17631/DEATH BY DESIGN: A Rotten Riot

DEATH BY DESIGN: A Rotten Riot
Date of Scene:	14 April 2024
Location:	Blackgate Penitentiary
Synopsis:	Batgirl, Robin, and the Red Hood answer Batman's summons to stop a riot at Blackgate ... and find a clue to something much deeper and more sinister.
Cast of Characters:	Bruce Wayne, Barbara Gordon, Damian Wayne, Jason Todd

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Bruce Wayne has posed:
There'd been an extra police escort placed on Clinton Hartley's prison transport from jail to his more permanent home at Blackgate Penitentiary. It was a definite stunt by the judicial system and city hall to show they were tough on all manner of crime, even those committed by the white collars. Of course, it didn't help that Hartley had a slew of assault charges peppered throughout his substantial rap sheet.

There'd been no incidents on the way. Indeed, Hartley had gone through processing just fine and it seemed like all the threats made against the man's life were indeed just threats.

Then all Hell broke loose.

Blackgate has been in the throes of riot for the last hour. An alert rings out across the communications network, Batman indicating he's on-site with the unsubtle suggestion that other available assets make their way there, too.

Outside, the red and blue flash of GCPD lights paints the grim and grey ediface of the prison. Atop a snarling parapet (Gotham does love its gargoyles), the darkened figure of Batman examines the situation through a hijacked CCTV feed.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Two and a half years ago, Batgirl had had a incident at another riot outbreak at Blackgate. She wasn't fond of the place... But that was then, this is now, and she'd learned a lot since then.

"Days since last riot; back to zero." Oracle Batgirl's voice sounds over the Bat-family communication system.

Up inside of the GGE Blimp, Barbara sits at the command console on the second level of the gondola. Wearing most of her armored Batgirl uniform, save for the helmet mask, the redhead observes the various camera feeds around the prison.

"I'm locked in, sending all of the live feeds to your individual devices." She tells the team that should be out and about tonight, responding to this situation.

"I'm ready as backup too, can be there in just a short flight, if needs be." She notes, glancing at her mask resting on the side table to the right of her chair, right beside a Pip-Boy bobble head with a thumb up aimed back at the unmasked vigilante.

The GGE Blimp hovers above the city itself, right up near the clouds, with its running lights blinking rhythmically across its superstructure.

Damian Wayne has posed:
The call is received and in good order Robin arrives. He springs over the parapet and lands with barely a whisper of sound. He shies from the berries and cherries of GCPD emergency vehicles and seeks to keep himself wreathed in the shadow darkness just on the edge of the light thrown off by those same lights below. He doesn't fidget or adjust his suit, but instead offers a simple stern nod toward Batman. He does not break the relative silence between them, but instead makes his presence known and awaits further information or instructions. He does so while turning his attention elsewhere, away from the original Dark Knight. His attention turns toward the shadows and gloom of Blackgate, ensuring that their gathering remains inconspicuous and unnoticed. He acts as the vigilant sentry while the growing number of crimefighters in the immediate area gradually grows.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason has been largely flying under the radar since Iceland. There has been a bit of a psychic barrier around the 14th Street Garage since his return from that trip. He hasn't been out of action just more anti social.

When the alert goes out, he is driving back from a vigrous questioning of an informant. The guy will live. Maybe not well but he'll live. And he gave Red Hood the information being sought. So it wasn't a bad trip.

Frowing at the call from Batman, he tapped the console display and changed course to close in on the prison. The video feeds from Oracle are sent to the optics in his mask. Picture in Picture was one of the best inventions ever for multitasking.

<<Enroute. Three Minutes.>>

It's all he broadcasts as he brazenly breaks most traffic laws. He arrives, in fact, within two minutes and forty seconds. Emerging from his car, it locks itself down as he disappears into the shadows and joins the looming and lurking Bats already on site. There's really no point in announcing his arrival further. Batman knew where he was along his entire route.

