2666/The Morning After the Rave

The Morning After the Rave
Date of Scene:	28 July 2020
Location:	The Robin's Roost - Chelsea
Synopsis:	You know the WORST time to meet Conner's dad? While hungover.
Cast of Characters:	Conner Kent, Tim Drake, Clark Kent, Bart Allen

---

Conner Kent has posed:
To be honest Conner had never tried things like really, seriously attempted to get drunk by drinking three bottles of vodka in a three minutes. So, the idea he was invulnerable to drugs was just a theory. Pretty solid theory, since normal doses of drugs did seem to have little or no effect.

Until last night.

Whatever there was in the drinks last night did hit him for real. Even after one glass he was thinking Gotham City was pretty nice after all. And with the second he forgot the mission and went make new friends. Awesome friends. At some point (after the fifth glass or so) he decided her needed to introduce Rose and Tim to his new awesome friends, but he was unable to find them. It didn't seem too important.

He got back to partying with his new friends, and boy... party went on and on. He didn't really get his wits back until dawn, when sunlight gave him the extra boost he needed to recover. That was half an hour ago. Now he is back to the rooster, with a new leather jacket, sans t-shirt. There might also be lipstick on his face. "Rose! Tiiim! Anyone here?"

Tim Drake has posed:
The smell of coffee fills the kitchen and dining area of the Roost. In a loose-fitting pair of grey sweatpants and a light tank top, Tim stares at the cup in front of him where he sits at the table, the rest of the pot warm on the warmer. Conner's voice snaps him out of his reverie, and he picks up the mug and makes his way out to the main social room. "There you are, man. Lost track of you." He takes a sip and makes a face. He's not a fan, but he needs it right now. "Rose's still sleeping." And probably can't hear him, anyway, because she's on the other side of the renovated theatre in Tim's room as opposed to just down the hall in her own. "You... uh. Look like you had a night, Conner."

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner stumbles into the kitchen and squints his eyes at Tim. "You look fine," he points out. "Good, man. What the hell? It was a weird night. Did they lace the drinks with Kryptonite or something?"

He goes for the fridge, to find some soda to drink. He might actually be feeling a little thirsty for real. "I think I got drunk. It was all pretty strange. Did you get away okay? I mean, there were gangers but looks like no one got into a fight. At least I saw nothing."

Tim Drake has posed:
"Ran bloodwork when we got back in..." Tim squints at the clock. "Few hours ago. Drinks were laced with MDMA-- uh, Molly? Ecstasy." His face flushes a bit. "Saw the results a little bit ago while the coffee was brewing. It.. explains... things." He takes another drink of his coffee. "Wait, it affected you? Like, the MDMA and the alcohol? You never get drunk." Tim actually looks concerned at this. "That's not possible."

Conner Kent has posed:
"I had never gotten drunk yet," admits Conner, sipping from the soda. So, really, no way to know how getting drunk would affect him. He thought this was IT. "I tried Ectasy a couple times the last few months and I got nothing from it either. This time I was... it was weird. Like a good dream. Everything felt better. But nothing seemed too important. I think I was very much drugged."

Tim Drake has posed:
"....yeah. That... is exactly how last night felt." Tim lets out a long breath. "How did it affect you, though? That doesn't make sense. You're immune to everything." He frowns, calculating. "No Kryptonite popped up on the analysis, and... even if... that would make no sense to lace the drinks with. Who would know, or even know you were coming?" He shakes his head. "No. It can't be Kryptonite. There has to be something else." He puts the mug down, leaning on the counter, scowling in thought... which doesn't feel particularly great with the minor headache he has from the alcohol from the previous night. "Rose is still... down with it too. She drank a bit, and it was in her system too, from her bloodwork. And it very much affected her too. And me. And I'm just me." He rolls his shoulders. "I don't like this."

Conner Kent has posed:
"Uh, for what I have seen Rose needs to drink enough to kill an adult human twice her size to get really drunk," don't ask how he knows that! "I would say magic, but then Rose should not have been too affected. It if hit all the three of us the same it must be some really weird drug."

Seeing Tim is still alive. And Rose is sleeping.

