklin Richards knew his true identity.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass leans her chair back, arching her head. She tries to look down the hole at the cat, but it's really really far away. Strong winds up here. She nearly falls.

Nearly is fine though, that's just a normal day. She sends everyone a turd emoji, followed by a clock and a person tilting their head to the right.

Which to her means 'ice cream after this?' but everyone else's guess is as good as...well, everyone else's.

Weird cat. She wonders if Selene's doing alright. Been missing her a while.

Franklin Richards has posed:
    As Phoebe chased after the man through the dimly lit streets of Gotham at night, it didn't take long for her to catch up to him. He led her into a small basement, where she discovered around ten more people gathered, their expressions mirroring the same frenzied desperation she had encountered before. Sitting on a well-cushioned chair in the center of the room was a man who bore a resemblance to Franklin but appeared disheveled and unkempt. His black hair and light blue eyes were overshadowed by an overall appearance of neglect, complete with remnants of cheeto dust on his pant leg as an example of what Franklin could of been if he let himself go.

    Just as Phoebe closed in on the Franklin, the woman who had been rinsing her eyes earlier abruptly stopped and watched as Cass darted off, her face transforming with an eerie determination. She too joined the other nine individuals, now chanting in unison, "For Franklin... Kill the Bat," as they closed in on Phoebe, their numbers increasing.

    Inside this domain controlled by Franklin, formerly known as Jimmy Cold, the imposter looked at Phoebe with a mixture of shock and anger, demanding that everyone immediately remove her from his presence. Phoebe found herself trapped in the basement with eleven people, and more approaching rapidly. It appeared that all these individuals, despite their state of delusion, believed in Franklin's guidance as their guiding light. However, amidst the approaching ten people, Franklin was doing something different?he hurriedly grabbed a bucket of water, seemingly piecing together its significance with the help of those around him to attempt to splash the girl that was aften them.

Using the information gathered from the Batcomputer AI, it becomes evident that Ace Chemicals is the likely producer of the chemicals in question. The AI provides Steph with the location, revealing that the facility has been intermittently active during unusual times. Despite its clever concealment, the Batcomputer AI manages to uncover the hidden activities at Ace Chemicals giving her the location.

Meanwhile, the man who attempted to grab Damian reaches out, appearing confused when Damian asks him about Batman. "He... Said... Batman. Are you not him?" the man inquires, his confusion evident as he scans the area, searching for Batman. Unaware of Batman's true identity, he uses the general name associated with the vigilante. However, it seems that the effects of the mind-altering substance are wearing off, making it less effective in focusing the individual's attention on a specific target. As the conversation turns to fear gas, Commissioner Gordon exclaims, "Dang it, don't tell me Scarecrow is behind this... It makes no sense." Uncertain about how to proceed, they have been pursuing the elusive suspect, but he has managed to evade them, leaving them without any solid leads.

Barbara, on the other hand, employs an effective strategy by observing the park from a high vantage point using her drones. With their help, she traces the source of the disturbance back to its origin. She notices that the activity emanates from an open manhole nearby or, at the very least, that's where the people seem to have originated from.

Although a few rocks are hurled in Barbara's direction by those who can see her, they are thrown by ordinary individuals without any special abilities or training. They don't appear to be guarding the sewer entrance or actively approaching it, but the cover has been moved aside, allowing access at any time. However, from Barbara's current position, it appears that people are starting to climb up the rides, slowly attempting to reach her. The process has just begun, and their progress is sluggish.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Meanwhile, Cass chooses to take a break from the action and focus on relaxing, deciding not to engage in any of the presented options. Unbeknownst to her, Franklin has a connection with Selene and is collaborating with her. But for tonight, Cass simply enjoys the cool night air, embracing the opportunity for introspection and finding solace in the moment. It's a peaceful respite from the chaos around her, and she embraces it as a "Cass day."

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian had held the man's arm and at the question if he was Batman, he let the man go. "Gordon, whoever is doing this, is not Franklin Richards. Oracle, where are the current whereabouts of Scarecrow, The Mad Hatter, and any other supervillain who's MO is mind manipulation? Cross reference the NCIC with known criminals from the New York area. Someone is out to frame Franklin Richards, and if we do not stop this soon, there will be riots in the streets against supers."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
"God." Babs says from her vantage point, watching the park zombie-like people milling about down within the smoke, trying to find their way out of it. Her two-toned cape sweeps about her body in the night time breeze as she stands high up on the old tilta-whirl ride, the sounds of people throwing rocks pinging off the metal beneath her feet. She pays them one glance to see some trying to climb up to get her, which just makes her softly shake her head.

"Not gonna happen." She tells them softly before the man-hole across the parkway is seen through the fog of her drone smoke screen.

Once more tonight, Babs-Batgirl takes flight, sweeping through the air above the people on the ground, most likely can't even see her, while some may still try to throw rocks, but she's moving rapidly on the wings of her cape-glider.

