15949/Bad Traffic in NYC Harbor

Bad Traffic in NYC Harbor
Date of Scene:	25 September 2023
Location:	New York Harbor Docks
Synopsis:	Some Mafiosi try to smuggle humans... but their cargo is liberated!
Cast of Characters:	Kitkat, Diana Prince, Jacen Knight

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Kitkat has posed:
The old Harbor of NYC is old, and in the dark, nefarious things happen. Containers arrive, some stuffed with illicit goods like drugs, others hold stolen cars from across the ocean or contian illegal food imports and yet others reek of human misery.

As the evening turns night over the harbor, a sleazy guy in a suit, fedora and a poor attempt of a pencil thin moustache that looks like a pair of felt tip marks over his lip is guiding along Kitkat, dressed in leather and lugging something heavy over her shoulder. A Sword, and not a small one. "Why don't you just pay me at the rink like your friend with the nigh bald head?" the Calico patterned cat people asks.

"Sorry, but the transport just arrived. We hadn't had time to unload." the mafioso tries to explain as they pass containers towards one where a pair of musclemen starts to unload frozen meat into a little van.

Diana Prince has posed:
Sometimes tip-offs come across Justice League channels, and they make their way all the way up to Wonder Woman. She called Manhattan her home, afterall, and thus she felt sworn to protect it to the best of her ability.

Tonight was one of those nights. She'd gotten the tip that something interesting might take place in this area, and she responded in-kind.

While everything begins to unfold down below, a solitary figure clad in the shining blue, red and gold armor of Wonder Woman arrives at the edge of a nearby building overlooking the developing situation below.

Her dark hair moves in soft curls across her otherwise bare shoulders, her eyes scan the area below, while her advanced sense of hearing focuses on the voices she can hear conversing. She's not exactly hidden up where she stands, but she's not readily available to see unless one is scoping out the sight lines above...

Jacen Knight has posed:
Whispers of a powerful magic totem being brought in on a later ship has Jacen here tonight. Stake outs are fun, said no one ever. An old green, metal thermos holds coffee and he is sipping at it now and then.

For those with spirit sight, a spiritual wolf stands near him, both watching and...smelling? His eyes aren't focused on anything and both the spirt and he man in the cowboy hat turn their head to the side. He frowns darkly and produces an eagle's feather from his medicine pouch,"Ah'ight friend..." he mutters softly,"Please play nice tonight." Again, those with spirit sight will see a spiritual bald eagle takes flight and he really does zone out, eyes looking from the eagle's perspective,"Why do I smell people? Dirty people?"

Kitkat has posed:
The feline woman with the blanket wrapped sword - she doesn't seem to want to make people annoyed and run - chuffs at some of the explanation, the heavy item bobbing some as she moves. "Excuses. You're full of excuses. Now I want that prime rib you promised or I make sure to bath you in the styx right over there at the iron lifting machine," she claims, pointing to one of the portal cranes. Then, the nose twitches a moment and she sneers. "Why does it smell of excrement and filth suddenly?"

The reason was somewhat obvious for Wonder Woman and the other observers from high - one of the containers opened to retrieve goods from was filled with young people, malnourished from their transport from the caribbean in the steel box, the stench of several weeks pouring out of the door some containers next to the freezer one that had smuggled meats.

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana's right hand goes up to rest on a partial wall beside her. She stands there with the night time winds rolling across her form, her golden lasso glinting in what ambient light exists around her. Her eyes focus on the figures of Kit and the man she was speaking to, as well as the item that Kit has slung over a shoulder. Something is a bit off about that, but it is the perceptible muffled noises of people clogged together inside one of those shipping containers that ultimately draws Diana's eyes. Because of this, she steps off of the ledge of the building, her armored boot dipping down, as her hand graces free of the concrete outcropping she had been lightly touching. She vanishes, in a blur of motion.

Where too? Well, her wedge-heeled boots touch down upon the top of the crate, a pair of soft thuds reverberating from the contact as she settles down upon the container that has the potential for being a very bad crime.

She's much more visible to anyone who may be watching over this container too now.

Jacen Knight has posed:
The eagle circles the container and Jacen nods to himself,"That's it." He starts to stand again, the wolf fading near him as he focuses on other things.

Just before the eagle fades out, Wonder Woman lands on the container,"Holy shit..." he mutters, startled. Sometimes the filter doesn't work.

The eagle fades and he looks towards the container with his own eyes. He can see where things are now,"Gonna be a long night." he mutters to himself and settles his SHIELD badge on his belt. From the medicine pouch he produces a piece of horn. A spiritual deer appears and the two start across the yard, not fast like the Flash, but way too fast for a normal guy let alone a guy his size.

He stays mindful as he can of his surroundings and mutters softly,"I'm gonna need ta sleep f'r a week'f I keep this up."