"Maybe psychic powers," he wild guesses.

Tim Drake has posed:
"I don't know," Tim says skeptically. "But she was... definitely affected." He leaves it at that. "We have some of the pills they were selling, but the analysis on those will take longer." He frowns, looking very annoyed. "Rose took one of those too, so that might have contributed."

Conner Kent has posed:
"They must have put a lot in the drinks too," points out Conner. His brain is working again, although that was no genius deduction. "Which means there might have been overdoses, right? We should check the hospitals?"

But some of his new 'friends' drank a lot, and they were relatively fine when he left them. No one exploded, or looked in danger of cardiac arrest or anything. Maybe he should double check.

Tim Drake has posed:
"Yeah. I'll cross reference emergency calls and intake at the hospitals." Tim scowls. "There had to be overdoses. But..." he glances in the direction of his bedroom, then back to his coffee. "So many questions, and I thought last night we'd find some answers. But whatever that other stuff is, it wasn't what was in the drinks. Just normal..." he pauses. "Or was it?" There's a flash of insight in his expression. "I may have to spend the rest of the day in the labs. I'd kill for a good biochemist right now. This isn't my forte."

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner grunts, finishing the soda and digging for his cellphone. But of course, no batteries. At least he didn't forget it somewhere questionable-ish in Gotham. "I think I took a few pictures of the bad gangers. Maybe it will help. Someone unusual must be behind those drugs. Or maybe normal for Gotham, but unusual elsewhere."

Clark Kent has posed:
Tim and Conner's morning may have just become even more complicated. In Tim's public residence nearby, there's an intruder of sorts: Superman, fully outfitted in the blue and red, arrives on the balcony and enters the home, moving as quickly as possible to avoid being observed. Once inside, he makes no effort to avoid tripping alarms, striding confidently toward the living area with his cape billowing behind him and calling out in a clear, steady voice: "Hello?" He intends this to be a friendly visit, if one of a superheroic nature, so he'll give the household's owner a moment to respond before he starts actively seeking him out.

Tim Drake has posed:
ALERT. SECURITY BREACH.

The Roost's lights dim slightly and at the ceilings, red flashing lights blink and strobe. They also do this in the main house itself, and the security alert warning echoes through all the bedrooms, labs, and underground.

And the kitchen, when Conner and Tim both are. Tim's eyes widen, and he reaches under the counter to grab one of his staves that he has tucked up underneath... because like his mentor, he built the Roost with paranoia in mind. He curses himself for not having his wrist computer on him, but he does quickly move to the wall by the door and activates the monitor there.

"Show me the breach," he mutters as his fingers fly across the touchscreen, flipping through the various cameras.

Son of a bitch. Superman is in his LIVING ROOM.

"Son of a bitch. Superman is in my living room." he says out loud. He looks at Conner. "//WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT, BRO?//?"

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen has worked the previous night. He was on his way home to the bunker when he saw someone blurring into the house. The young man, seeing it is someone moving so fast only takes time to throw on his mask, as he vibrates through the wall, ready to protect Tim's place. When he sees who it is he skids to a halt, in his mask goggles, and a brown button up shirt with the name Bart over the pocket and brown kaki shorts. He blinks and says "Um, Conner didn't do it, and if he did, he did it for a good reason." He tries covering for his friend.

Conner Kent has posed:
"It wasn't me!" It was like that when I got there! You can't prove anything!

Wait. He can't remember doing anything too objectionable. He didn't even get in a fight. In fact, getting in a fight was completely unthinkable.

"Ugh. At least it is not Batman," because you see. It could be worse!

"And we should go talk to him, since he can hear what we are saying anyway," he adds, heading out of the kitchen.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman glances up at the speakers and flashing lights with an unimpressed expression and heaves a sigh tinged with amusement. "Kind of dramatic, Tim," he comments to himself mildly. "And watch your language." His voice isn't loud enough to carry through the room, much less to Tim himself, but his critique is wry rather than serious anyway.

The Man of Steel turns to see Bart arrive, a friendly smile quirking his lips. He's about to greet him when the speedster cuts him off, and Superman is shocked enough to be taken aback for a moment. "You know Conner?" he asks, perplexed, once he has found his voice.

