7911/Who watches out for the Watch

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Who watches out for the Watch
Date of Scene: 21 September 2021
Location: The Narrows - Miagani Island
Synopsis: No description
Cast of Characters: Natasha Cranston, Tim Drake, Kate Kane




Natasha Cranston has posed:
            Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of Man?

    The Narrows have long been described as a no-go area for Law Enforcement -- a disproportionately high crime rate even for Gotham, most of it violent. The civilians who live there do so on the sufferance of the various gangs warring for a slice of turf, forced to pay what little they can spare just to be allowed to live another day.

    That's no way to live, and in an as of yet small section of the Narrows a group of people have decided that if the police can't or won't protect them, they'll just have to protect one another. An informal 'Neighborhood watch' has formed, and people look out for each other and travel together.

     It's still small, but it's starting to work -- and that's the danger. The gangs don't normally care too much if one thug or another occasionally bites off more than he could chew and winds up with a few less teeth, but it's happened a few times too many, and the 'Miagani Watch' has come to the attention of the local leadership.

    This is unacceptable; the sheep can not be permitted to band together against the wolves. The two gangs who control the territory the Watch is claiming, the Cutters and the Breakers, have made a temporary alliance and are planning a very graphic demonstration of the price of defiance. Either the 'Miagani Watch' will come to heel and surrender its organizers for a very public execution... Or Miagani will burn. It's not as if the fire department is any more likely to come into the Narrows than law enforcement, after all.

    Fortunately, their long-accustomed unchallenged position has made them overconfident and somewhat lax in operational security... And the Cutters don't know the significance of the girasol ring that one of their own is wearing.

    Mark never told anyone the details of what had happened on that botched job -- only that a vigilante showed up and he was the only one who managed to get out. Which is true, techncially; it just leaves out the minor details of that Joey had gotten impatient with the store owner and threatened to start torturing the owner's kid; that Mark had objected to that; that the knife wound he showed to prove how badly things had gone had been inflicted by Joey when he'd tried to keep him away from the kid... or that the vigilante that had showed up had intervened on his behalf. He owes the Shadow his life -- and what his gang is planning is wrong, even by his limited standards -- so he ducked out to make a quick call.... And now The Shadow Knows.

    Natasha takes a moment to consider. This definitely warrants her personal intervention -- but at the same time, these are numbers even the Shadow should not take lightly... And more importantly, this is Gotham. Certain courtesies are called for.

    So it is that this fine evening Tim receives a call on one of his 'burner' numbers -- the one he'd flagged as having given to the Shadow.

    "Robin," comes the Shadow's voice as soon as he picks up. "Forgive the lack of courtesy or small talk; time is of the essence. Two of the gangs that claim the Narrows are planning to make a public example of the Miagani neighborhood watch to remind everyone who truly owns the area."

    In the background Tim can just about hear the sounds of the interior of a moving car as the Shadow continues. "I am enroute myself to... dispute their claim, but on my own I can not guarantee that no civilians will come to harm -- and I will not guarantee that all the gang members will be dealt with nonlethally."

There is a brief pause to let the implications sink in, or to let Tim respond.

Tim Drake has posed:
    There are several reasons for why the Narrows gets more of Red Robin's attention when he's out on patrol, beyond that the area so desperately needs it. Not just from him but from the entirety of Gotham's vigilante population. That the city's first responders hardly respond at all to emergency calls in the area really sticks with him, especially after witnessing it first-hand.

    A woman was attacked--murdered--and he had to personally sit shiva with her body after it was discovered until sunlight before the GCPD turned out en-masse just as an escort for the coroner.

    Harper Row, Tim's newest recruit into the Outsiders, lives here with her younger brother, who is routinely targeted by thugs for his sexual orientation. If Red Robin's patrol routes overlap with their apartment building on the regular, well, it's hardly as if anyone really pays what Tim does enough mind to notice the aberration.

