15264/That's MISTER Mxyzptlk to you!

That's MISTER Mxyzptlk to you!
Date of Scene:	30 June 2023
Location:	A utility shed atop some lonely high rise in Gotham.
Synopsis:	Damian and Jon survive an alleged run-in with Mister Mxyzptlk! Is that nefarious, powerful imp from the Fifth Dimension truly involved or is it all some sort of trick?
Cast of Characters:	Jon Kent, Damian Wayne

---

Jon Kent has posed:
It was probably a low-key, unexciting evening for Batwing. Perhaps he was even considering calling it early and getting some real sleep for a change, who knows. The summer heat hit early this year, and most of Gotham's gangs are somewhere trying to keep cool. Even the crickets and nocturnal birds have had enough with this heat and are prematurely quiet tonight. Occasionally, the sound of a distant siren can be heard breaking through the haze.

That's what /was/ happening. But that was then...it was /before/. Somehow there has been an unexplained transition of time from then to now, but how long was that transition and when (and where) is now? Batwing becomes aware that he can't see. Something is covering his head. It feels like a cloth sack, but it's difficult to be sure. If he tries to move he will find that his wrists and ankles and waist are bound by something extremely hard and durable. He's sitting, perhaps on a chair of some sort, but it, too, is durable and offers neither play nor wiggle room.

What is going on?

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian didn't even know he was going under, before he woke up in darkness. The hood over his face has his bat-ears turn from side to side, and shake to fling the cover off, to his chagrin, it didn't work. Trying to move was hardly a possibility either, he twitched and fought against his bindings. "Someone just made a big fucking mistake." He comments, his voice manipulator stil working.

  Batwing balls up his fists, and strains against the chair, even trying to flip himself and the chair over proves to be difficult. He tuts his tongue. >tt< in the predicament he is in, he would call the others, but wouldn't give them the satisfaction of knowing he was in a bind...literally.

Jon Kent has posed:
Suddenly there is a dramatic, almost comedically loud ticking noise, like a cartoon bomb. And then, let there be light! The black cloth sack over Batwing's head suddenly lifts in one quick motion. It was pulled upward by a mechanism on the ceiling that had a string attached to the top of the sack.

In this room...well, really, it appears to be some sort of tool shed...is a metal chair bolted to the floor to which Batwing is bound wrists, ankles, and waist with heavy chains. It looks brand new, standing out among the rest of the contents of this shed, which are old and dusty and falling apart. There are a couple of old shelves with various toolboxes and pieces of custodial equipment. Near the door, there are a couple of rusty barrels and on top of one of them is...a bomb! Several pieces of dynamite are affixed to a timer and the timer has a digital readout.

5

4

3

Holy shit, it's going to explode!

Then the battered old wooden door to this shed bursts inward as none other than Superboy arrives, looking distressed and extremely rushed. He quickly assesses the situation, looking at Batwing then at the readout on the bomb.

2

He bullrushes the bomb faster than the eye can follow.

1

He wraps his body and cape around the explosive device with his back to the bound Batwing.

0

The bomb explodes. Batwing is shielded by Superboy's body but that energy HAS to go somewhere. Just ask Newton. It goes outward, demolishing most of the shed. Batwing can now see that the shed is on a rooftop somewhere.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian heard the ticking, and immediately could see again. "Fuck me, blown up by the Joker. Dammit, wasn't one Robin enough for you?"

  At least he only has five seconds, facing death with a bit of regret. Only cause he dies like some kind of shitty plotline. But then Superboy busts in, and shields Damian from the blast. The explosion is still loud, luckily the cowl supresses sounds that are too loud for safe hearing. He shuts his eyes and waits until he can hear again before looking up at Jon and sighing. "Cutting it a little close, Superboy." He comments, before one of his gauntlets pops out a laser cutter, aiming for the other hand's chains, freeing one arm. "I presume one of yours is responsible for this?" He asks, very...Damian-esque about the situation.

Jon Kent has posed:
Superboy squints a little and starts peering around the room. No doubt Batwing realizes he is using his x-ray vision, probably looking for additional threats. He courteously avoids looking Damian's way while he's x-ray visioning. Jon is simply too chivalrous and upstanding to do something like that.

"Nothing else in the room," he says as Batwing is freeing himself.

"I got a message from someone named..." From a hidden pouch on the inside of his belt Superboy produces a piece of green paper that has been folded several times (presumably to fit in the belt). He unfolds it several times and looks. "Mister Mxyzptlk?" He struggles to pronounce the name. He holds out the paper for Batwing.

Dear Superboob!

Be at the toolshed atop 2973 W. 81st in Gotham at precisely 1:22 a.m. Don't be late!

XXOO,
Mister Mxyzptlk

It's only 1:20 a.m. right now. So whomever wrote the note either knew that Superboy would arrive early or wanted him to find a dead Batwing.

He nods in Batwing's direction. "You okay, Da..." A sigh. "Sorry. Batwing." Clearly he is a bit flustered.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian finishes breaking the chains, and stands up. "Lucky they tucked tail and ran. But who in the hell is..." He takes the paper to read. "Mxyzptlk?" He honestly just stares at the paper, unsure of what to think about it. "Figures though, it would be someone not from Gotham who would get the drop on me."

  "Got to admire the twisted nature though. Whoever this guy is, he doesn't play by his own rules. I'll query the Batcomputer."

Jon Kent has posed:
Nodding, Superboy says, "Keep the note, maybe run an analysis on it?"

Walking around wreckage trying to find /some/ sort of clue or piece of information, he suddenly stops. "B, there is one more thing we should consider."

Superboy turns back to face Batwing.

