2019-10-19 - Out Of The Past

Summary:

Investigating a recently emptied gang hideout, Batgirl meets up with a ghost from the past.

Log Info:

Storyteller: None
Date: Sat Oct 19 23:00:23 2019
Location: Warehouse

Related Logs

None

Theme Song

None

jacyn-toddbarbara-gordon

It's past the witching hour in Staten Island and the Bats are out in full force. The redheaded Bat, Batgirl, has made her way to a warehouse down near the water. The warehouse looks empty but anyone who's been around Staten Island for long enough, knows this is or at least was home to one of the local street gangs.

And yet, it is surprisingly quiet.

With little trouble, Batgirl enters the building through a skylight and perches on one of the rafters near the roof.

Anything or anyone around, Oracle? she asks her VI subvocally. The VI is scanning the feeds from the cameras in the area.


Where do Bats like to be? Roof tops, rafters, as high in the air as they could possibly be. Right?

Most of the time that probably holds true, but for some reason not all choose those high roads, and that has lead one to skulking around in the shadows on the ground level of things.

It's possible that she doesn't realize that there are cameras in the area, but more probable is the fact that the Red Hood just doesn't give a damn. In the shadow between buildings the form moves towards the warehouse that Batgirl has found her way into.


It's true, not all Bats stick to the aeries. One figure approaching from the North East, Bagirl. Oracle responds, bringing a video feed in the lower right hand corner of the redheads hud.

Waiting for Jacyn to enter the warehouse, Batgirl bides her time patiently scanning the area as best she can. The warehouse is definitely empty though it was vacated quickly - the detritus of the recent occupation still evident.

When Jacyn steps through the door, the Bat drops from the rafter - yellow lined cape snapping out to slow her descent. "If you're looking for your friends, they're not here."


The voice is modulated, impossible to identify.


There is a slight, curious cock to the head when Batgirl drops from the rafter, but nothing in her body language says that she's startled, surprised, or frightened of the implications. Facial expressions, though, could be anything beneath the mask.

After those few seconds of consideration there is a quiet laugh, the sound quiet enough that it could be missed under normal ambient noise. But the quiet of the warehouse probably makes the sound loud enough, the voice that follows is louder, "And what if they were not my friends?"


Oracle is already scanning the figure, now highlighted with a light that comes from Batgirls suit. It's hard to make out the redheaded Bat - the silhouetted ears on the hood marking her as a bat, the yellow Bat symbol and lining of her cape visible in what light filters through the dirty windows.

"Then my statement still stands. They aren't here. I'd be asking another question - What are you doing here?"

The vacating of the premises doesn't look like it was done willingly. Tables and chairs tipped over. By Jacyn, the door jamb and door seemed to have taken some damage though not from normal weapons. Or maybe weaspons at all.


"What are you doing here?"

Jacyn turns the question back around on Batgirl without even a pause to think about not answering and being as annoying as possible. The scanning doesn't seem to bother her, although depending on what the scan is up to there might be any number of things visible. Weight, height, armor, weapons.

Lots of weapons. Too many for most people when they take a casual stroll, even in this area.

Jacyn moves away from the door after a look at the damage done to it, starting to move deeper into the warehouse.


"That's a good question." Batgirl answers. The modulator on her voice not giving away the dryness of her tone. She moves too as Jacyn does, noting the weapons and armour as does. "I heard the gangs were targetted in Staten, I wanted to see for myself."

Gangs being targetted? By what? What could possibly push a gang from their hideout? And leave their paraphenalia behind.

As Jacyn moves through the area, she'll note the tufts of fur littering the ground. There's a dark stain on the floor just over there and something glitters and shimmers as the light catches it not far from that stain.


"Gangs." Jacyn repeats the word back, rolling the thought around in her mind as she moves through the area, seeming to ignore the stain, the tufts of fur, and the glittery thing for a little while.

But curiosity is a hell of a thing and she drifts in that direction, focus sharpening a bit, "Gangs are always being targetted by each other. So what's so interesting about this one that you turned up?" It's a clear fishing expedition.


"They are. But rarely enough to push them out or make them join forces. Six gangs in the last three weeks are 'under new management'." That is indeed unusual. Gangs are territorial and it's rare for them to give up their leadership. "My intel tells me that all the gangs are being targetted similarly. The larger ones that resist …" The redhead gestures to the warehouse.

"Well, it normally looks like this by the time I get there."

The glittering object is shaped like a triangle, the apex of which is rounded. It shimmers and shine, an iridiscent green. It looks like a … scale? Surely not.

"So if they weren't friends, were they enemies?" A fishing expedition indeed. On both sides. "Or perhaps you belong to the new management…."


