552/A Case of the Cackles

A Case of the Cackles
Date of Scene:	16 March 2020
Location:	Chelsea - Miagani Island
Synopsis:	Cackler tries a strongarm robbery in Gotham and bites off more than he can chew when the BatFam shows up.
Cast of Characters:	Cole Cassidy, Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain

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Cole Cassidy has posed:
Ah, Gotham City. Where at night, everything is somehow even worse than it is during the day. A pair of Wayne Enterprises trucks are making their way through the island, on their way to deliver something or other. Cackler didn't even bother to check what they were shipping. He just saw a couple of of trucks with a billionare's logo on them and decided he'd take them down. Normally he focuses on criminals, but if you ask him, nobody's a bigger criminal than a billionare.

Sure Wayne did a lot to help Gotham out. But did he do enough?! Wait this isn't the time for a political rant. That's for later once he has a camera. A motorcycle pulls up behind the rear truck of the convoy, and then moves alongside it, passing it to catch up to the first one.

The driver reaches into a pouch at the side of the bike and tosses several custom hollow caltrops towards the front of the truck, figuring that by the time the drivers react, both trucks should have a couple of flat tires at least.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Sure enough, the car tires explode and the truck veers violently aside. The driver manages to keep from flipping the vehicle but he fetches it up against two parked cars and then runs the bumper up atop a planter that hasn't borne any plant life saved for discarded cigarette butts for years and years.

Normally Batman doesn't bother much with protecting Wayne Enterprises. The costume is for justice, not profit margins. All the same, he does keep an eye on things that might threaten the city-- and the contents of the vehicles are definitely something that petty criminals shouldn't have their hands on.

He toggles the communicator built into his suitmask, tracking locations of his proteges in the area. There's two nearby, as it happens, and he pages them both at once.

"<Vehicle accident in Chelsea. Medical supplies being stolen from Wayne Tech vehicles. Moving to investigate; come in via north and east approaches,>" he orders the Batlings. More directive than conversation, and Batman launches himself from the rooftops with a flare of his cape to start gliding the short distance towards the site of the accident.

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim Drake will reply "East side coming in, eta minute thirty. He kicks the Red Robin car into gear, and starts into some of the offensive driving he has been drilled on. The Red cars zooms along, towards the area pulling to a swurve at the intersection to keep civilians out and thugs in. The door opens and bat grapple launches and he heads intoward one of the taller buildings.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
The sound of a motorcycle revving comes, mingling with the sound of Cackler's 'cycle. It revs, it goes loud. It comes up behind, and slews to a stop nearby. The rider, in full black, has a featureless helmet without a logo. Not invisible at all, this one person seems to want to be involved? To be...in the way.

Whoever it is doesn't pull out a camera and start filming, it's not a person wanting to become celebrity. But she, and it is a female, seems to just stare at Cackler from a few metres away, through that jet black helmet. No cape. No chest logo. Who IS this person, and why is she on site so quickly?

Cackler's response will decide what she does. For now, the female simply watches, and waits.

Cole Cassidy has posed:
If he knew the amount of response he was getting, Cackler would be impressed. He honestly doesn't think he rates that kind of attention. He skids the bike to a stop, and dismounts, grabbing a rifle out of the holster on the side of the bike, "Hey! Look, security guard dude. I don't want to hurt you, so just walk away."

He moves closer to the truck, still calling out, "Whatever's in that truck isn't worth you life, right?" The sound of another motorcycle coming up on him gets his attention, as he turns to look at the person who just stopped, "Hey, Looky Lisa, get back on your bike and turn around. This is between me and the fine employees of Wayne Enterprises over there."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Fifty feet overhead the Batman arcs between the buildings on the end of his grapnel and lands on a perch. His cloak hangs under him, tugged by fitful gasps of wind. It dissolves his silhouette into obscurity, making him look like nothing so much as a tattered flag.

Batman's whiteless eyes narrow thoughtfully at the sight of the armed gunman and the first Batling on the scene. He'd almost feel sorry for the man, running into Cassandra. Red Robin, Nightwing-- careful tactical planners, employing their own styles and skills to defeat enemies.