So he, too, studies the situation. Rarely a team player, this isn't his party. He'd lose that runoff if he attempted to say otherwise anyway.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"Leka Dushku," Batman's sombre tones cut into the comms for all to hear, "Albanian mobster. Moved in when Falcone's empire imploded. Never done enough to warrant stepping on the PD's toes before now. Had a daughter called Adelina. Party girl by all accounts. Found OD'd on Fentanyl in Hartley's beach house. Evidence points to Hartley being her supplier, but he walked. Leka never got over it, apparently. Offered five million to whoever makes him suffer before killing him."

The alert showing the Red Hood on his way gives the Dark Knight a moment of pause. They conflicted on methods, but there was no denying that he was likely the best equipped when it came to putting down a riot.

"Reviewing Batgirl's feed now," he continues, "The guards have Hartley barricaded in the infirmary. We have several inmates breaking into the armory. They don't look like they have the passcode, but they're tenacious. That needs to stop."

There's a chirp, and information floods the various heads-up displays and feeds.

"Linking you into the database now. Should help you identify potential ringleaders and put them down. We're not going to get anywhere taking them on full force. Play this smart."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
The camera feeds that Oracle has linked in to everyone's various devices show some of them blacked out, others suffering from broken lenses while some are just pure white snow. "The inmates near the infirmary are taking out cameras." Barbara's voice speaks over comms. "Some are smashed, others are smeared in... grossness, it looks like."

She can be heard audibly sighing at this.

"I'm going to highlight a few points of entry that are more secluded from immediate threats, and you can make your choice on which you feel will get you where you want to start this off." She states, before a map of the exterior of the prison comes up across the Bat systems. It begins to ping different spots across the prison where security will allow entry, either for exposed vulnerability in the prison's design, or Babs momentarily deactivating a lock for her team to utilize and exploit.

"I got a bad feeling about this, though. I might start to head down there myself."

Damian Wayne has posed:
"Have CERT or other agencies been deployed inside?" Robin asks over the network. He doesn't speak more than is necessary to gather the information that he feels prudent to possess. Otherwise he continues to watch his surroundings from atop the parapet, some few yards away from Batman's position. While Batman's busy reviewing data, Robin acts as the sentry.

Jason Todd has posed:
Red Hood does study the data provided by Batman. He isn't terribly happy. Which isn't anything new. But it could easily be said he's been in a dark(er) place. Which means he tends to be more violent and dangerous. Dangerous-ness is useful in a prison riot. Violent even. But they do tend to flow in one common direction: Deadly. Yet he still listens and studies the schematics Batgirl has sent to them.

<<Always trust your Spidey Sense.>>

Grim or not, he still can sling zingers under pressure.

While Robin functions as the sentry lookout, Red Hood pulls his pistols and checks the clips. Studying the weapons briefly, he holsters them again.

Then? He waits. He knows where he wants to enter. Where he'd choose, but it's Batman's play. Over confident or not, even Red Hood can't deny Batman's beyond exceptional tactical skill.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"Stay on overwatch for now," Batman says to Oracle, "Manpower isn't going to crack this. We need superior operational intelligence. We're better served with you up there than down here."

For all the orders given, however, the Bat has long come to terms with the fact that Barbara is largely an outdoor cat and will do what she feels is necessary without deferring to him. Work long enough with the Batman and you get that; or you get killed and brought back to life ...

"No friendlies inside besides the guards and Hartley," he answers Robin, "They're experiencing a communications and equipment malfunction. Need to keep the field clear."

Another textbook example that beyond simply being a vigilante, the Batman is perfectly comfortable with breaking the law and inhibiting law enforcement where it suits his purposes. There's a reason they don't all love him.

"Keep your trackers online. Go for infil. Hood, take the armory. Robin, with me."

That said, he moves towards one of the few ventilation shafts that lead out into the open air. Unlocked for the moment by Oracle, he pries it loose and slips down in a near-silent flutter of black and grey.

Damian Wayne has posed:
The call to accompany Batman is met by a stern nod. When Batman moves, Robin follows swiftly and soundlessly after. When the ventilation cover is removed and Batman disappears within, Robin's a touch slower in pursuing. He carefully slips within and seats the vent cover back into place, which conceals the point of entry that the pair utilize in gaining entry to the interior of Blackgate.

