Seated behind her desk, Sarah works intently glancing over the few clues
that were found, and information that comes in. Her head is burried in the
paper work, fingers lightly moving one folder in favor for another. Her
mouth is set into a permanent scowl, corners drifting down, eyes narrowed
to slits. 

The desks jammed in the stairwell, occupied by the FCC engineers and
investigators, is also now home to a state-of-the-art radio transciever
suite. One of the engineers, headphones on, directs a team of bomb squad
members, Gotham Works Department workers, and FCC men to the Joker's
transmission devices. This one seems to be underneath the University.
"Okay," he says, "to your left, there's a ladder...go past that to the
tunnel on the right." The rest of the floor is abuzz with activity: people
are even starting to get used to the desks in the stairwell. The engineer
squints. "Repeat that, please?" He looks up at Agent Barnes. "He says
someone's been down there recently." Barnes rubs his chin. "Maybe just
some kids from the U doing tunnelcrawling...we used to do that at
MIT...tell them to be careful, though." The engineer nods and turns back
to the microphone, "Team 11, exercise caut...11, come in..." He listens,
then his eyes widen. "Hell!" he shouts, and pulls the headphone jack out.
The speakers on the transceiver immediatley blare with static and the
unmistakable rat-a-tat of semiautomatic gunfire, a loud gurgle and a
half-muttered "three of them...look out!'

Head darting up, Sarah is on her feet immediately, as she rushes over
towards the stairs, avoiding officers, desks, chairs, and obsticles with
ease. "Whats going on?" She asks, upon getting there, her gaze sharp,
alive, anything better than having to deal with paper work. Her mouth
strays into a line, eyes narrowing to slits. 

Barnes is on his feet, with a sewer map in his hands. "Where were they?" 
he says to another engineer...they start to map out a position. "Under the
U...here." they decide, pointing to a small sewer junction. "They were
headed here..." they indicate a spot they considered a likely location for
a Joker transmitter. The gunshots die away: only a few coughs and some
splattery running footsteps break through the static. "Eleven, are you
there?" the engineer says, then looks up. "We need some paramedics or
something." he says to the officers who have suddenly looked over.
"Someone should get down there." he says almost pleadingly. 

With an almost grumble, Sarah turns to a bewildered looking officer
glancing over. "Get people ready, we're going down there. Barnes.." Her
eyes snap to the man, as she states, quickly. " Where can they escape to? 
Where are the openings? I want men on each man hole they can get out of,
and I need someone to go with me." 

Continuing, Sarah makes it more clear. "That knows those tunnels, -well-." 

Barnes nods, instantly comprehending. "Yes, ma'am." he says, gathering his
men around him and marking up a map with a green
pencil..."Here...here....here...and here. That's it, unless they break
through a wall. Jenkins!" he snaps at a man in a Works uniform. "You're
the guide." He turns to the blank-faced engineer sitting at the
transciever. "Martin, pull yourself together, get the recordings for
evidence, and tell the Lieutenant what channel to operate on." He's
clearly much more comofortable with police procedure, but doesn't appear
to be any more relaxed. Martin nods blankly, adjusts some dials and says
"C...frequency C on the Department radios." He leans forward to the mike.
"Clear for emergency traffic." he says dully. 

Without a word, Sarah moves to the stairwell door, "Get me officers in
bullet proof vests, I want working radios, equipment, and I want it done
-now-." Eyeing the engineer that will be helping, she motions him. "Lets
go, I want a good idea of where I'm heading to. See if you can keep those
men on the radio as well, find out as much information as you can from
them, -if- they're still alive." She leaves the room, darting out with a
final, "And I want officers covering every single hole, those men could
escape in."

With a snap and an eagerness to get into action, Sarah's orders are
quickly carried out...the engineer is unable to get a response from the
team in the sewers, though... 

(OOC) Jokermitter says, "Let's head down there, so I can get a look at
what the neighborhood is like for the log. In other words, cut to...." 

