Owner	Pose
Phoebe Beacon	They had agreed to meet outside of Gotham City, in an undisclosed location. This abandoned warehouse in Queens had holes in the courrogated steel roofing, one panel of its side wall had been blown inward by an explosion near by, and overall was a derelict eyesore that the city should have condemned years ago, but no one's gotten around to it.     The catwalks are rusty and probably won't hold a lot of weight; they seem to be being held together by the willpower of the warehouse itself.     Three cars are inside the warehouse now.     A figure in a prim black suit gets out of the first with a "What the ever-loving fuck is going on here -- where the hell is everyone? And freaking Cupp's up in ARKHAM FUCKING ASYLUM. We're sunk, my shares have been dropping like crazy!" A Ferrari in shiny black belonging to Zachary Ford, the part owner and developer of Winsome. He used to do all the online work for The Gotham Gate, run by Mickey Rogers until his unfortunate disappearance two years ago -- when Phoebe's cousin killed him by turning him into a giant scorpion made of sand and dead bodies.     Wilbur Bender -- former professor at Gotham University whose good name was used to peddle the vitamins gets out of a newer Caddillac SUV, its LED high beams illuminating the area as he worries at his brown tweed sleeve.     "We had to meet outside of Gotham for all of our safety -- Cruz even went to another state and got picked off by Bats. I didn't think they even left Gotham City!" he states, adjusting his glasses. Surely no one would hit a man with glasses.     A gleaming BMW in a cobalt blue belonged to Frankie Collier, who played pius in order to get tax payer dollars into his pockets, funneled through charter schools and customized curriculums. He rolls down the window, unwilling to leave the safety of his car.     "Gentlemen, I would kindly say 'fuck you all' and leave for another country, but I've got appointments in my office for new secretaries. So, *DO* you have a plan?" he asks, "Or are you just going to worry about some fursuit clad 'bat man' coming down on you all? I've got *Superman* to contend with if I'm found out!"     And the triangle of cars stands, each man looking worried at one another.
Austin Reese	Three guys. No guards. None of them were fighters. Cruz was probably the most dangerous out of the original group and he's still in the hospital. It was Frankie's SUV that had been the one Osprey had tracked. Stupid nepobaby assholes, overconfident mediocre tools who get everything handed to them on a silver platter. He hated their type. It's part of why he hated having to go to the fancy functions and put on the happy Wayne ward face. No, this part was what he wanted. Wearing his Outsiders outfit without any markings or the hood, he followed carefully, certain that he hadn't been picked up, making sure that Frankie didn't spot him. Silently approaching the run-down warehouse. The sounds he can hear from outside are enough to make him think going up above won't be a good idea. But he doesn't need to, keeping to the shadows as he creeps closer to the cars. He'd have to be quick. He could put out the headlights and disable the cars with one move if he timed it right. He pulled three batarangs off his belt, pairing them to his gauntlet. He rises from behind his cover, and throws them one right after another. THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! Each one sticks into the hood of one of the trio of cars, all three blinking from red to blue, before an electrical surge rushes through each of the cars, shorting out their electrical systems and shutting them down. With the cars shut off, the warehouse collapses into darkness, as Osprey switches to thermals, and switches his comm over to a speaker to amplify his voice to the group. "Gentlemen, welcome. I'm just so happy that you decided to come here together, it saves me the trouble of hunting you all down individually."
Talia al Ghul	She's here because it's personal now. This is something for a girl that she's seen as a protege. If she had the strength, she might call it something else. But.. Tonight.. Tonight, Talia Al Ghul is here to send a personal message. And one that she's going to make sure to go out with a bang. As each of the cars goes up and flatlines, Talia Al Ghul enters in calmly. She's in the regalia of the League of Assassins. not that it will mean anything to these men.. But, it will make a statement if anyone comes to oversee just to how far they had pissed off up the line. A long blade is in front of her, drawn and dripping with poison.     Rather literally, the blade etcheda long with a potent paralytic and a low dose of fear toxin. Just enough for anyone that had so much as a faint slash of it to be paralyzed and feeling death coming for them while they were completely helpless. A personal touch that was close enough to the real thing but not technically breakin gany of those rules she had agreed to.     SHe walks along in the darkness, those bright flashes highlighting her. Blade going along the ground and cutting cleanly through concrete flooring, almost seeming to leave a trail of lava behind it as the ground seeped to bleed and to shudder, melting away in furrows.     "My companion is rather understating things here. We welcome you.." Blade comes out of the ground, thumb hitting a trigger over on the hilt.     "TO die." Small pressed in edges of theatre fire - the type one would put on to make something flare up but that was safe, used to make things look impressive and dangerous. Talia had seen how Azrael operated.. And co-opted a few things. Another small twist would have some of the toxins spraying around her for anyone too near.