Within the ventilation shafts Robin moves with practiced dexterity and precise silence. Each movement is taken with care, ensuring that neither he nor the Caped Crusader would come spilling out of a sudden collapse of the vents. Nor does he produce sound, taking care to spread his weight across a broader surface to prevent it producing noticeable sounds for those outside the shafts.

He acts as Batman's silent shadow, as though he was still undergoing the extensive training that's already under his belt. It isn't father and son working together right now. It's Batman and Robin. Together they move silently deeper and deeper. For Robin it is an unspoken competition. The younger of the pair testing who can make the least amount of noise amid their careful insertion into the infamous penitentiary.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Barbara had spent a long time in that wheelchair. She'd had a overwhelming desire to not be seated anymore during moments of action and need. She'd spent all those years building and preparing for the day where she could be back in the fight, back helping them, and in the past 3 years she'd been training physically to make herself a more formidable fighter. But, she still knew when to follow the lead of Batman, and as such, she sat back down at her console, and placed her helmeted mask back down beside that blonde headed plastic bobble-head. It wobbled, and smiled up at her.

"Got it." She simply replied, Bruce likely knowing her tone of voice was laced with a disappointment.

Beneath the Blimp's gondola, a number of black drones detached from their recharging and service ports. The drones whizzed to life, and began to rapidly descend from the airship toward the prison complex below.

If Babs couldn't be down there herself, her drones could be.

"Keep a sharp wit in there, watch out for other villainous types. They always come out of the shadows to help in these situations." She'd learned that herself the last time she'd been in a fight in that same prison. She still wanted to get even with Deathstroke for what transpired in that confrontation.

Jason Todd has posed:
Nodding, Red Hood brought up the Prison's schematics for ingress toward the armory.

"I have just the thing." For taking out the armory. Is he smiling as he speaks? It certainly sounds like it.

As Batman and Robin disappear so, too, does Red Hood. A few grapple jumps later, he is strong arming the grate over a ventilation shaft and disappearing into the main building.

<<Inside.>> His tracker is pinging as directed. Not that he particularly cares; he has no sense of concern over being outnumbered by the inmates. They're trapped inside with him. A perspective he learned years ago from someone else.

Finding a corridor below him, the sounds and sights of a fight between two guards and a half dozen inmates is in his path. He could use this as a distraction to keep going. That would be the tactical move. The smart move. But the anger stirs deep within and the grate underneath him is kicked out, slamming into one inmate's head and shoulders.

Red Hood's bulky form follows, landing behind two more inmates, personalized crowbar in hand. He attacks instanting, hooking the leg of the nearest inmate and tumbling him to the concrete floor before following through with a blow to the ribs for good measure.

The shock wears off of the four remaining inmates. It's now three on four and it was never a fair fight.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Oracle's drones have an easier time infiltrating the prison, not needing to abide by gravity. Emerging in an office space previously used by the guards, they'll find a handful of inmates crowded around a computer enjoying their first internet access in years. More than a few salacious images scrawl across the screen.

"Hah! I can't believe they don't have content blocker here. I was at Iron Heights and you couldn't even log into your Stark-mail account without havin' to get permission ... "

Meanwhile, near to the armory, the Red Hood shows his talents for counter-mayhem. Even as the inmates topple, the sound of thudding footsteps fills the corridor. Though he's without his usual gear, his size and the makeshift orange-cloth mask he wears makes the man unmistakable. Older now, but a terror when Jason - back when he was Robin - put him in Blackgate alongside Batman. Anatoli Knyazev ... the KGBeast!

"You seem familiar, korotyshka," he growls, standing tall even over the impressive specimen of the Red Hood, "You want to dance?"

And in the corridor leading the infirmary, Batman and Robin come to a silent halt behind a crowd of men in prison jumpsuits hammering on what is clearly a barricaded door.

"I'll distract them," he tells the younger vigilante, "You get Hartley and the guards out."

He doesn't wait for a reply, instead heaving a small sphere of something towards the men. A sudden eruption of smoke and sound, and the Bat moves to intercede.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
"Once you're inside, I'm going to relock your entry points." Barbara's voice chimes in again over the network. "We can't be responsible for some of these monsters getting back out on the street..."

