18920/Injustice For All: The Beast Strikes Back

Injustice For All: The Beast Strikes Back
Date of Scene:	05 October 2024
Location:	Tricorner Docks
Synopsis:	The KGBeast and his mercenaries invade Gotham looking for revenge on the Penguin and the Injustice League. With so many innocents caught in the middle, the Justice League and allies responds as the situation threatens to spiral out of control...
Cast of Characters:	Hal Jordan, Monet St. Croix, Carol Ferris, Barbara Gordon, Jason Todd, Aisling Caroll
Tinyplot:	Injustice For All

---

Hal Jordan has posed:
A few years ago Gotham City was invaded by a new criminal organization. One that was highly organized and highly trained, mostly made up of shady mercenaries and all under the command of the KGBeast. They made inrroads into claiming their fair share of the spoils from underworld endeavors in Gotham including dominating a great deal of the smuggling and related business around the Tricorner Island docks.

A few months ago, as a way of demonstrating the advantages of membership in the Injustice League, the new collection of supervillains launched an assault on the KGBeast's operations, crushing his business and scattering his men as they insured that crime along Gotham's waterfront would run through on of their own -- The Penguin.

Fifteen Minutes Ago: The quiet of the Gotham City waterfront was shattered as after docking earlier in the day, one of the large cargo ships that had been stranged silent -- no efforts yet made to unload it despite being docked for more then six hours -- suddenly began swarming with activity. Dozens of men, all armed with military-grade weaponry swarmed up for the lower decks and the man behind them has made his appearance on the deck of said ship -- The KGBeast.

Back for revenge.

Within minutes multiple explosions have been viewed, lighting up the night sky over Tricorner Island as numberous missiles have been fired from shoulder mounted, portable launchers, all directed towards nearby warehouses. Warehouses all either outright owned, or subtly controlled by the Penguin. As hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, in illicit goods goes up in smoke, the KGBeast's mercenaries have begun to fan out throughout the shipyards and the docks, wrecking havoc wherever they can. The sound of automatic gunfire cuts through the night, blotting out even the approaching sounds of police sirens that grow closer and closer to the chaotic scene.

Adding to that chaos, the Penguin's goods do their best to fight back as they can, but increasingly they turn tail and flee, driven back by the overwhelming firepower of their old rivals.

And so elsewhere in Gotham, even as Oswald Cobblepot gathers up his hencemen to defend what he claims is his, a call has already gone out for reinforcement. Much more powerful reinforcements...

Of course it isn't just the Injustice League that is likely to take an interest in the chaos surrounding the Gotham Waterfront. Afterall, the last time this happened it was there arch-enemies behind the violence. So while the GCPD streams ever closer to the scene, they are hardly the only ones.

Including a streak of green that mingles with a similar violet one, carving a path through the dark night sky overhead. While he has been spending the bulk of his time off world as of late, on this particular night Hal Jordan is very much on the scene, Metropolis just a hop, skip and a jump away for someone with a power ring. And he has brought a friend.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
There's an alert that's gone out. The Injustice League is something that MOnet has kept in contact with the Justice League over, and so when there's a call to spandex she's close enough along the Hyperloop to rendezous and get pulled along by someone faster to arrive there in time, caught up in the teleporter of the Watchtower to be deployed. The question in Gotham is always if the Bats can come to pursue and join, but in these types of fights where there can only be a few minutes to rush in not everything is possible. You go in with what you have.

Flying at high speed, Monet is high in the air when the group goes to deploy, but too far away to get a good telepathic scan of the area. There are too many minds, too many fighting, and too much chaos and explosions for her to get anything of use from it. She goes to rapidly try and get a headcount of as many as she can - heroes, threats, civilians, but there's no way to say if her scan is accurate or not.

She goes to head along at a degree to let one of the more durable fliers to take point, ready to go in as backup. Machine guns will hurt her, and she doesn't want to get caught over in a crossfire.

It can't be just the heavy mercenaries, there has to be more in wait here. Someone heavy ready to deploy and to be caught up in the melee when the chaff has been thinned out and the first responders attrited. That's the way this always goes. <<responding, ready to give mindlink to all en route. The thrats mostly seem to be firearms on all sides so far>>

Carol Ferris has posed:
A streak of violet cuts through the sky, trailing just behind the familiar green glow of Hal Jordan's light. The Gotham City waterfront sprawls below, and Carol Ferris, as Star Sapphire, maintains pace with him effortlessly. Her violet ring hums with energy, feeding off the love that has brought her here -- not just for Hal, but for the people caught in the chaos. As they close in, the sound of gunfire and explosions fills the air, pulling Carol's focus to the burning warehouses and the swarming mercenaries wreaking havoc below.

Her eyes narrow. They weren't wasting any time tearing apart the Penguin's hold on the docks. She's not here for them, but Gotham's streets could easily become a battlefield if this escalates further.

As they fly closer, Carol's gaze sweeps over the scene -- explosions lighting up the sky, men scrambling, some fleeing. The chaos is thick. Taking out the heavy artillery first could neutralize the biggest threat... or maybe shielding the warehouses that haven't yet gone up in flames would be a more defensive approach.

She slows beside Hal. "We need to stop this before it turns into an all-out war. Do we know what's inside those warehouses?" she asks through the link between their rings that lets them communicate whether they're flying at supersonic speeds through the atmosphere or floating in the vacuum of space. "Chemicals? _People?_ How much fallout are we dealing with?"

Her eyes dart to Hal. "I can help with the fires and shield what I can. You want to take the ground, break their line of fire before they level everything?"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Gotham was a haven for sudden, and insane, breakouts of violence. It is why its Police are so overworked, underpaid and under appreciated. It leads to corruption of all manner, and more crime that compounds to levels that no one knows how to combat it.

It created the Bats, and it gives them a driving purpose even yet today in 2024.

One such Bat, is launching in a Batwing from the top of the GGE Blimp on the easter edge of the city. Being that the sun was down, the GGE Blimp was on a routine flight pattern that took it around the perimeter of the city limits, its running lights flashing brightly in the dark sky. The Batwing that launched from above it, did so in a fashion that had it cutting through the dark with sleek precision, a small plane, it soared over the city, stealth systems allowing its powerful single jet engine to stay quiet enough not to rock the glass out of building windows, and as it reaches the docks, it streaks by overhead.

Whomever was causing this trouble likely suspected they would draw at least one of the Bats, and they certainly had done just so.

The Batwing swept around in a southward arc toward the river, tilting over on to its port side, as the pilot within it was out of the vehicle in a flash. The jet, however, kept flying, streaking up toward the north now, hung low over the river's waters.