Police cars, sirens whining, screech to halts around the University area: 
University police officers quickly report that they secured the manholes
as soon as they were informed, but didn't try to enter. Jenkins, a
gum-chewing grimy sewer worker seems unconcerned, and pulls his boots on
with practiced ease: the hip-waders are standard issue for anyone entering
the sewers, including the officers. Radio reception is still poor, but
Martin can be made out back at headquarters. Xeroxed copies of the map of
the area are distributed, the exits marked in penciled-over green, the
location of the team in red. Paramedics also arrive and begin to suit
up... 


Sarah
        This woman's age is hidden behind a mask of beauty, a dewy rose
rather than a lacquered televangelist's wife. Her hair still knows the
rivers in which to spill, blonde with a sheen of fresh strawberries,
sunlight over a field or glinted off of a r iver. Her nose is sharp, her
eyes equally the province of a peregrine, save for their vaguely almond
shape and silvered tones blooming from the irises. Her mouth, as well, has
a line in which it has always set, a clamped horizon of petal-shaded
colour. Her chin, too, comes to a point; her eyebrows are razor-thin and
at the angle of lightning. Her shape is nothing remarkable, save for its
wiriness; long, thin fingers with stubbed nails belong more to an artist
than one of her profession, but she doesn't mu ch seem the sort that would
care.
        Dressed in casual confidence, a light blue blazer drapes over her
shoulders, dropping down to hang comfortably at her waist. The sleeves are
rolled up to her elbow, and kept pushed up, out of her way. Beneath the
baby-blue shade, a magenta shaded turtleneck molds to her slender form.
The light cotton fabric rests loosely beneath the blazer, tucking into a
pair of slacks, which drop perfectly down to her ankles, hiding the top of
her leather boots. 

Already pulling on the suits herself, Sarah instructs as she goes,
"Everyone has a bullet vest, we go in an order fashion, be prepared for
gun fire and hostiles. Paramedics stay -back- until you're called in. 
Watch all holes for signs of anything unusual, including to smoke, or
other forms of bombs and tricks. Keep alert, and make damn sure you stay
sharp." Glancing over at the engineer, she nods slowly, "I have a basic
idea of where to go, but I need you to lead us there. If anything goes bad
-stay back- got it?"

Jenkins nods. "Ayup." he says laconically. "You kin use your flashlights
or you kin wear a helmet lamp, whichever you want." He himself has an
immense square dingy grey metal flashlight. He saunters over to near the
manhole and offers a pry bar to one of the officers standing by there. 

There is a nervous crackle of tension in the air that the static on the
radio seems to reflect. 

Grabbing a helmet light, in order to keep a gun in one hand, both if the
need be, Sarah waits for the officer to open the man hole. With a quiet
breath, her eyes sweep over those going in with them, mouth set into a
fine line. All nerves are pushed aside, watching without emotion, or
tension, as the massive manhole is lifted. 

The rungs of the ladder lead down into darkness. The first officer down
turns on his flashlight to illuminate the way. "Everything looks secure." 
he mutters into the radio. "How far down is it?" he asks. Martin, back at
HQ, says "About twenty five yards as the mole burrows. Probably twice that
on the route Team eleven took. Check the tunnel heading northeastward...if
they passed that way, there should be some sign, eleven didn't go there." 

The rest of the team, slowly descends into the tunnels, Sarah set in the
middle, and rather stubborn about it as well. Fingers moving around the
rungs of the ladder, until she makes it to the firm, albet wet and slimey
surface of the tunnel. Eyes sweep around the enclosed area, the lights of
those around illuminating the area, some-what effectively. Snapping her
eyes onto the one leading them through, she half whispers, though its
audible. "Alright, lead on, and if you see anything that might suggest
where they are, make sure to say something first, before checking it out.
Stick together, and be careful.." The last words are not really needed,
more of a statement. 

The officers check the northeastern tunnel briefly, and find no evidence
of passage. Jenkins descends with Sarah, much more uncomfortable in the
bulletproof vest pressed upon him than he is in the boots or the sewers. 
"Don't withdraw the northeastern people." one officer concludes. "They may
run that way if we flush them." Jenkins lets out a little chuckle at the
unintentional pun, but he's the only one that laughs. The tunnels are
dark, and the officers move slowly. "Left at the intersection." Martin
says. The light of the manhole is immediately lost, and the team is in
Stygian blackness. "There's a tunnel to your right after about ten feet.
You have to go past it...watch for an ambush." he says, nervousness
creeping into his voice. There is a heavy fizzzz of static.