From the dark sky above, Batgirl's flock of drones zips down in a V-formation over the prison's rear grounds. They begin to split apart, four going one direction while four break off in the opposite. Each one begins monitoring the prison to look for any would be escapees benefitting off the interior chaos.

Inside, BArbara can see Batman and Robin heading down one corridor, while on another camera she watches Jason as that familiar face appears on camera.

Instantly, the Oracle AI system boxes out the face, raises the quality upon the image, and keys up a bunch of relevent information for Barbara to read.

"Hood," Babs chimes in again. "KG Beast. He's sustained damage in his long career of being a jerk. He's loaded with cybernetics, but my intel says they're non functional. I dunno if you can use that against him, but it's a lot of dead weight, so don't fear it.."

Damian Wayne has posed:
The smoke obscures the area. As Batman launches himself into the fray, Robin springs into action. Already he's speaking in a low tone toward Oracle-Batgirl across their shared network, <<"Oracle, unlock I-4 in the infirmary.">>

Robin speaks plainly and clearly now that the element of surprise has gone up in smoke. He wades into the smoke along side Batman, but now with separate purposes he doesn't allow himself to become bogged down in the fighting. Amidst the struggle, thrown punches, potentially broken limbs, and more that transpires within the smoke; Robin's direct involvement in the scuffle is brief. In the sudden melee he spies one assailant armed with a hammer attempting to go at Batman from behind. No doubt pilfered from a maintenance cart that had been on a unit when the riot broke out. Robin's quick to wordlessly snatch the man by the wrist, twisting it savagely until the hammer thunks to the floor, and a swift kick to the side of the man's knee results in an unsettling crackle and snap as cartilage pops and the knee buckles out of socket. The man falls to the ground with a shout of pain and agony.

Robin keeps moving.

A moment later and Robin springs beneath a wild, blind swing of another and slides up to the I-4 infirmary door. A quick rap of a knuckle against the steel door, followed by two more, seems to act as some unofficial signal that the the knocker is a friendly. Even if those inside had no way of truly knowing. Robin knows that he may face hostility from those inside; even if for just a brief moment.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Batman seems almost mechanical in his dismantling of the gathered rioters. They land hands on him at times, but none of it seems to slow him. For a man approaching his fiftieth year, he takes blows struck in chaotic rage with all the seeming of a contrite flagellant who welcomes the pain.

He does no more damage than what is necessary; dislocating shoulders, fingers, and letting the wounded fall to the floor. His goal is to draw all their attention, and it works as they all turn and reach as a baying horde to try and tear apart the man responsible for putting more than a few of them in here.

Robin, meanwhile, has a moment when the door is opened and the guards peer through it. They recognize the colors the young vigilante wears and reach through the gap, half-helping and half-pulling him through and over the barricade to the inside. There, he'll find a handful of guards who look like they've taken a beating. Slumped up against a wall, a look of terror on his face, is Clinton Hartley. In his hands, he holds an envelope.

Oracle's drones pick up a few inmates making an opportunity of the riot. They move towards one of the loading docks, the group wearing ill-fitting guard uniforms but facial recognition quickly pinging them as prisoners.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
It takes only a few seconds after Damian makes the request that the red light on the locked doorway's edge blinks to green, and a buzz-click heralds the unlocking of the specific location. Babs was ever on top of her game.

"I'm going to try and unlock specific doors, and lock others, to herd people away from your locations." She tells the general team involved in the riot down below.

Meanwhile, her green eyes flicker over to one of her other screens, movement catching her attention. She spies the skulking prisoners moving toward the loading dock, from one of her aerial cameras. With a faint frown, Babs navigates the cursor to a selection of options, without even having to utilize a mouse to move the cursor at all.

From above, three of her drones form up in a dtriangle pattern, each one suddenly firing off a smoke cannister that flies toward the ground, delivering a debilitating noxious gas meant to make the recipients begin to see nothing but smoke, whilst they'll soon begin to feel fire and their every orafice start to drool some manner of bodily fluids!

