4129/Birds of Prey: Flock Together

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Birds of Prey: Flock Together
Date of Scene: 17 November 2020
Location: Tricorner Island
Synopsis: The Birds of Prey raid Consolidated Shipping and find evidence of private military contractors overseas, electronics fabrication and body armor research. They also find a surprisingly powerful computer the company was trying to reverse engineer, and take it with them.
Cast of Characters: Stephanie Brown, Barbara Gordon, Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe, Colleen Wing, Cassandra Cain, Kate Kane




Stephanie Brown has posed:
Various mentions of Consolidated Shipping have come up in a number of investigations. Never enough on their own to warrant attention. But then the sheer volume of them has begun to suggest the company may be involved in more than just shipping.

Though information on the privately held company is limited, with little on their networked servers except normal shipping information, mundane investigation methods have revealed they have interests outside of shipping. There are hints of supplying security personnel to overseas locations, and a number of patents in disparate technologies surprisingly unrelated to shipping.

Finally a matter has put the company square in the crosshair of the Birds. A ship that Oracle had just tied to smuggling had docked in Gotham a few days before, coming from ports of call in Africa. Oracle was able to pull up footage from the docks which showed a handful of crates avoiding Customs inspections, and taken away in unmarked vans. Though it was difficult, Oracle was able to trace the vans camera footage to Consolidated Shipping's Gotham offices.

Now a number of the Birds have gathered outside those facilities tonight for a stealth mission to gather information. It is a large complex which has significant amounts of office space in addition to warehouse space and a vehicle depot. The security system is high end for a shipping company, but not beyond the abilities of those present. There are occasional security patrols. The warehouses and vehicle depot are a hub of activity, but other parts of the building are quieter and a better target to try to get an idea what the company is up to.

The facility is surrounded by a fence. The landscaping does allow some amount of cover in approaching the buildings. There are several points of access that can be used on the three-story office building, from side exits with alarms, to windows and roof access.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Oracle, working from the comfort of the Clocktower, sits in a pair of Scoobie Doo pajama pants with a Fight like a Girl t-shirt, hair pulled up in a messy ponytail, and her glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. A number of windows opened on her multi-screen setup show various camera feeds around the AO, with a pair of drones hovering high enough not to set off whatever proximity alarm system might be in place... at least until she's got a better understanding of precisely what kind of security they're looking at.

Figuring that the facility will have onsite access only, she's given each of the operatives a USB drive to plug into any system on the grounds to give her remote access... but for now she's working from aerial footage from the camera fixed to the bottom of her sentry drone.

>>Nice and quiet until we have access to their systems, then we will put the fear of technological god into them.<< The androgynous voice of the Oracle says over comms, settling back in her seat to let everyone get into position.

Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe has posed:
Charlie has been diligent in her training with Batgirl, Orphan, Spoiler, and honestly anyone who would spend time baby sitting her on patrols or sparring with her for the last >gasp< couple of months really.

That isn't too say she is disciplines. She is like an ADHD Weasel on Meth sometimes. But she is stubborn and determined nd actually practices all the things. That is how she managed to get a real utility belt with real gear.

It is still a bit iffy on the costume, she hasn't yet got a real one with like...armor or anything yet.

Still she is psyched. Totes Totally PSYCHED to be on a field operation with the mysterious computer lady in her ear and some of the Birds of Fricking Prey.

Right now she is in the darkness on a roof a ways off bouncing a bit from foot to foot and fingering the thumb drive, at this rate she might actually rub any identifying marks off it. >>I can totally be quiet<< she hiss whispers.

Somehow she hasn't just leap into the fray though, actually managing to wait to follow the lead of the more experienced ladies.

Colleen Wing has posed:
USB drive tucked in to secret pocket, check. Katana strapped to her back because she's really hoping she doesn't have to use it, check. Not wearing her favourite bright white hoodie but instead a black one, check. Being in Gotham to hang out with the birds, check. Is the Hand involved in this?, she sure hopes not.

Colleen puts the small ear piece in to her ear and then taps the Birds app on her phone to sync it up. Gloves go on next. They're important because barbed wire is a thing. Her hood goes up, it's not a great way to hide her identity but so far no one has cottoned on; except the people who already knew - The Hand.

"I'm w_in_g position," she puns over the birds' communication channel. As far as code names go, 'katana barbie' doesn't really cut it and her terrible illegal MMA fighting name 'daughter of the dragon' is too long.