Mouth straying into a fine line, Sarah's eyes snap ahead, trying to see
through the darkness, finding it nearly impossible with the small light
she has on the helmet. Gun raised in a ready position, her legs carry her
slowly down, a quiet swish of water marks her progress, wrinkling her
nose, she puts her trust in the experienced officers that are with her, to
know what to do and be ready for an ambush, should it arise at the turn of
the tunnel ahead. Making sure to stick close to Jenkins, the one rather
civilian in the group, she continues on down, her breathing forced into
normal. 

The tunnel up ahead is black and empty. The lead officers pause before it. 
"Where does it run?" one of them mutters. There is a slight pause before
the answer from HQ comes through, staticky. It's Barnes now. "A *FRZZZKT*
end *CRACKLE*neath the gym." One of the officers mutters (off the air) to
Sarah, "Should we leave some people here to secure it while we go for the
people down? Or try to clear it out quickly?" 

Voice sharp, instructing as Sarah states. "Leave enough here to cover it,
then we continue down for those that /could/ be still alive. Any that
might, we get to them first, we can't risk peoples lives." . o O(Every
second counts..) Mouth set into a fine line, she motions a few officers to
remain here. "And be -careful- don't get sloppy on me, the rest of you,
lets continue on." 

The officers nod silently and, their faces flashing through the shadows of
the moving flashlights, grimly. As the team, now smaller, moves ahead into
the sewers, they enter a newer area, with conduits, vents, and, happily, a
concrete walkway alongside the platform. Jenkins mutters that they put it
in about two years ago. Barnes, on the radio, sayd "*CRZZZT* left, then
immediately right *RZACKT* These *CKKCRT* go in a loop to some lower
tunnels, but dead end, too. You're *CCREMT*ost there." 

One hand moves up to Sarah's light, tapping the glass a moment, as it
starts to grow weak, the tapping seems to work, the beam growing back in
intensity. Again, the soft swish of the protective suits, marking her
progress through the tunnels, as she listens to Barnes' voice on the
radio. Eyeing Jenkins, and his muttering, she simply nods, following on
along. Taking a head count quickly, she mentally sets it aside, just to be
on the safe side. 

Suddenly a voice calls out in the darkness. "Hello?" it echoes eerily. "Is
someone there?" There is a choking, spitting sound that sounds closer than
it should. "Oh, God..." the voice moans. "They shot me...is anyone there?" 
Then there is the echoing sound of clattering footsteps coming along one
of the side tunnel, in what direction, towards or away, is impossible to
say. 

Putting up a hand, Sarah motions everyone to get ready, figuring trap, if
anything else, for a moment, she's at a loss as to what to do, yell out
and acknowledge thier coming? Or stay silent. Trusting the officers on the
surface, to grab up any that should attempt to escape up there, she
states, "Gotham City Police Department, state your location, and name,
keep talking." Her gaze darts over to Jenkins, before she whispers into
her radio. "Barnes, get me a list of names of those that are down here,
and fast."

Barnes, over the radio, says "Four man team. Allensby, *JCCRKT* squad,
Talb*CCKRCT* bomb squad, Palmer, *ZZCRT* Works, Hornberg *CKRECT* CC
investigator." as the voice moans, "I...hello? Oh, god...they shot me..." 
It's a male voice, delirious-sounding, with an edge of hysteria "...over
here..." Another choking sound. The running footsteps fade in intensity,
then start to slowly return. "I can't...god, I've been shot...where's my
radio...where's my -radio-?" 

Eyes narrowing to slits, Sarah increases her speed just a bit, as she
moves towards the sound of the voice. The swish of the murky bottom, of
the tunnel, marks her progress, as she continues on towards the sound of
the voice. Though still ready for anything, she turns her head from side
to side, the light trying to shine through the darkness and spot what is
up ahead. Still, she's ready, a stance to her motion, gun half raised and
expecting anything, the professional cop ever present. 

"Where's my -radio-?" calls the voice plaintively. "Are you there?" The
static is getting worse on the headset. The running footsteps stop
suddenly, the officers picking up Sarah's increased pace. 