And speaking of voices, one that is both unknown and eerily familiar starts filtering up to his expanded perceptions. Superman frowns at Bart, crosses his arms over the crest of El, and waits for an explanation.

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim closes his eyes, muttering under his breath, "Please, PLEASE stay passed out, Rose..." because while he has a soft spot for her, he doesn't have an entirely blind spot, and knows how... poorly she might take an intruder, regardless of the color of underpants he has outside his clothes. He taps a few buttons on the monitor. "Stand down Red Alert, authorization Red Robin, X-Q-1-3-9."

A pleasant, plain feminine voice (that sounds supiciously like Majel Barrett), the same that was giving the alert, responds, "Alert Cancelled." The lights go back to normal.

Tim sighs deeply. He is too hungover to deal with this, but such is life. "Let's go see what he wants," he agrees with Conner. "But hey, did you keep saying you were going to go talk to him?" He nudges the younger Kryptonian with a half grin, before padding on bare feet from the Roost over to the main house. From the upper balcony of the living room, he waves down to the lower living room area where Superman and Bart are. "Uh... hi."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen smells a bit of animals and their poo. The back of his shirt says "Gotham Zoo" so that might be a clue. He looks over to Superman, and nods his head as he tries to subtle activate his cowls radio so Robin and Superboy can hear him, At least he did not reach up with his hand to activate it, but Superman is superman, and probably can catch him doing it easily. "Um yea, we have known each other for like forever, mind you for him and me, forever might only be a few years, but he is one of my oldest friends. You know he is a really good guy and is even is one of the people who inspired me to get a job and go to college. He is a role model." He says nodding about his friend, "He and Rob both, they are great guys, very responsible."

Conner Kent has posed:
"There is no way she slept through the alarm," comments Conner. He doesn't seem too alarmed about what Rose could do. But he is thinking in other things. "Yep, I went to the hall and I looked for him in Metro. But I don't have his phone number, you know?"

His attempts at finding him were also kind of half-assed, due to having no idea what to tell him. Which is a highly un-conner thing, too. But things are weird, bro! "Oh, and Bart is there too," he comments. Still better than Batman dropping by!

Clark Kent has posed:
"Tim; just who I was looking for," Superman says, turning and greeting the young man with a wry tone. Yes, from his expression, one can guess that Superman at least knows what a hangover /looks/ like. "And... you must be Conner," he continues, his confident stance faltering slightly; internally, he debates flying up there and shaking his hand, but decides not to make that first move. He's perhaps overextended by showing up unannounced, as it is.

Instead, he sweeps the room with a look that takes in all three of the other people in it. "Tim?" he asks, tone calm. "Are you sure it's a good idea to be running a superpowered flophouse in the middle of Gotham City?"

Tim Drake has posed:
"...it's... a superhero... base?" Tim squints and groans internally. Yeah. Superman knows his civilian ID. GREAT. He probably knows Batdad's too, though, which is the only thing keeping Tim from bashing his head into the nearest wall over and over again. "We're not normally... it's... there was a party..." Deep breath. It's Superman, who is very much NOT DEAD, and you're a damn Drake for god's sake.

He straightens his shoulders, letting out a long breath. "Superman. Can I get you a drink? We've got like, probably a dozen types of soda, at least. Uh... welcome to..." he shrugs. He had only been calling it the Roost until they found a better name for it, a more awesome name. But he guesses it will do. "Welcome to the Roost. We're..." he looks at Conner helpless for a second. Okay, so... they didn't have an official name yet. Just some that had been tossed around. "We're the Outsiders, and this isn't a flophouse. There was an incident. We're handling it. How can we help you and the League, sir?"

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks to them, and seeing Conner, and Robin in their civvies he will step back, and blinks a party and he missed it." His shoulder sink just a bit but he sees it does not look like superman is going to go all Bizzaro on them or anything. "I'll be right back," And he is off, vibrating through a wall, and then down to the base. He grabs a shower, and comes back up, dressed now in a Memphis Music Hall of Fame T-shirt and a pair of jeans. His hair slightly damp as his running helped dry it "Back." He tells them as he is back almost before anyone can notice. He does not have the mask on since the other two did not.