With her cape rigid, and fluttering in the wind behind her, Batgirl soared alone now, streaking down toward a nearby building, where she found a quick landing space, up against a brick wall, her eyes watching the chaos unfolding below.

<"all available Bat-family, your presence is requested at the docks immediately. On my locale. All other super heros on this channel, all assistance is welcome in stopping whatever has just begun."> Batgirl's voice speaks through an open channel, used by many super hero teams.

She did not yet know that the buildings being targeted were Penguin's alone, but that info would probably come up soon, as over her head a flock of Bat-drones swept in from the north, directly tied in to the computer system fed through Batgirl's suit, both in augmented reality when her eyelits were closed, and her wrist computer, which she glanced down at now, to ascertain a bit more info from her aerial vehicles connected to her Oracle AI computers back in the Clocktower.

She was gathering info, before she decided how to best engage. Safety was paramount in a heavy weapons fight like this.

Hal Jordan has posed:
To be sure there are plentiful fires cutting a swath through the various warehouses that crowd the area just back from the massive concrete piers that house all the various ships that dock here. While Gotham's industrial glory might have begun to fade with the turn of the 20th century, it still remains one of the busiest ports along the Eastern Seaboard it would seem.

Tonight, unfortunately, that just seems to present even more targets for the KGBeast and his mercenaries to destroy. There is not a great deal of subtlty to be found in their approach, but then it would seem that the Russian mercenary has little interest in attempting to claim his lost crown as an up and comer in the Gotham Underworld. He is clearly just out for revenge, to burn down as much as he can and he doesn't mind if he makes a lot of noise -- and draws a lot of attention -- to the docks in the process.

That process continues to involve a whole lot of explosions. Some are small scale -- relatively speaking -- grenades tossed by the advancing mercs towards nearby buildings or piles of offloaded goods that have not been moved inside and regular blasts -- plumes of smoke and fire and the roar of those same blasts echoing through the night. Periodically new trails appear in the sky as those missiles are launched, streaking towards wahtever building catches their operators gaze before exploding in a violent, fiery blast. One streaks not towards any building in particular, but instead strikes one of the heavy cargo cranes, bending metal support beams as the entire structure begins to tilt precariously.

While many of those sprawled on the ground appear to be the Penguin's goons -- the illegal weapons would certainly suggest as much -- here and there legitimate workers cower in whatever cover they can find. The port is open twenty-four hours a day and the dock workers and custom agents are not on the Penguin's payroll. Most of them at least. And even those that might be susceptible to a bribe now and then have no interest in getting involved. But with the mercenaries blowing up everything in sight, safe places to be are few and far between. Though help, it would seem is on the way.

Not all of it is there for the innocents trapped in the revenge scheme however. While the Penguin and his men race the GCPD through the streets of Tricorner island to get to the port first, others have already arrived.Emerging out of the shadows are two of the local members of the Injustice League.

A group of advancing mercs suddenly find their own tactics used against them, a grenade landing in their midst. A second later a billowing cloud of sickly yellow gas envelops them.

That's when the screams start. And the masked figure of the Scarecrow steps out of the shadows with that rictus-like grin etched on that baggy face covering.

A few hundred feet away, as another team of four mercs begin to trot towards another of the Penguin's storehouses, they are suddenly enveloped in a wave of cold and ice, left frozen in place, frozen alive by the sweeping ray of Mr. Freeze's cold gun.

Clearly things are already escalating and up onboard the cargo ship the JGBeast narrows his eyes before making a motion. The onboard ship's crane whirs into operation, lifting out something from the cargo hold. In moments it becomes clear as a pair of powersuited men are lowered to the docks below in their mini-mechs, the crane already going back to fetch more of the reinforcements.

Things are already escalating.

Hal Jordan has posed:
Whipping through the air, Hal sends Carol the frequency to allow her ring to tap into the Justice League and emergency comms. << Green Lantern and Star Sapphire on the scene, >> he announces, flashing a tight grin towards Carol. "Sounds like a plan to me. I--" he begins when that tottering crane suddenly begins to collapse. Whirling, emerald light flashes from his ring and a giant car jack seems to materialize from thin air, bracing the collapsing structure before it can crash through the customs office where innocents cower. "This is turning into a mess fast," he grunts.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
This is getting rather nasty, even as Monet St. Croix furrows her brows. There are local villains charging out here - are they acting under the aegis of the League or merely here to pursue their own interests. Monet immediately identifies Scarecrow, marking him as the most dangerous one as she goes to send out a high priority telepathic call <<Scarecrow is present. Engage at long range>> While the Lantern can probably shrug off his drugs, Monet doesn't know the same thing for the rest of them. He's not someone she wants to engage with her fists. It means to try and throw things a thim. She's not sure that her telepathic powers would be useful, and he's not someone she wants to hit and run. But she doesn't want to risk crippling him with throwing something too bulky..

Moving to try and confirm where he is exactly with her tleepathy in a passive manner so as to hopefully not alert him, she goes to snap on down at high speed to try and grab somtehing appropriate to throw.. She quickly zips past heavy equipment, cars, bricks, before finally finding what is close enough. It's a pair of large sandbags which she picks up from long range, evaluates how far he is and then goes to try and launch them from about a hundred meters away at him. She throws them far enough and hopefully accurately enough that they'll bleed off most of their power but hopefully with enough force that they can minimize their arc.. And hopefully two full sandbags slamming into him from that far away will catch him by surprise and also beat him down. She's hopeful that they'll just break a few bones of his and cause him enough pain and confusion to try and escape or go unconscious. She doesn't want to risk crippling him.

But, to her he's the greatest threat of anyone here so far, and she has to make sure he goes down fast as possible.

Carol Ferris has posed:
That violet streak slices through the thick smoke, and Carol narrows her focus, her ring feeding her updates from the Justice League comms. The crane groans ominously in the distance, held up by Hal's construct, but her gaze shifts to the dock workers scattered across the waterfront, trying desperately to find cover amidst the chaos. She assesses the scene quickly -- explosions, machine gunfire, and now Scarecrow's gas creeping closer to innocent bystanders.

No hesitation.

Carol dives lower, her violet energy flaring bright as she flies over a cluster of terrified civilians. Just as a grenade clatters near their position, she thrusts out her hand. A shimmering wall of violet light forms in the air, expanding just in time to intercept the explosion. The blast rocks the docks, but her shield holds firm, absorbing the impact. Shrapnel sprays against the glowing barrier, harmlessly deflecting off it as the workers huddle behind her protection, wide-eyed but unharmed.

"Go!" Star Sapphire urges, hovering in the air and expanding the barrier, sweeping it in a protective arc around the scattered workers. Her ring pulses with raw power, the construct solid and unyielding as the chaos rages on. She's faced galactic tyrants, entire planets on the brink of destruction -- this is just another battlefield.

