Summary:A raid on a Yakuza associates house reveals some interesting things Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Batgirl has a line of investigation that she's pursuing. She has the names of several prominent Yakuza assets at least one of which is sure to have information on what exactly the Yakuza is doing collaborating with this monstrous crime syndicate operating on Staten Island. The trick is that their homes are sure to be secured in a very asian fashion.
The Silver Samurai is waiting for the Batgirl to show. She'd asked for his help and picked a target - he isn't sure which one - and now he's loitering out of sight. It has to be out of sight because he's not super subtle. True he doesn't have his silvery armor at the moment but between the demon menpo, the two swords and the leather jacket, he looks like something out of a bad cyberpunk film.
Which is funny, until he cuts you. Then everything is serious.
The house chosen is that of Naomi Taketa, a restauranter, that Nagumo had been seen with on a couple of occassions. Whilst the Silver Samurai needs to stay out of sight, so too does Batgirl - neither are particularly subtle in their costuming.
"Have I told you how much I like the leather jacket?" The modulated voice sounds behind him as the agile redheaded Bat lands in a three point crouch. It's a shame he can't see her eyes or part of her face - the eyes are dancing with mirth as she looks at him.
"Thank you for meeting me. Oracle has uploaded the plans of the house and the information our mutual contact was unable to uncover. Between your sword and my gadgets, we should be able to get through the house to the study - where the information we're looking for should be."
"It's good at deflecting cuts and clubs." It's not armor but it's a decent substitute if all that you can have is regular clothing. The Samurai looks over at Babs. He cannot see her face. Or eyes, no.
"I am ready when you are. Have you counted the guards yet? I would not expect less than six." And possibly eight or twelve. Which is a lot of people but the grounds are fairly large.
"Do you know if Miss Taketa has taken any extra security precautions?"
"It's also good at cutting locks from what I remember." Batgirl answers, turning to look at the house they're about to storm.
Oracle, display the layout of the house please and brief us on what we've found.
The blueprint of the house springs to life from Batgirls suit. "Ms Taketa has eight guards that I could identify. Four that patrol perimeter in a staggered schedule and four that patrol inside." the androgynous voice says. "From what we could determine, she retain Nagasaki Carpenters about eighteen months ago to do work for her. They were not easy to get information from but there was extensive work done on the first floor - we would expect the stairs to be trapped at the very least."
There's two possible entries on the ground floor and a window on the second that they might be able to use.
Both entrances are very likely booby trapped and there will be more traps inside. Instead Kenuichio points to a wall near the kitchen. One with no windows. "We'll go in there. They won't be expecting it and the approach is easier."
He means to literally cut a hole in the wall and go in that way. Which is a valid thing to do when every weapon you hold is a lightsaber.
"Let us get going shall we?" Task one will be to get over the garden wall and to the kitchen wall without being spotted. The approach is more covered but an alert guard might still make them or there might be cameras or other alarms.
"I told you your sword would be helpful." Batgirl answers nodding in agreement to the plan. "If it brings us in through the pantry, you can have a snack. Oracle, have you got access to the security companies systems?"
"I do Batgirl and I'm ready to loop cameras and kill alarms as needed."
"Very good then. Let's go." The black clad woman moves easily, though Kens sharp eyes will notice it's not quite as easily as usual. Not even the suit can mitigate the pain of reaggravating that injury.
"The guards are due to cross here in the next minute." Oracle speaks into the communicators. "Another minute and you'll be clear to go over the wall."
Batgirl can get over easily enough. Can Ken?
Ken could just cut through the wall if he needed to. But no he does not. He vaults over it with surprising agility and when they get to the kitchen just cuts a rectangular hole in the wall. Like butter.
Water sprays everywhere. He got a pipe. Or four.
It's not a subtle entrance. Indeed it's rather noisy as he pushes the section of wall in. That will bring every guard converging on the area.
"Which way?" The study is on the second floor. The blueprints say there's only one staircase but… is that really true?
"So much for going in quietly, Batgirl." Comes the dry androgynous voice in the communicator. "I've killed what alarms I can but …."
Batgirl sighs audibly as she follows Ken through the wall "Why on earth didn't we just trip one of their booby traps instead of announcing ourselves like this?" This is *so* not how she works normally.
There's the scuffling of feet from several rooms away, they don't have long before at the first of the four guards inside are on them.
"Stairs are over that way …" Batgirl gestures to the hallway "but …. check the pantry over there. Apparently there were some renovations here about the time Ms Taketi took ownership."