Kitkat has posed:
The Mafioso stammers as he tries to explain something, but is shoved away by Kitkat advancing on the cooling truck, where the gorillas load meat. But she passes, following the nose to the container one further, and gazing inside, sneeres back at her accomplice. "Is that your doing?" she demands to know, the poor italian stammering and shaking the head.

Someone else answers with the click of a semiautomaic getting loaded ready and aimed at Kitkat. "That's nothing to do with you, kitty..." the man demands, spitting. "Go away, grab your slice and forget you saw this if you wanna live..."

Was that a smile on the lips of that feline as she turned the head, the blanket slightly shifting as she altered the position of the thing on her shoulder. "Ohhhh?" It's almost a taunting question, but without waiting for an answer, Kitcat catapults herself forward, the blanket falling free and letting the Zweihander, about 6 feet ong, turn a silver arc in the dimmed light.

A gunsot rips the night, then the arc turns red. The wet thump of something hitting concrete follows, the gunman's body starting to collapse with a distinct emptyness above his shoulders.

Hissing enraged, the Calico furred one's eyes gleam in the darkness... were there more?!

Diana Prince has posed:
With the grace of a silent predator, Diana descends upon the shipping container, her armored boots landing deftly on its metal surface. Her lasso gleams in the faint light, an emblem of truth and justice, as she narrows her focus on the muffled sounds of people within. The figures of Kit and the man she had been conversing with draw her attention, but it is the violence that breaks out that causes Diana to act!

Without hesitation, Wonder Woman springs into action, her movements a blur of speed and precision. Three gangsters, emboldened by their numbers, charge at her with crude weapons in hand. With a swift, fluid motion, Diana parries a swing from a baseball bat with her indestructible bracers, the clash of metal against wood resonating through the night. In one sweeping kick, she disarms a second assailant, sending him stumbling backward.

As the third gangster lunges forward with a switchblade, Diana effortlessly sidesteps the attack, her golden lasso uncoiling with a flourish. With a flick of her wrist, the lasso wraps around the attacker's wrist, disarming him in an instant. She holds him at arm's length, her gaze focused on his eyes, staring fear in to the man's face before she tosses him away toward the others rushing at the side of the containers now.

Jacen Knight has posed:
Jacen closes the distance and mutters to himself,"Yeah, yeah I hear ya." HE rounds a corner and runs into two more thugs. Speed kills or in this case hits hard enough to send the guys flying and all three men away from each other.

Jacen rarely falls, balance ridiculous without super powers. He uses the nearest container to brace up and stand straight up. The other two are on the ground, but getting up.

Jacen reaches up and touches the necklace around his neck, made from bone and teeth of some sort. As the two men start towards him another spirit appears before him, this time a massive bear rises before him on two legs and roars silently into the abyss.

Not much of a striker, Jacen grapples one of the men and throws him at the other with a loud crunch as they collide with the container and slide to the ground. One stays down, the other tries to get up, but meets a haymaker punch in the jaw, taking a nap as well.

Jacen really needs to get better at hitting people as he shakes his hand and wheezes,"Dammit." He looks around to see what else is happening, searching for anymore bad sorts to throw around.

Kitkat has posed:
As Diana takes out three of the thugs coming to support their now headless leader, Kitkat shudders. Turning to face the two meat-lugging muscles that were attracted by the gunshot. Armed with and icepick and a crowbar, the two almost move like an oiled machine towards the feline woman, but she retreats three steps, almost towares the container wall. Spinning, she runs up the steel, stepping on levers and handles that give her purchase, the blade held in one hand as the otehr grabs for leverage and yanks her up some more. Feet press against the steel and push her away, the tail aiding in turning a corkscrew fist, and then landing on her feet behind the two Gorillas. One of them guickly leans how hard 8.8 pounds impact the back of the neck when a pommel is rammed against the 8th vertebrae and force him to drop the weapon and end on the ground. The other, armed with the icepick, finds himself with the blade against the shoulder and neck, a hissing sound in his ear. "Don't give me a reason to spill your blood."

Diana Prince has posed:
Wonder Woman engages the remaining two gangsters that stand near to her, angrily rushing at her. Her battle-hardened instincts guide her as she sidesteps a wild haymaker from one of them, their punches landing only in empty air. With a lightning-quick jab, Diana strikes the gangster with pinpoint accuracy across his pointed chin, rendering him unconscious in an instant. His fall is almost gentle, a testament to her mastery of control.

The final gangster, realizing he's met his match, attempts to retreat. But Diana seizes the moment. With a powerful sweep of her arm, she hurls him over the edge of the dock. His screams fade as he plunges into the dark waters below.

Diana surveys the situation before her, noting Jacen who gets a nod from her as she recognizes him.

Turning then, Diana appears near to where Kit is, observing the unusual feline woman's continued efforts in the fight. She's an unknown to Wonder Woman, but seems to be capable enough.

