20402/Darkness and Light

Darkness and Light
Date of Scene:	10 April 2025
Location:	Poisoned Pen Collective
Synopsis:	X23 and the Creeper make more headway against Mutant traffickers.
Cast of Characters:	Jack Ryder, Laura Kinney

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Jack Ryder has posed:
Back to Gotham. The Creeper made a little progress tracking Mutant abductors in New York City. That was pretty much chance. It did lead to meeting Laura Kinney. She thrilled the big oaf by saying he gave her useful information. This alone might result in Creep following her around like a Labrador pup on uppers. It fell to Jack Ryder, watching inside the Creeper's skull to suggest the next step. Actually he had to yell it, several times.

Creeper knew Gotham quite well, check on trailers coming into the city from New York. Check in out of the way areas. Not as easy. Most of Gotham was sort of out of the way. The Creeper had nothing better to do.

Then he spotted the truck, behind the Gotham Collective. Collective? Communists? No matter. The Creeper noted them letting people out, telling them to get lost. Mutants released into the wild. For now, he watched. The next night, same thing. Jack Ryder notified Laura of this when she called. He set up a meeting. Creeper was not much of a joiner, but he liked Laura. He looks around waiting for her to join him. Truck was coming, truck was coming.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney has been through a lot lately. But she's won her freedom. Still in the jumpsuit she wore to the incident, a short trenchcoat draped over it.

Back to Gotham. She has to let Tim know his tracker may have saved her. And well, this Jack Rider set up a meeting, so he come over to do that first.

She smells and then sees Creeper, and looks at him. "So, a truck?" she asks, hands in pockets.

Jack Ryder has posed:
Creeper looks over his shoulder at Laura. ""A trailer truck, like the one used by the snatchers I encountered before. Why would they need to use a trailer for three Mutants? Jack said they're Mutants in bulk. The ones who don't meet some standard are dumped here. Maybe they make them pay as well? Or they just figure dropping them off here is better than setting them loose in New York or leaving a bunch of bodies?" The Creeper is a little surprised as he realizes Jack is speaking. A pigeon had distracted him.

This time a smaller truck meets the trailer that rolls up. Men climb out with rifles of an unusual design. The trailer crew jump out. Muffled voices are audible to heightened hearing.

"Ok. We'll take them from here. switch trucks like we agreed."

"Sure. No problem. they're all doped up and sleeping. Should be no problem."

"We said no drugs!"

"It's just tranqs, not Kick!"

"No drugs means no drugs! Take them back, we don't want them!"

"Like hell, where's the money?!" Weapon actions are worked. Safeties click.

Creeper turns to Laura and asks, "Shall we let dog bite dog?"

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney looks around, and grunts. Then the action happens, and she hears it all.

but before Creeper can finish her sentence, she's already running. Quick, deadly. Snikt. She's armed, she's slicking open the seal to the truck, and she's opening the back to see what exactly is IN There. Rolling up the back door, climbing inside.

Dogs? The weapon is loose.

Jack Ryder has posed:
Two men are waiting in the truck. They jump when the door opens and then open fire with automatic rifles at Laura. Still only ten feet separate them. The floor of the truck is piled with unconscious people of all ages and sorts.

On the street, them men were arguing until they heard the gunfire. Then they began firing at each other. The Gotham group is firing plasma bursts. The New York crew has conventional weapons. None of them notice as a Gotham gun man is suddenly gone.There's no transition. He's gone in the blink of an eye, except the screams.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Well. IT's only by virtue of her improbably good reflexes that she's not incapacitated on the spot. She does take a shot in the arm, as she leaps up onto the roof, runs past them, hops to the OTHER vehicle, and checks what's inside there. Trouble, trouble, trouble.

She does glance at the miss, and sniffs, confirming it's who she think it is at work.

Jack Ryder has posed:
The Gotham truck is empty, except for chains and other restraints on the floor. Around the side of the truck, away from the shooting, the Creeper has a gun man by the throat. He tosses him away, grabs the fancy high tech weapon. Then throws his head back and LAUGHS. For sure, tenants in the buildings hear it, even if they somehow ignored the gunshots (this being Gotham they did.)

More laughter, the fight stops, everyone paralyzed.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Now I have a phaser too!!"

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney hops down after seeing the other is empty. She steps in, sniffs around, examines the restraints. And then hops out. "Good work, Creeper." she says, dusting her hands, snikting her pointy sticks back away.

"So we have proof there are two teams involved in this. Now we need to find out who in New York is grabbing our mutants that are then being taken here to Gotham, to someone who has advanced weapons."

As she casually explains that, she grabs the paralyzed gunmen one by one, tossing their weapons away, slamming them against the truck rather rudely, and searching them, before tossing them downto the ground.

Grab. Toss, Search, slam. Grab, toss, search, slam. IT's all so routine.

Jack Ryder has posed:
Creeper unloads the weapon, firing bursts of light into the dark skies. He empties it and then throws it aside in disgust.

"I know this isn't a Bat Signal, but plasma/laser/deathr ays fired and none of you bats are watching?!" One gunman drops his rifle and raises his hands.

"Ah surrender. How refreshing." Creeper head butts him. "Just in case it was a trick. I don't feel bad."

He saunters over to Laura. "I'm glad the laugh didn't get to you... I kind of figured you were too tough." He holds his fist out for a bump.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney laughs. "24 hours ago I was strapped to a gurney, immobilized, with a helmet attached to my head attempting to reindoctrinate me into being a mindless killer, Jack." She kicks one of the guns further away. "So you you know the street. You know either of these gangs?"

Jack Ryder has posed:
Creeper says, "Don't know a one of them." He reaches out to touch Laura's cheek, very gently, despite the claws. Maybe she'll let him? The usually verbose maniac is at a loss for words. He sighs heavily and closes his eyes. When he opens them they are not quite as manic. His voice takes that serious tone again.

"People will say you're broken or a disappointment or wrongheaded when you are not what they expect you to be... killer, lunatic... creep. Don't listen to them. You are much more than that." Then he shakes it off, laughs and bounds away.