Summary:Vixen gets some assistance with some thugs in the DZ Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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The Disaster Zone is … a bit of a disaster. Ever since the attack a few years, it has been left to crumble and ruin. There are people that live here - the lost, the forgotten and those who wish to be forgotten or at least run under the radar.
Tonight, deep in the DZ, there's the sounds of a fight. The thud thud of fists on flesh and armour, the rapport of weapon fire and the smashing of bricks and concrete.
Every now and then, there's the glowing silhouette of a bird of prey that rises above the buildings and dives again.
After taking some hard knocks on a previous patrol, Green Arrow has started coming better prepared when he's in the DZ. Extra arrows and grenades, a fresh set of throwing knives, even additional plates of armor riveted to his suit that reinforces the vital areas. He's not one to get caught out twice.
He's had a few scuffles of his own tonight, but nothing noteworthy; just some scorching to one shoulder of his costume and two pistol slugs that have impacted and flattened against the kevlar.
It's the noise that gets his attention. "Someone's having too much fun," he chuckles wryly. Then, all business, he draws an arrow, attaches a grappling line, and fires it into the eaves of a nearby building that looks like it'll hold his weight, hoping for a good vantage point when he gets to the roof.
What do you do when you've lost everything? Some would say therapy. Darkdevil has his own solution: working out his anger and frustration on the heads of people who happen to catch his attention for doing something he doesn't approve of. Given his frame of mind, this might be a bit wider category than usual but it's not like they don't deserve it. Seeing A large glowing bird is a pretty good indication that something interesting is happening and he ports to the top of a building where he can get a better view of the action.
It soon becomes clears that the glowing silhouette is Vixen - the spirit bird sitting behind her as she fights. "Is that the best you can do?" She taunts one thug who is standing on the ground with a deadly looking knife, on the ground some distance from him is a techy looking rifle. Vixen descends at a clip with talons extended - intent on raking at the thugs face.
There's at least two other guys in the area. Both just picking themselves up from being thrown around. Both scramble for their own weapons - one a similarly techy looking rifle, the other a smaller hand weapon - when they have them, they point them at Vixen trying to shoot and not hit their 'friend'.
As soon as his feet are set, the Arrow peers down a spotting scope that's attached to his bow, using it to get an idea of what the hell is making all of this racket. Doesn't take long. Neither does coming up with a plan, though it's not his best one to date.
A quick peek over the edge of the roof at a tattered but intact awning just a tiny bit too far from the ground to properly break his fall. "Oh. Well. Why. Not?"
He knocks another arrow, jumps, and fires it at one of the rifle-wielding bad guys just before he hits the awning (which doesn't slow the vigilante down quite as much as he'd hoped). He lands on his feet, but with the false composure of a cat who's fallen off the couch and MEANT TO DO THAT.
Darkdevil holds out a hand and is then gripping a flaming staff. "Don't you know…" he says as he ports next to the one with the smaller weapons. "It's not polite." The staff comes down on the arm holding the weapon. "To point a weapon." Using the rebound from the impact, he brings the staff up and around to sweep the thugs legs out from under him. "At a lady." Spinning around, he brings the staff across the guy's chest to hasten his descent. "Some people have no manners."
"She ain't no lady, she's a fuckin' bitch…" The thug snarls at Darkdevil as he's hit. The weapon goes loose in his hand but he doesn't drop it - amazingly. He does end up on his back with a groan. He's not done - quite yet - his leg snaps out trying to trip the young vigilante up. "Who are you? One of the bitches toy boys? I thought she had a thing for animals, like that panther, not … what are you? A devil?"
No manners at all.
Green Arrows … arrow … flies across the street, straight and true to hit the rifle in the second thugs hand. The rifle goes wide, as the trigger is pulled and a sonic blast hits the ground just in front of where Arrow has landed - like a cat that MEANT TO DO THAT.
Vixen talons draw bloody furrows down her thugs face, just as he lurches and makes a grab for his rifle. Her booted foot comes down - HARD - on top of the weapon. "Really? I thought we *just* had this conversation."
"Hope you don't mind me crashing your party." GA makes a show of dusting himself off, committing to the bit until he's seen it through. Then he's got bigger things to worry about, as the sonic discharge throws him backward and against the wall of the building he just jumped off of.
"Ow," he complains as he peels himself off of the stonework, the single syllable made more menacing by his scrambled voice. He seems none the worse for wear, though, as he quickly readies another arrow and fires it down the barrel of the weapon that had been used on him. A second arrow is shot through the other man's foot and deep into the ground below. "Stay."
"Is being a fucking bitch bad here?" Darkdevil asks as he back flips out of the way of the foot so he's standing by the thug's head. "I don't object to being a boy toy but she's not really my type. And the name's Darkdevil. Now be a good boy and drop the gun before you end up with a concussion." The end of the staff hovering about six inches above his forehead answers what would give it to him.
Vixens thugs hand crunches as her foot comes down. She might not kill, but maiming? That's ok. "Not at all, the more the merrier." She asides to Green Arrow - who gets a quick look from the woman. "And Darkdevils not really my type. I prefer them taller… and I don't know, being a fucking bitch certainly gets me results." Vixen follows that through with a punch to the face, her thug ends up knocked out on the ground.