Conner Kent has posed:
"Hello, I am Conner," states Conner. "Or Superboy. Big fan," he offers his hand to Clark with only a little hesitancy. "This is not flophouse, this place is pretty cool, high-tech and for Gotham not -that- bad. Also, I just have a room here, I actually have an apartment in New York. Well, studio. Rent is insane in New York, you know?"

Just ignore the lack of shirt and the remains of lipstick in his face. Or the 'modern' haircut. At least he ditched the earring a few months ago.

"Hey Bart," beat, "bye Bart," and he is back. "Hello again, what's up?"

Clark Kent has posed:
"All interesting to know, but my question stands," Superman answers Tim, giving Bart a nod as he heads away. "I'm assuming you got Batman's sign-off before quartering a team here to handle this incident?" A crinkle, tugging at the corners of his clear blue eyes, makes it clear that he is making no such assumption. "I know from experience that he has strong feelings about superpowered heroes operating here."

When Conner extends his hand, Superman shakes it firmly -- Not Kryptonian-firmly, mind you -- and looks levelly into his face, so nearly a mirror of his own. Minus the lipstick, of course. "It's good to meet you, Conner. I'm Kal-El, or Superman, if you prefer." Not exactly breaking news, but Big Blue is nothing if not polite. "And as it happens, I'm not here on Justice League business. I came because I'd heard Tim, here, could lead me to you. I thought we should talk, but..."

He glances around the room and asks, "Are you all OK? You seem a little worse for wear." Bart reappears, freshly showered, and he amends, "Well, most of you." He's going to try really hard not to judge how disheveled they look, but he's also very consciously NOT going to send any X-ray glances in the direction from which they came.

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim rubs the back of his neck ruefully. "Investigation gone sideways, sir. Just..." he sighs. "Drinks at a party were spiked with some sort of drug. We're looking into it now," he shoots a furtive glance towards Conner, "especially since Conner was affected as well. We've got it under control." Mostly. He clears his throat. "Uh, Batman... is aware of the situation and that we're investigating. I've brought samples of everything to him as well, besides the samples we got last night-- though I was planning to do that much today."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods, and says "And I only patrol outside of Gotham, I don't fight crime in Gotham unless I stumble across it or it stumbles across me, and even then I have to call Rob or the Bat-line." He sounds as if he is reciting something that has been drilled into his head a bit about fighting crime in Gotham. Rob is letting me live at the Roost, till I get enough money saved up for a place of my own. Jay said I could stay there still, but if I am trying to be responsible." He will look over to Tim "Conner was super-ruffied?" He asks him seeming a bit surprised at this "And they got you too... I would think anything that would effect Conner would knock you out."

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim cuts Bart A LOOK, fighting the urge to do the throat-cut motion. Because... well, two things... Conner drank a SIGNIFICANT amount more of the laced drinks than Tim did... and Bart has NO idea how... altered Tim was when they got back. Ahem. The 'shutupshutupshutup' look is fairly obvious.

Clark Kent has posed:
"You were drugged at a party, but it's under control," Superman echoes Tim, his skepticism evident. Then his focus returns to Conner, and he looks genuinely worried for a second. "Conner being affected is a problem because you thought his Kryptonian abilities would make him immune," he ventures. "The fact that they didn't could mean that someone has found a way to intoxicate us... or it could mean that Conner isn't really Kryptonian."

He listens carefully to Bart and says, "So long as you have an arrangement with Batman, I certainly don't have any objections. I just wanted to make sure that--"

Distracted, he turns and looks directly at Tim, then points a pair of fingers at his face and waggles them around. "You know I have super-senses, right, Tim?"

Tim Drake has posed:
Ugh. Heightened heartrate and breathing. Of course Superman would be even better at catching that than Conner is. "Yes sir. Supersenses, sir." He coughs slightly.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will look at Tim confused, after all they all tell him he needs to think things through more, and now when he is trying Tim is giving him dirty looks. He scratches his head a bit at this. "Um ok, I think I will get something to eat." and zoom off again, and back, He has three buckets of KFC, and will over the others one of the buckets "Have something to eat?" He figures keep his mouth full, he won't get in trouble. Where did Bart get KFC at breakfast time, is that Japanese writing on the bucket?

