7831/Harper Gets /Two/ Visitors!

Harper Gets /Two/ Visitors!
Date of Scene:	14 September 2021
Location:	The Narrows - Harper Row's apartment
Synopsis:	Following (pretty obvious) clues left by Harper, Red Robin visits her apartment with Superboy. Discussions occur, advice to /not/ be a vigilante is given and then a contact phone is provided. (Continuity Note: This is a direct follow up to the No Bat-Signal This... cut scenes.)
Cast of Characters:	Harper Row, Tim Drake, Conner Kent

---

Harper Row has posed:
It's late afternoon on the fourteenth of September. Sometime between now and the previous morning, Tim Drake gets wind of suspiously familiar interferrence patterns showing up in the Gotham electrical grid. Two appear on Monday morning... two more the next day!

When he investigates them they are decidedly more efficient than the one(s) he had encountered before. Smaller, brightly colored cases (red ones the first day, green ones the next). There's also a micro SD card on them that has a single audio file on them that plays a short two second clip from an American casual dining restaurant chain when opened [1]. What does this mean? Are these related to the previous signal causing resistance boxes? Why the heck /that/ sound file?

----

Harper Row, unaware of the status of her little game at this point, finishes work and heads for the bus stop to get home. Sound dampening earbuds are in her ears but no music is playing, its just a ruse to keep the grandmothers on the bus from pestering her about her dating life while she reads a book on her phone's Kindle app (_Spheres of Influence_ by Ryk E Spoor). Once home she starts working on dinner after giving her brother Cullen a hug.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Ever since discovering that device in the depths of the generating station, an active version of the one he and Anarky had recovered aboard the Delphine Princess while the rest of the Outsiders were dealing with the hijackers aboard, Red Robin has been conducting regular sweeps of the grid for the signal it was transmitting to show up again. It's a long shot, but sometimes those do end up paying off.

    And initially, he'd thought it had. At the first detection of the signal, Tim had gone out to investigate, but once he'd recovered the first pair of devices he realized they were mockups. Though the purpose of the original device is still something of a mystery, these seem to be made to get his attention.

    As made obvious by the audio clip. Ha ha. Very funny.

    It remains as a sidenote pinned to the side of the digital case file, until the next morning, when another pair of devices show up. The way they've been positioned seems significant, and after he overlays lines matching the pairs together on a map of the city, things rapidly become clear. Something about the name of the apartment building that lays at their overlap strikes Tim as familiar, and he's still typing out the search query when he manages to drag the relevant information out of his memory.

    The residence of Harper Row. Right. Tim could tell she was smart.

    "It's probably nothing," he tells Conner, at the Roost. "But given even a tenuous link to this cultist case, I'd rather not go in blind. Best case scenario, Harper Row wants to have a chat. Worst case...." Well, Tim doesn't feel the need to elaborate.

    Half an hour later, they're across Gotham in the Narrows. Red Robin slips in through a bedroom window after spending a moment working his way around the lock. And then, Harper's phone starts to go off:

UNKNOWN NUMBER: sry to interrupt dinner ms. row
UNKNOWN NUMBER: wait is this a railgun? that's cool :o

    Tim finishes snooping and steps back, leaning against the windowsill with his arms crossed over his chest. "Just her and her brother in the apartment?" he confirms, voice lowered significantly, though he knows Superboy will hear.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner insisted in coming with Tim despite this probably being just a case of Gotham being Gotham. Lately he is feeling a somewhat paranoid himself, possibly because the company he is keeping and not because someone is watching him. Or maybe he is just bored.

It is still cool to watch Tim being the detective again. Really, lately Conner gets called only when there is heavy lifting to do. Not that this could not have turned badly if there are alien eye cultists with superpowers involved. But it was unlikely.

Which is why he had no problem waiting down on the street for Robin to do the wall-crawling and home invasion thing. He is listening, of course. But he would rather use the front door. Maybe after ringing the bell. That is, if this Row woman is not shooting first. <Are you going to tell her you are here, or be Batman-creepy levels of creepy?> He texts his friend.

Harper Row has posed:
Harper has just put the liquids and flavor mix into the pot for making Hamburger Helper when her phone goes off with the first message. She's turned down the heat and put the lid on the pot when the second message hits. Then she reads the messages...

... and she blanches.

"Hey Cullen," Harper calls out trying to keep her voice even as she asks, "Come take over monitoring and stirring for me, I have to take care of something down the hall."

