16395/Bad Day to Rob a Bank

Bad Day to Rob a Bank
Date of Scene:	22 November 2023
Location:	New York City Bank
Synopsis:	Caleb Dykstra stumbles on a bank robbery. The Wasp is there to help!
Cast of Characters:	Janet van Dyne, Caleb Dykstra

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Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet van Dyne doesn't do such plebian things as 'banking', but she does periodically need to access large amounts of cash. For most people, banks would refuse to cash out more than fifteen-hundred dollars a day to their customers. For billionaires like Janet van Dyne, such limits are neatly solved by simply paying the bank a storage fee to always keep her cash readily accessible if she needs it.

Which is why Janet walks into the lobby, her burly security guards holding doors for her and forming a moving bubble of protection around the petite fashionista. Bright, hazard yellow lapels and lining give her long-sleeved sheath dress a bit of color and sophistication. Dark hose and black gloves draw more emphasis on her face.

The bank manager rushes out to greet Janet personally, and pleasantries are exchanged before he starts ushering her into one of the back offices. Out of the way, but it provides a little view of the bank lobby from behind multiple layers of glass.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb is not here to cash out, but rather to set up an account. As he's been waiting his turn while reading a magazine while waiting (fashion magazine, Janet in the cover, ironically), he occasionally lifts his head to see who arrives and who passes by him - or if it's his turn.

That's when his eyes fall upon the arriving petite woman, and his then-idle brain goes into search mode as he tries to place the face (Hey, he's not that much into fashion and gossip, alright? That makes his brain go numbe from waiting).

After a few seconds... *Ding!*

"Well, small world...", he says to himself chuckles. Then, a frown - was that a pun? He reminds himself to put a dollar in the pun jar.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet's security team is pretty light. One goes with Janet and the woman's ever-present assistant, a slender man with shoulder-length blonde hair and an impeccably tailored suit made of grey wool in an Italian cut. Her other guard takes up a post at the entryway, hands clasped in front of his belt and watching everyone moving around the lobby.

Unfortunately, despite the clean lines of his attire, everything about him just screams 'security'. Several men walk into the bank more or less on each other's heels, and once they're in, the last one pulls a crowbar from his jacket and smacks Janet's bodyguard upside the head.

"This is a robbery!" the leader shouts. They all start tugging masks and scarves into place, and one of them shoots a burst of automatic fire into the ceiling. "Get down on your bellies with your hands on your heads. Anyone who tries to be a hero is gonna leave in a body bag!"

The bank manager is trying to cue the silent alarm, to no avail. Janet's assistant and bodyguard tackle her to the ground, out of sight. The rest of the robbers fan out, some corraling the customers, others going after the money in the tills.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb's blood runs cold for a second as he sees a group of men walking at just about the same time. His experiences back in Gotham tell him there's no way this tightly packed group is here for something good, a feeling that's confirmed when the security guy gets a dose of crowbar.

"Aw, shit..."

His brain goes tactical mode, and starts by, instead of going belly down, hiding behind a corner of the large room...

Then, he searches his coat pockets for something to use, and he decides on the katana.

He pulls up the hoodie to cover his features...

Janet van Dyne has posed:
They're not hardened professionals, but they have clearly practiced this quite a bit as a team. Everyone has assignments, sectors to cover, and tasks drilled into them. The ringleader, who is kitted out with better gear than the rest, is watching his stopwatch and directing the other gunmen to keep things ticking along as fast as possible.

Over in the manager's cubicle, Janet is having a heated argument with her assistant. "I'm not letting you go out there!" she hisses at the blonde fellow. "They've got automatic weapons and last time I checked, you're not exactly bulletproof!"

Her assistant and the bodyguard look at each other, then back at Janet. "Ma'am, with respect, /you/ aren't either," the fellow says in his soft voice.

"Hey! Shut up!" One of the gunmen has entered the cubicle and waves a gun at the four occupants. "You the manager? C'mon man, get up. You're opening the vault."

He spots the jewelry adorning Janet's wrist and makes a grab for it, trying to wrestle it away.

"Stay down," Janet admonishes her people, and then she-- and the gunmen-- abruptly disappear into thin air! A few seconds later, Caleb's sharp eyes might be able to spot the four-inch insect buzzing up to the ceiling and finding a place to safely perch for a few moments.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Okay, so there's something about people disappearing into thin air when it's the Wasp or Ant-Man, and this means this ordeal can end pretty quickly and on more positive a note. Luckily, his training at the Themysciran Arts Center has been paying off, his senses broadening over the sense of danger allowing him to catch a glimpse like when you catch a fly off the corner of your eye, and he tries to call for attention that there's a backup down on the ground.

He then pulls out a chewing gum which he chews on for a few second, then a small knife and a mirror, and... Ta-da! He can see how many there are in total, now.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
There are-- were-- eight gunmen all told. One covering the main entrance and the fire exit each, three on the cashiers, two running crowd control, and the 'boss' in tactical gear. The civilians are huddled on their bellies and some of them cry out in fear as they're forcibly relieved of their valuables. For most of them, being working-class customers, the things that are taken will be difficult (if not impossible) to replace.

From his vantage point, Caleb can see them working the lobby area. One in particular drifts a little distance away from the others and leans over to pick something up. He staggers, then just like the other guy, fairly vanishes as he's pulled off his feet.

Once again, a four-inch pixie buzzes skywards, Janet having taken out her second criminal of the day. The others are oblivious to their missing friend, focusing on the cashiers.