Conner Kent has posed:
"Er... I am half-Kryptonian," points out Conner. "And half-human. So, it is possible I can be affected by drugs that a full Kryptonian could ignore. But I suspect magic," he adds. Because Tim already discarded Kryptonite.

"I was pretty out of it until I got sunlight, then it faded in a minute," he is not sure if Superman would receive that kind of boost from sunlight, but he does. He always heals was faster when he is receiving solar radiation. Tim and Bart would know this.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman accepts the bucket, nonplussed, and then sets it down on the coffee table for anyone to help themselves to. "Thanks, but I ate on the way over," he says politely. Just flew up to a drive-thru, presumably?

He looks straight at Tim, brows furrowed, as he says, "Well, whatever has been going on, it sounds serious. Please be careful, and keep Batman informed. I trust you to be smart about this, but don't forget, we're here to help if you need us."

As Conner states that he is only half-Kryptonian, Superman gives him a quizzical look. "That's... a complication," he says slowly, not entirely taken aback, but acknowledging what an unusual circumstance Conner is in. "But your logic holds. And yes, magic would work regardless." He flashes him a smile. "I've been napping in the sun on and off for days since I got back from space. It does wonders. But that reminds me."

He reaches down to his belt, around which is looped a small device, like an mp3 player on an armband. "You said you didn't have my number -- now you do." He hands the device to Conner. There's a small switch on one side and what looks like a speaker, but no other interface. "If you need me, that will bring me as fast as I can get there. We need to have a conversation, or five." He gives Superboy a once-over, noting the smudges and stains, and adds, "Maybe when you're not recovering from... being drugged."

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim elbows Conner, muttering, "See? I told you he wasn't going to ignore you." Oh yeah, Superman has superhearing too, but maybe he'll ignore a guy's best friend from encouragement. He looks at Superman and grimaces. "Yeah... I plan on talking to him." He looks at Superman's Dad-face and grimaces further. Ugh. How does this guy make you feel guilty just standing here? "...today. Today, even. Soon."

He glances back in the direction of his room longingly for a second, then sighs. "Conner, if you want, we can be scarce. I need to go get dressed and head to the 'cave anyway with the samples. And Impulse..." he looks to Bart and shrugs. "Can find... something? Like snails. You guys can have the living room if you want to talk. It's probably more private than the Roost proper anyway."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks over and between bites, he says "I have been thinking about heading up to the savage land, and seeing what I can find there, I mean they have dinosaurs, and sabretooth animals. I just need to find out where it is, I mean I could just keep running around till I find it, but that could be problematic. I wonder if there are sabretooth snails . I mean they aint got normal teeth but maybe a spike or something.

Conner Kent has posed:
"I am totally super-recovered!" Protests Conner, taking the device. Yeah, Tim was right. But Tim is always right, Conner stopped arguing after the first year. Mostly. Well, ok, sometimes he doesn't argue.

"Anyway, sabretooth snails?" Does he want to know? Hell, yeah. "Bring one if you find them, Bart. As for us... uh, I want to Star Labs." Glance to Tim. "Eventually. After that time I thought I was Superman. You. I mean. Only amnesiac. So they told me I have your DNA and some unknown human. Uh, have you heard of a group called N.O.W.H.E.R.E." Don't ask what the big letters mean, no one knows.

Clark Kent has posed:
"You should," Superman encourages Tim. "I think he'll appreciate you raising the alarm on this -- the earlier, the better." He pauses, smiles, and adds, "Although a little more detective work and a little less personal experimentation might be safer in the long run." Impulse gets a raised eyebrow, and a simple, "I don't know about the sabretooth snails, but I'm pretty sure you can find the Savage Land on Google Maps and save yourself some running."