It's more 'grossness', but it is also a sure-fire way to make the men stop their fleeing plans!

Damian Wayne has posed:
The door buzzes and Robin's quick to open it. Then he's hauled into the room after those inside verify his identity. Damian doesn't delve into questions just yet, but instead begins with a question, "Can you all move?" He gives a look throughout the room, his hands curled lightly into fists at his sides. He's ready for a potential ambush, even if he's supposed to be among potential allies-by-necessity.

Hartley's given only brief consideration, along with the envelope that he holds. Neither of which Robin dwells upon for the moment. Hearing Oracle's recent broadcast and without directly acknowledging it, Robin speaks to those guards gathered around, "The inmates outside are being dealt with. If we can clear a path and herd them away, can you all get to safety with Hartley?"

The questions are quick and simple. Yes. No. No true need for elaboration from any of the Correctional Officers. They may be coherent and in-control now. The crash from the adrenaline high'll come later. That's when the counseling comes, the reminders to not make big purchases or significant life altering decisions, and the rest.

It's the here and now that Robin's concerned with.

<<"Batman. We've got a few injured in here. Checking if they can be moved. Hartley's secure for the moment,">> Robin states clearly through their shared communications network. Batman can multitask, so Robin isn't concerned with that. His words are spoken clearly to raise the hopes of those officers presently holed up in the infirmary and to remind Hartley that even if he's rescued, he's not going to escape with the Dark Knight around.

Jason Todd has posed:
The fighting is keeping Red Hood a little busy just now. Please try again later.

Batgirl can see the feed from his mask as he takes down two more inmates only to watch KB Beast emerge from the doorway in all his girthy glory.

As the huge man claims familiarity with Red Hood, the later shrugs, "You know, it's possible. I tend to get around when it comes to putting assholes behind bars." Idly spinning the crowbar in his right hand he leaves the last two inmates to the guards as he moves to put himself between the guards and KG. They're outclassed.

Closing in, Red Hood lets KG strike first. He flows away from the swing, delivering a blow with the crowbar. The sound of metal on metal is heard as he strikes cybernetics.

"Well Mr. Roboto let's get you back to your suite."

Sometimes talking has its place. Sometimes it results in a fist hitting your jaw. Red Hood takes the blow, silently thankful his mask absorbed much of the impact. Turning, the fight turns into a scrape and claw sort of brawl. Blows are traded with fists and counter blows with the crowbar.

<<They might be deactivated, it still hurts. A bit.>> Comes the reply to Batgirl as he gets slammed into the wall. His fist finds KG's jaw next and delivers three powerful hits to make some space between them. But beyond the corridor is the Armory, still. And Red Hood can tell there are figures inside. He's going to assume they're inmates. Which is bad. He needs to get KG down fast.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"You've dealt with him before," Batman intones over the comms to Red Hood, his rather unconventional means of encouragement, "You're better than he is."

The men attempting to escape cough a little at the smoke, jeering at the drone before the sickness takes root. It doesn't take long for them to collapse all over each other, the doors locking around them to seal them in place.

Inside the infirmary, the guards take stock of themselves when Robin asks his question. They nod their heads, looking to each other and then back to the Boy Wonder.

"Yeah, we're fine," they answer, gesturing towards Hartley, "He's not hurt, far as we can tell. Don't know where he got that paper he's holdin' onto. Had it when we found him."

"Wh-what's it mean?" Hartley asks Damian, rising to his feet and holding the envelope out towards Damian, "What does it mean? I -- "

The inmate - the target of this riot - is cut off by a sudden racking cough, prompting him to double over for a moment as he tries to regain his breath. The envelope topples from his hand to the floor, and the note inside slips out to where Robin can read.

    Twas such a manner of disease, 'twas such
    mortal miasma in Cecropian lands
    Whilom reduced the plains to dead men's bones ...

