Earth-52 IC

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

The Question

"Damn, he's still one step ahead of us," said The Question. She noticed the arrival of the purple-clad teenager - really, in purple, how can anyone have not - but her curiosity took over before she could begin the pleasantries with the young girl. She knelt down next to Faddis' body, grimly surveying the scene. "Ahead of us, and still using new tricks. What is this, glue?" She produced a pencil from her coat pocket to test exactly how strong this epoxy was, and if any additional clues were hidden on the dead guard's body.

She stood back up and straightened out her coat. She headed back over to the group, her faceless gaze focused on The Spoiler. "Ms. Brown, thank you for leading the Lieutenant and the rest of them here - did you happen to hear why your father might be wanting to steal this device? Or who, if anyone, he's working for - and who might be working with him?"

Spoiler

Show

Search (as I figure I'll need that): (1d20+13)[17]
JIC: (1d20)[10]

[industrious]

Deadshot

Most buildings in Gotham follow a specific design aesthetic. Skylights, gargoyles, and a general neo-Gothic feel. This building, on the other hand, was built along different lines. It's a squat, two-story building made almost entirely out of concrete. The vigilante is forced to enter through an open second story window, leading to a fairly nondescript office.

Outside Gotham Labs

"Oh, my god! Hi Question! Hi Lock-Up! Hi...new person?"

She pauses for a moment, decides on a course of action.

"Awesome. The Gotham Five just became the Gotham Six! And Question, I'm the Spoiler in this. I mean, I don't go around revealing who everyone else is. If I knew who anyone else was..."


She glares at the faceless vigilante. Her identity may be absurdly easy to deduce to those in the community, but she expected some level of professional courtesy. And in front of a stranger, no less.

"And no, I don't really know much else about what the Cluemaster is planning. He hasn't really been back...to a place I can eavesdrop on since he got out of Arkham.

The Question

((JIC roll used for Investigate))

The epoxy is incredibly strong; the guard had died because it formed a very tight seal over the man's nose and mouth, asphyxiating him. And while she didn't have a chemistry set with her, she could guess that whatever would dissolve the compound wouldn't be particularly common. This was a nasty, vicious, and cruel way to kill someone. The explosion, ironically enough, had been better; at least that had been quick.

There don't seem to be any clues placed on his person, however.

"That's terrible."

Steph is peering over Kate's shoulder at the man, who's face is frozen in a final gasp for air.

"...I think I have some of the solvent for that stuff, though. Swiped it from his lab."

[ChronicLunacy]

Deadshot

Deadshot moved through the office, staying low and stepping quietly the way he'd learned in the Suicide Squad. He double-checked the silencers and the stun ammo in his weapons, making sure that nothing would go wrong with his equipment. He may have been a thrillseeking wiseass most of the time, but he was fanatical about his weapons and maintenance. He moved out of the office and into the main hallway, heading toward where he figured the biggest room and the collider would be located.

JIC: (1d20)[3]

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

The Question

From beneath her mask, Kate cringed as she heard Stephanie's voice. "I'm sorry you have to see this, Spoiler. A girl your age should be at home, not out with a handful of costumed adventurers." Kate said this with just enough inflection to show that she was on board with her new identity.

"I hate to say this, but I don't think your father - or whoever he might be working with - are going to come along quietly. When we find him, this could turn very dangerous, very quickly." She let this sink into the exuberant teenager's mind for a moment before continuing. "Have you had any sort of self-defense training? And have you actually been in a fight? If you haven't, that's fine - I just need to know how seasoned you are."

After that, The Question began to head into the office building behind Deadshot - it seemed a far better idea to her to follow along his path than possibly get caught in a crossfire situation.

Spoiler

Show

JIC: (1d20)[3]

[Terron]

Luigi nods and, grabbing the rim of his hat, tilts it down and makes a flourish. "Black Crossbow, at your service." he said. after the introducction and the discussion about the information regarding Cluemaster was done, he followed The Question into the building.