Nestled between a tree and a set of bushes. She can feel the excitement, the rush she gets from doing these dangerous things. There's no denying it's a part of who she is. "What is the plan?" - she's not quite sure who is in charge here; Oracle or Batgirl, but if they're anything like working with her group - The Defenders - things will go smoothly until they suddenly don't.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass taps her earpiece, hood down and face mostly hidden, but her trust of Colleen and Charlie is a firm medium. The tap is her standard response, she's not a talker. Still, this is normally a job she'd run on her own. She's hunched, silence incarnate, looking over the camera angles and spotting places that she can get past them. Looking for wiring she can access, noting them mentally. Basically planning a route.

She doesn't know Colleen. She doesn't know Charlie's ability with stealth. And frankly she's not certain Stephanie is up for this, but she just does what she can. Pointing without noise, she indicates the optimal access point. A small area of fence where cameras and guard watches have been poorly planned. Where there can be a few points they can split up inside.

Whether or not she's paid attention to is not something she can address. It's been a while since she had to knock out a team member to keep them alive. Let's hope tonight keeps that trend.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown is still marveling how her Batgirl costume fits. Her Spoiler outfit was handmade by herself, then upgraded with Barbara's old body armor. But this? This costume was computer designed to fit her to a 'T'. She's spent many of the hours since getting it familiarizing herself with the built-in systems which are so much more than her old costume. That, and doing her Calc 101 homework!

The blond hair color and change in voice are probably enough to suggest this isn't the Batgirl that some may have met before. She crouches in the dark, looking over at the building, and nodding when Cassandra points out the entry spot. "The section of fence there. Let's go over it and then get to the building. Oracle, split up in pairs you think to cover more ground? Roof and maybe one of the windows?" Batgirl says into the comms maintained by the distant computer expert and all around female superhero extraordinaire.

A lone guard walks along the fence, looking pretty casual in his movements, yet at the same time his head swings back and forth as if he's not neglecting his duty. He's the only person in this section though, easy enough to evade and get to the building.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
>>Stretch your wings, Batgirl. I am going to let you call the audible on the field.<<

That's high enough praise.. even if putting the suit on her wasn't enough. The Voice in the ear says with a little grin from the woman who actually sits at the computer. Reaching out for her coffee for a sip, she's keeping tabs. Ready to assume control of the op if needed, but..

She has faith.

She also has a contengency agent in the field.

>>I have Batwoman inbound. Linking her in on comms. Batgirl, give her a sitrep.<<

Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe has posed:
>>Batwoman.. that is so cool!<< which is definitely not Batgirl and definitely not a sitrep.

She bounces a bit still from foot to foot >>So no taking out that lonely guard, avoid and enter... I can um do the roof if no one else wants?<< which is actually pretty tactical because she can just get on the roof.

Also she has so many varied questions about the new Batgirl situation. Now is not the time. Soon though she will be impertinent and ask many questions.

Right now she looks over to Batgirl for the nod or audible or whatever one does in this situation.

Colleen Wing has posed:
Colleen does a double take. Batgirl changed her hair. Sure. But she also changed her voice. UH huh. Okay then. No one here seems to be batting an eyelash at that and the mysterious Oracle just referred to her as Batgirl. This is totally normal. Ayup. She'll be telling Elektra about this weirdness later for sure. Everything is fiiine.

Her eyes glance across to where Cassandra motions and Batgirl confirms. There is a quiet nod from her and takes a small moment to center her mind, then her body. It's action time. She will never be as good a fighter as Daredevil, Elektra, or Iron Fist, but she can hold her own and since they teamed up as the Defenders, she has been exposed to more 'on the job' training than ever before.

That saying, she really doesn't know these people ..yet. Batman has a reputation the world over and the Batgirl that she met that night? she seemed very impressive. Now there's Batwoman too.

She knows these people are elite martial artists. It is why she asked to be their ally when they asked her to join - she had too much on her plate with The Defenders; that hasn't changed, but that doesn't mean she's not going to get to know her allies - perhaps one day friends too.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra is there when Colleen and Batgirl look. The pointed arm directs their attention downward, and when they look back she's gone. Batwoman might notice her moving but she's likely to be the only one. Melding with the shadows, she slips out in a totally other direction.

By the time the others have decided what to do, she's past the fence and moving. She slips behind two guards to an exposed wiring point, redirects a camera with a small motion, then pops open the box. Then she's inside it, moving around wires to limit the amount of alarm locations which are actually active.