Mentally, Batman puts money down on a bet whether Batgirl goes for the collarbone or the tibia for an arm break.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Giving the security guard a wave, the female nods at him. She waves him off, giving him the sign for 'stand down' with the Wayne code. Get him to safety first, apparently.

She takes one leg off of the bike, standing properly, and proceeds to do the stupidest possible thing you can do to an armed gunman. She walks straight toward him, taking her time. Keeping his attention on her.

Giving the security guard time to dive into the truck, behind armored glass. As her eyes watch the gunman's shoulders, waiting for the gun to be raised. It's so hard to tell what she's thinking, in that helmet. As she walks, slowly, closer.

Tim Drake has posed:
Robin will watch the other bat head towards the man. He will let her take the obvious attention and move to drop in on the other side of the armored trucks. He slides under one then the other putting a disk under each one that should someone open the back doors once they have been armed they get taser trucked. He comes back up on the side away from Cackler.

Cole Cassidy has posed:
"You deaf or just stubborn?" Cackler asks, his attention clearly focused on her and not the security guard. He raises the rifle just a bit and fires a burst of rounds, hitting at her feet. He's clearly not intending to shoot her, at least not yet.

"Wait lemme guess. You're one of this citys five hundred superheros who would rather spend their time protecting some rich guy's stuff and beating up some homeless folks than actually fighting real crime." He laughs, that very hyena-ish cackle of his, probably where he gets his name, "Great. You know I'm the real good guy here."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
*thump*

Even Batman can't mask the sound of a fifty-foot fall, slowed by his cloak or not. He lands within arm's reach behind Cackler and rises to his full height. Those sightless eyes deepset in his cowl convey an inhuman contempt for the gunman. One might think the flesh of his mouth and chin humanizes Batman, but in reality he's so deep in the uncanny valley that the little bit of humanity in his expression only makes him appear more inhuman. Like some monster only playing at being a man.

"One of a dozen," Batman confirms with a low growl that seems to resonate in both air and bone.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
The gunfire into the feet of the incoming super-obvious target doesn't even make her twitch. It's like she knew she wasn't in danger, and unfortunatley she's not giving back on the conversational front. She's not one of those chatty types it seems. Not playing the game fairly at all.

Speaking of unfair, the *thump* from behind him, if he even so much as glances to see what happened, he'll find her too close. WAY TOO CLOSE, and with a hand on the weapon. If not, well...it might happen anyway.

Tim Drake has posed:
Robin will hit his grapple to head back up. He will arest on a ledge on a second story. Batman and Orphan have this under control, bringing a third into is could be bad. Instead Robin loks over the area to se if the bad guy has any flunkies or traps he can see.

Cole Cassidy has posed:
From Robin's perspective, it seems there is nothing that Cackler has other than himself and his motorcycle. He tends to be a one man operation, at least since he got changed.

He turns to face the sound of the thump, moving to swing the rifle around only to find it's momentum stopped by the woman closing in on him, "Shit." As soon as he realized who, or rather what he supposes, was behind him, he realizes he's probably pretty screwed.

"Okay look, I know I look the part, but I'm not with Joker, okay? He's the one who did this to me." Trying to get sympathy from The Batman is probably going to fail spectacularly, "So uh, I'm guessing she's with you?" He jerks his head towards Orphan, turning his head to look back towards her, "Don't take this personally. I'm just tryin' to do my job."

He releases the rifle and steps back and to the side, trying to maneuver his way behind Orphan to grab her, bringing up his revolver as he does so, and trying to keep his stance so she can't just kick him in the junk, "Look Batman, I go after criminals just like you do. We're on the same side, really. Just lemme walk away and nobody has to get hurt. I'll even let you keep all the Wayne stuff in the trucks, you can turn it back in to him and probably get a rich guy handshake."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Some people would startle, or tense up. Maybe even launch into a stance ready for violence.

Batman freezes in place. It's eerily still. Only the flare of his nostrils betrays that he's even breathing, let alone that he's human. The cape shifts very subtly. Wind moving it? Or Batman palming a utility item, concealed by that heavy cape?