On the radio, Barnes says "Go *CRRCTKT*, repeat, *CRGKT* right at the next
turn, you should *CRKKCTCCTCKZZZZTTFFFZT* eleven's last known
*CKCKLKRFFSTZT*" 

Repeating her last bit, Sarah scowls, listening to Barnes' voice, and
making sure to keep up her pace, "This is the Gotham City Police
Department, I repeat, state your name, we are in progress to your
location." Pausing at the turn, taking a deep breath,expecting perhaps an
ambush, or trap, she makes no further advancement. With a quick motion, as
though bashing down a door, than turning into a tunnel, her gun raises
upwards, light shining through the darkness, illuminating it as best it
can. 

Sarah and the other officers see four sprawled forms deep in the shadowy
blackness. One of them, half hanging-off the concrete walkway, reaches
aimlessly for the slow-moving sludge beneath it, his hands moving back and
forth with small pointless motions.

A black pool of liquid, perhaps blood, has spread across the walkway
beneath them, and all along the walls are the pockmarks of bullet
impacts...there is no sign of anyone else in the tunnels, though it
extends further back, with many side tunnels past where the figures lay. 

Quickly moving towards the one motioning, Sarah's gaze stays sharp, eyes
darting around the area, still ever looking for something more than what
it seems. With the Joker, she's come to expect /anything/ can and will
happen. Setting her jaw, "See to those men, get them all out of here.
Stabolize fast, before moving them off." She instructs to the officers.
Her free hand moves to the radio. "Barnes? You here? Repeat? Listen up,
any activity on the other locations?" 

Barnes, on the radio, says "*CCCRKT*, repeat nega*CRZZTFFTZCT* or out.
Nobody in *CRAZZZTCKT*." 

The officers quickly check the men...one has a very faint pulse...the one
who is still moving (and, you find, moaning), is stronger, but he's lost a
lot of blood. They bring him gently to the platform. He stares blankly up
at the officers. "Gee!" he exclaims. An officer asks.."Should we call the
paramedics...if he's got one near his spine..." 

Mouth straying into a fine line, Sarah states, "Stabolize him as best you
can, how serious is the wound?" Setting her jaw, she glances around the
tunnel again, waiting until she can get an estimate on the men's health. 

The officers kneeling by the body open his shirt. "Jesus, he's a mess." 
one mutters. "But he should be okay to carry." The other insists, "If he's
bleeding internally, he should be strapped to a stretcher, not drug around
by his shoulders..." Another pair of officers, further up the tunnel,
pause at the intersection, then quickly shine their flashlights in and
look...one says on the radio "..*CRZZTCT* Joker's device is *CRECCKKCT*
sign of anyone..." 

Not getting that last, Sarah scowls, and pulls out her radio. "Repeat,
Joker's device is what?" Nodding to the officers, she snarls. "Well, which
is it? Can we move them or do we need to bring civilians down?" 

The two officers look at each other for a brief moment. The man between
them sighs "Gee!" again. The officer who objected says "He's the only
witness who's going to live, we can't take any chances on making his
injury fatal. We need paramedics." The other pauses, then nods hesitantly.
The officer on the radio says "*CRRZCKT* here. The device is here.
*ZCRRCKT* sign of anyone else." 

Nodding once, Sarah speaks into the radio. "I want paramedics down here,
and fast, bring in more officers as well, protect them as they're coming
down, we have one man, shot through the spine, lots of blood loss." She
continues to describe the man's injurys, before finishing with, "And keep
special alert. Also, see if we have anyone from the bomb squad to come
down as well, we've got the device."

"Affirma*CRCCKT*" an officer's voice says. "On their *CRRCT*." The other
officers spread out slightly to secure the area...Suddenly the running
footsteps start again, direction unclear, but coming closer. 

Gaze snapping to the officers, Sarah pockets the radio, coming to a
stance, as she edges towards Jenkins. "What direction is that coming from?
Can you get a make?" Her eyes snap around the area, gun raised, head
tilting to one side as she tries to figure out where its coming from.

