Earth-52 IC

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

The Question

The Question frowned as she surveyed the empty room, her displeasure hidden by the faceless mask she wore. She cleared her throat noisily enough to call attention to herself, and watched as the two boys looked up. "Anytime you're ready." She entered the room, and began to search. Once the others got up into the room she began, "By the looks of things, he's not been here for awhile. We're probably spinning our wheels here, but let's give it a quick search. Maybe we'll get lucky and find something."

Spoiler

Show

Search: (1d20+13)[30]
JIC: (1d20)[10]

[industrious]

Stephanie Brown

"Well, you know. The usual. School's been the way school is, and my teachers are all insane except for the cute biology teacher who could be a model. I got a few muggers and pickpockets over the last couple of weeks, and managed to get through the entire first season of The Grey Ghost, because the Grey Ghost is awesome..."

Thankfully, the mention of Gotham's most popular show gives Katherine something to actually talk about. Katherine's able to get into a debate over the rumors about the ghost getting a teenaged sidekick.

"I'm telling you, it's totally going to happen."

Barbara

"Talk to my father about that."

She sighs, rubs her temples, and pulls out the USB cable out from her computer.

"The computer illiteracy of the world sickens me."

"...I sicken you?"

"All the time."

Deadshot sees Katherine walking back from the holding cells, and along with the Lieutenant, the purple-clad form of the Spoiler.

"Hi Deadshot!"

The Question

Crumpled in the man's trashcan is a newspaper from several weeks ago, the headline circled prominently.

Gotham Tachyon Collider to Open

The date the apparatus was set to open was tomorrow; the collider would finished tonight.

[DeafnotDumb]

Lieutenant Walker

"Teenage sidekick? You wish. Kid, you're putting your fantasies into the show..." The voice trails off as Katherine catches sight of Deadshot and Barbara, and takes the opportunity to hide her brief bout of almost-friendliness by verbally jumping on Deadshot.

"Freak," Katherine warns, "If you make my life any more difficult in any way by in how you talk to this young girl, I am going to put my stick so far up your behind that I'll make your tongue waggle when I twist the handle."

She turns to Stephannie. "And he is not a role model. The reason why the Gray Ghost wins is because it's a show! Jeez, even I know that." Grumbling under her breath, she turns away with a muttered "Behave."

Looking at Barbara, she sighs."Your old man bagged me with the kid." She complains. "But enough of that. I need to know how to get information on how the Cluemaster could've got through Luthor's securit? I know you could've done it, but who else? Maybe brown had some hacker contacts, and they helped him with it, or he had some portable virius with him or something. I need a lead of some kind - and no jargon." She warns.

Then, she looks around to check that no-one is in earshot, and leans forwards fearfully and whispers. "Also, I need to know where to pick up the cake."

[ChronicLunacy]

Deadshot

"What do I look like to you?" Deadshot answered Walker with indignation before immediately backpedaling. "Okay, don't answer that." he added quickly.

"Hey, sweetie. I'm really not as bad as Lieutenant Surly McCrabbyPants makes me out to be. Anyway, aren't you that Spoiler character?" he asked conversationally as he listened to Walker interrogate the computer nerd. (Even the whispered parts. Super-hearing!) He had no idea why Gordon would saddle Walker with some kid, but she had to be important to the case somehow if they were going to drag her around with them.

Spoiler

Show

OOC: I'm just assuming that Deadshot doesn't know everything about every spook or vigilante swinging through the streets. It's likely he doesn't know about the Cluemaster's daughter unless she was mentioned previously and I just don't remember.

[industrious]

Barbara

"Contrary to public belief, Lieutenant, being a commended computer scientist does not make you a genius super-hacker."

Dinah laughs at the comment.

"Quiet, dear. You still use a typewriter for word processing."

"And proud of it!"

Shaking her head at her partner's antics, Barbara leans forward.

"The cake's at the Caveman Bakery, on 39th and Finger Street."

Stephanie Brown

"Spoiler Alert! The Cluemaster is going down!"

She strikes a pose as she says this, causing Barbara and Dinah to struggle not to giggle.

[DeafnotDumb]

Lieutenant Walker

"Fine." Katherine grumbles. "Tell me nothing, why don't you? You're supposed to be the computer person, this is your turf." Behind her, Stephanine strikes her pose. Katherine turns and sighs, and mutters something uncomplimentary as Dinah and Barbara start giggling.