    He's not in the Narrows at present, though. But even before he responds to the Shadow's voice, rerouted through his comms unit by the Roost's computer system, he pulls off to the side of the road and turns his bike around. "Copy," he says.

    Immediately his hackles are raised. "I'm familiar with the neighborhood." He doesn't try to dispute the potential for lethal violence, because Tim is aware that he doesn't have the kind of presence that Batman does, with which to discourage it before it happens.

    Instead, he switches to another radio frequency, one that sends an encoded message out to anyone within the network of caped crusaders that associate themselves with Gotham's Dark Knight.

    "<<Potential for serious gang activity in the Narrows,>>" goes out to anyone listening, along with associated coordinates that will pop up a location indicator in linked HUDs. "<<I'm en-route and would appreciate backup. The Shadow is also responding.>>" The roar of his motorcycle, easily pushing triple digits on the speedometer, is muted beneath his voice thanks to sound-dampening algorithms, but still present.

Kate Kane has posed:
It's early enough in Batwoman's patrol that she's not circled around to the Narrows quite yet, but late enough that it's coming up on her to-do list. Every one of them should, and likely do, patrol the Narrows at some point in the night. If for no reason that nobody else will. Specifically for that reason, point of fact.

She's on her suped up Dugati, roaring through the streets at speeds far in excess of the posted signage when the encoded message crosses the HUD in her cowl. <<"Batwoman enroute.">>

Batman may have the presence to create an aura of fear without the need for violence, but it was cultivated on the back of a great deal of it. Batwoman is still in the fledgling stage of that cultivation... the stage where one must engage, rather quite heavily, in such acts to ensure that whomever remains behind speaks quietly about the redheaded personification of vengence that fell upon them.

That or she just really likes hurting people.

The truth is somewhere in the middle.

The bike kicks into high gear, cutting down a side alley far faster than anyone has a right to navigate such tight corridors. Barely dodging debris with minute tilts of her body weight. Mentally steeling herself for the realities that are this part of Gotham. A place that not even the Dark Knights of Gotham City can keep in check.

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    Over in Miagani things are still mostly peaceful, but no longer quiet as the storm clouds and gangers begin to gather. No one is shooting, no one has thrown anything -- yet -- but they're out in force, very loudly visible. Crimson Carl, the current leader of the Cutters, won the toss to see who got to deliver the ultimatum, and he's standing proudly on the back of a truck with a megaphone.

    "So I'm hearing there's this bunch of little sheep that think they've got what it takes to stand up to their betters. Apparently someone's forgotten who's in charge around here." A loud, derisive snort. "But then I guess if any of you were smart you wouldn't be working nine to five jobs for crap money."

    He pauses for a few moments to let the laughter and jeering from the gangers speak for him, then resumes. "Now, since you idiots are clearly too dumb to figure out the smart thing, here's what you're going to do. Ten minutes from now I want to see the chucklefucks that decided they were going to start their own little neighborhood watch right here, on their knees in front of everyone so they can be an example for you... Or fifteen minutes from now this entire street is going to be on fire, and all of you are going to be the example for everyone else!"

    He switches off his megaphone and sits back with crossed arms while the jeering and cheering increases in volume again.

Tim Drake has posed:
    The bike has been parked, hidden, nearby, and Red Robin has ascended to the rooftops to wait in the shadows. Below him, the neon sign for Pho-natic flickers, the neighborhood's 24-hour one-stop pho shop. Inside, the waitresses-slash-busgirls and the handful of late night customers (one girl studying for a history quiz tomorrow, a couple of new parents with a baby that will cry and scream at home but is perfectly content to nap in his carrier somewhere else) huddle in the kitchen with the restaurant's sole cook and owner.

    His personal locator beacon is lit up for Batwoman's convenience, and a text giving a general description of his current location sent from said burner number to the Shadow's phone.

    Meanwhile, Tim crouches near the edge of the roof, analyzing the scene below. His HUD highlights held weapons, and he's manually going through the list of hostile targets, adjusting the threat values automatically assigned by his computer's algorithms.

