Gotham: Lyntown Contents: Night Hunter Nightwing The Batwing(#1176OVeq) NightRacer (no one riding)(#947IMOVfaeqs) JokerOOC Obvious exits: Little Stockton Glendale Scituate The Batwing screams through the sky, arcing around and through some of the tenements. It scans the streets with a spotlight, moving over the scene like an automated watchman of immense size. Night Hunter follows after Nightwing Batman climbs out of the cockpit. Batman has arrived. Batman drops from theairbourne The Batwing. Police sirens are heard in the distance, converging quickly onto the location. Batman slows his sudden descent with the billowing of his cape, and lands on a street corner. *screeech* the cars halt to a stop. Gordon steps out of his as police fan the area. The phone booth sits forlorn and graffiti-covered in one of the few areas of Lyntown that still holds residential areas: grimy tenement houses vie with abandoned apartment buildings slated for demolition. There's only a few indigents in sight. Agent Barnes has arrived. Agent Barnes rides with one of the officers, but stays well back of the scene. He looks haggard and tired. Night Hunter glances around.. Batman runs with his cape in hand to the phone booth. He quickly scans the buildings in the vicinity, scowling. He motions to Nightwing. "You take Night Hunter and scan that alleyway...Meet me on top of that building...he can't have gotten too far..." Nightwing nods. "Let's go, Hunter," and starts swiftly moving down the alley, drawing one of his discs. Huntress enters the area from Little Stockton. Huntress has arrived. Night Hunter nods Batman is then off and running again, moving through the dessicated shadows and weird shadows of the space between two empty buildings. Gordon glances around, "Where's that phone booth. Where is the Joker? Dam." Somewhere, someone laughs. Is it him? Is he near? Does it matter? The indigents don't seem to notice. Nightwing leaps and runs past garbage cans, scanning around for Joker. "Take the right," he says. Night Hunter nods, and breaks right.. Night Hunter heads down the alley on the right side. Huntress watches from the deepest shadows silently. Batman pauses as he comes to a rusting fence, separating a pile of garbage from the rest of the alley. He moves swiftly into a running throw of his batarang, and hooks it to the end of a lamppost. He uses his momentum to begin a quick arcing swing, and stops when he reaches the base of a fire escape beyond the fence. He turns, cape whipping as he looks for his prey. Nightwing curses silently as he moves around. "Anything?" he calls to Night Hunter. The residential area is small: the abandoned factories loom large on any side. Someone screams in one of the tenements. But there's nothing else. Night Hunter says "Nothing!" Night Hunter continues down the alleyway, into the bowels of Gotham's backstreets. Agent Barnes approaches Gordon. "Sir. If he's in this area...we might be able to tell from the power draw...the local transformer is at the end of the block. It would at least give us a yes or no." Nightwing turns sharply on his heels, and forms up on Night Hunter. "Watch the fence up ahead." An officer calls Gordon over "We found the booth sir... but no sign of him." Gordon shakes his head. "I want this whole area cornered off. I want every house door knocked on and people questioned. I want results people, I want witnesses. I want Joker." He turns to Barnes not looking too happy "Well then what are you standing here for Barnes. Go!" Batman swings to the building he motioned to as a meeting point. He stands atop it, as still as a statue, his long flowing cape casting amorphous shadows against the light. He looks out over the wasteland, stonefaced. Agent Barnes nods, jumps slightly, and moves off into the darkness. Night Hunter leaps onto the fence, starting to scale it The officers fan out... Nightwing leaps cleanly onto the top of the fence, and helps Night Hunter up. He looks around, and spies Batman. "Let's get up there." Night Hunter nods.. Gordon hrms, shoving his hands into his coat pockets oO (Dam the cold air, and dam the Joker) He mutters to himself "He's got us running in circles." Nightwing clambers up the building swiftly to join Batman. "Nothing." Night Hunter follows behind Nightwing One of the officers mumbles something about how nobody ever seems to notice a six foot five grinning maniac when he happens to live next door, but he continues to move along the street, questioning the few homeless still outside on this cold night. A small detachment of officers enters the tenement