"Not impressive, kid." She says. "You want to strike fear into the hearts of criminals, not be an idiot in a purple cloak and cape. You work real hard, you just might manage to be a idiot in a red-and-white suit." She shoots Deadshot an uncharitable glare. Not that she's given him any other looks so far.

"Anyway." She says, now that she's got the requisite bout of insulting over. "We should get going and do that whole take-down-your-dad thing, Kid. Go over some information on him in the car, and some rules on what you are and are not going to do when you are in my care." She fixes the kid with a glance as friendly as she can make it. "Deadshot," She says, not looking away. "You coming with us, or you got your own freak stuff to do? We're gonna pick up... something, and then place the kid somewhere safe or get on the trail, depending on if she tells us anything useful."

JIC: (1d20)[5]

[Terron]

"Let's hope you are right." replies the former gangster, and starts looking about the room, searching for some clues that might help out in the investigation.

Notice: (1d20+7)[19]
Search: (1d20+6)[20]
JICR: (1d20)[8]

[industrious]

Stephanie Brown

"Well...it's not like you're any better at it. I mean, I can actually run after criminals."

She pouts, then, even through the mask, Walker can tell.

"And it's eggplant, not purple, for your information. Purple would just be stupid."

She strikes a post once again.

"I am...the Eggplant Avenger! The Aubergine Queen! Quick-to the Police Car FOR GREAT JUSTICE!"

She strikes a pose once more, and dashes out of the room. A few seconds later, she peeks her hooded head back in.

"Also, I totally know where my dad's going to strike next. Come on!"

Luigi

There aren't any additional clues to be found.

[ChronicLunacy]

Deadshot

"I'm coming with. This kid is a riot." Deadshot said, spurred into action by Stephanie's sudden admission that she knew what her dad was up to. "If she's telling the truth I think we'll have to pick up your little cake on the way back."

"Ladies, it has been a pleasure." he said in parting to Barbara and Dinah. He really wished he'd kept his hat because at that point he could only pretend to tip it.

(1d20)[18]

[DeafnotDumb]

Lieutenant Walker

Katherine freezes as soon as Stephanine mentions her leg, and Barbara draws in a breath as she waits for the resulting explosion. Luckily for the young girl, however, she quickly mentions the thought of a new Cluemaster heist, and runs off, leaving Katherine standing there a moment in confusion before setting off after both of the costumed freaks. "Couldn't you have said this earlier?' She yells.

The last thing Dinah and Barbara hear from the motley crew is "Drive? Drive? I'm not letting you drive. I've seen you drive. Your feet don't even always reach the floor..."

[industrious]

Stephanie Brown

"But I'm in Driver's Ed! I need the practice..."

She eventually acquiesces to Katherine's request.

"I call dibs on the radio, though."

The teenaged heroine quickly twists the knob, before Walker is able to object. The police car is quickly filled with pop music.

Who cares if you disagree?
You are not me
Who made you king of anything?
So you dare tell me who to be?
Who died and made you king of anything?

"And I only just realized where my father would be. You know, it's like when you're thinking about an algebra problem and staring at it and then BLAM, the solution hits you in the face? That just happened to me. We need to go to Wayne Labs."

Question, Lock-Up, and Crossbow

The only clue there is that circled newspaper. The Tachyon Collider is opening tonight at Wayne Labs.

[DeafnotDumb]

Lieutenant Walker

For all of Katherine's complains about the new girl's driving, she's not much better herself. The police car hugs the pavement as it wheels around a corner, alarm squealing like mad as the driver mutters sour offenses about pedestrians daring to try and have any kind of right of way on the road.

The worst part is, she's not even good at driving in a crazy way. Deadshot's already found out that a police car can stay on two wheels for an inordinate amount of time, especially if you gun the accelerator while doing it. The worst part is probably the way Stephanie chats nonchalantly while in the death-trap, as if this wasn't anything unusual.