The pantry looks as it should, though an inspection of the shelves shows they're sectioned - with one section being a little wider than a large man.
Samurai tears open the pantry and it looks… like a pantry. Then he looks up. That's an odd place for a lamp pull. One yank reveals a swiftly unfolding ladder. And the man who was about to climb down it. Ken just kicks him in the head and scurries up. Once they're both up he pulls the ladder up behind him. "Clever, that."
It's dark up here and the upper floor is decorated in an asian style with paper walls, many of which will be moveable. Meaning guards could be hiding anywhere.
They can hear the guards in the kitchen. It won't take them long to figure out where they went, so Samurai uses a nearby broom to block the ladder from going down again.
"There. That will buy us some time. Where next." Is it any wonder these people don't like Ken?
"Clever, yes." Batgirl mutters, restraining the guy that just got kicked in the head and gagging him. It will buy them some time as well, at least. Climbing up behind Ken, the redhead turns around to look. "There are three inside unaccounted for, plus the four outside." Though, if they're disciplined, the four will remain outside and make it difficult for the pair to escape.
"The office is supposed to be over there." The Bat answers, finding a light switch and flicking it on. They've already made a noise getting up here - if someone is hiding, she's just made it a little more difficult.
At that moment, Ken is jumped from behind, the blow connecting with the back of his head. There was indeed a guard hiding. At least one.
The Samurai stumbles forward and turns, drawing his sword. There's a clang of metal on metal - the guard had a blade as well - and one of the walls is knocked over. Samurai runs into Batgirl pushing her sideways toward a fountain. She passes through a field of shimmering light as does he…
And suddenly both he and his opponent are in old time traditional samurai armor. Blocky shoulderplates. Greaves. Helments. Baggy pants.
"Nandayo?!"
What the hell is a fountain doing in here? It's all rather Japanese and strange.
"Samurai…" She's already stumbling through that shimmering light, staring at the two old time Samurais standing before her.
Her long red hair braided down her back, her black leather costume transformed to a tunic and leggings in shades of green. She's got a bandana round her face but that doesn't hide the piercing green eyes. There's a belt around the tunic and a longbow in her hand.
"I say…" Batgirl just stares and raises the bow, aiming at the enemy samurai - it is that one, right?
The arrow, at this close a range, punches through the pauldron and pierces the other Samurai's shoulder. At the same time The Silver Samurai gets inside of the other man's guard and puts him on the floor. A follow up strike punches through his chestplate with a crunch.
Then the argent clad man turns to look at Babs and blink. Things feel a little hazy. Like he's unsure what they were here for. Is this his house? Is she a bandit? What the hell is going on?
"Who who are you …." The redheaded archer shakes her head and takes a breath. "Samurai. You… are the Silver Samurai. I I ….. I am Batgirl." Not that she looks like her now. "Come on … we have to keep moving."
She looks around. This doesn't make sense at all. Why are they here? Why do they need to keep moving?
And where the hell is the way out. Maybe if she walks in this direction….
The area of effect for this… whatever it is, is fortunately quite small and Batigirl stumbles out of it the same way she'd stumbled into it. Instantly her memory is back and she has her costume. Samurai is similarly restored as he exits and blinks. Then he looks behind him.
"What the hells…"
The guards cannot be far off. They've beaten one but they really need to get the data they're after and get out.
Will The Samurai remember the piercing green eyes or is the memory lost in the haze? Batgirl blinks and lets out a breath, glancing back as Ken does. "I…. that's … " No she can't say that happened before. That was Barbara that experienced that.
They can hear the guards bashing on the stairs they came up and the thumping footsteps as they try for the other staircase.
"This way. The office should be …." The black clad woman moves around the walls into a room, pulling the cabinet against the wall open. There's the computer and there's a filing cabinet next to it. "I'll do the computer, you check the files. Look for anything connecting her to Nagumo or his businesses."
She's already working, inserting a usb key into a port and tapping on the keyboard. "We don't have long …"
Crash. That's the sound of someone going THROUGH one of the paper screens that serve as walls here. The Samurai turns to face the noise and sets himself in a stance. "No. We do not."
Then they're there. Two guards. Both with swords. Interesting. Samurai launches into action. He winds up between them which should be a bad place to be but he fends off blows in an almost choreographed fashion, almost like he knows what their next move is before they make it.
It'd be a beautiful thing to see if it weren't happening four feet from Batgirl.