Conner's questions mostly draw a curious look from Superman, but he doesn't seem to have any flashes of insight at the ready. "We can do that," he says. "I know a lot of people with ties to STAR Labs -- we can go there and learn more. NOWHERE would be trickier. I've heard a thing or two, here and there, but I got the impression they had basically disappeared years ago. Is there a connection there we could explore?"

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim slides back out of the room on bare feet towards his bedroom, sighing quietly. He had been hoping to avoid a lecture from Bruce... oh well. Time to get dressed and head out to Bristol.

And hope that Rose was still passed out cold, because he REALLY didn't want to explain to her that Superman could hear them. That would probably just encourage her.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks over to to Tim, and waves. He looks back to Conner, and says "Want me to head on out too?" He asks his friend. I mean I could probably head down stairs and get my 20 minutes or so." He offers, He has finished the first bucket and started on the second one. One of the things he shared with Wally, the appetite of doom.

Conner Kent has posed:
"No. I mean, I thought maybe you would know them," no, Conner has not heard much about NOWHERE in the past two years. And he looked a few times, "I know they have been tied up to some missing super-human cases in other countries, but trail is always cold."

"It is okay, Bart. You already know most of it," replies Conner. Although he never told his friends exactly how much he remembers about NOWHERE. He thought maybe Superman would know something, since they somehow got enough genetic material from the older Kryptonian to make him. But looks like he doesn't. It is a mystery Conner should stop ignoring, really.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman settles onto the couch, sitting forward with his elbows on his thighs and his hands clasped under his chin. "If you have a list of those missing metahumans, I could certainly look into their cases. Unless you'd like to work on it together?" He makes this offer with a thoughtful expression. "A name is a place to start. STAR Labs might be able to glean something from your genes -- some marker or signature that might give us a lead. There's also a woman named Caitlin Fairchild on the Titans who was involved in the project, if you'd like to see what she can tell us."

After laying these options out, Kal sits up straighter with a slight frown and continues, "There's something else we should talk about, Conner. On Krypton, there was a very strong taboo against the kind of science that produced you. More than a taboo -- it was a crime that carried a severe punishment. By Kryptonian law, you would be banished to the Phantom Zone."

These facts are offered in the same calm, informative voice as the ways forward in the NOWHERE investigation. "I'm... not convinced those laws were right. But they are part of why I want to learn more about you. I don't think it would be fair of me not to tell you that." Kal shifts his weight, obviously uncomfortable in a way that is not generally associated with the heroic Superman persona. "That's not to say I'm investigating you, exactly. I just want to know your humanity for myself. It would make it easier for me to say, simply, that those laws were wrong."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks to the two super people. He frowns a bit at the talk of banishing Conner. He will move to the kitchen putting the left over food up, and keeping an eye on the two. He could outrun Superman, it would be like Pole position 72k, just the question is where could he hide Conner.

Conner Kent has posed:
"I have some notes," somewhere. Actually, in his old personal computer here, which is the one he used in Hawaii. His notes are also pretty crappy, since he started peering before he received some basic lessons on intelligence gathering from Tim. Or grew some common sense. Or... well, he used to live exclusively for the present. Investigating was not in his mindset.

The comment about the anti-clone laws of Krypton is a bit of a cold-water bucket, though. "What? Why?" Not that he knows any other clone. Much less any Kryptonian clone. "Ugh, good thing we are not in Krypton." His legal status is a bit of a mess in the US, too. "Anyway... uh, I guess I need to get a shirt. And get back to New York. Hey, I will call you," he waves the com device Kal gave him. "Oh, my cellphone number," he recites the number.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman makes a mental note of the phone number and nods. "Certainly. Bring your notes with you when you're ready to start working on this in earnest." He glances over at the window, then continues, "I should be going, anyway -- I thought this would be a quick visit to ask a question, and I don't mean to impose on Tim's hospitality. Both of you, take care of yourselves."

He rises to leave, floating up to the balcony door rather than taking the stairs, and is, in all likelihood, gone before anyone stops to realize that he never really answered the question: Why were clones illegal on Krypton? The truth of the matter is, he felt bad enough laying the fact of the law on Conner when they had just met. The awful reasoning behind it will just have to wait for another day.