Walker spares a glare for the radio and then refocusses her attention on the road as she swerves to avoid a car. At least her passengers are quiet here - she can't have Allen or Gordon or Sarah in the car while she's driving to a scene without occasional cries of 'Truck,' 'Truck!', 'Truck!!' 'Corner', 'Stop stop stop!', 'Please could you-' and once an 'ohmygodohmygodi'mgonnadiegonna die' which was the first and only time Josephine MacDonald had ever sat in the same car as her superior, even when there wasn't any rush to get to anyplace and Katherine obeyed all the lights and turn signals and stuff and even stayed a safe five miles under the limit, stupid girl.

Driving like this helped her think on her case, anyway. "Steph, explain your logic to me, please." She says, her brain too occupied to spare expend effort on her usual nastiness. "Be nice to be on the same page as you here, and see that we're going somewhere with this lead."

A truck came out from a side street, and Katherine pulled the wheel and then there was a lot of swerving and smoking and honking of horns and yelling and then, miraculously, they were all alive. "Trucks getting everywhere these days." She muttered. "Can't drive anywhere fast without getting one in my way. You were saying?"

[Terron]

"It seems oddly clear where we must head towards now." Luigi says. "Almost too easy..."

[Sophistemon]

Lock-Up

After silently comparing the size of his lock release gun to Luigi's, the larger vigilante is pleased to note that, since he had built his own to fit comfortably in his much larger hand, his equipment is bigger. He shakes his head to clear it of macho distractions and begins to scale the side of the building to meet up with the Question. After examining the room, he nods his head. "Looks like you're right. He hasn't been here for a while." After reading the newspaper headline, he taps his chin with a finger. "What would Cluemaster want with something like that?" And then, to the Black Crossbow, "Maybe so, but it's the only lead we have."

[industrious]

Stephanie Brown

"Well, it's just obvious, isn't it? I mean, it's a tachyon collider."

Silence.

"Did any of you ever even watch Star Trek? Tachyons? That great particle that lets your travel back in time? Like time travel? Like in the Time Machine, the book my dad left behind?"

More silence.

"...all of you have to be culturally dead or something. Hey, are we going to call for more backup of the costumed variety? So we'd have The Gotham Five (guest-starring the Spoiler) versus the Cluemaster in: The Case of the Criminal Collider!"

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

The Question

'Well, for starters, it's a tachyon collider. If Wayne Enterprises can find definitive proof of the tachyon, then they've discovered the biggest game-changing idea in physics since a postal clerk determined that nothing could go faster than the speed of light. I'm not sure about time travel - at least not how H. G. Wells would imagine it - but superluminal particles could transmit information backwards through time. I can't think of anything else that would qualify quite as well as this. Only way to find out what Brown's up to is to check out Wayne Labs."

The Question headed back to the window, and headed out into the cool night air, tightening her trenchcoat around her. "We need to get in touch with Walker - she needs to know where we're heading. Let's get back to the Paddy Wagon."

[Terron]

Feeling the piercing look of Lock up, Luigi accomodates his hat lower, and follows the Question outside, his black trenchcoat flapping unnaturally heavier than normal clothes would. Still grabbing his hat by the rim, with his arm almost crossed in front of his face, he nods "To the Paddy Wagon then."


I'll make an instant Gather inf Check on Wayne and Wayne activities regarding to the subject to see what Luigi knows about him using Well Informed.
Gather inf: 1:(1d20+9)[27]
2: (1d20+9)[29]
JICR: (1d20)[1]

[DeafnotDumb]

Lieutenant Walker

"Tachyon collider?" Katherine complains? Is this junk even real? Sometimes it seems the world just turned crazy on me when I wasn't looking." She complains, weaving in and out of traffic. The only thing she remembers about the collider was reading an article by some Dr Osterman on it, and the only bit that really stuck in her mind was the one in something-million chance of destroying the world, proving again that scientists would gladly pass up common sense for the chance to destroy the world. "What would your father want with that thing anyway?" She asks.

[industrious]

Stephanie Brown

"...I don't know. Maybe he's going to steal it; how big is it, anyway?"

Several tons, from the article Katherine read.

Crossbow

The tachyon collider is an experiment costing nearly a billion dollars; it hopes to definitively find, using solely Earth-based technology, the tachyon particle, which travels backwards in time.

There is, however, a very small chance that the Earth could explode if it is activated due to a theorized "chronal energy." The project has been protested by several groups for that reason.