Jenkins squints into the blackness. "Can't rightly say..." he says,
indicating up the tunnel. The officers move slightly down side tunnels,
then back, then down again, trying to gauge which one the footsteps are
coming from. 

Suddenly, from out of the blackness, a wide figure looms, weirdly
wraithlike, all in black except for a grotesquely grinning clown mask, gun
in hand, raised, before any can react, it's pointed at the prone figure
mumbling about his radio...another figure, smaller, moves behind him,
though no weapon is immediately apparent...the guns of the officers whip
around, a shout, incomprehensible in the echoes... 

Raising her gun up, Sarah yells out. "FREEZE!" Already in motion though,
as she dives towards the one witness, "GCPD! Put down the weapon!" She
relies on the other officers to take down the men, trusting her bullet
proof vest, maybe.. too much. 

The gun says BLAM, and it is answered by a dozen more, echoes screaming,
twisted out of the darkness. The officer nearest the prone man slumps from
his knees to his back with the impact of the bullet, his gun dropping from
his hand...in the sudden pinwheeling darkness of the flashlights, it's
hard to see where he was hit. The large man in the mask twists under the
spray of answering bullets, dropping his own gun and collapsing to the
side. The little man scurries for a tunnel as fast as his legs can churn.

Coming to a stop in front of the witness, Sarah curses under her breath,
turning her gun on the retreating form of the man, she aims, and fires a
shot aimed for his legs. "Try not and kill them." She half yells, before
pausing, taking stock of the situation, before doing anything else.

The bullet SPANGS off a metal railing as the little man rushes away down
the tunnel....the officers are more in control of the situation now: some
have picked up their dropped flashlights again and are moving towards the
tunnel quickly. "What's happening? " a voice on the radio says. "Where is
he?" Jenkins looks out from his cover laconically. 

Pulling out her radio, Sarah yells into it, "Barnes, I need to know where
the .." Her gaze darts towards the tunnel, stating which side its on,
before continuing, "Leads to, we have one hostile, armed suspect running
in that direction." Her gaze darts to Jenkins, as she speaks, "Where does
it lead?"

Jenkins says "Uh, that one goes to a manhole on 2nd and Anderson. Yuh got
two squad cars there, I think." A moment later, Barnes static-filled
answer comes back, similar. 

Nodding, Sarah states, "Be ready up there, and take him alive if possible,
I want him -alive-, -if- possible got it?" She half snarls into the radio,
before kneeling besides her fallen officer. Pushing him onto his back, to
check for an entry wound. 

It's on his chest...the flattened bullet hasn't penetrated the armor, but
he probably has at least one broken rib: it's a .45-sized slug. Officers
now move into the tunnel confidently, knowing there is nothing at the
other end but more police. 

Letting out a soft breath of relief, Sarah stands up slowly, and counts
the number of officers in the room, to match with the head count she took
earlier, not.. really.. trusting the ease of the situation. Moving over to
the masked fallen man, she kneels carefully down, checking for any clues
or evidence to be found on the body, as well as removing the mask. Her
hands gloved with the sewer suit. 

The man's face looks familiar...perhaps he occupies a mug book
somewhere...he's wearing all-black, including the hip boots. Stuffed into
the top of the boots is a crumpled map...he's carrying a .45 gun that lies
derelict on the platform...a cellular phone...a small black duffel bag
strapped to his back...snatches of voices drift down the tunnel. "...p it! 
Do it now!" A curse...Then a moment of tense silence, then on the radio,
"*CCZRT*pect apprehended...we've got him." The number of officers that
went down the tunnel, if Sarah remembers correctly, makes things add up. 

Making sure to carefully bag the map, and evidence on the man, Sarah
stands up slowly. Grabbing her radio, "Great, see to getting the rest of
the evidence here.." Before she's moving to the edge of the tunnel. "And
we still need an expert coming down here to deactivate the Joker's device.
Lets wrap this up quickly and get back hom." 

Even a cursory examination of the map shows that a nearby, but different
location in the sewers has been highlighted with a green magic
marker...across the top in purple crayon is scrawled "INTERNET TRUNK
CONNECTION #82192"....the officers quickly move to pick things up...the
paramedics arrive...search parties are formed to enter the rest of the
tunnels and make these empty black holes into just more photographs...