Arrow might regret firing that arrow down the barrel of a sonic weapon. The thing starts to whine as the trigger is pulled. "Fuck." The thug tugs his foot, swearing again as the arrow pins him and tosses the weapon at nearby crumbling brickwall. It explodes and brings the rest of the wall down with it.
Darkdevils thug glowers up at him, the weapon isn't dropped but swung clumsily at the young vigilante. Seems concussion doesn't deter him. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. I prefer them meek myself. Though she could be a taught a lesson or two."
"My thanks, gentlemen, for the timely assist. I take it neither of you are injured?"
"I'm good," the Arrow confirms, lowering his bow.He waves at the pistol slugs that are cratered against his armor. "Those are from earlier."
His bad guy is now disarmed and pinned to the ground, which GA seems to like very much. He approaches, tilting his head to consider the man from multiple angles. "I'm Green Arrow. Want me to see if he knows anything useful?" he asks Vixen. "I'm curious as to what hardware like this is doing in a place where there's nothing to steal. He doesn't look takative, but he'll change his mind when I start yanking on that arrow."
Force concentrated on the end of a staff would probably break his skull so instead, as soon as the gun starts to move, Darkdevil spins the staff so the side of it cracks against the side of the thug's head. That probably won't crack his skull. Probably. "She's not the only one." he comments. Lesson one: don't fuck with Darkdevil. "Of course not." From these putzes?
"Better people than you have tried." Vixen smirks at Darkdevils thug, just before he sees darkness and nothing else.
"Vixen." The woman introduces herself to the green clad vigilante, leaving Darkdevil to introduce himself - for the moment. "Be my guest …" she gestures to the pinned thug, cocking her head to encourage Reilly to join in as well.
"I didn't think so, but it's a habit to ask. Never know when someone gets lucky." beat "Still feeling the need to crack heads, I see?"
"Geroff… " The thug blusters. "I ain't telling you nuthin'." Big words that might be betrayed by the look in his eyes.
"If I take that arrow out properly and you get medical attention sometime today, you probably won't walk with a limp." Now GA is looming over the pinned thug. He's not Herculean in proportion, but he's still a pretty big guy. "The alternatives are… unpleasant."
There's something about the way he says it. As if, somehow, he knows from experience. "It's late. I'm tired. I'm only asking once. Where did the guns come from and why are you here?"
"Why should today be any different from the last several years?" Everyone needs a hobby, right? Darkdevil picks up the weapon his thug dropped and looks it over. "Doubt losers like these can afford to buy this kind of tech. They either stole them or someone wanting to start trouble gave them to them. If the latter, there's probably a lot more out there cause face it, these three couldn't start a fire with a lighter and gasoline."
"I'd say a good time with a fist full of hundreds, but your analogy works just fine." Vixen asides to Darkdevil, watching the young man carefully. "As long as the heads you're cracking are these types, I suppose that's ok." Hobby. There's a reason she gets out of a night.
The weapon that Darkdevil picks up is slick. Well made and rather futuristic looking - but it's not from the future, just a little ahead of most ballistic weapons around. There's a makers mark on the weapon - possibly one that existed in Darkdevils reality. A stylised claw. Whilst the casing seems to be ordinary metal, the actual sonic mechanism is made from silvery metal that doesn't look anything he's seen before.
"We're all tired." The thug says irritably. "An' some of us are in more pain than others." He has to look up, just a little to meet GA's eyes but he does. "We found them alright and thought they needed a needed home."
Vixen sighs. "And if I was to say the name Klaw to you?" The guy actually manages to look blank "Who?"
"Enough of this." For all his lighthearted banter, the Green Arrow isn't much for beating around the bush. He kicks the arrow, snapping the shaft off several inches above the bad guy's foot. It absolutely cannot have been fun to be on the receiving end of that one. "Vixen, why don't you cut his face open like you did with the other one? That looked persuasive. I'd ask the new guy to hit him in the head, but we need him talking."
The name means nothing to Darkdevil too. "I can hit him in other body parts. He can talk with a broken arm." he points out, leaning on the staff. The fire doesn't seem to bother him at all. "Or he can just tell us where he stole them."
The thug just goes pale as the vigilantes discuss how they're going to get the information from him. He stammers and sputters a bit. Then he howls as the arrow snaps and is moved. "Fuck man!"
"I don't need to claw his face." Vixen answers, stepping up and giving the guy the *sweetest* of smiles "Black Panther liked my approach the other day. I'll just take an eye. Or maybe both, one at a time." The talons changed claws as the bird of prey fades and is replaced by panther. One hovers, oh so close to the guys eyes.
"Be my guest and hit him, bruises and breaks don't count. I also think you should try and remove that arrow. It looks terribly stuck to me though."
"In the tunnels down there … through the subways. We were … exploring and found them." That's not true, that's obvious. And if they aren't theirs, then who's are they?