She swoops down out of the air to land near to the man-hole, and begins to march toward it.

Another set of strange hostile people rush her, leaving Batgirl no choice but to enter in to another melee scrap. She is the first one to strike this time, shoulder charging one of the men to drop him to the ground with a thud of their bodies on pavement. Quickly she rolls off, and back up to her feet as another charges her with some kind of a makeshift club made from some wooden mallet taken off one of the old rides. He sweeps it high at Barbara's head, but she attacks low, her form moving in a quick whirlwind of motion as she leg-sweeps the man, dropping him hard on to his ass, likely hurting his spine as he cries out in to the smokey night. Babs hovers over the two men, exhaling softly as she just turns away from them, moves to the man-hole... and drops down inside it.

A second later, the covering is grabbed on to with one gloved hand, and pulled right back in to place.. only by the grace of her strength enhancing suit is she even able to move such a heavy man-hole cover like that.

It rattles around, then clangs down in to position before more of the drugged park intruders can get back to it.

Down inside the underground now, Babs activates a gauntlet mechanism that she sprays around the edges of the man-hole cover to seal it from the inside...

With a heavy sigh of having to do all of this, Batgirl just drops down in to the dark below to investigate where these people came from...

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Well. This just got dire. And not a wolf in sight.

    Balm turns around, taking in the sights and sounds of a desperate basement as she grips her hands tightly, slowly moving to grasp her extending staff.

    <<Think I found our Faustian Faux Franklin. Repungent Replacement Richards?>> she beginson the subvocal, and she triggers the recording to be active.

    She wasn't as famous or as tech-savvy as some of the bats, but she has her Ways.

    "I'm going to give you one minute exactly to release them. I'm taking you down, just up to you how *hard* the take down's going to be." she states, extending her staff to half-length, relaxing her shoulders.

    Twelve untrained fanatics on her? Should be fine. Time to stretch those Aikido skills.

    And when she moves, it's like the flowing of water. Graceful and purposeful, sweeping legs, using momentumn against one another as she begins to pile the people around. She has the Faux Franklin tagged with her domino, and she's monitoring movements just the same, working steadily through the people around her like it's just another meditation.

Franklin Richards has posed:
    In the sewer, Barbara encounters a filthy and unpleasant environment, but fortunately, most of the people are outside. It doesn't take long for her to discover something hidden poorly within the sewers?a leaking canister. After conducting some investigations and receiving information about Scarecrow from the Batcomputer, it becomes apparent that the canister contains Scarecrow's fear toxin. The purpose of its presence in the sewer remains unclear, but it seems that the toxin has slowly seeped into the lake, subsequently contaminating the water supply that is later treated for public consumption. The canister still contains some of the toxin, which aligns perfectly with the previous readings, confirming its involvement in the recent incidents. Phoebe may later find traces of faint magic in the toxin, but its chemical nature makes it undetectable once it enters the body.

    A few things become evident. While Scarecrow possesses the ability to create toxins, this particular concoction seems beyond his capabilities. It is likely that someone else assisted him in its creation. The identity of this individual and their motivations remain unclear. However, one crucial piece of information is absent-the presence of cosmic energy, which would be a telltale sign of Franklin's involvement. This indicates that Franklin can be ruled out as a suspect, unless he found a way to carry out these actions without using his powers.

    Damian manages to infiltrate Ace Chemicals and discovers Scarecrow calmly sitting and reading a book, completely unaware that anyone would suspect him. Scarecrow had no knowledge of the incidents involving people seeing Franklin or any of the chaos that ensued. It is a straightforward takedown, and Damian learns the story behind the batch of toxin. Scarecrow reveals that something went wrong during its creation, causing the room to turn cold, and he lost control over the people affected by the toxin. As a result, he decided to hide the canister in the sewers, hoping to one day understand its workings. There was no grand plan or scheme behind his actions; it was merely an act of carelessness.

    Finally, as Phoebe skillfully avoids the splash and prepares to confront the man, he unexpectedly shouts, "Stop!" The others comply, surrendering and following his orders to sleep, effectively incapacitating them. The man then confesses his story, explaining that he merely resembled Franklin Richards. He realized that the water made people listen to him, but things got out of hand. Frightened by their actions, he resorted to giving them random orders and had no idea they were on the verge of burning someone. He expresses deep remorse for his actions but clarifies that he was only utilizing the resources at his disposal. It becomes clear that this dead end does not lead to any further revelations.

    The day is saved, and the effects of the toxin that escaped should dissipate soon. With time, food, and water, those affected should return to normal, although some unfortunate casualties were lost during the incident. The mastermind behind the entire ordeal remains a mystery. However, it is worth noting that anyone seeking to engage in conflict with Franklin may not find people dressed as Bats as much of an issue.