"He put /you/ up here. Whoever this...this Mister Mxyzptlk is, he knows you're important to me, which /could/ mean he also knows who we are. I mean, who we /really/ are."

Damian Wayne has posed:
     The former Robin folds up the paper again, and places it inside. "It's worth a shot. Also...what about your father? He might know exactly who this guy is."

  That was when Jon turned to face him, and Damian's brow furrows. "I don't like that concept the most. But I cannot say it is not sound. He also knew you would have to rush down to Gotham instead of a close jaunt in Metropolis."

Jon Kent has posed:
"Good call," Superboy replies in response to the suggestion to talk to Superman. "I'll check in with him. I can also run the name through the Justice League computer, though I assume the Bat computer is as good or better."

He takes a couple steps closer. "Hey, man, you okay?" costumed Jon studies costumed Damian with his big baby blues and a soft, concerned expression on his face. "I mean really, none of you Bat-bravado. Are you /okay/?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian's white eyelets look from side to side. "I really thought dying from a bomb tied up as bait for someone was done with when I put up the Robin suit." That and Damian did think it was a terrible death for him to have, he always wanted to go out taking thirty other people with him or something else equally epic. "I am pleased I did not die." He adds, trying to reassure his friend.

  "Either way, this Mxyzptlk is on my shit list now."

Jon Kent has posed:
Jon laughs at Damian's statement. His cheeks redden slightly at the swear. He, himself, never swears, in or out of uniform, but he gets an almost middle schooler giggle out of other people doing it. The swear jar at the Hall of Justice is practically overflowing. "Well he's not going to be getting any Christmas cards from me, either, B. But it's important that we keep cool heads so we don't miss anything important."

Superboy rubs his chin while he contemplates. "Do you want me to talk to my dad about getting you an ELT? I'm /definitely/ not implying that you can't take care of yourself, but clearly we're dealing with someone of extraordinary capability."

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Luckily, Damian's cheeks cannot be seen under the cowl and mask. "Maybe it is a good idea...even with my skills this guy took me out without me even knowing. That's not an easy feat."

  It was something that Damian would never admit in front of other people than Jon, and he would dissavow any questions about it. "There's also the question of outside the uniform...if he knows who you and I are, and I am out of uniform...I have to keep the facade as much as possible."

Jon Kent has posed:
Jon simply nods and says nothing more than, "I'll get you one." He knows what that sort of admission costs Damian. Not only is Jon too good a friend to ever tell anyone about it, but he's too good a friend to talk more about it to Damian than need be. So that's the end of that subject. The following day, Jon will bring it to him.

"I don't think we should dwell too hard on it, just use standard precautions, " he responds. "We don't /know/ that he knows who we are. But it certainly is possible. I tend not to believe too much in coincidences, and it's a pretty big coincidence that this happened to the two of us."

Damian Wayne has posed:
     "Okay then...I'll do my research, and let you know what I find." His heart might have fluttered a little when Jon had said: 'I'll get you one.' Of course, Jon was one of Damian's closest friends, knowing him as much as his siblings. "I agree, there's too much to believe it just coincidence." He made himself look occupied tapping at the holographic display on his gauntlet computer. Something that distracted him from letting what the human inside the black suit was feeling out.

Jon Kent has posed:
Jon peers at the Batwing uniform for a few moments before a grin spreads slowly over his face. "I liked the Robin uniform. It was hotter." He reaches out and gives Damian's shoulder a playful whap. He doesn't do it too hard, but just to be goofy he puts the /tiniest/ little sprinkle of super strength into it.

"We should chill. We never hang out anymore." Then Superboy rolls his eyes. "And don't give me any of that 'I'm too busy' stuff."

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Batwing's eyes flare open just a little, not quite believing he just heard Jon say that. More blushing under the cowl. "Okay...when?" He asked, looking back at Jon, very deadpan.

Jon Kent has posed:
Jon doesn't need to see the blushing. He can hear heartbeats and detect changes in body odor and body temperature. Sucks having a best friend with super duper senses, huh?

Walking to the edge of the rooftop, Superboy shrugs. He peers over the edge to the ground many stories below. "I dunno. How 'bout next week?" He turns to face Damian. "Wanna go tour the Justice League moon base? Grab some dinner up there? Go on a space walk?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
     His jaw almost dropped, no one ever asked him if he would want to go up there. None of the Titans or Bats, so of course he of course said: "Okay, next week then." He commented, then stepping up to the edge of the building as well. "I figure I have to tell Father about this...incident. If I tell him, no one else in the family will know."

Jon Kent has posed:
Jon nods. "I sorta figured. You know I trust you. Do what you think is best. And, of course, I'll talk to dad about this Mister McDonalds or whatever his name is, see if he knows something. In the meantime, I'll come by tomorrow with that item." He won't say it out loud again. His friend's dignity is too important to him.

The next thing Damian knows, Jon is standing off the edge of the roof, just hovering in midair like it was the easiest thing in the world. "We good, B?" He folds his arms casually over his chest, and his cape flutters very mildly in some small breeze. It seems like some of the heat is finally breaking.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian's cowl nods, before the lower mask opens and the lower half of his face can be seen. "Yes. We are good.": Said in that oh-so-Damian way. "I will see you tomorrow then?" It was slightly weird, they were still good friends, but it was different now that they were older.

Jon Kent has posed:
Jon tips his head slightly as he listens for something. One corner of his mouth quirks a little upward. He leans in slowly. Someone of Damian's finely honed reflexes can easily move out of the way if they wanted. He gives the other hero a very chaste, brief, simple kiss on the cheek. Then silently he mouths the words, "Good night, Damian." Then silently, Superboy rises up, up, and away...