<< "Star Sapphire, I'm on civilians," >> she reports, her voice calm despite the urgency of the situation.

She scans the scene again, her eyes catching sight of Scarecrow's gas closing in on another group. A quick burst of energy sends her rocketing toward them. The yellow cloud is only seconds away, but Carol is faster. She throws up a second barrier, the violet light cutting off the gas and creating a safe zone for the workers who scramble to escape.

As she moves again, her ring flares, another barrier rising to protect a group pinned between debris and incoming fire. Carol's eyes narrow in determination. She can't control everything. She can't be everywhere at once, but she's doing what she can to make sure the innocent stay safe.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
With the Bat-drones performing a aerial sweep over, they began to assess the situation going on, and fed the info to Batgirl's computer, which organized and output a recommended approach plan to her display on her left wrist. She showed a small grimace at the situation, especially when small windows appeared, that showcased the faces of the Scarecrow, and Mr. Freeze. "Great." Babs said quietly to herself. With the crane beginning to fall, Batgirl's eyes went up to it, then to the streaks of green and pink in the sky. <"All the help is appreciated."> Babs' voice spoke over the JL broadcast channel. <"Watch out for Scarecrow, and Freeze. They are both extremely dangerous.">

Babs quickly began to order commands to her drone, her own mind linked in to the computer system via the neural implant that gave her the ability to walk again. She was setting a game plan, a strategy, based on what was unfolding, and primarily right now? It was on all of the targets on the docks who were already identified with weapons.

In the sky, the flock of 12 Bat-drones spread out, and began to fire off an assortment of smoke pellets, and energy darts that were meant to stun targets, should they make connection with the gunmen below. It was a cacophony of electrical sparking sounds, and the hissing of white smoke meant to blind the aggressive shooters on the ground.

<"Mechs seem to be on the deck of that ship. That is not normal tech around here. They are a high priority to stop."> Batgirl added, as she stepped off the building, and now glided down to the plumes of white smoke that her drones had just laid down across the active shooters.

Batgirl disappeared inside the smoke, and within seconds after, the sounds of the men within the wafting clouds, began to scream, and their weapons began to get discarded in seemingly random directions!

Jason Todd has posed:
<<Batgirl. I'm on my way. Save some of the fun for me.>>

As Red Hood finishes responding to Batgirl's All-Bats-Bulletin, he stands on the brakes in his heavily modified '69 Mustang Mach 1. The screach of tires as the armored car slows rapidly before he turns the wheel hard left and buries the gas pedal. Those already protesting tires continue as they begin to spin and fight for traction with the hard turn. They win out and the matte black car begins to accelerate toward the docks as its engine roars, echoing angrily off the buildings as he passes.

As Scarecrow and Freeze make their presence known, the Car arrives on the scene.

<<Batgirl I'm here. Where do you need me.>>

Emerging from the Car, the perpetually angry looking mask turns to look at his ride, "Lock and Secure." The Car lowers itself to the ground, the wheels pulling up into the fenders as armored panels drop to seal the body to the ground all the way around.

Turning he pulls one of his pistols, attaching a grapple. Firing toward the highest warehouse roof in range, he takes to the High Ground. Everyone knows when you have the High Ground, it's all over.

To that point he crosses to the business edge of the warehouse where the fighting is. Pistols in hand he begins to unload rounds at anyone with a gun; Penguin's goons. KGBeast's. Scarecrow or Freeze. If they have a weapon they're fair game. In fact it makes it easier to find targets - and there are a lot of them. As he starts to help thin the herd, he waits for an update from Batgirl. He is content to be a dangerous weapon and let someone else point him in the right direction. Really, it's what he does best.

Aisling Caroll has posed:
    So, fish out of water? Check. New Kid? Check. No one knows who the blazes she is? Also check. Oh well, what's the meme from that old fantasy MMORPG? Yeah, that one! Leeeeeroy... Jenkins.... Which means, for those watching, that a random woman in full black plated leathers and a biker helmet just, jumps in to the frey from out of nowhere. Well, she thinks it was out of no where but, some big timers are here so, more than likely not.

    Though, to her credit, she's a good swimmer...and this new kid, is dumb enough... to go straight for the boat. Because why not? So, with a wild running start and a the need of a new Bike, Aisling runs her bike towards the water and jumps off it and in to the water to swim straight for the bad guy boat.

Hal Jordan has posed:
One of the gates at the far end of the port is suddenly breached, the pair of security guards and the custom agent on duty throwing themselves aside in just the nick of time as a pair of black vans go screaming past the lowered barrier meant to hold traffic outside until it's been properly vetted.

Ine one of the passenger's seats, the Penguin cackles to himself, window down as he pokes his head out, glancing backward with a satisfied smile. Tonight has cost him a lot of money already. It has surely drawn eyes to his operations here on the dock, no matter how many people he might have bought up. So damn it, he's going to get his satisfaction where he can.

Racing on, the two vans screech to a stop, the back doors sliding open as a dozen or so additional gun-wielding goons pile out, the Penguin waddling a little slower with umbrella in hand. "Don't just go stand around. My money is burning as we speak," he growls, glaring and waving about with that umbrella. "And a bonus for anyone that kills that damn KGBeast. I'll see him gutted and stuffed for this!" he says angrily. "Go, go!" he adds, making shooing motions as his men begin to fan out to join the chaos already engulfing the port.

There are certainly no shortage of targets to choose from. While the Scarecrow and Mr. Freeze's arrival has certainly blunted the mercenaries attack, they are trained professionals. Where they need to they fall back, group up, take cover and absolutely spray the area with gunfire and grenades. Even Mr. Freeze's armor can't hold up against that kind of onslaught and he's forced to take cover beside the smoking remains of one of those burnt out warehouses, occasionally poking his head out to fire an answering blast of freezing cold. Another of those mercenaries is hit, enveloped in ice in mere moments, a look of horror forever etched on his face.

The Scarecrow has his own problems, slinking through the shadows, looking for targets of opportunity and leaving little collections of terrified men -- some mercenaries, others just unfortunates he stumbles on, Dr. Jonathan Crane doesn't seem to care -- to scream and cower and assault one another, locked in their own nightmares.

At least until a sandbag comes hurling out the sky and nearly plows right into his chest, the masked expert in fear only barely able to jump aside. A second soon follows and then another and the Scarecrow is forced to take cover behind a forklift, peeking out into the night -- lit up by all the fires burning across the dark -- trying to pick out his attacker.

Those Bat Drones under Batgirl's command do their part to try and dampen down the chaos gripping Gotham's prot, the deployment smoke bombs to engulf areas, blocking sight, and those stun darts picking off several of the mercenaries.