building. Nodding with an almost woodenly bob of his head, the Dark Knight Detective does not look pleased. He shakes his head. "We'll find his trail...but not him." he announces. Gordon paces slightly and goes to lean by his car oO (It's times like these I miss my pipe) Huntress slips further back into the shadows and follows the course of the Batman, swinging easily up onto the fire escapes, and silently onto the rooftops. Nightwing damns under his breath. Huntress looks across to Batman and smiles quietly as she steps into the open. Night Hunter peers out across the streets and buildings. Batman glances over, his jaw tautly set as he spies the Huntress. He points vaguely to her. "What are you doing here?" Agent Barnes rushes back. "No go, sir. He didn't broadcast from anywhere on this block." And just at that exact moment, an officer calls on the radio, "*crackle* We've got something...get the Tactical team up to the fourth floor. Someone says they saw the subject entering and leaving there last night." Nightwing turns at her approach and steps back, raising an arm in front of Hunter. "Huntress. This is her area," he says to Night Hunter." Night Hunter looks over to see who Batman is talking to, and then.."oh..."s Huntress's eyes survay Batman with cool speculation. "I was about to ask you the same question, Batman," she replies. Gordon almost ignores Barnes as he hears the radio. He then grabs his com "Get Tac in here fast. As in yesterday! Subject seen on fourth floor." Nightwing starts slipping his comm unit back in place, still looking around Batman adjusts his cape over his left shoulder with a slight jerk, and lets it fan out over the edge of the rooftop. "The Joker, Huntress...the Joker. He was traced to this location a few minutes ago. Or did you know that already?" The Tact team arrives on the scene quickly, and moves into the building then finally stands before the room "We're at the door Commissioner... entering on your mark." Huntress's eyes narrow a little. "So, the hunt is on then," she says letting the breeze blow her own cape about her. Night Hunter just kinda watches the Huntress, with an odd look about him Gordon nods and says into his radio "Search it." Nightwing motions to all of them. "Over there, Batman. That tenement building." There is a new tension in the Huntress as she stands there, waiting, like something ready to leap on unsuspecting prey. She smiles at the Batman, a quiet smile. Nightwing gestures in the direction of the building for all to see. His white eyeslits seeming to recede a little into his head, the Batman pauses, noticing the activity below. He switches to scan the police band with his cowl radio, and begins moving with quickening steps to the edge fo the building. Night Hunter pulls out an arrow from his quiver, he ties one end of line to a sturdy pipe, and makes ready to fire an arrow across the way.. Nightwing moves up sharply with Batman, also readying a line. Batman pauses at the edge of the roof of the building he's on currently, looking out across the expanse to the one the Tactical team is moving in on. He removes a set of binoculars and scans on thermal mode, looking over the building before making his move. The lead Tactical officer shouts "Gotham PD!" and he and his partner swing the battering ram...the rotten wooden door explodes open with a shuddering BOOM There's the sound of some movement on the radio. "Jesus." comes over the radio. "Uh. We need a morgue wagon. Uh. Hold on." Batman says "Lets not get in the police's way if we can afford it..." Huntress survays the tenement building from the distance then makes ready her own line to cross the distance between the buildings. Batman seems to be chiding Night Hunter with his comment. He scowls distastefully as he hears the communications over the radio. Nightwing raises a hand at Batman's comment to stop Night Hunter, and notices Batman's scowl. "What is it? Night Hunter lowers his bow On the radio, the Tactical officer says "There's a metal box in here under the bed, some kind of strongbox. Other than that, room's secure. Maybe the bomb squad, too." Huntress tenses... morgue... Gordon hrms and says into his radio "Understood, take all necessary percautions. We'll get a squad in there to check it out." Gordon waves his hand, giving an already understood order. Batman mutters "I'm going...you stay here, and offer clean up assistance..." He glances last of all at Huntress. "You...do whatever." He twines a Batarang across the space, and swings down to land near the entrance to the tenement. Night Hunter