2461/Brotherly Something

Brotherly Something
Date of Scene:	15 July 2020
Location:	The Narrows - Miagani Island
Synopsis:	Narrows Patrol never goes well.
Cast of Characters:	Tim Drake, Jason Todd

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Tim Drake has posed:
Patrol. All the Batlings get roped into it fairly regularly... part and parcel of being the defenders of Gotham, after all. Often alone, but there are some places that even Batman prefers his proteges not patrol solo.

THE NARROWS.

Poverty, crime, destitution. Murder, drugs, gangs. The Narrows is a thin strip of row houses, projects, ghettos, slums, falling-apart apartment buildings, abandoned warehouses, and boarded up small businesses between Robinson park and the river. It's one of the most dangerous places in Gotham-- even the cops are loathe to come in during the daylight, and almost never respond to calls or do patrols at night.

Which leaves the Narrows as Bat territory.

Red Robin scans the streets below from his perch on a condemned apartment building. There are people living inside it, but they are likely just squatters-- the building's owner has long since abandoned it. His partner for the night is Red Hood. Batman thought a little teamwork might be good for getting them used to working together and less inclined towards their constant bickering and fighting.

Sometimes, Batman isn't the smartest man in the world. Or maybe he is expecting exactly what has happened so far on this patrol... quiet sniping at each other mixed with derision.

Pulling up his wrist to work at the computer there, Red Robin activates the heads-up display in his domino mask. "Luther Street and Sunrise Boulevard are quiet," he mutters into his comms to his 'older brother'. "How's Halo and Pine? Shot anyone yet?"

Jason Todd has posed:
Patrol. Partners. When did he sign up for this? He was going to need to give Bats a reminder that Red Hood isn't one of his minions. Though for now, Jason focuses his ire on the Narrows and the usual low rent hoods that make it their home.

From his spot on a tenement rooftop at the corner of Halo and Pine, Red Hood replies over comms. "Not yet," he says, as he watches a cluster of young men slinging dope to the local fiends, "Nobody worth a bullet."

He whistles then, standing up from where he crouches, letting the cluster of two-bit dealers see him on the rooftop. They pause, trying to make out who he is in the darkness until Red Hood steps forward a little and the light hits the helmet. That's all that's needed, they turn tail and run, scattering like roaches when the light comes on. "Heh. Definitely nobody worth a bullet. Seems like we've got a quiet night on our hands."

Famous last words.

Tim Drake has posed:
"No one is worth a bullet," Red Robin notes into the comm system as he parkours from the top of the apartment to the tenament next door. He lands with a small 'oof', moving to the building corner within the shadows to take a look over the back alleys leading into an abandoned, boarded over strip of shops with decaying living spaces above.

There's movement below, which isn't the end of the world. There's always petty criminals, and like Hood, Robin isn't bothering himself with that beyond spooking them if need be. He focuses on the movement, then freezes, slipping back deeper into the shadows and crouching.

"Hey, Hood?" Tim's voice comes, extremely quietly, over the comms. "Behind the old Dayspring tenaments off Sunrise."

There's only one word after that, but it's one that will get Jason's attention fast.

"Clowns."

Jason Todd has posed:
"Most people deserve a bullet, Red," Red Hood says as he fades back into the shadows. "It's just a matter of where," he says philosophically. "Besides, your girlfriend gave me these bullets, so it'd be a shame for them to go to waste."

The lowered pitch of Red Robin's voice tells Red Hood something is up even before he mentions the C-word. No, not /that/ C-word, the only one that matters in Gotahm: Clowns.

"On my way," he says, before he moves with surprising grace and agility for a man of his height and weight, to appear next to Tim above their targets. "What are they up to?" he asks. Even with 'hood' on, the laser focus Jason has for those clowns is palpable.

Tim Drake has posed:
"Two below. Look like guard duty." Red Robin dutifully ignores the comments about girlfriend, ammo, etc. That's a whole other can of worms he doesn't have time to focus on right now. "Makes me wonder what's going on in the old shopping strip back there." Not that Hood can see it, but he's narrowing his eyes as the HUD and the scanners do their work. "Building looks mostly abandoned, except there's a large spot in the back of the old laundromat I can't get a reading. Signal keeps bouncing back." He's frowning. He doesn't like not having the data.

Jason Todd has posed:
There's a smirk inside the helmet as Tim ignores Jason's ribbing about Rose. Jason glances over at the strip mall, tapping the side of the helmet to engage his own optics, "Yeah, definitely shielded whatever it is," he agrees. "That's usually not a good sign."

He glances down at the two guards, "Shall we go ask them about it?" he asks, or well he makes it sound like a question, but before the words are out of his mouth he's got his grapple going and he's dropping down on the left most guard, boots aimed squarely for the back of the man's head.

Tim Drake has posed:
Kicking clowns in the facemeats it is, as soon as Hood is on the move, it only takes Robin a half a moment to follow with his own grapple-drop; one hand on the grapple, the other already pulling his bo from his hip as he falls. He lands on the right-most guard only half a second after the other Red lands on the left, both clowns knocked out by a sudden case of batfoot to the skull.