But those mechs -- now a full half dozen marching up the pier to join the frey seem undeterred, their enhanced sensor suites cutting through the obscuring mist, the armor shrugging off the darts. The first two emerge near where Star Sapphire has been sheltering civilians, protecting them from all threats. Spotting her, those arm mounted gatling guns come up, beginning to whirl and a moment later tracer fire lights up the sky as those high power rounds rip towards those violet shields.

Another of the mechs turns aside, begins stomping unknowingly towards Red Hood while the other three take up positions to guard the ship where the Beast and the rest of his men still stand, perched, watching the show from onboard the freighter's deck.

Hal Jordan has posed:
For his part, Hal's energy construct keeps up lifting that collapsed crane, seemingly pumping faster and faster until the wreckage is abruptly thrown clear entirely, soaring through the night sky to land with a huge splash in the bay beyond. << I'll do what I can about the mechs. And the ship, >> Green Lantern announces over the comm, finally dropping down out the sky.

But even as he does, another light begins to form, up above the cargo ship that is at the heart of tonight's attack. A whirling vortex of light that spins faster and faster until a portal suddenly opens there. The purple-haired sorceress Tala floats there, in the middle of her magical construct, looking down over the scene below, the chaos seeming to please her. "As requested. Have fun boys," she purrs at her two companions.

Emerging just behind her, a man in blue power armor flies under his own power, a scowl on his face. With barely a glance for the ship below, he simply motions, the cargo vessel shuddering. Then it begins to lift from the water under the magnetic pwoers of Dr. Polaris.

The other man might be even more distinctive in his own way, sitting slumped in a hovering chair, his massive head out of all proporition with his body, features slack, drool leaking from one corner of his mouth. And while no words come from him, his thoughts are broadcast outward none the less.

<< Haaaaaaaaal. Haaaaaaaaal. I can feel you here. I can feel her here with you tooooooooo. It's been so long Carol, >> the psychic voice of Hector Hammond calls, a nearby fuel truck abruptly lifting up off of the dock, floating in midair like some child's toy held aloft.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Scarecrow is down for a few minutes, or at lesat far enough away from anyone to launch more fear gas. Multitasking! Then there's Doctor Polaris. Who is an extreme danger in a harbor where he can throw ships, warehouses, fuel trucks, and anything in them all around quickly. Monet has trained wtih and fought against powerful magnetic manipulators in the simulators, she's well aware of what they can do when it comes to areas that have plentiful targets. If she goes to charge in over at him directly then she'll be intercepted over by something thrown in front of her.. But there is plenty of chaos around and he's focused on smashing up someone else.

This is within her repetoire, but it's still tricky in a combat zone. The thing that makes the attmept viable is mostly that Doctor POlaris' attention is somewhere else in the fight and there's smoke and fire almost everywhere. Monet goes to try and quickly psionically press to his mind. In this case, the parts of his mind that are used for periphreal awareness. She goes to try and increase his focus, if at all possible, on his targets. Not out of any sense of being a greater threat..

But that he wants his victory and it will be ever so much the juicier to showcase his supreme power. Monet is hopefully thus rendered mostly ignored. She moves to try and press down on those parts of his consciousness that might tag her or otherwise give him warning of things in this fight, and hopefully his mental defenses are not greater than anyone else's, or at least his willpower is mostly focused on another part of the battle.

And so, Monet tries to do as close as she an to cloaking herself from peripheral awareness. She moves to charge in wtih her high speed, fist cocked high if at all possible, trying to hit him over from behind to try and slam into him with a shoulder check if at all possible before he's fully lifted the cargo ship from the water. She has to smash into him if she an befor ehe can throw it. That sort of thing could obliterate the docks. Hopefully her slamming into him and him not having a moment to brace will at least stop him from that. Of course, i fhe's displayed the rather nasty abilities of Magneto to throw up force fields around him or his powers act on automatic when it comes to throwing things up at attackers, then she's in for a world of hurt.

Carol Ferris has posed:
Carol's violet aura casts an eerie glow over the docks as she hovers amidst the chaos, her ring's energy swirling protectively around her. Explosions and gunfire echo from every direction, but her focus remains sharp. The scene below is an ever-growing mess of mercenaries, thugs, and now the unmistakable presence of Dr. Polaris and Tala above the cargo ship, adding a dangerous new dimension to the conflict. But even as her mind calculates her next move, Hector Hammond's familiar psychic voice slithers into her thoughts.

Carol grits her teeth, her ring flaring brighter for a moment. "It has been a long time," she mutters under her breath. "And a lot's changed. You should have stayed gone, Hammond."

But even as she speaks, her gaze snaps downward, catching movement on the ground. A motorcycle streaks toward the edge of the pier, its rider heading straight for disaster. There's no hesitation as Carol thrusts her hand forward. The ring reacts instantly, violet energy forming into a shimmering brick road that materializes just as Aisling's bike is about to plunge into the water. The rider's path is now a solid, glowing construct, spiraling upward and guiding her 'safely' -- at least, relatively safely, given the circumstances -- onto the ship.

Carol doesn't stop to admire her work. Her eyes shift back to the chaos Hammond is causing. A fuel truck, large and hulking, floats unnervingly in the air -- suspended by his psychic powers. If that thing explodes, it could take half the dock with it.

Without a word, Carol rockets toward the truck, her ring blazing. The violet energy extends from her hand, forming a massive set of restraints that snap around the truck in midair. Hammond's psychic grip fights her for control, but Carol holds firm, her eyes narrowing in determination. The two powers clash, violet energy wrapping around it like a protective bubble to contain the blast should Hammond decide just to spark it right there.

<< "Hammond's playing with fire," >> she growls into the comms. << "I've got the fuel truck." >>

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Not long after the Penguin's men begin to spread out, and act on the behalf of their criminal Kingpin leader, the sound of a very loud vehicle engine rips in to the already chaotic mess of loud sounds. From one of the alleys, a black armored vehicle comes skidding around a turn, its huge tires moving in such fast revolutions that it creates a spiral of smoke around them, before its floodlights flash on in front of it. Batgirl's own armored Batmobile, here on the autonomous command of the Oracle AI computer. The AI driven car, like a formula-1 racer on some seriously strong vehicle steroids, begins roaring down the docks, its bright floodlights on, and a rotary cannon extended up behind the glass canopy cockpit window at the vehicle's center. The cannon begins firing off more smoke grenades, these quite a bit larger, and mixed with the stunning blasts of light and sound, meant to disable targets caught close to them when they go off. The Batmobile is also meant to instill fear of the Bats, maybe even Batman himself being present. It is meant to make the lesser confident amongst the madness, turntail and run.