She trusts her friends. She trusts her allies. She still thinks they're going to walk into a few things, and there's only one way to waylay that. Action, and efficient, silent action.

Still, she leaves a few active. No reason to make it too easy. Kids gotta learn. Maybe they'll think to check the doors before opening them. Tum, tee tum...

Kate Kane has posed:
    Batwoman is entirely thankful for the uplink. She hadn't been a part of this operation until her comms lit up with Babs' voice. It was halfway across the city, but sure. She can divert. She wasn't looking forward to an early night.

    The rooftops make a fine sidewalk for her sojourn to the office building that Oracle had helpfully pointed out on her mask's HUD. The fact that she is flinging herself between them at breakneck speeds, the black and red shape just barely visible at the end of a grapnel line to only the most trained of eyes. She's a damned bat alright.

    The last gap is a brutal one that requires she cover about half of the distance acrobatically from the nearest rooftop, requiring a split-second detach of the grapnel from one rooftop only to launch it again to the lip of the target building in this smooth, practiced motion that betrays none of the fear of death that Batwoman doesn't have.

    The arc of her swing brings her down somewhat, and then up, curling around to hook deposit her on the rooftop. With a small click, she fluidly latches the grapnel onto her belt, and starts stalking silently towards the rooftop doorway.

    "I'm here." her voice, curt and quiet, lights over the comm channel.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
The Batgirl with the blond hair replies, << Alright Oracle. Can you start on the security systems on the roof entrance and the windows on this side? >> She turns to the others and nods. "Let's split up. Misfit, myself and Batwoman will head for the roof," she says once she's aware that Batwoman is indeed in the area. "And Orphan and Wing go in through the windows on this side. Orphan doesn't speak but she reads body language extremely well, so she'll pick up most of your generality if not specifics," Batgirl says, the latter directed to Colleen.

"And... she's already moving," Batgirl says, noting Orphan is on her way already, and giving a wry laugh and shake of her head. "Alright, Misfit, see you on the roof, I know you can get there on your own," she says. And then Batgirl is slipping out into the dark, heading for the fence and polevaulting it with her bo staff, before using her own grapple to pull herself up to the roof.

The roof has a doorway that leads down into the building, into the top story hallway runs along several laboraty-looking rooms. While the windows on this side open up into some office space, set up as cubicles in the middle with regular offices around the outside where the windows are. There are quite a few computers there.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
>>Read loud and clear, Batgirl.<< Says the voice in their ear.

Babs turns to a side keyboard to begin accessing the remote systems, glancing to the side where the feed from her aerial drone is keeping tabs on the signatures of her operatives on the field. "Alright, let's see what you guys got..." Knuckles pop, fingers begin to move.

"Hah, simple cobra root.. that would have been exceptionally difficult ten years ago." It wouldn't have, but it sounds good on paper.

The roof computers are, in short order, under the command of one Green Face. A looped footage playing on whoever is monitoring those cameras feeds of a completely boring night in Gotham.

>>Roof is clear, Batgirl.<<

>>Orphan's sector is too.<<

Colleen Wing has posed:
Colleen gives a small 'what are you going to do' sort of shrug as Orphan is already under way. She smirks and then she is moving. She is low and exacting in her motions. She doesn't rush, they aren't on the clock trying to rescue someone, just plant some USB devices for Oracle.

She waits to listen for a moment. If Danny were here he'd probably just smash the window and go right in. No, for better or for worse she was Hand and knows better ways. She takes out a small piece of wire and a magnet and in no time at all, the window is unlocked. There's a pause to see if she tripped an alarm... quiet.

Colleen opens the window just enough and slips inside, hugging herself up against the wall once there. << I'm inside. It's a meeting room. >> she whispers in to the comms and isn't sure Orphan is a hugely huge team player, but she waits to see if she joins her from this direction; either way, the window is closed. The whiteboard has scribbles about quarterly reports. Not terribly interesting.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Orphan (Cassandra) is trusting the computer types to handle computer things. She's going for any alarm which is purely physical, the stuff you can't just program your way past. Which means wiring. Still, it doesn't take long and the one guard who happens her way finds nothing amiss; the box looks normal for the moment he glances in toward it, and then she's back to work on the last few wires she wants to screw with.

Catching her name on the comms, she taps her earbud again in recognition, then scoots up the pole she's been working, real-quick. She scouts the area with a glance, drops back down, then vanishes into the world again. Little brat is making a game of it. Though she did quickly manage the window alarms; her partner was heading toward one of them and she's not a complete jerk. You're welcome, Colleen.