Red Robin eyes the unconscious guards. "Asking seems to be out of the question now. Maybe we should go try knocking?" he jokes.

He does want a glimpse inside, but knocking is probably a very bad idea.

Even as he's joking, however, he's already kneeling beside his knocked out guard, ziptieing his wrists behind his back and slapping some bat-tape over his mouth.

Jason Todd has posed:
Red Hood flips his over to give him much the same treatment. "I mean take a finger off one of them and they'll wake up pretty quick," Jason remarks as he slaps some tape over his guy's mouth, a clear sign he's only talking theoretically here.

"Guess the smart thing to do is check to see if there's a way to take a peek inside without getting the whole Insane Clown Posse on our asses all at once," Red Hood says, this time without running off and doing the exact opposite. Though he adds in after thought. "As fun as that would be."

Tim Drake has posed:
Red Robin extends his bo with a flick of his wrist, a second flick locking the extended beating stick in place. He pulls up his wrist computer, even as he instinctively moves to the side of the alleyway against the wall. "Let's see... pulling up county records... okay, the last thing in the space to the left of the old laundromat was an office for some cleaning business." He pulls up the plans for the building the county has on file. "Laundromat is on the far right of the strip... so we can try going around the building entirely..." he taps the screen, zooming in. "Ah ha. Gotcha. Or, we can pop into the old Wok In Wok Out takeout place on the far left, and there's rooftop access in there AND the laundromat. In, up, over, down."

Jason Todd has posed:
For his part Red Hood keeps his weapons where they are, but then Robin with a bo staff sends a different message to those that see him than Red Hood with a gun. Jason leans over to look at the computer. "Not bad. And yeah, I remember that wok place," he says of the restaurant. Of course Jason would hang around here as a kid. "Sounds like a plan. You want to take point? I'll follow and give you cover if you need it."

Tim Drake has posed:
"Sounds good," Tim nods once, putting the wrist computer into sleep mode and sneaking down the alleyway. He scuttles across the small open area between the alley and the backside of the strip, using a dilapidated dumpster as cover. Once there, he jimmies the lock on the Wok In, cracking the door just enough to slip inside and out of Jason's sight.

Jason Todd has posed:
Red Hood crouches low and keeps watch as the door is jimmied and then when Red Robin slips inside he follows. Drawing one of his pistols as he slips through the door and pulls it closed behind him. A tap to his helmet engages nightvision as he follows the plan Tim laid out, <<Just inside now.>> He says over comms so his voice doesn't carry beyond the inside of the hood.

Tim Drake has posed:
The heavy back door opens into the dirty, dusty, abandoned ruins of a tiny strip mall kitchen. Some of the appliances have long since been ripped out (whether to move or sell), others collect rust. There aren't any windows in the back of the house here, so the only light comes from a few holes in the ceiling where the roof has obviously given in to time and weather and neglect; and from the kitchen window towards the front of the shop where some of the ambient street light flickers from the dying street lamps in the empty parking lot. There's a door between the kitchen and the front side that's closed with rust and mold stretching up from the bottom of it like tendrils.

Red Robin is fine in the dark, his domino mask already slipping into night vision mode. It's helpful in the dark. He's already moved to the roof access ladder off to the back of the kitchen, covered in rust and chipped white paint. However, he's eyeing the holes in the roof with moderate distaste. <<Roof may not be stable. We may need to adjust plans. Or just be really careful up top.>>

Jason Todd has posed:
<< Fun fact, I think this place actually looks cleaner after being abandoned for a decade >> Jason comments moving through the debris towards Tim's position. << Joy. >> he says of the roof. << Gotta give the clowns credit for picking a good spot. Still, roof seems the best way up, we'll just have to be light on our feet. >> Easier for Tim than Jason of course with the elder battling having 25lbs pluse his bulkier Red Hood gear on the younger one.

Tim Drake has posed:
<<Careful it is, then.>> He scans. <<Studs are standard distance. That helps.>> He's up the ladder at this point, fussing slightly with the latch before opening the hatch onto the rooftop. He lightly pops up...

A hail of gunfire greets him.

Aaaaand he literally drops back down into the takeout place. "Uh. I think they know we're here."

Jason Todd has posed:
<< It does >> Jason replies already preparing the for the long steps he'd need to get from one stud to the next without falling through the roof. He only just gets started when the gunfire sounds from above and Tim drops back down in front of him. "Looks like," Jason says. "How far and in which direction?" he asks, already eyeing the ceiling, drawing an exploding batarang from inside his jacket; considering blowing the ground out from under the gunmen if they're standing on the wok place roof.

Tim Drake has posed:
<<Saw two. One down on the laundromat end, one in the middle-ish, guessing could get underneath him from next door.>> Red Robin cocks his head. "What are you thinking, Hood?" There's a mixture of curiosity and skepticism at that.

Jason Todd has posed:
What is Jason thinking? Well like they say in writing class it's better to show than tell, he reaches into the jacket and grabs a second explosive batarang before throwing them both into the wall between the wok place and the laundry. "Fire in the hole," he says before grabbing Tim's tunic and drags him down behind the counter as the explosions rip through the dividing wall.