Barbara Gordon has posed:
A trio of large prisoners are rushing down a hallway toward Jason and KG Beast, when the doorway between them and their prey is suddenly slid shut and locked up tight. Barbara is keeping a close watch over Jason's fight, but there's little she can do from her current vantage point, other than provide overwatch on the doors and other security systems within the prison. As the men rush the door, and began to attempt to jury-rig it open, a sudden rainstorm comes sprinkling down upon them from the fire safety systems in the hallway they occupy. the men just shout at one another, before they begin to retreat the way they had come.

Barbara sweeps her gaze to the fleeing prisoners, seeing the cloud of smoke encircling them, as several gas cannisters continued to pour out the noxious fumes. She calls off most of her drones, leaving just one to oversee that situation, the others swirling off to other parts of the prison complex.

A few of the drones begin to flash bright LED lumens of light down upon the building, shining beams of light in through reinforced windows.

"I'm working on the GCPD communication net, trying to unjam whatever has it blocked up. I think they might be planning a siege soon. I'll keep them on the first floor in the lobby for as long as you guys need me to."

Damian Wayne has posed:
The answers are given and Robin nods in answer to them. The question from Hartley, the racking coughs, and the dropped paper results in Damian taking a half-step back. His chin dips and his mask tilts, lowering the white field concealing his eyes toward the floor. The view is magnified for a moment. Long enough to read the script. He doesn't take long in answering, commenting with a glance toward the envelope, "Don't touch it. It's likely been infected with a virus; plague, potentially. I'll collect it and run analysis as quickly as possible."

Then it's to the general comm traffic that Damian's voice issues, his voice low and kept calm despite the circumstances, <<"Hartley's been infected. An old poem about the Plague of Athens. Administering a stimulant to keep him going.">> Damian doesn't delay in putting actions to words. Without waiting or gathering Hartley's permission, Damian steps in quickly and with his gloved hand slaps a stimulant patch onto the man's forearm. Powerful enough to stave off the symptoms, but not so powerful that it might exacerbate the issue.

Then Damian addresses the network again, addressing the target of his broadcast, <<"Batman. Split up? You extract Hartley to safety. I'll get the officers out of here.">> Despite the way that the younger Wayne and Robin speaks so seriously and directly, it is still a question. From a certain point of view.

Jason Todd has posed:
Red Hood is focused on his fight.

<<Of course I am.>> The part unsaid is that Batman had his hand in making Jason better than the likes of KG Beast. A Lazarus Pit and some time with the League of Assassins probably helped a little.

Seeing the door slam shut on the would be reinforcements, Red Hood grins behind his mask. A series of blows are followed by a swing of the crowbar to hook KG's left ankle and topple him onto his back on the floor. For a moment, Red Hood is looming over the fallen criminal and it seems as if he will raise that crowbar to deliver a finishing blow - of the terminal sort. A second passes, then two.

The report of a pistol echoes in the corridor and likely across comms.

Red Hood stands, pistol drawn in his off hand as he watches one of his taser rounds discharge its payload into KG Beast's chest to take him out of the fight without ending him.

Silently Red Hood turns and moves toward the Armory.

<<Batgirl any intel on how secure the armory is right now? Any inmates closing in?>> His crowbar is lowered and pistol holstered. His free hand idly reaches toward a thermite grenade. If he has to he will melt the armory into so much slag rather than let the inmates get further weapons.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"We're almost done here," Batman announces, "Oracle, open file zero one hyphen alpha echo thirteen."

Should she do so, that 'whatever' jamming up the GCPD communication net suddenly evaporates. Batman's work, it would seem. Buying them enough time to bring down the riot before the crisis response teams beat down the doors with firearms.

Though diverted by the fight with the now-downed KGBeast, Jason drew enough attention to clear the Armory door. It's a short trip to find it scuffed and damaged, but still closed.

Outside the infirmary, the Dark Knight stands amidst what can only be described as a pile of beaten, broken men. He steps over them, reaching out with both hands to unceremoniously tear the door from its hinges and work at pulling down the barricade from the other side. The guards move for their weapons, only to leap back in fear when they see the dark figure on the other side.

"Plague?" he asks over the comms, though he's cut short by the sudden cry of pain and fear from Hartley. The stimulant does its job, yet whatever has poisoned the man seems stronger than a mere infection. His skin itself takes on a sickening grey hue run through with red, and the buttons of his jumpsuit open far enough to reveal great swathes of necrotized flesh on his bare chest.