replaces the arrow, and undoes the line. Huntress says quietly, "If he was in that building... he's long gone down... Batman approaches the nearest police commander, motioning upstairs. "I hear you might have a bomb. Mind if I take a look?" Within minutes the Bomb squad is on the scene. Nightwing nods, not trying to argue with Batman. "Hunter, take a look aroun= d. See if you can offer any help. Huntress, you know the area. Anywhere else he may have gone?" Nightwing adjusts his comm unit, setting it to a frequency. Night Hunter nods.. Night Hunter walks to the edge of the building and slides down a drainpipe The Police Commander looks to Batman "This is a police matter Batman. We'll take care of it." Huntress shrugs, "You and Batman know the Joker better then I..." she says moving to the edge of the rooftop. She waves her hand out as if over the expanse of the city. "Take your best guess, Nightwing." Night Hunter approcahes the Commisoner "Anything I can do to help, Sir?" Nightwing looks around. "Your best guess would be as good as mine at this stage." Batman scowls at the Commander. "Very well...but don't underestimate who you're dealing with." Having said that, he turns, and strides through the crowd of police, and glances up at the fourth floor window. Gordon is busy giving orders, then sees Night Hunter "What? Oh another one. Yes you can stay out of the way." He says into his radio. "Get that bomb squad up there. I want the box checked." Huntress grins. "What do we know so far?" Night Hunter backs off COMM UNIT(Nw to Gordon):Sorry. He's with me. Over the radio "Rodent spotted..." Gordon hrms and says back "Understood." Nightwing glances to Huntress. "We broke up a gun deal at the Waterfront. Joker called there, and we traced it here." Apparently not trusting to the bomb squad, the Batman scales the tenement from another side, keeping out of view. The bomb squad reports back "Looks like we got a live one here sir. Some sort of vials and tubes... hmm.. seem to go to the air vents sir..." Batman thinks . o O (Getting a bit crowded here. I'm probably better off staying back...but...the Joker...no...I have to do what I can to prevent any more killing.) Gordon curses slightly "Damit, make sure that building is clear. I want everyone in there wearing their masks." COMM UNIT(Nw switches channels):Hunter, get another vantage point. Let's see what we can see. Batman? Anything?" Batman removes a rebreather from his utility belt, and moves to the edge of the roof over the location of the fourth floor window. Huntress watchs the men moving about and shakes her head. "It's like fleas on the back of a mongal dog..." she mutters and steps back as if to slip into the shadows again. Bomb Squad Member: Before we touch anything, I think we should close off the air vents under the floorboards. Tactical officer: There's gotta be close to a hundred people in this building...we'll have a riot. COM UNIT (Bat): Nothing yet...you're going to have to help evacuate. Joker has a toxic gas set to be released through this whole building. Get your rebreathers. COMM UNIT(Nw):Got it. Night Hunter stays off in the background Nightwing looks to Huntress. "I need your help. Joker has rigged the building with gas. There's over a hundred people in there. We need to get them out." Nightwing starts preparing his rebreather. Batman leans over the rooftop, hooking his legs over the ledge to spy into the dusty, cracked window of the apartment. He scans the interior with his IR/Thermal binoculars first, and then watches the Bomb Squad work. Gordon doesn't seem to look like the poster boy of calm right now. He says into his radio "Understood team one. Handle the package with care. Tactical let's try to evacuate that building with care. Slow and steady. Say it is a fire drill or something. But be carefull" Huntress has disconnected. COMM UNIT(Nw):Hunter, I'll need your help. We need the people out of the building. Do you have a gas mask? The police begin to go door to door inside the building. Someone on the radio says "We'd pull the fire alarm, but it looks to be busted. No go." The first few people come outside...then they see _all_ the police. COM UNIT (NH): NO, I don't. Night Hunter moves down and around the back of the building, looking for an entrance. Nightwing fires a swingline to one side of the building and swings down to Gordon. "I can help get the people out." The officers continue to evacuate people. Someone in the bomb squad says "Oh, yeah, it's live. A mercury switch on top of everything else. Just saw it jiggle. Everyone move back