"Doesn't look like criminals. Looks like strongarm robbery," Batman growls. His voice is pitched to convey the precise depth of cold fury one might expect from the legends about the nightstalking vigilante. "Looks like you're holding a gun on a hostage. Looks like the Joker to me," he informs Cackler. "Put the gun down, you do a few months at Riker's. You hurt her, it's ten years of supermax at Blackgate. No harder time than that."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Oh please. The weapon pressed to her, the woman actually turns to look down the barrel. There's no tension in her, she's not reacting even remotely like a hostage is supposed to. No fear. In reality, she might have...let him? She drops the rifle, letting it slide down her leg to rest on the ground, and lets Cackler talk. Until Batman is done, at which point she's clearly had enough of this.

The way you can tell is when you're flying through the air, that't the key to it. Having brought your body up close to the person who the Batman doesn't seem too worried about...likely another key. But the flying, that's definitely a clue.

It happened so fast, the girl just leaned her hip in close, reached for the arm where Cackler couldn't see the motion, and a super-classic hip toss sends him for a loop. And she subtly palms the clip from the gun in passing, not really going all-out here.

Which should be a hint too. If it were the Joker, she'd have busted his arm by now.

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim Drake will come off the roof, and to the roof of one of the trucks, and from there he is moving through the air as the man does. He lands just moments after Cackler, and will hold his staff out and lets it extend above the man's head. It stops just inches from hitting him between the eyes "Ok, this is your chance to give up, and walk into the station instead of being carried in. Your choice." Tim offers the man.

Cole Cassidy has posed:
Cackler knows he could do Rikers standing on his head. Though hell, he'd probably end up in enough fights in there to end up sent to Blackgate anyway. Still, supermax doesn't sound very fun. Apparently he's not super criminal enough to rate a cell in Arkham, which makes him a bit surprised that Batman is even bothering with him.

He tenses up for a second, which apparently is all Orphan needs as she interrupts his train of thought by throwing him to the ground. He lands with a heavy thud, grunting. As he starts to sit up, suddenly he finds himself looking cross eyed at a staff held by Robin, "Okay." He might be tougher than the average hyena, but even he knows when to fold, and fighting Batman, Robin and whoever this mysterious third party is, well that's a bit outside of his wheel house.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Batman doesn't so much as flinch when Batgirl and Robin tag-team the strongarm robber. Instead he retrieves the shotgun and casually disables it with a practiced familiarity. Ammo and parts are tossed in the gutter. The revolver gets the same treatment, and Batman knocks an armored gauntlet twice on the window of the wrecked car.

"EMT is on their way," he growls at the driver. "You should call your supervisors. Let them know what happened."

The Bat walks back over to his proteges and tilts his head minutely at Cackler. "Gift wrap him. One more for the cops," he instructs the duo.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Oddly, Orphan doesn't follow the order. She looks at Batman, apparently realizing that she's not needed for that kind of duty, and instead walks to her bike. She puts a leg on it, starts it up, and then peels out.

Apparently this Batgirl isn't entirely on board yet. Or at least has her own opinions on some of the smaller things. Though if her body language is any say, she's saying that she's upset about something.

Too bad she's so damn ineloquent, or you could find out what.

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim Drake motions the man to turn over and if he follows orders will zip tie him, up nicely. He does read over any info they have on him to see if he needs to deal with enhanced strength or not. He does make sure to use a long tie to connect hands and feet behind the man so he can not bring them around to chew his way out. Once the man is secure he will retries his tazer disks and walk over to stand next to batman.

Cole Cassidy has posed:
Enhanced strength and animal-like tendencies, if there's any file to be found on him. He follows along with the orders from Robin, though after he's laying on his stomach, grumbles a bit. Had it been just one of them, he probably would have tried fighting them. But all three of them, well he might be a bit crazy but he's not THAT crazy.

No doubt the cops will need to figure out what to do with him once they do arrive, "Next time I'm gonna stick to Metropolis." He grumbles a bit more to himself. His last few adventures there were at least less painful.