"If I belonged to the new management do you think that I'd be here?" Jacyn counters without a look in Batgirl's direction, instead she carefully settles into a crough near the scale, for lack of a better descriptor.

Perhaps it's trust in the Bat-system to remain honest about things, but Jacyn doesn't look back in her direction as she turns to examining the scale. One hand reaches into a pocket to pull out a small pocket knife, flicking it open so that she can catch the edge of the scale, lifting it up to see the underside of it. "Are they all being killed unless they join up?"


"Possibly." The answers come easily. The information the redhead is giving seems honest. She's certainly fishing and she's not drawn near to the other woman. Clearly she doesn't recognise her. "Watching the place to see who arrived. To convert or deal with as you will."

The scale would be about 3 inches wide at the base and about 5 inches long. When her knife touches it, Jacyn might get the impression it's like ceramic or kevlar just by the feel of the scale against the blade. The underside is duller but still has a similar iridescence.

"What do you make of that." Batgirl has drawn just close enough to see it. "And we're not sure. There's no bodies when I check the locations. So maybe not killed."


"Blood?"

It seems like a reasonable question, even if there are other ways to kill that don't leave pools of blood behind. Jacyn picks up the scale, tucking the knife back into her pocket to look it over. Without answering what she makes of it she tucks it into the inside pocket of her jacket before getting to her feet, "Interesting. That is what I make of it."


"Of course. Like that stain over there." Batgirl nods, noting that Jacyn hadn't responded to her conjecture about 'new management'. So it's possible in the redheads mind and she knows that Oracle is recording this interaction.

If Jacyn looks at that stain, it is indeed blood. Starting to soak into the concrete floor. It wasn't cleaned and it wasn't a lot - but still the warehouse was probably cleared more than a few days ago.

"So who are you? I'm Batgirl." It's probably in Jacyn's favour that the woman hasn't tried to attack the bat.


"That's not enough blood for a pitched battle where everyone is dead and drug off." Jacyn replies off-handedly, "Plus, why bother dragging off dead bodies anyways?"

Jacyn knows why. But she's not going to share that kind of knowledge, or experience.

With the scale safely tucked into a pocket she gets to her feet, moving to grab up some of the fur to add to the mix, tucking it into another pocket. Now comes the moment where Jacyn has to decide what answer to give Batgirl, and it's clear that decision is weighing heavily on her. But then she reaches up, grasping the helmet to start pulling it off.


atgirl pauses as the hood comes off. Oracle, facial recognition now.

Scanning Batgirl. And then There's a 95% chance that is Jacyn Todd, Batgirl. Someone has done a really good facial reconstruction.

The redhead takes a step back. "Who are you? Who do you work for? And what cruel trick are you playing?" Clearly Batgirl knows that Jacyn is dead and this … this has to be an imposter.


"No one." It's either in answer to who she is, or who she works for. It certainly can't answer what cruel trick she's playing. One hand reaches up, sliding her fingers into her hair to give her scalp a quick scratch.

"I want you to pass along a message for me." Jacyn points out, her expression flat, emotionless. The old Jacyn never managed to adopt this blank of a look. "I haven't forgotten."


"Clearly not no one." Batgirl reaches into her belt and takes out a bag and a small knife, stepping closer to hold her hand out to the woman. "Give me your hand, this won't hurt. I want to take a cell sample." She doesn't grab and doesn't move aside from that.

"I'll pass on a message when I know *who* you are." This probably wasn't the homecoming Jacyn was hoping for. "Forgotten what? Tell me your story…"


"Certainly not." Jacyn moves to brush past Batgirl, clearly no intention at all of providing a sample. Judging by the warning look on her face the only way to get one might require the use of a fist.

"You'll pass on the message." There's full confidence there, but Jacyn seems to be beating a quick retreat, helmet lifted to start being tugged back into place.


"Maybe I will or maybe I won't." Batgirl says quietly but firmly. There's a steel to the woman. "You aren't Jacyn Todd. She's dead. You're an imposter but I'm willing to try and help you, if you don't mean the family harm."

The family. The secrets that Batgirl and Oracle keep and hide from the world. The people she would die to protect.

Track her progress, Oracle.

On it Batgirl.

Jacyn won't get far in Staten Island without Batgirl knowing it.

She doesn't stop the woman trying to leave. She's not willing to fight until she knows more. When she does though …


Staten Island and beyond. Eventually. Jacyn doesn't argue about who she is, or isn't. Instead she leaves, hitting the roof tops as soon as she's away from the warehouse, and heading off Staten Island eventually.


Batgirl watches the other woman leave, sighing softly to herself. Oracle, send a message to the Bats. Text follows …

Even before Batgirl leaves that warehouse, news of the Jacyn imposter will have reached the others.


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