JIC:(1d20)[11]

[DeafnotDumb]

Lieutenant Walker

"So, kid, that's the bunch of weirdos you'll be hanging out with if you keep on wearing that costume." Katherine says, breaking into as fast a run as she can in order to catch up to The Question and the crossbow guy. "C'om, get in and you could be useful to me and them. That's what you want, right?"

"And if you dare get yourself killed... well, a talk with the girl who runs that afterlife thing and I'll get my revenge on you." If she didn't know better, Spoiler could swear that Katherine was being serious when she said this.

[industrious]

Stephanie Brown

"I've been beating up thugs on my own for the past several months, and do kickboxing . This isn't my first time, Q."

Stephanie follows everybody to the second floor office.

Second Floor

It's a typical office floor; monochrome grey carpet and walls with pale green accents, a few blatant cries of individuality in a mass of conformity...the usual.

An elevator is on the far end of the corridor.

2nd Floor: Administration
1st Floor: Reception Area and Lobby
Basement: Collider Power Room
Subbasement 1: Collidor Walkway and Control Room
Subbasement 2: Collidor

[Sophistemon]

Lock-Up

"Kickboxing..." he muses, thinking aloud. "Consider learning some Judo to supplement your strikes." After that, he goes silent and follows the others into the building, for however long it takes them to reach the second floor. "We're not all freaks and weirdos," he whispers to Spoiler. "I put on the lower half of my costume one leg at a time, just like everyone else." And then, after a moment's hesitation: "I think what you're doing is very brave. It's one thing to put your life on the line like this, behind a mask. It's another thing to go against your family when you know they're in the wrong."

(1d20)[17]

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

The Question

The Question frowned as she stared at the sign by the elevator. "Too many unknowns. I don't see 'Security' listed on here - presumably, they have someone monitoring the premises remotely. Might be on the first floor. If we don't find anything there, then I think we have to proceed to the first subbasement. I'm not especially keen on being bombarded with theoretical particles tonight. Also, I'd rather take the stairs if we have the option. Elevators are too confined."

Spoiler

Show

(1d20)[3]

[DeafnotDumb]

Lieutenant Walker

Still wincing from the run, Katherine raises an outspread hand. "Five floors." She says. "Five of us."

She looks at the list of floors. "We can probably ignore reception, but who knows? He could be anywhere depending on what he's looking for. I say someone techy takes the basements, where the science stuff is, and the rest can split whatever."

"An' Steph's staying with me. It's my job to protect her, and I'm doing bad enough at it as it is without losing sight of her. Gordon's gonna chew me out enough as it is."

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

The Question

"Four floors - we're already on the second floor. And if it weren't for the possibilty of a security console on the first floor, I'd agree with you, Lieutenant." As The Question said this, she examined the area for stairs leading down to the basment and, hopefully, subbasement.

[industrious]

Question

There are two sets of stairs, as well as a set of fire stairs next to the elevator.

Stephanie Brown

"Thanks Lieutenant. Knew you liked me."

She's determined to see Katherine in the best light. Mother issues, probably.

"And thanks, Lock-Up. It...means a lot to hear you say that."

[Sophistemon]

Lock-Up

The mountainous vigilante nods. "Splitting up would be the most expedient method of finding him, but it carries the risk of arriving unprepared to handle what he's got planned, or who he's got with him. Perhaps two teams, each one handling two floors? That might be a sufficient compromise." He looks down at Spoiler. "You know your father better than anyone. How will he react if cornered? Does he have any close associates, anyone he would have brought along on something like this? A gang of regular assistants, maybe?"

(1d20)[17]

[industrious]

Stephanie Brown

"He has a gang; about ten or so goons. And he won't go down without a fight; if he's cornered, he'll panic and start flinging explosives or something."

[DeafnotDumb]

Lieutenant Walker

"Right." Walker snaps, her mind thinking fast. "Okay, Lock-Up, you take the basements - you're kind of good with tech from what I recall. Deadshot, join him, you two work nicely together. Question can go with you as well, leaving me and Spoiler and Crossbow to take the upstairs. That way both teams have one of us who can investigate, one who can shoot something and one backup when things get messy, and I get to grill the new guy while I'm at it."

"Right. Any objections to that?" She's eyeing the Crossbow as she speaks. There's a few questions she'd like to ask this guy...