    "<<It's the Cutters,>>" he announces, gaze shifting to the side so that he can flip through the rap sheets that begin to pile up in front of his vision as facial recognition software begins picking out names and identities. "<<They're threatening to burn the neighborhood down, so it's likely they've brought some type of accelerant with them. Explosion hazard if we engage.>>"

    He starts highlighting potential sources of said hazard as he continues to observe.

Kate Kane has posed:
Shortly after, Batwoman's bike is hidden away and set into a defensive mode to prevent wouldbe theft. A hiss snap draws her up atop a building just a little bit down from RR's locator signal, one of her own sent out to alert him to her position. She's taken an adjacent perch, across the street so that any attack pattern covers at least two flanks, though her inclinations in almost all situations is a fruntal assault.

She is no Batman... stealth is in her arsenal, but it's not her first choice.

<<"I see them.">> She confirms into her throat mounted mic hidden beneath the armored sheath covering her neck. Visor highlighting those individuals carrying the unlit molotovs. <<"Have to move quickly...">> Pinging them off her own HUD to share between the two linked vigilantes. Safe that any information can be provided for the Shadow. An unknown variable.

Her hand drops to one of the two modified pistols on her hips. <<"I can create a diversion, you take out the ones wielding the molotovs?">>

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    "A distraction is easily enough arranged," comes a voice not over the comm, but from the shadowed little alcove formed by one of the few intact air conditioners on the roof Kate is on. "Batwoman. Robin. Thank you both for showing up," the Shadow continues almost casually as shadows twist, warp, and solidify until a tall figure in a greatcoat and a hat stands next to Kate's perch.

"I've been waiting to see what the people here will choose to do..."

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim is aware enough of Kate's profile and her preferences when it comes to close quarters combat. His own methods are less straightforward, both due to an awareness of his own limitations and to take advantage of the common presence of a heavier hitter who can soak up some of the aggro.

    In this instance, that's definitely Batwoman.

    Within a few moments, she'll see a handful of suggested pathings leading her down into the gang head-on appearing on her HUD, with matching tracks for Red Robin's accompanying flanking maneuvers to address the fire hazards lying in wait. The Shadow, whose presence Tim notes from across the street, remains an unknown--but confirmed allied--quantity.

    "<<I'd rather not give any of the civilians here an opportunity to sacrifice themselves,>>" he subvocalizes as his hand drops from the control panel in his left gauntlet. The grapple gun unclips from its holster against his hip with hardly a sound. "<<Because one of them will.>>" There's a certain unshakeable faith in the goodness of people to his voice, when he says that. Not just because that's how Tim looks at the world, but also because he's started to know these people. They're good folks in terrible circumstances doing what they can to survive and help each other along the way. It's a microcosm of Gotham's best and brightest chance at a hopeful future.

    He looks over to where the other two vigilantes have taken up position, and then his chin drops, indicating his focus has shifted down to the street once more, scanning for movement. "<<On your signal.>>"

Kate Kane has posed:
The sudden appearance of the shadowy figure beside her should set Batwoman's hackles to rise, but this is Gotham City and it breeds a different kind of hero. She glances at the greatcoat and inclines her head, mirroring Tim's assessment with a glance back down into the street. As if she's expecting one or more of the civilians down there to already be stepping up to the plate for the purpose of taking the hit for the rest of the assembled.

She may not have the singular faith in them that Drake has, but she knows the determination of people in Gotham once they put their mind to something. The reality is they'll go to any lengths... The two Bats differing views still come to the same conclusion though: THey have to act with immediacy.

"Give me some cover long enough to get in close to the guy with the megaphone?" She says to Shadow, already moving to take hold of a railing and lever herself down off the edge of the roof. Scaling towards the sidewalk with a practiced ease. <<"I'm Oscar Mike. Wait until I'm ontop of Big Mouth and hit their flank. These guys talk tough, but they'll crack as soon as they're not staring down civilians.">>

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    "I have no intention of letting them follow through on it," the Shadow replies. "And I agree with your assessment of them. They had the courage to bring things this far in the first place, after all."