Phoebe Beacon	It had long become personal. Elsewhere, Phoebe Beacon, the girl who suffered at their joined hands, was curled up on the Wayne Library couch, as far as anyone knew, sleeping and safe.     Here, her brother and the woman she could have called teacher are taking some revenge in fear on the three men.     Each vehicle is struck by an electric batarang, the EMP rattling through and causing Frankie to leap out of his car in fear, turning and screaming in fear and rage, stumbling backwards.     "NO! NO! We were PROMISED we would LIVE THROUGH THIS!" he barks out, turning skyward: "ROGERS! CUPP! Your damned Red Woman! We were PROMISED life! Perfect Health!" he barks out, the men herded together by the blasts of fire from spark paper, the bright flashes of fire catching against their eyes as Talia makes her way closer to the corralled men.     And that's when a portal, crackling with reddish energies opens up to the otherside.     Psyops, Shaw's alter-ego is in his violet and black spiral mask and a labcoat.     Beside him is the Mysterious Assassin, the shorter, trim form looking decidedly less waxy and more flesh and blood, swords to their back, hood wrapped around their head with the owl-like mask showing.     "And it seems we are running a little late." Psyops states, looking out over the three men, and then over Talia, and Austin Reese.     "I'm afraid we're supposed to take custody of these three. *Surely* you don't mind?" Shaw asks, his voice modulators rattling in mocking humor.
Austin Reese	There's a frown across Osprey's face when Talia shows up in full League gear. Great, she was going to kill these guys. He didn't mind if she did, at this point. But he needed any info he could get about the Preacher first. And them bleeding to death out of holes in their throats won't make that possible. He's not making any moves yet, letting them cower in the dark as his domino clocks where Talia is, not that she's doing anything to hide. He starts to move towards them, initially intent on trying to block her from killing them if she goes for it, but then that portal again. It immediately draws his attention. "Afraid that's a no go, Sewell." Osprey says, his left hand moving down to his side and pulling a charge from the belt, quickly slotting it inside of his right gauntlet, "But hey you want to join them in going down, I am more than happy to oblige you." The assassin isn't ignored, but they haven't proven themselves to be the most talkative type so far either.
Talia al Ghul	Talia al Ghul doesn't intend to kill. She'll push them very close to that edge.. But she's a professional. Part of the rules that she's agreed to stay by when in Gotham is to not kill. If she paralyzes someone and they fall on their back and choke to death.. Well,t hat's a complete accident after all. But.. She's definitely going to not put them ina state where they /can't/ answer questions before she deals with them. Mmm, maybe hack off all thier limbs.. Break their bones in a few dozen places.. Iron lung was always traditional but they never felt the pain that way.. Maybe see if a foundation would cover costs for the next few decades? Her whims are cut off as the portal appears and the Mysterious Assassin and PsyOps come out to play. "You bring your presence where it's not wanted. You had your chance and your warning." She goes to hold her blade out in front of her. "I have given an oath that I will adhere to." She would go to a guard position wtih her flaming blade. Time to see if this assassin would come to play or not. She had a few tricks this time. A manic sort of grin on her face as she took a defensive stance that would be recognizable as one from a martial artist named Wu-San.
Phoebe Beacon	"I'm afraid it doesn't matter what you say, Osprey." PsyOps states, motioning to the three men. "They all have the chemical in their bloodstreams, just waiting for catalyst. As for you two -- we don't need to experiment on another Bat. Phoebe's served well as a test rat, even in Death." his head tilts to the side. "Or was she revived somehow? I'm very curious to speak with her about the experience --" he begins, but he's cut off by the Assassin's movement.     Clad in a black body suit, with an abbreviated leather jacket, the sword coming out to bear, the assassin springs forward in a lazy manner, content that Austin and Talia will likely focus on PsyOps, intent on killing Franklin first, sword coming up in a vom tag, ready to start taking some heads!     Shaw pulls the pin out of an aerosol bomb, and lobs it into the frenzy before the assassin and duck down, causing a cloud of the sour-smelling activating catalyst to explode outwards in a choking cloud!