She doesn't show up, doesn't show up, and then her shadow of a form slips in through the window behind Colleen. She caught the expectation in her motions, and you know, what the hell. Girl might need a hand.

Sooner or later, she really needs to see this girl in action. See what she can do. But at the moment she just pulls back her hood, exposing her face (no fear!) and looks around. Her reaction is mostly along the lines of 'bah. More words'. And she starts poking inside doors, listening carefully around.

Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe has posed:
Charlie suddenly realizes that everyone but Bat Woman has moved on to the target building. She was so busy watching all of them go be big damned heroes like that. She blinks a couple of times and looks around.

She stares at Bat Woman for a moment, in her pretty much K-Mart special knock off batgirl gear, but very real utility belt. "Gosh.."

Then the young redhead steps off the building, not leaps just steps and drops ... vanishing a split second later with a flash of pink and purple smoke.

She lands lightly on the roof by the door there and waits for Batgirl for a moment, looking around >>Roof is clear<< she notes softly but chipperly.

Then, bored quickly, she steps towards the door with another slash of smoke vanishing inside the roof access. >>Empty Stairwell... nothing to stick the Goober into though for Oracle yet<<.

Kate Kane has posed:
    Batwoman will, at some point, question Spirit Halloween Flying Rodent Female's inclusion, though as the woman follows her onto the roof with a snappy teleport trick, Kate's concerns are somewhat alleviated. When she pushes ahead into the stairwell alone, those fears return with avengeance. The door on the roof opens a few seconds after Charlie teleports her way inside, and there is a deep scowl marring her features. Clearly, she disapproves. She doesn't know if the girl can see where she's teleporting before she pops into existence there, but she assumes she can't.

    If Charlie lets her, Batwoman will take the lead, calmly walking down the stairs- there is no urgency yet. Soon, they'll be on the third floor, and next to the door that will let out of the stairwell onto that floor, Batwoman crouches, taking a moment to listen as best she can to the door itself, before pushing it open just slightly so that they can leave the stairwell once they can see and hear that the coast is clear.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Batgirl gives a wave over to Batwoman as she reaches the rooftop, and gets there just in time to see Misfit disappear and hear her scouting report over comms. << Be careful Misfit. We know there are guards plus the security systems that Oracle is working out. >>

She nods over to Batwoman and follows Kate's lead, slipping inside the building and closing the door quietly behind them. At each intersection she peeks around corners to make sure they don't walk in on any guards, or employees.

"Looks like a few labs," Batgirl says of the first two rooms, one with a window in the door that shows some equipment and computers, another that has a few windows along the hallway that suggest it might be involved in weapons or armor research. "I'll tag the computers in the first for Oracle," she suggests, nodding to the pair of Misfit and Batwoman to get the other. Stephanie crouches at the locked door, puling out picks and carefully unlocking it. She moves inside. << Looks like some machines for fabrication of something. Circuit boards? Also some CAD equipment for design I'd say. Plugging you into one of the computers now >>}

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Information pours out over the screen when Batgirl plugs her into one of the facilities computers. It gives Oracle direct access to a closed system and she's rooting in like a prairy tick with the kind of grin one only gets on Christmas Morning at 9 years old. "Bonzi." She murmurs to herself, keying through access codes, manifests, and anything else she can get her grubby digital hands on.

She's still mindful of the feeds, if only to offer direction for Batgirl.

Could she give them headsup herself? Yes, she could, but how would she test Stephanie's leadership skills other than by giving HER the information to spread out on the bread. MAKE A SANDWICH.

Besides, she's grubby handing information over here.

And it's easier on the writer to let someone else do it.

"~Gotta keep, one foot ahead of the bread line...
One swing, ahead of the sword..
I steal, information from these bois.~"

Colleen Wing has posed:
Colleen smiles a touch as Cass joins her so smoothly in the board room. She moves to the door and listens. No sounds. She opens and begins to check each door as they go down the hallway. It takes a few before they hit something interesting. A room with a table, and a desk with computer.

The table is covered in maps and there are clipboards with rosters containing names and firearms. She takes out her phone and begins to take pictures of this stuff straight in to the Birds app for Oracle to decipher. Thankfully, no flash.

<< It looks like this company is doing mercenary work. Taking photos for you now. They have lots of teams. >> she comments over the comms and then walks over to the computer. She can see it's still on - jackpot. She turns off the monitor and then plugs in the USB drive. << Workstation connecting for you now Oracle >>.