    Those blazing blue eyes look Kate over for a moment before turning their attention back on the street below. "But I want to give them a chance to realize it as well. It would be easy enough for us to swoop in and send these vermin scuttling away like the roaches they are... But if we do that before they've even had a chance to stand up for themselves, it would be almost as bad for the Watch as if they'd surrendered -- either way they'd have ceded the ability to deal with threats to their home to a third party."

    A shrug and a half-nod as if acknowledging an unmentioned point. "A more benevolent one by far, certainly... But it would still be giving up. They deserve better -- they deserve their opportunity to find their courage and make their stand. Then we move in."

Kate Kane has posed:
Something The Shadow says pauses Kate's descent long enough to peer up at the gloom that has taken form near where she was perched moments prior. "You're absolutely right." She agrees in a hushed tone, but doesn't stop from sliding down into the alleyway. <<"We'll give these people their chance to stand, then back them up.">> It's a good plan. It'll send a message to anyone who tries to push at these people again.

Can the Bats stop this? Of course they can. They do it every night. Sometimes it's not whether or not you can do it, but whether or not you should... and how. Jeff Goldblum would be proud.

<<"Soon as their leader comes forward, I'm going in.">> It's alien to her, holding back. Usually she's right in there cracking skulls, but for the sake of what these people are trying to accomplish, she'll make the sacrifice. Woe is her life.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Given his current location, Red Robin isn't privy to the particulars of the conversation happening between Batwoman and the Shadow, but he's already stated that he's waiting for the signal from Kate before he moves. So he doesn't get an opportunity to weigh in on the moral quandry presented, though either way he's standing by.

    He does, however, look up sharply when Kate calls for them to hold back.

    And then, below him, the bell on the door of Pho-natic rings as someone steps out. It isn't the stungun-toting waitress that assisted several Gotham vigilantes recently only a block away, which is who Tim is expecting when he leans over the edge of the building.

    Oh, stungun-girl is there, clutching desperately at the sleeve of the other waitress on-shift right now. "Lina, don't!" she's saying, but the other girl--shorter, dark hair pulled into a bun, obviously terrified but with her expression set in determinationed--pulls away and steps out into the street.

    "I organize the watch," she says as she squares her shoulders, facing the gang head-on. "You kill me, but you leave the rest of us alone." Her accent reads vaguely Eastern European, which matches her facial features. "We just want to live."

    From the hook at the back of his utility belt, Tim retrieves his staff, and with a flick of his wrist it telescopes out to its full length. "<<She's not even 18 yet,>>" is all he says along the comm-line, the brief snippet of Anhelina Shevchenko's life compiled from social media and public records pulled up on his HUD.

Natasha Cranston has posed:
So very young.

So very small as she stands and faces the gang.

    Afraid, yes -- but no less defiant for it. But isn't that what being brave is about? To be afraid, to know you're afraid, but still to stand up for what's right.

    ... And she doesn't stand alone, long. A middle-aged man emerges from a nearby building, a baseball bat on his shoulder, and walks up next to Anhelina, who looks at him over her shoulder and hisses an objection. "Mark, no! The Cutters, they are only after me, they will leave you alone--"

    "They won't, Angie," Mark replies, almost too softly to hear even as another man joins them, and another, and another. "Even if we give them what they want they'll still burn the block to the ground. We scared them too much."

    "Besides," adds a woman that comes to a halt on Anhelina's left. "You're the one who taught us to stand by those who need it. How do you think we'd feel for the rest of our lives knowing we stood by and let them take you?"

    By the time she finishes talking, the entire Miagani Watch is assembled behind their leader. Not the most impressive force ever seen - just under two dozen people all told, none of them armed with more than a baseball bat or a tire iron - but even if there's fear in their eyes, there's also resolve.