Austin Reese	Things go out of control real quick. PsyOp had infected his own guys with the fear gas? Yeah, of course he did. Then he talks about Phoebe, and Austin starts seeing red. He at least maintains enough awareness to slap a re-breather over his mouth and nose. Drilling putting that on pays off eventually. Frankie and his so-called friends are forgotten about. One assassin will kill them, or the other. Maybe he'll get lucky and they'll kill each other. Batman will be upset that Osprey didn't save them AND catch Shaw. He'll deal with that when the time comes. Osprey is on the move regardless. He waits until he's past the assassin, no swords going to block his knife this time. He throws a second with his left hand a moment later. It probably wouldn't be a fatal hit if it landed. Broken collar bones can be healed, even after a blade plunges through it after all.
Talia al Ghul	They want them in a state to answer questions. They can catchup with the terrified men fleeing in short order. The point is to neutralize the larger threats first. Talia leaves Shaw over to Osprey. She has the sense that this fight is personal, and she's not one to interferenw tih someone else's sense of vengeance unless asked. Her katana is out as she goes to keep her eye on the Assassin. Then the individual is charging while having expected their attention to be slit.. All right, time to see what could be done. First things first..     Talia throws a series of small pellets that would detonate in the air around her. Not tear gas - the exploding capsules detonate around in a flash of powder and something very, very dangerous and very, very nasty. As the Mysterious Assassin goes to charge, they would hopefully go right through the group of pellets that Talia had laced with mustard gas. So either they would have to completely abort their charge, attempt to power through it and let themself be coated all over and let their skin start to blister, burn, peel, and melt away.. And have several hours of total agony going along it. If they wanted to play nastily..     Her way was agonizing, and yet would let them live. And even better they might nto know what it was they were flying right through as Talia would go to a defensive stance with her blade to meet the charge!
Phoebe Beacon	The assassin bursts out of the cloud of mustard gas. There are some areas of motled skin that show effects of the chemical, burns that even as the two sword-bearing assassins approach and bind their weapons briefly. The inferno of the mustard gas clinging to the mystery assassin's form as the empty eyes of its owlish mask regard Talia with indifference.     And then giving a half-step back and to the left, the assassin tries immediately to make it look like they are about take Talia's head (there *can* be only one), but also pulls out a dagger to try and strike Talia's left side with to discourage the LEage Assassin from standing between them and their prey, no sound issued forth from them -- they move like one of her own, though. Or like a Bat.     Shaw is not having a good time of things however. He's struck in the collar bone with one blow, giving an electronic howl as if the on-board voice changer didn't seem to want to keep up with his yowl of pain!     "Stop that!" he demands of Austin, and pulls back. A long, low gauge needle (which means it's gonna make a BIG HOLE if it hits) errupts from his gauntlet, and he tries to stab Osprey in the arm with the needle -- who knows what's under there! OR even it's even sanitary!
Austin Reese	Well at least this time he was sure it was actually Shaw Sewell and not a fake. So that's at least progress. Seems like Shaw isn't entirely just show, the blow with the needle coming in, Osprey trying his best to get his armored bracer in between himself and that needle. Last thing he needs is to get some kind of weird fear venom pumped into him or something. He does his best to break contact and get away from him and that needled gauntlet, aiming to kick Shaw's arm away with a sweeping kick, continue with his momentum and kick one of his legs out from under him. Once that assassin is done with those three they'll be coming back for him, and he needs to be gone with Sewell before that happens, or they'll have died for nothing.