[DeafnotDumb]

Lieutenant Walker

"One day, kid, if we ever get you out of that stupid outfit, we might have to work on your detective skills so's you don't get yourself killed." Katherine muttered, eyes still on the road. "That thing weights several tons. I doubt superman could lift it without trying. Use your brain! 'f you have one, that is."

"Sabotage sounds more likely, because unless I've missed something he's not smart enough to use all this science stuff. You got any more light to shed on this, or you just gonna say something stupid again?" The policewoman casts a glance sideways as she says this. "Don't worry 'bout it, though. I'm used to stupid. Stick around with a lot of freaks, don't I, Deadshot?"

[industrious]

Stephanie Brown

"...That was mean, Lieutenant."


And Katherine can't help but feel bad at insulting the kid.

[ChronicLunacy]

"Yeah, way to go Lieutenant Sensitive." Deadshot added. He hadn't been speaking up mostly because he was being thrown around in the back seat due to all the crazy driving.

"Don't worry, honey. You've given us the best lead we've had on your dastardly dad all day. She's just grumpy because she needed your help. She's got issues." he stage whispered through the divider, complete with cupping one hand to his mouth.

[DeafnotDumb]

Lieutenant Walker

Katherine is, bizarrely, feeling bad about upsetting the feelings of a young, vulnerable teenage girl with an unstable father, skewed life and who has the bad sense to seem to admire Katherine, a little bit. As usual, she tries to cover up her guilt by grumpy silence, which if she were younger would be called sulking.

Deadshot's comment, however, strikes a nerve. "Damn right I have issues!" She snaps and turns, sending the car swerving dangerously. "D'you know how many assassination attempts MacDonald's survived last year? Do you? Four. Four for the freaking desk-job girl, all because she decided to take on the mob. ****ing four. All she does is sit at a desk and crack codes. It's not fair. Do you understand me? It's not fair!"

The policewoman turns her attention back to driving, still fuming. "So go on and have fun with your faces all covered up and in your masks and gadgets and red-and-white spandex, or whatever, like it's all a great big prancing game or something. You can speak to me when you're brave enough to do what Josephine does and do this job without a mask to your face and show the mob you're not scared. I'm sick of you freaks getting all the attention while good police die."

She chuckles. It's about the least funny sound you can imagine. "Still wanna be a freak, Stephannie? Maybe you two should stop thinking you're so brave in those costumes of yours."

[industrious]

Stephanie Brown

Furious, the teenaged girl whips off her mask, revealing the crying face of a blonde teenager.

"You're right it isn't fair! Do you know what it's like, having a criminal for a father; someone who's been to Arkham repeatedly? How many times I've been made fun of for it? Hearing a knock at the door to our house and knowing that there are thieves and murderers on the other side being let in? They make plans to rob and kill while I try to do my homework upstairs."

She's shouting as well, tears running down her face. Some people look cute while crying; Steph doesn't. Her face gets red, and puffy, and it just looks sad.

"And my mom's a junkie! She spends the entire day popping pills and sending me for more! I'm the one who has to cook and clean and whatever else has to get done! And I have to use my dad's credit card to do it!"

Steph somehow manages to keep her words from dissolving into incoherence. Her voice continues to get louder and louder.

"Don't you know why I'm the Spoiler, Lieutenant? So that I don't have to be Stephanie Brown any more. And I wear a mask, so that when I'm busting criminals, my father's goons don't tear me apart in my sleep? Is that fair, Lieutanant? Is that?"

And then, in a small, sad whisper.

"You either have to learn to enjoy the small things, Lieutenant, or you'll be angry and sad and depressed all the time."

[ChronicLunacy]

Spoiler

Show

I wrote this all out before the last reply, and I didn't want to delete it. So while it may seem like overkill, I'm going to go ahead and post it.

Stephanie gave a good showing, but Deadshot had to say his piece, too. He wasn't the type to shut up and take it.

"Get off of your damn high horse. We don't do it because it's brave, Walker. Sure, I can't deny enjoying the thrill, but mostly the reason us 'freaks' put on the mask is because it works. Gordon's fine, and there are a few good cops in the department, but Gotham is rife with corruption and you know it. Guys like me can't be corrupted because we can't be bought or blackmailed. They can't put a bomb in my car, or show up at my apartment uninvited. They can't threaten my family or my 401K. The very reason you hate us is the reason we work, and you know it."