She's not too worried if a guard does come their way. She knows she can handle a couple of them; to varying degrees of noisiness. Not only that, she's with the Birds and they are no doubt expert at taking down guards. But whoever runs this company clearly didn't think anyone would make it this far in. Sloppy. Not the Hand.

Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe has posed:
The Spirit Halloween Flying Rodent Female has not made it very clear if she can or can't see where she is going. It is highly dubious how shei s even doing the whole thing she is doing to begin with to be honest.

The warning on the comms from Steph though makes her bounce .. dial down a few degrees as she notes back >>Oh, sorry. I figured .. I would kick them if they were here for you two...<< she sounds unsure for a moment. But she does wait for Batwoman and Batgirl to get into the building with her.

Then well Batwoman wants to take point, which is fine with Misfit. She watches very closely like she is trying to take mental notes about everything the two older Bats are up to in the stairwell then down to what seems to be labs. Charlie leans a bit looking through the windows into the weapons lab glancing all around carefully to make sure it is empty. >>Looks clear<< she notes but somehow manages to not just bounce into the room, instead she looks to Batwoman and waits to follow her lead.

Maybe the scowl registered with FlyingRodentGirl. She holds up the USB stick though and looks like a puppy at Batwoman.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra isn't busy. She can break and enter with the best of them, but she hasn't got one of the major things that is required to make use of it: an understanding of the printed word. She looks around, letting her suit-cam get stuff for Babs, and starts rifling through desks for interesting things.

Finding a safe, she leans down and starts to crack it. No fuss, no muss, just goes for it. The fact that it was hidden? Not an issue. Probably has nothing of value but you don't pass up the opportunity to practice these skills.

On the up side, it also means she's listening hard. Oh and she has tools to make safecracking easier. She's not crazy, you can't master -everything-. That's Batman's job.

Kate Kane has posed:
    When the coast turns out to be clear, the door swings open on its hinge with such a delicate motion that it makes no noise. They progress to a few labs, and Steph darts into one in order to provide Oracle with the information she's looking for. Kate, who wasn't given anything other than implied responsibility, has no reason to enter these labs at the moment, and instead takes a position of overwatch.

    She had intended to remain in the hallway to warn them of incoming guards- or dispatch them herself, frankly- but Charlie calling attention to the weapons lab gets hers on it as well. There is a cursory inspection, before Kate slips in through the doorway, and gives it a more thorough once-over, only to return to Charlie giving her puppy dog eyes. Her expression remains stern, and neutral.

    "Do the job. Act like you belong here."

    When Charlie likely makes her way into the lab, if anyone happens to glance Kate's way, she's speaking into her comm... But it isn't coming out over the uplink she shares with the other infiltrators.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
The connection planted on the computer, Batgirl slips back out into the hall, moving over to join Batwoman. "Good kid," she whispers to her of Misfit. "Has a bit of energy to harness." Stephanie avoids the urge to cough self-consciously as she says it. Pot. Kettle. Black.

When the lab focusing on protective armor is dealt with, Batgirl continues on. There are other rooms to check out, but nothing particular incriminating in the ones she checks. Eventually the floor is clear and she starts down the stairs to the second floor.

On that floor there are doors to a larger, all-white room. The two teams will arrive at about the same side, at doors on opposite sides. Batgirl picks the lock on their side and then after looking about, slips inside.

The room is one large area. Some moveable tables are placed around the center. There is a moderately large computer there, larger than the biggest tower case, which is hooked into a couple of other computers sitting on the tables nearby.

However it is what is beside that computer which draws the most attention. There are scorch marks on the white flooring. Bits of debris lay all about, and seem as if they've been set out. It's reminiscent of how they lay out all the pieces of an aircraft that crashed, except in this case the pieces are a computer. Judging from what remains of the case, possibly a computer identical to the one that is still functioning.

Most of the computer's innards are melted and clumped together, as if the entire thing shattered and melted at various spots. Batgirl just stares for a few minutes. "Is that what happens if you don't blow out the dust from the case now and then?" she asks. Oracle can see through the integrated cameras built into Batgirl's suit of course. Batgirl goes over to one of the regular computers that is hooked into the surviving one, and plus a USB into it.

Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe has posed:
Charlie seems very pleased, I mean all she wanted was to do the job, so when Batwoman says to do the job and act like she belongs here. Well she is thrilled.