"Robin, go!" Batman announces, moving immediately to place himself between his squire and the poisoned man. The stimulant keeps his heart beating, it seems, but whatever is inside him now nevertheless makes him suffer.

The way past, out into the now-safe corridor is left for Robin and the guards. The Bat making a wall of himself between Hartley and the rest.

"Oracle, I'm taking a blood sample. Send a drone. I need it analyzed immediately."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
"Looks like the armory is still secure, Hood. But be careful, a lot of the cameras around it are knocked out, so I'm a bit blind in that area." Oracle informs Jason down below, before adding. "Good win too, by the way."

When Batman's voice comes in to tell her of the specific file, Oracle softly mutters to herself... 'No wonder I couldn't figure it out...' as Bruce was one of the few computer savvy people to give her a run for her money, even if she was confident she was going to get it eventually!

None the less, the file is accessed, and the comm blanket over the GCPD is lifted. "They're chattering away. Gordon is down there too, he's asking for you, Batman." Babs says in a warning tone, that suggests she knows all too well the mood her father is likely in right now.

While she talked, she navigated one of her drones to the window neareste to Batman's location, and with a flash of a LED light, the drone signaled it was in position. A second later, and likely with Batman's aid, the window was breached, and the drone was hovering up against the building to accept the package from the Dark Knight.

"Got it." Oracle's voice states, as her Bat-shaped drone revved its electrical engines, and wizzed up in to the sky, headed back toward the GGE Blimp above, where Batgirl had a on-site lab waiting for the sample.

Damian Wayne has posed:
The call for Robin to depart the situation may cause others in Damian's position to protest, but Damian isn't others. He's more pragmatic. Which is why when Batman announces firmly for him to go, he doesn't hesitate to follow those orders. They're a team and sometimes being on a team simply means shutting your mouth and doing what you're told. Otherwise the team dynamic falls apart. The call to go results in Damian immediately shifting, slipping further away from Hartley as Damian begins to gesture toward the doorway, "Let's move," he says to the guards, "stay together and follow my directions exactly."

The barricades removed by virtue of the beast that is Batman makes their departure from the infirmary room far easier and as Robin leads the way, he speaks into the comm network to Barbara, <<"Oracle, advise directions for a clear route from the infirmary with multiple prison personnel. You're my eyes and compass.">>

Damian may not like putting himself in the hands of another; but that's the nature of a team.

He begins to move forward at a brisk pace, slipping from shadow to shadow as they're available. He dips into alcoves as they're found and always moving ahead of the group of guards. Ever ready to spring upon a hapless inmate or other threat. He acts as the canary for the group of guards; leading them away or even through the potential of danger as it's located.

Jason Todd has posed:
Red Hood is not one to treat cautiously most of the time. He's more of the Bull in a China shop sort. This is no exception. He stows the crowbar in favor of drawing both pistols. Opening the secured door, he enters and scans the room. If Prison camera feeds are down, Batgirl will get live feed off his mask's sensors and optics.

As he enters, he muses quietly back to Batiglrl, <<Right. Hashtag Winning...>>

Sweeping the armory, he works to confirm the room is secure along with its selection of weapons. <<Armory secure.>> For now anyway.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Batman remains silent over the comms. When the drone arrives, he is in the process of drawing blood from the now-unconscious Hartley. The small, sealed vial is taken and placed into the drone's compartment. Done with it for now, he sets it to return to Oracle.

"Streptococcus pyogenes," he finally speaks up, "Early stages necrotizing fasciitis."

"Oracle, I'm going to evac Hartley to the roof. Let emergency services they need hazmat. Pre-incarceration physical didn't pick up any of this. NF comes on suddenly, but not this suddenly ... "

He growls through his teeth, looking down to the envelope. Gloved hands pick it up, placing it into a sealed bag which is in turn sealed up in a pouch on his belt.

"Hood, ensure the armory is locked down. Robin, once you have the guards clear, exfil back to the Batcave. Incinerate whatever you're wearing and start a course of intravenous moxifloxacin."