"Where the hell is the manager?" the boss demands, looking around. "Yo, who was on the manager?" he says with more volume, putting it to his crew. They all look at each other, then shrug awkwardly at him.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb pulls out a small device from his coat, a discoid object which he throws across the floor to where there's a bigger concentration of goons. And, once it reaches them... it starts flashing repeatedly and fast, also emitting a sharp siren sound, before it blows up on their faces in a puff of smoke. His own version of a flashbang grenade!

Caleb jumps out from his hiding spot, pulling two throwing knives off his coat, and throwing them at two other goons, hiding then behind a lounging sofa, which he kicks down for cover.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
All hell breaks loose when Caleb launches that flashbang. Thieves are essentially predators. Predators are well equipped to smack down one or two people to stubborn to surrender. But hit them with sound and fury, throw their plan into disarray with a loud enough distraction, and those carefully laid plans go out the window.

"Ow! Jesus FUCK!" Janet appears next to Caleb, clad in a sleek black bodysuit with segmented gold plates on her toros. "Some warning next time," she yells at Caleb (clearly slightly deafened).

One of the goons is down and groaning in pain from a knife lodged in his belly. The other yanks the blade out of his shoulder and throws it to the floor with a disgusted expression.

"Okay, here's the plan. I want to hit the ringleader. Once he goes down, the rest are gonna scatter," Janet tells Caleb. "Best thing you can do is keep their focus over here. And try not to get shot," she admonishes him.

And without waiting for a reply, Janet vanishes again, buzzing up towards the ceiling to make her stealthy approach to the ringleader.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Sorry", he says, a game face on. "I thought you'd have some active noise cancellation in that uniform of yours. My bad."

He listens to the plan, and nods. "Careful with the ringleader. He seems like the kind who's done this before, and doesn't like to share with his budies, if you know what I mean." He pulls out a modified pistol, and loads up a cartridge. "I'd prefer to be on the move, but... Okay, you're the professional, here."

Watching Wasp depart, he uses that mirror again to spot any approaching goons...

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet sticks to the ceiling, hovering near the lights without crossing in front of them. Their glare makes her even more difficult to spot. Besides, how many people actually look up at the ceiling? Especially as they're fanning out to find Caleb's location, roughly kicking the hostages onto the ground and yelling calamitously at one another.

"Hey-- HEY! YOU! BEHIND THE WALL!" One of the guards spots Caleb's mirror flashing light at him. The thug shoots a burst of gunfire at Caleb's spot. Fortunately, he's the only one who has seen Caleb thus far, so his buddies are left guessing at what he's actually aiming for.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
But, upon the thug firing, Caleb is no longer there - a good tactic, the one of moving from point to point, especially if unseen. So, he pulls up a few flares, which not only start to light up the area and their field of view, but also making its share of smoke...

He waits a few seconds before he advances on one of the more unsuspecting goons, and with his katana, stabs him in a would-be non-vital (but painful) spot to drop him, and pulls his gun away.

Moving again...

Janet van Dyne has posed:
The goon goes down screaming and suffering, clutching his injury and staggering. It makes things comparatively child's play for Caleb to disarm him. His fellow crooks start chasing Caleb with gunfire as he scoots and shuffles from one location to another. A few bullets nearly graze him; one civilian gets caught in the crossfire and starts trying to crawl to safety with only one working arm.

But Caleb has done his job and got their attention. It creates an opening for Janet to drop from the ceiling while rapidly growing to a solid twelve feet in height. She lands right on the ringleader's shoulder and forces him flat on his belly, with one of her feet placed firmly over his spine.

Green bioplasma curls and crackles in her hands and she gives the gunmen the most baleful look she can generate. "Any of you ingrates got the stones to deal with an Avenger?" she demands.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb's blood runs cold as he hears the screams of one of the civilians. Memories flood in: years ago, an asshole robbing a liquor store aims a gun at a four year-old - his sister -, and it's a dash until he covers her with his body; screams and cries, as vision blurs...

Back now, but Caleb's demeanor is not that of a focused individual, but rather a ready to throw down.

He pulls out shurikens from his pockets, which he turns on with the press of a button. And, from his hiding spot, he throws them at the goons - and they will explode with concussive force to throw them several yards.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Between Janet's sudden, imposing arrival, and the explosions going off in the room, the goons collectively decide that the gig is blown, and start dropping their weapons. They lay down on the floor with their hands behind their heads.

"You pussies!" the leader shouts. "Don't fuckin' let them scare you, there's just twOOF-" his eyes bulge and the wind leaves his lungs as Janet puts more pressure on his back.

"Anyone else want a taste?" Janet threatens.

She looks over at Caleb and lifts her chin at him. "Good work," she bids the man. "I'm assuming you don't want to be here when the cops show up. New York police get real sketchy with knives and shurikens and whatnot." She lifts her chin at the back door. "Best beat feet before you have an awkward conversation with the boys in blue."

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Do they?", Caleb's voice is sarcastic. "You should see Gotham, then."

He looks at the gang's boss with a look of sheer disgust, shaking his head, "...Fucking scum." The dark side of his pesonality is there, exposed...

But it shifts to regret as he looks at Janet, "I'm... sorry that an innocent got shot on your watch. Ultimately, that's on me."

He heads for the victim, and leans to see the extent of the wound...

"I know it hurts, take it from someone who's been shot", he says. "But your wound is just a scrape. Just some observation at a hospital, and you'll be fine." He looks at the people starting to get up, and it's his time to leave. "I feel it weighs on me, so my apologies."

And he's out the door.