from the fourth floor hall, do it slow, one step at a time. The vents are sealed off. What's the status on evacuation?" Batman watches the activities in the room, critically eyeing the work of the bomb squad as they work. He puts away his IR/Thermal viewer, and removes another module from his belt as he hangs there. Gordon says into his radio "What's the evac status?" He turns to Nightwing "Ah figured you'd be here too. You can help by staying out of the way and not causing undo panic." Bomb Squad member 2: There's something else in there too...can't quite make it out. Must be what he's protecting. Box of junk or something. Batman thinks . o O (Even if they evacuate the whole building as fast as possible...there's still a chance.) Night Hunter finds a back exit, and staying in touch with Nightwing, gets in position to help people out. The people stream out a little more frantically now, despite the best precautions of the police to keep order. Nightwing looks to Gordon. "You'll need as much help as you can get," and swings off to the building, searching windows for occupants. An officer says "Sixth floor through fourth floor clear. There's three junkies passed out on two, we're hauling them out as best we can. Lots of kids on three, they're screaming their heads off." Gordon shakes his head oO( Damit Jim) "What's the situation with the bomb? Can you get the box out?" COM UNIT (Bat): Nightwing, Night Hunter...Floor Three...take those kids out of here, ASAP. I'm working on a temporary solution for this gas, but we need speed... Nightwing lands on the third floor, and peers in. COMM UNIT(Nw):I'm on it...... Bomb squad: Negative, sir. Absolutely negative. We've got the vents sealed, that's a start, but if we start monkeying with things, it could blow into the air. God knows how deadly this stuff is. Bomb squad: We could start with the lock now and see if the switch moves. And the seals should hold even if it blows. Night Hunter continues to check hallways and stairwells, avoiding the police. Batman slides the window open from the outside, and falls lightly in. He stands slowly. The bomb squad is three officers. Two are hunched over the metal box, the third is talking into a radio. He turns quickly around. He doesn't look pleased, but he doesn't say anything to Batman. Batman raises a blue vial of some sort in his gloved hand, and scowls at the Bomb Squad from behind his rebreather. He looks pointedly at the box, studying it. Gordon hms and thinks oO (He's left us no choice... maybe it contains a clue, but I cant risk a further panic... but if the Joker remains at large it puts us at a further risk...) He says into his radio "Do what you can." Nightwing slides the window to the third floor open, and starts gauging the number of children. The officers and parents are doing their best with about fifteen kids of ages from infanthood to nine. They're trying to keep families together and keep them moving at the same time, but the kids are crying, panicky, nervous and sleepy, not to mention mostly malnourished. The box is made of aluminum, but it's hard to say how thick. The bomb squad has taken up the floorboards around it: a thick lead pipe extends from the box into an air vent in the floor: they've also put metal sheets across the vent and secured it with putty. Bomb squad: Yes, sir. Standby. Gordon shakes his head oO (The people here have it hard enough. Now this) He grabs an officer "Have the paramedics look after the kids. And get someone to go down the street to that bakery. A few cookies should help dry some tears." Batman watches the Bomb Squad work, and frowningly tries to calculate a dispersal time for the gas if it is actually released. Agent Barnes says "I'll do it, sir." He looks like he doesn't want to be anywhere near here. . o O (For this I got a degree in electrical engineering?) Gordon nods to Barnes "Good." He says into his radio "Understood." The two men kneeling have started to very carefully insert tiny toothpick-sized bits of metal into the keyhole. Without knowing the sort of gas it is, it's hard to give a dispersal time. Batman thinks . o O (Could be the one of the gas forms of the Joker Venom..or something new.) Nightwing starts helping the children, speaking calmly. "Come on now....follow me. It's a game..." Gordon waits for the bomb squad to send their next report. COMM UNIT(Nw):I'm getting the children out now. Batman continues watching, and waiting for a sign of release from the box as the Bomb Squad works. He seems to still be mulling over his options. COMM UNIT (Bat): Good. I don't