"Don't act like we're in this for the fame either. You think anyone's going to remember our real names? You think our kids, should we be lucky enough to have them, will even know what we did? If you want the attention, you can have it. I'll be doing this until criminals either decide to unanimously give up and go home or I get killed fighting for this hellhole of a city. I'm not going to get paid for it, I'm not going to punch a freaking time card, I'm just going to be putting boot to ass for as long as I can until some thug with an assault rifle or a baseball bat gets lucky. Then hopefully someone like me, a freak in a mask, will be inspired by my example and continue doing the work."

"You really need to get your head on straight, Walker. I knew you were bitter about us, and I can take the name-calling, but your issues are starting to look like a liability. Pull over. I'll meet you at Wayne Tech, but I'm taking the high road."

[DeafnotDumb]

Lieutenant Walker

The car shudders to a stop and Walker stares blankly out of the window as Deadshot leaves. Then, without a word, she starts the car again.

"Well." She says finally. "Guess I messed it up again." Then, louder. "You okay, kid?"

The car moves through traffic - sanely, this time. There's a certain lack of enthusiasm in the policewoman's driving. It's uncertain what she's thinking. Then, finally, she breaks the silence. "Sorry." Doesn't break her gaze with the road. "If you want me to go to Gordon and make him put you with someone, well, sane, I can do it. Josephine's been complaining about her apartment feeling empty all week long."

[industrious]

Spoiler

Show

By GM Fiat, I'm moving everybody to Gotham Labs

Stephanie Brown

"It's okay," she says.

"You were grumpy, but you're still better then my parents. Can we...can we talk about this later? I kind of want to beat my father up first."

Gotham Labs

The Paddy Wagon and Katherine's police car pull up to Gotham Labs nigh-simultaneously; Deadshot, in a stroke of coincidence, had managed to see Lock-Up's car shortly after getting out of the squad car.

There is a chain-link fence and gate, but the gate is open, and the guard on duty is dead; suffocated by a clear plastic epoxy that covered his mouth.

His name tag reads Johnathan Faddis.

[DeafnotDumb]

Lieutenant Walker

"Marvelous." Katherine mutters. "Guess you were right, kid. Well done."

Getting back to the side of the car, she reaches in through the window and grabs the police radio. "Walker to dispatch, Freak Squad." She says. "Murder at Wanye Labs, a Johnathan Faddis, Code F. Probably more. Come in and secure scene." There's a bit more talking, police jargon, and then she comes back to the scene, putting some gloves on.

"Let's co-ordinate." She says briskly, turning to Lock-Up and the people coming from his wagon. "What did you find out? We got the Cluemaster's kid, lead us here, so she's smarter than she looks. Not much else."

With a sigh, Katherine turns and surveys the scene as she listens to the reply. Another freak-killed body, another day in Gotham. When where the times she didn't have this?

Spoiler

Show

(1d20+20)[32], Investigate
JIC roll: (1d20)[10]

[ChronicLunacy]

Deadshot

"He could already be doing whatever he's got planned. I'm going in. You guys feel free to talk that over." Deadshot said. Then he fired a line from underneath his wrist which swiftly carried him up to the roof. He readied his wristols as he stalked across the roof looking for a skylight. He attempted to find the main tachyon collider room, since he figured it would probably be pretty huge. Hopefully he'd be able to spot Cluemaster from above.

In the case the roof didn't have skylights, he'd just have to use a rooftop door or hatch. Barring that he'd just break into one of the windows on the top floor.

Notice (Super-Senses - Extended [2] Sight): (1d20+16)[34]
Stealth: (1d20+11)[24]
JIC: (1d20)[11]

[Sophistemon]

Lock-Up

The vigilante nods as Deadshot leaves to gather reconnaissance information, and turns to address the others. Firstly, he looks at Stephanie. "You're the Cluemaster's daughter?" he asks. And then, nodding his approval, "Welcome to the fight." He turns to Walker, then. "We found out where he'd been living. There was a newspaper in the trashcan with a headline circled. It's almost like he wanted us to know." He shrugs. "Then again, he is the Cluemaster, so leaving hints behind is his established MO." There is a moment's pause before he speaks again. "I didn't break anything."

(1d20)[11]