"TMI sis!" her brother calls out having assumed the 'something' in a way Harper actually wanted him to allowing her to dash down the hall as he enters the apartment's small kitchen. Rather than the bathroom she turns to the left and enters her bedroom, skidding to a stop in her white ankle socks that don't really do much with the 'comfortable at home' black satin boxers and a white t-shirt with the words "Always Give 100%" "(unless you're donating blood)" flanked by lines with heart symbols above and blow the words.

"Wha-"

Yeah, quite composed here is young Harper Row.

"You're a day early!" she exclaims and then quickly adds, "And its Miss."

Tim Drake has posed:
    Once the notification routed through to his HUD from his phone pops up, Red Robin mutters "I texted her," into the quiet of the bedroom, which is weird if you don't have a best friend with superhearing down the block, for sure. "She'll figure it out." And then there's shouting outside the bedroom door, which basically confirms his assumptions, so Tim adds, "Clever girl."

    Maybe he's been playing too much of that Jurassic Park arcade game that *somehow* wound up in one of the storage rooms of the Roost after Gabby's birthday party.

    He tips his head slightly when Harper slides into the room. "So I am." Behind the lenses of his mask, Tim's eyes narrow, and he pushes himself off the windowsill to stand up straight.

    "But you were trying to get my attention," he says. The heavy fabric of his cape barely moves with the breeze coming in from the still-open window.

    And then he very purposefully turns his head to look at Harper's work table, covered with a sheet. Red Robin doesn't say anything, but one corner of his mouth twitches, like he's holding back a smile. "Well? You have it. I'm hoping it's not for any nefarious purposes, given it looks like you're putting a non-lethal weapon together. Can't imagine why you'd be doing that." Okay, now he's actually smiling.

Conner Kent has posed:
Okay, that works. Conner has problems filtering noises in the middle of the city, so he doesn't realize Harper has moved to the room until she begins talking to Robin, instead of not shooting him with a shotgun for lurking at her window. Which is the more Gothamite thing to do.

Instead it sounds as if she had been waiting for him. Which is what Tim had told him was more likely. So, he makes sure no one is watching and flies up to show up behind Robin, just hovering there for a few seconds. "Cool Mohawk," he comments, "I guess too cool to be a crazy cultist," he smirks faintly. "And I guess I am the uninvited part of this gathering. Hello, I am Superboy." The red S on his t-shirt is mostly visible under the leather jacket. But he is wearing normal blue jeans instead of red ones. This is his 'stealth' outfit.

Harper Row has posed:
"Well, I'd planned to be more fully dressed and better prepared for you tomorrow night," Harper says, referening her barely dressed state. "Nefarious, no, more like concerned. You're not the first costumed boy to be in my bedroom this week," she states as Conner flys up to her window.

With a startled expression on her face and a plussed tone of voice Harper adds, "But the first without a /costumed/ chaperone though," proving that she's not so vexed as to be incapable of a barbed comment about Conner's 'costume' choice.

After a brief pause she says, "Yeah, I figured gauss weapons are quieter and I'm also working on my own electro-stun, non-lethal bullets. Not why I invited you but if either of you want me to give you a demo I can oblige."

From down the hall Cullen's voice is heard saying, "You okay sis?!" to which she replies, "Yeah, just keep stirring every few minutes!"

Tim Drake has posed:
    Outwardly, Red Robin gives no sign of a reaction to the news of Harper's other costumed visitors, though it does have him curious who else in Gotham is poking around. He also doesn't look back when Superboy appears behind him, though his stance shifts, subtly.

    And then Harper calls out Conner's outfit. Tim has to put in a not-insignificant amount of effort to keep from reacting to that, too.

    "Concerned?" he asks.

    He looks over at the work table. "Interesting, but not enough for me to volunteer to get tazed. I'm sure there are plenty of people in Gotham that are very deserving of an electric shock or two."

    While Harper calls out to her brother, Tim finally glances over his shoulder. The way he shrugs coupled with the uncertain twist of his mouth and slight furrow of his brow suggests he's not really sure why they're here. "I'm assuming you didn't go through all this trouble just to chat," he tells Harper, though he sounds somewhat skeptical.

Conner Kent has posed:
"Red here always gets in trouble around dangerous women," points out Conner, to explain why he would need chaperones. It is funny because it is true. Then he glances at the gun and arches an eyebrow. "This is the kind of thing Hope would love to see," he murmurs to Tim.

After hearing Cullen's voice, Conner keeps quiet for a minute, letting Tim do the talking. "But if you wanted to chat, maybe we should give you a few minutes to finish dinner, dress up and meet us at the rooftop?" Or Starbucks, it is around the corner. They probably won't even blink if Red Robin drops by.