She nods very serious and then slips past the stern if somewhat angry seeming older lady and into the weapon lab. >>Roger dodger, got the goober and in the computer.<< slots it into the USB drive and then looks around slowly.

>>I'm pretty sure they are testing guns and explosives in here.... totally target dummies and all sorts of equipment.<< she walks over and looks one of the work benches over while the USB stick does it's magic with the Oracle lady at the wheel.

The ray of dark vengence flavored sunshine is obvlious to Kate's conversation with Barbara about her.

This is awesome.

>>Actually I think they are making armor or testing armor in here...<< she contemplates stealing sooem of the armor they are testing. Batgirl did say she needed to think about getting armor after all.

Oh crap they are moving on, she hustles to catch up ... maybe she will come back later for some of these bad guys armor she thinks to herself.

Colleen Wing has posed:
<< Well, whatever they're doing.. private armies are never good, especially ones making their own unique weapons and armor >> she chats back over the comms and then watches Cass crack the safe. She smiles, a little amused but not surprised. She pauses at the door and listens. The sound of footsteps and the reflections of light from a torch.

The guard passes by uneventfully and once he's passed around a corner, she opens the door and continues checking the rooms off the hallway. Eventually, this leads to the big lab. She takes out a tensioner and lockpick and in a slower time than Batgirl, opens the door at the far side.

Cautiously she enters the room and moves off to the side, then circles back around to meet at the middle. "What is it we were hoping to find?," she whispers to those gathered. The destroyed computer near the regular computer has her curious though. "What's with the rig?"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Ladylike to the end, Cassandra pockets the money she found in the safe and follows the group to the next area. Found a bunch of words too, she sends the info on the sheet off to Babs without bothering to try and read it. It's more of her babble, she'll like that. Names and junk.

She's fairly certain that she can use the moneys to buy a new HALO rig for Damian for xmas. He'd like that. Nice kid, needs to get out more. Maybe go dancing.

She is considering personalizing the rig when she walks in behind the rest of the team, her eyes looking at the computers. She glances around for cameras, knowing that internal systems are harder to bypass. There could be traps in this room, and she's the one who is being relied on to spot them. She hunches down, testing floors. Walks around tapping walls with a sonic tester. It's called a hammer, but we all have our methods of doing things. She still has her USB, but it's more of an afterthought. Nobody expected Orphan to do tech stuff tonight.

Kate Kane has posed:
    Stephanie slips into the hallway at the end of the line "-going to get herself or someone else killed." before Batwoman turns to face her. The statement regarding Charlie doesn't seem to placate her much. "Good kids aren't bulletproof."

    Harsh.

    Either way, she takes point again when Charlie rejoins them and they make their way to regroup with the others on the second floor, leading the way into the massive lab and doing some investigating of her own. Her findings she keeps close to the vest, but this is not a good sign. "Reminds me of Intergang." she remarks, "But this isn't Metropolis."

    With a mild narrow of her eyes, Kate wonders aloud. "The problem isn't what they're putting together, but how they're going to use it. These things always come back to us, somehow, so the question here is what they're going to war over, and why it's going to involve people like us."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Oracle comes over the comms. <<I'm getting data on the surviving computer. This thing is pretty tremendous from what I can tell. That kind of processing power in such a small unit is pretty much unheard of. They are trying to crack into it, but it keeps revising its defenses on the fly. Still, it's only a matter of time. Obviously they didn't make it. Trying to reverse engineer it I'm guessing.>>

Batgirl waves to the others as they come in. She tells Colleen, "They smuggled a couple of things off a boat, and the company has been on the periphery of a few illegal happenings. But we couldn't really tell how exactly." She looks at the carefully laid out wreckage of the computer. "Still not sure. Hopefully the data Oracle got shed's some light."

Oracle cuts back in, the voice carrying an urgency even though it is synthesized. <<I've got guards moving in on your room. From both sides. Misfit, can you get get that surviving computer back to our base? I want to examine it personally.>>

Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe has posed:
Charlie idly looks around and at the computers. >>It looks like the thing was put through a microwave or something...<< as she walks around the room just looking around and trying to be all alert and on top of it. You know like she belongs.

The warning about guards though perks her right up. "Righteous. Time for some Dark Vengeance." and then to be immediately deflated as Oracle asks her to fetch the fancy computer back to the base now. "But.. the vengeancing and evil doers..." yeah she sounds like a disappointed teen. There is a huff as she steps over to the intact computer and then hurks it up into her arms. "Leave me one or something please..." she asks hopeful and then the chaos muppet and the computer are gone with a slash of pinkurple smoke, bouncing out to remove the asset for Oracle.