"When I asked you to help, I meant that we'd come in quietly and slip out. Not that we'd be fighting or changed into legends." Batgirls modulated voice doesn't let the dryness of her tone come through and she kicks out as the fighting me get too close.
It would be beautiful to see if she wasn't busy downloading files. Once she gets access to the computer, she moves to the cabinet and starts flicking through it. Purchase orders, letters, other documents are taken quickly and folded up - only to be shoved inside her jacket.
"Nearly done. Why … are these guys fighting with swords?"
"Guns are too dangerous in a building like this." Samurai grunts while he dances amid the swordsmen, parrying and striking quickly enough that the flow of the action is rather difficult to follow. His defense is solid though and his skill sufficient that he's got two opponents on the back foot.
"The walls are made of paper. Bullets go right through. You'd risk hitting people that you wanted alive. Swords are safer!"
And more elegant weapons from more civilized times but he doesn't say that.
The fighting swirls back and then close to Batgirl and then back again. It's clear that Ken is trying to puzzle how to not kill these two. Because if he weren't concerned with that this fight would be over.
"And swords aren't. Of course." Batgirl pulls the USB key from the computer and turns to face the fight. "We need to put these two down. Watch your head." A batarang flies from her hand, arcing around to aim at the first swordsmans head.
A second follows not long after it. The fighters might avoid them, which will give Ken an opening to knock them out. If not. They'll get hit in the noggin with the projectiles.
"Swords are more easily controlled." Samurai points out. As if to illustrate his point, his opponent snaps his sword around to bat that batarang out of the air. Which gives Ken an opportunity to flatten the man with a kick. The other does likewise and is swept off his feet and then kicked in the head.
"The things I do for you." He mutters. Not killing them, he means. It's annoying still. Not because he likes killing but because it's so asymmetrical. After all. They're trying to kill him.
Behind her hood, Batgirl actually smiles - just a little - at the mutter and moves quickly enough to knock both men out, just in case they aren't. Working quickly, she secures them with the zipties she carries. "I suggest we leave through the window, over the roof and out through the estate."
Getting out the way they came in isn't going to happen.
"You haven't bought me flowers or taken me to dinner…" The things he does for her, indeed.
"No, I have only risked life, limb and honor for you." The samurai snarks back. Okay, it's not a 'traditional' thing he's doing for her but it's not insignificant.
"You do realize of course that these people will not go to prison. We are the ones committing the crime after all." As he's talking Ken walks over to the window and just cuts it out of the frame and pushes it to the ground below. Possibly out of spite.
"You are gaining honour, Samurai-san, in my eyes." Batgirl answers, still smiling. It's not insignificant and she's quite … tickled … he's doing this. The manner in which she addresses him is so like Babs.
"Of course they won't and of course we are. At least on the surface but sometimes we have to fight dirty to win the cleaner fight." With the window cut out, Batgirl climbs up on the sill, firing her rappel gun to hook to the roof. "Hold on, we're going up."
He's going to have to hang onto her till they get the roof and then they'll have to find shadows to move through. "Oracle. Organise a distraction at the gate, we're going over the wall in about three minutes."
The zip line takes them up to the roof but the building below them is buzzing like a bee hive. The Samurai takes the opportunity to stow his swords. The shouting below them is mostly in Japanese.
"They will check up here shortly." He reports. Which makes sense, at this point the guards remaining are sweeping the building. They've probably also called the police. No reason not to at this point. There are 'criminals' around.
"I've blocked the call to the police, Batgirl." Oracle responds. "Well, I've put the response on a lower priority. It will take the police longer than usual to respond." Which means it will take a looooong time.
"They might except …." Batgirl answers and gestures to where the cars are parked out the front of the house. The alarms all start going off and the security gate on the drive starts to open. "… we've a distraction."
"Done the trellis and across the grounds. The walls several feet that way. If they're well trained enough, some of the guards may still be patrolling so be careful. I'll be right behind you."
Now they're going to have to worry about guns. It's much easier to use them out here.
As Ken starts to move across the grounds, Batgirls prediction proves true. Bullets impact on the ground just behind him.
The Samurai is good with a sword but that is more or less his only power. He slides down the trellis and makes for the wall but has to do so under fire. This is a slight problem as, unlike Batgirl, he is not armored. Fortunately he doesn't have a wide open space to cross and is soon out and over the wall. He doesn't stop there though. Shooting him just outside the house is just as good as shooting him on the grounds. It's a few blocks before he can slow down and make sure he hasn't been chased.