Batgirl, still mixing it up with the armed mercs, emerges from the smoke again. "Good to see you, Hood." She called over to one of her family members. "Keep your head on a swivel. This is a powder keg, that may have already gone off."

she utilized her grapple gun to gain altitude again, but this time, in her right hand she had a large paint can that she'd swiped off the edge of a piece of construction equipment. As Batgirl glides through the air, the can of yellow paint is dumped right on to the face of the mech marching across the docks, giving chase to Jason, the paint covering the mech with a goopy certainty of blocking any viewports or camera feeds for the driver within it, or the AI powering it.

In the sky, Batgirl glides toward a safe space, slamming down upon the edge of a building, and crouching in the shadows. She quickly raises her left hand up and taps in another command on her computer mounted to her wrist. She watches her car take another wide swinging turn, its tires leaving a trail of smoke behind it, as she switches its cannon to fire electrical nets at some of the Penguin's soldiers!

Jason Todd has posed:
Red Hood continues unloading the clips in his guns and pauses to speed load them.

<<Good to be here. It's been a while since I've gotten to play.>> The sound of his guns returns as he unleashes more taser rounds at a group of mercs. The poor goons twitch before dropping like flies, armored or not.

In the HUD of his mask's optics, he sees the indicator that Batgirl isn't far away. He begins to head in her direction to provide some backup; it's always better to stick together. As much as he's the black sheep of the Bat Family, that was one lesson from Batman he hasn't ignored.

Seeing the yellow painted mech he skids to a stop as it seems to flail around, trying to compensate.

Reloading again, he begins firing at the mech. Is it armored? Guess he'll find out..

Aisling Caroll has posed:
    The boat was the focus because Aisling is either incredibly courageous or incredibly stupid. Maybe both. Yeah, both. Very much both.

    That being what it is, she's about to find out herself as she manages to get to her goal only to run face first in to mercs, mechs, are those bloody rocket launchers? "Site." Oh well, might as well attempt to do some good though, so, to anyone watching...

    Girl can fight. Girl can take a hit. Girl takes multiple hits to be correct, but that's here nor there. The goal is to cause chaos on the boat and she's doing that. As she manages to tear through a few mercs, one she manages to sweep his legs and send him face first in to the deck. The second she kicks his own weapon in to his helmet hard enoguh to knock him clean cold. The third? Well, that one she wraps around and body slams him WWE style, there's a little crunch noise not that anyone can hear it. That one is going to need a hospital.

    She's doing good, all things as they are, but that's a mech and a rocket launcher and now she's in trouble....

    Yeah, stupid. Very very stupid.

Hal Jordan has posed:
The Penguin might not be a particularly likable boss, but his henchmen don't have to like the odd little fellow to appreciate his generosity when it comes to their pay. And the promise of a substantial bounty on the head of the KGBeast? Well that's music to their ears. Though they might find it easier said then done actually collecting on that thing. None of them have yet noticed the fact that the Beast's boat may not be long for the ocean waves as they fan out. Though once more, those smoke clouds slowing their progress, putting at least a minor chill on the fighting.

That chill gets as icy cold as one of Mr. Freeze's cold rays as that autonomous Batmobile makes it's appearance, roaring down the dock and sending men scattering. Even as they try to recover, try to bring their weapons to bear, they instead find gas cannisters exploding with not only smoke, but with bright bursts of light and sound as well, blinding them,stunning them, and taking them out of the fight almost before they have even got a chance to join it.

Standing nearby, the Penguin's eyes widen in surprise and anger. "Waugh!" he exclaims, anger stealing anything intelligent or articulate he might say. Instead he unfurls that umbrella, pointing it at the Batmobile that has ruined his evening... and a flood of mini-rockets launch out, beginning to pelt down around the vehicle.

The armored form of Dr. Polaris might actually look a little silly, with those prongs sticking out of his helmet, but there is no denying his power as that cargo ship lifts a few inches out of the water entirely, all under the magnetic might of the criminal brute. If he notices Monet's streaking approach, he certainly gives no sign of it his focus seeming very much on the KGBeast and the Green Lantern that was approaching but has now stopped short.

Which does give Monet her seeming opening.

Streaking upward, she lunges towards Dr. Polaris' back -- and the field of electro-magnatism that surround him flares brightly, keeping her from striking home. Even then it is quesitonable if he notices her, lifting that ship higher and higher into the air.

Even as the ship rises, Aisling abruptly finds herself on it, tearing through the mercenaries still on board. Armed mostly with those missile launchers, they can't exactly respond fast and in short order more then half of them are down or jumping aside. But they -- and Aisling -- very quickly have bigger problems to deal with.

Then abruptly it begins to crumple, at both ends simultaneously. Like it was a giant beer can, being crushed in someone's grasp. Mercenaries go diving, hurling themselves overboard, jumping into the cooling waters of the Atlantic ocean below. Even the KGBeast is forced to abandon ship as that massive container ship is compressed down into a tightly packed mass of metal that slowly moves until it hovers right over Green Lantern.

The mech that had been stalking it's way up along the dock doesn't notice Red Hood -- not until he opens fire on him. But it does indeed prove to be armored, those first shots pinging off the metal super-structure of the power armor even as it comes to a stop, arm swivveling towards the location of those shots, that gatling gun beginning to whirl as the mercenary starts trying to pick out his hooded attacker.

Try as they might, the mechs facing Carol can't pierce her shields, unable to harm her or the civilians she is protecting. Quickly deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, they begin to back off, returning to join their fellows on the pier as the Star Sapphire gets distracted by the arrival of... an old friend? An old rival? An old stalker?

Either way, the might of love is pitted against the metal will of Hector Hammond, that tanker fuel truck freezing where it is in midair as the pair struggles for control. Only the encompassing violet glow of Carol's power keeps the vehicle from being ripped apart, exploding right there.

As Carol streaks upward, one of Hector's withered limbs lifts in a grotesque parody, awkwardl

Hal Jordan has posed:
As Carol streaks upward, one of Hector's withered limbs lifts in a grotesque parody, awkwardly trying to smooth through his hair as if trying to look his best. << Don't be that way Caaaaaarol. You know you are the only one for meeeeeee. >> Hector sends telepathically.

But he still struggles for control of that fuel truck.

Fortunately, up above in the sky, the purple-haaired sorceress Tala seems content to just watch, drinking it in. The Penguin might have merited a token show of support, but clearly the sorceress doesn't feel particularly compelled to dirty her own hands on his lecherous behalf.

But then, she doesn't really need to.

That clumped remain of the cargo ship, now a twisted mass of compressed metal, floats towards Hal and the pier, the nearby meches scrambling away as the remains of that cargo ship float overhead.