know how much longer the Bomb Squad has here before whatever they've triggered goes... COMM UNIT(Nw):I hear you. Hunter says he's cleared out most of the second floor, heading to four. COMM UNIT (Bat): Keep moving. COMM UNIT(Nw):You know it. The bomb squad keeps working. One of them says "Looking good, fellas. Three tumblers down, two to go. Give me air." The other squirts a little compressed air into the lock. The one with the radio says: "Three down, two to go, sir No problems yet." Nightwing guides the children, swiftly and quickly down the fire escapes, looking for police or paramedics.... The game ruse works fairly well...the other officers don't argue with Nightwing's presence, but also help the kids down the stairs...the parents too: they all look dazed and frightened. Gordon doesn't reply letting the squad do their work. He takes the time to make sure the citizens of Gotham are safe, and in good health for a moment. Nightwing moves back up the fire escape, gymnastically vaulting upwards as he does so. The room is unmistakably the Joker's. The bomb squad works in the only bare corner of the room, where the bed used to lay. Across every square inch of the walls are apparently random pages from magazines and newspapers. Rubber cement drips in strange clots down from behind them. On the opposite wall, a man with a scruffy beard, dressed in rags, hangs from the ceiling by a noose tied around his neck. His torn grey coat is open, revealing his sunken, decaying chest, though he has just started to smell. Someone has painted a dark purple bat on his chest, with rings around it: a target. Four darts are buried in the flesh. On his face is a terrible leering grin. The bomb squad man at the box says "Okay...that's it. Are we clear? We're ready to open." Night Hunter finds a frightened child and brings her to safety on the street, where he waits. The bomb squad officer with the radio says into it "We're clear, sir. Should we open it? Everything looks okay." Gordon says into his radio "Open it up." Batman looks with hard eyes to the body. He studies the darts, and then the man's face. When he hears the Bomb Squad's announcments, he looks over in their direction again. The bomb squad man at the box very slowly and gingerly opens the box. "Okay...nice. There's the mercury switch. Let's just cut that one right out, shall we?" The other one hands him a pair of wire cutters. Radio: It's open. About to cut the mercury switch. *CRZZT* Batman tilts his head, trying to spy the box's insides from his position further back. He tenses slightly, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind. Nightwing hunches on the fire escape, waiting. The bomb squad guy pauses with the cutters on the wire. "Maybe...we oughta double-check this." The other one nods. "Look under the case over there." The one with the wire cutters reaches in with his other hand and lifts it. "Hell." he mumbles. "We've got a problem." Batman thinks . o O (Of course.) Radio: Ah, sir, there's some kind of problem, stand by. Gordon radios "I don't want more problems. I want solutions." The man at the box says "Okay, how many wires do you guess there are, Steve, a hundred? A hundred fifty? Get me the clamps and the tester. I hope he doesn't have a remote control for this thing." Huntress drops onto the fire escape next to Nightwing silently. "Everyone's out," she confirms. Nightwing nods to her. "Now we see what Joker has in store. Bomb squad has a problem." Gordon rubs his forehead slightly, waiting for news. Batman frowns down at the squad team, a disappointed expression on his face. He looms over them, looking with steely white eyes. "Gentlemen...I have the solution." He holds his hand out for the wire cutters, a strange sort of smile on his face. Huntress nods and looks in at the Batman a thoughtful expression on her face. "Why are we still here?" she whispers. Radio: He's got...well, sometimes people use double blinds on bombs, sir, so you don't know which of two wires to cut. Well, he's got about a hundred, a hundred fifty blinds. We're starting to test them...