"He's stalling. And he's not even doing a good job. I could shoot him again. Or, use that stick of yours to pound on what's left of that arrow. You know, like a nail. Except it's in your foot." The last bit is growled at the bad guy.
Green Arrow turns to consider his staff-wielding counterpart, then Vixen. He shrugs. "If that doesn't work, yeah, yank his eye out. Why not? Just don't kill him, people get squeamish when I'm involved with that."
"Not the eyes." Darkdevil tells Vixen. "A missing eye is a battle scar and an eyepatch looks rakish. Gives them a story to tell over drinks. If you want to get a guy to talk, go for the balls." It seems it won't be necessary though. Maybe. Maybe not. "Exploring." he repeats. Yeah, right.
"Oh, right. I can do that…" Vixen just smiles again watching the thug blanch as the men talk. "And you thought I was the bitch. Such disrespect, really."
The guy is really, really pale now. Pain and fear combining well. "Alright. We were hiding out from a hit we did in the Bowery. Found these tunnels off the subway, new like … and found an area where these were stored."
"There were no guards?" Vixen frowns.
"Uh no…"
"Who is really employing you?" The yellow and black clad woman just sighs. "They wouldn't have left these just laying around." The implied threat she offers, with the GA and Darkdevil, seems to work.
"Look, lady… it's just a mate who needed a favour. Some guy needed some stuff moved later this week."
"What. Where. When. Why are you making me ask you this? Someone please hurt this man. Or… Here's an idea." There's no chuckle. Not quite. Still, kinda seems like GA is smiling within the depths of his hood. "Let me see that weapon."
He takes the rifle, inspects it briefly, then levels it at the reluctant bad guy. "Are there any buttons on this thing I should know about?" he asks. "Stun setting, something like that? Or are you going to, you know, 'pfff' when I shoot you?" He pantomimes an explosion.
"You should probably answer his questions." Darkdevil tells the man. "He's not as patient and understanding as I am." To emphasize this point, he uses the end of the staff to tap against the broken end of the arrow. "And she's not as nice. I'd never claw your balls off but I think she's looking forward to it. You know how much fucking bitches hate men."
"Hey. I like men, particularly with their bits intact." Vixen protests showing mock hurt at the comment Darkdevil made. "You're not working for Klaw then?"
"Who, Lady? Is that like the Inspector Gadget villain?"
Mari sighs as GA inspects the weapon. No settings. Just the ability to go 'pffff'.
"Look. It's a mate, Bruiser we call him - don't know his real name. We're to help shift some stuff from Red Hook. Don't know what. Don't care. The money is good and it's easy work."
There's another sigh from Vixen "He could be telling the truth. The guy who's been supplying these has a gang on retainer - either that gang is subcontracting or … branching out."
Enterprising gangs could do that. Particularly if they aren't very busy at the time.
"Where are you to meet them?"
"Down near the Auto Pound. Crissakes lady … I'm tellin' the truth!"
"Now I believe him," GA admits. "Then again, we did threaten to remove his genitals. And liquefy him. You want to go ahead and…" he taps his temple, indicating a staff-knocking to the head could be in order.
"Anyone mind if I keep this thing?" he asks, hefting the rifle experimentally. "Don't worry, I'm not going to use it. Not my color. I want to take it apart. See how it works."
"It's no fun hitting them after they've talked." Darkdevil protests. "And there's no need." The enterprising vigilante always carries tactical zip ties with him. "We'll just restrain him and leave him and his friend for the cops."
Vixen smirks and assists with the zip-tying, even the guy who's hand she crushed.
GA gets a look when he asks to the weapon and she jerks her head. "We'll call the NYPD in a bit. I don't mind if you take the weapon, but you should know who I think you're dealing with. Ulyssey Klaue is a gifted physicist. He created those weapons himself. I don't know what he's doing in New York but what ever it is, it has to do with my pendant and ones like it." beat "If you find a metal in it that you don't recognise, look me up."
"These guys, I think, are just making hay from his enterprise. Are you two going to look into that?"
"This place might be a shithole, but the people are decent. I'll follow up. I've heard of Klaue, too. Thought I recognized his mark." With his bow in one hand, a cutting edge firearm in the other, and bullets stuck in his chestplate, Arrow looks more like cyberpunk Robin Hood than anything else at the moment. "I get the feeling he's the bigger fish you're trying to fry, Vixen."
Darkdevil shrugs at the question. "You know where to find me if you need me. I haven't gotten a place yet." There's something to be said for not having to cook and it's one less thing to think about as he gets used to the place. He hefts the weapon he picked up. "I'll give this to SHIELD and let them play with it."
"He is, yes." Vixen nods to GA. "I've asked the Avengers, well Captain America, to lend a hand. Supposedly Klaue and his group have cut new tunnels under the zone down to Red Hook. Cap is going to see what they can find through thermal imaging - then we'll know how to proceed."
The dark skinned woman looks between both men "We could do with an assist when know. Apart from that, anything to keep these creeps from getting too cocky, I'm down with."
"Let me know if SHIELD finds anything out about the weapon." Either way, she's fairly sure T'Challa will get called in for a consult.
"We should go …"