Then, abruptly, that mass drops, hundreds of tons of compressed ship simply falling straight down towards the docks. Again Hal's rin flares with the power of a Green Lantern's will and again giant green supports appear out of nowhere, brached to catch that load. Even still, they sink noticably, fighting both weight and momentum as Hal does the same, falling to his knees and gripping his wrist with his free hand as if trying to hold that weight himself.

Inch by inch, Hal slowly lowers that mass before streaking out beneath it as it touches down gently on the concrete pier.

"Alright, play time's over."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
He barely noticed her, and her attack did almost nothing. The man has automatic energy shields just like Magneto. She probably couldn't physically pierce them, and she's nto capable of taking him out telepathically. And if he can throw more things beyond the ship then the harbor is at risk of catastrophic damage. Among the mechs, the mercs, and the supervillains throwing around they have to try and take them out quickly. She has to help with the heavy hitters as quickly as she can. Hammon is well beyond what she can handle, the mercs are the provenance of the Bats.. The question is how to get through Polaris' shield. It's automatic, and he might not have noticed her.

And given the very small amount of iron in blood she couldn't even do something like throw plastic at him with any guarantee the shield couldn't block it. So she has to try and get creative, and quickly before her team starts going down rapidly. She quickly looks down for something, anything she can use that might be effective at least distracting him and limit collateral damage.

She looks down to the docks, quickly picking up things from some of the fallen mercs. Disengaging, and flying down to grab things from some of the collapsed policemen that were taking cover. She grabs up as many cannisters as she can of tear gas, smoke grenades, flashbangs.. And after a moment, picks up Indian style tear gas cannisters that are made with some of the hottest peppers in the world. She goes to carry as many of them as she can using heavy plastic tires that she's whipped rope along with to try and minimize anything metal taht could be detonated, tries to esttimate the distance from which his shields automatically snapped at her..

And goes to try and blindside him again. All of her things are thrown along and she moves to try and detonate them at effective range before his shield would kick in. The man still has to breathe so the bubble isn't airtight. She hopes. Or that his control of it isn't good enough for him to filter air particles out when it's on automatic. As the man goes to crush a cargo ship with hundreds of tons of mass to it..

She hurls her concoction through the air. Tear gas. Smoke grenades. Flashbangs. Crushed jalapeno grenades with some of the hottest peppers on earth that hopefully would make him break out in complete hives and be choking. And hopefully all of that is enough to cut off his ability to breathe, and drop down /hard/ to try and get otu of there or blast down towards the water to try and clean himself off.

Carol Ferris has posed:
Carol's mind is split between managing the chaos beneath her and resisting the invasive, suffocating presence of Hector Hammond. His grotesque voice slithers into her thoughts, trying to pull her attention away from the immediate danger, and his obsession with her, laced into every word, makes her skin crawl.

Hovering in the air, her gaze sharpens on the fuel truck caught between her violet construct and Hammond's telekinetic grip. The truck trembles, caught in the tug-of-war between their powers, but Carol's not interested in wasting her time fighting over it.

"You've always wanted more than you could handle," she mutters under her breath, her ring flaring with renewed energy. There's no fear in her voice -- just a cool, determined edge.

The truck wavers, both powers clashing for dominance, but Carol's had enough. "Fine. If you want it so badly, take it!" Her voice is low and sharp, cutting through the psychic tension like a blade. Instead of continuing to wrestle for control, she lets go, flipping her strategy entirely.

With a sudden surge of power, Carol thrusts both hands forward, violet energy crackling and flaring around her as she directs her full force into the bubble surrounding the truck. The construct glows bright as she pushes it forward with purpose, sending it hurtling straight toward Hammond. The massive fuel truck becomes a battering ram, propelled by the sheer strength of her will.

Her ring burns bright as she flies after the truck, her eyes locked on Hammond's hovering form. If he wants to play with fire, then she's going to make sure he gets burned. "Let's see if you're as eager as you think," she mutters, her voice cold and decisive, the words slipping out like a challenge.

The truck surges ahead, its massive weight barreling through the air, gaining speed with every second as Carol pours more power into it. The battle is still raging around her, but in this moment, all that matters is teaching Hammond that he's not in control.

Not here. Not now. Not ever.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
From her vantage point just above where Jason was, batgirl saw a handful of thugs coming in from between some shipping containers. With their weapons coming up, Hood in their sights, Batgirl pulled a batarang from her belt, and let it fly with one fast swing of her right arm! Swoosh, the twirling batarang flew down toward the men, and slapped against the ground, creating a flashbang that sent reverberations through the entire south side of the docks!

When the rockets went off around her Batmobile, a few of them managed to make a bit of superficial damage to the armor plating, but the car itself revved its high performance engine, and soon spun in a quick 180 degree turn, that had it aimed right at the Penguin! Its floodlights came on again, shining an unfiltered 200 thousand lumens of light right at the pudgey crime lord!

Batgirl, rising up from her perch, tapped her wrist gauntlet screen a pair of times, issuing an order to her drones, to drop a line of smoke pellets between the Penguin, and her ride. She leapt from the building, her cape flashing out wide, as she began to dlie through the smoke screen, soon to emerge feet first right in to the sternum of the Penguin!

Batgirl meant to kick the fat man to the ground, drop in to a crouch, and then bounce back to her feet. She sent a high kick in to one of his personal guards that rushed her, followed by a lean in the reverse direction, that had her hands grasping on to the gun of a second guard. With strength enhanced features in her body armor, Babs ripped the gun from the man's hands, and ripped the gun in to two halves, that she flung behind her, before she flung herself right at the guard, landing her body up against his, and bashing him through a window of the vehicle that they had arrived in!

She drew back then, and her boots swivelled about, leaving her facing the Penguin once more.

"Call them off!" She shouted at him, her suit voice modulator making her voice sound both feminine, and quite demonic at the same time.

Jason Todd has posed:
Seeing the mech turn he mutters. "Well this was a good idea..." But even as he dives to the side to avoid the thing's minigun, he acknowledges Batgirl's help: <<Thanks BG>> and then flicks switches on his pistols. Lining them up, they interlock; the right pistol's muzzle secures into the back of the barrel from the left pistol even as it's champer collapses downward to allow the conversion. The result is a carbine sized rifle with more power. Popping up from that dive he rises to his knee to throw a sticky thermite grenade at the legs of the mech. Just as the grenade hits the left leg it erupts and splashes both legs with molten white-hot slag. Raising his weapon he fires off a trio of shots at the mech's optics again before firing another grouping at the chest plate.

Aisling Caroll has posed:
    Yeah, okay, time to go.