Tim Drake has posed:
Well, if they didn't know the Reds were here before...

Red Robin ducks and covers behind the counter as the explosives go off. <<Stealth and guile are things, Hood,>> Robin says dryly into the comms, but he doesn't seem too put out. <<But since we're hellbent on making this place easier to knock down...>> A pair of his own explosive birdarangs come out, and he hurls those through the massive hole Hood just made, making yet another.

Now there's a brand new corridor all the way to the laundromat... where a half dozen clowns are not pleased to see a pair of batlings down the way.

Dryers are tumbling, with flashes of bluish green inside them rolling away.

Jason Todd has posed:
<< Really? What are those? >> Red Hood says with false innocence before breaking into a grin as Tim follows his lead and blows down the next wall revealing the clowns. Catching sight of the glowing material in the dryer. "That the drug thing you found?" he asks, as he throws a smoke pellet into the space between them and the clowns throwing up a screen to let them close the distance without getting shot.

To that end, Jason draws his second pistol, vaults the counter and begins to close on the clowns, snapping off shots when arms and legs show up on his thermal optics.

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim is NOT happy with the gun usage but at least Hood's keeping it non-lethal. He bolts forward through the new 'doors' into the laundromat, dropping to his knees to skid in under the hail of gunfire going both ways. <<No clue! Will look later!>> he replies about the dryers, already spinning his staff to start trying to drop the clowns in a non-killy way. Knock them down, knock the out, tie them up, send them to jail. The Bat Family way.

Of course, this puts him in the room with six clowns, all armed. "Hi guys. Can I borrow some detergent?" he quips as his spinning staff knocks one of the off his feet. He immediately whips the staff around to coup de grace the clown to the head for a knockout. "Next!"

Jason Todd has posed:
Not only is Red Hood being non-killy, but he actually stops firing when Tim jumps into the room with the clowns. See, personal growth! Both guns are slid away as Jason rushes forward passing through the smoke cloud into the room with the clowns and grabbing one by the back of the head, "And can one of you, break," he slams the clown's head into a bank of machines leaving a bloody smear as he drops the comatose man to the floor. "A twenty." he says, before kicking another clown in the back sending him sprawling towards Tim's waiting bo-staff. "Looks like it's your turn," he tells the stumbling thug.

Tim Drake has posed:
The staff whistles as it spins, connecting with the clown Jason shoved his way. See? Teamwork makes the dream work.

Red Robin whips the staff around, bringing it to waist level and slamming two of the clowns in the guts with the staff before following it up with a solid kick to the leftmost one. He slams backwards into one of the dryers, shattering the glass door as the drum continues to spin. With the new opening in the dyer door, the spinning, tumbling $20s and $5s start flying into the room.

"Holy shit, Hood, they are literally laundering money," Robin notes as the dryer makes it rain on the remaining makeuped thugs and the batlings.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason ducks a haymaker from one clown, drives a fist into his gut, then kicks out his knee with a sickening pop. He twists punching another in the throat and yanking him into sleeper hold before Tim announces what he finds and Jason turns to look.

Seeing the money tumbling out of the broken machine gets a genuine laugh from Red Hood. "Wow, got to hand it to Joker," he says to Tim, before knocking his last clown against the machines to put him out. "Guy goes all in on selling a gag. I almost respect it."

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim's already fast with the zipties, binding the knocked out clowns so if things go sideways at least these guys aren't waking up and helping as backup. "I'll get them handled, you check the cash-- I'm betting it's counterfeit. Again." He frowns. "And it's after dark, so either these guys get to wait until morning..." Because GCPD ain't coming down this way, even to snag a bunch of tied up clowns. "Either way, we have some time."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason wanders over to the machine giving one of the clowns that's stirring a little kick on the way. "Yeah, Joker does love his 'funny money'," he says, stopping the machine and reaching in to grab a handful of cash for inspection. "Though with Joker, you never know for sure, maybe he's weathering the money, maybe he's going for some gag that's going to pay off down the line." He fans out a couple of the bills and turns up the magnification of his masks optics looking for the crisp clear microprinting that's the sign of a real deal (or at least a super high quality forgery).

Tim Drake has posed:
Forgeries. But good ones. Must have a need for cash that will pass casual muster.

Red Robin finishes his work and pops back to his feet. "We call in the cavalry or sit here until dawn?" He looks less than thrilled about either option.

Jason Todd has posed:
"Fake," Jason declares dailing back the zoom. "The micro printing is blurry, but otherwise these will pass as real. Wasn't the Joker's guys trying to buy some of that new drug when you and Ravager found them?" The bills, naturally, are pocketed.

As for the goons? "Let's drag em outside, burn the rest of Joker's funny money, then bounce. We don't want word getting out we're here while we wait on the cops, it'll be like Night of the Living Scumbag as every two-bit hood rolls by to take shots at us."

Tim Drake has posed:
"Sounds good," Red Robin agrees to Hood's plan. "And yeah, they were. Bills there were fakes too."

They get the goons outside, and while Red Robin makes his call to the cops, Red Hood turns the building into a structure fire.

Not bad, for a night's patrol.