(gentlemen, i have the solution)...ah, standby, sir. Steve hands the cutters to Batman dumbly. "Just in case..." he murmurs. (OOC) Nightwing says, "That's NW speaking to Huntress." Nightwing looks to Huntress again. "If you don't have a gas mask, I suggest you clear the scene." Huntress watches as Batman takes the cutters and folds her arms shifting her weight to her right leg. Gordon hms muttering to himself "Who's up there.. course I probably already know the answer" He radios "Standing by." Kneeling over the box, the Caped Crusader talks in an almost off-handed tone "When one is dealing with someone with the Joker's psyche, you simply drop the rule book...and invent a new one based on what you know." With a steady hand, he gently levels the wire cutters over the wiring, a line forming down his brow as he concentrates. Gritting his teeth, he begins to apply pressure. Huntress glances down at Nightwing and smiles a little. "I might scout around a little... see if I can pick up Joker's trail." Nightwing nods, but catches her arm. "Here we go...." watching Batman. Batman says, between clenched teeth "I happen to know...." *SNIP* Huntress smiles and turns to watch as if totally unconcerned. A small red light in the box turns off. Nightwing phews. "One down....maybe all." Huntress grins and holds her hands out. "See... nothing to worry about," she murmurs pulling her arm from Nightwings grip. Batman drops the cutters back into Steve's hand, and stands, continuing "... the Joker has a thing for purple and green." He steps back. Nightwing lets go of Huntress' arm gently, smiling grimly. The radio: "Clear. Clear. It looks like we're clear. This one's in the bag." Batman turns to the body, and then scans the clippings haphazardly plastered to the walls, his attention focused on a new problem. The bomb squad members start to carefully disassemble the bomb, removing the vials. "Wonder what kind of nasty stuffthis is." one says. The other starts to unpack what's in the box. Other officers enter the room and begin to catalogue the evidence. Batman and the others get some stares, but no comments. Nightwing puts away the rebreather and watches Batman carefully, also scanning the clippings. Huntress sits in the window seal, her eyes scanning the room taking in it's details. The other officers start the long slow process of getting statements from people and letting them back in to the building. In a smal case in the box is the main event: the Clarridge diamond itself. Batman looks past the swaying feet of the body to examines some clippings of note, a finger against his lips. "Why leave the diamond...?" he mutters, mostly to himself. One of the bomb squad members looks carefully at a small group of bottles in the bottom of the box. He scowls at their labels. Nightwing says "Good question, Batman....." Gordon listens as reports of finds come in. One of the officers says "Maybe he was planning on coming back. He's got a gun down in here...some cash...nice little stash." Batman glances at the bomb squad and the vials, with the finger still against his mouth. "Perhaps...how much money?" Huntress says "What's the chances he know we'd find the bomb and have it disarmed... we let the people back in and later... while we walk away... BOOM...? Hmmmm?" Nightwing looks from Batman to Huntress and back again. Batman frowns dismissively at Huntress. "I don't think we'll need to worry about that...and the police will see to it that this place is secured, I'm sure, Huntress. What I'm more concerned with now is...what plans he has now." The officer says "I dunno. Two or three thousand." The bomb squad member looks at the chemical vials and chuckles. The room freezes. He laughs again. His partner looks up at him in panic. "No," he says, "no, I'm okay, it's just. I know what was in those vials." He cuhckles. Huntress says "He leaves enough here to make it look real safe..."" The bomb squad officer says "He made a stink bomb. We used to do it in high school with this same stuff." Gordon raises a brow "A what? Repeat?" Radio: Ah. Apparently the bomb was. Er. Nonlethal. A stinkbomb. No way of knowing that from outside of course, but. Heh. There you are. Batman shakes his head, clearly disgruntled by this bit of news. He paces towards the window, readying a line and his batarang. Gordon slams his fist against the roof of his car. Batman swings out of the window, and drops to he vicinity of the Commissioner as things are taken care of. He watches the cleanup, silently at first. Huntress frowns. "I don't like this... like we're being distracted... from something else..." Gordon radios "Start dismantling everything up there. I'll send in another squad to organize what we've found." "Yes, sir." crackles on the radio. Batman crosses his arms and says, gloomily "Looks like we have a clean slate, Jim....beyond the body in the room, and perhaps a trace on that cash, we're going to be working from the ground up...again." Gordon hrms and nods "So it does" He says with great distaste. Batman turns, and heads off, adding "I'll be in touch."