Diana turns to the container with the prisoners then, and effortlessly snaps the large box open, throwing the door open to the side, to give light unto those kept captive within it.

Jacen Knight has posed:
No more bad sorts running at anyone, Jacen pauses and looks around once just to be sure. The bear stays nearby for the moment, but isn't nearly so agitated after getting to toss people around.

When his eyes meet with Diana's, he reaches up at tips the front of his hat her way just a little and opts to watch over things, the eagle rising again to make sure there isn't anyone creeping around.

Inspite of himself, he stifles a bit of a yawn as he starts to feel the draw from that much power use.

Kitkat has posed:
Snarling into the ear of the musclestud, his best budy still on the ground, Kitkat ever so slowly lowers the blade. "Go to your boss. Tell him that he will never enslave anyone again or I will come and put him in the same shackles he put on others and work him to the bone on a wheel of pain, until his mind is broken. Tell him that he shall seek other avenues. Anything but slavery."

Giving the guy a kick and push towards the direction his friends fled, Kitkat shudders again, turning to Diana, the long blade stretched out on one hand. "You there... know how to fight it seems. You handycapped yourself with just a rope though. Is it for the challenge of the hunt? I respect that."

To Diana, the inside of the container is... filthy. Abotu a dozen or two young people, huddled together in bad shape, a rurprisingly small pile of empty wrappers from preserved food and water bottles filled with urine speaking of their plight.

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana's primary concern is the contents of the container. When she observes what is the state of them within it, she instantly raises her hand up to her right ear where she keys her JLA communicator. "We need a team here, and the NYPD need to be sent on the double."

Her eyes will turn then to regard Kit, taking in the sight of her now that things have calmed down. She glances down to her lasso on her hip, and then back to the woman with the large sword. "Weapons often scare enemies in to escalating a situation where they otherwise might not. Thus using them within the city can be as much of a detriment as they can be an aid... Plus, most in this city are not on a level that warrants that much offensive accessories..." She says all of this dryly before she looks to Jacen. "Jacen... Can you get back to the street, and help the arriving services know precisely where to come? Let them know we have children in need of aid."

Diana will head inside of the container then, to begin to do what she can to comfort the young ones, and help them find their ways out of the container. She is quick to start to offer comforting words, and caring gestures to those who'd been so very nearly lost to trafficking.

Jacen Knight has posed:
There is a nod, satisfied there are no more thugs prowling around. Each of the animals fade into the void and he lets out a soft breath. Hearing his name, he glances back towards Diana and listens to what she say,"On it."

No need for a lot of words and he is off to meet the emergency services, pausing to asks,"Is there any immeadiate medical needs'n there? Nobody needs stabilized?" He is walking towards the area to meet people, but listens to make sure he isn't needed in there too.

Kitkat has posed:
There's a chuff as Kitkat lowers the blade, putting her foot down on the upper back of the guy she knocked unconscious with the pommel to make sure he wouldn't get back up for the moment. "Can't just leave my sword laying around somewhere either. And what would an adventurer be without their weapon somewhere closeby? Katkat from the Lands Within isn't just a brute..."

Wincing, she tests her upper arm, chuffing as the fingers return red. "What magical weapon throws thunder and pierces arms without an arrow?!"

The only one that sustained damage did so in the most non-stabilizable way for shooting at Kitkat. Everyone else is just in a bad shape, but not life threatening. When Emergency services close in to Jacen, and him waving them into the right direction, one of the cars stops a moment to let him hop on, leading the convoy pretty much.

Diana Prince has posed:
Before Jacen could wander off, Diana had called back to him to let him know that everyone seemed reasonably okay. There-after she went ahead to continue to inspect the youth, moving to help them leave the container, she shields the younger ones from seeing the death caused by that sword that Kit is wielding too.

Once the children are gathered up around a safe area out of the container, she looks toward where Jacen had gone, then looks back to Kitkat. She stares at the Feline woman for a few moments, measuring her up.

"Be advised, that sword will bring you trouble. Especially should you use it on someone who has not earned such a fate... Use it wisely, if you are to use it at all."

Had this time been a wise use of it? Well, they were Human traffickers, and Diana isn't seemingly putting any sort of restraint on Kit, so!

The Princess of Themyscira does offer her right hand toward Kit too. "I am Diana. Wonder Woman, by most in this city." She greets, curious to know a bit about this Feline, should they cross paths again.

Jacen Knight has posed:
Fire and rescue arrives and Jacen grabs a passing fire truck to ride back in. He looks over a few people with the rest of the medics and checks his watch. The one that he patches up last gets sent to a fireman and he steps away to let others do their thing without him.

It is pretty clear he's getting tired, but the night isn't over yet. No rest for the wicked. If he catches Diana's eye again, he nods to her and moves back to the roost. Probably nobody will show with all the activity, but there is a job to do yet and some people are too stubborn for their own good.