    Aisling runs back to her bike, grabs it, spins it while starting it back up and then jumping on it she bolts off the crushing boat. She's not the best at targeting at the moment and the bike with her on it goes flying through the air to land on the roof of a nearby warehouse. Though, not, gracefully. She rides across the top of the warehouse and jumps the bike off it to towards the ground. She'll have to thank Star Sapphire later, because it dawns on her that's exactly who made the violet bridge for her to take. Not that someone like that would really care about being thanked by a newbie like AIsling, or so she thinks.

Hal Jordan has posed:
As the fight in the port increasingly takes to the skies above the harbor, after watching that huge cargo vessel crushed as if it was a tin can, the mercs on the ground finally begin to figureo ut that they might be just a little outmatched here. Between the colossal power being thrown about so casually and the fact that Bats are clearly wandering amongst them, taking them down casually, more and more of the heavily armed men begin to slip away, looking to beat a retreat, to disappear into the city beyond. Even the shambling power armored figures seem to be looking to retreat, those mini-mechs beginning to stride towards presumed safety.

They might have broken up the righting, though with the fleeing mercenaries headed straight towards the police peremeter the chaos and damage they could do might not be quite over yet.

For a moment the Penguin cackles in triumph as those rockets explode all around that sleek black vehicle that dashed his hopes of claiming the KGBeast's head. But as the armored car comes through with barely a scratch that triumph turns to anger.

Before he can unleash another barrage though, Batgirl is swooping out of the night, cutting a swath through the few men he still has with him and Cobblepot begins to waddle backwards, holding one of those umbrellas up in front of him defensively, peering over the opened edge of it. "Or what?" he sneers, the shart tip suddenly launching itself from the top of the umbrella, flying towards both Batgirl and his man as Oswald whirls and begins to scamper away with surprising speed.

Out in the harbor, the KGBeast too is trying to make a run for it. Or rather a swim for it, as powerful strokes take him away from the port proper, looking for somewhere he can crawl back onto dry land and lick his wounds. Perhaps regroup with whatever of his men escape this debacle. Though beneath his mask the man offers a cold smile. At the very least he hurt the Penguin today. That counts for something.

As Green Lantern manages to actually catch the dropped mass of compressed cargo ship, Dr. Polaris' eyes narrow and he begins searching for his next attack. Eyes scan the docks below, completely ignoring Monet.

Which proves to be a mistake. Her improvised weapon filled with the remains of gas bombs and flashbangs slams into that shield, the metal within that tire keeping it from reaching him. But he has no such protection from the flashbangs that suddenly go off all around him with those stunning bursts of light and sound. Gas follows quickly afterward and with eyes watering, all but doubled over in midair, Dr. Polaris begins to sink back towards the waiting -- and smirking Tala.

"Really Neal?" she taunts, not even using his chosen idenity. "That's the best you can do?" she asks mockingly as she ushers him through the open portal. Then she sighs. "I miss Grodd. Now there was a beast who could lead," she murmurs, eyes going distant for a moment. "Maybe being a gorilla wouldn't be *that* bad."

Even as the mech tries to draw a bear on Red Hood, as that Gatling Gun begins to fire, ripping into the concrete tier with little puffs of dust and chips of debris from the heavy weapon's fire, the merc tries to track the hooded vigilante. But as that spinning cannon begins to slow down, the powersuited man finds himself facing Red Hood head on.

The thermite grenade fires, sticks and explodes, the white hot flash melting the mechanical legs sending the mech slumping down. The three quick bursts of the much more powerful weapon shatter the power supply, leaving the trapped man within crying out for help as his advantage disappears in a flash -- melted and shot away.

Hal Jordan has posed:
Te acrobatics of Aisling and her bike -- aided admittedly by Star Sapphire -- cut quite a visual too, especially with the fires burning all around the docks. Though with so much to gawk at, so much chaos and confusion, who knows who will pick that out of the kaleidoscope of things to try and focus in on.

So intent on the struggle with Carol, so intent on his immature attempts to get into her head or under her skin, Hector does even consider what might happen if she just stopped struggling and gave him what he is fighting for. No, not her number or a date. Not to let him paw through her memories like a telepathic voyeur. But it would seem she's just find giving him that fuel tanker.

As powerful a telekinetic as he might be, his own power tugging on that truck, aided by the violet light of love as well, sends the tanker hurling back at Hector too quickly for him to refocus his abilities, to bring it to a stop. Instead as Carol's supporting power is withdrawn, the forces holding that vehicle begin to twist it and a fireball suddenly lights up the sky as if it were daylight, the psychich screams of Hammond echoing in the minds of everyone nearby. < NoooooooOOOooooOOOoooo, > he screams, vanishing it that blast, unseen for a moment, though he will come into view moments later, badly burned, his chair limping towards the waiting -- and disgusted Tala -- and her portal.

For Hal's part, with the weight of the crushed ship dealt with, his ring flares with that emerald green glow once more, his Will conjuring up a full completement of glowing, giant green hands that soar out and pluck up the five fleeing meches, holding them dangling above the ground. "Oh no you don't. I'm not getting a lecture from Bats about unleashing powersuited mercs in his city. Thanks but no thanks," he says sternly, letting them just hang there, well short of the police perimeter as his masked gaze swings over to check on Carol.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
She knows what Tala here will do. That the group of villains will teleport away to strike again another day, and that this will just be one more inconclusive battle with nothing truly gained from it but collateral damage and some villains that have been bruised and battered. Which leaves the threat still at large. So the intent is to try and stop the important, the most dangerous threats from getting away. That means taking out the teleporter.

Monet goes to charge over at Tala, going to hit high speeds with intent to punch the sorceress in the face hard! But, she hits a magical shield which flares up with a burst of fire around it, and then with a flicker of the witch's hand, she's sent flying away over by a smack of it, and smashes down hard through the air!

Carol Ferris has posed:
Carol hovers above the chaos, her violet energy shimmering around her -- a protective shield -- as she surveys the battlefield. The violent clash between mercenaries, mechs, and supervillains continues to rage below, but her focus remains sharply on Hector Hammond, who, despite his power, is growing more careless with each telepathic push.

The explosion lights up the sky in a blinding fireball, the force of the blast reverberating across the docks. For a moment, the world is pure chaos, Hammond's psychic scream echoing in her mind, sharp and frantic. Carol narrows her eyes, watching as the flames die down and Hammond's scorched, smoldering form limps through the air toward Tala's waiting portal.

<< "Hammond's down," >> she growls into the comms, her tone steady but cold. << "He's not going to be bothering us again anytime soon." >>

With the immediate threat neutralized, Carol shifts her focus back to securing the docks. She spots Hal's emerald constructs pinning down -- or rather, up -- the mechs, a hint of a smile crossing her lips as she watches him work.

With a violet streak that trails through the sky after her, the dark-haired and violet clad Star Sapphire flies over next to Hal, a wicked smile curling her lips as she hovers rather than setting down.