[ChronicLunacy]

Deadshot

Deadshot, having been ahead of the others, had already taken the stairs down by the time everyone got to planning. Still, it was more or less to Walker's strategy anyway, so it was up to Lock-up to follow him. Deadshot fast-walked quietly down the stairs toward the collider, figuring that would be the best place to start looking for the villain.

JIC: (1d20)[19]

[Terron]

"None, yours is a sound plan Lieutenant." Black Crossbow replies simply, arms crossed, ready to move on. He feel's Katherine's gaze, as he felt it several times before. Luigi had hoped to forget the feeling of those sharp eyes cutting into his mind; but he didn't, and now, he felt the scrying gaze of the policewoman again; as he felt Lockup's. "You'll have to take it like a cabalieri..." he thought to himself.

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

The Question

"It's as good a plan as we're likely to get. Just remember: no battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy. Keep to the balls of your feet." The Question silently approved of Walker's distrust of Black Crossbow - if both of their intuitions said something was up with him, then he definitely was worth future investigation. Once Cluemaster was dealt with, she'd delve deeper into who he was...

...but that was for another night. Time for her to focus. She followed Deadshot down the stairs, keeping her eyes sharp for cameras or other traps Cluemaster's goons might be preparing for them.

Spoiler

Show

JIC: (1d20)[6]

[industrious]

Staircase

The way down is narrow and cramped; these staircases were built with the bare minimum of money and effort. Regulations were followed, but only just; one feels claustrophobic simply walking in them. Bare concrete and unpainted metal rails, with visible ceiling pipes slowly leaking water; it drips onto the party's heads in a steady plunk-plunk. Every few feet is a cheap wall light, the dim illumination keeping the distance between them barely visible.

((Need to know which floors the groups are heading to))

[Terron]

"What about if one group starts from the bottom going up, and the other from the top going down? We'll be able to trap anyone that attempts to escape that way. Unless they jump out of the windows to their own demise, that is." suggest the former gangster.

[ChronicLunacy]

Deadshot

Deadshot headed directly to sub-basement 2, where the sign said the collider was located. He'd work his way up from there if he didn't find anything.

[industrious]

Lock-Up, Deadshot, and Question

The three of you move down to subbasement 2, the metal door at the bottom of the stairs creaking open.

"What was that?"


Opening the door all the way, you see a long, narrow hallway, with a cheap linolium floor and cardboard ceiling tiles. About fifty feet in, there is a 90 degree left turn, and the shadow of a man holding a gun at the entrance.

Spoiler

Show

I'll need Stealth checks as well as JIC checks.

[industrious]

Lobby Group

The ground floor of the building is much the same as the first, with the exception of the opening courtyard. Here, apparently no expense has been spared; wood-paneling on the walls, wide spaces with columns arranged in a circle, the works--the space is obviously intended for the official commencement tomorrow.

Stepping into that inner circle of columns, however, one sees that the polished marble floors give way to glass; one can see directly into the first subbasement. And beneath The Black Crossbow's feet, a man in an orange costume and utility belt, his lower face hidden by a bandana, is barking orders at a group of men in ski masks and assault rifles.

"That's him," the Spoiler whispers, anger lacing through every syllable. "That's the Cluemaster."

[ChronicLunacy]

Deadshot

Deadshot held both of his arms pointed at the floor as he crept toward the corner, hoping to surprise the man before he noticed he had visitors. Hopefully a silenced shot from one of his rubber bullets to the forehead or diaphragm would put him down for the count. He wanted to be quick and quiet, to keep the mook from yelling and alerting any other bad guys.

He wasn't any sort of leader, so Deadshot let the others do whatever they wanted.

Spoiler

Show

Stealth: (1d20+11)[24]
JIC: (1d20)[13]

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

The Question

Kate silently cursed as the door creaked. Not only were they heading towards the enemy's fortified position, but their intel was lacking. They didn't know numbers, they didn't know the competence of their enemies - Hell, they didn't even know where Cluemaster was getting all these creative ways of killing people. Time for that to change. She tapped Deadshot on the shoulder, then held up a hand to indicate for him to hold a moment.