Harper Row has posed:
Harper is unaware of the interplay between her two visitors. Shakiner her head at her brother she rolls her eyes at her brother before turning back to Red Robin. Switching gears suddenly back to the low simmering terror that she's been repressing for days, Harper blurts out, "The Huntress traced me to my home and was out there..." she points at the hall "...while my brother was awake and could have seen her and her skeezy boy companion who tried to snoop in my closet!" before she asks, "Shouldn't I be concerned?!"

Conner may not have even spoken for all the reaction Harper seems to give him verbally but she waves at him while shaking her head seemingly to indicate that he may as well stay since he's already here.

Tim Drake has posed:
    The dangerous women comment makes Tim's shoulders bunch up, and he looks away, expression blank from what can be seen of it with his mask on. He doesn't reply, but instead he holds out his hands, palms forward.

    "Hold on. I'm sure there's a reason Huntress would--skeezy boy companion?" Red Robin's arms fall to his sides, and he shakes his head. "Do you know how she managed to trace you? Or at least why?"

    This line of questioning has him looking around Harper's room with a more critical eye, after he looks back at Conner again, frowning. Nothing in the information that had been gathered on her jumped out as having significant ties to any criminal elements, which is the only thing that comes to mind when Tim tries to puzzle out why Huntress would be after her. And there's nothing here that kicks off any warning alarms in his head, either.

    Mostly he just sees someone who's more likely than not to get herself hurt--or worse--trying to help out. The voice in his head saying that sounds suspiciously like Batman.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner glances back at Harper, noticing a lack of quarrel holes and broken bones on her. He has to conclude Huntress was actually semi-friendly. See? He can be a detective too. "Well, this is Gotham, you are messing up with bat-stuff," he semi-explains. Really, Tim should explain it.

Technically Conner is not allowed to do the hero stuff in Gotham either. There are rules. Rules made by a guy that not even Superman wants to annoy. The dork.

"I am going to make a wild guess and say you are some kind of genius engineer," he mentions sliding close to the table with the devices. "A genius without money, though. What are you trying to do, anyway?"

Harper Row has posed:
Oh, well now the sacked feline's in the spotlight. It becomes instantly obvious to even the densest observer that Harper knows exactly how the Huntress found her home and that she's at least a little embarassed to have to admit it... but she's going to do it.

"Well, you see, it's like this," Harper begins, and she totally sounds abashed as she explains the story, "She planted a tracer on me... and... well, it was after she and I stopped an armed robbery at a Grab-N-Go." She pauses a moment and then resumes her explination, "I've gotten a bug detector..." she points at it where it rests on her workbench next to Red Robin, "... And in addition to the one on my jacket she'd planted a bunch around my apartment. So I need help. I need to be better at... this stuff," she punctuates this with a wave at Red Robin's costume and her gun and such.

Softly she says, "I gotta keep Cullen safe," to finish her response to Red Robin before turning to Conner. She smiles wanly and says, "Genius? I don't know I'd go that far... but yeah, I made the gun. Is that S decorative? If not I bet that the ammo I've made won't really knock you down that much if you to would like to see how it works." Yeah, she's a bit distracted by his question but the concern she was expressing still is coloring her tones and is clearly seen on her face.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Huh. That was quick." As far as Tim knew, Harper was doing the occasional snooping around at crime scenes, but hadn't graduated to actually fighting criminals yet. But now that she's filled them in on the necessary backstory, the pieces are starting to slot together a little easier.

    He's still not sure precisely why Huntress would track Harper down. To dissuade her? Or recruit her? Unless there's another reason entirely that he's missing here...

    Well, he knows which one Batman wants him to do.

    Red Robin pinches the bridge of his nose through his mask. "Right," he says. "We all have people we want to protect, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to start patrolling the streets. It's dangerous, and if something happens to you, who's going to take care of your brother then?"

    When Conner calles Harper a genius engineer, and she denies it, Tim shakes his head. "Don't sell yourself short." He nods towards the railgun. "That's good work."

Conner Kent has posed:
"As a matter of fact, it is going to be more dangerous for them now," points out Conner. Speaking for personal experience, and personal loss. Hell, Tim could also speak from personal experience.

"You have already been followed home, even if it was by someone that was not really hostile," he adds. "And Huntress doesn't even have super-powers, right?" That is a question for Tim. One never knows in Gotham.

"The S is not just here for fanboy-ism," confirms Conner. "I am pretty tough, yep. Aaaand... no firing railguns in your bedroom. This was free advice. I bet you could get a job in Star Labs if you show them this thing. The commute to Metro is pretty short with the Hyperloop."