A long, pregnant pause.

"Good work, all of you."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
One little known secret about Oracle is that most direct commands for her aren't even going to Barbara specifically, but are going straight to her Oracle AI system. As such, Robin's request already has the AI preparing the route for him and his escort mission officers. While Batman's request is already being processed, with messages going out to the GCPD in perfectly formatted-- and arguably bland-- AI text and voice messages.

"Robin." Barbara does chime in while the drone flies back to the GGE Blimp. "Look for the doors that have blinking yellow lights. They'll turn green when you approach them. Take those. They'll lead you to the lobby and the calvalry."

Outside of the airship, the drone nestles itself upinside one of its niche compartments, locked back in to its nesting position, while the package placed inside it by Batman is sent through an internal system. It arrives inside the gondola lab, where Batgirl begins to carefuly manage it. Once she has the vial in place, she speaks again over comms. "Batman, the information will process and come to your system within moments. Voice your commands, and the system will do the work for you."

Babs takes a step back from the lab equipment, her eyes on the vial as little metallic arms manipulate it and begin to push it through the scanning hardware.

"Hood: Watch out for a gang headed your way." Barbara states, as she stands back near her computer terminals now. "They might be a bit much for you to handle."

While Damian is face to face with prisoners reaching through bars to try and grab him and his officer escorts, spouting nasty threats, and being generally vile creatures, Jason is soon to see a 'gang' of four prisoners shuffling down a hallway, all of them under four feet in height, but still dressed in orange and yellow prisoner jumpers.

Babs smirks to herself.

Damian Wayne has posed:
Barbara's voice alerts Damian to the blinking yellow lights as he draws near to one. "Understood," comes his response and Robin's quick to move into actual. He sidles up near the door and as it begins to open, he peeks an eye around the frame. He nods once, finding the way clear. Oracle - and Batgirl - knew their stuff, of course. He never doubted them for a moment.

"Move," Robin calls quietly to the guards. While many an inmate may reach for, insult, or threaten the passing procession of Robin and the Guards; the former ignores them all. He'd suffered worse in his youth than a few men in cages could shout at him.

Door after door blinks yellow, drawing Robin and his merry band of prison personnel. Those same blinking yellow lights flick green upon his approach. They work their way through the facility with minimal encounters and those that they do tread across: Robin is quick to dispatch. Always with quick, brutal efficiency. Economy of action and momentum. All while taking great, exhausting pains not to outright kill anyone. Broken, busted heaps? Good. Death? Bad.

When they do finally find salvation and the flood of lights from outdoors illuminates the lobby, the group of guards begins to surge forward with exhausted sighs and even a few thankful cheers. From a distance and out of immediate sight, Robin watches. Ensuring that they make it safely back to the GCPD tactical teams and other units waving them to safety.

Only when the last guard is safely out of the harm's way does Robin slip away. He transmits a final message, "Batman, Robin. Personnel have been extracted. I'm moving to secure our exit. I'll transmit location when it's ready."

Jason Todd has posed:
Confirming the Armory is clear, Red Hood hears the update from Batgirl.

<<Armory's clear. Entry is locked down... now.>>

Securing the armory, Red Hood closes the door, placing himself outside the single doorway. Facing the gang of vertically challenged inmates, he crosses his arms.

"Sorry boys. You must be this... tall in order to ride this ride." His hand gestures to a foot taller than any of the four.

"Go back to your cells now and you won't suffer artheritis in your fingers for the rest of your lives because I broke them."

He stares the gang down. They seem intent on reaching those weapons and begin to close on him again.

"Seriously? C'mon. You're killin' me, smalls." Word play over, Red Hood's pistols are again in hand as the sound of gunfire echoes down the hallway.

Twelve rounds fired. Three for each. Overkill? Absolutely.

<<Batgirl, are you recording this? I want to show Osprey the way these guys twitch later. Hilarious.>>

Blue arcs of electricity flicker over the now twitching inmates on the floor.

<<Again. Armory Secure. Guards are moving in to secure these clowns. I'm exiting now. You know where to find me if you need me.>>