Then, she cleared her mind, and opened herself to the aspect of Yesod. The Hebrew character tattooed on her body glowed from beneath her clothing, emanating from her lower abdomen. She became aware of the unconscious world around her, and opened her mind's eye to view the room beyond. With that brief remote glimpse, she began to formulate an entry plan...

Spoiler

Show

Stealth: (1d20+18)[35]
JIC: (1d20)[17]

[industrious]

The Question

((Using your JIC as a Notice check for a result of 30.))


Looking to around the corner and through the room ahead, Katherine sees the man standing lookout. He's brawny in a way that can only suggest time at Blackgate; he's holding an AK-47 with the safety off and his finger on the trigger. He's on edge from that noise; the moment something changes in his surroundings, he's going to fire. And whether or not he hits, the sound will alert the rest of the Cluemaster's gang.

50 feet down the corridor from that guard is the collider itself; a rather plain-looking device, truth be told. Science fiction and popular culture had one believe that high technology was flashy; lights and diodes, glass and holograms, and all manner of signals that this was advanced and cutting edge. The reality was that the collider was suspended 8 feet above the ground, and looked like nothing so much as a giant metal doughnut with a 100 foot-long hole.

Level with the collider is a steel grating catwalk; the floor above, where the Cluemaster and 2 more of his goons, built of the same stock as the previous, are striding towards what appears to be a control room.

"Listen up," he's saying. "I'll be in the center in 5 minutes. Once I'm there, activate the button we've rigged up."

[Sophistemon]

Lock-Up

The vigilante winces at the noise, but moves his considerable bulk as silently as possible alongside his companions. It's only after the Cluemaster's guard intimates that he's heard their arrival does Lock-Up reach towards his belt and unbutton the leather loop that holds his nightstick. Sometimes he's a little envious of the others. Deadshot's augmented optics are a technology that he'd like to get his hands on, for example, and the Question's apparently mystical tattoos would certainly be useful. But when he's got the nightstick in his hand, he feels nearly invincible. It's a primal sort of feeling, to use a club as your primary weapon. It's crude, but nobody can doubt its effectiveness in battle.

He was moving forwards, with Deadshot, when the Question tapped the gunman and activated on of her tattoos.
Lock-Up stops, too, awaiting her insight.

JIC: (1d20)[3]
Stealth: (1d20+7)[25]

[DeafnotDumb]

Lieutenant Walker

"Get back." Katherine hissed. She understands Steph's anger, and in a way she's glad of it - there's far too many kids out there who'd consider the actions of a parent like Mr. Brown to be their fault, and anger is a step up from that. At least that means she might be able to trump some Domestic Abuse charges on the Cluemaster and keep him out of that revolving door called Arkham this time, if she remembers their policies right. "And be quiet. We're outnumbered and outgunned here. This ain't the Gray Ghost."

She turns to the newcomer, and points towards the cluemaster. "Crossbow, can you get a bead on that guy?" She says. "Gonna see if I can contact my guys. Don't shoot without warning - warning me, that is."

Digging into her pocket, Katherine gets out the commbeads she carries with her everywhere now. She doesn't like involving her department in this unless it's an emergency, because any indication or proof of Katherine being officially in cohorts with or acting like a freak would bring the whole Gotham press on their heads, but if this isn't a time to do it she's not sure what is. She links the comm onto her head, and adjusts the setting. "Allen? Sarah? MacDonald? Marcus?" She whispers. "You there?"

JIC: (1d20)[5]

[Terron]

Luigi looks at the detective "I don't think my bolt can go through this glass. If we can find an opening in the glass I'll get him for sure."

JICR: (1d20)[2]

[ChronicLunacy]

Deadshot

Deadshot was starting to look impatient, but he kept his enthusiasm reined in for the moment. He flattened himself against a wall and waited for Question to get done with whatever the hell she was doing. By what Cluemaster had said, they only had five minutes to stop both whatever the villain was doing in the control center as well as his henchmen and their "button". In his experience, buttons were never a good thing. He hadn't said "detonator" but that was what Deadshot's mind instantly jumped to after overhearing the conversation.