Harper Row has posed:
Harper frowns at Red Robin's advice and nods at Conner's support of it, acknowledging the truth of the matter. From that though she's apparently taken the wrong lesson as proven by her next words. "Right, I have to get better... make sure I clean up before coming home," she says about the 'hobby'.

"OH, its too late for that, Superboy," she's guessing at the nickname as she's never seen a clear picture of the hero with that name, but logicing it out she gets it right! "First test firing was a few nights ago... it was awkward waking up on the floor and I don't think that doing the test late at night when I was tired was well thought out."

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim shakes his head at Conner. "As far as I know, at least," he adds, because stranger things have happened! Still, he's pretty sure Huntress's powers are strictly limited to crossbows and rage.

    "Maybe next time, try setting up a makeshift firing range rather than using yourself as a test subject." He bites the inside of his cheek, arms folding over his chest once more. For a long moment he stares at a spot on the floor of Harper's bedroom, before he nods to himself, apparently having come to some decision.

    Which he doesn't share with the class immediately.

    What he does is turn to Superboy. "What do you think?" he asks. His head tips in Harper's direction.

Conner Kent has posed:
"You Gothamites are all nuts and the sanest ones already migrated to Metro and New York," replies Conner, raising hands in a gesture of helplessness. "But if she is going to do the vigilante thing without powers or crazy martial arts skills, she needs the same backing you are giving Balm and that Batman gave some others. Training, a bullet-proof outfit or three, a real lab and tech-shop and safehouses. Loads of money."

He mock glares Robin, too. "But you have already decided what to do, and I barely have the cash to get me through college. Thanks for asking anyway."

Harper Row has posed:
"Makeshift firing range," Harper says sarcastically at Conner while she nods about his slim finances understandingly.

"You know what, Mister," she says addressing Red Robin, "Maybe you aren't as yumm as I originally thought. First, I was testing the piezoelectric rounds as much as the gauss gun itself. But it sounds like you're just going to be judgy and," she sniffs the air slightly, "It smells like dinner's ready too."

As if on cue, Cullen yells down the hall, "I've served, it you're still alive down their your dinner's already cooling."

Tim Drake has posed:
    When Conner calls him (and Harper, and... most of the people he knows) crazy, Red Robin's mouth twists in a way that is... mostly agreement. He shrugs. "Shoe fits," is all he says, and he has the decency to make a 'who, me?' sort of face at Superboy when he suggests that Tim was just going to do what he wanted, no matter what Conner said! Which. Well. It isn't true, but mostly because he was pretty sure what Conner was going to say! Like, at least 80% sure. The odds were good.

    "Yes, a makeshift firing range. Like one I could get you access to." And then Harper says he is--or was, now--'yum'? Which he mouths, after her, looking completely perplexed.

    After a moment, he just shakes his head. "I'm going to just pretend I didn't hear that," he tells Harper, and then reaches into a pouch on his utility belt, before he holds his hand out to her. In his palm is a phone. To her tech-minded eye, it doesn't look like anything commercially available; either it's not hit the market yet, or it's entirely custom. "All communication on this is encrypted. It'll route to me first, but if I'm unable to respond, it will go out to someone who can. Use it if you need help. Otherwise, we'll be in touch."

Conner Kent has posed:
"Look, you lured a bat to your bedroom," explains Conner. "Of course it is going to be judgy," wait, that didn't sound right. Maybe he should have said 'home' instead of bedroom. But maybe Harper deserved that for the 'yumm' bit, too.

"Anyway, your brother is calling, and in Gotham this kind of chat is better done on rooftops, under the moonlight, although it is usually raining. Gotta follow local traditions, you know?" Conner persistant mocking of Gotham gloominess is also a tradition. "Call tonight, Har... wait, do you have a codename?"

Harper Row has posed:
"I've never thought one up," Harper replies to the inquiry as she takes the phone and, not having a true pocket on her curently, tucks it into the 'pocket' under her chest. She turns towards the hall but then stops in the doorway to says, "Thanks and... sorry for being so snappy there. Chalk it up to hunger perhaps," first following it up with, "I trust you to lock the window on your way out guys," as she heads down the hall to get her dinner.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Unlike a certain Dark Knight, both Red Robin and Superboy are actually still in the room when Harper turns back around. Nope, no stealth vanishing act! But they're gone by the time she makes it to the end of the hall, window dutifully locked behind them. A block over, a supercharged bike peals out from where it was hidden behind a garbage skip, and overhead a figure silhouetted against the dark Gotham sky flies away.

    On the way back to the Roost, Tim mutters into his comms, "<Yum? Really?>" that is shortly followed by a huff of breath. "<Please don't tell anyone about that.>"