Talia al Ghul	The charge has blades locked, and then the Mystery Assassin is able to get past her guard long enough to stab her in the side. And they're immediately seeming to brute force past it. That catches Talia by surprise. She was expeting it to slow them down or drop them - them simply powering through it makes her job substantially more difficult. The fighting goes back and forth as she takes the dagger. She's able to twist enough to avoid the worst of it, her own layered armor taking some more of it.. But it's still a gut wound. But, they're at close range now.     Hand feints to move like it's trying to go to her stomach to staunch the bleeding even as she controls her breathing to try and minimize bloodflow. She goes for an attempted wrist-lock with them to hold them in place, dagger twisted in hand. She's only going to have a moment with this, but she has a few millionths of a second where her opponent's guard is open at mid range and their primary blade is pressed to the side from their own fake out and long scythe..     That's hopefully enough room for Talia to get a quick jab upwards with her own sword. THe paralytics likely won't do much if at all to them. She's assuming that their system can likely flush out the poison or they're simply too resistant to it for it to be of much use.     But the lighter dose of fear toxin that she had brewed? Hopefully that would hit. Nothing remotely as well forged as the insane Doctor Crane's methods - several derivations weaker.. But even will training didn't always cover chemically induced fear and mental trauma. So all she needs is hopefully just her own light slash of a theatrically flaming blade thrown in.. Just enough to get her own little cut in and hopefully the trace contact of poisons on her own blade to hit her enemy. If that gives her a few seconds of disorientation then she'll work with it.     Because, at the end of the day Talia Al Ghul has a sadistic streak much like her father does. ALl the pettier when it comes out, but present. This one has vexed her. She'll -enjoy- their pain. Their screams. THeir chorus. Their agony.     She hopes to break the silence so far this fight, this feud has filled the area with.     Their agony will be music to her ears.
Phoebe Beacon	The three men have wisely started running -- when two more dressed like the assassin appear. They stand in the doorway of the warehouse, different heights and builds -- and not looking nearly as skilled.     Talia is locked in with the assassin, they turn, narrowly avoiding the dagger to their own system and releasing the bind with a quick lift, stepping back as the owl-like mask regards Talia emotionlessly. The head tilts very slightly, and then the assassin is on their feet.     They go in, flashing close to Taila, get in range -- and attempts to disarm Talia with a very familiar disarming move. One that even caught Damian unawares -- because it's Talia's own, and Phoebe had worked for weeks to master it to use it against him.     There is a flash of white ink about the assassin's wrist, the jacket's sleeve riding up just a little bit.     Sewell, on the other hand? He gives a low grunt and a sharp cry out as the arm is knocked away, with him bringing his opposite hand up and around to strike at Osprey -- and then he's taken DOWN, hard, slamming to his back. He's a fighter in the same way someone at Crossfit is an athlete. Eventually he'll give his dream up and the building will become a brewery.
Austin Reese	The vigilante grabs Shaw's arm with the needle on it, trying to wrench it around and roll him over onto his stomach, so he can then get it behind his back. If he breaks it, oh well. This has now entered the Find Out phase. Once he can get Shaw's arms behind his back and tied up with a steel cable, he'll grab hold of his quarry and look for a skylight or something that he can grapple to and get out of there. No doubt he'll catch sight of the other fight as he starts scanning for his exit. Talia can handle herself. His domino might catch that flash of white ink, but he's not looking for anything but a way to get out of there with PsyOp in tow. They have a lot to talk about and this is a bad place to do it.
Talia al Ghul	Her own quick slash doesn't go well, and their attacker has reinforcements coming. This is dangerous - not necessarily for Talia, as the reinforcements are likely to just get in the way.. But they can slow her up. And the goal here is to take the men relatively intact (enough to answer questions). She doesn't let out a cry over as she goes to quickly step back. And then there's that disarming move.. Which she does twistedly recognize. That's been something extremely difficult to use and master.. But she also knows the trick out of it. But even if she uses it, that will just prolong the fight here. The longer the fight goes on, the worse her odds get.     Her opponent just has to stall her to win. She has to stop them.     She has her own off-hand dagger, but one that's not gonig to be useful in a short range clash of blades like this. Heavier weapons will bat it aside and.. Wait. It's -that- dagger. The stupid one that she has from whatever prop. The one that's a gimmick weapon of a ridiculous nature. But it's her backup blade now - at least the one that she can quickly draw.     SHe goes to snap out with it even as her other hand is twisting about in the quick counter to the twist. She's mostly trying to -resist- it, not fully escape it. She has to stall and get their primary attention on that limb as the assassin does it th eway that Phoebe did it. The dagger slashes up.. But the priority is on disarming Talia.     The assassin's armor can take an off-hand dagger slash, Talia doesn't have the leverage or the angle to get a full power one in, it can be evaded just by flicking it away. It's not coated in poison..     Then Talia goes to hit the gimmick in it as the blade would slash right past their stomach. Namely the spring loadin gin it. WHo would want a dagger that pops off the blade when you push a button? Why is there such a thing? BUt in this circumstance..     Well, hopefully it ends with three inches of dagger in their gut, their attempt at the disarm move fully evaded.. And Talia having an opening.