"They're not toys, Hal," she murmurs to him rather than using the access to the comms she'd been given either, her eyes -- made violet from the power of her ring -- twinkling with raw amusement. "And you are _not_ bringing them home."

Then she leans in just a little closer, placing a kiss on his cheek and giving him a quick wink.

"You and your Justice League escapades. Did one of those men actually have a _freeze ray_?!" A soft laugh escapes her lips. "I'm going to go finish clean up and check for injuries I can help with. First one home starts cooking. The chicken's in the refrigerator."

One last smile, and then she's a violet streak again, up into the air and heading back towards the thick of it to do exactly what she'd suggested -- wrangling stragglers and helping tend to the wounded.

Jason Todd has posed:
As the Mech's lower limbs begin to melt into slag and the discharge of the power core of the thing's systems signal it is out of commission, Red Hood rises and closes in on Batgirl's location. Using the butt of his guns he knocks down/out a few straggling merc before hitting each with one of his taser rounds. The narrow white optic slits in his mask and the downward tilt of his chin gives his mask a more dire expression. Probably why he crafted it that way, really.

As Penguin fires the blade toward Batgirl, a gunshot rings out.

The blade flashes as light glints off of it and it tumbles to the ground with the clatter that only a fine blade could make.

The left pistol of Red Hood is aimed that direction as two shots fire from his right pistol and strike the warehouse wall just behind Penguin as he waddles off like a tuxedo'd Flash or something.

Walking toward Batgirl, Red Hood asks, "You good?"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Batgirl was trained well enough to know that the Penguin's umbrellas were not to be ignored. She had not a lot of personal one on one experience with him, though, this being one of their first face to face meetings on the books. But when it came, she was ready for it... Or she would have been, if the sky hadn't just blown up, and some weird mental voice was being broadcast in her mind! The explosion caused her to flinch, and the Penguin took his chance!

Batgirl stumbled back a step, having seen the knife coming from her her face, but before the impact, a flash of sparks, and a clatter of metal rang out. Her eyes were wide behind her mask, but she shot a look over to Jason in the distance. He'd saved her, to be sure. But a slumping motion to her side, caught her attention... and drew her to look to the other man who'd had a second blade aimed at him from the umbrella too.

The man who took the second blade, occupied Batgirl's attention, as she dropped down beside the guard, to begin to offer some kind of first aid to him. Criminal, or not, he was someone's kid, or relative, he meant something to someone, right?

"Hold still." Babs said to the man, as she ran through the mental checkmarks. The blade was in his shoulder, and with one quick pull she slipped it out. She pushed him back down to the ground, and spoke quickly to him. "Stop moving." She ordered him, as she pulled out her own freeze applicator, and began to seal the wound up with a cold chilling effect to the man's body.

<"Hood. thanks for the save. Any sight of the Scarecrow, or Freeze?"> Babs' voice said over their shared team comms, as she spared a glance up toward where the others were. <"Justice League. What was this all about?" She requested alongside her own Bat-partner in this fight.

Aisling Caroll has posed:
    Aisling is about to make her last break for it, the big leagues are here and she's the new kid on the block. But, it's that scream, that psychic scream, that slams through the newbie telepaths mind. The result of that is that anyone that's watching, see's Aisling wipe her bike out, sending it and her both, tumbling through the air end over end until the bike slames in to a wall. Aisling, slams in to something... no, someone, else. Well, now the team will know where scarecrow is at least, seeing as Aisling's very unconcious looking body comes to a skidding stop right next to the walking fear factory.

Hal Jordan has posed:
With a look of disgust etched on her face, Tala reaches out to help the burned Hector Hammond through that portal, flinching as she comes a little too close to his badly burned -- and horribly misshapen -- features. "Ugh, hurry up. Pathetic, you're all pathetic. This wouldn't have happened on Grodd's watch. Ra's has no sense of style," she gripes in petty fashion, glancing up as M shoots through the sky at her.

Lifting a hand, she gives it a sharp twist, abruptly turning the mutant's momentum against her and sending her hurtling back in the same direction, all of that speed and power making her race towards the ground.

Then, with a last snort of derision, the pruple-haired sorceress slips through the portal as it closes behind her.

There are moments, when everything just goes wrong. It is one of the dangers of doing what they do. No matter how good they might be, how well trained, how powerful, anyone can have a bad day. Anyone can be unlucky. Like having a tanker truck explode in front of your eyes. Like having a psychic scream distract you. All as a high powered spring launches a knife straight from your face.

Fortunately people also sometimes have teammates and impossible as it might be, that perfectly timmed bullet deflects the knife away from Batgirl just in time.

It does leave her to take care of another's unfortunate injuries though. But at least police and other emergency responders are already on the scene, closing in.

Something that is made much easier by the fact that so many of the mercenaries have already been taken out of play. Heavily armed as they might be, when they round the corner and find GCPD SWAT advancing on them, most surrender without a fight.

But down the coast, a soaked and chilled KGBeast pulls himself out of the Atlantic waters, casting a masked glare back towards the port. He doesn't know if the Penguin escaped, doesn't know how many of his men might have gone free. But he knows this is not over.

Sometimes it's better to be lucky then good. Though it's nice to be both. To be sure Aislings ride has been pretty impressive on this particular night, even aided by Star Sapphire. And even when she finally wipes out, it serves a purpose. As that psychic scream sends her and the sleek motorcycle skidding across the ground, it happens to take the feet out from beneath the Scarecrow as he slinks away, sending him crashing to the pavement, cracking his head and rendering the not so good doctorjust as unconscious when they are both found later.

And Hal? He gives a resigned sort of sigh as both Hector and Tala manage to slip off before he can bring his powers to bear. But it is not all unproductive. Glancing skyward, he picks out M as she drops like a rock and again his Will, his mind, his creativity has an answer. As the mutant powerhouse is about to hit the ground, a giant, glowing green bouncy castle is abruptly formed beneath her, catching her in relative safety.

Batgirl's question prompts him to answer, offering what he knows. "I believe it involves some dispute between the Penguin and the KGBeast. Amd since the Penguin seems to be a part of the Injustice League, it looks like his allies came out to help. Sorry you got caught in the crossfire," he offers up.

There is still a mess to clean up. There are still fires to put out, and the injured to get to medical treatment. There are still plenty of downed baddies to deal with as well, to make sure they end up in police custody. But the Green Lantern still grins as Carol drops down beside him. "I see you still know how to deal with stalkers," he murmurs. "Remind me not to get on your bad side. Again," he adds drily, leaning in for a moment, returning that kiss briefly. "I'm pretty sure you did at that. Be glad Captain Cold didn't show up or there would have been two of them running aorund," he says with a quiet laugh before nodding his agreement. "It's a date."