Also this is why she is here.

All that is left is power cables unplugged.

Colleen Wing has posed:
Colleen tilts her head, "Well. I guess they know we're here then." Everything was going great.. until suddenly not. Just like The Defenders after all. She makes haste to the door way and stands to the side of it. This is a lot of problem and they need to make it a lot less of problem. She unloops her katana and scabbard from her back, but does not draw the sword.

As the first guard enters through the doorway she grabs his gun by the muzzle and pulls it off line. The butt is manipulated and the man is brought to the brink of a broken arm. She injects a leg behind his and throws him to the ground as she pivots a boot in to the face of the second with a spinning high kick. This sends him reeling back in to the other three behind him.

Time is of the essense she points her scabbard down at the guard on his back and with a merciless strike hits him in the throat. He chokes on a lack of air for a moment before passing out.

The second guard charges in and the sword slashes out of the scabbard. The sharp tip slashes through the air past guard number two's face and he tenses up so as not to move forward.

Colleen elbow charges in to him, pressing the cartridge release on his rifle and doing a backwards head butt against his jaw, as she uses his body as coverage from the other three guards still trying to get through the bottleneck she's created.

As Colleen looks up she sees something truly magical; Misfit disappears in a puff of smoke with the computer. "What the...," she says with a touch of wonder. Slightly less disoriented than that time she met a dragon, but still very disoriented by the display of magic.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Orphan moves to back Colleen up. She was assigned as her partner after all, and Steph and Kate are already a team. They get the other door, most likely. Not a word passes between them, but Colleen would feel Orphan pass behind her as she's drawing her blade.

She steps up to the guards who remain, maintaining an angle that will draw their fire to the walls, not into Colleen's body. It's happened before and she dislikes the yelling she gets when a team member takes a bullet. Bottleneck or no though, she saw it coming and was ready.

Sidestepping as one aims at her, Cassandra uses the motion to get close, too close to make guns effective. Then she's on them, and as she places her hands on the weapon hand of the first guard, she guides him around and down. The flip lands him on his back, looking almost lazy, but by the time he's slamming into the hard floor Orphan has already turned and come in low, a leg sweep that forces the others to step back.

She climbs the next guard, a foot on his knee, and slams her elbow into the top of his head. As he topples, she guides his fall to let her grab the shoulders of the last guard on this side. The grin she gets as she leans back, kicking him into the air toward Colleen, is maniacal. Sacrifice throw. Over to you, girl.

Kate Kane has posed:
    Kate Kane is a practiced bat. When the announcement came in from Oracle that they were being assailed, Batwoman all but knew this would happen eventually, though the why of it is what's going to be important- later. Not now.

    By the time any sort of fighting is joined, she has already taken a position by the door. The breach happens, and the guards find themselves aggressed by a whirl of red and black. Vision filters light on something more sensitive to the environment of darkness the room is wrapped in, and Kate goes to town.

    Each guard she comes across is systematic: She uses a mixed martial-art, combining takedowns of Krav Maga and Judo, and its effectiveness is on display with the first guard, whose rifle arm, in swift motions, doesn't bend the right way anymore. His scream of pain is stifled by a strike to the throat, before she's moving on to the next.

    Each motion is meant to use the cape to its maximum effectiveness- specifically to hide her body behind its whirling mass and make it all that much more difficult to pin down where placing a shot would be any sort of effective. The second man is almost passed up in favor of effecting another threat- one gloved hand distorts the visor and helmet of guard three enough that he'll have to take a moment to adjust in order to get a bead on either Kate or Steph- it's more to give the newly minted Batgirl an opening than anything else, as Kate resumes assault on the second guard, diverting his rifle to a harmless skyward trajectory as he fires, filling the roof with the led he intended for Batwoman.

    The sickening crack of Kate's heel impacting the side of his knee is the next loudest noise to come from the scuffle, before he'll be down for the count.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Batgirl moves in close behind Batwoman. As the latter uses a guard's helmet against him to block his vision, Batgirl runs to the wall, one booted foot pushing her up into the air then pushing off, giving the other leg leverage as it comes around in a kick. The guard straightens his helmet just in time to see that black boot coming up smash into his chin from beneath. His head snaps back and he goes down.