Phoebe Beacon	This is a bad place to do any talking at all, especially as Shaw chokes out "NO, NO, we're not supposed to -- Why didn't you --"     he's shaking, as if something's gone very wrong and he's about to become violently, horrible sick from it. Especially because Austin did, in fact, break his shoulder.     The Assassin though, simply looks down at the blade embedded in their gut. There was a dull THUD. It's pierced through armor beneath, and the Assassin's owl=like mask rises and looks at Talia without emotion.     The three others?     They were loose ends. The two other figures that had appeared had mowed them down. The Assassin's job was finished here -- except for one loose end.     The other two figures disappear, leaving three dead men in their wake. The main assassin turns and looks warily to Austin -- there was a huge attack of opportunity that Talia could press the advantage of as she assassin takes out a trio os slender throwing knives, and attempts to hit Austin with one, the other two going for weak points in PsyOps' armor!
Austin Reese	This is going to suck. He knows it's going to suck but he has to do it. Osprey turns Shaw around, keeping the knives away from him by intercepting all three with his back. The armor doesn't help as much as he would have liked, with how fine of a point the blades have, but he's had worse. His grapple gun fires and yanks him and Shaw up through the air, smashing through a skylight and into the dark night above. He wraps himself around Shaw, landing roughly on the roof of the warehouse, threatening to cave it in. This was a dumb plan. Why was he doing this. Stupid, Austin. No, it'll work, you're not going to die. Probably. Osprey grabs something from his belt and slaps it on Shaw's back, more towards the side without the broken shoulder. He then whacks it hard with a fist, and it pops open, a rapidly filling helium balloon yanking Shaw upwards into the sky. A moment later he sticks another one on his chest and repeats the process, getting pulled up into the night, where a pair of drones are able to swoop down and grab both balloons and their passengers. Nobody really needs to know where he grabbed Shaw at.
Talia al Ghul	She has to od this quickly. The two figures are running - thier job on this end is done. She's failed in what her primary operation was to extract the man they all wanted information from. She doubts that this killer will give anything. But Talia Al GHul has her pride. And she's not going to be defeated by an upstart that is the weapon of another, that steals the moves in which she has trained and perfected. The figure has some sort of connection so far displayed to Phoebe as well, given the flashes, the moves, the connection..     Talia must handle this quickly, while that opening is there. Her opponent is off balance, stunned, and desperately fulflling thier mission objectives. Taking out the target. Leaving themselves wide open. Their healing factor can handle it for a few moments, there's only so much power Talia can put into a strike without a blade.. So she goes to fight and bring something rather nasty in.     It's a series of nerve strikes designed to disrupt someone's chi. To strike at pressure points and to break through and puncture vital places. Some of the strikes are more esoteric than others. These ones are designed to hit vital points, but not to kill. Nerve strikes to disrupt the body's functions. To distort the sensation. Rapid strikes and blows, her hands a blow as she goes through a rapid repetoire while her target makes such a series of desperate flails.. Talia Al Ghul goes to try and drop them. not for good.. But for now.     Rapid strikes through the armor, to the heart, to the neck, to the lungs, to the heart, to the back of the neck, and then a final strike aimed right where ribcage curved down to protect the internal organs. And her opponent hopefully then slumps down and drops for good as Talia goes through the full repetoire of some blows that if someone were fluent with them would be one of the many, many incarnations ofthe style which was called Dim Mak.
Phoebe Beacon	CRUNCH.     The Assassin is frozen for a moment. The last throwing knife falls. The disruption does DAMAGE. There is unforseen results elsewhere.     But the Assassin freezes, and there is reddish ichor that drips down from its mouth.     Up above, Shaw is screaming -- he's realized that he too is a loose end that the assasisn and its master will have to tether or burn away.     Ichor drips down, stinking of wax and burning candle wicks before the assassin tilts backwards, into a black and red energy portal, and disappears, leaving Talia with three dead men not worth bringing back, and three EMP'd cars.     Sirens ring in the distance.     And far away, Bristol Township, in Stately Wayne Manor, Phoebe wakes up from the library couch and coughs blood.