The man behind him rushes forward, jumping over his body and into the room, gun swinging to find a target. Batgirl's hand is already at her utility belt and she tosses flash pellets right at him. The small, low-impact charges go off in a flash that is blinding so close up. She crouches in a spinning kick then to sweep the blinded man's feet out from beneath him, sending him crashing onto his back with a deep guttural cry of pain.

<< Birds. Finish them and withdraw. >> Batgirl says over their comms as the last guard on their side comes in through the door, looking to avenge his fallen friends.

Colleen Wing has posed:
Colleen headbutts the second guard with the back of her head a second time and feels his body going limp. She shrugs the unconscious guard off of herself like discarding a cloak. Her sword swishes through the air and goes back in to its scabbard quickly as she turns to see Cass doing a sacrifice throw of the final guard.

Colleen's eyes go a little wide in surprise but she does a backward flip heel kick underneath him as he sails over her. She lands on her feet and turns as he hits the ground. He hits it so hard he bounces back up and she drops in to seiza with a fist above his face, meeting it and sending it violently back to the ground. Thud thud Thud he goes. He's out like a light.

Colleen rises back up again and holds out her scabbarded sword defensively as she turns around to observe that all the guards are down. << They might have reinforcements coming >> she comments over the comms and then gives Cassandra a _look_... a 'damn girl' look. She liked those moves, she was impressed but shouldn't have been - she hangs out with Batwoman and Batgirl after all.

Back out the way they came in, it's the smartest and most direct path for them. She takes off down the hallway and back in to the quiet meeting room. The window is still unlocked, she pushes it open and slips out, leaving it open for Orphan to follow. A pause to make sure the guard isn't doing a wild scout... nothing; she rushes across the fence line and back to the tree where she started. << I'm out >>

Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe has posed:
Back at at the Clocktower Charlie is putting the computer where she is told by Oracle over her earpiece. Which involves moving it a couple of times and Oracle likely stalling to just see if Charlie flies off the handle and teleports back.

She doesn't somehow. Some inner fortitude.

Then she hears over the comms finish them and withdraw. >>awwwwwww dangit!<< pause.

>>Does anyone need backup?<< having belatedly realized it was an open channel.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra glances at the guards on the floor as Colleen performs a -sweet- kick. She actually lifts her eyes as it's done, making a small moue with her lips that's reminiscent of a whistle, but no sound comes from her. No sound ever comes from her, not in combat.

Watching the first guard, the one she barely tossed, try to get up she idly leans down and whoks him in the jaw, stilling him with the amount of effort one puts into taming a wild candle in need of an air freshener. Then she taps her earbud to verify that she's still alive, that she's on her way out, and all that fun stuff.

She pauses to look at Charlie, then pulls her hood over her face. Next time, grasshopper. Then she's tearing along the dotted line (see: exit) and dives out the portal, vanishing into the night. Not Bat-style, she has her own ways to do things tyvm.

But it's fun either way. And she's going shopping later!

Kate Kane has posed:
    While the previous two (And a half, she's taking that credit) guards were matters of effort, the last guard storming through the door is afforded a trademark of the Bat family.

    With one expert twist, Kate unleashes not one, but three red-hued, bat-shaped throwing devices, that could be called an -arang if they were ever intended to return to her. Instead, their sharp tips dig in where they need to, and her skill at throwing them is on full display as they dig into the forearm, the middle of the chest, and the shoulder.

    Before he gets much of a chance to aim and fire through the pain, each of them emits a quite intense shock. Twitching and seizing in place for a few moments, he falls to the ground when the shocks die down, unable, or unwilling, to muster the effort to try and avenge his comrades. At least all of his limbs still have the shape they're supposed to.

    With all of the guards disposed of, Kate makes her exit. It's copyright infringement, of course, because there is a single, golden moment where the others don't have eyes on Batwoman. In the next, she's gone, as if she just vanished into the night.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Batgirl is close on Batwoman's heels. The sounds of more guards coming can be heard, boots pounding on the hallway tiles as they give chase. Stephanie rushes back up the stairs to the roof and out the door in the night, the sound of the pursuers close behind her until the door slams on them.

That door nearly explodes open as the first man to it kicks and then rushes through. Only to find an empty rooftop and no signs of the intruders.

And off in the Gotham night, in a room within an old beautiful Clocktower, a red-haired woman in Scooby-Doo pajamas walks around a large computer, fingers sliding over the case as if anticipating unlocking its secrets.

Where did this computer come from. And how does it work so well?